Fall Bus Trips

To reserve, call ViVi at 845-331-0155 or write vvhlavsa@aol.com, then send your check, made out to AAUW-Kingston Branch, to ViVi Hlavsa, 191 Lapla Rd, Kingston NY 12401.  And tell your friends!

Corning Glass Museum

Monday, September 20th

Home to the world's most celebrated collection of glass and featuring an exhibit of Tiffany works.  Showcasing more than 3,500 years of glass and contemporary designs, the Museum offers an interactive look at new discoveries in glass and includes a live narrated demonstration of hot glassblowing.

Leaving at 8 AM and returning (with a stop for supper) at 8 PM.

Cost:  $59 including bus, driver tip and museum entrance; $56 for members of AAUW and SIP

Pepsico Gardens and the

Neuberger Museum

Sunday, October 17th: 

World-famous Pepsico Sculpture Gardens in Purchase, New York has 45 large-scale pieces of bronze, marble, steel, nickel, resin, granite and spruce by 20th century artists including such greats as Miro and Moore, while the Neuberger Museum features Modern and African Art.

Leaving at 9 AM and returning by 6 PM

Cost:  $47 including bus, driver tip and museum entrance; $44 for members of AAUW and SIP

Kafka's "Metamorphosis" at BAM

Sunday, December 5th

About this new production of Kafka, The London Times says "Illuminated by such brilliant theatricality that it's impossible to tear your eyes away.  Potent, startling, visceral and thoughtful."  The Brooklyn Academy of Music is a New York treasure.

Leaving at 11 AM and returing (with a supper stop) by 9 PM

Cost:  $88 including bus, driver tip and performance; $85 for members of AAUW and SIP

NYC's Museum of Arts and Design

Saturday, December 18th: 

Featuring quilts, jewelry and art objects of metal and wood. Plus a splendid Gift Shop!

Leaving at 8 AM and returning by 6:30 PM WITH A STOP AT TRADER JOE'S

Cost:  $54 including bus, driver tip and museum entrance; $51 for members of AAUW and SIP

*Open to all, AAUW trips are part of our mission to offer community enrichment and to raise funds for scholarships and grants to local, national and international programs, especially in support of women.  Membership in the Kingston Branch of AAUW is open to all people.

** Recently formed, Staying in Place (SIP) is a membership organization which provides social, informational and referral services at discount prices for seniors, aged 50 and older who want to stay in their own homes.  Currently based in Woodstock, SIP is actively helping other Ulster County communities to form similar groups.

Visit Barcelona This Fall with AAUW Kingston

Barcelona, on the Mediterranean coast, is one of Spain's most livable and lovable cities. For anyone who has ever wanted to go on an excursion to Europe, this is the perfect time!

The US dollar is strong and the exchange rate is in our favor, so pack your bags, locate your passport, bring a camera and join us for the trip of a lifetime.

For details click here.

Play Bridge or Board Games and Raise Scholarship Money

Remember how expensive it was to go to college and graduate school? Well, it didn't get any cheaper! Help us provide scholarships and fellowships for young women.

Bridge +

Kingston AAUW Fundraiser

to benefit the AAUW Educational Foundation

DATE: Friday, May 14th

TIME: 1:00 -3:30 pm

LOCATION: Kingston Area Library

 Bridge + Board Games
Bridge + Dessert
Bridge + Door Prize
= Fun + Scholarship Funds

Cost: $10 per person
includes dessert and a chance to win the door prize

R.S.V.P. to Bette Nitzky at 845-679-2123 no later than May 7th
If you don't play bridge, play Scrabble, Clue, Monopoly. Or, just have dessert!

AAUW Adds to Voices of Support for Historic College Affordability Legislation

Bill described as single largest investment in higher education

WASHINGTON – AAUW urges the House of Representatives to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 (H.R. 3221), which is scheduled for a vote this week. The bill will be discussed today at two media events hosted by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, and other lawmakers.

This critical legislation would move all federal student loans to the Direct Lending Program, which would save the federal government and taxpayers almost $100 billion over the next 10 years. These savings will be used to make college more affordable for millions of students at no new cost to taxpayers. The bill also states that improving postsecondary access for women and underrepresented students in STEM should be a priority.

“AAUW has been a leader in promoting women and girls in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Our work in this area dovetails with our efforts to improve women’s economic security and to close the gender wage gap because STEM jobs are usually high paying,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE.

AAUW is pleased that the legislation provides funding to improve community colleges, increases funding for early childhood education, and strengthens the Pell grant program.

While many students struggle with the cost of higher education and loan repayment, the burden is particularly significant for women. AAUW’s report, Behind the Pay Gap, found that college-educated women earn 5 percent less than men one year out of college and 12 percent less than men 10 years out of college, even when they have the same major and occupation as their male counterparts and when controlling for factors known to affect earnings such as education and training, parenthood, and hours worked.[i] This immediate and pernicious wage disparity makes it that much harder for women to repay their student loans.

“Only about 29 percent of Americans have college degrees

—and that’s not nearly enough to make us competitive in the global economy or to prepare people for 21st-century, technologically oriented jobs. This isn’t just a feel-good, fairness issue—it’s about keeping jobs at home and ensuring innovation and growth in the United States economy,” said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations.

###

AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. Since 1881, AAUW has been one of the nation's leading voices promoting education and equity for women and girls. AAUW has a nationwide network of nearly 100,000 members, 1,000 branches, and 500 college/university institutional partners. Since AAUW’s founding more than 128 years ago, members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. AAUW's commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.

Visit the AAUW website at www.aauw.org

.

Join us for brunch -- an opportunity to learn about AAUW

Photo by Matthew Mendoza

Have you ever wondered what AAUW is all about?


Explore an organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

Meet the AAUW Kingston Branch at Brunch

Saturday, August 29th
at 11 o'clock.

Would you enjoy expanding your circle to include women and men who

• Love learning and exploring; discussion and debate; literature, politics, and art
• Share their talents and expertise to benefit our community;
• Enjoy and support each other, and
• Engage in a nation-wide community that breaks through educational and economic barriers so that all women -- our daughters, nieces, neighbors, and women on the other side of the world -- all have a fair chance?
  

Then, please join us for brunch.

All are welcome. Bring a friend.

Call Suki Kerr at 338-2637 or Jean Semilof at 331-4559 to RSVP. They will provide you the directions to the brunch.

For more information about AAUW, visit KingstonAAUW.blogspot.com

or

AAUW.org

Congress Votes This Week on Pay Equity!

Image by Leadership Conference on Civil Rights via FlickrAAUW urges the passage of both the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act; we also urge their passage as a package, as part of the first set of bills the new president signs into law.

Passing both bills, in tandem, is critical to the overall goal of achieving pay equity for women: the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act rights the wrongs done by the Supreme Court, regaining ground we've lost and ensuring that people who've been discriminated against can seek vindication. The Paycheck Fairness Act is a comprehensive bill that would create stronger incentives for employers to follow the law as well as strengthen penalties for violations, strengthen federal outreach, education and enforcement efforts, and prohibit retaliation against workers who ask about employers' wage practices.

Together, the bills can help create a climate where pay discrimination is not tolerated, and give the new administration the enforcement tools it needs to make real progress on pay equity.

Take Action! Click this link to send a message to Congress

Urge your representative to support the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act when they come up for a vote this week to ensure the change hard working Americans need to receive equal pay.

Do you know women who are represented by congress people wavering on their vote. Send your friends an e-card asking them to take action. The link to the e-card is in the Keep the Change Badge in the right column. The numbers count!

Give Thanks to All Our Veterans; Remember the Often Forgotten Women Who Serve

Vietnam Women’s Memorial (c) 2005 Patty Hankins

The fact that today is Veterans Day has hovered in the background as I worked. I knew I wanted to post something in remembrance but the words weren't there yet.

I found myself thinking about Mary, a colleague of mine years ago, and the other nurses I know who served in the Vietnam War. After the war, they seemed to gravitate to assignments in the Emergency Department or the Intensive Care Units -- places where their competency and composure, well tested under fire, kept the daily threat of chaos at bay. These fine nurses served us well as soldiers and continued serving us as civilians.

As I reflected on them this afternoon, two things happened.

First Patty Hankins, a professional photographer and AAUW member in DC, posted a link to her memorial photos. They included her lovely photo of the Vietnam Women's Memorial sculpted by Glenna Goodacre honoring all the women who served in the Vietnam War.

Then, I saw this brief slide show:

President-elect Barack Obama and Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth shared a moment of silence at 11 a.m. this morning after laying a wreath at the Soldiers Memorial in Chicago.


These images captured what I wanted to say.

Today women stand side-by-side with their male colleagues in many military roles unavailable to women in Vietnam. We fought for the right for women in the military to take their place alongside men, just as we fought for the vote and continue fighting for pay equity, comparable worth, Choice, and childcare.

Today we honor and remember all our veterans -- men and women who serve us at great personal sacrifice. May we keep you in our minds and hearts everyday and care for you as you care for us.

Many thanks to Patty Hankins for permission to use her photo in this post. I encourage you to visit her site to see more of her photos available for sale.

Meet the Candidates - Ulster, Green, & Dutchess Counties, NY

The Kingston Branch of the American Association of University Women is sponsoring a "Meet the Candidates Night" featuring candidates from Green, Ulster, and Dutchess counties who are running for the New York State Legislature. The meeting is being held as a public service to permit candidates to state their positions on campaign finance reform, pay equity and comparable worth, health care, and other state issues, which will be followed by interaction with voters from each of the counties.

Join us at the Saugerties Senior Center, Friday, October 24, at 7 pm.

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• Garden City AAUW Celebrates "Clean Elections" Resolution

Supreme Court Hears Harassment Case « AAUW Dialog

Two important cases are on the Supreme Court docket this session. Like the Lilly Ledbetter case, they underscore how important the Supreme Court is when it comes to issues that are central to women's safety, economic security, and equity.

Supreme Court Hears Harassment Case « AAUW Dialog: "Vicky Crawford, an employee of the Nashville Metro School District, was asked by her employers to cooperate with an internal investigation of sexual harassment allegations made against her boss. Crawford was later fired and believes she was terminated in retaliation for substantiating the sexual harassment allegations under investigation. While Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 contains an anti-retaliation provision, two lower courts narrowly interpreted the law and found that an internal investigation is not protected by Title VII."

And, from Alexis A. Moore, President & Founder, Survivors In Action
Another important case coming up for cert with the US Supreme Court is Martin v. Howard University. Attorney Dawn V. Martin is seeking justice. While Martin was employed at Howard U as a law professor she became the target of a campus stalker and was later fired when she asked Howard U to implement there security measures.

As 'leciaimbery' points out in her AAUW Dialog post, so many recent cases have been decided by 5-4 rulings that we cannot underestimate the importance of each high court justice. Our elected officials nominate and appoint them.

The confirmation of extremist, activist judges to the federal bench undermines a fair and balanced judiciary and could turn back the clock on decades of progress for women and girls. You can read AAUW’s position paper on federal judicial nominations and visit AAUW’s Legal Advocacy Fund Resource Library for more information.

How Did Your Members of Congress Vote?

AAUW has issued its annual Congressional Voting Record on issues important to women. We're fortunate that our Federal elected officials support key legislation. But, if you have family or friends who live outside Ulster County, you might want to forward them a link so they can check out their representatives.

How Did Your Members of Congress Vote? « AAUW Dialog: "The good new is that this Congress was noticeably more supportive of AAUW’s positions in the areas of education, economic security, and civil rights, with more than half the representatives and senators supporting AAUW’s issues on at least 80 percent of the votes in this voting record. However, we know that barriers still remain and that AAUW must continue to work to break through those barriers. With the November elections just around the corner, we urge you to hold your elected officials accountable for their votes and to know where the candidates stand on issues that are important to women and their families."

Bridge and Game Luncheon September 13

Image via Wikipedia Dear AAUW bridge and game players and friends,

Please do join us for lunch and games -- cards or checkers or Scrabble (your choice) -- on Saturday, September 13th at 12 noon.

This event is sponsored by Daughters of the American Revolution at the DAR house on the convergence of Green and Crown Street.

The donation we are requesting is $10 and please bring whatever you need to play the game of your choice.

Please call Louise Flood at 338-7002 for further information and reservation by September 5.

In advance, we thank you for your participation.
Louise Flood, Chair