AAUW Mission & Action - March/April 2010

March/April 2010

In this Issue:

AAUW News

AAUW Events

AAUW Research

AAUW on Campus

Membership Programs and Resources

Fellowships and Grants

Public Policy News

AAUW Philanthropy

AAUW Member Benefits

AAUW News

AAUW Launches New Website!
Visit the AAUW website and check out our spectacular new look! The completely redesigned site features easy navigation with a contemporary look and feel, from the new home page to all of AAUW's publications, issues, events, scholarship opportunities, and more. It also gives you shortcuts to AAUW's social media, with quick links to the AAUW Dialog blog and all our online communities: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Second Life.

Explore the New "AAUW Experience" Virtual Community
You've never seen AAUW like this before! The AAUW Experience, available from the AAUW home page, is an innovative virtual tour of our past, present, and future. Starting in a beautifully rendered town square, you can see the sights yourself or hear from one of our special "guides," who will get you started in each building. It's easily accessible and fun to use, and it provides a great introduction to AAUW — but even longtime members will find much to learn.

Join Our Online Scavenger Hunt — and Win a Prize!
Visit the new AAUW website and the AAUW Experience virtual community, and then test your knowledge in our online scavenger hunt. If you find all ten items, you'll be entered into a drawing for great prizes from our member benefits partners. First prize is a $250 gift certificate from VirtuArte. Five more winners get $50 certificates to one of AAUW's other terrific partners — ActiveForever, Barnes&Noble.com/aauw, Paperwork, Etc., and ShopAAUW. The deadline is Wednesday, April 28, at 5 p.m. PDT, so start your scavenger hunt right away.

AAUW Events

Conference Call: Women and the Supreme Court
Join AAUW's Legal Advocacy Fund and public policy staff on May 11, 2010, at 7 p.m. EDT, for a conference call about the Supreme Court nomination process and the importance of the Supreme Court in our everyday lives. There will be 15 minutes for questions and discussion at the end of the briefing. If you would like to participate, please RSVP to laf@aauw.org to receive the call information.

CARE National Conference
AAUW members are invited to attend CARE's National Conference & Celebration on May 11 and 12 in Washington, D.C., for two days of action, learning, and inspiration. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver the keynote speech. CARE is an AAUW partner, and you can use the women's partner organization link to register and receive updates.

AAUW Research

New AAUW Report Sparks Media Interest
AAUW's new research report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, has received extensive coverage in the blogosphere and the mainstream media, including Time magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. The report profiles eight key research findings that point to environmental and social barriers — including stereotypes, gender bias, and the climate of science and engineering departments in colleges and universities — that continue to block women's participation and progress in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Join Us for a Webcast on AAUW’s New Report!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 2–3 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m.–noon PDT
AAUW's research team — authors of our latest report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics — will present the report's findings, including recent research on environmental and social barriers that continue to block girls' participation and progress in these fields. The webcast, hosted by the National Girls Collaborative Project, will include recommendations for what each of us can do to open scientific and engineering fields more fully to girls and women. Please visit the NGCP website to register for the webcast.

AAUW on Campus

NCCWSL Registration Ends May 19
There's still time to help send student leaders to the 25th National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. Make sure the students you are sponsoring register for the conference by the deadline, Wednesday, May 19, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Special thanks go to all the AAUW branches, states, and individuals who have supported the scholarship and NCCWSL funds and who are already sending young women from their communities. We hope you will join them!

April Is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
For Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund, in collaboration with SAFER (Students Active for Ending Rape), is releasing a new Program in a Box on preventing campus sexual assault. It contains activism guides for various audiences, including students, faculty/staff, alumnae, parents, and AAUW branches. The program aims to help these different groups learn about campus sexual assault and what can be done to end it.

AAUW Signs Amicus Brief
AAUW has signed onto an amicus brief for Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. The court will rule on whether or not the University of California Hastings College of Law may deny school funding to a religious student organization because the group requires its officers and voting members to agree with its religious viewpoints. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the university's policy. AAUW joins other amicus signers in supporting the school, separation of church and state, and religious liberty.

Membership Programs and Resources

2010 AAUW Art Contest: 19 Winners!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2010 AAUW art contest, and congratulations to our 19 contest winners. Winning entries will appear on calendars mailed to AAUW members in June and on note cards available for sale online at ShopAAUW. Please visit the AAUW art gallery and join us in celebrating the wonderful array of winning entries.

AAUW Outlook Features Women and Girls in STEM
The latest issue of AAUW Outlook magazine is now available on the AAUW website. Devoted to the topic of women's and girls' participation in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the magazine also introduces AAUW's new research report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

¡Adelante! 2010–11 Book of the Month Club
Do you have a great book you would like to suggest for the 2010–11 ¡Adelante! Book of the Month club? Share your recommendation by May 15, 2010. If your book is selected, you and your branch will be recognized and sent a special gift.

Chapter Leaders Playground — New Leadership Partner
More than 200 AAUW members have joined the Chapter Leaders Playground, an online community for volunteer leaders from numerous nonprofit organizations. Your AAUW membership gives you access to more than 40 30-minute leadership webinars a year to help you achieve even greater success as a state or branch leader. Some upcoming webinar titles are "How to Make Serving on Your Board an Exciting Option," "How to Get More People on Your Committees," and "Make Staying a Member a No-Brainer." Join today!

AAUW Keys to the Future: Member-Get-a-Member Campaign Winners
AAUW is pleased to announce the Member-Get-a-Member Campaign's phase one challenge winners for June 16, 2009, through December 31, 2009! Lucille Wright of the AAUW East San Gabriel Valley (CA) Branch is the individual who brought in the highest number of new members. Among branches, the AAUW Poughkeepsie (NY) Branch brought in the highest number of new members, and the AAUW Owensboro (KY) Branch brought in the highest percentage of new members. Among states, AAUW of California brought in the highest number of new members, and AAUW of Kentucky brought in the highest percentage of new members.

Key to the Future

Fellowships and Grants

2010–11 Award Recipients Announced
The 2010–11 AAUW fellowships and grants were announced on April 15. All applicants have been notified of their award status. Congratulations to this year's 217 distinguished awardees!

AAUW Alumnae Exchange
Want to know what's happening with former AAUW fellowship and grant recipients? Visit the AAUW Alumnae Exchange and check out the latest issue of the Alumnae Exchange newsletter to learn about the exciting accomplishments of AAUW alumnae.

Public Policy News

AAUW Marks Equal Pay Day
AAUW rallies, proclamations, unhappy hours, and other events across America marked Equal Pay Day on Tuesday, April 20. Along with our newly released state-by-state data and companion fact sheets on the wage gap, AAUW actions garnered substantial media attention across the nation, including multiple letters to the editor published in state and local papers, blog posts, and video coverage. Lilly Ledbetter urged AAUW members to contact their senators, and state and branch leaders participated on a special conference call with AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). In Washington, D.C, AAUW attended an event at the White House with the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau. Let us know how your branch marked this day, share pictures from your events, and download our Pay Equity Resource Kit and Pay Equity Program in a Box for ideas your branch can use throughout the year.

Major Victory for Title IX
Thanks to the dedication and leadership of AAUW and our members, we won a major victory for Title IX — and girls and women in sports — on April 20. AAUW attended a White House ceremony at which the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights issued new guidance for Title IX, rescinding the deeply flawed March 2005 policy that allowed schools to use spam-like e-mail surveys to gauge the athletic interests of female students. As chair of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, AAUW has been fighting for the rescission of the 2005 policy since it was issued. Schools will now have a much better roadmap for Title IX compliance, and women and girls will have a much better shot at fair play. You can use the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund's new program, Title IX Compliance: Know the Score, to find out if your local high schools are Title IX compliant — and what you can do if they are not.

AAUW Celebrates Senate Hearing on Paycheck Fairness Act
On March 11, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee held a hearing on the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 182). As part of our efforts to draw attention to this critical legislation, AAUW live-blogged the hearing, providing a minute-by-minute account of the proceedings. Keep the momentum going by urging your senators to continue the fight against wage discrimination by acting swiftly on the Paycheck Fairness Act and by adding AAUW's "Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act" web stickers to your website, blog, or social networking profiles.

New AAUW Public Policy Fund Pins — and a Bonus!
Show your support for advocacy for women and girls by contributing $100 or more to the AAUW Public Policy Fund, and you'll receive the fund's first annual pin. As a special bonus, you'll also receive a copy of the book Secrets of Powerful Women personally signed by Lisa Maatz, AAUW's director of public policy and government relations. Lisa is among the women — members of Congress, journalists, actors, CEOs, and activists — who each wrote a chapter of the book, and she will ask one of the other authors to sign your book as well.

AAUW Releases Recommendations for Education Act Reform
The Obama administration recently released its blueprint for reforming the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which governs the main federal programs assisting our nation's elementary and secondary schools. AAUW has put forth our own recommendations for the law's reauthorization, and we need your help to ensure that these recommendations are included in the final version of the law. Contact your members of Congress now.

Health Care Reform Becomes Law
President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (H.R. 4872) into law in late March. AAUW is pleased that the new law significantly restricts the practice of gender rating while requiring insurance companies to cover additional preventive health care and screenings for women. Unfortunately, the new health law takes a step backward regarding coverage of reproductive rights. AAUW will continue to work with our coalition allies to ensure that reproductive rights remain a protected component of women's health.

Student Loan Overhaul Included in Health Care Reform Package
Many of the provisions of the AAUW-supported Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 4872) were included in the health care reform reconciliation package. One of the largest investments in federal student aid in history, the law will require that all new student loans originate with the federal government's direct lending program, ending the practice of private lenders receiving federal subsidies. The savings from this policy shift, estimated at $61 billion over 10 years, will be used to increase Pell grants, strengthen the Income-Based Repayment program, and provide funding for job training at community colleges. AAUW is pleased with the steps taken in this measure to increase access to higher education for millions of students, and we look forward to continuing our work to make the dream of college a reality for all.

AAUW Philanthropy

New Giving Circle Honors Lilly Ledbetter
The Lilly Ledbetter Impact Grant Giving Circle was created in celebration of the momentous victory achieved when the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act became the first bill President Obama signed into law after taking office. AAUW's Public Policy Impact Grants, which this giving circle supports, build capacity within the recipient states to organize effective grassroots advocacy activities on AAUW public policy priorities. Join us in honoring Lilly and become a charter member by donating today!

Ruth Z. Sweetser Honorary Fund
Congratulations to AAUW of Illinois, as well as to AAUW donors from across the country, for completely funding the Ruth Z. Sweetser Honorary Fund! This fund was created to honor the leadership, vision, and commitment of former AAUW President Ruth Z. Sweetser. The fund is a platinum sponsor of the Women of Distinction Awards Ceremony at the 2010 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.

AAUW Member Benefits

It’s Contest Time!
How many member benefits are now available under Member Benefits from the AAUW home page? Submit your answer to businessdev@aauw.org for a chance to win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift certificate from www.bn.com/aauw. This contest ends April 30.

Two More Great Benefits!
Welcome to Pigtail Pals and FiledBy, two of AAUW's newest member benefits. FiledBy is an excellent promotional resource for AAUW members who are published authors, and Pigtail Pals is THE source for "girl empowerment" messaged T-shirts.

Have You Registered for Your Free World Medical Card Yet?
Hurry — because the offer expires May 15! Do you have questions about this valuable member benefit? World Medical Card has an an informative 16-minute video that tells you why it's important and how to apply for yours today! Download the WMC Program in a Box to find out how WMC can be a fundraiser for your branch!

Exciting News from ShopAAUW!
The $3.50 service charge on ShopAAUW orders is no more! Visit www.aauw.org/shopaauw today for your convention speaker gifts, outgoing officer recognition awards, branch-created items, and so much more! If you haven't been to ShopAAUW recently, visit today and find out what you're missing!

Discount Test Prep Materials
Now is the time when many students are enrolling in admissions test preparation courses. Your AAUW membership entitles you, your friends, and your family to a 15 percent discount on materials from The Princeton Review, PLUS unpublicized special discounts on all admissions test prep courses, live and online! Visit The Princeton Review website for a list of discount codes and more information.

MetLife Auto and Home
AAUW is proud to announce our partnership with MetLife for your homeowner and auto insurance needs. MetLife even offers a group discount on RV, boat, motorcycle, and other recreational vehicle coverage!

We welcome your comments on AAUW Mission & Action. Please send feedback to editor@aauw.org.

Mission & Action, a bimonthly bulletin that brings AAUW news and updates directly to your e-mail box, is mailed to all AAUW members who have provided an e-mail address with their membership information. If you would like to update your membership information or e-mail address, please do so online or by e-mail to records@aauw.org. Members can read previous editions of Mission & Action online.

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