I doubt that any of us will forget where we were when we heard the horrific news on September 11. In a bizarre twist of fate, I was on my way to the airport to return to Tampa, only to hear on the radio half-way there, what had happened and that all US airports had been closed. This was an appalling act of violence, and all of Florida AAUW mourns the innocent victims and feels profound sympathy for their families and friends who must cope with such a senseless loss.

Since returning to Tampa, I am comforted by mindless activities – I’ve ironed, cleaned, painted a bedroom, read guzillion books, and played stupid computer games for hours on end. Anything to escape the horror. Today, however, the deadline is upon me for this Update, and as I write I begin to feel re-energized.

The events of September 11th will forever change the texture of our society – in ways we can’t even imagine. One of the short-term changes has already been a heightened sense of community. As we begin to get our lives back to some kind of normalcy (whatever that means anymore), let’s embrace that sense of community in our AAUW activities – whether it’s holding Interbranch meetings, planning meetings and activities with other branches, or planning programming that reaches out to those outside AAUW who need us most. Now might be a good time to call your PACE Centers or other girls’ programs and offer to set up informal chat sessions about what has happened in our country. The same would be true for Women-to-Women dialogues, or even inter-branch discussions. This is a time to share our insecurities and fears.

As amazing and gratifying as it is to see our Congress put aside partisan politics, they have reached this unity over one issue: eliminating terrorism in the world. For a while, at least, domestic, especially social, issues will be put on the back burner. It is more important than ever, then, that AAUW maintain a concerted focus on educational, personal, and professional equity.

This is a trying time, and it will be difficult to get back to business as usual. Be good to yourselves and to each other. We all handle tragedy and stress differently – your membership might seem unnaturally irritable or emotional – or even agoraphobic for a while. Give each other “space”, and then gradually, let’s go to work. There’s lots to do out there!

Leslie

AAUW supports the President in his war against terrorism. We recognize that we have begun a war unlike any waged before. We are not fighting an easily identified enemy, but a network that lives in the shadows and employs violence as a weapon to further their goal of a world constantly in conflict. New means must be employed and powers altered, but in doing so we must also reconcile the requirement of security with the demands of liberty.

As we move beyond the overwhelming emotions over last week’s terrorist attacks, we begin the difficult job of securing our nation and seeking justice. Time and again, America has proven that we are a resilient nation, and as we have so many times before, we will rebuild our communities and restore our faith in democracy. In this time of national crisis, we must ensure that those vital efforts are not undertaken at the expense of the freedom and liberty that are the hallmark of our democratic society.

AAUW has long championed the expansion of hate crime protections; today we call on all Americans to resist the urge to target people because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or appearance. Already we are hearing reports of people targeted for violence because they are perceived to be Arab or Muslim. Such attacks have no place in our society; indeed such hateful expression would mean that the terrorist assault continues to tally its score. p> Today, we stand in solidarity with a broad coalition of organizations. Some of these groups have never before shared a political podium. Yet, in this time of national crisis we have come together to offer our political leaders the guidance and support they need to fulfill the difficult task of providing for our national security while protecting our democratic institutions. Incorporating these guidelines will ensure that our nation emerges stronger than ever from this crisis and that we will continue to serve as a beacon of liberty to the world.

The new census data force us to re-visit a question the Supreme Court tried to deal with following the recent Presidential elections. How do we ensure that our state legislature protects the one citizen-one vote rule? This rule means, essentially, that every voter in the state has an equal say in electing his or her legislators. How do we divide up the state so that every registered voter gets a fair shake?

Nearly 200 years ago, in 1812, Eldridge Gerry carved out a district north of Boston so artfully that it looked like a salamander. The editorial cartoonists of the day called it a Gerrymander. Admiring legislators have followed his example faithfully ever since. Our legislators make all the changes in terms of their own redistricting. Should we be surprised that they want to make it as easy as possible to get themselves re-elected?

What can be done about this? The State Legislature is holding redistricting hearing all over the state. They state they want to know what we think and ask the public to come and speak. Public Policy chairs or Branch Presidents can attend and speak to this issue. You may also submit recommendations in writing.

Your State Public Policy Director stood up and was counted on behalf of AAUW on September 5, 2001. She spoke at the State Legislature redistricting hearing and asked the legislators to maintain a compact county for the best interest of the community and pointed out this should be done throughout the state. She stated that in her community there was a small portion of the county that voted for a different State Senator and many voters didn’t know who their candidate was on election day. This happened because of gerrymandering by self interest groups. At the Women’s Consortium in Tallahassee AAUW members attended the Reapportion Committee meeting. Legislators are instructed by computer experts on how a simple click of the computer mouse could get information on how may Republicans, Democrats or Independents were in a small area, and how easily a district could be changed. It is unfortunate that taxpayers money is spent on encouragement of gerrymandering.

AAUW of Florida is a part of a consortium to have an impartial committee to select districts in the future. This petition is being circulated and we encourage everyone to sign it. But what can we do to influence redrawing political boundaries with fairness? AAUW has signed on with “Statement on Fairness.” This diverse group from various viewpoints demands fairness in the redistricting process. Some of their requests are:

• Hearing be held in more areas of Florida
  
• Subdivisions , cities and counties be considered in districting
  
• State Legislature committees hold public hearings after plans are drawn
  
• Sufficient time be provided before any legislative action be taken
  
• No plan be made until a full public specific guideline is adopted and published
  
• These guidelines provide districts meet all legal requirements
  
• All legislative actions take place at location that maximize citizen participation
  

If one goes to the dictionary, “program”, among its variety of meanings, is said to be a “set of organized activities planned by or available at a particular place or institution.” It is not listed as a synonym for “project.” Project, on the other hand, is defined as a plan, proposal or task/activity that is to be done. Enterprise and undertaking are its synonyms. The meanings of project, enterprise and undertaking are detailed. All imply a venture organized for a specific goal and stress the joint efforts of several or more people from an organization to bring to fruition. Moreover, the definition includes a caveat that mentions a “carefully planned effort” and a “systematically planned venture.”

We, members of FL AAUW, speak of a variety of programs, local, state and national. As branches, we conduct our own set of monthly programs, whether they involve speakers, presentations, events, or annual fundraisers. Branches are encouraged, above and beyond those kinds of programs, to venture into the universe of both national and state published programs. It is important to realize that these programs are, in reality, projects.

The latest edition of AAUW’s publication, Education Equity, Choices for a Changing World”, calls upon us to “implement a project from AAUW’s Choices portfolio, which prepares women and girls-- and the institutions that serve them – for the challenges females face at school, work, and in their communities.” The following is a brief outline of the AAUW projects, often referred to as programs, for your consideration. It is with these projects that the branches can truly make a difference for girls and women.

Signposts: It provides a road map to enable schools to become gender-fair. This project suggests goals for schools in such topics as math, science and technology education, dropout prevention and school-to-work programs. Recognition is given to schools that meet these goals via certificates.

Sister-To-Sister : These summits give girls an opportunity to talk to each other about issues that affect their lives and learning but often cannot be adequately addressed by schools. Girls leave the summits with an action plan that becomes an agenda for change in their schools and communities that girls and adults can carry out together.

Tech Check: It is a survey that notes the breakdown of males and females taking AP computer classes. The Tech Check provides a guide with suggestions for ways community groups, such as AAUW, can attract more girls to high-tech fields and information technology.

Transitions: Transitions Conferences help women overcome obstacles in returning to school. They provide information and support on financial aid, study skills and issues related to balancing life with school and work. Many conferences form coalitions with local colleges/universities.

Woman-To-Woman: This is a forum, sponsored by a branch and at least one partner organization, that brings together diverse women in local communities to talk about social justice issues of common interest. It offers women an opportunity to form and expand alliances, gain new perspectives and devise actions to address the group’s concern.

At least one of these outstanding programs will rivet your branch’s interest and attention for yourselves and your community. All of the programs/projects promote the health and growth of our AAUW organization. All are vital and valuable to the quality of life for girls and women in this state, nation and world in this century. Say “YES” to program and think project ! Leslie Henderson has just received confirmation from the Educational Foundation that they are sending her 28 copies of the latest Community Coalitions Manual. This is a coup, since there are not many copies left. Every branch should have a copy of this wonderful book which is chock full of the how-to’s in building coalitions and dealing with coalitions in AAUW programming. She will be sending them out on a first requested basis starting the week of September 17. HOWEVER, please note that there are not enough for all 53 branches, so if you already have one for your branch, please do not request another. One last caveat: each is the property of the branch, not one’s personal copy, and should be passed down from president to president, or program VP to program VP. Your cooperation in this is appreciated.

The actual cost of the manual is $14.95. This is a one-time offer of only a shipping/handling fee of $5.00. Please make your checks to Fl AAUW and send to:

Five outstanding Florida women have received an Educational Foundation Fellowship or Grant! They are Kim Delrance, Melissa Hyde, and Dervla Reilly from Gainesville, Alma J. M. Dean from Miami, and Lenore M. McWey of Tallahassee. Why not invite one of them to speak at a branch meeting or special event? I have their addresses and phone numbers as well as names and phone numbers of previous Florida grant and fellowship winners. Let me know if you’d like to contact one to make a presentation at one of your meetings.

I have just received an itemized listing of Florida branch contributions to the Educational Foundation. Unfortunately I am unable to check the accuracy of the report because many branches have not sent copies of their contributions to the Foundation to me (or before July 1, to Beverly Fraser). I need to have copies of contribution forms from the following branches: Boynton Beach, Central Brevard, Clearwater, Daytona Beach, Flagler County, Gainesville, Key West, Lake Wales, Lake/Sumter, Manatee County, Marco Island, Melbourne, Niceville-Valpariso, Palm Beach County, Pompano, Punta Gorda-Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Seminole County, Stuart Area, Sun City Center, Tamiami, Tampa, Venice and West Pasco. All branches need to remind members who have sent contributions directly to the Foundation to tell their EF chair. These contributions should also be on the list of contributions credited to each branch.

If your branch has not already sent in a contribution to the Educational Foundation send it as soon as possible to insure that it is correctly recorded before the end of the year. If you need a contributions report form you may email me and I will send it to you or call 1-888-603-7116, follow the directions, and a form will be faxed to you. Please send me a copy of the form so that I can help straighten out any mistakes or omissions that occur.

Have questions? Need information? Let me know!
Sally Bailey Sallyb2@aol.com or 561-748-9909