Meeting Recap
AAUW-VT Leadership Meeting
Saturday, February 7, 2004 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Mitchell Green Room, McCullough Student Center
Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
Leaders Present:
Dorothy Rand, Joan Allen, Margie Randall, Maureen Williams – Middlebury Branch; Kathleen Balutansky – Burlington Branch; Louise Luring – Brattleboro Branch;
Gudrun Hutchins, Mary Kirkpatrick – Bennington Branch; Raylene Lissor – MAL; Vivienne Adair – formerly Central Vermont Branch
Kathy Correo (LAF), Andrea Weisberg (EF), and Jenifer Ambler (Treasurer) sent reports.
Delayed Start of Meeting
By general email consensus, we delayed the start of the meeting by one hour due to reports of anticipated snow and sleet. This gave us less time, but made it possible for representatives from Bennington and Brattleboro to attend.
March to Save Women’s Lives on April 25, 2004 in Washington D.C.
AAUW-VT leaders voted to officially sponsor the March. A delegation of Vermont AAUW members, including five members from the Bennington Branch, will participate. A number of AAUW members have donated bus tickets to be used by students or adults who cannot afford the fare. For additional information or to join the group, please contact Judy Murphy Tel. 802-442-8816 Email murph@sover.net
AAUW-VT State Convention on May 1, 2004
The Convention will be held at the School for International Training in Brattleboro. The theme will be “Justice for Women: Local and Global Perspectives”. The following two primary speakers have been confirmed:
Wynona Ward Wynona is the creator of “Have Justice – Will Travel” which provides a continuum of legal and social services to victims of domestic abuse in rural communities of Vermont. She drew on her personal experiences as a survivor of childhood domestic abuse, 15 years working as a long-haul trucker, and her legal background to create her four-wheel drive office model.Indira Kajosevic Indira is a native of Serbia and Montenegro and has worked with rape victims and refugees during the war in the former Yugoslavia. She has experience in conflict resolution and refugee advocacy and has helped NGO’s organize women locally and globally. Indira is a recipient of an Educational Foundation International Fellowship and is currently writing her PhD dissertation in Political Science.We also hope to have Ellen Kahler, who attended the Kennedy school of Government at Harvard University last year on an EF Fellowship, and possibly a former LAF litigant.
In order to get members more directly involved in the conference, Louise Luring suggested that we ask each of the speakers to submit an article for members to read prior to the convention so that members can discuss the material in small groups and develop questions for the panel discussion taking place at the end of the meeting. The submitted material will be posted on the AAUW-VT website.
The program will be open to the public. Tentative schedule for the day:
9 – 9:30 Arrivals and coffee
9:30 – 10 Brief Business Meeting
10 – 11 Discussion of articles by members at tables
11:15 – 12:15 Wynona Ward, Ellen Kahler
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch (SIT Cafeteria)
1:15 – 1:45 Indira Kajosevic
1:45 – 3 Panel Discussion – Kajosevic, Ward, LAF Litigant or Kahler, SIT Participant
College/University Members
Kathie Balutansky told us about the appointment of an excellent C/U representative for Middlebury College and her recruitment and networking efforts in the Burlington area. She emphasized that branches have the responsibility to develop a partnership with their local college or university. Both the branch and the college need to find value in the partnership.
Central Vermont Branch
Vivienne Adair, a former member of the Central Vermont Branch is hoping to reactivate the branch and seeks our help. She is currently compiling a list of prospects and hopes to send out a letter and plan a social introductory event. Please contact her with any prospects or suggestions. 259 Norton Rd, Worcester VT 05682. Tel 802-223-2641.
AAUW Legislative Day
The joint Legislative Day of AAUW, Common Cause, and the League of Women Voters has been discontinued because the League no longer wants to participate and the luncheon would be very expensive for a smaller number of people. Common Cause will have a series of breakfasts with legislators. The desirability of an AAUW Legislative Day in Montpelier was discussed, but at this point no one is willing to take on the responsibility of organizing it. One of the problems is that we do not know when legislation of particular interest to us will come up.
Attendance at Providence Convention
Everyone agreed that it was worth it to spend some of the reserves in our treasury to send as many members to convention as possible.
Nominating Committee
A nominating committee of three members was appointed. They are Kathie Balutansky, Barbara Whitehouse and Gudrun Hutchins.
Education Projects
Middlebury branch members discussed their successful School Choice forum. Gudrun Hutchins spoke about the Community Action Grant Application that the Bennington County School and Workforce Partnership has submitted with the branch for the "Eureka Project" a math/science enrichment program for 8th and 9th grade girls.
Affiliate Agreement
Dot discussed the requirements for the Affiliate Agreement to be signed by branches and returned to Washington before March 1.
