CONTENTS

» Upcoming Events

» New Member Bios

» Interest Group News

» Info Updates

» Boulder Branch News

Nov/Dec 2006 E-Bulletin

PRESIDENTS' LETTER

From Astrid Maute and Melissa Teel

Hello, AAUW Members:

We are hoping you all are enjoying the beautiful fall weather and are ready to support AAUW goals and interests this new AAUW year!

Doris Hass & Marilyn Leist attended the Fall Conference in Breckenridge and reported the following: Sadie Conrad, dynamic student leader attending Colorado State University, related her experience at the national conference for college women student leaders, held in Washington , DC, in June of this year. The meeting was entitled "Summit on Sexual Harassment: Leading Change on Campus & Beyond." Fort Collins AAUW funded Sadie's participation, and she was in awe of the work & history of AAUW. She had never heard of our organization! Sadie was thrilled with the skill-building workshop and discussions on using her leadership skills to help build a harassment-free campus at CSU. Her enthusiasm for AAUW programs was contagious. Perhaps AAUW Boulder will consider sending a CU woman student leader to the next national conference.

Enjoy the rest of the fall and don't forget to VOTE!!! Scroll down for AAUW election issue positions. This month marks the 125th anniversary of AAUW!!! Let's make it a good year!

Melissa Teel
Astrid Maute
Co Presidents

UPCOMING EVENTS (Nov/Dec 2006)

November 9, 2006 - Executive Board Meeting at Doris Hass' home at 7PM. All Boulder Branch members are welcome to attend, also.

November 14, 2006 - General Meeting - Young Professionals are hosting a workshop entitled "How Does Work Fit Into Life?". This will be presented at the Egg & I Restaurant at 2574 Baseline Rd. (Basemar Center) in Boulder from 9-11AM. There is a $10 charge for this program to cover expenses. Please send your check to Astrid Maute at 5715 Slick Rock Court, Boulder, CO 80301. The meeting will be facilitated by Melinda Foster. Melinda is a career consultant and coach working in private practice in Colorado. She has devoted her professional life to helping clients examine their values, preferences, motivators, needs, interests, and abilities in order to better clarify their sense of mission and purpose and achieve work/life balance. Her work with organizations and teams is focused on improving the ability of all participants to identify goals, communicate purpose and create action plans. She has designed, developed and conducted programs in /Career Management,/ /Communication Skills, Team-Building, Motivation Training, Managing the Personal Impact of Change, Managing Organizations in Transition, Managing the Separation Interview, Moving Through Grief, Career Planning, Work/Life Balance, Decision Coaching, Spousal Consultation and Partner Relocation/. Melinda's dynamic and energetic style stimulates creativity, enthusiasm and life impacting results. She is passionate about her work!
Her varied background includes organizations in the proprietary school, health care, entertainment, retail, and human resource industries. She has delivered career consulting and various training to all industries, including IT, Bio-Pharma, Medical Device, Energy, Insurance, Healthcare, Hospitality, Financial, Engineering, Manufacturing, and numerous technical organizations.

December 3, 2006 - Annual Holiday Brunch and Fashion Show will be held at the Spice of Life Events Center at 5706 Arapahoe Avenue in Boulder from 11-2PM. The cost of the tickets are $25 each. Please send your check to Mary Hassler, 4230 Corriente Drive, Boulder, CO. 80301.

"EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS" (EYH)

Planning is underway for the next Expanding Your Horizons event, scheduled for February 24, 2007. We are very excited about the co-sponsorship with the Boulder County Latina Women's League and the generous corporate sponsorship from Seagate Technology for this year's event. If anyone has ideas or contacts in the schools or community and would like to help with publicity or if anyone would like to help with community outreach and fund-raising, please let the co-chairs know. The Co-Chairs for the event are Rita Johnson (rita.johnson@raymondjames.com), Lora Lehman (loral@microsoft.com), and Karen Alfino (kaalfino@msn.com).

UPDATES & CORRECTIONS

CHANGES/ADDITIONS to Member Email Address/Street Addresses/Phone #s, etc. (please remember to update your information so you can continue to receive email and snail mail in a timely manner)

New Email Addresses:
Elaine Bush's email is: ElaineGBush@comcast.net

New Street Addresses:
Helen Coffey's - 16492 Aliante Drive, Boulder, 80020

INTEREST GROUP NEWS

INTEREST GROUPS
Please contact Jordon Hanie (Interest Group Chairperson) at303-424-9454 or j.m.colby@comcast.net, if you would like information on any particular interest group.

Great Decisions
For information, contact Bonnie Darnell at bhdarnell41@msn.com.

La Cuisine
La Cuisine is AAUW's dinner club. We meet on the third Saturday of the month, October - June, with a September planning meeting for the year. The host and co-host for each meeting provide attendees with a
set of recipes for the meal and an assignment to make one to bring to the party. This year's theme is Fresh Seasonal Fare and Sensational Desserts. For information, contact Kathy Minter, 303-449-0386.

Partner Bridge
Partner bridge meets on the first Friday of each month at 7PM; for more information, contact Joan Schroeder at 303-499-4181.

Playgoers
Playgoers are AAUW members who attend plays in the local area once a month, usually on Sunday afternoons. Members may be to every play or just attend certain ones. We try to go to a variety of theaters & see a variety of plays. In a season, we usually go to CU, Longmont, Louisville & Lafayette. We try to choose plays well in advance. For further information, contact Jennie Grisham at jennig43@msn.com or Elaine Bush at ElaineGBush@comcast.net.

Sunday Night Non-Fiction Book Group
Sunday Night Non-Fiction Book Group meets on the second Sunday of the month at 7PM. The November book is: The Colony: The Harrowing True Story of the Exiles of Moloki" by John Tayman. The December book is: "Making a Real Killing: Rocky Flats and the Nuclear West" by Len Ackland. Contact Elinor McGinn at 303-665-0691 for further information.

Wednesday Night Book Group aka the Bookies
The Bookies meet at 7PM at members' homes. The November meeting is on November 15th and the book selected is "The Meadow" by John Galvin. The December meeting is on December 13th, and the book selected is "March" by Geraldine Brooks. Contact Melanie Bohren at 303-776-5559 or mel_coward@yahoo.com for further information.

Young Professionals - Young Professionals is a group of AAUW professional women who meet at various times during the year for various activities. Chair Danielle Benoit and Kelly Harr report, "For December, the YPs will be doing our annual holiday volunteer event; Holiday Baskets with Project Self-Sufficiency. We'll get together Dec 8, around 5 pm at Target, to purchase gifts for families with single mothers. More to come and all are welcome!" Contact Danielle at danielleswbenoit@gmail.com to volunteer or for more information about Young Professionals.

NEW MEMBER BIOS

Terry Webster - Terry has a BA from Middlebury College of Vermont. She and her husband Mike Webster moved to Boulder two years ago from a suburb of NYC. Between the two of them they have six children, the two youngest attend CU.In New York Terry worked for a major sports radio station and was an Account Executive selling sports sponsorships. Terry enjoys skiing, hiking, church activities, traveling, and is also a volunteer for Middlebury College. They have a home in St. Croix where other family members live.

Welcome to the Boulder Branch AAUW, Terry!!

GENERAL BOULDER BRANCH NEWS

ROSTER OF NEW OFFICERS, 2006-07
Executive Board
Co Presidents - Astrid Maute, Melissa Teel
Vice Presidents, Programs - Doris Hass, Ruth Colby
Vice Presidents, Membership - Hope Steffens-Nett, Jan Dobbs
Treasurer - Mary Hassler
Secretary - Margaret Banse

Appointed Board
Brown/Ricketts/Udick Scholarships - Doris Hass
Coordinator of Interest Groups - Jordan Hanie
Courtesy - Ruth Henritze
Educational Foundation
Expanding Your Horizons - Rita Johnson, Lora Lehman, Karen Alfino
International Relations - Gretchen Menand
Legal Advocacy Fund - Ann DiGennaro
Membership Directory - Sarah Behm
EBulletin - Melissa Teel
Public Policy - Marilyn Leist
Website Editor - Kelly Harr

We still need a chairperson for the Educational Foundation to help coordinate the Holiday Brunch in December. This is our only fundraiser for the Educational Foundation. Please contact Doris Hass at 303-443-7087 if you are interested.

Colorado & National AAUW NEWS

Election News!

AAUW-Colorado supports Referendum I and opposes Amendment 39 and Referendum J.

At its meeting on Saturday, September 16, 2006, the Board of Directors of AAUW-Colorado voted to support Referendum I and oppose Amendment 39 and Referendum J. The Board also voted to remain neutral on all other initiatives and referenda on the ballot. Positions on the 7 initiatives and 7 referendums were taken based on the AAUW mission, AAUW Public Policy Program for 2005-2007, and on the AAUW-Colorado Public Policy Platform for 2006-2007.

Referendum I proposes a statutory amendment to establish legal domestic partnerships in the state of Colorado. The referendum specifies that domestic partnerships are not a marriage. AAUW-CO supports this amendment because it will provide those who establish a legal domestic partnership with certain rights which are currently not available to persons in such a relationship.

Referendum J and Amendment 39 both deal with funding for school districts. Amendment 39 is a constitutional amendment requiring school districts to spend at least 65 percent of its operational budget on classroom instruction. Referendum J is a statutory amendment requiring all school districts to send their budgets to the Colorado Department of Education in a standard format and ensure that at least 65 percent of operational expenditures go to services directly affecting student achievement. AAUW-CO opposes both of these issues because it infringes on the independence of a local school district to use funds and budget according to the needs of that school district. To establish a particular percentile of funding for all school districts discounts the uniqueness of each school district and how it will use funds to provide the best education for its students.

Remember, as individuals, AAUW-CO members may support or oppose any of the ballot issues. However, when representing AAUW, members must present the position taken by AAUW-CO on Referenda I, J, and Amendment 39.

Stir the Pot this Election Season - Lisa Martin-Maas, Interim Chair Legal Advocacy Fund, AAUW

Borrowing an idea from our coalition partner the AFL-CIO and its affiliate Working America, AAUW would like to encourage you to bring together an informal gathering of your daughters, friends, and coworkers, maybe at a potluck supper in your home or at the local coffee shop, to “stir the pot” by talking about issues important to women at stake in the election on November 7. It’s easy to organize, just e-mail invitations to all your friends and come up with a few conversation starters.

Here are some resources you can use to spark a conversation:

• Last month AAUW’s coalition partner the AFL-CIO and its affiliate Working America released the results of the 2006 Ask a Working Woman Survey, which many AAUW members responded to. The survey asked questions about work conditions and women’s priorities for improvements to labor laws. Read the report to see what American working women had to say.
• AAUW recently released its Congressional Voting Record for the 109th Congress, which provides the public with critical information about how their members of Congress voted on equity issues affecting women and girls. Women have a lot at stake for themselves and their families in the upcoming elections. The Congressional Voting Record provides voters with useful information before casting a ballot. AAUW’s Congressional Voting Record for the 109th Congress is available online at http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/GJFGGJWHYJ/923208211.
• The National Council of Women’s Organizations, a coalition of which AAUW is a member, has just released The 2006 ABCs of Women’s Issues, which provides updates on women’s issues and questions you need to ask candidates and political parties. The 2006 ABCs of Women’s Issues is available online at http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/BTXYGJWHYK/923208211.
• A May 2006 telephone survey by the AAUW Educational Foundation found that 40 percent of U.S. adults know little or nothing about their mom's financial situation. While repaying mom for all she’s done in years past may be an impossible task, asking her a few simple questions right now may make a difference when it comes to her financial future. The Mom's Retirement Security research report provides a full discussion of the poll results and can be found online at http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/HVNIGJWHYL/923208211. You can read more about AAUW’s position on Social Security on the Social Security resource page on the website at http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/EJQVGJWHYM/923208211.
• Voting is a habit. People who vote have a pattern of voting and are members of social networks of voters. Their friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors also vote regularly. You can increase the numbers of regular voters by bringing nonvoters into your network. This can be done woman to woman. To download a PDF copy of AAUW’s Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout: A Manual for Community-Based Campaigns to Mobilize Women to Vote, visit http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/JQWHGJWHYN/923208211. Look over the Woman-to-Woman Voter Turnout manual and discuss what you can do to increase voter turnout amongst women in your community in this and future elections.
• In 2004, the most recent year for which data is available, women earned only 77 cents on the dollar to their male counterparts. To match men's earnings for 2005, women had to work from January 2005 to April 2006 — an extra four months. AAUW has produced a kit containing a variety of useful resources to help you take action for pay equity. We’ve included information about state and federal legislation, and step-by-step suggestions to help you pursue pay equity. You can download a copy of AAUW's Pay Equity Resource Kit from the AAUW website at http://capwiz.com/aauw/utr/1/IYAOGJWHWQ/GXYHGJWHYO/923208211.

International Relations - Gretchen Menand, Chair

The international arm of AAUW is the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), which AAUW co-founded in 1919. Today, AAUW is an active member of IFUW, a network of 180,000 women university graduates from 72 national federations and associations. Like AAUW’s mission, the IFUW has a strong interest in women's issues internationally and is committed to promoting equity for women and girls around the world. The IFUW has consultative status with and a voice at the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It also sponsors the Bina Roy Partners in Development Programme, where AAUW branches support IFUW projects in developing countries. Visit this Web page http://www.ifuw.org/brpid/index.htm to learn more about projects to support women from Argentina (computer skills training for women more 45 and older) to Croatia (handiwork and traditional skills training for refugee women) to Zimbabwe (national scholarship programme for girls and young women in government schools). Through education and leadership development, these projects empower women and girls around the world.

Public Policy - Marilyn Thomas Leist, Chair

Did You Know?

Rosa Parks to be Honored in Statuary Hall On Nov. 18, both the House and the Senate unanimously passed legislation instructing the architect of the Capitol to place a statue of Rosa Parks in the National Statuary Hall located in the Capitol building. The bill gives the Capitol Architect's office two years to obtain a statue. The president signed the legislation on Dec. 1, making Rosa Parks the first African American woman to be honored permanently in Statuary Hall.

Pharmacists Disciplined for Refusing to Dispense Contraception Four Illinois pharmacists in the St. Louis area are facing disciplinary actions by their employer, Walgreen Co., after refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception. This refusal was in violation of a state rule. The pharmacists cited religious or moral objections to filling prescriptions for the morning-after pill.

U.N. Grants to Support Elimination of Violence Against Women To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Nov. 25, the U.N. Development Fund for Women issued $1.8 million in grants to groups in 24 developing nations. The grant funds went towards initiatives focused on changing national laws and policies that will aid in ending violence against women. For example, the regional program in Central American will analyze domestic violence legislation, while nonprofits in Mali will work on new legislation that will ban female genital mutilation.

Confidentiality for Survivors of Domestic Violence On Nov. 16, the House Committee on Financial Services unanimously approved the Safe Housing Identity Exemption for the Lives of Domestic Violence Victims (SHIELD) Act. The act, sponsored by Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), would serve to protect victims of domestic violence who have fled their abusers from being traced through a government database. Currently, a database kept by Housing and Urban Development requires that all federally funded shelters and transitional housing programs record clients' personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number, and ethnicity. The new bill would allow shelters to input only non-identifying information on domestic violence victims for data collection purposes since the database is accessible to certain government employees and contractors, some of whom may be abusers. The bipartisan bill will now be forwarded on with a favorable recommendation for consideration by the full House. (Taken from the AAUW.org website.)

From EdEqChange

*National Science Foundation Grant* *Received *– NSF awarded the AAUW Educational Foundation a five-year NSF grant to partner with Puget Sound Center for Teaching & Learning to expand the National Girls Collaborative Project. The project, also funded by NSF, aims to increase gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. It develops regional collaboratives across the country to help girl-serving organizations, education, business, and industry work together to leverage resources and provide more opportunities for girls and young women in STEM career fields. This award also focuses on building the capacity of girl-serving organizations in the areas of informal learning, evaluation, and assessment.

Planning at the national office has already begun. Director of Research Catherine Hill has been appointed the project’s principal investigator, and she will play a leadership role in launching the project. She has begun work with the regional directors to identify AAUW members to serve as liaisons between AAUW and the regional girls collaboratives. In Year 1, regional liaisons will be appointed in the New England, Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, Great Lakes, Mountain-Pacific, and California regions. The remaining regions will be assigned in Year 2. Contact your regional director for more information about how you can get involved in this effort.