University Woman Texas
Volume 72 l Issue 1 l August 2020
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Message From The President
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Welcome to AAUW year 2020-2021!! This has certainly been a year unlike any other in our memories. Your AAUW Texas Board has been hard at work planning for new ways to be AAUW Texas in the coming year. Having ended our previous year with our virtual convening, we have adapted to using virtual capabilities to meet – Zooming is great for groups large and small. It is a fun way to see good friends and not just hear a voice. We will continue to publish an electronic UWT every other month. This year our conference calls will be held on Zoom. See the schedule below.
I would like to thank the AAUW Texas Board for all the hard work they have done this summer as we have learned together how to do life in new ways. I hope each of you is staying healthy – wash your hands and wear your mask!
Gloria Long
AAUW Texas
President
Zoom Conference Calls Schedule
Calls will take place in:
August - November - February - June
RSVP to the Board Member who is hosting.
Second Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. - Membership with Barbara Cager
Second Thursday, 5:00 p.m. - AAUW Funds/Fundraising with Margie Poole
Third Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. - Public Policy with Pat Rehm
Third Thursday, 4:00 p.m. - Program with Melodía Gutièrrez
Remember that Zoom calls can be accessed by
phone for anyone unable to connect virtually.
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August Zoom Conference Calls
Please RSVP to the Board Member who is hosting
to receive the Zoom link.
Remember that Zoom calls can be accessed by phone
for anyone unable to connect virtually.
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Programs – the COVID 19 Challenge
In this time of COVID 19, your AAUW Texas State Board is working diligently to assist branches with innovative ways to connect and advance our programming in order to support our mission.
As part of the SHARE program, AAUW Texas will reimburse each branch for the cost of a Zoom account. This is an opportunity for you to amplify our message and engage new members. Each branch is in receipt of an AAUW Texas Zoom account invitation by email. “Zooming” means you can bring speakers to your group from anywhere – no travel necessary. Here is a list of strong women who have volunteered to join our AAUW Texas Speakers Bureau, and some additional sources for you to consider:
Fundraising
Women’s Issues, Women Artists in Texas
AAUW Overview as the AAUW Vice Chair
Pay Equity, Work Smart, Implicit Bias
Trivia Night, Equality Votes, Film Panel Discussions
Self-Care Workshop
Women’s Issues
Benefits of AAUW Membership Through Time
Scams, Disrupt Aging, AARP
Many elected officials are eager to touch base with voters. Reach out to your local elected officials and invite them to speak to you by Zoom! You’ll be surprised at the data and strategies you discover throughout the discussion.
Are YOU an AAUW member with a topic you would like to share with another AAUW group?
Ideas also welcome!
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When AAUW first announced that we would have no in-person national convening in 2020, many of us were very disappointed. Who could have imagined the Covid-19 pandemic and the end to person-to-person contact? And yet, here it came, and AAUW was already prepared with an impressive collection of webinars. If you have not seen these events live, they have been recorded and are available at www.aauw.org to watch at your convenience.
This link will take you to the page where you can scroll through the offerings and choose what you want to watch.
The series started with the State of the Organization by Kim Churches, and includes interviews with Diane Rehm, Margaret Spruill and Dr. Amaka Okechukwu, workshops on diversity and inclusion, using social media as advocacy tools, getting out the vote during a pandemic, education and equity, among others. Here are all the wonderful speakers and workshops you had thought you would miss, available in the comfort of your own home. Enjoy and learn something new.
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College/University Efforts |
It’s a little early for school. School in the fall is uncertain. Faculty minds are on meeting course goals in very different ways. Yet, the Branch College/University (C/U) representatives are making plans on establishing a relationship with the C/U representatives. If you are affiliated with a C/U and they are not members of AAUW, please let your Branch President know of your interest. We can work together so that the women students and faculty are able to benefit from the programs that AAUW has available. It’s not too late for a branch to appoint a C/U rep to work with me. The $175 C/U membership fee brings a whole lot for that money!
Karen Reichensperger
AAUW Texas
College/University Rep
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Congratulations to the Northeast Tarrant County and Fort Bend County branches for meeting all the criteria to become AAUW 5 Star Branches!! For more information about the 5 Star Program you can watch the webinar produced by AAUW featuring the Northeast Tarrant County, Texas and Marin, California branches discussing how they completed the program.
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Advocating Public Policy During COVID-19
As members of AAUW, we are automatically enabled to become non-partisan advocates of pressing social issues, especially those involving the need for equality for women and girls. The national association provides timely resources and educational programs to promote our common mission. To communicate with our legislators, the “Two-Minute Activist” is literally 'at our fingertips,' and our usual calls and written messages continue to be effective personal tools. During the current pandemic, it has become important to meet virtually, and programs, webinars, or conferencing on Zoom at least allow us to see each other and exchange ideas.
The biennial AAUW strategic goals are being aligned at all three organizational levels, and they include Economic Security, Education & Training, Leadership, and Governance & Sustainability. Under these four headings, the National Association, AAUW Texas, and individual branches can select different strategies to interest and engage their directors and general membership. Browsing the national website at www.aauw.org can reveal other resources and tools for advocacy by both groups and individuals.
Due to having the critically important national election this fall, during the COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, the safety of voters has become a necessary consideration. To exercise our constitutional right to vote for responsible leaders, we should be allowed to choose whether to vote at a polling place using safety and distancing rules or to vote by mail. It is not too late to advocate for these choices and to promote federal support of both the U. S. Post Office and mail-in-ballots.
Here are the official dates to vote in person for the November 3, 2020 election:
October 5 is the last day to register with your county clerk; October 13 is the first day of early voting; and October 30 is the last day of early voting. To vote by mail, your application must be returned, not postmarked, to your county clerk by October 23, and the mail-in-ballot must be received, not postmarked, by November 4.
To close, August 26 is “Women's Equality Day,” and here are the three remaining “Equal Pay Days” to be observed in 2020: “Black Women Equal Pay Day,” on August 13; “Native Women Equal Pay Day,” on October 1; and “Latina Equal Pay Day,” on October 29. Please contact your representatives to request their support for the observance of these special “Equal Pay Days.”
Pat Rehm
Public Policy
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GET OUT THE VOTE
Is your branch looking for ways to help increase voter turnout this November?
The North Dallas Branch is partnering with the Dallas County Visiting Nurse Association/Meals on Wheels in an initiative to GET OUT THE VOTE.
They would like to share with all Texas AAUW branches so that other branches will not need to “reinvent the wheel” in their efforts.
The North Dallas branch is obtaining Texas Voter Registration Applications from the Office of the Secretary of State that will be distributed by the VNA/MOW volunteers when they deliver meals. Attached to the Application will be a note in English and Spanish explaining the form. The note points out that no stamp is needed to submit the form, and that additional information is available from the county Voter Registrar giving that office’s phone number and website address.
To find Meals on Wheels programs to partner with in your area, check at
For more information contact:
Ruth Alhilali
972 416 3907
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Get Out the Vote - Know A College Student Heading Back to Campus?
One frequently forgotten item for college students packing to return to campus is a voting plan. Many are not registered to vote and those who are, have not planned for how they will cast their ballot in November.
To vote in the November 2020 election in Texas, the last day to register to vote is Monday, October 5.
If a student will not be able to vote in person during the early voting period or on election day, they can request to vote by mail today. The official term for this request is an “application for ballot by mail”. The application form is found at https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/voter/reqabbm.shtml.
The application must be received not postmarked by the County Clerk in the county the student will vote in by Friday, October 23. Many County Clerks accept these via email. For the list of County Clerks, their addresses, and the link to send an application by email is found at https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/cclerks.shtml.
Once students submit their applications, they need to check their snail mail in their college address. Students typically have a short window of time to fill out their ballot and return it. The ballot must be received by the County Clerk (not postmarked) by Wednesday, November 4, 2020.
Many students do not use regular mail or are accustom to overnight or 2-day shipping. Students should be aware that they need the correct postage, which is often more than one stamp. Also, regular mail typically takes 3 business days (not calendar days) not counting the day it was mailed to reach its destination. To arrive on election day – November 2 – consider mailing the ballot no later than Thursday, October 29.
CAUTION: COVID-19 outbreaks may affect the amount of time it takes for mail to be delivered. Encourage students not to wait. Their vote is important!
Get Out
The Vote
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Thanks to the Kirkwood-Webster Groves, Missouri Branch for this poster! |
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Elected Officers
Gloria Long
Melodia Gutierrez
Barbara Cager
Margie Poole
Diane Roberts
Mary Smith
Elected District Representatives
Betsy Calabro
Marsi Lidell
Sara Wood
Emelia Hoefle
Lucy Barrington
Standing Committees
Ann Berasley
Pat Rehm
Appointed Positions
Crystal Gacia
Lynn Hagan
Karen Reichensperger
Marina Rivers
Communications Team
Malinda Gaul
Janani Janakiraman
Pam Wolfe
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President
Program VP
Membership VP
AAUW Funds VP
Finance Officer
Secretary
South District
Central District
North District
North District
West District
Bylaws/Parliamentarian
Public Policy
Diversity and Inclusion
SHARE Grant Coordinator
College/University Rep
Branch Services
UWT Editor/Email Communications
Website
Website/Facebook
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