03/12/2023
Did You Know? News from National, State and Local AAUWs
AAUW Public Policy Day Recap and Recording Link
Recap is courtesy of Sue Ryden, Public Policy Co-Director
One of our largest audiences ever, over 125 AAUW members and guests, attended the 2023 Colorado AAUW Public Policy Day, via Zoom, on Saturday, February 4. State President Joan Brown presided over this action-packed day.
• It was a day of learning all about the new state Behavioral Health Administration from our keynote speaker, BHA Deputy Commissioner Summer Gathercole. The panel discussion was ably led by Hon. Nancy Todd, with assistance from our new Public Policy Co-Director Candice Smith.
• We were inspired by the personal stories that drove panelists State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, and Wellpower Community Outreach Manager Michelle Quattlebaum to their pursuit of improvements to mental health services.
• We found hope in seeing the plans presented by Cherry Creek School District Deputy Superintendent Dr. Tony Poole for the new behavioral health day center being built by the district.
• Hon. Betty Boyd and Public Policy Co-director Su Ryden provided our legislative update, and gave tips and tricks on how to work with our Legislators.
• Amy Jo Conroy joined us from the Chicago AAUW branch with an update of the movement to get the Equal Rights Amendment (28th Amendment) into our US Constitution.
• We also received reports from our state nominating committee chair Pam Maier and our state convention chair Susan Brodie.
If you missed it, or want to relive any of the memorable moments, go to the state AAUW website: https://aauw-co.aauw.net/ and scroll down. Click on the pictures of each of the speakers to listen to their presentations.
NCCWSL (Nick Whistle)
Now here’s one of our most intriguing acronyms. This is AAUW’s National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. Annually, AAUW invites hundreds of college women from around the country for three days of leadership training, inspiration, and networking...and this year, after several years of virtual conferencing due to COVID, NCCWSL is back in person! This year’s conference is titled “Engage, Learn and Lead; Step into Your Power!” and is being held at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, May 31-June 3. More details about this year’s conference can be found at https://www.aauw.org/nccwsl-branch-information/.
The last in-person conference attracted 800 attendees representing 48 states and over 300 colleges and universities. Traditionally, AAUW Colorado Springs has supported one or more students to attend NCCWSL. In 2022, Ana Villazon, AAUW scholarship awardee and Colorado Springs branch member attended the virtual conference. You can read Ana’s wonderful recap of her NCCWSL experience in our August, 2022 newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/a30bf2db003d/aauw-colorado-springs-september-newsletter-15879013?e=2bc865acf0
Stay tuned for our branch plans for the 2023 conference.
Gender Equity and Economic Security
Courtesy of Aurora AAUW, Carol Tobiessen
AAUW has led the fight for fair pay and economic opportunity for women — and the battle continues: Women still get just 83 cents for every dollar paid to a man, and men continue to dominate the top roles and highest-paying professions. The gender pay gap greets women as they enter the workforce and widens throughout their working lives. Unequal wages stand in the way of a woman's ability to pay off student debt, build wealth and save for a secure retirement.
Equal Pay Day: March 15, 2023
Because women around the world and in the US earn less, on average, than men, they must work far into the next year to earn what the average man earns the previous year, and the wage gap is even greater for most women of color.
Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. Equal Pay Day symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. In 2023, Equal Pay Day for all US Women will be celebrated March 15, 2023.
Wear RED on Equal Pay Day to symbolize how far women and minorities are "in the red" with their pay!
AAUW Longmont Branch Offers Free Virtual and In-Person Meeting: From Grasslands to Gardens
Develop a better understanding of the importance of grasslands, the fragility of the grasslands/urban interface and how water-wise landscaping can help bridge this transition.
The program will feature Terri Schultz, Senor Conservation Ecologist with The Nature Conservancy, Maggie Hanna, Director External Relations with the Cattleman’s Agricultural Land Trust, Meegan Flenniken the Lands Conservation Planning Manager for Larimer County and Hope Bartlett, Water Conservation Specialist for the City of Longmont.
Each year, AAUW invites hundreds of college women from around the country for two days of leadership training, inspiration and networking at our National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL).
