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THE TOWN CRIER
St. Augustine, Florida Branch AAUW – April 2015
Website:
http://staugustine-fl.aauw.net/
Facebook:
AAUW St. Augustine
Our Mission: To Advance Equity for Women and Girls
Through Advocacy, Education, Philanthropy and Research
President’s Ponderings
Equal Pay Day is on Tuesday, April 14th this year. This sad day represents the day that women finally
catch up to men’s pay from 2014. Yes, it’s been so long that 2014 seems far away! There is nothing to
celebrate but plenty to be red with anger. To those of us not working, this may not seem like a large
issue, but there are more women in the workforce than ever. Many of them are supporting their families.
Lilly Ledbetter’s birthday lands on Equal Pay Day this year. As you will recall, Lilly Ledbetter worked
for Goodyear for many years never knowing that the men next to her earned more money for the same
job. It was after retiring that she learned the discrepancy and started the legal and political actions that
led to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but things have stalled since President Obama signed it into law in
January 2009.
The Paycheck Fairness Act is suffering through a winter in Congress. While the equal pay issue is
mentioned in sitcoms, TV dramas and from Patricia Arquette at the Academy Awards, this does not seem
like the environment for the Paycheck Fairness Act to flourish. We can’t let things languish. The
groundswell of notice will bring people to question.
Keep talking about this discrepancy. Here are your talking points:
1. Many people are not allowed to talk about how much they earn without reprisal from their
employer. Without knowledge that workers doing the same job earn the same pay, the double
standard continues.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Nationally women make 78% less than men.
It’s worse for women of color.
There is a pay gap in nearly every occupation.
Each year AAUW updates The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap and Graduating to a Pay
Gap: The earnings of women and men one year after graduating from college.
6. You can download the full report and see the statistics at
http://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/
7. The pay gap has barely moved in a decade. It’s a systemic problem.
8. Tell Congress to Act on the Paycheck Fairness Act.
AAUW’s Newest Research—Women in Engineering and Computing
Five years ago, AAUW landed on the national stage with its research, Why So Few? Women in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. That research opened the STEM conversation for women.
Engineering and computing are careers that offer high paying jobs, but there are few women in these careers.
Women make up about 12% of engineers and 26% of computing professionals. What’s the problem? The US
will need 1.7 million more engineers in less than 10 years!
Launching in style from Samsung’s new research facility in Silicon Valley, AAUW streamed the live discussion
of Solving the Equation: The Variables of Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing.
What did we
learn from the research? Here are some highlights:
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•
•
Gender stereotyping holds women and men back from education, hiring, negotiating salary and these are
the unconscious biases.
Women in general have a desire to help others more than men, so they might enter more helping careers or
careers where there is more social interaction not knowing that engineers work in teams. We need those
engineers!
Changes in education and workplace environments help women cultivate a sense of belonging.
Is this important? It’s so important that major engineering and computing companies were represented on the
panel discussing the findings and recommendations. This is an area that AAUW will be talking about for some
time. Here are some recommendations on which we, as an AAUW branch, could focus. We can make an impact
on our local community.
A. Cultivate a growth mindset in children. Teach them that the brain is like a muscle that gets stronger and
works better the more you exercise it.
B. Introduce girls to engineering and computing.
C. Introduce children to engineering and computing role models.
D. Question the idea that certain people are cut out for computing and engineering while others are not.
E. Provide girls with the opportunity to tinker and take things apart. (p.108).
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Calendar of Events
Branch Events
April 9 – Thursday - Branch Board Meeting – 1PM
April 11 – Saturday – Branch Meeting at AAUW Flagler County
April 16 – Thursday - Lunch Bunch – 1PM
April 22 – Wednesday - Literature Study Group – 10:30AM
April 25 – Saturday – Page Turners Book Club – 10AM
May 14 – Thursday – Branch meeting to Install Branch Officers
and Award Scholarships
St. Augustine Events
Tale Tellers of St. Augustine ~ Hear Tales ~ Have a cup ‘Joe!
Monday, April 13 ~ 6:00-8:00PM
City Coffee Company ~ 1280 N. Ponce DeLeon Blvd.
Info: 904-471-0179 or 386-446-4909
Annual Rhythm and Ribs Festival ~ Francis Field- April 10 – 12, 2015
Friday, 4 – 10 p.m., Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. & Sunday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.,
This is the 20th year of the Rhythm & Ribs Festival in St. Augustine, Florida. In 2014 we
were once again voted BEST FESTIVAL in St. Augustine!
Rhythm & Ribs will be held at the Special Events Field located behind the Visitors
Information Center and parking garage, on West Castillo Drive, between U.S. 1 and South
Castillo Drive (A1A). $5 adults, children 13 and under free.
info@rhythmandribs.net
www.RhythmAndRibs.net
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March Branch Meeting - Dr. Patrick Stewart, Title IX Deputy Officer for Flagler College,
Cheryl Gonzales, Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity, UNF, and Rhoda Ferrell,
Human Resources Coordinator at St. Johns County Public Schools, spoke on issues
regarding harassment and sexual assault in the school systems. This meeting was held in
the historic Markland House on King Street. Approximately 40 people attended this
program after which the discussion continued over dinner at the Raintree.
Cheryl Gonzalez
Dr. Patrick Stewart
Attendees
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April Lunch Bunch – We will meet Thursday, April 16th at 1PM at Casa Maya located in the
Historic District at 22 Hypolita Street in St. Augustine. The telephone number is
904-823-0787. This restaurant specializes in Latin dishes. Please let Debbie Brinsfield
(940-7379 or (cdbrins@yahoo.com) know you are coming no later than Wednesday,
April 15th.
Page Turners Book Club will meet Saturday, April 25th at 10AM at the home of
Tibbi Gibson. The book to be discussed is “Stress Test” by author Timothy Geithner,
former United States Secretary of the Treasury (2009-2013). Please contact
Cathy Barrett for information.
The Literature Study Group will meet at St. Augustine Beach City Hall for the annual
planning session on Wednesday, April 22 beginning at 10:30AM. Along with one or two
books to review, please bring your own delicious brown bag lunch. Dessert and beverage
will be provided. Please be on time so we can start on time. Please call Judy Crane for
more information.
April Branch Meeting – We have been invited to join AAUW Flagler County on Saturday,
April 11th beginning at 11AM at the Pine Lakes Golf Club, 400 Pine Lakes Parkway in Palm
Coast. Entrée choices are: (1) Cheeseburger on a bun; (2) Spinach and strawberry salad
with Chicken; or (3) Vegetable quiche. Dessert is mixed berries yogurt parfait.
Beverages are coffee, water and hot/iced tea and a cash bar. Reservations should be
made through Flagler County AAUW member Sally by Tuesday April 7. Please bring a
check with you in the amount of $16 payable to AAUW-Flagler. If you would like to
carpool, please contact Debbie Brinsfield.Dr. Santana, Director of Women’s Studies at UCF,
will be speaking on the Pay Gap.
Branch Legacy Fund
The purpose of this investment is to eventually fully fund our Jean Luoma Scholarships
program on an annual basis. Our investment is in an account in the STAR fund with the
Vanguard Group. This investment program was begun in January 2012 with donations
from branch members. Going forward, the account will be funded with donations from
members, proceeds from fundraisers and dividends and capital gains that the fund
produces during the year. Donations to the fund may be sent in any amount to the branch
treasurer, Diane Boyce.
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St. Johns County Special General Election – Tuesday, April 7
Vote!
Women have worked hard to give you this opportunity!
Remember to vote in the upcoming Special General Election for Florida Senate District 6
and Florida House Districts 17 & 24. Early voting will take place from March 28 through
April 4.
Absentee ballots have been sent to voters. Voters who are voting an absentee ballot are
requested by Vicki Oakes, Supervisor of Elections, to send their ballots through the US
Postal Service early. The Postal Service is now expecting mail to take 5-7 days to reach
the recipient.
Absentee ballots are accepted at Red Boxes around the county, including the County
Libraries. Voters can turn in absentee ballots at Early Voting Polling Places and at the
Supervisor of Elections Office. No absentee ballots will be accepted at the polls on Election
Day. They must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office or a ballot cast at the
polls. Remember to sign the absentee envelope.
Voters who vote at Precinct 501 in the World Golf Village will have a substitute polling place
for this election at Davidson Realty, 100 East Town Place #100.
If you want to know what your sample ballot looks like or find out where you vote, go to
www.votesjc.com and enter the information about yourself.
Jean Luoma Scholarship Applications Available
Members be sure to inform students you know about these scholarship opportunities.
AAUW St. Augustine Branch is awarding two Jean Luoma Scholarships to students from
St. Johns County who will be at least college sophomores in the fall. Students need a
minimum of 2.5 GPA. The scholarship tab on AAUW St. Augustine’s web page has two
links. One link gives information on how to complete the application with transcripts,
three letters of reference, essay and possible personal interview. The other link is the
application. Tell students you know to go to http://staugustine-fl.aauw.net/scholarship/.
The deadline for Scholarship applications has been extended to April 13, 2015. Applicants
need to know that they need to be available for an interview between April 16 and April 28.
Please call Kathy Simic at 631-697-5530 for further information. Two $1,000
scholarships will be awarded at our May meeting.
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AAUW Lobby Days in Tallahassee
AAUW Florida members met with their representatives during AAUW Lobby Days on
March 17 and 18. AAUW joined the Business and Professional Women (BPW) with the first
day set on training about public policy issues. The next day members met with their
representatives about pay equity and equal rights, human trafficking women’s
reproductive choice and education.
“Members are already seeing the impact of their visits: Rep. Dave Kerner asked AAUW-FL
to urge Sen. Joseph Abruzzo to sign on to an anti-human trafficking bill, and Sen. Abruzzo
did so after speaking with AAUW members later that day! Another highlight of the visit was
when the entire delegation met with House Minority Leader Rep. Mark Pafford for nearly an
hour.”1 Nice job, ladies!
Unfortunately, St. Augustine Branch did not attend since we had a conflict with our branch
meeting discussing Title IX and Sexual Harassment with Title IX officers. Next year we
hope that the Lobby Days date is available prior to our booking speakers.
1
”AAUW Members Lobby State Lawmakers”, State Spotlight:
Update, March 20, 2015.
Florida, AAUW Washington
AAUW Board of Directors National Elections
Each year AAUW elects members to the Board of Directors, including President and
Vice-President. This election has recently been changed from a delegate election to a
“one member, one vote” election. That means, each member is requested to vote. We
will also be voting on changes made to the Public Policy and Bylaws. Voting opens April 15
and closes June 19.
You will be able to review candidates’ bios and see their information on the AAUW website.
A Voter Guide is available which will explain the changes to Public Policy and Bylaws.
Some of you may have met Patricia Fae Ho (MA) who is the current President. She is
running unopposed for the office for a second term. Alicia Hetman (CA) is running
unopposed for Vice President. We are voting for 10 Directors from a field of 15. You will
be amazed at the accomplishments and dedication of these women. One of the
candidates you may know is Susan Barley (MO/FL) who is a member of several Missouri
branches and the Greater Naples Branch.
You will receive an email with your election information as the election opens. You will
need your AAUW membership number in order to vote. This number may be found next
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to your name in the Branch Directory. New members may contact Diane Boyce at
db141@comcast.net for their number. At the May meeting, we will have a computer
available to help you vote.
Vote, making your choice known.
Here’s the website:
http://www.aauw.org/resource/national-election/
AAUW Florida Elects President-Elect, Directors for Program,
Finance and Public Policy
AAUW Florida has recently begun the One Member, One Vote model for elections. All
branch members are AAUW-Florida members. Information on candidates can be found in
the Winter issue of floriVision, which you received in February. The issue is also available
on the AAUW Florida website under Resources, Newsletter at
http://aauw-fl.aauw.net/resources/florivision/. You will be getting an email explaining
how to vote. You will need your AAUW Member Number which is located in the Branch
Directory next to your name.
Every year AAUW-FL elects half of the Board of Directors. This year, we are electing
Directors for Program, Finance and Public Policy. We will also elect the President Elect
who will serve a year in that capacity before being installed as president for a 2-year term.
Shirley Reid is running for President Elect. She has been the Director of the Tech Trek
Camp for the past two years and has served as the Venice Branch President from
2009-2013. Shirley was the speaker at our September meeting last year.
Nancy Pura, from West Pasco Branch, is running for Director for Finance, a position she
currently holds.
Jacqueline D’Alessio is running for Director for Program. Jacqueline previously was the
Director for Communications and floriVision Newsletter editor prior to Carol Napper who is
the current Director for Communications.
Patricia DeWitt, the current AAUW-FL Secretary, is running for the Director of Public Policy.
Patricia is from the Jacksonville AAUW Branch.
In addition, any changes to the AAUW-FL Bylaws and Public Policy will be voted on.
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You Go Girl!
It was reported in the Wednesday, March 18 edition of The Record that our own branch
member, Paige Priester, is a volunteer at the Guana Research Reserve. Specifically, she
facilitates the Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN) program there at the Reserve.
One of the young women Paige mentored prepared a science project that won first place in
a science fair. Another young woman won first place in the St. John’s County Science Fair
in the environmental category. Thank you, Paige, for inspiring our young women in
STEM!
Literature Study Ladies Bid a Fond Farwell
At the March monthly Literature Study bookclub meeting, the group gave Marilyn Vischio a
wonderful send off. Marilyn is moving to California to be near her children. Gerry Linton
organized the “book” cake shown in the photos below. Marilyn has been a branch member
since September 2009. We wish her all the best.
Marilyn Vischio
Literature Study Ladies ~ 3/25/15
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News from Washington, DC
Affirmative Action May Be Headed Back to the Supreme Court
After two years, the affirmative action case Fisher v. University of Texas may be back before the U.S.
Supreme Court. In 2008, Abigail Fisher applied for admission to the University of Texas, Austin. After
she was denied admission, she filed suit against the university, claiming that the university’s
race-conscious admissions policy was unconstitutional. The Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit upheld
the policy, and Fisher appealed to the Supreme Court. AAUW signed an amicus brief in support of the
university’s policy. In 2013, the Supreme Court sent the case back to the 5th Circuit, holding that the
appeals court had not used the proper analysis in examining the case.
In summer 2014, the 5th Circuit issued a new opinion upholding the university’s policy, and Fisher
again petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the case. The Supreme Court is likely to decide later this
year whether the case will go forward or whether the 5th Circuit’s ruling will stand. Stay tuned for more
information.
Branch Membership Renewal Form
On the following page is the Membership Renewal Form for 2014-2015. As an incentive to
members to send in dues, a drawing of names at the May meeting will be held and five
lucky members will have their national dues of $49 paid for the 2014-2015 season. There
are just two requirements. You have to have paid your dues in full for the coming year
and you will have to attend this meeting to be eligible for your name to be entered into the
drawing. (If you win, you will be reimbursed the $49 you paid for your national dues.)
Please note that your branch dues have not increased this year and have actually remained
the same for the past 9 years! Please fill in the form and mail with your check to Diane
(address is at the bottom of the form). If you would like to pay your dues by credit card
at the April or May meetings, we now have the capability of doing so, however there will be
a $2 added charge for processing.
If you do something once, people will call it an accident.
If you do it twice, they call it a coincidence.
But do it a third time, and you’ve just proven a natural law.
Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992)
Pioneering Computer Scientist and US Navy Rear Admiral
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St. Augustine Branch AAUW
Membership Renewal Form
Dues for the Year 2015 – 2016
If your name, address, phone number(s) were not included in the previous branch directory or have changed
since it was last printed, please provide that information in the space below:
Name:
(Last, first)_______________________________________________________
If your information below is the same as in the previous directory, please check here:___
Address:_______________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip:__________________________________________________________
Phone (Home)________________(Cell)___________________(Work)______________
FAX________________________________Email_______________________________
MAKE YOUR CHECK PAYABLE TO:
AAUW, St. Augustine Branch
MAIL WITH THIS FORM TO:
Diane Boyce, Treasurer
141 Moses Creek Blvd.
St. Augustine, FL 32086
Renewal for Membership - $70 total
(National $49, State $12, Branch $9)
DUES MUST BE RECEIVED BY JUNE 30
TO ENSURE INCLUSION IN THE 2015-2016 DIRECTORY
$46 of your 2014-2015 dues in income tax deductible. The other $3 of your AAUW dues will support the
public policy (lobbying) division of AAUW which has a 502©(4) IRS status and is NOT income tax deductible.
Please note that all dues amounts remain the same as last year.
PLEASE HELP US FIND ADVERTISERS FOR THE TOWN CRIER
Could you recommend a business you have used to solicit an ad for the Town Crier
newsletter? You will not have to call the company.
Name of Company and Address:____________________________
Name of Contact and Phone:_______________________________
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