AAUW State Convention

April 28th, 2007
The Chateau Bloomington, Conference Center in Bloomington, IL.

Our branch representatives:
Zsuzsanna Szabo - President
Jenny Bolander - President elect
Sharon Jenkins - Education Fund VP
Patricia Penelton - branch member

We learned about the wind of change that hopefully will bring new ideas and new members as well to the AAUW overall.

MEN CAN BE MEMBERS AS WELL!! - Bring your husbands and friends!

Programs are very important and should be aimed and aligned to the AAUW Mission Statement and Vision Statement:

Mission Statement: AAUW 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.

There are eight principles of change that AAUW will follow:
1. The most important is that we have a choice.
2. Actions should be focused on shared intention.
3. The future consists of many possible alternatives; our current behavior will realize the imagined future.
4. Discipline and firmeness, agility and flexibility in pursuing the ideals.
5. Conditions to change: a need for change, clear vision, belief, guiding coalition, practical steps, communication, visible and symbolic results, adequate resources.
6. New ideas should be consistent with AAUW values.
7. Expect resistance to change from present members!
8. Change will take place in stages; the important is TO HAVE A CHANGE!


December 10th, was decided to be Jane Adams Day. The first American woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize on December 10th, 1931. Visit the Museum web site for more info.


Membership now is 71$ (47$ Nations + 10$ State + 14$ Branch)

Jenny is excited to learn more about AAUW business details and to go to Phoenix, AZ in June 29th for the National Convention.

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Zsuzsanna donated 5 gift baskets (3 bath items, 2 gardening, 1 office)
we sold four baskets raising funds for our branch needs

State leaders

Nancy K. Daugherty (left) present State President
&
Linda Cohen (right) President elect
(both have visited our SIUEbranch in the past)

Present President Nancy and
President elect Linda and her new team

Branch election results are in

We had a good turn out for the elections meeting (from the pictures below are missing couple of our members who had to leave early to complete their duties as teachers).

We revised our past scholar year accomplishments:

- "Fill a wish" action in Fall 2006, donations to Oasis Women Center in Alton, IL. which was a complete success and we plan on repeating it in the coming Fall 2007
- In January 2007 our silent auction, which was a fun and valuable fund raising action
- Our two used book sale fund raising actions that showed we are ready to be active members and we can work wonderfully together
- In collaboration with Women Studies we participated in the University wide Women History Month activities by inviting Lisa Jan Huttner with a presentation on "The Devil wares Prada"

Membership news:

We have one student affiliate already official in our branch and she is also the Graduate Assitant of Women Studies.

Mariana Solares from our branch will be the new Women Studies Director starting this Fall 2007.
Congratulations to both!!

We are sad to loose two of our valuable members both moving to other Universities:

Donyell Roseboro (and through this we loose our next generation AAUW SIUE branch members: Maya and Siera)

Anne Valk, the present Women Studies Director

University wide news:
Our Branch President Zsuzsanna Szabo met with Provost Paul Ferguson and discussed the AAUW SIUE Branch activities and future plans on SIUE Campus.
We are pleased to have our Provost support.
Provost Ferguson is very interested and supportive of our work and encourages us to reach out to SIUE student and faculty body. The upcoming plans of having a Women Center here on SIUE campus was welcomed and supported as idea by Provost Ferguson.

ELECTIONS results:

President elect: Jennifer Bolander
Program VP: Terri Piorier
Financial VP: Linda Morice
Legal Advocacy VP: Mariana Solares
Student Affiliate Representative: Elizabeth Stygar
Membership VP: it will be each SIUE branch member's duty!
Terri Piorier and Liz Stygar will keep the records and direct the committee that will be formed to lobby for increasing our branch membership


Upcoming news:
- Illinois State Convention April 28th, 2007 up in Bloomington, IL, with four of our members to be present:
Jennifer Bolander
Sharon Jenkins
Patricia Penelton
Zsuzsanna Szabo

- AAUW National Convention, June 28- July 2nd, 2007 Phoenix, AZ:
Jenny Bolander our President elect will go to bring the news back to our branch.
She will be also our SIUE University Representative to the National Convention.
(We thank our Provost Paul Ferguson for his support in nominating our branch President elect as University representative).

In mid May 2007 the new board will meet to set the plans for the Fall 2007- Spring 2008 programs.

Saturday, June 2nd, 2007 (first Saturday in June) we will organize a fun day and Yard sale for our branch. Opportunity for all our members to meet at a coffee, tea, lemonade, snacks and fun at the yard sale.

Some of the members at this meeting are not in the picture
(teaching duties)

Jenny as new President elect takes her duty in serious and already learns from our most experienced branch member Sharon Jenkins

We hope Donyell and the future generation of AAUW will come and visit us
or at least keep in touch by e-mail and pictures

Zsuzsanna is happy to pass the torch to Jenny
they will share the responsibility for the coming year
till Jenny will be full President in July 1st, 2008
so Zsuzsanna can concentrate then on her tenure track duties :-)