AAUW Beaver Valley Branch

Breaking through Barriers for Women and Girls
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MISSION STATEMENTAAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

 
VISION STATEMENT:  AAUW will be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy, and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.
 
DIVERSITY STATEMENT: In principle and in practice, AAUW values and seeks a 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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FEMMES DECEMBER LUNCHEON AT THE WOODEN ANGEL 

 

 

 Recently, I sent e-mails to both Senator Toomey and Senator Casey encouraging them to support the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act of 2011 (H.R. 1578) which AAUW supports.  Click Public Policy and Federal Legislation to read their letters.  Can you tell how they plan to vote?

 

 


 WHERE ARE WE TODAY?  WHAT CAN WE ACHIEVE TOMORROW? 
 

TODAY, THE GENDER GAP IS FAR TOO WIDE
None of the CEOs at the top 15 media corporations are women.

  • Only 3 percent of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies are women.
  • Only 15 percent of board members among Fortune 500 companies are women.
  • Only 18 percent of law partners are women, even though we make up 48 percent of law school graduates.
  • Only 21 percent of nonprofits with budgets of $25 million or more have female CEOs.
  • Only 29 percent of board members on college and university boards are women.
  • For the first time since the 1970s, the number of women in Congress is declining.
  • And women still make on average only 77 percent of what men earn in similar jobs with similar experience, and the wage gap widens as women move up the management ladder!

AAUW-PA urges more funding for K-12 education in 2011-12 and opposes vouchers for private schools.

AAUW-PA believes that Pennsylvania’s future is only as bright as the prospects of today’s youth and that the children of this Commonwealth need and deserve a world-class education to compete in the global economy.

We understand that the General Assembly is charged with providing for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education. The current mindset that state funds provide a K-12 basic education “subsidy” appears inconsistent with this general responsibility of the state, as well as inequitable in its excessive reliance on property taxes. Sweeping cuts in state funding for K-12 education will exacerbate the inequities and indiscriminately eliminate both effective and ineffective programs.

We believe that a reform agenda for education should be a priority. A thorough and rigorous reform of the Pennsylvanian education model should target: lowering the dropout rate, reducing the need for remedial courses in core academic subjects at community colleges and state-system schools, increasing innovative means to improve student achievement, and reducing costs.

AAUW-PA stands firmly by the belief that Pennsylvania should provide an excellent education for all children, not private school vouchers for a few.

Voucher plans divert public money away from public schools, undermining the American promise of a quality education for every student. Taxpayer dollars should be spent on improving public schools. We also believe that parents in Pennsylvania already have choices in public education and have endorsed a booklet for parents exploring options in public education. A copy of the Finding Your Way booklet is available on the AAUW-PA website, aauwpa.org.


 

UNIQUELY AAUW

 

AAUW Funds Seven Campus Sexual Harassment Projects

AAUW announced this week the award of $28,000 in Campus Action Project grants to seven colleges and universities around the country. The grants will fund projects designed to educate local communities about sexual harassment and prevent sexual harassment in middle and high schools during the 2011-12 academic year. The seven projects chosen by AAUW will include focus groups with students and the development of workshops designed to educate both students and communities about how to prevent sexual harassment. The project teams will use findings and recommendations from Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School – a groundbreaking report from AAUW that details the prevalence and negative effects of sexual harassment in middle and high schools – to guide their programs. AAUW will sponsor one member from each of the seven project teams to present their teams’ programs at the 2012 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.

 

The AAUW Campus Action Project grant recipients for 2011–12 are:

·         Dakota State University, South Dakota

·         Jefferson    Community College, New York

·         Millersville      University, Pennsylvania

·         Pacific Lutheran University, Washington

·         Saint      Mary’s College, Indiana

·         University     of Central Florida

·         University     of Kentucky


  

 
Facts and Figures about Pay Equity
  • A lifetime of lower wages means women have less income they can save for retirement, and less income that counts in a social security or pension benefit formula.
  • Women's current life expectancy is approaching 86 years old, which means they outlive men by an average of 3 years.  As a result, they will have to stretch their retirement savings over a longer period of time.
  • The medium income of older women is almost half what it is for older men.
  • Women are still largely pigeonholed in "pink-collar" jobs.
  • Currently, women's annual earnings are 77% of men's annual earnings.
 According to AAUW research, while women have made remarkable strides in education during the past three decades, these gains have yet to translate into full equity in pay - even for college-educated women who work full time.  A typical college-educated woman working full time earns $46,000 a year compared to $62,000 for college-educated male workers - a difference of $16,000.
 
 Knowledge is power!
 
 

The Kitchen Tour is the fundraiser that supports our scholarships.  For information and scholarship forms for 2012, please click Kitchen Tour. 
 
 
 Congratulations to our 2011 High School Scholarship recipients: 
 
Rachel Fairley  is the daughter of Scott and Rosanne Fairley and is a senior at the Big Beaver Falls High School.  She plans to attend Mount Union College to pursue a career in the medical field.

Julie Marki is the daughter of David and Tina Marki and is a senior at the Hopewell Area High School.  Julie will attend Gannon University where she has been accepted in the Physician Assistant program.  She plans to earn her Masters degree in Physician Assistant.
 
Lauren Veness is the daughter of Todd and Debbie Veness and is a senior at Central Valley High School.  Lauren plans to attend Grove City College to study Business and Child Development.
 
 

Julie Marki, Lauren Veness, and Rachel Fairley at the AAUW Spring Luncheon.
 
 
Congratulations to our 2011 Non-Traditional Scholarship recipient:  
 Angela Dulick has been a stay at home mom for the past 16 year.  In the fall of 2009, she enrolled in the Heritage Valley Sewickley School of Nursing.  Angela, her husband, David, and their three children reside in Patterson Township.

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Effie Solomon Scholarship

Duquesne Law Student  Receives Solomon Award

In October 1965 a well-known Beaver County lawyer, Effie Solomon, passed away.  To honor her memory her family established the Effie M. Solomon Memorial Scholarship to aid other Beaver County women who are training to be lawyers.
 
Funds began accumulating, and in 1984 the Beaver Valley Branch began awarding this scholarship to deserving Beaver County women.

This year’s recipient is Ms. Patricia Hoover.  The scholarship was presented to her at the annual Fall Brunch.  Patty is in her fourth and final year at Duquesne University School of Law.  She is the mother of seven children, all who have been home schooled.

 
 
 
 
 

 

                                                                       

  Officers for 2011 - 2012
          Presidents:            Nancy Cole
                                       Joann Lecrone

 

          Program VP:          Bonnie Geiger
                                        Janet Rarick
 
          Membership VP:    Rose Homish
 
          Secretary:               Frances Pickard
 
          Financial Officer:     Nancy Mahosky
 
 For membership information, contact Rose at 412-741-3844
 

 


  
 NEXT SCHEDULED MEETINGS:
 
NEXT BOARD MEETING:
 
Tuesday March 13, 2012 @ 5:30 pm
           Town Square Restaurant                      


NEXT GENERAL MEETING:

Saturday, February 4, 2012 @ 10:00 a.m.
Elder Law and Steps to Take After Retirement
Robert A. Banks, Attorney at Law
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Save the date!!!!!!!!
AAUW-PA Convention 
Radisson Hotel, Pittsburgh
April 13 - 15, 2012
 
Girl's Recognition Night
Community College of Beaver County
April 19, 2012, 7:00pm

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    Unless otherwise stated, all meetings will be held at 

New Brighton Methodist Church

1033 Sixth Avenue

New Brighton, PA  15066 


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Guests are welcome!



Joann Lecrone and Nancy Cole
Co-Presidents for PY 2011-2012

 

 

 

 


 

Spring State Meeting - April 2011

 

 

 

 

Judy McDermott, treasurer of Effie Solomon Scholarship Fund and

 Patricia Hoover, 2011 recipient