American Association of University Women DELAWARE
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DELAWARE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN STATE BOARD MEETING Minutes of January 6, 2007 The State Board Meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Dr. Maisha Britt, State President. The meeting was held at the Dover Century Club on the Green in Dover, Delaware. Board and Branch members then introduced themselves. In attendance, also was Linda Haigh Tozier, Middle Atlantic Regional Director, to report on the historic joint meeting held in Washington, DC, on October 13-14, 2006. The minutes from the September 9, 2006, State Board Meeting were read and approved. Shirley Seibert, Public Policy, made a motion to approve the meeting minutes and Mary Sherlock, Esq., By-Laws, seconded the motion. The minutes were approved without corrections. The President’s Report was to precede the Report of the Regional Director. Kathleen Kobus, Middletown Co-President, made a motion to approve the agenda as amended and Lana Cobb, Program VP, seconded the motion. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: Dr. Britt reported on the presentation of a proclamation honoring the 125th Anniversary of AAUW, to Delaware AAUW, signed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner, proclaiming November 28, 2006, as American Association of University Women Day. The presentation was made in her office to Dr. Britt, Lana Cobb, immediate past president, Barbara Mullin, and Dover branch president, Dr. Dorene Petrosky. Dover Mayor, Stephen Speed, also presented a proclamation to Dr. Petrosky, Dr. Britt, and Jean Hitchens, Dover PR chair, from the city of Dover. Dr. Maisha concluded that she was looking forward to attending a few spring branch events. She asked that each branch let her know the dates ahead of time of these events so that she may make time in her schedule. REPORT OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR – LINDA HAIGH TOZIER: The AAUW Board of Directors and the AAUW Educational Foundation Board of Directors held a joint meeting in Washington, DC, October 13-15, 2006. The purpose of the joint meeting “was designed to reflect on member input with regard to the Strategic Process and to determine how to move AAUW toward the future.” MAR Director, Linda Tozier, shared with us the Strategic Process Joint Boards’ Report. The historic decisions made at this meeting were: the adoption of mission and vision statements and three Principles for Change that will be a guide for further work. · 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. The three principles that will guide this work are: 1. Commit to a single mission as the cornerstone of the organization. 2. Transform the organization’s demographic composition. 3. Undertake a strategic restructuring of both the Association and Foundation that directly supports achievement of the mission and vision. In order to make positive societal change, it is critical that AAUW simplify their governing and organizational structures. To attract new and diverse membership, AAUW must also make their goals more relevant to today’s young women she concluded. Key issues will be voted on at the 2007 Phoenix National Convention. COMMITTEE REPORTSMEMBERSHIP: Membership VP, Marie Mayor, will send the Delaware membership figures to National on February 1st. The membership count thus far is 490 for 2006 compared to 487 members for 2005. AAUW Keys to the Future: A Member –Get-A-Member Campaign packets are available to branch membership chairs to help them increase membership. It encourages every member to bring in a new member to a meeting. BULLETIN/DIRECTORY: Mary Everhart mentioned that there are two deadlines to be met for publications. January 18th is the deadline for articles for the First Stater and the Branch Annual Reports are due in by February 23rd in order to appear in the Annual Meeting Program Booklet. She also needs address labels in order to send the bulletins to all the members. PROGRAM: Lana Cobb is planning for the annual meeting scheduled for April 14th to be held at the Duncan Center in Dover. Connie Hildebrand, our Leader to Leader mentor from North Dakota, will be there. Our MAR Director, Linda, will also be there and together they will present Roadmap to the Future. A panel discussion entitled, “Get Out the Vote: Challenging Citizens as to Why We Need to Vote” is also planned. Participating panelists will be Connie, Ellen Wasfi, Dover President of the League of Women Voters, and Joan Stern, a former Maryland House delegate who now resides in Delaware. The deadline for registering is April 1st. TREASURER: Carolyn Diehl, State Treasurer, submitted a report of the account balances as of January 6, 2007. There is a total of $13,755.01 in a checking account and $5,917.86 in a MBNA CD. Total assets are $19,672.87. Carolyn made a motion to renew the CD at a better rate and Mary Sherlock seconded the motion. There followed a discussion about Carolyn investigating several banks to check for better interest rates. A vote was taken and the ayes were in favor. The motion was carried. Carolyn will communicate her findings with President Maisha. EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION: Dr. Kathy Jacobs was unable to attend due to school registration. However, she submitted her report via e-mail. The total contribution to EF as of this report is $11,636.02 for the state. She mentioned that some contributions have been sent directly to national and these would not be reflected in this total. LEGAL ADVOCACY FUND: Dr. Margaret Prouse, LAF Chair, reported on the 2006 LAF Fund contributions from the state of Delaware. Total year-end contributions were $2,959.50. She expressed pride in the support our state has given to the fund. PUBLIC POLICY: Shirley Seibert stated that there are several packets available on line for getting information to the branches on public policy. There is an AAUW Public Policy Chair Resource Manual for branch public policy chairs to use. Other resources include Take Action-tools for grassroots activism, to learn about critical issues and how to tell your members of Congress where you stand on these issues. Shirley, as a lobbyist, stressed the importance of being in touch with your Congressional representatives. Prepare for the elections by becoming informed about the candidates. Know where they stand on issues that affect women. COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS: Kay Moses has been researching the duties and responsibilities for this position. One of her major responsibilities will be to promote the 2006-2007 Campus Action Project, Planning for an Economically Secure Future. She is securing copies of last year’s Campus Action Initiative, Building a Harassment-Free Campus. Wilmington College and Delaware State University are the only two Delaware colleges that are AAUW member institutions. She will consult with Dr. Britt as to how to approach the other Delaware colleges and universities about affiliation. DIVERSITY: Ada Mae Shipley, Chairperson, was unable to attend. However, she submitted a report asking members to stay alert on three issues regarding illegal immigrants. Illegal immigrants can affect wages and healthcare in our country. There is also a possibility that these illegal immigrants may be able to obtain healthcare and Social Security benefits after living in the United States for eighteen months. There is still a need for each branch to appoint a diversity chair. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Dr. Trudee Burrell did not attend the meeting but submitted a report. She will attend the IFUW Convention in Manchester, England, in August. She will also visit the Oprah Winfrey Academy, a residential girls school in Stellenbosch, South Africa. She will revisit the Co-Ed Primary School that was built with a Rotary International Foundation matching grant, which she wrote the proposal for. This will be her 4th trip to South Africa. BYLAWS: Mary Sherlock, Esq., stated that after the 2005 convention in Washington, DC, there were several changes made. We can expect there to be additional changes made to the bylaws at the 2007 Phoenix National Convention. Every state will then amend and update their bylaws. She suggested reviewing the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of the Outlook for the proposed bylaws amendments. Each branch can amend bylaws to meet their own needs. HISTORIAN: Alice Ryan, State Historian, mentioned that the proclamation made to AAUW by Governor Ruth Ann Minner is of historical value. She prepared notes on how to send AAUW Branch archives to the Special Collections section of the University of Delaware Morris Library. They are interested in collecting records of women’s organizations in the state of Delaware. Since they already have the AAUW State archives collection; they are requesting that materials be sent from the branches. Submit articles of branch activities within the community and evaluation of their impact. Minutes from branch meetings, directories, newsletters, awards, newspaper clippings, and photos are of particular interest. Donate these items at two-year intervals. If the branches bring their archives to a state board meeting, with a signed and dated donor form, Alice will submit them to the library. NOMINATING: Barbara Mullin, as Chair of the Nominating Committee, stated that she is concentrating on nominees from branches who do not have members on the state board already. There are three offices up for election this year. Laura Singleton, from Dover, has been nominated for State Secretary, Wanda Simons, from Newark, for Membership VP, and Lana Cobb, of Coastal Georgetown, for President-elect. They will be sworn in at the April 14th State Convention. There will then be a vacancy for Program VP. WEBMASTER: Anne Powell could not attend. However, Carol Jones, a Computer Support Technician, is assisting Anne in updating the Delaware Website. She can also set up a web page for each branch. Wilmington Branch already has their own website. You can e-mail Carol at cmjonesy@hotmail.com. BRANCH REPORTSCOASTAL-GEORGETOWN: Maria Simoes, Branch President, updated the group on the branch’s many activities. She mentioned that in order to broaden public interest in AAUW, they developed Interest Groups; some that are open to nonmembers and some limited to members only. These groups are intended to fulfill the needs and interests of the branch members as well as increase public participation and attract new members. On January 18, 2007, they will present a public forum on “Global Warming and Energy Alternatives,” at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach. Dr. Chad Tolman and Dr. Willett Kempton will conduct this public forum. DOVER: Dr. Dorene Petrosky reported that the October and November meetings featured speakers. On a subject pertaining to women’s health, Dr. Calvin Williams spoke on the topic of “HPV” (Human papilloma virus) in September. The Annual Holiday Social & Silent Auction was held at the Duncan Center in December. Seven hundred dollars ($700.00) was raised with proceeds benefiting EF. The Annual Luncheon will be held in January with mini-sessions presented by the members. One of the most successful fundraisers was a “Stay-at-Home” tea last spring. The branch looks forward to the Annual Meeting to be held at the Duncan Center in April. MIDDLETOWN: Kathleen Kobus, Co-President, spoke of the many branch activities. They had four potential members join them for their September Potluck meeting. The subject was discussion of their summer trips. In October, they held a wine tasting fund- raiser. The November meeting was a holiday auction, which was also a fund-raising event. In January, they will start their spring program with a speaker on HPV. In February and March, they will recognize black history and women’s history months respectively. They have a total of 22 members and 4 prospective new members. NEWARK: Alice Ryan, State Historian and Branch Member, reported for the branch. In October, they discussed the influence that AAUW has had on their lives. At their November meeting, Faye Whittle, who is active with Prison Fellowship, spoke on the plight of young girls in the State prison system. In December, they had a luncheon meeting and Sylvia DuRoss spoke on “Dutch Textiles and Samplers.” The branch looks forward to their annual Math/Science Luncheon with Coastal-Georgetown to honor a high school junior girl excelling in these subjects at the University of Delaware in April. WESTERN SUSSEX: Jenny Werner, Branch President, stated that the theme of this year’s programs is “Celebrating Delaware’s Women.” In January, Delaware’s Poet Laureate will present a program at Seaford High School that will be open to the public. During February, they have progressive suppers. In March, Dr. Judith Tobin, State Coroner, will speak at their meeting. In April, they hold a geranium sale as a fund-raiser. In May, they elect officers and give scholarships at their end of the year meeting. WILMINGTON: Cinda Crane, Branch President, announced that their branch currently has 220 members. They began their year with a fascinating program by Wanda Simons on “Children’s Toys or Adult Joys?” about miniature toys. In November, David Mitchell, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Homeland Security will address the group on this subject. The 38th Annual Book Sale will be held February 22-25th at the Concord Mall. They have over 50,000 books to sell for their fund-raiser. The Annual Spring Luncheon will have guest speaker, Susan Del Pesco, a Judge on the Superior Court of Delaware. In July, the new President, Barbara French, will take over. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: There were a few Directory updates made. The AAUW Leader-to-Leader Program will be presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting, April 14. 2007, at the Duncan Center in Dover. Connie Hildebrand, our mentor from North Dakota, will be attending. Linda Tozier, our MAR Director, will also be there. They will present AAUW’s Roadmap to the Future. Carol Jones will be assisting Anne Powell with website changes. To become an individual member of IFUW, you must be affiliated with a national women’s group. The website is: www.ifuw.org for more information. NEW BUSINESS: A new Program VP will be needed when Lana Cobb becomes the next President-elect at the Annual Meeting. Nominations are needed for this position. A host branch is needed for the next 2008 State Convention. Dr. Kathy Jacobs has submitted her contribution report for EF. Total contributions, as of that report, were $11,636.02. Delaware placed ninth nationally for total contributions. Peg Prouse, Ed.D., reported that total Delaware contributions for LAF were $2,959.50. Governor Ruth Ann Minner proclaimed November 28, 2006, AAUW Day in Delaware, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the American Association of University Women. The Legacy of Leadership Anniversary Celebration will culminate at the 2007 AAUW National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, from June 29-July 2, 2007. The annual Delaware Women’s Conference will be held at the University of Delaware in March. The League of Women Voters is a women’s organization that the State Board will look into becoming affiliated with. ANNOUNCEMENTS/GOOD OF THE ORDER: The next state board meeting will be held at the Dover Century Club, on the Green, on June 9, 2007. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted,
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