VISION ARTICLES
True Confessions from Your Editor
Ah-hah! I thought the word confessions would get your attention. And I do
truly have something to confess. I confess to having had an epiphany at the June AAUW Retreat. Amidst the brainstorming
and general flow of ideas, we were asked to submit open- ended answers to a questionnaire. One of those questions inquired why
I was a member of AAUW. I answered easily and quickly, “I like being part of a group that that has a purpose, a mission,
and is more than simply a social outlet.” Then, shortly later in the meeting, a two page summary of the Community Action and Public
Policy activities for 2010-2011 was distributed (printed on page 4 in a shortened version). Not having been active in
either group, I was astounded to see the effort other members have extended to promote activities that assist women and
girls and our community. Instantly, I questioned myself. In truth, when I retired from teaching a few years
ago, I joined AAUW because first of all, a friend suggested I’d like the organization, and second of all because I was reaching out
for new friends and new activities. I had joined for the social reasons I wasn’t admitting. I wasn’t involved
in the very activities for which I was applauding the organization. At this juncture, I wonder how many more members are
just like me. We talk a pretty good game about AAUW, but we don’t fully involve ourselves in the very heart of the organization’s
activities. It’s not the usual time for New Year resolutions, but I’m going to start the new AAUW year in September with a resolution
to involve myself in Community Action and/or Public Policy and follow through on my desire to be part of an organization that has
purpose. Will you join me?
-Angie Ulrey
Members Cautioned in Use of Branch Directory
As much as we like to share, the Membership
Information contained in our handbook is for the distribution of AAUW sponsored and co-sponsored information and events only. Member
information cannot be used for other public purposes such as to solicit business, announce events, or promote individual candidates
for office. While AAUW takes a political position on selected issues that relate to the
AAUW Scottsdale members have received emails of a commercial and political nature and have noted that such solicitation
is an inappropriate use of their personal and private information that appears in the membership directory.
As stated in the AAUW
Scottsdale directory, on the page with the heading of Membership Information, there is a notice that the "AAUW Handbook/Directory
is for the use of AAUW members only and
Community Action and Public Policy Summary of Activities 2009-2011
The Community Action (CA) and Public Policy (PP) Groups share some
goals, projects, and membership and meet jointly on a monthly basis. Both work to advance AAUW’s mission to promote equity for
women and their families. PP has two important mandates: to provide information to our membership about social and political
issues of particular interest to AAUW members and to advocate for policies and legislation that will advance the mission. The
main CA goal is to organize and sponsor projects within the local community which increase the visibility of AAUW and support our
mission. Both groups often pro-actively seek involvement and partnership on CA projects with other organizations with missions
similar to that of AAUW. We also actively support branch-wide projects such as the recent Lilly Ledbetter visit.
Public
Policy: During the past year, we have provided information on both local and national issues. In addition to supplying
information on significant issues, the group often requests that members send letters, emails, and phone messages to various elected
officials. For the coming year,
Advocacy: Last January Beverly Weiss conducted an Advocacy Workshop to provide information and inspire wider participation in our attempts to
influence our elected officials and to disseminate information to a wider audience.
Adopt-a-Book: Under the leadership
of Camille Schmidt, this project celebrated its seventh year by donating over 390 books at
I Want My Million! Organized by Jean
Johnson, this Pay Equity discussion held at Barnes and Noble was attended by AAUW and League of Women Voters members as well as individuals
from the general public.
$tart $mart: Updated - This W.A.G.E. program provides negotiation training and skills to
women entering the workforce to equip them to ask for and receive fair and equitable wages. Jean Johnson and
The Next Step: This highly successful mentoring program was organized by the
Northwest Valley AAUW Branch and paired AAUW members with 30 high school students to help them understand the college application
process. Our branch will discuss initiating a similar program.