Advancing Gender Equity for Women and Girls

SUMMER 2025 NEWSLETTER

edited by Cherie Sorokin, Dottie Burk, and Ann Vercoutere

Renew and Pay Your Dues Before July 1

and

Save $10!

Renew Before July 1: Dues = $114

Renew On or After July 1: Dues = $124

Some of you have already renewed and paid your dues for the ensuing year. If you did so, congratulations, you are done with dues until your next renewal date.

If you haven't yet renewed, dues are now payable, and the amount is $114 if you pay before July 1. Starting July 1, dues increase to $124 because of a recently approved increase in AAUW CA dues. (Note: if you are a paid life member, you will pay $74 less than the amounts quoted above.)

To pay your dues:

• Go online to the AAUW website, log in and follow the prompts to renew. You likely received an email from AAUW.org on May 28 reminding you to renew. You can also renew by clicking on the link in that email.

• Paying online is the preferred way to renew your dues, but if you have trouble setting up your account or logging in, please contact Chris O'Neill for assistance. If all else fails, you can go to the AAUW Marin website and download the Membership Renewal Form and mail it with your check made out to AAUW Marin to: AAUW Marin, PO Box 4106, San Rafael, CA 94913-4106. Our treasurer Sue Torres will handle payment with the national office. Note: You must mail your check by June 20 in order for Sue to process everything in time for you to take advantage of the lower dues cost.

• If you are an honorary life member (50-year member), please contact Chris O'Neill. Honorary Life Members do not pay dues, but we do need to keep your contact information up to date.

Some Background Info: If you are wondering why some people pay earlier in the year than others, read on! A few years ago, AAUW switched its process for collecting dues so that members joining since July 1, 2022, renew and pay dues as of their membership anniversary date. That's why some of you have already paid for the ensuing year. But anyone who joined prior to this process change, has a renewal date of June 30. This includes most AAUW Marin members.

Regardless of when you pay, the total amount of dues payable is split between AAUW Marin ($20), AAUW national ($74) and AAUW CA ($20 if you renew before July 1, and $30 if you renew on or after July 1, the effective date of the recent AAUW CA dues increase). As a member of AAUW Marin, you automatically are also a member of AAUW at the state and national level. Each level contributes to the overall mission and value of AAUW. Here's how.

AAUW at the National Level

• Nationwide fellowships to women for graduate education.
• Grants to organizations in support of AAUW's mission.
• Federal advocacy and policy work in support of women, higher education, ending gender discrimination, including work with multiple coalition partners.
• Resources for up-to-date information on barriers holding women back.
• Offerings such as WorkSmart and Start Smart and Money Smart and a host of webinars on topics of interest to women.
• Advice and toolkits for members engaged in advocacy and equity work.
• Voter guides and the Two-Minute Activist program.
• Administrative services to state and local AAUW organizations.

AAUW at the State Level

• Statewide Tech Trek and Speech Trek programs.
• CA public policy and advocacy work, including lobby days, the School Board Project, and CA legislative tracking.
• Administrative support for branches in CA.
• Opportunities for leadership and for supporting AAUW's work at the state and national level.

AAUW Marin (Branch) Level

• Local programming on topics related to AAUW's mission of advancing equity for women and girls.
• Local fundraising for scholarships and awards supporting women at College of Marin and Dominican University of California and for sponsorships to send teen girls to Tech Trek.
• Interest groups and other opportunities to connect and build community with women who understand and value gender equity for women.
• Opportunities for leadership and for supporting AAUW's mission locally, nationally and at the state level as volunteers and donors.

"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."

The above quote is attributed to John Curran is a speech given in 1790, not to Thomas Jefferson or others as is sometimes the case. But whoever said it, it is still true today. So no matter how sick we are at the headlines, no matter how little we can make ourselves listen to the news, and no matter how much we'd prefer to relax and enjoy summer and hope things are better in the fall, vigilance is called for now! Here are four important ways to exercise that needed vigilance.

• Donate to support AAUW's national efforts to counter attacks on higher education, to fight efforts to undermine the rights of women, and to eliminate challenges to overcoming gender and race-based discrimination. AAUW's vigilance and advocacy are playing an ever greater role in today's challenging times. Make a donation to AAUW today using this link.

• Take AAUW's Pledge for Gender Equity (see last month's newsletter) and especially remember to speak up when you see or hear attacks on equity. Silence can be interpreted as assent, so no matter how hard it is, engage, question, and respectfully counter next time someone (even someone you love) raises a spurious argument about gender or race. Check out AAUW's resources if you want some help on approaches that work when having difficult conversations.

• Get active as an AAUW national Two Minute Activist if you aren't already and follow AAUW CA's "Bill Tracker" which focuses on state legislation important to women.

• And take a moment to call or personally write to U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Shiff, and CA State Assemblymember Damon Connolly and CA State Senator Mike McGuire to let them know how much we appreciate their support for rights of women. Thank you notes to supporters are just as important as letting them know our thoughts on specific pieces of legislation.

AAUW Marin News

Summer Program - Save the Date!

Mark your calendars now and look for the invitation coming in July!!

Other AAUW Marin News

The smoked salmon platter was a work of art!

Leslie Zimring introduced newly elected officers for 2025-26. (L - R) Katherine Brinnier will replace Susan Angel as Program Chair, Mardi Diamond will replace Chris O'Neill as Membership Chair, Kathleen Clark will ascend to President, Laura O'Malley will continue as Scholarship Chair and Jessie Powell will replace Sue Torres as Treasurer.

Incoming president Kathleen Clark honored Leslie with a poem written by Cherie Sorokin.

Cynthia Boaz, PhD, from the Political Science Department at Sonoma State University spoke.

2024-25 board members and officers celebrated a very productive year.

by Judy Kramer



In May, the Tech Trek Committee hosted this year’s campers and parents from the Marin and Novato branches for an orientation plus several “get-to-know-one-another” activities like what they’ll do at camp - a math game, an origami paper airplane challenge, modeling diffusion through water using Skittles (a tasty experiment!) and who can build the tallest, most stable tower from limited materials.

They also had a chance to meet people associated with our branch who will be at camp, including the Assistant Director (our own alum Lily Cohen), instructors (Amy Anderson, Cindy Demchuk, Neesha Patel Meyer), dorm monitors (Angela Nuckles and Judy Kramer) and peer counselor (alum Mattea Fazio). Thank you to Chris O'Neill for letting us use her beautiful backyard. We look forward to seeing everyone at camp! 

At a ceremony on May 9, two College of Marin women received this year's AAUW/MESA "Women In STEM" award. The awardees were selected by faculty associated with the MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) program at COM. Each women received $2,500 from our AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund!

Sheila Sandoval (left) is a first-generation low-income student who works in fast food to support her mother and young sisters. She has been admitted to UC Berkeley to study microbial biology and plans to become a Physician Assistant to help facilitate health equity for fellow Latinos.

Olivia Thorgerson (right) is transferring to UC Berkeley where she will study molecular and cell biology with an emphasis on biochemistry. Her goal is to obtain a PhD in plant biology and become a professor so that she may inspire other first-generation students to pursue their goals in academia and beyond. Olivia has joined AAUW as a student affiliate member.

Congratulations and best wishes to Sheila and Olivia!

Also pictured above are Nancy Major and Deborah Learner who represented our branch at the ceremony.

Message from Deb

"I was surprised, speechless, grateful and honored in being awarded the named gift honoree. I was really thinking of the many other people that do so much for our branch. In any case, if I am mentioned in our newsletter, I hope you will also invite our members to participate in AAUW/ COM outreach and mentoring opportunities to strengthen our ties with students at the College of Marin." Interested members can contact Deb at dlearner45@gmail.com.

Neesha Patel Meyer is a physics teacher at Terra Linda High School and has already been volunteered to teach a core class at this month's Tech Trek at Sonoma State! With the little free time she has she likes to travel, hike, read and spend time with family. She is a lover of The Great British Bake-off (editorial comment- she's my kind of gal!).

Terry Ulin joins our twelve other 50-year members! She moved here from New York in 1975 for her husband's job. Hearing a radio announcement for AAUW, she called, and the rest is history. With AAUW she has made lifelong friends. Terry has always been active in interest groups and is still part of Booklovers and LitWits. She had the title of "data supervisor" years ago which involved keeping the roster current for over 400 members and sending out a paper version. We are thrilled for her support over all the years.

Interest Group News

Ready to join a new interest group?

All groups welcome new members. Just contact the group leader for information or to be added to the group email list. For a list of all Marin branch interest groups with leader contact information, click HERE. Note: Interest Groups are just for members of AAUW Marin, but guests who may be thinking of joining are welcome to visit an interest group twice before being asked join.

Bocce

The next big event will be held June 10 at Albert Park Courts in San Rafael at 10am. You don't need to know how to play! Come for the fun. Contact Ann Vercoutere if interested.

We meet the second Tuesday of the month at 10am - noon and will do so in July and August as well.

Nonfiction Reading Group

The Nonfiction Reading Group will meet on June 9. The book scheduled for May - How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Sain - will be discussed. Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey From Slavery to Freedom by Ilyon Woo (the June book) will also be discussed.

If you would like to be on the group’s email list and join us, contact Phyllis Kuehn. The group meets the second Monday of the month at 1:00 pm on Zoom. The group will continue to meet throughout the summer.

French Conversation

Bonjours, les Francophiles! Notre prochaine heure de conversation sera mercredi,

le 18 juin, a 15h chez Rive Gauche Larkspur. En plus au mois de juillet mercredi le 16, et au mois d’août mercredi le 20.

Pour les informations: Janet Lynn or 415/755-8486

Movie goers enjoy dinner and discussion at the Left Bank after seeing a movie at The Lark

© 2019 AAUW

AAUW is a top-rated 501(c)(3) charity. Donations are tax deductible. 

PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HIT THE UNSUBSCRIBE BUTTON BELOW YOU WILL NO LONGER RECEIVE AAUW MARIN NEWSLETTERS.