Topics include:

• Reminder to report your branch officers
• Reminder to send in your state dues
• Check the information on the fall meeting and plan to attend
• Info to watch for as AAUW NC interviewers prepare to call all the branches

Karla and Lill want to know that the branch presidents have received this message and they’ve asked everyone to confirm receipt. If you know your branch president is away for an extended period, please do let Karla/Lill know that.

Click here to download July 2010 Letter to Branch Presidents

Registration: $15.

Registration form for AAUW NC Fall Meeting:

• Printable form (PDF)
• Online form (accepts online payment or you can print this and send a check)

Questions: Contact Lill Van Order or Karla Atkinson (contact info).

Location

Hampton Inn Greensboro-Airport
7803 National Service Road, Greensboro, North Carolina 27409
336-605-5500, Fax: 336-605-0686
Room Rate: $69 + tax Hot breakfast is included with the room.

Check in time: 3 pm/Check out time: 12 Noon
They are holding 10 rooms for Friday, September 24. You must identify AAUW North Carolina when making your reservation. Reservation deadline is 9/15/10.

Directions

From I-40: Take Exit 210 to Hwy 68 South; right on Thorndike Road for one block, then right onto National Service Road. The hotel is the last one on the left. Please note that none of the Blue Hotel Signs on the highway have the Hampton Inn listed. (When exiting I-40 — from either east or west — make sure that you are in the far right hand lane. This will position you for your entrance onto Hwy 68 south.)

Meals

Friday Night: Dinner will be “on your own,” though we are encouraging everyone to eat as a group together at the Moose Cafe, about five minutes from the Hampton Inn at the Piedmont/Triad Farmer’s Market. Close by restaurants for Friday night include FATZ, Ruby Tuesdays, and McAllisters.
At the Moose Cafe the meals start with sandwiches at about $3 and go to their meals that are $8.99. There are a couple of vegetarian choices on the menu. We might get them to do their shrimp on the grill.

Saturday Breakfast: Pastry, fruit and juice will be provided for those not staying at the hotel.
Saturday Lunch: Lunch is included with registration and will be catered (probably box lunch).

View Larger Map

A: Hampton Inn, B: Moose Cafe. See the larger map to get personalized directions or to zoom in on either location.

•  Summer 2010 Tar Heel News (pdf)

It includes information on the September 24/25 AAUW NC meeting, branch news, convention recap, and more.

Some issues from last year’s 2009 Women’s Agenda (presented  by NC Women United at its 2009 Advocacy Day) are still pending. Use NCWU’s virtual advocacy system to write to your legislator — particularly on one of the issues that AAUW NC endorsed (see www.aauwnc.org/advocacy for the status of those issues and links to talking points).

• Write your NC legislators via NCWU virtual advocacy system

•  AAUW NC Contributions to AAUW: 2009

In particular, kudos to Brevard for the highest total contribution ($5780) and to Statesville for the highest per capita contribution ($49).

Reminder: AAUW changed its structure as of July 1. The AAUW Educational Foundation funds are now part of the AAUW funds, and, in particular the “Educational Opportunities Fund” includes the fellowships and grants program. Contributions to the Association before July 1 and undesignated contributions to AAUW after July 1 are both listed as “AAUW” in this report even though the former was to the 501(c)(4) and the latter is to the 501(c)(3).

AAUW NC 2010 Convention Evaluation.

If you left Charlotte without returning the form, please do print it out and return it to the address on the form. If it’s more convenient you may also send your comments in e-mail to Karla Atkinson (see contact list).

With a vote on April 16, the board recommended a minor change to the wording in the noticed language — changing “Each voting member in good standing” to “Each member in good standing”. This modified language was what was presented for a vote, and the minutes will show that it was approved by the necessary 2/3 of those voting (under the old rules).

This replaced the language in Article XII, Section 2, paragraph (a) with new language, made paragraph (b) of that section redundant, and led to an editorial change in paragraph (c): changing “delegate” to “member” and renumbering paragraph (c) as Section 3.

The AAUW governance committee had made comments on the earlier version, and where their comments were purely editorial, they were incorporated in this version of the bylaws. The administration committee is presenting this document for review and concurrence. If you have any questions, comments or corrections, please contact info@aauwnc.org.

• October 2009 bylaws
• Difference document showing changes to October 2009 bylaws
• Proposed April 2010 bylaws 

• Revisit references to IFUW
• Clarify recording of interim votes
• Revisit how dues for national members joining the state are set
• Document the staggered terms of the officers (Secretary, Membership VP in even years; President-elect, Treasurer, Program VP in odd years; with President-elect assuming the presidency after a one-year term)
• Revisit the definition of a quorum of the board
• Revisit the language describing how branch presidents and officers may designate a replacement at the board meeting
• Revisit the section on indemnification for conformance to state law and best practice.

Since some of these changes will be moot given other changes that may be considered, there is no urgency to include them at this time.

A delegation of several members participated in the March 11 NC Women United “Member Showcase,” and event designed to help members of the public and the members of individual organizations learn more about the programs and priorities of the “membership” organizations that are part of the NCWU coalition.

AAUW’s table highlighted:

• Advocacy  - we used the national public policy brochure with an insert giving the status of AAUW NC priorities for the 2009-2010 legislative session.
• Research - we had a summary of AAUW research and pre-release information on the new report Why So Few?
• Membership - Join us! as a national member or through AAUW NC and its Tar Heel Branch that serves the entire state

Another table highlighted the National Girls Collaborative Project.

1. AAUW NC participated in the first NC Women United (NCWU) Showcase event held March 11, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel RTP.  AAUW NC is a member of NCWU.  The event gave the NCWU member organizations an opportunity to network and to learn more about each other’s missions and priorities and to raise awareness of NCWU and its programs such as the Women’s Agenda Assembly and Women’s Advocacy Day. AAUW NC was one of the event sponsors with a $250 contribution and had a display table with AAUW literature for distribution.  AAUW attendees included Nancy Shoemaker, Sheila Bassoppo-Moyo,  Elaine Ostrowski, Mary Fran Schickedantz, Doris Bernlohr, Denny McGuire, Sue Mengert, Sue Metz, M. Cookie Newsom, Michelle Evans and Sonya Stafford.
2. The Executive Committee approved AAUW NC signing on to a letter sent by Planned Parenthood Central NC to county commissioners across the state opposing a recent movement to remove coverage for elective abortions from county health care plans.  Support for this matter is in conformance with the AAUW Public Policy Program which advocates for “Choice in the determination of one’s reproductive life.”
3. Equal Pay day is scheduled for April 20 which is the symbolic day when women’s wages catch up to men’s wages from the year before.   AAUW has several resources available to branches to download to help mark the day including Pay Equity Resource Kit, Equal Pay Day Program in a Box, and  AAUW “Women at a Discount” posters and stickers for use at AAUW events and meetings.  All branches were contacted by e-mail to remind them of the day and how to access these resources.
4. I participated in a conference call on March 16 with the AAUW staff and state public policy committee members from across the country to review AAUW resources available to promote public policy priorities at the grassroots level.
5. As approved in a prior Board meeting, an insert was developed for the 2009-2011 AAUW Public Policy brochure which provides information on North Carolina legislation supported by AAUW NC.  Thanks to Nancy Shoemaker for developing the insert.  The brochure with insert is available to attendees of the AAUW NC Convention in Charlotte.
6. AAUW NC will participate in NCWU’s Women’s Advocacy Day Program in connection with the short session of the NC Legislature which will begin meeting in May.  NCWU is considering alternatives to meeting in Raleigh on a specific day this year, such as having a virtual advocacy day or partnering with other organizations that are planning their own Advocacy Days.
7. In my role as Public Policy Chair, I attended AAUW Raleigh Branch meeting in January at their invitation to discuss the AAUW Public Policy Program and how the membership can participate in advocating for it.