And we are finally getting it NOW!
Click here for a great video: What AAUW does Be proud!
The gender pay gap won’t close until 2119 at the current rate of change.
AAUW is doing something about it. Take action now!
Empowering women since 1881
May 2022
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A Few Thoughts from, Beverly
This will be my last message to our Branch as my two terms are almost completed. It has probably been the most unusual as we experienced Covid-19 at the beginning of my term, and it is still with us. Our meetings were on Zoom for the first term, but for the second term there was opposition, and we were unable to meet via Zoom although some members elected to meet in person.
THANK YOU to everyone who served on my Board as Elected Officers, Appointed Officers and Volunteers, your hard work is tremendously appreciated.
Congratulations to all the new Elected Officers, Appointed Officers and Volunteers for the coming year starting in September. May your service be problem free and run smoothly.
During the months of May we will be celebrating Teacher Appreciation Day on the 3rd, Cinco de Mayo and National Day of Prayer on the 5th, Nurses Day on the 6th, Mother’s Day on the 8th, Armed Forces Day on the 21st, and Memorial Day on the 30th; and June we will be celebrating Flag Day on the 14th, Father’s Day and Juneteenth on the 19th, and First Day of Summer on the 21st. Our Branch members celebrating birthdays this month and June are Joan Pylman on the 9th, Edna Ethington on the 14th, and Christine Taxier on the 26th; those celebrating in the month of June are Beverly Zwick on the 19th, Diane Merrick on the 20th, and Esther Aronson on the 30th. Happy Birthday wishes and may you each have a long and healthy life.
THANK YOU to everyone who has assisted me and helped to keep our Branch running smoothly. I truly appreciate all the hard work.
May we continue to look forward to Sweet Memories in 2022 by being well, staying safe and staying healthy.
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Please welcome and support your new officers. Remember that their job is to lead and encourage other members. Please offer to help them when they ask.
Reminder to members: As is written in your directory, the AAUW mail/email list is to be used for AAUW business only. If you wish to share something personal with selected members, please verify with the members first, if they want to be included. Members who find themselves receiving email they do not want should feel free to ask to be removed. We’re all friends here.
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ANNUAL BRANCH PLANNING MEETING
(Celia S.)
Our 2022-23 Annual Branch Planning gathering will be on Saturday, June 25, in the building at Heritage Park in Cerritos, 18600 Bloomfield Ave., from 11 am to 5 pm. This event is open to all members, not just board members. I hope as many of you as possible will attend to brainstorm about what you would like to see our branch do, be involved with, learn about and the type of events to have in the coming AAUW year. The more input we have, the better. Lunch will be provided. Just bring yourself and your ideas and suggestions. Please RSVP to incoming president Celia Spitzer by June 21 at hcl.spitzer@verizon.net or 562-924-5227.
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Meeting & Program, Karen, Nancy & Mary Ann
Thursday, May 19
Cerritos Library Skyline Room
Social time at 6:30
Program at 7:00 PM,
Business meeting to follow
Come meet our Academic Achievement Awardees at the May 19 general membership meeting. 6:30 pm at the Cerritos Library, 3rd floor in the Skyline Room.
Light refreshments will be served. These two ladies are awesome.
A shout out to the Selection Committee for taking time to read through the applications. The committee consisted of Tobi Balma, Faith Herschler, Nancy Kawamura, Gail Ross and Joan Pylman.
INSTALLATION LUNCHEON
All members are invited to attend our Installation Luncheon for 2022-23 branch officers on Saturday, June 4, from noon to 2 pm at Mimi’s Cafe, 4404 Candlewood in Lakewood. The restaurant is slightly east of Lakewood Blvd. We will have a private room. You will be able to order from the regular menu and will pay individually by cash or check (made out to the branch). Marilyn will then pay the total directly to the restaurant. Lunch-type entrees cost about $15 – $16 and non-alcoholic beverages (coffee, tea, iced tea, soda, lemonade) cost $3.50 – $4. With tax and tip, your total will be about $25 – $27. If you order an alcoholic beverage, you will need to pay for that separately with the server. Please RSVP by June 1 to Celia at hcl.spitzer@verizon.net or 562-924-5227. There also will be a sign up sheet at the May General Meeting. In addition to the installation, our AAUW Fund Named Grantee/s will be announced.
Election results:
ELECTED OFFICERS
President: Celia Spitzer
President Elect: Open
Program VP: Faith Herschler and Cathy Niederman
Membership VP: Saurabh Deedwania and Jackie Shahzadi
AAUW Fund: Sue Solomon and Tobi Balma
Secretary: Chris Taxier
Treasurer: Marilyn Forsstrom
APPOINTED OFFICERS
Public Policy: Sondra Cohen and Norma Williamson
Publicity: Open
College/University Liaison: Tobi Balma
International Interests: Jackie Shahzadi
Bulletin/Website, etc.: Marilyn Forsstrom
Bylaws: Marilyn Forsstrom
Tech Trek: Open
Face masks recommended in Cerritos facilities.
Please note: All our meetings comply with local rules and the accepted health guidance of Los Angeles and Orange counties for in-person meetings. Your board voted unanimously in November to hold board and general meetings in-person with due respect to members who do not wish to attend in-person. Those members may choose to easily attend and participate in meetings by connecting via phone to another member in attendance and have been doing so successfully.
Gourmet is up and running. We have openings for 2 more couples, only one in each couple must be an AAUW member.
We’re planning our 2nd meal. We are also going to have an outdoor, park event this summer.Please consider joining us for a new, improved season featuring foods from other countries.
The first 2 new couples to respond will be on the list…the others will be on the sub list.
Bon Appétit,
Joan and Gail
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DUES AND INCREASE – $108
Our AAUW year ends on June 30 and YOUR dues for next year need to be paid and forwarded by me to our National Association and California State before then. Later payments cause a lot of hassle, extra paperwork and processing delays, so please try to pay by the end of MAY. A dues increase on the National portion was approved by AAUW last year and an additional $5 in this and the next year. Remember that $64 of that amount is a tax deductible contribution to AAUW National Association as a reorganized 501(c)3 tax exempt group. Current annual dues now $108, Life Members still $41.
Please send your check to Marilyn, written out to La Palma-Cerritos AAUW.
Tech Trek, Celia and Edna
The two girls we are sponsoring for Tech Trek this year, Lyanne G. from Ross Middle School and Kristen V. from Walker Junior High, are looking forward to camp at Whittier College June 19-25. We look forward to hearing about their experiences in September when they will tell us about them at our September General Meeting.
Link to our Tech Trek page for more camper information.
Kristen Lyanne
There are some interesting numbers about how many girls will be attending each of the two Tech Trek options this year and we wanted to share them with you. About 500 girls will be attending in-person camps while only 200 will attend the virtual camp.
AAUW Fund, Esther, Thea
At the 2022 AAUW-CA Annual Event on April 30, 2022 the Top 10 CA Branches Per Capita for Contributions to the AAUW Fund were announced. Our branch was 5th! We raised $170.64 per member. First was San Francisco with $675.45. Tenth (locally) was Long Beach with $114.95 per member.
You can…
Create Change,
Advance Equity,
Empower Women and Girls,
By helping to raise money for AAUW Fund.
AAUW Fund supports aspiring scholars around the globe – activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers and those pursuing professions where women are under-represented. It also provides funding and a support system for women seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination in higher education.
This tax-deductible fund now includes:
Legal Advocacy Fund
Eleanor Roosevelt Fund
Funding for a variety of College Student Seminars
AAUW Greatest Neds Fund
And many other advocacy and support funds
Both Esther and I have appreciated your support last year, and hope that you will continue to help us with the AAUW Fund this year.
The La Palma-Cerritos branch of AAUW created our own memorial fund in July 2017, called the Alberta Brose Memorial Fund, to go to women who return to school just as she did.We currently have completed our goal. This was a short time, two year fund with a goal of $5000 for completion by June 30, 2019. The branch got CA State and National recognition for completion. Final donation has gone to AAUW Fund for Career Development Grants for graduate students returning to school after 5+ year absence.
Elsie Carbajal is the recipient of our own Alberta Brose Memorial Fund. We are proud!
Career Development Grants
Name: Elsie Carbajal
Award Year: 2018-19
Award: Career Development Grant
Institution: Brandman University
Location: Irvine, California
Discipline: Education
Degree and Specialization: M.A., Education leadership
Elsie Carbajal is a seasoned special education teacher who is passionate about meeting the diverse needs of public school students with special needs. Her goal is to strategically reform outdated practices that limit the growth and progress of the unique population she services. She plans to obtain her master’s in education leadership to collaborate with stakeholders and make informed decisions to enhance student outcomes in and out of school.
Sponsors:
4431 – Alberta Brose Memorial Fund
1262 – Laguna Beach (CA) Branch/Laguna Hills (CA) Branch
1285 – San Diego County (CA) Branch/Marilyn George Poluzzi
1298 – Los Angeles (CA) Branch/Dallas Shenk
1484 – San Clemente-Capistrano Bay (CA) Branch
4105 – Redlands (CA) Branch/Bernice Black Johndrew
1491 – Somerset Hills (NJ) Branch—Science and Technology
Public Policy, Sondra & Harriet
Sexual Assault on College Campuses
By Amy Hom
AAUW Public Policy Committee
College campuses should be safe spaces where students can study, learn, pursue academic goals and engage in social activities. Unfortunately college campuses have also long been places where students can face sexual violence. A 2019 study conducted by the Association of American Universities found the rate of undergraduates who experienced rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation to be 26.4 percent for females, 23.1 percent for transgender, genderqueer, or nonconforming (TGQN) students, and 6.8 percent for males.
A crucial first step toward solving problems is accurate reporting and measurement. While numerous studies show that campus rape is common, an analysis by AAUW found that the vast majority (89%) of 11,000 American college and university campuses reported zero incidents of rape. This speaks to the inadequacy of reporting structures rather than the frequency of assaults. Only 1 in 5 female undergraduates report their sexual assault to authorities, with victims often reluctant to notify officials because they worry that they won’t be believed or might face retaliation. Many schools make it difficult for students to come forward, and a majority fail to properly report incidents of sexual violence when they occur.
Further exacerbating the problem, in 2017 the U.S. Department of Education, led by then-secretary Betsy DeVos, rescinded a number of sexual harassment protections under Title IX. The DeVos rule expanded protections for those accused of sexual misconduct. It subjected sexual abuse claims to higher standards of evidence than other claims. It gave the accused the rights to a live hearing and to cross-examine accusers, which was not previously allowed. And it released schools from investigating incidents that occur off campus. As a result of these changes to Title IX, it has become even more challenging to report sexual assaults through official university channels.
In March 2021 President Biden signed an Executive Order directing Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to suspend, revise or rescind the DeVos-era rule, or begin the process of collecting comments to draft a new rule. The Department of Education started that process in June 2021, and announced in December that it will unveil new proposed Title IX rules in April 2022, a month earlier than initially expected. The Department has indicated that it intends to propose major revisions to the current Title IX rules, including the definition of sexual harassment and how schools must respond to complaints of sexual harassment. Further, the Department has stated that it will prioritize protections for students based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The AAUW CA Public Policy committee will be looking out for the Department ‘s new proposed Title IX revisions in the spring, and will provide updates as they become available.
Once critical protections for students are restored and further protections established, additional focus will be needed to fully enforce Title IX and to provide oversight of schools’ compliance with the laws. AAUW will continue to defend Title IX and promote its effective enforcement as a key to fair and equitable education for women and girls in the United States.
Legacy Project, Norma & Gail
Two Legacy Project girls spoke at our monthly meeting March 31. They received gifts and certificates and were able to meet Assemblywoman Christina Garcia as well that evening.
Academic Achievement Awards, Joan P
2022 awardees have been chosen and will be featured at this month’s meeting.
Update: Haya Chehada
Haya is enrolled and attending her university of choice, USC. Her first Quarter has already begun. She has been named a Transfer Merit Scholar and has been awarded a USC Transfer Merit Scholarship worth one quarter tuition. It is renewable each quarter as she progresses toward her degree. Congratulations to this high achieving AAUW 2021 Academic Achievement Award recipient.
Help support other deserving women by donating to the La Palma-Cerritos AAUW Academic Achievement Awards fund.