Welcome. Important Upcoming Action Dates. Jeannie Best. Volume 1 Issue 1 December, 2011

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1 Volume 1 Issue 1 December, 2011 I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : 2012 State Convention 2 Market YOUR Branch 2 Cocktails & Convos 2 Student Organization Updates 3 Membership Payment Program 3 Branch & Member Highlights State Convention 5 Registration Form AAUW Latest Research 6 Welcome Welcome to the Presidents Link, an update for Branch Presidents. The goal of this publication is to provide timely information, action items for Branch presidents/administrators, highlights of Branch programs and leadership tips not only from the State office of president, but from Branch presidents throughout Texas. The key to the success of the Presidents Link goals is your input. I need your involvement: comments, questions, suggestions, Branch news, concerns. One person does not have all the answers or all the knowledge. It takes every one of us as leaders to have vibrant, successful AAUW Texas Branches, no matter how large or small the individual branch membership. In this December issue, my focus is on our 2012 Biennial State Convention in Austin. All the same, I am looking forward to hearing from you in the near future. ( info@aauwtexas.org ). Jeannie Best President, AAUW Texas Important Upcoming Action Dates November 15, 2011 was the deadline to file your Branch s IRS Form 990. Check with your Branch Finance Officer to make sure the 990 form has either been submitted to National (Oct. 15 th ) or directly to IRS (Nov.15 th ). If that was over looked or forgotten, check with National AAUW to see what procedures need to be followed. ber_center/branches_stat es/finance.cfm December 31, 2011 The AAUW Funds contribution year for recognition purposes ends. Branch Financial Officers must send AAUW and AAUW Action Fund contributions to the national office by December 31 st. Please remember that AAUW Texas has established the Ann Richards, AAUW American Fellowship Fund #4324. Your Branch members & your Branch may designate your Educational giving to this fund to help us reach the $200, needed to fund this research grant. January 2012: 2012 Convention registration information will be available at January, 2012: AAUW National to notify States & Branches of mandatory Bylaws updates Do not submit Branch Bylaws to National until this revision notice is released. February 24, 2012: Early registration deadline for the AAUW Texas 2012 Convention to be held in Austin, April March 1, 2012: Proposal deadline for hosting 2014 State Convention March 14, 2012: Registration deadline for the AAUW Texas 2012 Convention to be held in Austin, April April 13-15, 2012: 2012 AAUW Texas State Convention

2 Page Convention Highlights On April 13-15, 2012, ALL ROADS LEAD TO AUSTIN Plans for the 2012 Biennial AAUW Texas State Convention are well underway. Our convention will be held in Austin, April 13-15, And the primary focus will be on the issues of education in Texas and the nation. Friday evening will feature a Cocktails & Convos event. The topic: Fund Raising Ideas. Saturday morning we will begin our Convention with a Breakfast and featured speaker. Plan to scatter as different branch officers will be seated together to talk among ourselves sharing ideas, concerns and successes. Other Saturday activities include a luncheon, two Break-out sessions, a business meeting, time to visit vendors and Branch Programs-in-a-Box, and a reception honoring Legacy Members and past AAUW Texas Presidents followed by dinner. Sunday, we conclude our convention with a morning Brunch, featured speaker and presentation of the State Board. Registration forms and information will be available at by mid December and also in the January 2012 issue of UWT. Market Your Branch: Texas R.E.A.P. Programs in a Box The Convention Program Committee is asking Branches to share their successful R.E.A.P. projects by setting up a table with displays and how-to-information, basically a Texas Program in a Box. We are asking that members of your Branch be available to discuss your Program during the Friday evening Cocktails & Convos event as well as designated times during the remainder of the convention. This will be your time to let others around the state learn what your Branch is doing to promote AAUW in your community. Convention Cocktails & Convos In addition to Texas Programs in a Box, fund raising game activities are planned for Friday evening s Cocktails & Convos. Hors d'oeuvres will be provided and a cash bar will be available. Learn how your Branch can raise funds for your different projects by holding popular Game Nights. Some featured games will be Bunco, Mahjong, Banana Grams and more. Attendees may purchase tickets to play (or learn to play) featured games and successfully organize this type of fund raising event. The evening s proceeds will go toward reaching our $200, goal for our newly established Ann Richards American Fellowship Fund #4324. If your Branch has a fund raising idea you want to feature, please, let us know immediately at Info@aauwtexas.org. The goal new ideas, conversation, getting to know one another and having F-U-N together. Equal Pay Day will be Tuesday, April 17 th and we encourage you to wear red as a symbol of how far women and minorities are "in the red" regarding their pay.

3 Page 3 AAUW Student Organizations: NEW Policy Updates AAUW is revitalizing its efforts to support the formation of student groups at colleges and universities! Recently, the AAUW Board unanimously passed policy updates about AAUW student groups. Previously termed "AAUW Student Affiliate Satellites", they are now called "AAUW Student Organizations" to better resonate with students and school personnel. Please be sure to make these changes on all branch/state websites which reference these groups! A few additional points of information: Registration of student groups: Students wishing to register a group should visit the AAUW website to download the student organization registration form. The student organization leader must complete the form and e- mail it back to AAUW at coll-univ@aauw.org. Registration of these groups is processed through the AAUW national office and information about them is shared with branches and states via e- mail. Student affiliate status and dues: Students who participate in an AAUW student organization and do not attend an AAUW college/university partner member school are expected to pay national dues. Those who do attend an AAUW college/university partner member school must register as e-student affiliates. No additional branch/state membership dues should be charged to student members of AAUW student organizations. Graduate student participation: Graduate students are encouraged to participate in AAUW student organizations and/or AAUW branches. Graduate students must pay national dues as they do not qualify for e- student affiliate status. *Graduate students may still join AAUW for $ AAUW National News & Updates Membership Payment Program: Dues Accountability Made Simple Has your Branch signed up for the Membership Payment Program yet? Take advantage of this secure, online duesprocessing system as an easy-to-use alternative to the regular (print and handwritten) branch dues report process. More and more branches are signing up for this service each month because this time- and cost-saving tool simplifies dues management with instant invoicing to your branch members and various dues-collection methods. Most important is the accountability factor when a member s dues are processed through the MPP, your recordkeeping is not in question. Forty-two states and 131 branches are already taking advantage of this service. Texas is one of the forty-two states that have signed up for the Membership Payment Program. All Texas Branch are authorized to use the MPP by opting in though the Member Services Database. Therefore, your branch can participate in the program! Make plans to discuss this with your Financial Officer, Board & members. Texas now has 8 branches participating in MPP. They are Abilene, Farmers Branch Carrolton, Houston, Kerrville, NE Tarrant County, SW Dallas County and Tyler. Please share your experiences with us. Forty-two states (including Texas) and 131 branches are already taking advantage of the MPP service.

4 Page 4 AAUW Texas Branches and Members Highlights

5 Page 5 AAUW Texas Branches and Members Highlights On October 29, AAUW members representing 11 North Texas branches attended a 130th AAUW anniversary lunch at the Dallas Texas Land and Cattle Company restaurant. Preceding the lunch, attendees were entertained by a Readers Theater presentation of the founding of AAUW by Marion Talbot. After a delicious lunch and before the cutting of the 130th anniversary cake, an award was presented to Georgia Kidwell in recognition of her many years of devotion to championing AAUW Public Policy. A good time was had by all would be truly an understatement in describing the afternoon! October 15, 2011 Diana Guarniere of West Harris Branch and a group from their branch who attended the AAUW convention in Washington, DC did a fantastic job of talking about the "Big TEAL Machine" and generally "bringing the convention home. AAUW Texas President, Jeannie Best talked about AAUW Texas events and invited us all to Austin next April and we were very lucky to have Jackie Littleton, now the Branch Services Officer for AAUW Texas, who presented a wonderful series on REAPing the benefits of AAUW and a new branch recognition program Really successful meeting with everyone going away from Carmelo's well-fed----on good Italian food and AAUW!!

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7 Page 7 Would your Branch like to host the 2014 AAUW Texas Biennial Convention? The State Board is accepting proposals for 2014 Convention sites from January 1, 2012 to March 1, For more information and application forms contact: info@aauwtexas.org AAUW Texas Biennial State Convention April 13-15, 2012 Sheraton at the Capitol Austin, Texas Early Bird Registration: deadline February 24, $ (all event meals included: Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday Brunch) AAUW Texas 849 Kenwood Abilene, Texas info@aauwtexas.org We re on the Web! Regular Registration: deadline March 14, 2012 $ (all event meals included: Friday evening, Saturday, Sunday Brunch) Saturday Only Registration (April 14, 2012) $ (includes Saturday event meals only) Student Registration:. $ (all event meals included) AAUW s Latest Research: CROSSING the LINE AAUW's latest research report presents new data on sexual harassment in schools. CROSSING the LINE is based on findings from a nationally representative survey conducted in May and June, This report presents the most comprehensive research to date on sexual harassment in grades 7-12 and reveals some sobering statistics about the prevalence of sexual harassment and the negative impact it has on students' education. The report concludes with concrete recommendations and promising practices for preventing sexual harassment directed at school administrators, educators, parents, students and community members. We hope readers will be inspired to take new steps toward making schools free from sexual harassment. AAUW has been at the forefront of sexual harassment research for over a decade, including the 1993 Hostile Hallways survey and the 2001 follow up report, HostileHallways: Bullying Teasing and Sexual Harassment in School. Download the Full Report and the Executive Summary at Hard copies of Crossing the Line may be requested through ShopAAUW. Read weekly blog posts about sexual harassment in schools at AAUW Dialog and for daily tweets about relevant news.