The following is an article about Grinnell's Sociology Professor, Susan J. Ferguson, which was published on the front page of Grinnell College's student newspaper, the Scarlet and Black, November 8, 1996.

Susan J. Ferguson, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Grinnell college, has received support from the American Sociological Association (ASA) to study "'Old Christmas Cake' or Independent Women: Never Married Chinese American and Japanese American Women."

The ASA, in collaboration with the National Science Foundation, sponsors the Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline, awarding competitive small grants to sociology researchers.

Ferguson received a $3,500 grant.

According to the review committee, the strengths of Ferguson's proposal are its solid grounding in the research literature on marriage, the innovative topic and the research design.

"Ferguson's research will advance our knowledge of the never married and the lives of Asian American women. Both of these groups are currently under-researched populations," review committee members said.