Tag Archives: AAUW

Great Decisions

2017 Great Decisions

Topics for Great Decisions 2017

  1. The Future of Europe By Andrew Moravcsik
    The outcome of the United Kingdom referendum on EU membership sent shockwaves across the globe. It even caught British voters by surprise. The European Union has helped secure peace in Europe for the past 70 years. Now it faces an uncertain future. Amid a refugee crisis, lingering financial recession and the constant specter of terrorism, unity seems more imperative than ever. But the Brexit vote underscores the complexities of integrating an extremely diverse continent. What will post-Brexit Europe look like, and how can U.S. foreign policy adapt?
    Date:  4th Thurs, Feb. 23
    Reviewer:  Julie Kleszczewski
  1. Saudi Arabia in Transition By Lawrence G. Potter
    As Saudi Arabia struggles to adjust to the drastic decline in oil revenue, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman attempts to boldly transform the country and shift more power to the younger generation. At the same time, many countries such as the U.S. point out the lack of democracy, women’s rights and human rights in Saudi Arabia, and blame its promotion of Wahhabism, an extremely conservative version of Islam, for creating jihadists. Bipartisan criticism of Saudi Arabia is rising in Congress. Both countries need each other, but they are at a crossroads in bilateral relations.
    Date:  2nd Thurs, March 9
    Reviewer:  Dr. Elaine Fenton
  1. Nuclear Security By Todd Stephen Sechser
    Nuclear nonproliferation was a top priority for the Obama administration. While the Iran Deal was a diplomatic victory toward this end, major threats persist from both state and non-state actors. Countries like North Korea, Russia, and India and Pakistan continue to challenge nonproliferation efforts. The possibility that terrorists will carry out an attack using a “dirty bomb,” made from captured nuclear materials, looks increasingly real. In a fractious world, which way forward for U.S. nuclear security policy?
    Date:  4th Thurs, March 23
    Reviewer: Dr. C.S. Rani
  1. Trade and Politics By Jeremy Haft
    The U.S. political mood toward trade has gone sour. One need look no further than the 2016 presidential contest for the popular narrative: trade means that China wins, at America’s expense. But do the numbers support that conclusion? The metrics used to gauge economic strength—Gross Domestic Product and balance of trade—have not kept up with the realities of modern manufacturing. Obtaining an accurate picture of U.S. economic stature requires a critique of those numbers. Only then can the U.S. develop appropriate policy solutions for the challenges at hand.
    Date:  2nd Thurs, April 13
    Reviewer:  Jayne Herrick
  1. U.S. Foreign Policy and Petroleum Jonathan Chanis
    What is the effect of U.S. petroleum security on foreign policy? For 45 years, the country has alternated between periods of energy security and insecurity, sometimes able to wield petroleum as a useful instrument of foreign policy, sometimes not. Despite the so-called “energy revolution,” the U.S. today is by no means disentangled from foreign dependence and global trends. In order to be successful, policymakers must recognize both petroleum security circumstances and patterns in the relationship between petroleum and foreign policy.
    Date:  4th Thurs, April 27
    Reviewer: Ruth Wong
  1. Latin America’s Political Pendulum By Michael Shifter and Bruno Binetti
    The pendulum of Latin American politics is swinging rightward once again. Yet as the “pink tide” recedes, the forces of change have more to do with socioeconomics than ideology. Dramatic economic and political crises have coincided in countries like Brazil and Venezuela. Still, the final result for Latin America may be the emergence of centrist, pragmatic modes of governance, and with them, opportunities for the U.S. to improve relations. The new administration must look beyond the neoliberal model of the 1990s, and develop an approach to relations fit for the 21st century.
    Date:  2nd Thurs, May 11
    Reviewer:  Maria Ellis
  1. Prospects for Afghanistan and Pakistan By Austin Long
    Major internal conflict has plagued Afghanistan for four decades. The U.S., for its part, has conducted military operations in the country nearly continuously since 9/11. Today, war with the Taliban persists, and tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have gradually deteriorated. As his time in office drew to a close, President Obama limited further withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The incoming administration has a choice: will it maintain the status quo, completely reverse the Obama administration drawdown or withdraw completely? Does the U.S. face a no win situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
    Date:  4th Thurs, May 25
    Reviewer: Dr. C.S. Rani
  1. Conflict in the South China Sea By Bernard D. Cole
    The South China Sea is a locus of competing territorial claims, and China its most vocal claimant. Beijing’s interest has intensified disputes with other countries in the region in recent years, especially since China has increased its naval presence. Despite rising international pressure, including an unfavorable ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, China staunchly defends its policies in the region. Preventing tensions from boiling over is a matter of careful diplomacy.
    Date:  2nd Thurs, June 8
    Reviewer:  Maria Ellis

AAUW’s Accomplishments in 2016!

This year was action-packed for AAUW’s advocacy efforts. AAUW members reach spanned from the White House to Congress to statehouses across the country. As 2017 begins, let’s thank our members and supporters for continuing to carry out our mission to empower all women and girls.

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Help grow AAUW Action Network by sharing these successes with friends and family members and urging them to advocate for issues affecting women and girls as a Two-Minute Activist. In the list below, you’ll see how much we have done together throughout the past year — and the more our advocacy community grows, the more we’ll be able to do in 2017!

200,000+ messages went out to state and federal legislators.

AAUW Action Network supporters in all 50 states made their voices heard on our priority issues. AAUW members contacted all 435 U.S. House offices and all 100 U.S. Senate offices throughout the year!

6 states passed new equal pay laws in 2016.

AAUW members played a key role in achieving new equal pay laws in California, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Utah. Yes, you read that right: Those are red, blue, and purple states taking action to close the gender pay gap — thanks to you and AAUW.

714
resource guides were delivered to Title IX coordinators in 29 states.

AAUW branches and supporters delivered critical new resources released by the U.S. Department of Education to make our schools safer and more equitable. This first tool kit of its kind was created at AAUW’s prompting, and now we are delivering the good news nationwide.

2,200
signatures collected on AAUW’s petition urging Anheuser-Busch to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge.

Just three months after the pledge was released — on Women’s Equality Day — Anheuser-Busch signed the pledge. To date, more than 100 companies have signed on and committed to closing the gender pay gap.

44 years of Title IX.

AAUW presented Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) with our Title IX Champion award at a packed Capitol Hill reception in June. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Dina Titus (D-NV) also spoke to the crowd of 300 attendees about the positive effect Title IX has had in our country’s schools. AAUW has long been a protector and defender of Title IX, and your strong voices have helped to make this groundbreaking civil rights law a real success story.

AAUW Vice President of Government Relations Lisa Maatz presented Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with the 2016 Title IX Champion award and a letter from AAUW of Nevada’s co-presidents.

900+ get-out-the-vote events organized by members in 46 states.

AAUW branches, Younger Women’s Task Force chapters, and student organizations hosted voter registration drives and candidate nights with AAUW’s It’s My Vote: I Will Be Heard resources.

19
AAUW members were elected to state legislatures.

We know of 19 AAUW members who were elected to state legislatures or state senates in 2016.

Public Policy

GENDER EQUITY MOVES FORWARD IN 2016

FIRSTS

  • 1st Female and African-American becomes the Chief Librarian of the Library of Congress
  • 1st Native American woman, a Hopi Tribe member, is confirmed a US District Court Judge
  • 1st Woman elected Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives

LEGISLATION

  • Provision for paid sick days was passed in Vermont, the fifth state to do so.
  • Sexual Assault Survivors Act became law of the land. Among other things it gives the, 25 million and growing, survivors the right to have a rape kit kept for the case’s statute of limitations.
  • WW II Women’s Airforce Service Piolets right to inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery was restored by Act of Congress. An AAUW member was actively involved.

JUDICIAL

  • The US Supreme Court upheld affirmative action.

TRAINING

  • Department of Justice plans to train 28,000 of its employees on implicit bias.

SUFFRAGE

  • The Sewell-Belmont House in Washington, DC, home of the Suffragist National Women’s Party, is now a National Monument called the Belmont-Paul House, giving it more protection and money

VOTING

  • Automatic online voter registration in 4 states. States vary in how it is done. In CA it is done when registering for state college; In CT & OR when renewing or getting a license; a person can opt out in these three states; In CO they can register with a text message.
  • US SENATE HAS 21 WOMEN. THE HIGHEST NUMBER IT HAS EVER BEEN.

It is great to see these strides taken toward gender equity in the United States. Let us each help further this movement by resolving to write, email or call a legislator about an AAUW issue in 2017.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Nancy Mion, ESVB Public Policy Director

AAUW NYS District V Conference on “Diversity and Inclusion in Today’s Workplace

Congrats to the organizers, speakers
and all those members and friends
who contributed to the success of
the AAUW NYS District V Conference on
“Diversity and Inclusion in Today’s Workplace”
held at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City on October 15, 2016.

aauw-nys-district-v-conference-speakers-organizers

The participants included keynote speaker Bich Ha Pham, Public Advocate NYC; Azadeh Khalili, Executive Director, Commission on Gender Equity, Office of the Mayor, NYC; Pamela Abner, Chief Administrative Officer, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Hospital; Rippi Karda, Assistant General Counsel, Verizon, Basking Ridge, NJ and Gabrielle Lyse Brown, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, NYC Bar Association. Congrats to the District V Leadership for such a successful Conference!

AAUW StartSmart Salary Negotiation – NYIT

aauw-startsmart1   business-women-400-1          participants-in-salary-negotiation1
                  Business Women 400                                            Participants in Salary Negotiation

gender-pay-gap-by-race1              you-are-your-own-brand1
            The Gender Pay Gap by Race

My Start Smart AHA moment was when I realized that I could have gotten a much higher salary during the role playing exercise. I feel that instead of taking the employer’s word , I should have negotiated more; now I know better!  I really enjoyed the workshop and I learned quite a bit. I want to thank you and everyone involved for taking the time to share this very valuable information with us.

Maryam Khan, NYIT Student
Tues, October 26, 2016

AAUW NYS District V Conference on Diversity and Inclusion

Heide                                           Anital Nahal                                                                     Heide Parreño                                                 Anita Nahal
Diversity Director, ESVB                             D&I Consultant, ESVB

Each person picked a gem of their choice as they registered for our AAUW NYS District V Conference on “Diversity and Inclusion in Today’s Workplace” held at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City on October 15, 2016.

gemsDiversity and Inclusion is a mosaic of gems reflecting persons from different age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnic, socio-economic, health and spiritual cultures including the culture of the Deaf, each with unique ideas and abilities. The Empire State Virtual NY Branch is committed to integrate the value of Diversity and Inclusion in the programs and activities of the branch as well as embed in leadership and organizational structure of the Branch.

heide-maria-raniThe Empire State Virtual Branch have four initiatives for 2016 and 2017 as our commitment to D&I. and to continue the attempt to embed in leadership and organizational structure of AAUW the value of diversity and inclusion.

These initiatives are:

  1. More informative and user friendly website for D&I at ESVB website.
  1. Yearly award for Empire State Virtual NY Branch members and friends for work done on Diversity and Inclusion.
  1. Holding D&I programs /events /lectures / representation at District Meeting, State Convention and Leadership Conference in Cazenovia

Share link of D&I survey. Do survey for ESVB, NYS, and National. Disseminate available resources at AAUW National:  https://www.aauw.org/resource/diversity-and-inclusion-tool-kit/

Empire State Virtual NY Branch AAUW Diversity

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

                                     Heide                                      Anital Nahal
                        Heide Parreño,  Diversity Director, ESVB          Anita Nahal, D&I Consultant, ESVB

This year has seen the Empire State Virtual Branch (ESVB) launch out in a focused and targeted way in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives (D&I). Based upon an anonymous on-line survey to determine what members believed the ESVB did in D&I and what areas needed focus, the Empire State Virtual Branch now has four initiatives for 2016 and 2017 as our commitment to D&I. These are:

  • More  informative and user friendly web presence for D&I initiatives on our ESVB website,
  • Yearly award for ESVB AAUW members for work done on Diversity and Inclusion. Criteria to be developed with in-put from members and the NYS VP on programs,
  • Holding D&I programs /events /lectures / representation at District Meeting, State Convention and Leadership Conference in Cazenovia,

Our ESVB D&I team, Heide Parreño, director, and Dr. Anita Nahal, consultant will develop action items in each of the initiatives. Here’s an action for the first initiative regarding the website from Anita.

  • To provide links to AAUW State and National D&I initiatives
  • To provide general resources related to D&I, eg., conferences on D&I in NYC or a list of some useful publications and/or links to relevant D&I websites in the US and globally
  • Seek input from ESVB members as to what they would like to see on their website related to D&I

Diversity and Inclusion is the heart and conscience of AAUW. The value of diversity and inclusion should be embedded in the infra-structure of AAUW’s awareness, consciousness, intentionality and in all that we do. (Heide Parreño).

D-I

More quotes on diversity, inclusion and Unconscious Bias from Anita Nahal at her blog: http://diversitydiscover.blogspot.com/

AAUW Empire State Virtual Branch

Has Title IX helped women compete in the Olympics?

TitleIX-gymnast-FBcover-update-2016-768x284As you know, every two years, the Olympics ignite fervor, national pride, and competitiveness as the world’s greatest athletes come together. For female athletes in particular, the Olympic Games is a rare opportunity to garner international attention for their performances.

At this year’s Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, women outnumber men on the U.S. team for a second straight games — 292 women to 263 men — setting the record for most ever female Olympians competing for a single nation. Thanks in part to Title IX, the 1972 law combating sex discrimination in federally funded education and athletics, U.S. women have secured greater access to play and compete, thereby expanding their opportunities to succeed athletically at both professional and Olympic levels.

Empire State Virtual Branch Goals

Empire State Virtual Branch Goals

Maria EllisAs we plan our new programs for this fiscal year, we will keep in mind the following goals.

GOAL 1 – AAUW’s premier-quality member service, community engagement, and multichannel communications foster a growing, global community of members, supporters, students, and others who advance the AAUW mission.

Community Engagement: The ESVB has a very successful Mentoring Program at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Bronx, NY. Thank you to the following ESVB member, Roli Wendorf, Jane Pendergast, Joan Monk, Lorrin Johnson, Dr. C.S. Rani and Maria Ellis for their participation in the Mentoring Program. If you would like to participate in this Mentor Program, please join us at our Mentor Orientation and Opening Dinner has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 20 at 5 pm. All are welcome.

Our multichannel communications: In addition to our teleconference calls, we engage our community via our Virtual Times quarterly newsletter, facebook page and twitter account.
http://empire-ny.aauw.net
https://www.facebook.com/EmpireStateVirtualNY
Twitter: AAUWVirtualNY

GOAL 2 – AAUW’s powerful advocacy voice helps achieve educational and economic equity and civil rights for all women and girls.

Economic Equality: The ESVB continues to teach the Start Smart Workshops both in the Fall and Spring at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx and at the New York Institute of Technology in NYC. A new 3-year license to both C/U Partners, the NYIT and the College of Mount Saint Vincent were awarded by the NYC Metro Fund. Many thanks to Roli Wendorf, Pendergast and Maria Ellis for being Workshop Facilitators which makes possible teaching these salary negotiation workshops. The next Start Smart Workshop at the NYIC has been scheduled on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 from 4-6 pm. All members and friends are welcome to actively participate in these workshops.

Civic Rights: We feature public policy articles in our quarterly newsletter, Empire Virtual Times. Thank you to Nancy Mion and Donna Seymour for their continue contribution to our Public Policy articles and for their encouragement to become more active on public policy priorities including voter education campaigns.  Special thanks for Dr. C.S. Rani and Maria Ellis for being the part of our Editorial and Writing Team.

Civic Rights: Starting this AAUW fiscal year on June 30, 2016, the ESVB has joined the 2020: Project Women. Votes for Women 2020, National Woman Suffrage Centennial to inspire, educate, celebrate and promote the history of women’s right to vote with a focus on the past and looking forward to the future.  Special thanks to Susan Zimet, Founder/President of the 2020: Project Women.

GOAL 3 – AAUW’s expanding collaborative network uses mission-based programs and research to empower women with the tools, training, and support they need to become strong leaders and effective advocates for women and girls.

ESVB enjoys working with other AAUW branches, such as the Westchester Branch in implement programs such as Start Smart and EYO Explore Your Opportunities (EYO) Annual Conference for 7th grade girls held at the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Bronx, NY.

The following dates/times have been confirmed for upcoming EYO planning meetings: Sat, Oct. 8, from 9:30 am to 11:30 am; Fri. Nov. 11 from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm; Sat. Dec. 10th from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.  Please let me know if you would like to join us at any of these EYO planning meetings.

GOAL 4 – AAUW’s strategic philanthropic efforts support AAUW programs that provide women and girls with opportunities for a lifetime of success.

The ESVB participates in LAF fundraising events. It is our goal to work on more Fundraising ideas to support AAUW’s strategic philanthropic efforts.  We welcome your ideas.

 GOAL 5 – AAUW’s sustainable fiscal strategies and dedicated stewardship meet current and future needs, address challenges, and capitalize on opportunities.

The ESVB participates in fundraising events. It is our goal to increase our Fundraising to support AAUW’s current and future needs. Your fundraising ideas are greatly appreciated.

GOAL 6 – Increase membership and renewals.

The ESVB currently has 30 members.  To renew your dual membership, please issue a $5 check to the Empire State Virtual NY Branch, AAUW.

GOAL 7 -Obtain more membership participation in creating more mission based programs and attendance.

The ESVB is seeking for members interested in volunteering for the following ESVB board positions: Membership VP; Program VP; Cultural Director & Young Women’s Task Force (YWTF) Liaison.  All volunteers are welcome.

GOAL 8 – Implement some of the Diversity and Inclusion Program recommendations made by by Heidi Parreno, ESVB Diversity Director and Anita Nahal, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant.  See below a brief summary of their Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

  1. We have added a Diversity & Inclusion category to the ESVB website. https://empire-ny.aauw.net/diversity-inclusion/
  2. We plan to issue yearly awards to friends and members of ESVB AAUW- for work done on Inclusion and diversity.
  3. We will hold Diversity & Inclusion programs/events/lectures. During our Leadership Meeting in Cazenovia College in July 2016, we recommended that our District V Conference in the Fall 2016 be about Diversity & Inclusion. The ESVB will participate in the planning of this District V Conference scheduled for Sat. October 15th.
  4. The ESVB’s Diversity and Inclusion team executed a Diversity and Inclusion survey with our membership which resulted in these recommendations.
  5. The ESVB will continue to circulate information about the resources available at AAUW website:  https://www.aauw.org/resource/diversity-and-inclusion-tool-kit/

Maria Ellis, MBA
President, Empire State Virtual NY Branch AAUW
http://empire-ny.aauw.net
https://www.facebook.com/EmpireStateVirtualNY
Twitter: AAUWVirtualNY