AAUW of Colorado Connects, December 2022

Mission: To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.

Reconnect With Your Purpose

.......Many look on January as a good time to make new year’s resolutions or look for a change in personal lives. January is always a good time to take an assessment not so much as to where we have been but where we want to go. The few tips I am going to talk about can work for an individual as well as businesses but these are tips mainly for our Branches and for small groups within the Branches. Since groups are getting together in person again for their meetings, now might be the time to assess your goals, vision, and dreams for either your general Branch membership or the interest groups. You don’t want to lose sight of your initial vision or the dreams of the forerunners of AAUW, but assessing once in a while is always a good idea. ........... We have been working on regaining membership this year after losing members for several reasons over the covid19 years. .........The question now is how can we reconnect with our purpose in AAUW? What do we have to offer that makes someone look at our organization and say, “Now that is a group with intent and purpose and I want to be part of it.” Just some ideas to begin your January assessment of your AAUW:

Become a visionary. Big dreams are what entrepreneurs live for. Develop a vision and then bring it to life. Stay connected to your purpose and don’t lose sight of the original vision. You don’t have to have a large number of goals when just a few will do and look easier to accomplish.
Use a Vision Board. Vision boards work by putting up both the large goals and small goals. Start with the small goals. Then the projects do not seem insurmountable. As you know there are always small goals within the large goals.
Focus on where you really want to go. Now is the time to really understand what the intention of this group means to you.
Step it up. Really begin to think about how you are going to achieve your intended goal.
Action plan. How and when are you going to do this?
Carry on. Have fun exploring and creating your possibilities and your intentions.

Until next time,
Joan Brown
AAUW of Colorado State President

HAVE YOU REGISTERED for PUBLIC POLICY DAY???? DON'T MISS THIS EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE!

You do not have to be an AAUW member to join in on Public Policy Day. All are welcome to this informative program. Have a watch party for you and your friends. You can sign up below.
https://aauw-co.aauw.net/

Please use this link or "Register Here" to register on the Colorado website:

https://aauw-co.aauw.net/

Excerpts
from National

National Bylaws
LOOK FOR THIS: AAUW National will soon be sending out via email copies of suggested changes to the bylaws that they want you to peruse and comment on and then they will be voted upon. There will be about a two week period for comments. Once the changes are made at National, the State and local Branches have three years to make changes to their bylaws in accordance with Nationals..... There will not be a vote on membership requirements in 2023.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Celebrating Passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act
Effective June 27, 2023, employers will be required to provide basic accommodations to pregnant workers, such as carrying a water bottle or taking bathroom breaks. The legislation will enable millions of workers to provide for their families without compromising their health or pregnancies. This is the most significant protection for pregnant workers in decades!

AAUW National Election Update: Starting the week of January 16, AAUW members will be able to comment on and propose changes to the AAUW bylaws and Public Policy Priorities—an opportunity that comes around every other year. AAUW’s website will provide all the information you need to tackle this important task. Comments can be submitted until Friday, January 27, at 5:00 pm ET.

AAUW supported the introduction of the Students’ Access to Freedom and Educational Rights (SAFER) Act on December 1. We look forward to its reintroduction in the 118th Congress. The bill would protect students’ right to educations free from discrimination, harassment and violence.

Sign up as a Two-Minute Activist today and keep up to date on our policy work with our letters, comments, testimony and legal briefs to learn more about AAUW’s positions and advocacy efforts.

For more information https://www.aauw.org/issues/education/

NEWS FROM LINDA DAVIES
AAUW State Treasurer

In 2021 our National AAUW organization announced a $2 increase in national dues for 2022, followed by a $5 increase for 2023 and an additional $5 increase or $72 in total for national dues for 2024. At this time our national organization has not determined the specific date when this most recent increase will take effect. ........... However, our Colorado State dues have remained at $10 for many years. I would like to highlight just a few of the ways our National and State dues help support education, equity and advocacy for the advancement of women in our state, nationally and internationally, which we can be proud of.

FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS: In the fall of 2022, AAUW and the University of Colorado and Colorado State University announced that five female scholars had received Fellowships and Grants between $11,250 and $30,000 each for their studies and research. One of the students is a graduate member of the Ft. Collins branch, while another student is an international student and her grant will allow her to take her knowledge back to her home country. These awards allow each student to pursue academic studies in speech pathology, advancements in environmental and sustainable technologies as well as ethnic and social justice, leading to innovative community and scientific projects to empower women and girls. These awards are part of the $6 million awarded to 320 scholars this current academic year.

DID YOU KNOW?: via the AAUW Legal fund, our National organization supported five gender based discrimination lawsuits. Our national organization continues to lobby congress and work with other organizations and legislators to enhance and increase STEM program participation in education as part of Title IX. ......... Our state organization also provided an award to outstanding middle school girls for their science fair projects and donated $200 to the AAUW Fund on behalf of each Colorado branch which continues the work of AAUW on behalf of all of you.

=====Our Colorado AAUW organization this year and last year continues to annually support NCCWSL, the National Conference of College Women and Student Leaders, held each May in Washington DC or by Zoom. Last year we supported six attendees and hope to improve our attendance count this coming spring.

WE ARE PAYING: members of Women’s Lobby Corp to make our voices heard at our state capitol during this legislative term.

THIS BRINGS US TO: learning about the upcoming legislative year at our upcoming Public Policy day on Feb 4^th. Don't forget to register. ********

Thank you for your membership dues and for supporting all of progress, programs and work that contributes to women of all ages and backrounds.

AAUW awards grants, fellowships to four CU Boulder scholars | Colorado Arts and Sciences Magazine | University of Colorado Boulder
Chemistry Graduate Student Receives AAUW Fellowship – Department of Chemistry | CSU (colostate.edu)

April Convention Speaker
Philip Weiser
State Attorney General

Empowering Women
Keeping Up the Good Fight
Submitted by Susan Bodie

This is so exciting! For the first time in three years AAUW Colorado is planning a live event for our State Convention in April. The Aurora Branch will host the meeting in Aurora at the Doubletree Hotel on Iliff Street and I-225. There will be activities and meetings before the Saturday event, but the main speakers and panels will be on Saturday, April 22nd starting at 8:30 a.m. This year’s keynote speaker will be Colorado’s recently re-elected Attorney General, Philip Weiser. Mr. Weiser is a champion of women’s rights. He has addressed public safety, improving the criminal Justice system, and consumer rights. He will focus on the recent erosion of rights seen by women, races, and, minorities.
............................A panel of women from diverse backgrounds and careers will discuss progress they are making in equity and challenges they are facing. We will hear from a Spokesperson from our National AAUW organization. Aurora will showcase their Black Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Watch for more information and registration as plans come together.

Spring Convention

April 21-22, 2023
EMPOWERING WOMEN
"Keeping Up The Good Fight"
Live .............. In Person .............. Meet Your Friends.............
At the Doubletree in Aurora, Colorado
Start planning today for a get-away in the spring where you will be
enlightened by fabulous speakers and enjoy great food.

Diversity -- Equity -- Inclusion -- Belonging

"Welcome Spaces"
Stormy McDonald, DEI Co-Chair

We have been learning about Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for a while. Now we are adding "Belonging" to that title. We members may experience a sense of belonging at our AAUW meetings, but do our guests experience that feeling as well? First, how we come across to others is important. Are we, and do we appear to be approachable? Are we openly intentional about getting to know others? When you walk into the room, do you notice who is there, especially visitors? Are we open to the views and opinions of others?

On December 1, 2022, AAUW National presented a zoom webinar on Belonging: A Deeper Dive into Difficult Conversations. The DEI Toolkit on National AAUW website gives us plenty of information to consider and dive further.

Thanks to their link to Shannone Sport with Organizational Learning and Talent Development, Shannone talks about the questions mentioned in this article along with many good thoughts and observations in her YouTube video, "Foster a sense of Belonging" https://www.youtube.com/c/OrganizationalLearningTalentDevelopment

It's a new year -- are you up for a little change? Can we create a safer and more welcoming space to others who might add to our groups?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

PUBLIC POLICY DAY

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

FEBRUARY 4, 2023 (via Zoom)

NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES

Loveland: January Program
The first meeting of 2023 will be January 23 at 6:30 pm at Artspace, 140 W. Third St.
Our speaker, Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Northern Colorado, George
Junne, will be presenting on the history of the former African American Town of Dearfield,
Colorado. Junne is a specialist on African Americans and film, the Black American West, the Civil War and general African American history and culture. If you are interested in eating with other members previous to the meeting, meet at The Pourhouse in downtown Loveland by 4:15.
Fort Collins: On January 21..... Dr. Sara Bombaci, Assistant Professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University will talk with branch members about her research in both conservation biology and social justice, and at the intersection of these two themes. Dr. Bombaci has been funded by an AAUW Research Publication Grant to support her research studying how inequities in citizen science efforts can affect the inferences and conservation decisions we make about urban bird diversity. She prioritizes advanced diversity and inclusion in STEM education, and has over a decade of experience conducting research, teaching, and outreach to foster greater equity and inclusion in academia.
Aurora: General Meeting January 21 at 9:30 am. at the Aurora Museum. All are welcome.
Topic: Reproductive Rights
Speakers: Karen Middleton, President of Cobalt, a Colorado based organization that advances abortion access and reproductive rights.
Dani Newson, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Cobalt
Katherine Riley, COLOR's Policy Director

Upcoming State Events

~ Public Policy Day 2023 on February 4, 2023 (Virtual)

~ Colorado State Convention on April 21-22, 2023, at the Doubletree in Aurora - our first in-person get together in three years!

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

Like Us on Facebook

Donate to AAUW

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.

This email was sent to <<Email Address>>
why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences
AAUW of Colorado · 502 Collyer St. · Longmont, CO 80501 · USA