AAUW Mission: To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
                             
SUPERHEROES
Who is your favorite “superhero?”  Mine has always been Wonder Woman with her super powers in her bracelets to stop bullets and her magic golden lasso to make anyone tell the truth, her super strength, her magic sword, her powerful shield, and her tiara that can become weaponized. (I could make a joke here and say those are the abilities that most mothers already have.)  ..........From the Smithsonian Magazine it says, “In 1941 William Marston submitted a draft for his first script, explaining the ‘undermeaning’ of Wonder Woman’s Amazonian origins in ancient Greece where she was freed from bondage and strengthened on Paradise Island and developed enormous physical and mental power.’  His comic, he said, was meant to chronicle ‘a great movement underway—the growth in the power of women.’”  At that time Marston was interested in the women’s suffrage movement and in Margaret Sanger who was the birth control and women’s rights activist.  Marston, himself, had a colorful history which we will leave alone for now and we will touch upon what he was trying to get across in the message of a super woman trying to right the wrongs in this world. 
 
If you were asked to create a superhero, who or what would you invent?  What attributes would your superhero have?  ............Marvel employees created National Superhero Day on April 28, 1995, to celebrate everyone’s superhero.  Have a little fun here and imagine what your superheroes would look like.  What powers would they have?  How would you celebrate them? 
 
What makes a superhero?  We all have our own ideas but many say we need to thank our personal heroes in our neighborhoods like our teachers, nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, neighbors, friends, relatives, etc.  Any person who has demonstrated fairness, bravery, and compassion.  People who embrace truth and justice, fight evil, and demonstrate courage.  There are many people in our society who embrace these values and that makes them pretty super too.
 
So how can this lead into the topic of “women’s rights.”  Did you know in your heart as well as your mind that THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION DOES NOT HAVE AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT GUARANTEEING EQUAL LEGAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF THEIR GENDER?  The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) work is so important for us as it would give a legal standard for deciding cases of discrimination based on gender.  We need to become wonder women and work hard with our super powers of joining movements that do the work of teaching women and girls what their rights are. Did you know that 80 percent of Americans don’t know that the Equal Rights Amendment is NOT a part of the United States Constitution? How is that for an amazing negative statistic? 
 
...........What can we as the AAUW wonder women do to help this movement?  Former CEO of AAUW, Kim Churches, said, “In 2018, AAUW trained nearly 100,000 women in salary negotiation.  Studies showed that women request increases as much as men, but they are not as assertive in their proposals.”  Training women to develop negotiation techniques can be a great help in combating wage discrepancies.  Women need to understand what they want and to get there is the challenge in the negotiations.   
Possibilities to help:
  • Connect with other women and forwarding organizations
  • Know what is going on in your government
  • Obtain coaching on life skills
  • Participate in online courses and workshops
  • Join a community such as AAUW and virtual communities
  • Impact your world with new relationships and vision
 
Until next time,
Joan Brown
AAUW of Colorado State President
ONLY A FEW HOURS LEFT TO REGISTER FOR THE CONVENTION!
IT ALL BEGINS ON FRIDAY, April 21
After you have checked in to the hotel and signed in for the convention, there will be rides offered to take you to the Aurora Museum for treats and great speakers presenting about the CU Anschutz Medical Campus which is a premier medical facility changing the face of medicine through research and innovation.  April Giles and Neil Krauss will be our presenters at the Aurora Museum.   The Museum is only 12+ minutes from the hotel.  
Convention Weekend:  After the visit to the museum on April 21 and after you have your dinner, there will be some informal, get-acquainted, and interesting activities back in the Evans Elbert Conference Room at the Double Tree beginning around 7:30 pm.  Or a little earlier////// Or a little later.  As we said, it is informal.

 AAUW College/University Partnerships With Colorado Branches
by Marcy Jung

AAUW's College/University Partnership program is a wonderful reflection of AAUW's mission to advance gender equity through research, education, and equity.  Colleges and Universities that become AAUW partners gift their students and faculty members with access to resources including salary negotiation skills, student membership, community action grants, leadership training, and more.  
        Having been a college representative at Fort Lewis College, which is an AAUW  C/U partner, I witnessed first-hand the potential benefits directly to young women student leaders.  In our first year, and in cooperation with the local AAUW Durango Branch, we sent two students to the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) at the Unviersity of Maryland.  As of 2022, twenty-two Fort Lewis College women have participated in NCCWSL.  This is merely one example of the potential contribution to our AAUW mission when C/U partners collaborate with a local AAUW Branch.  This experience still ignites my enthusiasm and continued advocacy for the  AAUW ane the College/University partner schools.  Colorado currently celebrates 5 college/university partner schools.  They are the Community College of Aurora, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Front Range Community College, Red Rocks Community College, and University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

********As I am the current AAUW Colorado C/U representative to the State Board, here are a few suggestions to those Branches who wish to connect with and collaborate with a local college:  
  • Ask your Branch board to envision what a C/U collaboration might look like for you
  • Send your Board president to the college president to encourage a C/U partnership
  • Focus your fundraising on a local college to raise AAUW awareness
  • Sponsor a student to attend NCCWSL
  • Become a visible advocate for that school
It is important to emphasize that an AAUW C/U partner school is a separate entity from an AAUW Branch.  It is the unified effort between the two that amplifies the mission and inspires members.  For me, it was a stunning observation to see the Branch grow in quantity when our intention and focus became the women students in the local college.  It is simple.  It is a WIN-WIN and the mission is accomplished!

********Finally, by all means, please use me as a resource to brainstorm strategies and enhance your efforts to promote our shared AAUW mission with a local college or university (jung_m@fortlewis.edu)
DEIB

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,

Belonging

by Stormy McDonald and Eileen Young
AAUW National (Inclusion and Equity) I&E Committee Charter Responsibilities
• Create and maintain a Diversity Toolkit to serve as an ongoing resource for how to attract and retain a diverse membership through programming and community outreach and serve as a resource for training;
• Provide additional resources and training to members to assist with building competencies around inclusive behaviors;
• Where appropriate, partner with the Member and New Audience Engagement Subcommittee on ways to reach new and diverse audiences and help ensure that AAUW programs address and reflect issues of intersectionality;
• Assist other AAUW committees in incorporating inclusion and equity into their work;
*Recommend priorities and provide guidance in the design and implementation of other programming, trainings, webinars and other activities to help AAUW members gain the interest, knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of and reflect the diverse communities served by the organization;
• Support AAUW affiliates in the implementation of diversity and inclusion efforts;
• Develop an annual action plan to carryout Committee responsibilities;
• Recommend metrics for diversity, inclusion, and intersectionality goals within AAUW’s strategic plan

    Excerpts
           from National
from MEMBERSHIP MATTERS:

The FY24 National Dues Year Kicks Off April 1.....AAUW’s new dues rates go into effect April 1, the FY24 National membership dues are $72, of which $69 is tax-deductible. Student dues are $18.81, of which $16.81 is tax-deductible. AAUW national life membership is $1,440 and is fully tax deductible. start of the 2024 Fiscal Year (FY24) for membership dues.  

The Five-Star Recognition Program is a great resource for branches planning their fundraising and programming. This cycle, applications will be handled via an online branch impact survey that we’ll send later this year. Meanwhile, please send any questions to Tremayne Parquet, Deputy Director of Advancement, at parquett@aauw.org.

Officer Updates Begin in April......If your affiliate title is president/administrator, membership vice president or finance officer, please update officers for FY24 by June 30. Even if an officer is returning, make sure to update your records if their next term starts July 1, 2023. Login to Community Hub, then go to MY AFFILIATIONS and click the button next to your affiliate name. Choose BRANCH COMMITTEE to update officers.

Get Ready! National Election Opens April 5*****.....Check your email when National Election voting opens on Wednesday, April 5! This year, AAUW is using a third-party vendor to administer voting. You’ll receive a ballot with your unique voting credentials from vote@simplyvoting.com. Please add this address to your safe sender list now to ensure your ballot reaches you. Voting closes Monday, May 15, at 5 p.m. ET.
Are You Coming?

AAUW Spring Convention

April 21-22, 2023
EMPOWERING WOMEN
"Keeping Up The Good Fight"
At the Doubletree in Aurora, Colorado
Just an Added NCCWSL Note:
~~~~AAUW of Colorado will be sending two extremely talented students to the NCCWSL (National Conference for College Women Student Leaders) conducted at the University of Maryland College Park (near Washington DC) May31-June 3, 2023.  Their names are Ana Villazon from Colorado Springs and Jennifer Martinez Lopez from Aurora.  We will hear more from them after they have attended the convention.  Readers can look on the National website to get more information as to what NCCWSL is all about for our women student leaders.
        


NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES
GUNNISON BRANCH
"The Gunnison Branch has given $1,565.00 to the local Library reading program.  All are given a big thank you for the donations. .... Art in the Park registrations are coming in and posters need to be distributed at the May meeting........Three Branch members will be attending the State Convention on April 21-22."

DOUGLAS COUNTY BRANCH
"History & Culture TRIP: The trip to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs has been scheduled for April 13th. We will leave from Big O parking lot in Castle Rock at 9:30. It will take about one hour to get to the Museum. Cost is $16 per person, but we may get a less expensive rate. Plan on two hours to tour the museum. It is ramped and has plenty of places to rest. We will eat lunch at the onsite restaurant (very good) and then return home.
AAUW of Colorado Executive Board
Joan Brown, State President
Linda Davies, State Treasurer
Jill Smith, State Vice President of Membership
Susan Brodie,  State Co-Vice President of Programs
Diane Fuchs, State Co-Vice President of Programs
Pam Maier, Secretary
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American Association of University Women (AAUW)

In principle and practice, AAUW values and seeks diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or class. 
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