Southern Highlights
Volume 10 Number 4 December 2011
Shaping the World One Woman at a Time
Marijo Alexander and Liz Richardson, Co-Presidents
Co-President’s Thoughts
Thanksgiving 2011 is now past, and we hope you all have an “attitude of gratitude” for the richness of your lives. We do indeed have much to be thankful for. We are thankful for: what AAUW stands for, our AAUW branch, each of our members, and what you contribute as a member.
Now the Christmas season is upon us with all its busyness. May it be a season of hope, love, peace, and joy. Remember our Christmas party at The Coffee House on Main Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m., and bring a children’s book to share with a needy child.
We are looking for a couple members to serve on the nominating committee. If you have been in AAUW for a few years and feel you know who might be a good fit for our offices, this is a job for you. Please let one of us know if you would be willing to serve on this committee.
Since there will be no January newsletter we’ll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year and all the best in 2012. We look forward to a great year in AAUW!
Marijo Alexander and Liz Richardson
Co-Presidents
Upcoming Programs
Holiday Greetings to all! We are looking forward to seeing you at our annual Holiday Social at the Coffee House on Main. The Social will take place on Tuesday, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. Come and enjoy the beautiful holiday atmosphere at the Coffee House. Holiday treats will be provided; coffee and beverages may be purchased. Selected members from the Board will be sharing some of their favorite children’s Christmas stories. We are asking members to consider donating a children’s book for the Salvation Army toy drive. We hope you will be able to share in this special evening.
Our January meeting takes place on Tuesday, January 10th in Room C107 at the College. Social time starts at 6:30, with the program starting at 7:00. Carolyn Bogott will be presenting on her trip to China. Take a break from the post-holiday blues and travel vicariously with Carolyn!
We wish you a holiday season filled with joy and peace.
Nel Zellar & Kari Bain
Program Committee Co-chairs
Small Groups
These groups are open to any member wishing to attend.
Morning Book Group
On Thursday, December 15th, the AM Book Group will be hosted by Janet Gilbertson in her home at 1110 3rd St. NW, Austin. PLEASE CALL JANET at 437-1794 if you plan to attend. Please feel welcome to attend. The book selections for discussion are as follows: Thursday, December 15th, The Dog Who Came in from the Cold; on January 19th, Belle Canto by Ann Padgett; and on February 16th, Sarah’s Key by Tatiana DeRosney. Discussion locations will be announced later. Questions? Call Lois McConnell at 433-8101.
Evening Book Group
We will meet on December 5th at 7 PM at the home of Dorothy Krob to discuss Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee. Please RSVP to Dorothy at sdkrob@charter.net. For our January gathering, we will discuss Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin.
Just Come
Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. We are having our lunch Friday, December 2nd at 11:30 at Steve’s Pizza. Please call me at 433-9150 or e-mail me at scfolk@charter.net by noon, Wednesday, November 30th. Sandy Folk
Travel Group
The Travel Club will not be meeting in December. We will meet in January on the second Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 2:00 P.M. I will send the notice out to the Travel Club members in January about the program. DedaRae Graber
AAUW Board Meeting
November 8, 2011
AAUW Board met at Riverland Community College. Present were Marijo Alexander, Kari Bain, Evelyn Guentzel, Sue Grove, Barb Hunter, Marsha Kuehne, Ruth Monson, Liz Richardson, Mary Kay Wilson and Nel Zellar.
Secretary’s report was approved. Mary Kay requested that those who collect money for memberships, House Tour or other funding events take care when collecting and keep accurate records.
Motion made and seconded to pay $150 for insurance. We will no longer need an extra rider for insurance for the House Tours. Motion carried.
A discussion took place regarding AAUW Funds contributions. Motion made and seconded to name Bonnie Rietz as the named gift recipient in the amount of $850 as follows: EF Fund 4166 – $200.00, EF Fund 4203 – $200.00, EF Fund 4326 – $350.00, and LAF Fund 2505 – $100.00. Motion carried.
Motion made and seconded to earmark $500 of House Tour profits for NCCWSL (National Conference for College Women Student Leaders). Motion carried. The high school program for Women’s History Month will be “Miz Wizard” who gives a presentation on science and math. Motion made and seconded to pay $750 for this program. Motion carried.
Liz reported on her work in finding a place for the 1965 silver service. Sue Grove offered to store the service in her home and the board discussed making use of the service at future meetings.
Volunteers are still needed for the Nominating Committee. Members can complete and submit a nomination form through February at the monthly meetings. Board agenda items need to be submitted to Liz and Marijo on or before December 6. The December meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on December 13 at the Coffee House on Main. There will be no Board meeting in December or January. The new starting time for board meetings will be 6:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ruth Monson, Secretary
A Word of Thanks from AAUW
The American Association of University Women would like to pause this Thanksgiving to give thanks for the many opportunities and advancements for women and girls during 2011. Although there is no way for us to list all of the advances for women and girls that we have seen this year, here are just a few to reflect upon and give thanks:
We’re thankful for AAUW’s new research report, Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School, the most comprehensive, nationally representative report conducted on sexual harassment in middle and high schools in a decade. The report has been featured in articles in The Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post On Parenting blog, Education Week, Capitol Hill Blue, and thousands of other press outlets.
We’re thankful that the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that three women, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni opposition leader Tawakkul Karman, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their courageous contributions to peace, democracy, and international women’s rights.
We’re thankful that women broke barriers around the world, with women elected to lead Australia, Brazil, and Thailand for the first time.
We’re thankful that for the first time in history, the president’s top legal team is entirely composed of women.
We are thankful for the U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team finishing as runners up in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup, providing American sports fans one with one of the most thrilling and memorable sports event – male or female – of the year.
We’re thankful for a successful Capitol Hill Lobby Day during AAUW’s national convention. Over 600 AAUW members lobbied members of Congress in one day. Their efforts and those of the AAUW Action Fund Capitol Hill Lobby Corps and AAUW Action Network e-advocates (you!) resulted in 50 additional co-sponsors for the Campus SaVE Act (House 38; Senate 12) and 26 more cosponsors for the National Women’s History Museum Act (House 25; Senate 1).
We’re thankful for Marcia Anderson, who was appointed as the Army’s first African-American female two-star general.
We’re thankful that President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, which ensures all children will have healthy food in schools.
We’re thankful for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which banned lesbian and gay Americans from openly serving in the nation’s armed forces.
We are thankful for the creation of AAUW’s Voices Project, which has allowed the voices of AAUW members throughout the nation to educate the public, spark discussion, and influence the debate through op eds and letters to the editor.
We’re thankful that the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force in response to the unacceptable rates of violence against women and children in Indian tribal communities.
We’re thankful that Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) was appointed chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and is the first woman to hold the distinguished position. She also happens to be the only woman on the deficit reduction “super committee,” which she co-chairs.
We’re thankful that the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Labor announced a new Human Trafficking Enhanced Enforcement Initiative to streamline the investigations and prosecutions of federal human trafficking offenses.
We’re thankful for the representatives from AAUW who joined more than 250 women from around the world for the 55th U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The CSW’s theme of access and participation for women and girls’ education and training in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics was greatly informed by AAUW’s recent Why So Few? report.
We’re thankful that AAUW joined coalition partners on stage during the ‘Stand Up for Women’s Health Rally’ on the National Mall. Members of Congress, activists, and cancer survivors spoke to the crowd of thousands about the direct threat funding cuts posed to women’s health programs.
We’re thankful for Lauren Hodge, Naomi Shah, and Shree Bose, the U.S. girls who won the top awards at Google’s inaugural science fair in all three age groups. They were congratulated by President Obama, who invited them to the Oval Office.
We’re thankful that the Department of Health and Human Services adopted recommendations from the Institute of Medicine that preventive care coverage for women under the new health care law includes birth control without patient copay or deductible.
We’re thankful that President Obama told the United Nations General Assembly to make sure that the safety, economic security, and civil rights of women and girls are not overlooked. The President challenged world leaders to include women at every level of society.
We’re thankful that the American Federation of Teachers used statistics from four AAUW research reports to make the case for promoting gender diversity among college and university faculty.
We’re thankful for Kamala Harris, who shattered glass ceilings in California by becoming the state’s first female attorney general, and also the state’s first African American and Indian American attorney general.
We’re thankful for enthusiastic recognition of Equal Pay Day 2011, including the Paycheck Fairness Act reintroduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD); AAUW’s successful Capitol Hill event New Voices for Pay Equity; publication of AAUW’s new guide, The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap; more than 20 AAUW Voices Project op-eds published on fair pay; AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman’s op-ed published in the Huffington Post; and AAUW’s first ever fair pay flash mob on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
We’re thankful for Mississippi voters, who rejected Issue 26, a measure that would have effectively banned all abortions and severely limited access to in-vitro fertilization, birth control, and other medical procedures and care, by more than 58 percent of voters.
We’re thankful for our stalwart allies on Capitol Hill, including Senator Mikulski and Representative DeLauro who are working together to develop legislation that would address the Supreme Court’s problematic decision in Wal-Mart v. Dukes.
We’re thankful for women like Edith Arana, who spoke at AAUW’s national convention about her involvement in the class action sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart.
We’re thankful for AAUW members and supporters who generously give of their time, talent, and treasures to help women advance their educations and develop their leadership skills.
From all of us at AAUW, best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving and a joyful beginning to your holiday season.
AAUW Monthly Financial Report
November 2011
Period: 11/1/11-11/30/11
Opening Balance: $8,422.08
Income: none
Disbursements:
Insurance 150.00
Total Disbursement: $150.00
Closing Balance 11/30/11 $8,272.08
Mission Statement: AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education and research.
Vision Statement: AAUW will be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy, and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.
Southern Highlights Editor: Rae Dawn Rao
rao_raedawn@yahoo.com
Minnesota State Website:
http://www.aauwmn.org
The Pine Editor: LouAnne Hoppe
Association Website:
Association e-mail: info@aauw.org
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AAUW Southern Highlights
1001 22nd Ave. SW
Austin, MN 55912