AAUWCOLORADObulletin spring 2015

IN THIS ISSUE: STATE CONVENTION, 1-6. . .STATE OFFICER NOMINATIONS, 7-9. . .PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, 10. . .

LEGISLATIVE WATCH, 11-12. . .MEMBERSHIP MATTERS, 13. . .BRANCH NEWS, 14

INVITATION TO THE AAUW COLORADO STATE CONVENTION 2015

“AAUW Today and Tomorrow”

April 24 – 25, 2015 FORT COLLINS, CO

HIGHLIGHTS AND SPEAKERS:

Fort Collins Museum of Discovery - Tour and Reception

Stephanie A. Foote - President and CEO, Girl Scouts of Colorado

John Howe - Asst. Principal, Preston Middle School, STEM Summer Institutes

Diana Prieto – Exec. Dir./HR & Equal Opportunity/CSU Pay Equity Study

Kate C. Farrar - V.P., AAUW Campus Leadership Programs, AAUW Updates

Elsa Wolff - Amelia Earhart “Queen of the Air” Look for the registration form with more details about our exciting, upcoming convention! We’ll see you in Fort Collins! Locations: Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, 408 Mason Ct. Fort Collins, CO 80524 Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526

AAUW 2015 STATE CONVENTION

TENTATIVE PROGRAM SCHEDULE

April 24-25, 2015 Hosted by the Fort Collins Branch

Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Friday 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. State Executive Committee Meeting - Hilton 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. Registration – Museum of Discovery

4 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Fort Collins Museum of Discovery Tour 5 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Party Appetizers and Wine Reception Saturday Hilton Fort Collins 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Registration

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. State Board Meeting

9:10 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Welcome 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Stephanie Foote, CEO, Girl Scouts of Colorado 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 a.m. – 11:15 p.m. John Howe (Preston Middle School) w/Students 11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Diana Prieto - CSU Pay Equity Study 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch/Awards 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Kate Farrar, AAUW V. P. Campus Leadership Programs National Leader on Loan (LOL), AAUW Updates

2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. State Annual Business Meeting/Public Policy Announcements 3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Break 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Elsa Wolff - “Amelia Earhart, Queen of the Air” 4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Closing

REGISTRATION FOR AAUW-COLORADO STATE CONVENTION 2015 April 24 – 25, 2015

Hotel Information: Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road Please see hotel reservations listed on a separate page in this bulletin. Name____________________________________________________________ Address__________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip____________________________________________________ Phone________________________Email_______________________________ Please check: National______State________ Branch Name ________________ Is this your first CO State Convention? _________ Please list your present AAUW office (if any): National________________State________________Branch_______________ Please note any special accommodations, dietary restrictions, or assistance needed_________________________________________________________ I plan to attend the State Business Meeting on Saturday afternoon _________ Registration Fee (before April 10) $50_______ Registration Fee (after April 10) $60_______ Non-AAUW Member $60_______ Friday Evening $20_______ (Museum of Discovery Tour/Party Appetizers & Wine Reception) Evening on your own in Old Town; if you would like FC Branch escort to CSU Campus or Dinner, please circle one or both: Campus Dinner Saturday Lunch: $29 ______ (Cobb Salad w/Chicken/Rolls & Butter/Dessert/Iced Tea Water available all day with coffee and tea available in the morning.

TOTAL $________ Make checks payable to AAUW-Colorado and mail by April 10, 2015 to: Convention Registrar: Barb Slattenow 2700 Chaparral Drive Fort Collins, CO 80526 No refunds after April 17.

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State Convention Speakers, Saturday, April 25, 2015

Girl Scouts of Colorado named Stephanie A. Foote as President and CEO in May 2012. Since January 2012, Stephanie served Girl Scouts of Colorado in a volunteer capacity as Interim CEO. She was also Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Chair of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2012. Stephanie’s leadership has guided Girl Scouts of Colorado in increasing girl membership and cookie sale revenues. Stephanie is a lifelong Coloradan and has served as a leader of many statewide initiatives. Some of her most recent statewide appointments include chairing the board of Western State College of Colorado and serving as a board member of Colorado Tourism, Colorado Health Institute and the Colorado Ballet. Stephanie is also the current chair of the board of the Rose Community Foundation, the past board chair of the Metro YMCA and serves on the board of the Institute of International Education.

In the 1980s, Stephanie was elected to the Denver City Council for three terms and served as the President for two years. She was appointed in 1992 as Chief of Staff to Denver’s Mayor Wellington Webb, providing critical leadership during the building of Denver International Airport. Stephanie was the first female Deputy Mayor and Manager of Public Works for Denver. Stephanie wasn’t a Girl Scout growing up, but Girl Scouts of Colorado honored her for the positive example she sets for girls as a Girl Scout Woman of Distinction in 1999. John Howe is the Assistant Principal at Preston Middle School and the Founder and Director of The STEM Summer Institutes (www.steminstitutes.org) and co-directs the STEM Educator Symposium (www.stemsymposium.org). John has been an instrumental resource for many schools in building and sustaining a Lego Robotics Program. John was recognized by the Fort Collins Rotary Club as a Paul Harris Fellow for his dedication and commitment to furthering STEM education and was the Colorado Aerospace Education Teacher of the Year for Civil Air Patrol, Colorado Wing, and received the Federal Aviation Administration CO-WY Award. His most recent collaboration project, LIGHTS: 10^9, is featured at http://philanthropic-engineering.org and is an activity designed to help students learn while providing lights for places without reliable electricity after dark. John has presented at the local, state, national and international level on STEM education. His work has been published by Middle Ground featuring STEM education.

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State Convention Speakers, Saturday, April 25, 2015

Diana Prieto is the Executive Director for Human Resources and Equal Opportunity and Chief Human Resource Offi cer at Colorado State University. Prior to this appointment in January of 2014,

she was the Director of the Offi ce of Equal Opportunity at Colorado State. Before July 2010, Diana was the Director of the Offi ce of Institutional Equity at Purdue University, where she began her career in higher education as the As-sistant Director for Confl ict Resolution.

The Offi ce of Equal Opportunity at Colorado State University shares responsi-bility for the equity work at the University, including salary equity. Diana and the Offi ce of Equal Opportunity are active conducting analyses exploring equity in compensation and employment for faculty and staff at the University. Diana obtained her law degree from the Tulane University School of Law and her un-dergraduate degree in Economics and Spanish Literature from Smith College. Her passion, refl ected in her career choice, is equity and fairness.

Elsa Wolff has been a storyteller, singer, speaker, and living history presenter for over 10 years, giving dramatic performanc-es for audiences of all ages. She has a B.A. in German from Wil-lamette University and studied and lived in Germany from 1980-1985. She is married and the proud mother of four children. Wolff will captivate the audience with her personable portrayal of Amelia Earhart, aviation’s “Queen of the Air.”

Kate C. Farrar, Vice President of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Campus Leadership Programs guides the strategy and management of AAUW’s nationwide college women’s leadership programs, college/university relationships, and STEM programs for girls. Prior to assuming her current position, Farrar was the associate director of National Programs and Policy at Wider Op-portunities for Women in Washington, D.C. where she led the Family Economic Self-Suffi ciency Project (FESS), a nationwide project focused on policies and programs to move low-income families toward

economic independence. She also serves as President of the Women Under Forty Political Action Committee (WUFPAC), the only nonpartisan PAC in the country that supports young women running for offi ce. Kate is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale and was chosen as the sole U.S. representative at the 2014 Organization of Security and Cooperation in Eu-rope (OSCE) Youth Political Participation Forum. She was awarded the 2011 Women’s Information Network (WIN) Young Women of Achievement and her writing has been featured in The Huffi ngton Post and The Daily Muse.Prior to arriving in Washington, D.C., Kate lobbied the Connecticut state legislature on behalf of nonprofi t organizations. She also served as a fi eld organizer in Wisconsin for the 2004 Presidential campaign. Kate earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Connecticut and a master’s in public administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University.

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Phone (970) 494-2947 425 W Prospect Road Fax (970) 224-9209 Fort Collins, CO 80526

Welcome to the Hilton Fort Collins!

Colorado 2015 State Convention

American Association of University Women Please complete the information below to reserve your hotel room:

Name (Last, First):

Street Address:

City: State: Zip Code:

Phone: Fax: Email: _________________________

Arrival Date: Departure Date: Estimated Time of Arrival: *Discounted room rates are available on April 24, 2015. If you require dates outside of this, please state so above in arrival and departure dates.

Please designate below your choice of rooms: Qty Standard Rooms Qty Standard Rooms WITH BREAKFAST BUFFET 1 person, 1 bed- $109.00/night 1 person, 1 bed- $119.00/night 2 people, 1 bed- $109.00/night 2 people, 1 bed- $129.00/night 2 people, 2 beds- $109.00/night 2 people, 2 beds- $129.00/night 3 people, 2 beds- $119.00/night 3 people, 2 beds- $139.00/night 4 people, 2 beds- $129.00/night 4 people, 2 beds- $149.00/night

CHECK-IN TIME: 3:00 P.M. CHECK-OUT TIME: 12:00 P.M. GUARANTEE Credit card must be provided as guarantee:

Card Type Account Number Exp. Date Name on Card: Signature:_____________________________________ *Credit Card will be held as a guarantee only. You may change the form of payment upon arrival. Personal checks are not accepted.

RESERVATION DEADLINE: March 25, 2015 Rooms are available on a first come first serve basis

FOR RESERVATIONS PLEASE CALL,

OR COMPLETE AND EMAIL, FAX, OR MAIL BACK THIS FORM: Kimberly Riggs

970-494-2947 Fax 970-224-9209

Kimberly.Riggs@JQH.com

425 West Prospect Road Fort Collins, CO 80526

You may also use the link below to book your reservation. https://resweb.passkey.com/go/AAUW2015

CANCELLATION/CHANGE POLICY: Cancellations made within 24 hours of arrival will forfeit one night's room and tax.

THE SLATE OF OFFICER NOMINATIONS RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED BY THE COLORADO AAUW NOMINATING COMMITTEE, 2015.

“Elected officers shall serve for a term of two years or until their successors have been elected and

assume office. The term of each officer shall begin on July 1.” I. President-Elect:

Amy Blackwell - ● Amy Blackwell (AA, Craven Community College; BS Biology, BA & MA

History, University of Houston) will complete her four-year term on the AAUW Board of Directors in June 2015.

● She has served AAUW Colorado as Public Policy Co-Director, Lobby Corps Coordinator, Voter Ed Co-Director, and Website/Social Media Administrator.

● A past member of the Lakewood branch who served as EF chair, Public Policy Chair, and Co-President, Amy was also a member of the Douglas County branch, where she served as Public Policy Chair.

● Now a member of the Colorado eNetwork branch, Blackwell owns and operates Blackwell Communications LLC and recently joined the Colorado Women's Chamber of Commerce.

● Last year Governor Hickenlooper appointed Amy as a public member of the Colorado State Board of Licensed Professional Counselor Examiners -- one of the state's mental health boards, for which she serves as vice chair.

II. Program Development, Co Vice-Presidents:

Sarah Behm – ● Member of Boulder branch since 1999 and holds dual membership in Longmont

branch. ● Currently holds degrees in veterinary medicine (DVM) and an MBA and is an

alumna of CU Boulder, CSU Ft. Collins, and UMass, Amherst. ● At the branch level, she has served in publicity, on the budget committee, as

Membership Co-Chair and currently as branch President and Volunteer Coordinator for the branch's 2015 STEM conference, EYH.

● At the state level, she has served on the Nominating Committee and is the current Nominating Committee Chair.

● Awarded the Young Leader award in 2003 (now the Judith Sanderson Young Leadership Award).

● Community activities include: internship at Senator Mark Udall's Denver office in 2012 and on his 2014 midterm campaign, grants intern at Casa de la Esperanza, Wildlife Masters through Boulder county and election resolution judge for Boulder county.

● Ailurophile extraordinaire.

Linda Groth – ● She is a member of the Boulder Branch and has a B.S. in Accounting. ● She has been a member of AAUW since 1987 and has worked professionally in

Denver and Washington D.C.

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AAUW National Convention June 18-21

San Diego, CANow is the time to register for the AAUW National Convention to be held in San Diego, California,

June 18-21. Until March 31 you can take advantage of the early bird registration fee, after March 31 the registration fee increases. It’s easy to register on line and you can also fi nd hotel and other travel informa-

tion there as well.

This is a great opportunity to participate in a variety of workshops on topics of interest to AAUW members. It’s also an opportunity to hear updates from AAUW. Join those of us that have already registered for a great

networking and learning opportunity.

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from the president. . .In February we had a great Public Policy Day, thanks to Diane Fuchs and Betty Boyd, Co-Direc-tors of Public Policy and their committee. We had great attendance on a very spring like day.

Coming up next is our State Convention hosted this year by the Fort Collins Branch, April 24-25. Look for information and the registration form in this issue of the Bulletin. I hope that many of you will considering joining us for this inspiring event. The Annual State Business meeting will also be held on Saturday, where we will be electing new offi cers. Please see the Nominating Committee’s report in this issue as well.

Many thanks to the Nominating Committee for their hard work recruiting candidates for election this spring. I know that they made many phone calls and sent many emails to identify and recruit this year’s candidates.

This spring you will also have the opportunity to vote in the AAUW National Election. This is your opportunity to infl u-ence the future direction of AAUW. Look for your Voter’s Guide in the Spring Outlook.

There is also still time to register to attend the AAUW National Convention to be held in San Diego, June 18 -21. The convention offers some great workshops and speakers, as well as updates on AAUW.

Lastly, the Fall Leadership Conference will again be held at Lion Square Lodge in Vail, August 28-29. Hotel reserva-tion information is included in this issue and registration and additional information will be in the next issue of the state Bulletin. Branch offi cers should plan to attend this event, but all are welcome.

Marilyn ZimmermanPresident

FALL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCEThe Fall Leadership Conference will be held at Lion Square Lodge in Vail, CO, Friday, August 28 and Satur-day, August 29. The schedule and complete conference information and registration will be in the next issue of the AAUW Colorado Bulletin.

The Leadership Conference is a great opportunity for branch and state offi cers to meet and work together on common issues. Plan to bring your branch offi cers to this event.

Room reservations should be made early and can be made now by calling Lion Square Lodge at 1-800-525-1123 and indicate that you are with the “AAUW Fall Leadership Retreat” Group. Group rates are not available with on-line res-ervations. Reservations at the group rate are available for up to 2 days prior and 2 days after our conference on a space available basis. Room reservations for the conference must be made prior to July 28, but preferably by June 27.

Group Room Rates are as follows: Lodge Room (1 or 2 beds): $130 per night One Bedroom Condo (1 or 2 beds): $170 per night One Bedroom with a Loft Condo (3 beds, 2 baths): $230 per night

Lodge Rooms have a mini-frig and coffeemaker and condos have full kitchens and living rooms. All rooms have complementary internet access.

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AAAUW Colorado Stances on Select 2015 State Bills

This information is current as of 3/2/2015. For up-to-date bill statuses, please visit the Colorado General Assembly website. www.leg.state.co.us

Actively Support (volunteer lobbying & constituent mobilization as needed)

HB15-1194 (Authorize General Fund Dollars For LARC Services) HB15-1220 (Campus Sexual Assault Victim Medical Care)

Actively Oppose (volunteer lobbying & constituent mobilization as needed)

SB15-045 (Tax Credits For Nonpublic Education) SB15-069 (Repeal Job Protection Civil Rights Enforcement Act) SB15-070 (Child Care Regulation Ten Or More Children Only): postponed indefinitely — bill dead SB15-077 (Parent’s Bill of Rights) HB15-1041 (Protect Human Life at Conception): postponed indefinitely — bill dead HB15-1112 (Born-alive Infant Protection Act) HB15-1128 (Women’s Health Protection Act): postponed indefinitely — bill dead HB15-1161 (Public Accommodation First Amendment Rights) HB15-1162 (Ban Sex-selection Abortions) HB15-1171 (State Freedom Of Conscience Protection Act) HB15-1172 (Repeal Punitive Damages Employment Discrimination): postponed indefinitely — bill dead

Watch (no action taken unless AAUW Colorado changes its stance)

SB15-117 (Prohibit Discrimination In Higher Ed Funding) SB15-132 (Empower Students In Higher Education Funding): postponed indefinitely — bill dead

Support (stance taken but no volunteer lobbying or constituent mobilization)

SB15-030 (Prostitution Defense for Human Trafficking Victim) SB15-128 (Medical Reports of Alleged Sexual Assaults) SB15-1019 (Victims of Human Trafficking & Prostitution) SB15-1029 (Funding for Full-day Kindergarten) HB15-1024 (Increasing Number Of CO Preschool Program Students) HB15-1027 (In-state Tuition American Indian Tribe Ties to CO) HB15-1061 (No Record Sealing Municipal Domestic Violence) HB15-1079 (Teen Pregnancy Dropout Prevention Program Funding) HB15-1100 (Sales Tax Revenue To Older Coloradans Cash Fund) HB15-1111 (Maternal Mortality Prevention Act) HB15-1133 (Continue Colorado Pay Equity Commission) HB15-1164 (Postponement of Jury Service for Breast-feeding) HB15-1170 (Increasing Postsecondary And Workforce Readiness) HB15-1174 (Information Protections Domestic Violence Victims)

Oppose (stance taken by no volunteer lobbying or constituent mobilization)

HB15-1140 (Same Day Voter Registration With Photo ID): postponed indefinitely — bill dead HB15-1169 (Photo ID For Same Day Voter Registration): postponed indefinitely — bill dead

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Want to help AAUW Colorado raise its powerful advocacy voice? Join our volunteer lobby corps! Get all the details from AAUW Colorado Lobby Corps Coordinator Amy Blackwell at cell 303-710-2031 or ae_blackwell@yahoo.com.

Couldn’t attend or want to refresh your memory? Review 2015 Public Policy Day presentations on the Advocacy page of the AAUW Colorado website. Visit aauw-co.aauw.net today!

Be an AAUW Two-Minute Activist! Sign up for free today. http://www.aauw.org/actionnetwork

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Public Policy Day attendees travel from Birth to Bachelor’s and Beyond

On February 6, for the 36th year, we welcomed 131 attendees to our most well attended and anticipated Colorado AAUW event. Marilyn Zimmerman issued an opening welcome to all attendees, including six college students from Metropolitan State University. Kate Thomas, an AAUW national advisory board member, was in attendance and she is initiating a student affi liate branch at Metro State University. These six college students were able to attend our Public Policy Day through the generous contributions of AAUW members to Public Policy scholarships. Thanks go to these members for promoting the attendance to this event by college women, the continuing future of AAUW.

The former fi rst lady of Colorado, Jeannie Ritter, gave an overview of the status of “Mental Health Care in Colorado”. The following presenters were Stacy Buchanan, VP of Information Strategy at Qualistar Colorado, and Tracey Stewart, principal at Colorado Impact, who shared the state of “Child Care in Colorado”. Before lunch, Amy Blackwell presented the status on the bills in the Colorado State Legislature. According to the 98 evaluations, this was most appreciated by the attendees. Claire Levy, former representative in the Colorado House, and Henry Sobanet, Director of the Offi ce of State Planning and Budgeting; presented an extremely informative session on the situation of “Higher Education Funding in Colorado”. All of our speakers received excellent reviews according to our evaluations. Amy Blackwell has posted presentation slides on the AAUW Colorado website. What impressed me the most was how passionate and well informed all these speakers were in regards to the topics we, the Public Policy Committee, had asked them to address.

The Public Policy Committee is made up of the following AAUW members from around the state: Amy Blackwell, Betty Boyd, Georgina Burns, Diane Fuchs, Elaine Gardner, Mary Hassler, Betsy Loague, Sally Mathewson, Barbara McDaniel, Diane Norten, Connie Paeglow, Debra Parcheta, Rhonda Parmley, Joan Peterson, Lindy Reed, and Gail Wilson. A huge thank you goes to all members of the committee for contacting and arranging speakers. The ideas for Public Policy programs come from the evaluation forms turned in at the end of the event and other interested members letting us know what topics they would like to hear about. If you have ideas for next year’s topics and speak-ers, please let one of the committee members know or contact me, Diane Fuchs, at hdfuchs@msn.com. The committee will be meeting in June or July to begin the process of planning the 2016 AAUW Public Policy Day. The Marriott Denver South has been reserved for the next Public Policy Day to be held on February 6, 2016.

Diane FuchsColorado AAUW Public Policy Co-Director

MEMBERSHIP Matters...

Glad you are with us, Fellow Members! In March we recognize Women and celebrate International Women’s Day. How far we have come and the many opportunities we have! Our member-ship matters in privilege to ourselves and opportunity to do for others what many before have done for us.

Do use your membership privilege and look at the AAUW national ballot, review the issues and candidates and vote either electronically or by anticipating your need to request a ballot to send in. One topic to be voted on is whether to eliminate the de-gree requirement for membership in AAUW. Be a part of the de-cision on that issue. http://www.aauw.org/fi les/2015/01/2015-AAUW-National-Election-Voter-Guide-nsa.pdf

April 15–June 19 —VOTE Help your fellow members vote in the AAUW National Election. Bring your laptop or tablet to your meetings, and ask others to vote too!

Renew your membership any time after March 16. Will you invite a friend to join with you at the same time? Their membership will last as yours does to July 1, 2016.

Celebrate the success of a graduate with a free gift of national membership. Think of interns or student teachers you know, neighbors or family members who graduated within the past 2 years. They are eligible for our Give a Grad a Gift Campaign http://www.aauw.org/resource/give-a-grad-a-gift/. And do follow up with them. We want them to know the value of their membership. Share a meeting with them. Ask them how it was for them.

We value your membership and your participation. Membership matters!

Colorado AAUW Membership Co-ChairsStormy McDonald Danielle Norrisstormy.mcdonald@yahoo.com info@daniellenorris.com

(303) 526-8833 (719) 201-2425

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AAUW 2015 National Election:One Member, One Vote

AAUW members will soon be receiving their Spring Outlook. This issue will include a complete guide for voting in the upcoming AAUW National Election. On line voting will begin on April 15 and con-tinue until June 19.

The voter’s guide will provide you will all the information you will need to vote on changes to AAUW’s Public Policy, Bylaws amendments and the election of national board members.

It is important to review the guide thoroughly so you can make decisions that you feel will benefi t AAUW. Take the time to review the candidate information and select those candidates that you feel can best serve the organization as well as represent members and branches across the country. Before voting, be prepared. Know how you will be voting on policy changes and bylaws amendments and which candidates you will support.

If you would like to review the information early it can all be found on the AAUW website now.

To vote on line, you will need your AAUW Member ID which will be located in the address section of your Outlook as well as the Pin # assigned to you for voting.

Paper ballots can be requested by following the instructions included in the Voter Guide.

To enable our members to vote we will have some laptop computers available at our State Convention and members available to help you complete your on line ballot. In order to place your on line vote at the State Convention, you will need your Member ID and Pin number from your Outlook magazine. You should also come prepared by reviewing the voter guide prior to the convention and determining how you will vote on policy changes and by laws amendments, as well identifying the candidates for the national board that you feel will best represent the organization.

Remember this is your opportunity to have a voice in the future of AAUW.

eNetwork Summer Book Club—online!!We need your suggestions for books related to inspiring young women! Announcing the 3rd annual Summer Book Club, hosted online by the Colorado eNetwork branch. How does it work? We pick 3-4 titles to read; then, we host an online discussion or chat each month. You can choose to read one or all of the titles; we’ll design the discussion–both online and via social media–so that you don’t have to read (or fi nish) the book to participate. Check in on upcoming titles and dates at the Colorado eNetwork Books Blog, http://co-virtual.aauw.net/blog/, and sign up for updates at http://co-virtual.aauw.net

Have an idea for a book you’d love to discuss? Email COeNetworkAAUW@gmail.com with your ideas! Are you a

Goodreads user? Search for AAUW Colorado eNetwork and recommend a title for our Summer Book Club.

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branchesGunnisonThe Gunnison Branch would like to congratulate our member Edith Cranor-Buck and her colleague Shelly Read, professors at Western State Colo-rado University, for the recognition of their program PRIME--Promoting Readiness in Mathematics and English by the Colorado Department of Higher Education. CDHE was looking for programs within the Colorado higher education schools that in particular improve new student success in staying in school and graduation. PRIME has great retention numbers and graduation rates, despite the fact that these students usually take longer than 4 years to graduate. Their PRIME students are non-traditional and/or 1st generation college students and/or English Language Learners or English as a second or third language for them. PRIME is a program that is STEM based allowing students from PRIME to transition into the next math in the STEM sequence which is College Algebra, which is the gateway to every Stem program on campus.

LovelandLoveland branch members have been busy this spring. Linda French, one of our members who was a winner of the national AAUW art contest last year again has a picture in this year’s contest. Congratulations, Linda! Our fundraising committees have been meeting to plan the May Flower Sale and next fall’s Conversations with Authors. The Scholarship Committee is getting ready to put out information about applications for a graduate scholarship – the winner to be announced in May. In addition three excellent mission based programs are happening. We have had Heather Lelchook, director of the Aims Community College location in Loveland, speak to us about Women in Community Colleges – personalizing it to the Loveland location. We have had the Chief Human Resource Offi cer at CSU, Diana Prietro, speak to us about “An Ever Expanding Title IX.” This month we are sponsoring, with many other collaborators, a child care issues forum for the community. It will be held March 23 from 5:30 – 7 pm in the Loveland Museum/Gallery downstairs room. We were very pleased to receive a Eugenia McClure Grant in order to sponsor this event. Finally, we tabled at an International Day of the Woman event at the University of Northern Colorado on March 2. Eugenie Mukeshemana, Rwandan Genocide Survivor and now leading voice for Rwandan women, keynoted the event. We recently voted to host the 2016 State Convention in Loveland so will soon begin planning for that.

AuroraA few of our members have been honored and will be honored for their work in the Aurora community. Longtime member, Sue Bodis, who has also served on the AAUW Colorado Board, was selected to be an inductee in the Aurora Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be on Saturday, March 21. The Aurora Chamber of Commerce awarded Jane McGrath with a Community Leadership award and Arapahoe County Commssioner Nancy Jackson as their Woman of the Year. In February, Jane McGrath and Lynne Evans were honored at the Aurora Chamber of Commerce Women In Business Luncheon as “Unsung Heroes” for their work in the Aurora community. We are proud to say that our AAUW members are doing good work in Aurora!

LongmontThe Longmont Branch enjoyed our annual Happy Hour and Theatre Night on Saturday, March 14. Members and guests gathered for pre-show cocktails and appetizers before enjoying a performance of Urinetown at the Longmont Theatre. The Spring Fling on May16, our fi nal branch event, is our brunch and an-nual business meeting where we award our local scholarships and community action grants.

BoulderBoulder branch recently hosted its 20th annual STEM conference, EYH (Expanding Your Horizons) on February 28. Although recent storms threatened to cancel the event, the day brought good weather and a nearly full capacity of student attendance. We had many qualifi ed presenters this year from Seagate, various CU Boulder and CSU laboratories, NCAR, LASP, HOLA Foundation, UCDenver, Ball Aerospace, Hewlett-Packard, and the Denver Zoo teaching in the 25 workshops offered. This year, thanks to postdoc Tess Eidem, EYH also had many interested graduate students from several regional universities who helped in many different capacities, including acting as workshop assistants and presenters.

Fifty volunteers representing AAUW (Boulder, Longmont, and Lakewood branches), Zonta, grad students from CU Boulder and CSU and others pitched in to make this another successful event. Anna Vinton organized college guides to act as chaperones for groups of girls attending each workshop. AAUW Boulder is fortunate to have a dedicated group of knowledgeable volunteers who have helped at EYH for many years and are key to making this popular conference run smoothly Graduate student visitors from the School of Mines in Golden – Rania Eldam and Dayna Jacobs – came by for the day as observers, to make professional connections with some of those participating at the event, and to assist wherever they were needed. In addition to student programs, EYH also provides opportunities for adults and parents to learn about psycho-social aspects of adolescent development, as well as funding for college. Boulder AAUW member Barbara Kostanick presented part of the lecture on funding a college education and has contributed her knowledge on this topic for several years.Many long-term sponsors, including AAUW members from Lakewood and several other branches, the Colby family, NCAR, Seagate, and UCAR, have made another year of EYH fi nancially possible. Boulder branch extends its gratitude to all of these for investing in the education of students and the mission statement of AAUW.

Ft. CollinsAAUW Fort Collins Branch is honored to host the AAUW Colorado State Convention 2015 on April 24-25. A great opportunity each year to be gathered together, network, and bring back information/ideas from sessions to our individual branches. It is the branch’s hope that all branches in the state will be represented along with attendance at business meetings and the entire program organized by Elnore and Laurel, VPs of Program Development. Fort Collins Branch members are anxiously awaiting your arrival in Fort Collins, being hosts at the Museum of Discovery for the tour/reception, escorts for the evening if you wish, and being there for you all day on Saturday.

AAUW Colorado Bulletin Anita Bemis, Editor, anitabemis@aol.com

Find out the latest news about Colorado AAUW at http://aauw-co.aauw.net

Looking Ahead in 2015:

March, 2015 Women’s History MonthApril 9-11 State Science Fair, CSUApril 14 Equal Pay DayApril 15-June 19 AAUW National Election VotingApril 24-25 Colorado AAUW State Convention, Ft. CollinsJune 18-21 National Convention, San Diego CAAugust 28-29 Fall Leadership Conference, Vail

Photos courtesy Debi Parcheta

Images of Public Policy Day 2015