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University Woman Texas
Volume 74 l Issue 3 l December 2022
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Message from the President | |
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!
Let us always remember that it can be a difficult time of year for some of us who have recently lost a relative or who are sick or feeling alone. Let’s try to remember to reach out to those people and let them know that we care about them. We have just completed what for most is a family holiday, Thanksgiving. While it has been greatly commercialized, most people still enjoy getting together, enjoying good food, and being thankful for fellowship, family, and country, if not for many other reasons. I try to keep a gratitude list in November which tends to help me through the craziness of December. I spent my Thanksgiving in North Carolina at my son and daughter-in-law’s vacation home on the Blue Ridge Parkway. My plan was to sit on the deck rocking, soaking in the sunshine while I needlepointed my Christmas angels. It was so cold I did not enjoy rocking on the deck even with a warm lap rug on me. However, I loved the mountain view, watching them load the fir (Christmas) trees on the trucks to send to places like Texas, and playing with the four dogs along with us. Enough about me.
Your Board has been very busy these past two months. Many of you have met with Sara Wood on the Membership Zoom and have reported that your membership parties and other membership efforts have gone well. Our state membership is growing and is recovering from the damage Covid-19 had done. Sara and Margo Johnson have worked together on some of the problems with the Central Hub and membership. Margo has sat though many a Tuesday afternoon meeting with National listening to questions being answered from branches across the nation and from across our state and has figured out most of the problems that Texas was having with the new system. Please read her full article with all its links and see how they may help solve the very problems that have been bugging you. Kudos to Margo!
The Public Policy Committee took your recommendations from the survey and hired a lobbyist from the HillCo Agency to work with us during the legislative session from January through May. Her name is Kate Kuhlmann. Your most important issues were:
- Women’s health issues
- Reduction in gun violence
- Improved monitoring of workplace sexual harassment
- Open and fair elections broadly accessible to all voters
- Opposition to censorship of books in classrooms and libraries
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Texas seems to have the most bans.
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The committee, consisting of Georgia Kimmel, Pat Sanford, Gloria Long, myself, and headed by Pat Rehm has continued to work out details with Kate about her responsibilities, how she will report to us, etc. Meanwhile, Pat contacted Terry Whaley, VP of Programs, as she and her Program committee had planned to have a Fall Program with our Lobbyist highlighting what the most likely pressing issues would be in the state legislature which begins January 2023. Terry and Kate put their heads together and planned a dynamic Zoom program for December 1. Terry sent out invitations to the entire state membership. Kate introduced herself and explained what her role would be. Kate and the staff at HillCo will generate reports for us during the 88th Texas Legislative Session, which will start on January 10, 2023. She showed a graphic that all of us could use to be alerted about an issue we are interested in. If you missed her presentation, here is the link. Click Here to View the Program.
Also, please read Terry’s article for a much more detailed report.
GET PEOPLE TO THE POLLS! I am so excited about how many people were registered to vote by some of our branch members that DID become Deputy Voter Registrars. Congratulations! Those registrars went into the high schools and registered seniors, into libraries, into colleges, and into malls and grocery stores. Kudos! Now, it is my turn. As part of our strategic plan, we need to know how many of you DID BECOME Deputy Voter Registrars and how many went into high schools and registered seniors. I will send out a survey to the branch presidents to find out this information soon.
Shirley Selz is about to become a very familiar name to you. She is the SHARE grant coordinator and will be sending you applications for a Branch Project grant. This a way you can apply for some funds to get something done in your branch that you need a little extra money for and would like state assistance. What an idea! State can help you out! Wahoo! The other two grants are for students but are also important. They are the NCCWSL Grant and the Student Affiliate Grant. See Shirley’s article in the newsletter.
Now the tough subject: I always feel inundated with pleas for donations on Giving Tuesday. All the organizations say they can double my donation if I will just hurry and send it in by this deadline or that. My first inclination is to take all these pleas and just throw them in the trash. They are all too overwhelming. Everyone seems to need something; something more than I can give. Do you ever feel like that?
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I DO HAVE SOME FAVORITES: ONE IS THE GREATEST NEEDS FUND OF AAUW. Why does AAUW need funds that are unrestricted? All but a very small percentage (4%) of AAUW’s Net Assets are restricted. See the chart below:
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- These are some of the things that I love that National does that are not covered by restricted funding. Filling the gaps when restricted funding does not cover 100% of the costs – NCCWSL, Work Smart/Start Smart/Money Smart. My own granddaughter used the strategies to gain a larger raise at her job in San Francisco. Work Smart Works!
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Research: Supporting the updates to and dissemination of Simple Truth and Deeper in Debt. We are cited in all types of national publications such as ABC News, MSNBC, Fortune, Market Watch, Forbes, Yahoo! And many more!
- White House Equal Pay Summit with President and Mrs. Biden
Like many other worthwhile organizations, if I donate before the end of the year, my donation will be doubled by the National AAUW Board. Hip, hip, hooray for them.
With high regards, I hope each of you has a great New Year!
Mary Smith
AAUW Texas President
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Branch holiday parties are happening and the new year is nearly here! As we prepare for 2023, we value our current members and continue on our quest to gain new ones.
Growing our branches is an ongoing effort and branch members are our best recruiters. Each member has a “why” they joined and the reason that AAUW is important to them. All can be ready to share their story whenever the opportunity arises.
To make it easy to give prospective members personal/branch contact information, how about carrying an AAUW business card wherever you go? If creating one seems daunting, AAUW Texas currently is sponsoring a fundraiser selling customized cards created by South District Rep Betsy Calabro. The price of 50 business cards is $20.00 (includes set up, shipping and handling). Contact Betsy at BetsyCaauw@yahoo.com for more information and an order form if interested.
Another good way to get the word out about AAUW is through up-to-date branch websites. If your branch would like additional help with this important tool that benefits members and prospects alike, National AAUW has some ways they can assist you. Check out Site Resources for more information. The "support" tab on this site has editing tips and many video tutorials on various ways to post information on your websites.
One final thought during this holiday season, ShopAAUW is where all kinds of AAUW related gifts and supplies can be found. As a reminder, AAUW offers discounts and perks for members. Find Discounts and Perks Here
It has been great meeting many of you on our Membership Zoom calls. Have a wonderful holiday and see you in 2023!
Sara Wood
AAUW Texas Membership VP
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SHARE GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities await Branches and student affiliate groups to apply for three types of grants under the AAUW Texas SHARE program. Does your Branch have a great idea for a project that needs a bit of financial help to translate it from idea to reality? Has your Branch identified some students whose leadership potential would be enhanced by participation in AAUW’s National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) meeting to be held next spring? Does your Branch sponsor or otherwise communicate with an AAUW Student Affiliate group that needs some help with its projects? If so, consider applying for one of the grants authorized by the AAUW Texas Board.
Branch Project Grant: A Branch may apply for a grant to support a project that is aligned with the AAUW mission and is designed to further a local, state, or national priority. The project may or may not involve coordination with other organizations to accomplish a shared goal.
NCCWSL Grant: Student leaders are the foundation for future leadership and progress. AAUW has not yet announced the agenda for the conference, but the dates are May 31 - June 3, 2023. Finally, an in-person conference is planned for 2023 in which hundreds of college women will participate in training, inspiration, and networking. Because, due to COVID, the conference has not been held in-person since 2019, we expect students will be especially eager to attend this leadership conference. Branches may apply to AAUW Texas for a grant to assist a student with the cost of attendance.
Student Affiliate Grant: AAUW Student Affiliates provide opportunities for current students to learn leadership skills while creating their own mission-oriented projects. Whether a student group is newly-created or well established, the group may need some funding to carry out their projects.
Application process: Application forms for each type of grant will be available upon request. In addition to this announcement, an email will be sent to all Branch presidents at the beginning of January. Submit requests to Shirley Selz, SHARE Coordinator, at selzgarza@att.net. The deadline to submit completed applications is January 31, 2023. A committee will review the applications and submit their selections for final approval by the AAUW Texas State Board. The amount of awards is dependent on the total funds budgeted and the number of approved applications.
Shirley Selz
SHARE Coordinator
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AAUW Texas Legislative Update
On December 1, AAUW Texas hosted a Zoom meeting with Kate Kuhlmann from Hillco Partners, our lobbyist for the 2023 legislative session. In her presentation, she encouraged us to contact our representatives locally to have an impact on legislation of interest. To find who represents your area Click Here for the representative lookup. You can also search bills, amendments, and other information related to the Texas government.
Her presentation is available on the AAUW Texas website and Here.
Kate will periodically send updates to the Public Policy Committee headed by Pat Rehm. The updates will be posted on AAUW Texas website. This information can be used to stay informed on important issues that will impact the women and girls of Texas.
Terry Whaley
AAUW Texas Program VP
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Lessons Learned--processing members
in new AAUW.org Community Hub
SOME TOPICS addressed:
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50-year Life members - use form below to apply for HONORARY LIFE membership conversion to free dues after 50 years - n.b., "end" date applied to membership record may not be consistent, but will be well out in future
<<HONORARY_LIFE_APP-05022022.docx>>
Honorary Life Membership Application Form
BELOW HINTS ARE FOR FINANCE OFFICERS
and other OFFICERS
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Shape the Future coupon codes - How do you process a new member under the Shape the Future campaign? Is there a coupon code?
From <https://www.aauw.org/membership/new-systems-update/community-hub-faq/>
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Restoring a lapsed member - is treated as a new JOIN, but National AAUW would like to have previous member number to maintain history - for former members lapsed 2 years or more, consider doing at a Shape the Future event for both half price dues for the lapsed member and to get 1 free member credit for each pair of joins (up to three (3) free memberships).
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It is possible to order a special branch membership report which includes degree info. Send request to CONNECT@AAUW.org. Include your Branch ID TX-nnnn.
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COMING SOON: A Ticketing System --- When you CALL and leave a VOICEMAIL, it will be assigned a TICKET number. USE the number in all future communications on that subject. Likewise, if you start with an email, there will be a TICKET number in the acknowledgement.
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LAST but NOT least: Always look in your SPAM email folder for return replies from National AAUW.
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Did You Know?
Check Out the biography of Ellen Swallows Richards in The Secret History of Home Economics How Trailblazing Women Harnessed the Power of Home and Changed the Way We Live
Ellen Swallows Richards and Marion Talbot (Boston University class of 1880) became the "founding mothers" of what was to become the American Association of University Women (AAUW) when they invited fifteen other women college graduates to a meeting at Talbot's home in Boston, on November 28, 1881. The group envisioned an organization in which women college graduates would band together to open the doors of higher education to other women and to find wider opportunities for their training. The Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA), AAUW's predecessor organization, was officially founded on January 14, 1882.
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Elected Officers
Mary Smith
Terry Whaley
Sara Wood
Margie Poole
Diane Roberts
Lucy Barrington
Elected District Representatives
Betsy Calabro
Cheryl Fuller
Cheri Butler
Stephanie Jones
Standing Committees
Margaret Carlson
Pat Rehm
Appointed Positions
Shirley Selz
Margo Johnson
Communications Team
Malinda Gaul
Janani Janakiraman
Jerrilyn Woodard-Entrekin
Contact at:https://aauw-tx.aauw.net/about/leadership/
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President
Program VP
Membership VP
AAUW Funds VP
Finance Officer
Secretary
South District
Central District
North District
West District
Bylaws/Parliamentarian
Public Policy
SHARE Grants Coordinator
Branch Services
UWT Editor
Website
Facebook
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