Weekly Story Ideas and Faculty Experts

FOR BUSH, A DIVIDED CONGRESS, DIVIDED COUNTRY--"While it is true that neither Clinton nor Bush received the vote of a majority of the electorate, there is a major difference between the two," says Temple political science instructor Mark Schneider, Ph.D. "Bush has to deal with a divided Congress and a divided country and also has to keep his supporters happy. The strategy that George W. must adopt to succeed will have to be different than Clinton's," says Schneider. "Clinton received substantially more votes than any other candidate in the race, both in 1992 and '96.

Bush comes into office having polled fewer votes than his chief rival, Al Gore. Another stark contrast is the nearly even split of Congress, reflecting the sharp polarization of the American electorate. Clinton began in 1993 with a Democratic majority in the House, and by 1997 he faced clear Republican majorities in both houses of Congress." Reach Dr. Schneider at his office, 204-3367, or through the Office of News and Media Relations, 215-204-7476.

WHAT BUSH CAN EXPECT IN THE COMING MONTHS -- President Clinton exits the White House as President-elect George W. Bush officially takes over Saturday, January 20. Bush will be scrutinized like no other president during his first few months in office, says Temple history professor James Hilty. "Bush faces many hurdles, including partisan and ideological objections to some nominations and difficulties in finding bipartisan ground upon which to build a congressional coalition to win approval of his priority initiatives," says Hilty.

"How well he does all this and how well he copes with the mischief deliberately strewn in his path by the outgoing president will play a large role in determining how successful the G. W. Bush presidency will be in the long run." Reach Hilty at his office, 204-5581, or through the Office of News and Media Relations.

STILL A MAN'S (WORK) WORLD? -- Even in the female-dominated occupation of medical technologist, women MT's perceived a higher level of gender discrimination than their male counterparts, according to a study by Temple professor of human resource administration Gary Blau. "The female med-techs felt that men were given more job responsibilities, earned more and had better opportunities for career advancement," reports Blau, adding a cautionary note as to how accurately the female MT's perceptions reflect real workplace biases or serve as a protective self-esteem mechanism.

"To the extent that such perceived discrimination is legitimate, organizations must take steps to eliminate it. If the reality belies the perception, it's time to improve supervisor-employee feedback processes to help such employees focus on more productive ways to protect their self-esteem." Reach Blau at his office, 215-204-6906, or through the Office of News and Media Relations.

Cheryl AfonsoTemple UniversityOffice of News andMedia Relations215.204.7476[email protected]