PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

by Chris O’Neill,  Co-President

Two items in the San Francisco Chronicle within the past month or so caught my eye while raising my AAUW-feminist dander.  One was an opinion piece by Callie Millner, a 29-year-old Chronicle editorial writer.  She basically said that she considers herself a feminist but can’t identify with people she calls Second Wave feminists such as Gloria Steinem and wonders if the word feminist shouldn’t be used by others such as her.

I’m not going to summarize the article (check out the Opinion page for May 5, 2008, at www.sfgate.com. to read the editorial) but think it might give some perspective on why AAUW is having such a hard time attracting young women to be members (is your daughter, granddaughter a member?)

These are women who only know Title IX school opportunities, legal abortions, college for all.  Perhaps they don’t hold these rights as precious as those of us who fought for all of them and knew a time when it wasn’t so.  Maybe they can’t get all hot and bothered when it seems that some of these rights are slowly being chipped at and eroded, especially during the past several years under the Bush administration.  

As an avid U.C. Berkeley Bears fan, I had to read a brief article about the contract extension given to Joanne Boyle, the current women’s basketball coach whose team just came off one of the most successful seasons in the school’s history.  It said that she was getting “a big raise and a long-term contract extension” that will pay her more than $645,000 in its final year of 2013-2014.  Her current base salary of $158,000 jumps to $241,000 next year.  That’s nice but what grabbed me and made me look to see if the byline was from a female reporter (it was) was the sentence “As a point of comparison, ...Recently fired coach Ben Braun was making more than $1 million per year.”  Ben Braun was the coach of the men’s basketball team, which has been lackluster the past several years.  I guess equity is still an issue!

I leave you with these thoughts.  I will continue to support AAUW with my time and treasure, just not as the President of AAUW Marin.  It has been an honor to be your branch’s president the past two years.  I am grateful I was able to meet so many long-time members and past presidents at the branch’s 75^th anniversary luncheon last year.  I have had a fantastic board both years; I consider all of them my friends and look forward to working with many of them, as well as with the new faces, next year as the chair of the AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund.  Have a wonderful summer and see you at open house September 20.

Annual Awards and Year-End Luncheon

Marin Branch held its year-end awards luncheon May 16 in the meeting room at the San Rafael Corporate Center.  The late morning event included a delicious pot luck luncheon, presentation of awards to three Named Gift Honorees, announcement and presentation of college scholarships to recipients at College of Marin and Dominican University, a talk by EF Scholar Amna Khan, election of next year’s board, and a big thank you to the outgoing board.

Named Gift Awardees Honored at Luncheon

by Georgia Schall, EF Vice President

My thanks to Pat Hager and Chris O’Neill for helping me with the selection of this years Named Gift Honorees.  Our three recipients are all very deserving for all the hard work and service they give to our Branch.  All three women will continue on the board next year!  Please congratulate and thank them the next time you see them!

Ann Ocheltree has been an invaluable member of the branch since 1998.  She held the position of Sections VP for three years before becoming Membership VP last year and continues in that position.  She has been responsible for bringing in several new members!  She has a “can do” attitude and it shows with all the ways she helps out such as coordinating the Holiday Gift Wrapping and taking on the work of Nominating Committee Chair.  Thanks to her and her committee’s hard work, we have an almost complete Board for next year! 

Mary Mossteller has been a member and on the board since the late 90's.She has served as Sections VP and has been Section Leader for several groups.She has coordinated the Holiday Gift Wrapping for several years as well.The past five years she has served as Scholarship Chair where she instituted the Silent Auction at the Holiday Party increasing the revenue from about $ 800 the first year to over $ 4000 this past year!Mary also serves as a Director on the AAUW Marin Scholarship Fund Board which she helped start.This is Mary’s second time to be honored with this award!

Ann Thomas has been a committed member of AAUW since 1981. that time she has served AAUW Marin as co-president for 4 years, secretary, member of the Nominating Committee, section leader and was one of the original members of the Joan B Sinna Reading Group. She has managed the branch newsletter since 2002.  It takes a tremendous amount of work to put our Newsletter in the hands of all the members every month It’s her third time to be honored for this award!

2008 Branch College Scholarships Awarded

by Mary Mossteller

Our branch awarded college scholarships for $750 each to 2 very deserving students this year at our May 17 awards meeting.  Our local college scholarships are awarded to woman students pursuing a 4-year degree who are showing academic excellence, are active in their community, and have financial need. In addition, for the Ann Ruane Lubamersky AAUW scholarship at Dominican University, the student must be a re-entry student. Here are the inspiring life stories of this year’s recipients.

Jesse Klein, who recently completed her AA degree in Business from College of Marin (COM), was raised in the Philippines and came to the U.S after high school speaking limited English.  In a relatively short time, she mastered English and was hired by COM as the administrative assistant in the English as a Second Language  (ESL) office. Jesse has since also become fluent enough in Spanish to offer bi-lingual assistance to the ESL students. She works full-time while carrying a full course load and is graduating with a 3.8 GPA. Jesse helps support her mother and a handicapped niece in the Philippines and is married to Mike, who is also a student.  Jesse will be transferring to an Accounting Bachelor’s degree program at Sonoma State in the fall with a goal of becoming a CPA.  She is an active volunteer as a youth leader for her church’s youth group. As an effective listener and role model, she helps the youth understand that she/they could easily give up because of financial and family problems but dedication and positive outlook help her persist and be successful. According to her accounting professor, “Jesse has a strong sense of who she is and what she wants from life.  Students like Jesse make the profession of teaching a rewarding experience.  I have no doubt that she will become an outstanding member in the field of public accounting.”

Leona George-Davidson, a freshman student in Dominican’s Pathways program, was born in Brooklyn and first came to California at age 4.  She attended 14 schools by the time she graduated from Tam High in 1981.  Her mother developed cancer when Leona was 18 so she dropped her plans for further schooling at that time to help run the family bakery.  Leona’s life philosophy is that “people are good, and if we get to know each other and share our resources, we are more likely to care for a positive outcome for each other.” Putting this philosophy in practice, Leona and her husband Jeff set up a non-profit, Life Support Ministries, which provides opportunity for young people and their mentors to build homes in Mexico for families in need.  Over the last 11 years, they have sent 490 young people to build homes for 27 families.  Leona is also on the National Advisory Board for the Amor Ministries Mexico mission and is the owner of a small business where she helps others with clutter clearing, office organization and alleviating procrastination. Couldn’t we all use those skills? Leona has a 4.0 GPA and is majoring in Humanities and Cultural Studies.  She is excited to see where her college education will take her.  According to Professor Clow, Leona is “exceptionally bright, committed and hardworking with a strong dedication to excellence.  She is most deserving of this recognition of her academic and personal integrity”

After receiving the scholarships, both women sent follow-up thank you’s to the branch.

Jesse wrote, “I apologize for not being here (Jesse was in the Philippines on May17) to personally express my gratitude for this blessing. I am honored to be chosen for this award and I would like to commend your organization for making a way for women to pursue their educational goals and dreams.  Thank you again for making a difference in my life”

Leona wrote, “I am stilla warm fuzzy zone from the amazing awards luncheon this weekend and I am just beside myself with gratefulness. This scholarship is a wonderful boost, both financially and emotionally for me. I feel blessed and validated and cared for. I feelin a way that I have always wished for - not only financially but spiritually and intellectually as well.you!”

Ed Foundation/Legal Advocacy Fund Corner

by Georgia Schall, Education Foundation Vice President

Our speaker at the May 16 Luncheon was EF Fellow, Amna Khan, whose grant was partially funded by the EF Vera Shultz Named Grant.  These funds were all raised by the Southern Marin and Marin Branches.  Amna told us about her multi-ethnic background and various experiences leading to her decision to attend medical school including working as a woman’s health medical assistant, Spanish medical translator and a doula at a birthing center. 

There was not a dry eye in the room as she told us about her first days on her OB-GYN rotation.  Using her Spanish, she helped a young immigrant mother through labor, all the while knowing that there was no longer a heart beat for the newborn.  Amna has special skills and she is a new breed of medical student who is committed to becoming a comprehensive clinician that incorporates social justice, cultural humility and holistic care in the treatment of all her patients.

I am sad more of you were not able to hear Amna.  However, to give you a flavor of her presentation here is her version of the Hippocratic Oath which she wrote for herself:

"With my patients, I vow to not always know the answer, but I promise to search for it. I promise to always respect your personal experience of disease, keep an open mind, but most of all, reserve my preconceived notions in order to just listen.”

Amna continued, “Most astounding is that many patients have never truly been listened to and their stories filled with emotion can be just as painful as their physical manifestations of illness. I build my expertise in medicine upon the voices of those I have listened to carefully, as they have taught me the most important lessons."

 She thanked our branch for our support:  “Thank you again for such a lovely afternoon yesterday. My mother, sister and dear friend JaJa, had such a lovely time.  They wanted to spend more time with the AAUW ladies.  I must say, you have a wonderful Branch full of very kind women.  I was touched by all the special comments and will carry them with me as I move forward in training.”  Such a bright and caring person is exactly what our world needs and we can all be proud that our donations help her continue her studies and work!

Amna Khan is still accepting toothbrushes and other dental supplies for her July 11^th trip to El Salvador where she and a group of dedicated volunteers will train local community health workers about general oral health and evaluate the teeth of more than 500 children in one short week!  If you would like to help with this project, you may call her at (530) 400-1743 or mail donations of unused products to her at 3514 26^th Street Unit 2, San Francisco, CA 94110.

And speaking of donations, our EF/LAF fundraising campaign is in progress.  To make sure everyone who is willing has the time to contribute, we are extending the deadline to June 12^th!  I hope to hear from you soon!

Meet Me at the Movies: movie reviews by section members

Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul

by Susan Gilardi

Seven of us went to see Bab’Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul at the Rafael for our April movie.  It is a beautifully filmed movie shot in Tunisia and Iran about a blind, elderly dervish who takes his granddaughter across the desert to a legendary gathering of Sufis.  Along the way, he tells her a mystical tale to keep her entertained.

We found this film to be a window into an exotic, foreign world that both entranced and confused us.  It was a story of pilgrimage and journey.  An apt reference was made to the Canterbury Tales, where the pilgrims seem unconnected, but are united in their journey and each traveler has a story. 

The journey here is indeed spiritual.  The film is full of magical realism, mysticism, symbols and metaphor.  There are messages in the whole and in the parts, the individual stories, and in their interconnectedness with each other.  Parables in the Christian bible come to mind. 

Each pilgrim is searching for something beyond the once-every-thirty-years Gathering.  We watch in awe as the travelers cross the vast Sahara, a landscape harsh with both cold and heat, wind and grit, and yet seductively beautiful, with sensuous curving dunes evoking a female form.  We, like the spirited granddaughter, are eager for the continuation of the stories of Bab’Aziz and the young man searching for his love. 

Some of the messages are clear.  The grandfather doesn’t know exactly where or when the Gathering will take place, but believes, unshakably, that faith will lead him where he needs to go.  The prince in the sub-story gives up his kingdom for spiritual contemplation.  The most resonant message was that we all have a special task to fulfill and the rest is not important; if we think the rest important we won’t be able to fulfill our task. 

But some of the messages and symbols were less obvious, undoubtedly in large part because the culture, legends and religion portrayed in the movie are unfamiliar to us.  Does the scarab represent death, rebirth, or just a bug?  What was the significance of the gazelle?  The butterflies?  Was the “crazy” red-headed Sufi comparable to the “fool” in Western literature?  These were the subjects of a fascinating and lively post-movie discussion at Il Davide, where we are always treated so well.

We liked the outstanding cinematography, the feisty yet respectful granddaughter, the gentleness and beauty of the film, the sage and spiritual grandfather, the underlying messages of faith, interconnectedness, spiritual searching, and the glimpse of a very different culture.  Four of us gave the movie a 4 (out of 5), two gave it a 3 and one gave it a 1 for the lack of plot and confusing depth.  So, overall, we would recommend this film, but bring a friend or two, as the discussion afterwards is a satisfying part of the experience.

(To be on the email list to be notified about monthly movie outings, call section leaders Susan Gilardi, 924-1793, or Mary Mossteller, 924-3096.)

New AAUW Report Debunks So-Called 'Boys Crisis' In Education

AAUW’s long history of research and work for women’s equity

by Miki Lang

On May 20 AAUW released the most comprehensive analysis to date on trends by gender, race/ethnicity, and income in education. Where The Girls Are: The Facts About Gender Equity In Education shows that girls and boys from the fourth grade through the end of college are making steady educational gains. An analysis of all 50 states shows that girls are not succeeding at the expense of boys, and, in fact, family income is more closely associated with academics than gender.

The report presents a comprehensive look at girls' educational achievement during the past 35 years, paying special attention to the relationship between girls' and boys' progress. Analyses of results from national standardized tests, such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and SAT and ACT college entrance examinations, as well as other measures of educational achievement provide an overall picture of trends in gender equity from elementary school to college and beyond.

As we ask you to renew your membership in AAUW again for next year, I thought you might like to know where the major portion of your money goes. I was really surprised to learn at the recent AAUW-CA Convention how many research papers AAUW has funded since the seminal "Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America" published in the early 90's, which launched more than a decade of our activism on gender equity in education.

Tenure Denied: Cases of Sex Discrimination in Academia (2004). This report examines sex discrimination cases that were supported by the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund during the past 20 years and concludes with recommendations for female faculty and institutions of higher education.

Under the Microscope: A Decade of Gender Equity Projects in the Sciences (2004). This report analyzes more than 400 gender equity projects specifically aimed at increasing the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Women at Work (2003). This combines interview and survey data with recent U.S. census statistics to explore how women are faring in today’s work force and what their prospects are for future job success and security. An accompanying action guide helps AAUW members and others translate the research findings into action.

The Third Shift: Women Learning Online (2001). Through distance education, technology offers new opportunities for many women to achieve educational goals. This report explores why women pursue education; how they balance work, family, and education; and what would make distance learning easier for them, and makes recommendations for improvements.

Harassment-Free Hallways: How to Stop Sexual Harassment in School (2002). A resource guide for students, parents and educators developed by a task force the Education Foundation convened in response to findings in Hostile Hallways (2001).

Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing, and Sexual Harassment in School (2001). This report investigates sexual harassment in public schools through a nationally representative survey and compares the findings with AAUW's original 1993 survey <http://aauw.tranguard.com/>, exploring differences in responses by gender, race/ ethnicity, grade level, and area.

Beyond the "Gender Wars": A Conversation about Girls, Boys and Education (2001). This report offers key insights presented during a symposium of scholars who study both girls' and boys' experiences in and out of school. Participants share their insights about gender identity and difference, challenge popular views of girls' and boys' behavior, and explore the meaning of equitable education for the 21st century.

A License for Bias: Sex Discrimination, Schools, and Title IX (2000). This examines uneven efforts to implement the 1972 civil rights law that protects more that 66 million students and millions of employees from sex discrimination in schools and universities. The analysis of non-sports-related complaints filed between 1993 and 1997 pinpoints problems that hamper enforcement and includes recommendations from Congress, the Office for Civil Rights, and educational institutions.

Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can: Latinas in Schools (2000). U.S. schools do not meet the educational needs of America's fastest-growing female minority population -Latinas - according to this report which reviews the educational status and progress of Latinas in the United States.

Tech-Savvy: Education Girls in the New Computer Age (2000). Schools need to change the way information technology is used, applied, and taught in the nation's classrooms, according to this report.

Community Coalitions Manual with Lessons Learned from the Girls Can! Project (2000). A guide for establishing and sustaining effective coalition-based programs that covers volunteer recruitment, project planning, fundraising, and public relations, with contact information for more than 200 organizations and lessons from the Girls Can! Community Coalitions Project, a nationwide gender equity program.

Voices of a Generation: Teenage Girls on Sex, School and Self (1999). This compares the comments of roughly 2,100 girls nationwide on peer pressure, sexuality, the media, and school. Girls were 1997 and 1998 participants in AAUW teen forums called Sister-to-Sister Summits. The report explores differences in responses by race, ethnicity, and age.

Gaining a Foothold: Women's Transitions through Work and College (1999). This report examines how and why women make changes in their lives through education. The report profiles three groups - women going from high school to college, from high school to work, and from work back to formal education.

Gender Gaps: Where Schools Still Fail Our Children (1998). Based on findings of 1,000 research studies, this report reveals where public schools fail to meet the needs of girls and outlines recommendations to put all children on a path to high academic achievement.

Separated by Sex: A Critical Look at Single-Sex Education for Girls (1998). The foremost educational scholars on single-sex education in grades K-12 compared findings on whether girls learn better apart from boys. The report, including a summary of a forum convened by the AAUW Educational Foundation, challenges the popular idea that single-sex education is better for girls than coeducation.

Girls in the Middle: Working to Succeed in School (1996). A qualitative report that offers readers an incisive look at how adolescent girls experience middle school and achieve, as well as an understanding of how schools use various educational reforms to foster an equitable climate for student achievement.

Growing Smart: What's Working for Girls in School (1995). A literature review of more than 500 studies and reports, identifies themes and strategies that promote girls' achievement and healthy development in school.

How Schools Shortchange Girls (1992). This report offers a startling examination of how girls in grades K-12 receive an inferior education to boys in America's schools. The report includes concrete strategies for change and recommendations for educators and policymakers.

Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America (1991). A nationwide poll of students ages 9-15 examining the impact of gender on self-esteem, career aspirations, educational experiences, and interest in math and science.