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Orbit
Volume 97 No. 2
What’s Inside
President’s
Message, Pg. 2
New State Policy
Analyst, Pg. 2
Legislative Update,
Pg. 3
Equity Day &
Convention 2015
Coverage, Pg. 4-5
Branch Awards,
Pg. 5
Around Our
Branches, Pg. 5
Around Ohio, Pg. 6
AAUW News, Pg. 7
AAUW Ohio
Leadership
Workshop
2015
Aug. 8
Rough Hall
Otterbein University
AAUW
National
Convention
June 18-21
Women’s
Equality Day
Aug. 26
Visit AAUW
Ohio
on the Web,
Twitter and
Facebook.
Spring 2015
Leadership Workshop 2015:
Branch Counterpart Focus Day
Date: Saturday, Aug. 8
Times: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Roush Hall at Otterbein University,
1 South Grove St., Westerville, OH 43081
Cost: $30 per person
Theme: Branch Counterpart Focus Day with special sessions for branch leaders — presidents and
vice presidents of programming, finance, public
policy and membership -- with their counterpart at
the state level.
Registration: To register or for more information,
email Kaylee Pavel, AAUW Ohio administrator,
at kaylee.pavel@gmail.com or complete the form
below.
Right: State leaders such as Jo Dye,
Marilyn Kornowski, JoAnn Benseler and
Christine Siebeneck will be on hand to
work with branch leaders at this year’s
Leadership Workshop held Aug. 8 at
Otterbein University.
Leadership Workshop 2015 Registration
To register for the full day’s program and luncheon, mail this completed registration form with your $30 check
made out to: AAUW Ohio with “Leadership Conference” on the memo line by Thursday, July 31.
Mail to: AAUW Ohio, P.O. Box 593, Kalida, OH 45853, Attention: Kaylee Pavel.
Please note special needs on back. Email confirmations will be sent for all registrations.
Yes! I will attend the 2015 AAUW Ohio Leadership Workshop on Aug. 8. My $30 check is enclosed.
Name: ________________________________________Branch and Position________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip _________________________________________________________________________________
Phone __________________________________ E-mail _______________________________________________
AAUW Ohio
www.aauwoh.org
President
Christine Siebeneck
aauw.christine@
gmail.com
Admin. Coordinator
Kaylee Pavel
kaylee.pavel@gmail.
com
Fundraising VP
Gillian Holzhauser
Graber
gholzhausergrab@
woh.rr.com
Get going, get involved
a message from Christine Siebeneck
President, AAUW Ohio
As AAUW members, we must
have each other’s backs
On the Saturday morning of AAUW Ohio’s
Equity Day and Convention, we had the opportunity
to listen to the inspiring words of Julie Graber, Gender
EQA, Interim Director, ION (ionProgram VP
Jo Dye Livewire.
women.org). Her presentation titled
nurse@gmail.com
“Women at the Table: Now More
than Ever” focused on the power
Membership VP
Betty Ellworth
women can hold by simply supbjelworth@yahoo.
porting each other and patting each
com
other on the back.
As AAUW Ohio members,
Finance Officers
Patricia Elliott
we have a responsibility to have
Williams
not only each other’s backs, but we
paewnc@gmail.com
MUST have the backs of all those
Melissa Marino
women and girls who struggle with
melissa.marino@
outlook.com
equity every day. These are the girls
who are the victims of cyber bullying in their schools
Public Policy Chair
and their homes. These are the young women who are
Karen Rainey
kgaauw@yahoo.com victims of sexual assault on their college campuses.
These are the women who are the victims of not
Diversity Chair
earning a fair wage. These are the women and girls we
Sally Dye
MUST educate for, advocate for, research for, act for.
sally.dye@
cardingtonschools.
org
College/University
Relations Chair
Nicole Ward
aauwohiocollegerep@
gmail.com
Great seeing you at Convention; now let me know if
I can see you at your branch meeting
Thank you so much for attending Convention 2015 in
Dublin, Ohio! We had a super fantabulous time! I was so excited to hear how
many of you are supporting each other
and supporting the women and girls in
your community through your branch
programming. I also enjoyed visiting
your branches this past year. Please let
me know if I can visit your branch this
year. Let’s continue to advocate for
equality. And, in case you weren’t able
to attend this year’s state convention,
this issue of AAUW Ohio Orbit is filled
will all the details.
See you at Leadership Workshop Aug. 8
I’m also excited to share details about the AAUW
Ohio Leadership Workshop. This event will
feature day-long counterpart training. I encourage branches to
send counterparts and would-be leaders to learn the nittygritty aspects of AAUW leadership.
AAUW has new State Policy Analyst
The new State Policy Analyst from AAUW National is Kate Nielsen. Here is a message she sent to AAUW members:
I’m excited to join the AAUW team and be part of a great legacy of inspiring women. As a child, a poster made famous by
this ad campaign, hung on my wall. The messages from that poster about self-confidence and strength, along with my feminist parents and supportive friends, helped shape the person I am today. Through their examples and encouragement, I learned about
feminism, the importance of education, and reproductive freedom. I also became a political junkie and found social activism.
After spending time on the front lines working in a clinic and then organizing young women on campuses, I shifted gears into
Recording Secretary
Isabel Seavey
the legal and policy world. For the past several years I’ve honed my state policy chops working with the National Governors Associaisabelcv@aol.com
tion on education policy. Now, I am thrilled to bring those skills to AAUW and return to my passion of fighting for the rights of
girls, women, and families.
Public Info Officer
The State Policy Analyst position is new for AAUW, so I hope you will help me craft it. I have big plans, including re-envisionPaula Maggio
akronpm@sbcglobal. ing how we track legislation, providing analysis and vetting services on state bills, and creating model legislation. Just recently, I assisted California with recommendations for SB358 which addresses equal pay. I look forward to working with many of you on similar
net
bills as we fight to ensure that all women earn a fair wage. Look out for more introductory emails, phone briefings, and trainings in
the coming weeks as we roll out the new state policy program. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at 202.728.7617 or nielsonk@aauw.
org.
Page 2 - AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015
AAUW Ohio Legislative Update
By Karen Rainey
AAUW Public Policy Chair
Download Public Policy Resources for Branch Programming
Here is legislation relating to AAUW priorities, including bills we are
following and others that may be of interest. The bills are listed by topic.
Education - Charter School Reform: House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 148. HB
2 deals primarily with tightening sponsorship requirements. This bill passed the
House by a vote of 70-25 on March 26, and had sponsor (Reps. Roegner and
Dovilla) testimony in the Senate Finance- Education subcommittee on April 15.
Also on April 15, Sen. Peggy Lehner, chair of the Senate Education Committee,
introduced her own charter reform bill, SB 148. Ohio has been the poster child
for bad charter school law, and HB 2 is a step toward more accountability and
transparency, although it’s not as strong as advocates for reform would like.
AAUW advocate Jennifer Dillard testified on HB 2 and AAUW also signed on to
the Coalition for Public Education testimony—both can be read on our web site.
Sen. Lehner’s bill follows the recommendations of Auditor Dave Yost for
increasing accountability, and has attracted bipartisan support. It also includes
provisions that correct truancy policies and require that charter schools adopt
annual budgets.
It’s likely the two bills will eventually have to be reconciled. Charter schools
have received significant state financial support, and the governor’s budget
proposal would add nearly $1 billion for the next biennium.
Education--Testing: House Bill 74, relating to primary and secondary school
testing, was amended by the House Education Committee and would now bar
the state from purchasing tests from PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers), the organization whose tests are currently
being used in conjunction with the implementation of common core standards.
The amendments would also limit testing to one end of the year assessment
rather than two, with one assessment earlier in the year.
Testing has been very controversial this year, with complaints about the
hours involved and the disruption in classroom learning. Already, the governor
has signed HB 7, that allows the disregard of this year’s testing results, and the
amendments could extend this another year. HB 74 does not address teacher
evaluations This bill has passed out of committee but has not yet been voted on
by the House.
Note that there is also a Senate Advisory Committee on Testing, which will
shortly present recommendations for what to include in state assessments.
Education—Funding: House Bill 64, the biennial budget bill, has passed the
House and is now in the Senate Finance Committee. It increases spending for
schools by $179 million, primarily benefiting poorer districts, and ensures that no
district receives less than it did in the foundation formula in FY 15.
The governor’s formula had left many local school superintendents
scratching their heads. In addition, it creates a Joint Education Oversight
Committee that will examine school funding and other issues, so that work on
these issues continues after the budget is enacted.
As noted above, the bill includes nearly $1 billion for charter schools—specifically,
Page 3 - AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015
for e-schools for facilities, although they do not
house students. It also expands the Cleveland
scholarship program to offer vouchers to a larger
geographic area. In total, almost $200 million is
projected to go to private school vouchers.
Redistricting Reform: House Joint Resolution 2,
sponsored by Reps. Clyde and Curtin, would align
with HJR 12, the state redistricting constitutional
amendment, to change how the lines are drawn for
Karen Rainey
congressional redistricting. As it is now, only state
redistricting reform will be on the ballot this November. No hearings have been
held to date.
Health Care and Reproductive Health: House Bill 64, the biennial budget bill,
contains several provisions affecting health care. Although it leaves Medicaid
expansion as a part of the budget bill (there had been concern that it would be
stripped out and made a separate bill) there is a movement to change the eligibility
criteria for participants.
Coverage for pregnant low-income women and women with breast or
cervical cancer would be cut. Instead of eligibility at 200% of the federal poverty
level ($23,340) eligibility would be limited to those making less than 138% of the
poverty level ($16,105). The intent is to ask these consumers to purchase private
healthcare on the open market at a higher cost. However, advocates have pointed
out that pregnancy doesn’t necessarily coincide with open enrollment times. It is
more likely that women will go uninsured.
On a positive note, the proposed budget would increase funding for rape
crisis centers by $500,000 per year. But the budget would also add funding
for crisis pregnancy centers, which have been shown to provide erroneous
information to clients.
House Bill 69, the so-called “heartbeat bill,” passed the House by a vote
of 55-40. This bill, back again after the Senate ignored it in last year’s lame
duck session, would ban all abortions as soon as a heartbeat is detected, with
no exceptions for rape, incest, severe mental illness or fetal abnormalities. Rep.
Teresa Fedor, whom we know best as the champion of human trafficking
legislation, made an impassioned speech on the House floor in opposition to the
bill, telling for the first time her own story of rape and abortion while she was in
the military. The bill is now in the Senate Health Committee but no hearings have
been scheduled to date. AAUW testimony on this bill is also on the web site.
Another House bill, HB 117, would ban all abortions after 20 weeks but has
not yet been scheduled for hearings. It is in the House Community and Family
Advancement Committee. A similar bill, SB 127, has been referred to the Senate
Health and Human Services Committee, but has not been heard to date.
Voting Rights. Money is being requested in HB 64 (budget bill) to finance the
mailing of absentee ballot applications to every voter in Ohio, which can only be
done if the Secretary of State receives the funding to do so. AAUW Ohio is now
a part of the Ohio Voter Rights Coalition to address this and other voting issues.
At Equity Day & Convention 2015
Women and Girls Got Real!
A special sort of energy surrounded this year’s
AAUW Ohio Equity Day and Convention. Perhaps that was because of Patricia Fae
Ho, AAUW president, whose charismatic presence
seemed to give off sparks, as she engaged with members
young and old, gave a keynote speech about the importance of AAUW members -- without referring to a note -- and posted about the weekend via social
media. (See screenshot at right that pictures Ho with Jane Aparecido, AAUW Interntional Fellow,
and members of the Ohio State Branch, including Taylor Price who co-presented a breakout session.)
The pace was fast, the topics -- from engaging student
members to women and
economics to charter schools
-- were compelling, and members from around the state left
feeling energized. We share
some of that energy through
the photos included here.
Above left: Past presidents of AAUW Ohio
with AAUW President Patricia Fae Ho.
Right: NCCWSL scholarship winner Briana
Coleman with AAUW Ohio President
Christine Siebeneck. Left: Presenters
Taylor Price with Nicole Ward. Bottom left:
Jane Wilson and JoAnn Benseler staff the
registration desk. Bottom right: Tremayne
Parquet and Jennifer Barton, AAUW
National staff members.
Page 4 - AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015
Branches win honors at
our spring Convention
Branch Award Winners
Branches that excelled in membership
recruitment, mission-based programming,
diversity, philanthropy, communications and
overall engagement in AAUW efforts received
awards at AAUW Ohio Equity Day and
Convention 2015.
NCCWSL Scholarship Winner
Briana Collins, Bowling Green State University
Membership Awards
Branches that had at least a ten percent
increase in overall membership:
Middletown, Sidney-Shelby County, Worthington,
Mansfield
Branches that had at least 10 percent new
member increase: Bowling Green, Findley,
Defiance, Delaware, Columbus, Ironton, Logan
County, Medina, Middletown, Northeast Ohio,
Springfield, Toledo, Worthington, Zanesville
Daffodil Awards
Bowling Green, Chillicothe, Circleville,
Delaware, Elyria, Heights-Hillcrest-Lyndhurst,
Medina County, Middletown, Sandusky, Toledo,
Youngstown and Zanesville
Starz Awards
Teal Award: Bowling Green, Circleville,
Columbus, Defiance, Delaware, Medina County,
Middletown, Northeast, Sandusky, Springfield,
Toledo, Worthington, Zanesville
Honors Award: Cleveland, Lancaster, SidneyShelby, Tiffin, Warren-Trumbull, Youngstown
Ninth-Year Teal Award: Bowling Green,
Medina Cty., Worthington, Zanesville
First-Year Teal Award: Columbus, Defiance
First-Year Honors Award: Sidney-Shelby
Zanesville Branch
Best Website: More than
50 members: Middletown
Branch
Mission-Based
Programming Awards
Large Branch category:
Public Policy: Bowling Green
Advocacy: Toledo, Medina
County, Warren-Trumbull
County
Local Issues: Middletown
Medium Branch category:
Public Policy: Zanesville
Advocacy: Heights-HillcrestLyndhurst
Local Issues: Findlay
Small Branch category:
Public Policy: Defiance,
Worthington
Advocacy: Springfield,
Circleville
Local Issues: Sandusky
Representatives from three of the branches that won Daffodil
Awards for branch diversity with Diversity Chair Sally Dye.
Members wave their star magic wands after awards were
announced.
Around our branches: From North to South
Communication Star Awards
Overall Excellence in Communications:
Middletown Branch
Best Newsletter: Fewer than 50 members:
Medina County Branch
Best Newsletter: More than 50 members:
Heights-Hillcrest-Lyndhurst Branch
Best Website: Fewer than 50 members:
AAUW members from Ohio State University
who attended the National Conference of
College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL)
met Amanda Simpson, executive director of
the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives.
Medina County Branch members visited the
International Women’s Air and Space Museum
during Women’s History Month. Zanesville
Branch was on the same track, with a program
on women pilots of WWII. The Toledo Branch
co-sponsored an Equal Pay Day event and
Worthington Branch discussed charter schools.
Page 5- AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015
Around Ohio: News via Twitter
@AAUW tweets from
the April 25 Tech
Saavy Workshop at
Stark State College
that attracted 100+
President @aauwchristine’s
tweets from Washington, D.C. on
lobbying for #ESEA reauthorization
Page 6 - AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015
News and resources from AAUW
Prepare for new year with tools, tips for branch leaders
Prepare for Upcoming Year with
Board Member Transition Tools
Set next year’s board up for success by
using AAUW’s board
member transition
tools. These guides for
conducting an end-of-year
member survey, facilitating
a board debrief, writing a
transition memo for your
successor, and planning
recognition for your
board will help you reflect on the past year and
strategically align your branch to have a successful
upcoming year.
Connect with Local AAUW
Fellowship and Grant Recipients
Have you connected with the 2014–15
AAUW fellowship and grant recipients? Many
recipients are eager to engage with AAUW locally
and are great women to recruit to your branch!
Use AAUW’s guide to inviting a local
fellow or grantee to your branch to
congratulate them on the end of their fellowship
and invite them to speak. The 2014–15 fellowship
year ends June 30, so don’t wait! Start thinking
now about how you can work with alumnae
or the 2015–16 recipients next year. E-mail
fellowships@aauw.org with questions.
Branch Member Survey
Surveying your members will help you
collect valuable information about what worked
well and what could be improved regarding your
branch’s work for the year. Tips for creating
a successful survey and
suggested survey questions
can be found in the
Branch Member
Survey How-To
Guide.
Board Debrief
A debrief meeting will
help you dig into the feedback you collected
through your survey and explore additional
areas of branch processes and systems. Group
debriefs often help participants think of new
points of feedback and can be a great space for
coming up with ideas for improvement. Tips
for conducting a debrief meeting and suggested
debrief questions can be found in the Board
Debrief How-To Guide.
Transition Memo
A transition memo is one of the best ways
to ensure a smooth transition to the next person
in your role. It will help orient your successor to
her role and share what you have accomplished
and where the work is headed. It will also allow
you to share best practices and recommendations
for how to manage responsibilities successfully.
Guidance for creating a transition memo can be
found in the Transition Memo How-
To Guide.
Rewards and Recognition
It’s important to let your board know how
much you appreciate the time and energy that
they have given to the branch. Learn about
ways that you can thank and recognize them for
their contributions in the Rewards and
Recognition How-To Guide.
Shout-outs from the Field
Through their Women in Leadership
Development (WILD) project, AAUW of New
York and AAUW of New Jersey members
connect each month to discuss one chapter
of Robin Gerber’s book Leadership the Eleanor
Roosevelt Way. Your branch can call into their
discussions about values, beliefs, and actions
that build strong leadership with branches the
third Tuesday of each month beginning July 21.
Contact Joan Monk, AAUW of New York special
projects director, at ftmaven@gmail.com or
914.245.7704.
Share Your Successes in Lead On
Do you have a story about an innovative
program you are running? How about a
successful recruitment effort or steps you have
taken to increase diversity and inclusion? These
are just some of the types of stories AAUW
national loves to share in its electronic newsletter
Lead On. Please e-mail memberleaders@aauw.
org for a chance to be featured.
Details on the gender pay gap in Ohio
The gender wage gap exists
in almost every congressional
district, according to the most recent
statistics from the U.S. Census
Bureau. Not only do some districts
in the 113th Congress lag especially
far behind, but some states also have
large disparities between districts.
Ohio ranks 34th out of the 50 states and
the District of Columbia. Median earnings
for men in Ohio were $47,323
compared to women’s median
earnings of $36,569 — an earnings
ratio of just
77 percent.
Get the Ohio Pay
Gap handout with full
details, including a breakdown by congressional
district and a “Road Map to the Fight for
Equal Pay.”
Make your voice heard:
Become a Two-minute
Activist and speak out
on the issues!
Page 7 - AAUW of Ohio Orbit • Spring 2015