All in all, I'd best be at the conference.(THE LAST LAUGH)

Women are constantly challenged to choose between work and family: when to stay late, when to schedule doctor appointments, when to grab five minutes of solitude.

We've been covering work/family issues since the very first issue of WIHE in January 1992. But never before had it hit the fan in our own office so squarely as in February, tugging at our heartstrings.

Professional duties

First, there was the annual conference of the College and University Work/Family Association (CUWFA) in beautiful Santa Barbara in early February. This is the group of wonderful people in your human resources or similar unit, whose job it is to help the academy become an employer who cares and ease the way for all workers.

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CUWFA's key concerns include flextime, child and elder care, paid family leave and a host of other things that make women's professional life possible. Balance in life is the overall goal, and progress is more important than perfection.

Although I had learned that my big brother had had a major seizure and was hospitalized in Key West, I decided to proceed with my plans to attend CUWFA because its issues lie at the very heart of what's holding women back in the academy. I took notes and photographs at seven conference sessions.