President's
Message |
(l-r) Jody White, Kathleen Jennings, Mary Hatch
I have a confession to make: I’m not always particularly kind to myself.
Recently
I made a thoughtless comment to the plump middle-aged woman that looked back at me in the mirror.
I won’t repeat the comment, but it was not a very nice thing to say to my own reflection.
It's a symptom of the way I sometimes fail to recognize my own worth.
Do you ever catch yourself doing something like this? Do you ever focus on your perceived shortcomings rather than celebrate your unique qualities? Are you free with praise when it comes to your friends, family members and acquaintances,
yet fail to pat yourself on the back for your own achievements?
Let's all stop the negative talk with ourselves!
Our self-talk should be about how smart, talented and simply amazing we are. And
while thinking about your wonderfulness think of the other women in your life
who share these - your - qualities and nominate them for our branch's
Distinguished Woman of the Year,
or to fill leadership roles for our organization for the 2015-16 year.
You might even want to nominate yourself for the Distinguished Woman of the Year award – and I
certainly encourage you to volunteer to serve as an elected or appointed officer or committee chair!
Contact me at (msorensen@joneswaldo.com) for a Distinguished Woman nomination form; let
Ruthie Allen (epteamadv1@gmail.com)
know if you are interested in taking on a leadership role).
Please celebrate your own fabulousness! You contribute so much to our branch!
Fabulously yours,
Marianne Sorensen
President
Back to: In This Issue
|
News / Announcements |
Please submit your news by the 7th of the month you want
your item to run. No forms - just send a regular
email message with your information in the message
itself or as an attached document. Send to:
lysa@riverroad-productions.com
|
Quickies |
** February 16th is the last day to order a
name badge for
$5. You can order as many you'd like at this
price. After the 16th the price will be $14 per badge. Contact
Lynne Carlquist or
Joyce Spinelli to place an order.
** Branch Member Directory:
Carol Day and Carol Sawaya need our help to finish the ginormous project of creating and
publishing a PRINT
membership directory. If you have already filled out
one of the forms that have been available at the past
few luncheons - thank you! If not, please click on the
link below to get your info to them. The quicker we can
get them what they need the sooner we'll have something
to hold in our hot little hands!
www.riverroad-productions.com/aauw-st-george-branch/
The Carols: (l-r) Carol Day, Carol Sawaya
** The
eSmart
Fashion Show date has been
changed to March 21.
** Save the Date:
April 25th AAUW Virtual
State Convention to be held at DSU. Details are
being finalized. Expected cost will be around $16 per
person. (Cheapest state convention one could ever
attend!)
Back to: In This Issue
|
March
Luncheon |
Please join us for the first in our "Women in STEM" series featuring
gifted, local professionals with distinguished STEM careers,
presenting on a myriad of topics.
Our March luncheon will feature AAUW Member Candice Hansen-Koharcheck, PhD, on
"Climate Change: Scientific Fact vs. Political Fiction."
Candice is a senior research scientist at the
Planetary Science Institute who works on
NASA un-manned (robotic) spacecraft missions. She has a
Ph.D. in Planetary Science. Currently she is a member of the flight teams for the
Cassini spacecraft, in orbit around Saturn, the
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, at Mars, and the Juno mission, headed to Jupiter, from her office in St. George.
Kayla says: "Candy is passionate about climate change, a regular at
Uppity Women, a treasured teacher at
AAUW’s eSMART Summer Camp for Girls and an all around nice woman. Gotta love it … a female in St. George who spends her days orbiting Saturn, checking out Mars and traveling to Jupiter."
This is a not to be missed presentation!
Click here to
reserve online.
Please take notice that
a vote will be taken at this
meeting/luncheon to
amend the bylaws of AAUW Saint George Branch. A
two-thirds vote of those present and voting at the meeting is required to amend the bylaws.
A copy of the bylaws showing the changes that the Board of Directors is requesting
is available for your review
here.
Back to: In This Issue
|
Women, Caring &
Sharing |
Pat Dalpiaz Photographer
(l-r ) Susan Ann Stauffer, Pat Sapio, Anita Stiens
Program chairs Angela Thoburn and Kayla Koeber
promised this would be one of the most interesting
luncheons we would have and they delivered. Presenters
at the February luncheon - Susan Ann Stauffer, Pat
Sapio and Anita Stiens, discussed the issues of:
memory - the signs of normal aging vs the signs of something more significant;
care-giving - the challenges and the opportunities inherent in care-giving;
connection - the influence of connection on our
well-being.
A
show of hands indicated more than 90% of those in
attendance either had or currently are, dealing with
loved ones affected by dementia diseases such as
alzehemiers. An extended Q&A session provided additional
valuable information and support. Based on feedback this
is a topic that merits revisiting.
For more about what was discussed at the luncheon as well as links
to additional resources please check out Carin Miller's
(pictured above)
article in the St. George News.
Pat Dalpiaz (wo)manned the cameras.
Thank you Pat! We do our best to put names to faces; if
yours is missing it's not an oversight. We just don't
know! Ok, the Editor does not know -- please feel free
to enlighten her! And now for your viewing pleasure, and
in no particular order, some snapshots from February's luncheon:
(l-r) Pat Sapio, Stephanie Martini, Katy Peterson, Pam
Wootten
(l-r) Cheri Crenshaw, Erin O'Brien, Kristin Williams, Dee
Murray
(l-r) Marilyn Wenzel, Guest, Vicky Picket, Unknown
(l-r) Anita Stiens, Unknown, Donna Howell, Guest, Daphne
Selbert
Back to: In This Issue |
Uppity Women Reboot |
Wine, women and song comes to mind after the
extended break of Uppity Women. The January gathering at
Shannon Andersen's home was a huge success with
30 members attending. All agreed that hosting in
members' homes was the way to go for this year.
Pat Dalpiaz Photographer
Future Hostesses study these faces well...they were the last to leave!
(l-r) Nadine Barish, Donna Howell, Lysa McCarroll, Shannon
Andersen, Kay Ackerman, Penelope Eicher, Gail Winterfeld
We have Hostesses signed up for each month through May.
This month's Uppity Women is Thursday February 19 from 4:30 - 7 PM at Dorothy Engelman's home. Dorothy lives near Bloomington Country Club at 875 Rio Virgin, Unit 207. She will hang a balloon on the lamp post.
RSVPs
appreciated but not necessary. Just come and enjoy.
Several members offered to assist Dorothy with appetizers. If you hate to show
up empty handed a bottle of wine is appreciated. Other beverages will be available.
Leftover, unopened beverages are passed on to the next
hostess.
All are welcome! This is purely a social event - a great way to get to know branch members.
Back to: In This Issue |
Schools Must Take New Steps to End Violence on Campus |
By: Jeannette Johnson
|
Jeannette Johnson is AAUW SGB's Public
Policy
LAF /EOF Chair |
AAUW
advocates for equitable climates free of harassment and bullying, as well as freedom from violence and fear of violence in schools.
Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature and can be verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct, including sexual assault.
AAUW research shows that harassment in school starts early and impacts most students; two-thirds of college students experienced sexual harassment and nearly half of students in grades 7–12 faced sexual harassment. When campus environments are hostile because of sexual harassment, assault, or violence, students cannot learn, and they miss out on educational opportunities. Incidents of sexual harassment and its most extreme form, sexual assault, are shockingly prevalent on college campuses nationwide.
Educational equity for women and girls requires fair, responsive, fully developed campus sexual assault policies, knowledgeable administrators, and, ultimately, an end to sexual violence on campuses.
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual violence, in education and protects students from unlawful sexual harassment in all school programs or activities, whether they take place in the facilities of the school, or elsewhere.
Title IX protects both female and male students from sexual harassment, regardless of who the harasser may be. Title IX requires schools to evaluate their current practices, adopt and publish a policy against sex discrimination, and implement grievance procedures providing for prompt and equitable resolution of student and employee discrimination complaints. Schools are required to eliminate sexual harassment and sexual violence, prevent their recurrence, and address their impacts.
"Maybe you should transfer to another university if you don’t feel safe here." –Coordinator of the sexual assault program at Michigan State
source:
Campus Dating Violence: Know Your Title IX
Violence Against Women Act
Violence against women is, collectively, violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. This type of violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women expressly because they are women. The
UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states that:
"violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women" and that
"violence against women is one of the crucial social
mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate
position compared with men."
Violence and abuse affect women from all kinds of backgrounds every day and can cause terrible physical and emotional pain.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was the first major law to help government agencies and victim advocates work together to fight domestic violence, sexual assault, and other types of violence against women.
The reauthorized
VAWA of 2013 included provisions to improve campus safety and are in addition to the longstanding obligations that schools have under Title IX. These laws can work together to ensure that students have the information they need regarding campus safety, as well as a clear course of action when sexual violence occurs.
The
Clery Act and its 2013 amendment, The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or Campus SaVE Act (SaVE)
SaVE was designed by advocates along with victims / survivors and championed by a bi-partisan coalition in Congress as a companion to Title IX that will help bolster the response to and prevention of sexual violence in higher education.
SaVE requires colleges and universities, both public and private, participating in federal student aid programs (covering virtually every campus in the U.S.) to increase transparency about the scope of sexual violence on campus, guarantee victims enhanced rights, provide for standards in institutional conduct proceedings, and provide campus community wide prevention educational programming.
Schools should already be making a "good faith" effort
to follow these new provisions. Have you ever checked
your school’s annual security report, which explains its
compliance? Consider checking the website of your
alma mater, local college or university, or the school
your children/friends/relatives attend, and search on "annual security report." The report should show up and have been updated on or by October 1. It should include these new statistics and mention the steps the school is taking to comply with the law. Checking up on
institutions is a great way to help implement this strong new law that you helped make a reality!
Help end violence against women
Violence does not hurt only the person who has experienced it. It hurts the whole community. Learn ways you can work to help end violence against women.
Here are some suggestions:
-
Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence.
-
Support a friend or family member who may be in an abusive relationship.
-
Volunteer at a local domestic violence shelter or other organization that helps survivors or works to prevent violence.
-
Raise children to respect others. Teach children to treat others as they would like to be treated.
-
Lead by example. Work to create a culture that rejects violence as a way to deal with problems. Speak up against messages that say violence or mistreating women is okay.
-
Become an activist. Participate in an anti-violence event. Tell your elected representatives that you want them to support domestic violence services and violence prevention programs.
-
Volunteer in youth programs. Become a mentor. Get involved in programs that teach young people to solve problems without violence and teach teens about healthy relationships.
-
Ask about anti-violence policies and programs at work and school. At work, ask about policies that deal with sexual harassment; on campus, ask about services to escort students to dorms safely at night and other safety measures.
Next Steps to End Sexual Harassment and Violence
AAUW led the charge to include campus sexual violence elimination provisions in the VAWA reauthorization in 2013. As this new law is implemented, schools must step up and work to change the culture on their campuses. One way to make strides is to implement a climate and victimization survey to better understand both reported and unreported incidents as well as contributing cultural issues on campus.
AAUW also supports increased enforcement of federal civil rights laws by the
Department of Education and Department of Justice, including additional funding for these agencies. We also support additional support for schools to educate students, faculty, and staff, particularly Title IX coordinators, as well as train the appropriate administrators on the relevant laws.
Finally, AAUW urges Congress to pass legislation that requires states and schools to develop policies for K–12 schools in two areas:
preventing sexual harassment & violence and implementing procedures to effectively respond to such behavior.
Back to: In This Issue
|
Members Matter |
Welcome new members: Liz Goddard, Anita Stiens,
Alberta
Miller, Florence Bacabac and Shawn Darby!
Spotlight on Kay Ackerman
Kay has always worked with organizations and agencies that provide services to women and children.
She was the Assistant Director of Prince William County, VA Dept. of Social Services before she retired and relocated
here to St. George in the fall of 2008. Her previous jobs included director of a women’s resource center & safe house in Alaska and program director at a YWCA in IL.
"I am passionate about being exposed to different areas of the US and the world. When I was 17, I was fortunate to spend 10 weeks touring Europe with a group called Teen Overseas Project...it was 1959 and that experience changed my life." And Kay is always looking for opportunities to change a local woman's view of herself and others. One of the reasons she is a tireless fundraiser for our Branch.
Kay first joined AAUW around 1975 and has been a member since then in branches in IL, AK, VA and now UT. She was a member at large during the two years she lived in the Shetland Islands, Scotland.
Kay has served on the AAUW VA State Board as Public Policy Chair and as Educational Foundation Chair. To celebrate AAUW’s 75th Anniversary in VA, she co-chaired a project to raise $75,000 by asking 75 women to donate $1000. They ultimately raised over $80,000. The money was used by the Association to fund a research paper about online learning.
She has one daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren ages 13 and 15 who live in VA. Enjoys water aerobics, Book Club, walking/easy hiking, cooking, Uppity Women, wine, movies, the theatre, friends near and far. She recently co-chaired her 50th college reunion.
Kudos Korner
(l-r) Gay Cunningham, Erin O'Brien, Stephanie Martini
A big round of applause for: Gay Cunningham incoming
chairman of the St. George Chamber of Commerce;
Erin
O'Brien awarded the Woman of Achievement Award in the area of academics / cultural arts
by Utah Business Women; and Stephanie Martini
who received their
Humanitarian/Philanthropic Achievement Award.
Back to: In This Issue |
EVENTS CALENDAR |
Calendar items will run until the event has occurred. Please submit your event
by the 7th of the month you want the notice to start. No
forms - just send a regular email message with your
information in the message itself
or as an attached document. Send to:
lysa@riverroad-productions.com
|
|
February 19, 2015
|
Great Decisions |
Date: |
Thursday, February 19, 2015 |
Time: |
1:15
p.m. |
Where: |
St. George Library
St. George, UT 84790 |
Topic: |
Russia and The Near East |
Cost: |
$25 for study guide, includes video
for each topic |
Contact: |
Carol Sawaya
435-272-4919
carol@thesawayas.com |
Back to: In This Issue |
|
|
February 19, 2015
|
Uppity Women |
Date: |
Thursday, February
19, 2015 |
Time: |
4:30
p.m. - 7:00 p.m. |
Where: |
Dorothy Engelman's Home
875 Rio Virgin Dr., Unit 207
St. George, Utah 84770 |
Cost: |
$0.00 |
RSVP: |
Appreciated - but
not necessary!
435-879-1558 |
Back to: In This Issue |
|
|
February 21, 2015
|
Tech Savvy |
Date: |
Saturday, February
21,
2015 |
Time: |
9:00 a.m. - 5:00
p.m. |
Where: |
DSU |
Cost: |
$10 per girl, $5
per parent/guardian |
Website: |
http://stgeorge-ut.aauw.net/tech-savvy/ |
Contact: |
Erin O'Brien
Rachel Ramsay |
Add'l Info: |
Lunch will be at 1 at the Gardner, donated by Jimmy Johns.
Please let Erin or Rachel know if you plan to attend.
If you want to help with assembling the
give-away packets be at the Hazy Bldg. on
the 19th at 6 PM. |
Back to: In This Issue |
|
|
March 2, 2015
|
Member Luncheon |
|
|
March 21, 2015
|
Fashion Show |
|
|
April 25, 2015
|
AAUW State Convention |
Date: |
April 25,
2015 |
Time: |
8:00
a.m. - Noon, lunch to follow TBC |
Where: |
DSU
Gardner Center Cottam Conference Room |
Cost: |
TBD |
Contact: |
Pam Wootten |
Add'l Info: |
This will be a virtual convention. No travel north, no hotel rooms – just great presentations and getting familiar with what the state organization and other branches are doing, as well as being able to spotlight all the great achievements of our branch this year! Our goal is to allow technology to help us be more efficient in bringing AAUW, national and state, to St. George! Arrangements are being made
to secure a room with technological amenities to
allow us to see and hear the other branches
congregating in SLC as well as Patricia Fae Ho, national AAUW
president and another national officer who will
join us. Final approval of revised
Policies and Principles, annual budget, bylaws
changes, officer election and other business as
deemed necessary at the next board meeting.
|
Back to: In This Issue |
|
|
June 18 - 21 2015
|
AAUW National Convention |
|
|
|
IN THIS ISSUE |
President's Message
Our Collective Fabulousness
News / Announcements
Quickies
Luncheon Recap
March Luncheon: Women in STEM
Series
Uppity Women Reboot
Violence on Campus
Members Matter
Events Calendar
Etcetera
Luncheon Schedule
Board Meetings
Branch Contacts
Help Wanted
Us in The News
Good Stuff
Birthdays
Your Support Team
Special Interest Groups
Corrections
Legislative Connections
Network Corner
|
Subscription Info
|
|
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS |
Please submit news, information, committee updates, etc. no later than the 7th of the month to be
included in that month's newsletter.
No forms - just send a regular email
message with your item in the message itself or as an attached document.
If you are including a picture please be sure you have
the right to use it.
Send to:
Lysa McCarroll
|
Back to: In This Issue |
LUNCH SCHEDULE |
The St. George Branch Program and Membership Meeting
Luncheons are held on the first or second Monday of
each month at 11:30 a.m. at the Courtyard by
Marriott,
located at 185 S 1470 E, St. George, UT 84790.
Lunch is $16.00 per plate and features
educational speakers that are of interest to our
membership.
11:00 a.m.
Doors Open
11:30 a.m.
Lunch is Served
11:45 a.m.
Meeting Begins
12:00 p.m.
Program Starts
1:00 p.m.
Luncheon Over
September 8, 2014
October 6, 2014
November 10. 2014
December 1, 2014
January 5, 2015
February 2, 2015
March 2, 2015
April 6, 2015
(Annual Meeting at new Promise Church)
May 4, 2015
(Scholarships)
RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED
Click here to
reserve online.
|
BOARD MEETINGS |
Board Meetings are held at Jones-Waldo and start
promptly ;-) at 4 p.m.
September 15, 2014
October 13, 2014
November 17, 2014
December 8, 2014
January 12, 2015
February 9, 2015
March 9, 2015
April 13, 2015
May 11, 2015
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Help Wanted
|
AAUW STATE BOARD
Pam Wootten who will be moving up to Senior
Co-President of AAUW Utah would like to have more St. George
Branch members on her team. One person is needed to serve on the Nominating Committee.
This is a volunteer/appointed position. You should have
a good sense of who our members are. Candidates are
needed to run for for
Co-VP and Financial Officer. Please get in touch with
Pam for the details:
ptwootten@gmail.com
|
CONTACTS |
ELECTED OFFICERS
|
President
|
|
Marianne Sorensen
|
Vice President
|
|
Donna
Howell
|
Co-Vice Presidents Programs |
|
Kayla Koeber
|
|
Angela Thoburn
|
Co-Vice Presidents Membership
|
|
Joyce Spinelli
|
Lynne Carlquist
|
Co-Vice Presidents Finance
|
Bonnie
Boling
|
Mary Hatch
|
Co-Secretaries
|
Vicki Jennings |
Kay Ackerman |
APPOINTED OFFICERS
|
|
VP Communications |
Lysa McCarroll
(and Newsletter Editor) |
Past President/
Nominating
Committee Chair
|
|
Ruth Allen
|
CORRESPONDING SECRETARIES |
Lolita Hagio
hagio@sunrivertoday.com
phone: 652-3012
Lesley McPeek
lh.mcpeek@gmail.com
phone: 674-9493
We really feel that staying in touch and supporting our members at
all times is an important part of our AAUW community. We look forward
to monthly updates in our "Members Matter" column, but we also want to
emphasize that we value your privacy and will not "publish" anything
without your okay.
To that end, if you have news, good or not-so-good,
about a member, please ask her if it is okay to inform other members
through the newsletter. If not, that's perfectly okay, and we will
just send her a private note.
|
|
Back to: In This Issue |
AAUW SGB In The News
|
St. George Magazine P.39
St. George News: Women, Aging and Memory care
|
Good Stuff
|
"The
opposite of poverty is not wealth. It is justice."
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Birthdays
|
February
02-01 Mary Bartholomaus
02-01 Marianne Sorensen
02-04 Kay Ackerman
02-11 Angela Thoburn
02-15 Rachel Ramsay
02-16 Nancy Neff
02-19 Bonnie Boling
02-19 Martha Heuer
02-20 Terry Ogborn
02-23 Sandra Griffin
02-26 Cindy Smith
02-27 Ashley Gilreath
March
03-08 Brittany Hammontree
03-15 Elizabeth Adams
03-16 Kara Needles
03-16 Linda Timmins
03-18 Darla Hunt
03-25 Linda Adams
03-29 Della Lowe
03-29 Lysa McCarroll
|
Back to: In This Issue |
|
AAUW UTAH
|
State
AAUW Utah
Branches
Brigham City
Ogden
Salt Lake City
St. George
Wasatch
|
Back to: In This Issue |
WHO TO CONTACT IF... |
You would like to submit an item for the newsletter:
Lysa McCarroll
You need to register for a luncheon
but the deadline has passed:
Bonnie
Boling
Your contact information changes:
Joyce Spinelli
You have questions about or information for the website/facebook:
Dawn McLain
You have troubles registering for luncheons, and other
tech-related questions:
Lysa McCarroll
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Corrections
|
Anita Stiens last name was misspelled one time
and one time only in
last month's newsletter. Honest.
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Facts & Figures
|
DSU Campus Crime Stats
St. George Crime Rates
U of U
Public Safety
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Legislative
Connections |
National
Orrin Hatch (R)
Senior Senator
Mike Lee (R)
Junior Senator
Chris Stewart (R)
Representative
2nd District 2
State
Find your Legislator and his contact information
here.
Track Bills of interest to you
here.
General Info about the
Utah State
Legislature and how it
works.
Is your Rep
ethical?
Bills & Resolutions for the 2015 Session
2015 Session Committees
League of
Women Voters of Utah
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Special Interest Groups |
Book Club
Gail Winterfeld
Mentoring
Dr. Jane Blackwell
Great Decisions
Carol Sawaya
AAUW Mission Topics
Dorothy Engelman
Walking
Ruthie Allen
Gardening
Marcia Burchstead
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Our Mission |
Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy,
education, philanthropy and research. |
Our Principles |
Our actions reflect our mission and are ethical, honest
and professional.
***
We challenge our thinking on contemporary issues through
stimulating discussions and activities
***
We foster an environment built on respect, a value for
diversity of opinion, and a belief that members approach
issues with good intentions.
***
We resolve issues face-to-face whenever possible,
avoiding triangulation.
***
When conflicts surface, we seek resolutions rather than
blame and ask for assistance if needed.
***
We hold each other responsible & accountable for
exemplifying our guiding principles and fulfilling our
individual responsibilities.
***
We support board decisions and each other and celebrate
our unique gifts.
***
|
Back to: In This Issue |
Network Corner |
We want to support our working
members. To get started we will be including business
cards in the Newsletter as space permits.
Please send a picture of your
business card to
Lysa McCarroll or give her one the next time you see
her.
|
Mailing Address
AAUW - St. George Branch
P.O. Box 790
St. George, Utah 84771
|
|