From aauw-women at lists.olympus.net Mon Oct 1 12:57:29 2007 From: aauw-women at lists.olympus.net (aauw-women@lists.olympus.net) Date: Mon Oct 1 11:57:57 2007 Subject: [AAUW-WA-BrMember] AAUW Member Letter October, 2007 Message-ID: <000601c8045c$eeaa0000$9002a8c0@connie> This Member Newsletter is coming to you via AAUW of Washington Member-listserv from Connie Dunkelberger, State President. Do not reply to this message. Direct comments and questions to feedback@aauw-wa.org Member Letter, October Vote on November 6th AAUW of Washington Supports EHJR 4204 Changing the "supermajority" requirement for school levy elections has been a top priority for AAUW-WA for years. In 2007, the legislature overwhelmingly approved EHJR 4204. Now Washington voters must ratify the change on November 6. Why is this important? a.. The Simple Majority would strengthen Washington's "paramount duty" which is our system of common schools b.. We need to make it easier to invest in our public schools, not harder. c.. Local levies support basic needs: up-to-date textbooks, smaller class sizes, building maintenance and repair, classroom computers - critical items for a quality education. What can AAUW-WA branches do? a.. Make sure every AAUW member and their families and friends vote. b.. Go to www.supermajority2007.org to find other organizations working for a "yes" vote and get involved in coalition activities in your community. AAUW of Washington Opposes Initiative 960 Why is this Important? With its many requirements, I-960 is not consistent with the principle of representative democracy, and would put funding for education, health care, and other vital services at risk. I-960 requires a.. either a 2/3 vote of the legislature or a vote of the people on all tax increases, b.. a majority vote of the legislature on any fee increase, c.. any tax increase voted by the legislature to be subject to an advisory vote of the people. d.. the legislature to vote on any transfer of revenues from one fund or account to another and a 2/3 vote to approve it. What can AAUW-WA branches do? a.. Make sure every AAUW member and their families and friends vote. b.. Go to www.no960.com for updated talking points and partner with the League of Women Voters and other organizations that are working to defeat I-960. For information on public policy of AAUW -WA contact Dixie Swensen at publicpolicy@aauw-wa.org ?Adelante! Book Club selections AAUW hopes you enjoy the 2007-2008 ?Adelante! Book Club selections. The list can be found at: http://www.aauw.org/print_page.cfml?Path_Info=F:\web\aauw\community_programs\adelante\07.cfm October (Disability Awareness Month) Eye Contact? by Cammie McGovern (2006) A young girl has been murdered and the only witness is a child who cannot tell what he saw. In the woods of a small town, Adam, a nine-year-old autistic boy, is discovered hiding near the body of his classmate. They both wandered off from the school playground several hours earlier, and now the police are relying on Adam as the only witness to an appalling crime. But he can't tell the police what he saw-or what he heard. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has retreated into a silent world that Cara, his mother, knows only too well. With her community in shock and her son unable to help with the police investigation, Cara tries to decode the puzzling events. As a single mother, Cara has devoted her life to opening paths of communication between her son and the outside world. Now, she must interpret the changes in Adam's behavior not only to help him through the trauma, but to help the police catch a killer. Cammie McGovern brings her own experience as the mother of an autistic child to articulate the struggles-and the victories-that consume the lives of parents raising children with special needs. A powerful story of the tangled emotional bond between mother and son, and a thrilling novel of psychological suspense, Eye Contact won't let you go. November (Native American Heritage Month) Woman Who Watches Over the World: A Native Memoir? by Linda Hogan (2001) The powerful story of one woman's family and the way in which tribal history informs her own past. "I sat down to write a book about pain and ended up writing about love," says award-winning Chickasaw poet and novelist Linda Hogan. In this book, she recounts her own difficult childhood as the daughter of an army sergeant, her love affair at age fifteen with an older man, the legacy of alcoholism, and the troubled history of the two daughters she adopted. She shows how historic and emotional pain are passed down through generations while revealing her own struggles with physical pain, and she blends personal history with stories of important Indian figures of the past such as Lozen, the woman who was the military strategist for Geronimo, and Ohiyesha, the Santee Sioux medical doctor who witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Ultimately, Hogan sees herself and her people whole again and gives us an illuminating story of personal spiritual triumph. You can also join the discussion online, as AAUW supports an online discussion board for ?Adelante! books and related discussions. I hope you will join me in reading and discussing the ?Adelante! books and I welcome your comments and questions. Julie Buffington, State Diversity Chair AAUW News AAUW launched a redesigned website Sep. 17 AAUW is pleased to welcome you to our new website. The site has been restructured and given a new user interface to make your browsing experience more enjoyable and to inspire action and advocacy for equity for women and girls. AAUW Celebrates New Law to Ease Student Loan Burden The American Association of University Women applauds President Bush for signing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R. 2669) today, a bill that will increase scholarships and reduce loan costs for undergraduate students. AAUW Announces Partnership with CARE We are excited to share our new and exciting partnership with CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. This partnership strengthens AAUW's ongoing commitment to supporting global development issues. Principles and Priorities -- AAUW's Public Policy Program Spread the word about AAUW'S Public Policy Program -- download the 2007-2009 program brochure and distribute it at branch and coalition meetings, voter education events, community gatherings, or anywhere else where women gather. Up to 10 copies of the brochure are available to members free of charge from the AAUW HELPLINE. For more information, call 800/326-AAUW (2289) or e-mail votered@aauw.org. Branch Mission-Based Programs in Washington: It isn't often I make note of branch programs in this state wide newsletter, but two branches are having great programs in October and I want to comment on them. It is not only the type of programs, but also because both branches made it a priority to invite other organizations and the public to their events. The Seattle Branch will have Dr.Laura Koutsky of the University of Washington Epidemiology Department, School of Public Health and Community Medicine as their speaker on Saturday, October 20th. Dr. Koutsky's research concerns the acquisition and natural history of (HPV) infections and the prevention of the human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers. She and her research team led the way for the new HPV vaccine to be developed. HPV?s are responsible for almost all cervical cancers; the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer. For information on this event contact: programs@aauw-seattle.org Booth Gardner, Governor of Washington from 1985-1993, will speak on "Death with Dignity" Initiative in the State of Washington. This program, sponsored by the AAUW Puyallup Valley Branch, will be held October 20th at 10:00 a.m. at the Puyallup Activity Center. More information about this event can be obtained from puyallupvalley@aauw-wa.org . Congratulations to the Walla Walla branch for their very successful prospective member event in September. They set a branch record for having 21 new members join AAUW at their reception. This might be a state record, too. There will be more branch brags in the Evergreen Leader On-line, which is due out in November. Deadline for articles and a limited number of pictures is October 15th at evergreenleader@aauw-wa.org . Any member interested in being considered for the positions of State Historian or State Communications Chair please contact me at president@aauw-wa.org for the job description and information. Nominations for the elected position on the 2008-2009 State Board are being accepted at nominations@aauw-wa.org. Sincerely, Connie Dunkelberger AAUW Member Letters arrive once a month. If you wish to receive more information about AAUW of Washington you can sign up for Leader Letters or AAUW-WA Advocate, even if you are not a branch officer by contacting feedback@aauw-wa.org. If you received this message in error please contact us and you will be removed from this list. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.olympus.net/pipermail/aauw-women/attachments/20071001/f694d6d7/attachment-0001.html From aauw-women at lists.olympus.net Mon Oct 1 12:39:27 2007 From: aauw-women at lists.olympus.net (aauw-women@lists.olympus.net) Date: Mon Oct 1 11:58:29 2007 Subject: [AAUW-WA-BrMember] AAUW Member Letter -- October 2007 Message-ID: <000901c8045a$69413cf0$9002a8c0@connie> This Member Newsletter is coming to you via AAUW of Washington Member-listserv from Connie Dunkelberger, State President. Do not reply to this message. Direct comments and questions to feedback@aauw-wa.org Member Letter, October Contents: 1. Voter information -- 2. Adelante Book Reviews -- 3. AAUW News --- 4. AAUW-WA News 1. Vote on November 6th AAUW of Washington Supports EHJR 4204 Changing the "supermajority" requirement for school levy elections has been a top priority for AAUW-WA for years. In 2007, the legislature overwhelmingly approved EHJR 4204. Now Washington voters must ratify the change on November 6. Why is this important? a.. The Simple Majority would strengthen Washington's "paramount duty" which is our system of common schools b.. We need to make it easier to invest in our public schools, not harder. c.. Local levies support basic needs: up-to-date textbooks, smaller class sizes, building maintenance and repair, classroom computers - critical items for a quality education. What can AAUW-WA branches do? a.. Make sure every AAUW member and their families and friends vote. b.. Go to www.supermajority2007.org to find other organizations working for a "yes" vote and get involved in coalition activities in your community. AAUW of Washington Opposes Initiative 960 Why is this Important? With its many requirements, I-960 is not consistent with the principle of representative democracy, and would put funding for education, health care, and other vital services at risk. I-960 requires a.. either a 2/3 vote of the legislature or a vote of the people on all tax increases, b.. a majority vote of the legislature on any fee increase, c.. any tax increase voted by the legislature to be subject to an advisory vote of the people. d.. the legislature to vote on any transfer of revenues from one fund or account to another and a 2/3 vote to approve it. What can AAUW-WA branches do? a.. Make sure every AAUW member and their families and friends vote. b.. Go to www.no960.com for updated talking points and partner with the League of Women Voters and other organizations that are working to defeat I-960. For information on public policy of AAUW -WA contact Dixie Swensen at publicpolicy@aauw-wa.org 2. ?Adelante! Book Club selections AAUW hopes you enjoy the 2007-2008 ?Adelante! Book Club selections. The list can be found at: http://www.aauw.org/print_page.cfml?Path_Info=F:\web\aauw\community_programs\adelante\07.cfm October (Disability Awareness Month) Eye Contact? by Cammie McGovern (2006) A young girl has been murdered and the only witness is a child who cannot tell what he saw. In the woods of a small town, Adam, a nine-year-old autistic boy, is discovered hiding near the body of his classmate. They both wandered off from the school playground several hours earlier, and now the police are relying on Adam as the only witness to an appalling crime. But he can't tell the police what he saw-or what he heard. Barely verbal on the best of days, Adam has retreated into a silent world that Cara, his mother, knows only too well. With her community in shock and her son unable to help with the police investigation, Cara tries to decode the puzzling events. As a single mother, Cara has devoted her life to opening paths of communication between her son and the outside world. Now, she must interpret the changes in Adam's behavior not only to help him through the trauma, but to help the police catch a killer. Cammie McGovern brings her own experience as the mother of an autistic child to articulate the struggles-and the victories-that consume the lives of parents raising children with special needs. A powerful story of the tangled emotional bond between mother and son, and a thrilling novel of psychological suspense, Eye Contact won't let you go. November (Native American Heritage Month) Woman Who Watches Over the World: A Native Memoir? by Linda Hogan (2001) The powerful story of one woman's family and the way in which tribal history informs her own past. "I sat down to write a book about pain and ended up writing about love," says award-winning Chickasaw poet and novelist Linda Hogan. In this book, she recounts her own difficult childhood as the daughter of an army sergeant, her love affair at age fifteen with an older man, the legacy of alcoholism, and the troubled history of the two daughters she adopted. She shows how historic and emotional pain are passed down through generations while revealing her own struggles with physical pain, and she blends personal history with stories of important Indian figures of the past such as Lozen, the woman who was the military strategist for Geronimo, and Ohiyesha, the Santee Sioux medical doctor who witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Ultimately, Hogan sees herself and her people whole again and gives us an illuminating story of personal spiritual triumph. You can also join the discussion online, as AAUW supports an online discussion board for ?Adelante! books and related discussions. I hope you will join me in reading and discussing the ?Adelante! books and I welcome your comments and questions. Julie Buffington, State Diversity Chair 3. AAUW News AAUW launched a redesigned website Sep. 17 AAUW is pleased to welcome you to our new website. The site has been restructured and given a new user interface to make your browsing experience more enjoyable and to inspire action and advocacy for equity for women and girls. AAUW Celebrates New Law to Ease Student Loan Burden The American Association of University Women applauds President Bush for signing the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R. 2669) today, a bill that will increase scholarships and reduce loan costs for undergraduate students. AAUW Announces Partnership with CARE We are excited to share our new and exciting partnership with CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. This partnership strengthens AAUW's ongoing commitment to supporting global development issues. Principles and Priorities -- AAUW's Public Policy Program Spread the word about AAUW'S Public Policy Program -- download the 2007-2009 program brochure and distribute it at branch and coalition meetings, voter education events, community gatherings, or anywhere else where women gather. Up to 10 copies of the brochure are available to members free of charge from the AAUW HELPLINE. For more information, call 800/326-AAUW (2289) or e-mail votered@aauw.org. 4. Branch Mission-Based Programs in Washington: It isn't often I make note of branch programs in this state wide newsletter, but two branches are having great programs in October and I want to comment on them. It is not only the type of programs, but also because both branches made it a priority to invite other organizations and the public to their events. The Seattle Branch will have Dr.Laura Koutsky of the University of Washington Epidemiology Department, School of Public Health and Community Medicine as their speaker on Saturday, October 20th. Dr. Koutsky's research concerns the acquisition and natural history of (HPV) infections and the prevention of the human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers. She and her research team led the way for the new HPV vaccine to be developed. HPV?s are responsible for almost all cervical cancers; the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer. For information on this event contact: programs@aauw-seattle.org Booth Gardner, Governor of Washington from 1985-1993, will speak on "Death with Dignity" Initiative in the State of Washington. This program, sponsored by the AAUW Puyallup Valley Branch, will be held October 20th at 10:00 a.m. at the Puyallup Activity Center. More information about this event can be obtained from puyallupvalley@aauw-wa.org . Congratulations to the Walla Walla branch for their very successful prospective member event in September. They set a branch record for having 21 new members join AAUW at their reception. This might be a state record, too. There will be more branch brags in the Evergreen Leader On-line, which is due out in November. Deadline for articles and a limited number of pictures is October 15th at evergreenleader@aauw-wa.org . Any member interested in being considered for the positions of State Historian or State Communications Chair please contact me at president@aauw-wa.org for the job description and information. Nominations for the elected position on the 2008-2009 State Board are being accepted at nominations@aauw-wa.org. Sincerely, Connie Dunkelberger AAUW Member Letters arrive once a month. If you wish to receive more information about AAUW of Washington you can sign up for Leader Letters or AAUW-WA Advocate, even if you are not a branch officer by contacting feedback@aauw-wa.org. If you received this message in error please contact us and you will be removed from this list. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.olympus.net/pipermail/aauw-women/attachments/20071001/8e2f3137/attachment-0001.html From aauw-women at lists.olympus.net Fri Oct 19 22:24:51 2007 From: aauw-women at lists.olympus.net (aauw-women@lists.olympus.net) Date: Fri Oct 19 21:25:06 2007 Subject: [AAUW-WA-BrMember] Help needed from AAUW members Message-ID: <000601c812d1$2bd6c760$9002a8c0@connie> This urgent memo is coming to you via AAUW of Washington Member-listserv from Dixie Swenson, State Public Policy Chair. Do not reply to this message. Direct comments and questions to feedback@aauw-wa.org or publicpolicy@aauw-wa.org Member request Subject: 4204 Phone Banks Open -- Help Needed from AAUW members AAUW-WA is supporting the passage of EHJR 4204, which will allow a simple majority of voters to pass school levies. This is an issue on which AAUW has been working for many years, and if it doesn't pass this time, many say it will be a long time before we get another chance. At this time, the polling is very close. Simply Better Schools, www.simplybetterschools.org is the coordinated campaign working to turn out the pro-education vote. You have probably seen the Approve 4204 ads on television. One other major campaign effort is phone banking. There are now over 100 phone bank sites set up around Washington State. Phone banks are essential for ensuring pro-education voters get out and vote. This is a chance for AAUW members to help. 1. Simply click on the website http://www.simplybetterschools.org/action/phonebank.php 2. When you find your regional phone bank contact, just click on the email link to volunteer. Calling is easy and the vast majority of call recipients are very positive on 4204. Vote on November 6th AAUW of Washington Supports EHJR 4204 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.olympus.net/pipermail/aauw-women/attachments/20071019/043c5305/attachment.html From aauw-women at lists.olympus.net Mon Oct 29 14:53:21 2007 From: aauw-women at lists.olympus.net (aauw-women@lists.olympus.net) Date: Mon Oct 29 13:53:20 2007 Subject: [AAUW-WA-BrMember] Evergreen Leader is On-line -- AAUW Member Letter- November Message-ID: <000601c81a6d$c0f9e860$9002a8c0@connie> This Member Newsletter is coming to you via AAUW of Washington Member-listserv from Connie Dunkelberger, State President. Do not reply to this message. Direct comments and questions to feedback@aauw-wa.org American Association of University Women Member letter - November, 2007 The Evergreen Leader- Fall Edition is available on-line at: http://www.aauw-wa.org/news/newsletters/2007Fall_Newsletter.pdf Member Letter Contents: 1. Voting reminder 2. News from Association 3. National Girls Collaborative 4. AAUW Video and Membership 5. Contribution Reminder 1. Return your ballot by mail or go to the polls on Tuesday, November 6th. VOTE! Thanks to everyone who has volunteered to do calling on behalf of a yes vote on EHJR 4204. Changing the "supermajority" requirement for school levy elections has been a top priority for AAUW-WA for years. In 2007, the legislature overwhelmingly approved EHJR 4204. Now Washington voters must ratify the change on November 6th. This month, kudos go to the Dayton Branch, which held a election forum for their community. They have done this for several years even for off year elections such as this year. This is where a branch with few members can and does make an impact on the community. 2. News from Association and Washington Update: Support the Prevention First Act in the Senate The Prevention First Act (S.21/H.R. 819) would expand access to contraception and preventative health care services that help reduce unplanned pregnancies, abortions, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases while improving access to women's health care. The increase in funding authorized by the bill, from $283 million to $699 million, reflects what the budget for Title X would be if it had kept up with inflation since 1980. AAUW supports the right of every woman to safe, accessible, affordable, and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services and believes that improved pregnancy prevention programs and access to complete reproduction health information and services enhance women's reproductive choices. We urge all senators to cosponsor this important bill to improve the reproductive health and safety of all women and girls. To thank our senators for supporting the Prevention First Act, just click on the "Take Action" link in the upper right corner or copy and paste the following URL into your Internet browser. Then follow the instructions to send a message. http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=9510926&type=CO Washington Update is AAUW's free, members-only weekly e-bulletin. It offers an insider's view on the legislative process, the latest policy news. To stay up-to-date on all issues important to our mission, all AAUW members, including college and university partners, are encouraged to subscribe to Washington Update by emailing VoterEd@aauw.org 3. National Girls Collaborative and Mini-Grants The mini grant application blanks will be available on November 5th. To get a grant you must have your program registered and find another group you can collaborate with to apply for these grants or $1,000 or less. Please enter your math, science or technology related programs in the Program Directory at: http://www.ngcproject.org/directory . 4. AAUW Promotional Video and Membership AAUW is pleased to announce that the new promotional video AAUW: Because Equity Is Still an Issue can now be viewed on YouTube, the video-sharing website. This video features our own DaVina Hoyt, Young Member Representative on the AAUW -WA State Board. Association sent a new membership kit, including the video, to branch membership VPs. For information and to view the video go: http://www.aauw.org/About/aauwVideo.cfm . Hopefully, it will be a useful tool to gain those new members for AAUW. Congratulations to Port Townsend our largest branch in the state. They have already increased their membership by 14 members over their Feb. 1, 2007 count. A smaller branch, Ritzville, increased their numbers by 5; giving them the top percentage increase of 21%. Highline has had a 7% gain so far this year. If you have NOT paid your dues for 2007-2008, contact your membership chair. 5. End of Year Contributions It is the time of the year we think about Thanksgiving for what we have received. We should also be thinking about our giving. Branch contributions and any individual gifts sent through the branch should be sent to Association by December 10th. Send a copy of the contribution form to Leah Amyakar at ef@aauw-wa.org. She will handle all donations to the Educational Foundation, Legal Advocacy Fund and the Leadership Training Institute. Branch contribution forms are on the AAUW-WA web site at: http://www.aauw-a.org/forms/contributions_form.pdf. For information on how individuals can make a donation on-line and/or information about the different funds go to: http://www.aauw.org/contribute/index.cfm. Vote on November 6th and Happy Thanksgiving! Connie Dunkelberger State President, AAUW-WA president@aauw-wa.org AAUW Member Letters arrive once a month. If you wish to receive more information about AAUW of Washington you can sign up for Leader Letters or AAUW-WA Advocate, even if you are not a branch officer by contacting feedback@aauw-wa.org. You may also use this address to unsubscribe from member letters. If you received this message in error please contact us and you will be removed from this list. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://lists.olympus.net/pipermail/aauw-women/attachments/20071029/f97522c1/attachment-0001.html