AAUW NJ NEWS - SPRING 2020

President's Message

We in New Jersey have had an active fall-winter season and are looking forward to even more events this spring which will advance our mission of empowering women. As we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment , we honor past women who fought for our rights. Let's honor their legacy by making our voices heard in the debates on today's issues, so that we can create a more just world.

Celebrate Success! Recap - Fall - Winter

In September, 42 AAUW NJ members from throughout the state took a two-day bus trip to Seneca Falls , NY. Not only was it educational, enjoyable and inspiring, the trip raised a donation to the AAUW NJ Charitable Trust in memory of Barbara Williamson. Barbara was a long-time AAUW member who was always willing to serve AAUW NJ and Northern Monmouth County Branch in many roles, including trip planning, before her untimely passing. Many thanks to Pat Baroska, AAUW NJ Central District Coordinator, who organized the trip on her own following Barbara's passing. For more on the trip, go to AAUW NJ website: AAUW NJ Seneca Falls Trip

Fall Focus attendees participated in several workshops facilitated by Marge Smith, of Princeton Community Works, heard first hand about Tech Trek Camp from a camper and her mother, and got an update on AAUW's national activities from Tremayne Parquet. For pictures and videos go to the AAUW NJ website: AAUW NJ Fall Focus

An AAUW Work Smart workshop was hosted by the Summit College Club Branch of AAUW along with collaborators from the community. This could be a good model for other branches to replicate. For more on this event, please see the article below.

A successful Tween Tech day for middle school girls was hosted by CU member, Stockton University and Atlantic and Cape May County Branches. See below.

Look to the Future - Spring 2020

See below for information on the 2020 AAUW NJ Annual Meeting. Registration is now open!

A number of Branch Events, in date order, are included below. Please visit our website for additional AAUW NJ Events and Branch Events that are posted on a regular basis.

National Conference of College Women Student Leaders


May 27 - 30 University of Maryland, College Park

College students, go to NCCWSL.org to see the amazing women you will meet.

Don't miss $100 discount! Early-bird registration ends February 16, 2020 .
Registration ends April 30, 2020. Details at NCCWSL.org
Sunday, March 1, 2020
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Eastern Branch of Monmouth County Library (1001 NJ Rt. 35 Shrewsbury)
Suffragists Speak: The Fierce and Flawed Battle for the Vote  

The Monmouth County Branches of AAUW, League of Women Voters, and T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center have partnered with the Monmouth County Library to present the story of the battle for the vote, with particular focus on the experience of African American women. See website for more info.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
 7-9 pm
Central District Inter-Branch Meeting
at Brookdale Community College
The Theme will be “Closing the Wage Gap ”
Saturday, April 18
10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
The Rutgers Club
85 Avenue E, 2nd Floor, Piscataway, NJ



$30 Registration Fee includes program and luncheon.
A separate registration form must be completed for every attendee, even if paying as a group. Students attend free, but please register!

After registering, you can pay online or send a check payable to: “AAUW NJ” 
See Registration Form or Flyer for Mailing Address

PROGRAM
" The Future of Work, Domestic Workers, and the Gig Economy."
The "gig economy" refers to a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs, and it's been in the news often lately because of rapid growth and unregulated labor practices. Some examples of digital hiring platforms are Uber and Care.com. How does the gig economy affect economic security for women? Dr. Yana Rodgers will explore this topic using the example of domestic workers, who are predominantly women hired by women. What can we do to to help? Part of the solution might be w orker-centered digital platforms that are buttressed by strong non-profit groups that can work with state and local governments to better protect domestic workers.  Dr. Yana Rodgers , is a Professor in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations , and in the Department of Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Rutgers University. She also serves as Director of the Center for Women and Work at Rutgers.   
The Road to Women’s Suffrage: A Reader’s Theater
This play tells the story, in photographs and direct quotations, of the 72 year struggle for the right to vote. And the fight for equality goes on…
Previously presented by (left to right) Erna Hoover, Susan Kogan, Janice Harris Jackson, Shelly Ostrowski, and Hedy Tukey (narrator). Leslie Carson (narrator, not shown) of the Summit Branch
2020 Winner to be Announced!
To see past winners, go to: AAUW NJ Woman as Agent of Change Award

Agenda
8:30 – 10:00 Registration – Networking Over Coffee, Basket Raffle Open
8:45 – 9:30 AAUW NJ Board Meeting
10:00 – 10:45 Business Meeting – Reports, Elections, Branch Awards
11:00 – 2:00 Program and Luncheon
 2:00 – Wrap Up and Basket Raffle
was held at Stockton University
Friday, January 3th, 2020
Over 165 girls had the opportunity to experience workshops in the STEM fields.
See the website for future Tween Tech dates!
A DAY OF HANDS-ON TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOPS
FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS
(9 th , 10 th , & 11 th grade students)

Save the dates!
RCBC (Rowan College at Burlington County) – Friday, May 1
ACCC (Atlantic Cape Community College at Mays Landing) – Wednesday, June 3

Camp 2020

Thanks to the members that volunteered from the AAUW NJ branches, so that they can have girls in their communities participate in Tech Trek Camp 2020 at Stockton University. Atlantic and Cape May Branches head the team to plan and organize the camp. More volunteers are always needed.

Branch Members, please contact your branch president to see how your branch needs your support.

National Members, please contact Ann Marchesani

* For more information on supporting AAUW NJ Tech Trek as a branch or an individual please go to:  https://aauw-nj.aauw.net/projects/tech-trek/

* For more information about AAUW NJ Tech Trek Camp   volunteer positions go to:   https://techtrek-nj.aauw.net/volunteer/
 
Tech Trek Camp volunteers need to be 18 years old or older and members of AAUW.
Dorm Monitors (overnight) will have a background check. Maybe you know someone who will be home from college next summer, or recently retired, who would like the opportunity to encourage the amazing young campers to pursue their interests in STEM careers.

* If you have any connection to a potential corporate sponsor that would like to encourage more young women to follow their dreams into STEM careers, please contact the Tech Trek leaders who will be happy to share the grant application information and help with making a grant application.

Summit College Club is happy to consult with other AAUW branches interested in presenting Work Smart workshops in their communities.

For more on this event go to:

The President of the Summit  (NJ2034) Branch is  Hedy Tukey
Last November, over 30 women from northern and central New Jersey attended a modified Work Smart session offered by Summit College Club. Jane Neimeyer, a member of the Barnegat Light Branch, as well as AAUW Funds Chair on the AAUW NJ board, facilitated a discussion structured around the four modules of Work Smart: Know the Facts, Know Your Value, Know Your Target, and Know Your Strategy. A technical problem prevented Jane from using videos from the online Work Smart program--which turned out to be a lucky break. Using a four-page worksheet the Summit team had designed, Jane offered guidelines, tips and resources; participants spontaneously suggested a role play exercise that allowed everyone to see how a negotiation might actually unfold. A lively networking session followed the workshop. 

The Work Smart workshop brought together several sponsoring organizations to fund the evening, including a local, women-founded, employment law firm, the local branch of the League of Women Voters, the NOW-NJ branch of the National Organization of Women, and amazing.community, a New York non-profit focused on women age 50 and over re-entering the workforce. Participant feedback was unanimously positive. The Summit College Club committee that created the workshop attributed the evening's success to aggressive outreach to potential attendees; an attractive and convenient meeting space; and the attached networking session with refreshments. Most of the attendees stayed for the networking, and the talk of salary negotiations past and future filled the next hour. Through the event, Summit College Club gained a new member with several others pending, and raised awareness of AAUW in the community.
Whether or not you attend an in-person workshop, please: Register for the free  Work Smart Online Course Now!
AAUW has already trained over 100,000 women online!
PUBLIC POLICY NEWS

AAUW-Supported STEM Act Becomes Law
 In December, the bipartisan Building Blocks of STEM Act was signed into law, with a little help from AAUW Lobby Corps. The legislation expands educational opportunities in math and science for young women and students of color. Thanks to Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen for championing the bill!
Supporting Women’s Reproductive Rights in NJ
November 25, 2019
The bill to replace funding for family planning services passed (voting along party lines)! Funds will be distributed by NJ Commissioner of Health to agencies that lost funding due to not conforming to the Title X gag rule (which prevents providers from even discussing all of a patient’s health care options, including abortion). Funds still can not be used to provide abortions.

LET AAUW NJ AMPLIFY YOUR SUCCESS! Be sure to report your project successes and promote your upcoming events through AAUW NJ - email information to aauwnj@gmail.com .

Be sure to check out our AAUW NJ website and Facebook page often for opportunities to learn, enjoy, and support fellow AAUW members’ efforts to advance equity for women. Join the closed LinkedIn Group , as well.

Take a look at our Special Project Pages, and our National Pages, which can help you navigate many topics of particular interest to our State members.


If you are interested in helping develop future AAUW NJ programs, or in working to help grow the connection between AAUW and our New Jersey Colleges and Universities, please contact Karen Brown. For more information on the various AAUW NJ board positions, see the  Board webpage.
Karen Brown, President
AAUW of New Jersey

908-685-3695

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