Capital Letter

Newsletter of the Washington, D.C., Branch of AAUW        September 2004

 

Welcome

As we start the new Branch year, please join us on September 11 for good food, good company, and good information. Then at the meeting or later, tell a Board member what you would like continued in our program and what you would like changed (and how). Lets get off to a good start!

 

News Items from the President

 

Branch News

The next AAUW National Convention will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in our beloved city June 24-27 2005.  If you can commit even 2-4 hours to help our sister AAUW members have an enjoyable experience, please call Anne Martin at 202.484.2981.  The convention will need 350 volunteers to make the week run smoothly.  Branch member Gale Dugan is a Convention Committee member.  Please join her and Anne in welcoming members from across the country.  You have a wide range of committees available:  Credentials, Elections, Floor Procedures, Floor Voting, Hospitality, Information & Airport Reception, On-Site and Advanced Registration, Sales, Signs, Special Needs and the Volunteer Administration. 

 

There are several issues in which we are very interested as a Branch.  I’ll be writing more about the proposal to change the membership requirements in the coming months and Mary Ann Banta will update us on any proposed resolutions for MAMM.

 

 

Text Box: Myths about Muslim Women Speakers: Tabitha Ishmael and Fatma Yussef Saturday, September 11 Gather at noon; Lunch at 12:30 p.m. Good food and bring a friend Bring what you wish: a main dish, salad, vegetable or desert to serve six. The extras, like drinks, rolls and paper products will be provided. (If you cannot bring a dish, do not stay at home. Contributions will be accepted to defray expenses.) Place: The Bombay Room at Van Ness North (2nd floor) 3001 Veasey Terrace (across form the University of the District of Columbia) There is limited valet parking or nearby parking at the Giant Store on Connecticut Avenue NW and Van Ness. Metro Red Line at Van Ness UDC stop. Thanks to Alberta Brasfield for arranging for the room. Speakers: Tabitha is a new member of our branch. She is director of Howard University Early Learning Program. She is the former secretary of the Woman’s Committee of the Islamic Society of the Washington Area. Fatma is a medical doctor. She is a popular speaker addressing issues of importance to both Islamic women and women in general. RSVP Thursday, Sept 9 Mary Ann Banta:301-986-0362 or MAsPiper@aol.com Mary Ann will try to make sure we do not all bring desserts.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Due to several IRS requirements, each Branch was requested to complete an

“Affiliates Agreement, Branch Survey and

Branch Checklist”.  This has been completed and mailed to National.  As it is a

lengthy document, we do not plan to publish it in the Capitol Letter; however, it will be available at our next meeting for your review.

 

News of Our Members:

Dr. Marion Carter spoke and signed books at

the 30 Anniversary International Congress on Science, Culture and Arts in the 21st Century in Dublin Ireland in July.  She spoke on “Education and Culture” We’re very proud of Dr. Carter.

 

News from National

There are several board and officer positions open.  These were announced in the winter/spring issue of AAUW in Action.  Job Descriptions are available on the AAUW web site.  The due date for submitting candidate forms is October 1.  The Association has 18 elected positions (including 10 Regional Directors) and the Foundation has 7 elected positions.

 

The National Board has had to take a number of significant actions to accommodate economic realities.  Due to a combination of both branch and member-at-large membership decline, AAUW faced a significant budget shortfall last year.  Difficult decisions were made, e.g., staff and program cuts, the Leader on Loan program was put on hold, the National Board will fund 50% of their travel expenses themselves, and the AAUW will no longer be a member of the International Federation of University Women ($200.000 fee scheduled to rise to  $300,000 in coming fiscal years). Other actions are also being considered to meet the $100,00 shortfall anticipated for the coming fiscal year.

To help meet the continuing expenses of the organization, AAUW has launched the “One in a Million” Campaign which is a year long effort (through June 30, 2005) to raise        $1 million in unrestricted support.  National will ask honorary and paid life members to participate in the campaign by contributing a gift of $120.  Each donor will receive the 1881 Fund pin that recognizes the donor’s commitment to the mission and programs of AAUW.  Other donations are welcomed to secure the future of the Association.  We’ll be talking more about this in our coming Branch meetings.

 

The Rising Middle class in India

Globalization is having a major impact on India, Come hear about the major changes occurring.

 

Saturday, October 9

Gather at noon; Lunch at 12:30 p.m.

Cost: $15

 

 Place: Alfio's LaTrattoria 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, Md. (Friendship Metro, North exit or valet parking. The Friendship Heights Shuttle leaves the Metro at 12:10 and stops nearby.)

 

Speaker: Firoze Rao was born in Bombay, India. He is a graduate of the University of Bombay and the University of Westminster. He is a member of the Institute of Professional Financial Managers, UK.

 

Firoze Rao is a native of India who became a naturalized US citizen in December 2003. He has worked at Lockheed Martin since 1997 and currently is the Finance Manager for the EPA eRulemaking Initiative.

 

He also is the treasurer of the United Nations Association National Capital Area and a member of the DC League of Women Voters.

 

RSVP to nancy.roman6@verizon.net or 301-656-6092
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Policy items from National

 

Support Child Care for Low-income College Students         June 10, 2004

 

Difficulty obtaining affordable, high quality childcare continues to prevent many low-income women from attending college.  In 1998, Congress made significant progress toward addressing their needs by authorizing the Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) program.  The CCAMPIS program funds on-campus daycare and after-school programs for low-income students.  Unfortunately, though CCAMPIS is authorized to receive up to $45 million in funding, President Bush’s budget for fiscal year 2005 requested only $16.1 million.  

 

CCAMPIS funding must be increased because

·           In 1999-2000, 27 percent of college students had dependants, and 13 percent of these students were single parents.  Quality childcare can be very expensive—more than tuition at many colleges.  CCAMPIS centers help parenting students earn their degrees. 

·           Available services only meet a small fraction of the need.  Currently less than 10% of over 4,000 eligible colleges receive CCAMPIS funding.  If only funded at $16.1 million in 2005, some CCAMPIS programs may be closed, and no new programs will be added.  If funded at $75 million, as proposed in the Part-Time Students Assistance Act (H.R. 3968), CCAMPIS could provide funding to one quarter of all eligible colleges. 

 

800/608-5286 - votered@aauw.org -www.aauw.org/takeaction/gtf/index.cfm

 

Oppose Federal Nominee that Threatens Title IX  June 29,2004

 

On May 10th, President Bush nominated Thomas Griffith to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, considered the second most powerful court in the country.  Last year, Griffith was a member of the commission created by the Department of Education to evaluate the enforcement of Title IX in athletics. His proposals included what would have been one of the most damaging changes: eliminating the proportionality prong of the three-part test, which is used by colleges and universities to prove compliance with Title IX. This three-part test is critical to the effectiveness of Title IX in the athletics arena, and Griffith himself noted that his “radical” proposal “went down in flames.”

 

Oppose Thomas Griffith’s nomination to the D.C. Circuit Court because

 

 

800/608-5286 - votered@aauw.org -www.aauw.org/takeaction/gtf/index.cfm

 

Support equal pay for equal work!                  August 12, 2004

Forty years after the Equal Pay Act was signed into law, the wage gap continues to cost American families $200 billion a year. At every stage in her adult life, a working woman is deeply impacted by the wage gap. For example, a woman right out of college with a bachelor’s degree will earn, on average, $32,238; a man with the same education will earn $42,292. If current wage inequities are not remedied, the average 25-year-old woman who works full time year-round for 40 years will earn $523,000 less than the average 25-year-old man.

Act Now! Learn more and send a free email urging your members of Congress to support and cosponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 76/H.R. 1688).

 

Terrell Scholarship Recipients for 2004-2005

By Maria E. Baylor, Committee Chair

 

            Again this year, the Mary Church Terrell Scholarship (MCTS) Committee of this branch selected as MCTS recipients two outstanding and deserving seniors graduating from District of Columbia public high schools.  They are Tamela P. Odom and Keyona R. Hall

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            Tamela Odom was the valedictorian of the June 2004 graduating class of 185 graduates from Eastern Senior High School.  She maintained a 3.90 cumulative grade point average and had SAT scores of 1010. In fall 2004, she will enter George Mason University where she will major in Elementary Education. Her career goal is to become an elementary school teacher or a guidance counselor.

 

            Kenya Hall also was the valedictorian of her June 2004 graduating class from Anacostia Senior High School.  Keyona had a 3.63 cumulative grade point average and SAT scores of 900. In fall 2004, she will enter Trinity College where her intended major will be in Journalism. Her career goal is to be a family lawyer

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            We wish both of them much success.

 

            Other MCTS committee members: Phyllis Curry, Erma Wilson and Joan Stanley

 

Celebration of the International Day of Peace

 

Time: Tuesday, September 21 from 6:00 to 8:00pm

 

Place: Kenney Auditorium, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (1740 Massachusetts Avenue NW). 

 

Speaker: Professor Abdul Aziz Said

Mr. Said is the Chair of Islamic Peace at American University and director of the Center for Global Peace at American University.

 

In September 2001, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Peace to strengthen the ideals of peace and to alleviate tensions and causes of conflict. The UNA-NCA Task Force on Peace and Security organizes an event each year to commemorate this occasion with the aim of promoting reflection on the current state of world peace and on its future prospects. The event is open to the public.

 

RSVP to: rsvp@unanca.org with "International Day of Peace" in the subject line.

 

 

 

 

Calendar

September

9        Deadline for reservations for the Pot Luck lunch RSVP To Mary Ann Banta: 301-986-0362 or MAsPiper@aol.com

 
10  Noon  Pot Luck Lunch. The Bombay Room at Van Ness North (2nd floor) 3001 Veasey Terrace 

 

14  Book Group. Book: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Tues., 6:15 p.m. Place: Zorba’s Café, 1612 20th St., NW (1/2 block north of the Q St. Exit of Dupont Circle Metro. Contact: Sandy Seppala, 703-739-2522 (h), 703-597-7925 (cell), sandra.seppala@verizon.net.

 

October

7        Deadline for Reservations for October 9 meeting. RSVP:To 301-656-6092 or

      nancy.roman6@verizon.net

 

  9    Branch meeting, Alfio's LaTrattoria 4515 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase, Md.

 

19  Book Group. Book: Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginides. Tues., 6:15 p.m. Place: Zorba’s Café, 1612 20th St., NW (1/2 block north of the Q St. Exit of Dupont Circle Metro. Contact: Sandy Seppala, 703-739-2522 (h), 703-597-7925 (cell), sandra.seppala@verizon.net.

 

November

9    Book Group. Book: Lenin’s Tomb by David Remmick. Tues., 6:15 p.m. Place: Zorba’s Café, 1612 20th St., NW (1/2 block north of the Q St. Exit of Dupont Circle Metro. Contact: Sandy Seppala, 703-739-2522 (h), 703-597-7925 (cell), sandra.seppala@verizon.net.

 

 

 

December

7    Book Group. Book: TBD. Tues., 6:15 p.m. Place: Zorba’s Café, 1612 20th St., NW (1/2 block north of the Q St. Exit of Dupont Circle Metro. Contact: Sandy Seppala, 703-739-2522 (h), 703-597-7925 (cell), sandra.seppala@verizon.net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Letter—September 2004

American Association of University Women, Washington, D.C., Branch

 

Capital Letter is the official publication of this branch.

 

Editors: Mary Ann Banta and Nancy Grace Roman