Volume 113 Issue 8

2021-2022 Theme: Economic Security Through Pay Equity

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Solve the above puzzle by finding the letters in ( ) parenthesis in the April and May newsletters. Some will be in the April newsletter and the rest will be in the May newsletter. Fill in the spaces with the letters you find to solve the puzzle. When you solve the puzzle send your answer to Ruth Lyle at [email protected] no later than May 3, 2022. Correct answers will be put in a drawing at our May general AAUW-SA meeting. 1st prize is Sonju, an exciting book written by our AAUW-SA member Wondra Chang. 2nd prize is a $10 HEB gift card. (t) Read The Newsletter Win A Prize

Message from the President Spring is here and we made it without a blizzard this year! With COVID cases dropping and promises of heading toward a more normal life, it’s wonderful to imagine starting up the next AAUW year with hope for in-person meetings. We’ll continue to follow the guidelines and keep you in the planning loop. We were especially honored to have Julia T. Brown, AAUW National Board Chair, as our March guest presenter, speaking on a multitude of topics on women, AAUW and its programs, our role in improving the drive toward equity for women, and the challenges of work/life balance. Be sure and see the recap in this Newsletter, as well as her presentation posted on our website. Our April 2nd meeting features our annual Graduate Scholarship and Textbook Scholarship awards. The committees, headed by Karen Reichensberger, reviewed the highest number ever of applicants – 32 for textbooks and 21 for graduate -- from a group of highly qualified young women students. The winners will join us at our April meeting and the graduate scholars will speak to us about their backgrounds and career goals. April is also our Annual Membership Meeting and we will conduct member voting for the new branch officers for the 2022-2023 AAUW SA year. Check out the article in this Newsletter about the candidates and branch elections. Note the article on renewing your membership – it’s that time and there’s a special bonus for those paying early! (e) Our 50th Texas AAUW Conference is coming soon – totally virtual on April 30th, 9:00-5:00. Make sure you register – it’s free but you will need the Zoom link to enter! An array of interesting speakers, celebration of 50 years of Title IX, and a Golden Opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of AAUW Texas are all on the agenda. Be grateful for all that is good in our lives and for having our community in AAUW with whom to share it. Especially keep in mind the women and children of Ukraine and donate, as you are able, to help them through their terrible struggle. Stronger together – Cheryl Fuller AAUW San Antonio President

AAUW IS STILL ZOOMING April 2, 2022 11:30 a.m. Scholarship Winners Graduate Textbook RSVP to Cheryl Fuller to receive the Zoom link. [email protected] The Zoom link will be sent a few days before the meeting. (r) The recording will be posted on the website after the meeting.

At the April meeting you will meet the four Graduate and ten Textbook Scholarship winners. Each of the Graduate Scholarship winners will be given the floor to speak for a few minutes about their goals, both in their education and in their future careers. They are the young women who are following in our footsteps and will carry the torch after us!! Do attend this very special meeting. Elsewhere in this newsletter is a report on the work of the scholarship committee.

Recap of March Meeting: Negotiation Skills: Affecting Hiring, Promotion, Pay, and Equity Presenter, Julia T. Brown, Esq., Chair, Board of Directors, AAUW National   From the time a woman graduates from college, even if her grade point average is higher, her first job will typically start 8 to 10% lower than a man’s pay for the same job. Women have been behind in a persistent gender pay gap that follows them throughout their careers. Their salaries will always be lower. Their pensions will be lower. Their Social Security benefits will be less—only 70% of men’s—because they start behind and may never catch up. Covid radically shifted how we work, requiring more sophisticated technical savvy with jobs being done at home 3 to 5 days a week. The Great Resignation led to many women quitting their jobs without having any new job in mind. One in 16 workers will need to find new occupations by 2030. Now as they are ready to re-enter the workforce, women can benefit from Start Smart and Work Smart training programs offered by AAUW which give young them techniques for researching a job target, speaking up for themselves, and negotiating higher salaries and better benefits at the outset. Once they are employed they can also use these skills to successfully advocate for themselves for a better position, raise, or promotion. AAUW can help: Push for more effective policies, contacting our legislators to support a $15 or greater minimum wage, a permanent extension of the Child Tax Credit, paid Child Care, and incentives to enter the hospitality and service industries. Join the AAUW Action Network for alerts on legislation affecting women in the workforce. (o) Learn more about Start Smart and Work Smart by taking the free training yourself. Write a letter to the editor, or even an op ed piece, to advocate for changes in policies and laws that will help women. You can find AAUW's coaching advice in composing effective letters on the AAUW website.

Scholarships Both scholarship committees have been very busy assessing a record number of applicants. Diane Claiborne-Carr, Mary Ellen Pratt, and Pat Sanford examined 32 Textbook Scholarship applications and referred 7 applicants to the Board for their decision. The Board voted to award 10 Textbook Scholarships. The Graduate Scholarship Committee of Diantha Perelli, Eleanor Skelley, and Patricia Tucker reviewed 24 applications and referred 4 applicants to the Board for their decision. The Board voted to award 4 Graduate Scholarships. It was a hard decision since so many were so worthy of assistance. The Branch can be happy that they have raised funds for so many Textbook Scholarships. Be sure to attend the April Branch meeting to see the awardees.

AAUW San Antonio Branch Elections The AAUW-SA Nominating Committee is tasked with developing a slate of nominees for our 2022-2023 Board of Officers. The Committee submits the following slate of nominees to the membership. The membership will vote on the nominees for each board office at the Annual Meeting in April. The nominees are: Vice President for Program Monica Ruiz-Mills 1-year term Vice President for Membership Ruth Lyle 1-year term Secretary Ashlee Martinez 1-year term During the April meeting, nominations may be made from the floor at the time of the election, provided written consent by the nominee has been obtained in advance. A voice vote will be taken unless there is a nomination from the floor. If there is a nomination from the floor, the Zoom voting application will be used. The election shall be by a majority vote of those members present and voting. Duly Submitted, Nominating Committee Members: Diane Claiborne-Carr, Chairman Ruth Lyle Wondra Chang Pearl Eng (e) Kathy Dicke Janet Black

Public Policy: Women's History Month March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women’s contributions through the ages. It is also a time to reflect on how much still needs to be done to achieve equity for women. AAUW takes this seriously all year long, not just in March. The particular importance of pay equity for women cannot be overemphasized. As AAUW celebrates its 140th year, this focus is clear at the national, state, and local level. Check out the national website for the report The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap. The report has current statistics, but more than that. It discusses ramifications of the disparities in wages, health, education, and opportunity. It talks about systemic racism, the gender pay gap, the pay gap through the years, how employers compound the problem by using prior salary history in setting current pay and by prohibiting employees from discussing their wages, and many more facets of this complex issue. The dynamic narrative together with the charts, graphs, and graphics make this report one of the best sources of economic information available. Note: I just finished an excellent book titled Black American Refugee. Tiffanie Drayton, the author, lists the AAUW report as a reference. You can imagine how proud I was of our organization when I saw this. The Texas Public Policy Meeting was held last week with attendees from across the state. Cheryl Fuller and I attended from our branch. A broad range of topics was discussed including National Women’s Day, federal voting rights, and the 1.6 trillion student debt crisis affecting millions of students’ lives. Texas AAUW will continue to be active in the legislative process next year and will again hire a consultant to help us take meaningful action. And locally, our theme for 2021-2022 is Economic Security Through Pay Equity. All of our program speakers share information and strategies on women’s issues of health care, wages, equal pay, debt, opportunity and education, and having a voice and being heard. We begin every meeting with our mission, “Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.” We believe in our mission. We work to achieve our mission. You recently received an email from national that gives you a chance to take action easily and immediately. We’re asked to contact our legislators and ask them to show support for President Biden’s nomination for the Supreme Court of the United States, Ketanji Brown Jackson. President Cheryl Fuller ends her monthly message with inspirational words, “Stronger together.” Let’s make these words actionable. Contact your legislators today. Pat Sanford Public Policy Chair

New Members Please welcome our new members to AAUW SA: Kaytlynn Lopez and Kimberly Henry. We look forward to getting to know you. Ruth Lyle Vice President Membership AAUW San Antonio

Time to Renew Your Membership! Membership renewal for AAUW for the 2022-2023 fiscal year will begin March 16. The dues are $96.00, which includes National ($67), State ($13), and Local ($16). The current fiscal year of 2021-2022 began July 1 and ends June 30. Current members will receive an email from [email protected] to renew online. Open the link, hit renew, and pay with a credit or debit card. Members who prefer to pay by check may write the check to AAUW-SA and mail it to Adrien Frank, 140 Patterson Ave. Apt 104, San Antonio, TX 78209. (g) Early Bird Drawing Members who pay their dues between March 16 and May 1 will be entered in the Early Bird Drawing at the May Zoom meeting. The winner will receive free membership for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Shape the Future Membership Invite a friend or family member to attend a meeting. If they join after attending a San Antonio AAUW event or meeting the National dues are only $33.50, AAUW Texas $13, and San Antonio Branch $16 for a total of $62.50. Thank you for supporting AAUW! Ruth Lyle Vice President Membership

NCCWSL National Conference for College Women Leaders Your Board of Directors have voted to supplement the $500, which was awarded by AAUW Texas, with $65 per applicant for up to five applicants to attend the annual premier NCCWSL leadership conference at the end of May. To date, we have received and fully funded four applicants. Information was sent to the accredited colleges and universities in Bexar County to recruit applicants. Karen Reichensperger

For information about the virtual AAUW Texas Conference see the AAUW Texas newsletter. A Golden Opportunity April 30

DONATE! You can donate to the AAUW San Antonio Branch for Scholarships by making a check out to AAUW SA and sending it to Treasurer Adrien Frank, 140 Patterson, #104, San Antonio, TX 78209. You can donate to AAUW Greatest Needs by clicking HERE.

The Two-Minute Activist   The Two-Minute Activist is a source of information on topics relating to women’s issues. It also enhances our ability to send emails and texts to legislators to fight for equal pay, family leave, stopping sexual harassment, equality in education and more. Sign up on the AAUW webpage to get regular alerts to be able to take timely action.   You can also text “AAUW” to 21333 to get AAUW action alerts via text.

2021-2022 Officers President Cheryl Fuller President-Elect Diane Claiborne-Carr VP Membership Ruth Lyle VP Programs Martha Steele Secretary Kate Vetters Treasurer Adrien Frank

Click Here for  the AAUW Texas Newsletter - University Woman Texas

For more information visit the AAUW websites: AAUW NATIONAL AAUW TEXAS AAUW SAN ANTONIO 

Interest Groups

BRIDGE Cancelled until further notice. Contact Pearl Eng [email protected] 210.240.8118 HISTORIC SOUTHWEST Cancelled until further notice. Contact Lola Hill [email protected] 210.334.5897

WINE, WOMEN & WISDOM Wednesday, April 27, 4:30 pm PLEASE NOTE: This will be the new time for WWW. Ruth's Chris Steakhouse www.ruthschrissa.com 7720 Jones Maltsberger Road 78216 RSVP to Helga Anderson by Sunday, April 24 h[email protected] CULINARY ADVENTURES Thursday, April 14, 12:30 pm La Fonda on Main https://www.lafondaonmain.com/ 2415 North Main Avenue 78212 RSVP to Ali Heller by April 12 at noon. [email protected] 210-617-8189 La Fonda on Main is San Antonio’s oldest Mexican restaurant - since 1932. Their primary focus is interior Mexican dishes, with some great Tex-Mex mixed in. We will dine at their lush, shady patio, weather permitting.

BOOK DISCUSSION VIA ZOOM! Saturday, April 16, 10:00 am The Darling by Lorraine Lopez RSVP by April 13, to Diantha Perelli [email protected] to receive the Zoom link. MOVIEGOERS Cancelled until further notice. Movie, time, and place selected by the group and announced the day before.