February 2013 Bulletin AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. Since 1902 AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. http://annarbor-mi.aauw.net State: www.aauwmi.org National: www.aauw.org Celebration And Fundraiser Fat Tuesday, February 12 Earhart Village Clubhouse 835 Greenhills Drive Plans are well under way for our Mardi Gras fundraiser on February 12th. You won't want to miss this party, featuring a buffet dinner of delicious New Orleans specialties, a silent auction, Zydeco music and lots of fun and surprises. Mark your calendar and bring a friend. Come in costume if you like! The cost is only $25 per person and proceeds will help send our president and president-elect to this year's National Convention in New Orleans. Make checks payable to AAUW Ann Arbor Branch and mail to: Kay Mahan, 47677 N Shore Dr., Belleville, MI 48111. Judy Daltuva INSIDE THIS ISSUE PRESIDENT S COLUMN 2 TECH CORNER 3 INTEREST GROUPS 4 DIGITAL LIBRARY RESOURCES 5 WINTER LUNCHEON 6 & 7 SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING 7 LET S READ MATH FINAL PLANNING SESSION The final Let's Read Math lesson planning session was held on January 19. Each of the coordinators met with the teachers and volunteers who will be teaching and assisting at the upcoming workshops that are being set up by the Ann Arbor District Library. At the last December meeting, all volunteers chose which book they wanted to help with. The books include Grandfather Tang, The King's Commissioners, and A Quarter from the Tooth Fairy. Lesson plans and ideas for teaching the math concepts related to these books were discussed, however, final details need to addressed at this point. We will be checking on final supplemental materials and supplies that Panelists: we will be using in the final presentations. Those teaching The King's Commissioners will be notified when and where they will be meeting. The workshop dates are as follows: Saturday, January 26 - A Quarter from the Tooth Fairy, Coordinator, Ann Taber; Teacher, Mary Elton Saturday, February 2 - Grandfather Tang, Coordinator, Diane Johnston; Teacher, Amy Seetoo Saturday, February 9 - The King's Commissioners, Coordinator, Peggy Fisher; Teacher, Barb Hall We are hoping everyone involved will attend this final meeting as we will be making the final decisions for the activities we have discussed so far for each of the 3 books. JUDICAL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM Monday, February 11, 2013 from 7-9PM Room 250 Hutchins Hall University of Michigan Law School Diane Johnston The Honorable Bridget McCormack, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court The Honorable Marilyn Kelly, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, Retired Rich Robinson, Executive Director, & Michigan Campaign Finance Network Sponsored by: The League of Women Voters of Michigan, The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area, The University of Michigan Law School, and the Washtenaw County Bar Association Co-sponsors: American Association of University Women, Ann Arbor Branch Betty Bishop, Past President
The Bulletin is published monthly September through June for members of AAUW Ann Arbor, Michigan Branch, Inc. 2012-2013 2013 EXECUTIVE BOARD President Earline Hefferlin 734-973-7504 hefferlin@juno.com President Elect Mary Rea 734-645-0827 maryerea@gmail.com VP Membership Candace Friedman 734-662-6733 candacef@comcast.net VP Program Elizabeth Nelson 734-997-9688 elizabethnelson@mac.com Dues Treasurer Caroline Richardson 734-878-0811 cricha20@charter.net Finance Treasurer Barbara Duncan 734-665-5189 a2duncans@comcast.net Recording Secretary Kathe Johnson 734-995-1205 kathejohnson@gmail.com Nominations Committee Chair Amy Seetoo 734-332-0390 sjbaggaley@gmail.com Past President Betty Bishop 734 662-9492 bbishop@umich.edu Bulletin Editor Yvette Wernick 734-223-6921 bulletin@aauwaa.org Send phone, email, or address changes to Caroline Richardson (above) and Barbara Laird at blaird@umd.unich.edu. The deadline for the March issue of the Bulletin is February 15, 2013. Send bulletin submissions to bulletin@aauwaa.org Send interest Group Calendar info to Rosalie Karunas 734-971-2337 rosakaru@umich.edu PRESIDENT S COLUMN February strikes me as a red month. December s bright red poinsettias give way to red hearts. December s luncheon garnered over $1,000 in the red and green bags for AAUW funds. An anonymous donor has made a separate, and generous, gift to the Branch. She has agreed to add it to the NCCWSL funds. The luncheon also provided some red faces the day after! Judy Steeh gallantly reported that she had already been a Named Gift Honoree in 1991-1992. No wonder she was so surprised to be named this year! As you know, the policy is that we not honor the same person twice. Several things contributed to Judy s receiving nominations and votes again. First, the Directory somehow has the 1991-1992 honoree listed as Judith Anne Stark, so that anyone checking whether Judy Steeh was eligible this year would believe that she was indeed, and wonder why she d not been previously honored. Second, the recent practice of keeping the recipients a secret until the luncheon prevented anyone, especially Judy, from pointing out her ineligibility. And, third, the committee voting on giving the honors included no one who remembered that far back. In our defense, there were four women who received nearly the same number of votes, so no one was deprived by just barely missing out. Also, Judy has continued to make outstanding contributions to our branch over the intervening twenty-one years. Mardi Gras colors of green, purple, and gold don t include red, but our Mardi Gras Party on February 12 hopes to keep red ink away from our candidates to the AAUW National Convention in New Orleans this June. Our May 25 garage sale also raises funds toward that goal. Thus, use your green in February and May to keep our representatives out of the red in June! And, Happy Valentine s Day! Earline Hefferlin, President 2012-2013 AAUW Vision Statement AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. AAUW Diversity Statement In principle and in practice, AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership. There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, race, creed, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or class. FEBRUARY 2013 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 2
BOARD BRIEFS As our scheduled meeting date fell on January 1, the Board did not meet in January. Tech Corner: What to do if you re a victim of Ransomware Earline Hefferlin, President, 2012-2013 PENTAGON LIFTS BAN ON WOMEN SERVING IN COMBAT Outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is receiving praise after Thursday s announcement that the Defense Department will lift the ban preventing women from serving in combat roles. This decision is expected to open up more than 200,000 positions to servicewomen, and many of the positions could come with greater opportunities for promotion and higher pay, Panetta has given each branch of the armed services until 2016 to request waivers for any positions it believes should not be opened to women. AAUW opposes all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex and pushes for the equal treatment of women in the military not only in combat but also in the promotion of robust anti-harassment and antiassault policies and access to health care, including contraception and abortion. AAUW Washington Update I f you turn on your computer one morning to find a message telling you that you no longer have access to your PC or any of the files on it, you re not alone. In the past year, hundreds of thousands of people across the world including at least one member of our branch have found themselves victims of the latest Really Nasty Scam, dubbed ransomware. The messages claim to be from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, some 20 other law enforcement agencies across the globe or, most recently, Anonymous, a shadowy group of hackers. The computer users are told that the only way to get their machines back is to pay a steep fine. Essentially, it s online extortion. A user s computer is infected with a virus that locks it. The attackers demand money before the computer will be unlocked, but even when someone is silly enough to pay the money, they rarely unlock it. Victims become infected in many ways. In most cases, people visit compromised Web sites that download the program to their machines without so much as a click. Pornography sites used to be the most popular vehicles, but today thousands of people are getting ransomware through sites hosted by GoDaddy, a popular Web services company. What should you do if your computer is infected? Of course, don t pay anything! Unplug the computer right away and take it to a service technician who can remove the virus. But be warned: this often involves wiping the computer clean of all files, so it s important to have backups. You are backing up your computer, aren t you? For the full text of the New York Times report about this scam, visit http:// www.nytimes.com/2012/12/06/ technology/ransomware-isexpanding-in-the-unitedstates.html? pagewanted=2&ref=general&src=me Judy Steeh FEBRUARY 2013 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 3
2013 $mart Money Tips 1. Itemizing your prescription/ medical expenses for income taxes records can be painful. Ask your drugstore or mail order service to send you the record of your payments for the calendar year. Many dentists will also list your payments. (Rosalie Karunas) 2. Consider getting a shingles shot or having a blood test to see whether or not you are at risk for getting shingles. (Kathleen Wait & Crystal Heft) 3. For fun Sunday mornings in January & February: Williams-Sonoma provides complimentary culinary classes (11:00 a.m. at Briarwood) with titles such as Vegetarian Cooking and Flavors of Morocco. Class size is limited. Sign up while you are in the store for one or more classes. Discounts are available to participants for the day. Pottery Barn also provides complimentary classes often on Sundays at 10 a.m. (Jen Weinch) 4. Ann Arbor Recycle is phasing out its points program but those who call before January 10 may be able to get their full points in valuable coupons. 734-662-6288. DTE s Energy Rewards program awards cash for enhancements to your energy use in the past year related to your furnace, electricity, insulation, water heater, etc. Call and ask to speak to their Rewards Program person. (Trilby Kinzey). 5. Ann Arbor Shoe Repair, 619 South Main, AA or 222-5077 does fine work on shoes and luggage at very reasonable prices. World Class Tapes, across INTEREST GROUPS from the new Costco at 670 Airport turns tapes into CD s. (M. Mostaghim) 6. Buying airline tickets? Tickets are cheapest on Tuesdays. Wednesday is also good. Need money advice? Consumer s Reports monthly magazine, Money Advisor, is excellent. Annual cost is $29. Contact 800-234-1970 or 101 Truman Ave., Yonkers, NY 10703-1057. (Betsy Reitbauer) 7. Looking for an excellent supplement to Medigap that eliminates the copay hassle? Consider AARP s Plan F which is United Health Care. (Susan Nenadic, Nancy Harter) 8. Take the DTE Household Energy Survey online and be rewarded with at least 5 energy efficient lightbulbs plus other valuable merchandise. (J.Starks) 9. Von Maur is the strongest store for customer service. Thursdays are the best day to shop for sales there. They do not charge to hem women s pants, nor charge tax when they ship to other states (Susan Nenadic). 10. To get discounts for many online i t e m s, v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e : <retailmenot.com>. Copy the code for the store of interest before you visit your preferred store website and then add that exact code for items you want to purchase. Substantial discounts. Another excellent discount website is <liquidation.com>. (Jen Weinch) 11. What to do with all the envelopes, often stamped, that you get from organizations asking for contributions? Save them, and cover the stamped address with your own blank adhesive label.a way to recycle envelopes and never have to buy them! 12. How to save your coat from being claimed by someone else in a public FEBRUARY 2013 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 4. place? Keep a card with your name and address/phone number in the pocket at all times. You can also use free address labels to mark the bottom of potluck dishes, your umbrella, etc. (M. Walz) 13. Lois modeled a shawl which could be buttoned differently and turned into a short-sleeved sweater or shrug. Two outfits from one knitted piece of material was practical and attractive. For the pattern, ask (Lois Zimmerman). Members of Smart Money Interest Group Bibliomaniacs Service Project Success! Bibliomaniacs Member Lyn Davidge reported that we have collected 214 New Calendars for 2013 and her husband, member Art Davidge, who works at the VA Hospital, has reported that the hospital can use all of them. Thanks to all who donated--and wishing all a happy New Year! ATTENTION Calling All Interest Groups Your assistance is needed to make the Mardi Gras fundraiser a success. Would you like to donate an item or service for the Silent Auction? Perhaps your interest group has an idea for something your group might offer. Our Evening Gourmet ladies are busy testing recipes and we look forward to working with other talented AAUW cooking groups to make this dinner memorable. Judy and Kay would also love your help with decorations, entertainment and set-up. Please contact Judy Daltuva (jdal@umich.edu) or Kay Mahan (klouieville@gmail.com).
Digital Resources in Local Libraries At our January meeting, we were fortunate to hear from three local library ladies with different perspectives on the growth of digital resources. Chrissy Postema is the library media specialist at Eberwhite and Abbot elementaries in Ann Arbor. In Chrissy s role, print materials are predominant; she believes that physical books are better for the task of early literacy learning. Chrissy is not anti-digital; however, she notes the equity issue surrounding digital materials: not every student has access to a Kindle, Nook, or even a computer at home. But every child can check out a book (or several) in their school library, bring it home, and read it. At the middle and high school levels, students have more regular access to computers, and with that comes an increase in use of online digital resources. Huron High s media center website, for example, contains links to a vast collection of online subscription-based resources for its students. Deb Briggs Thomas is the Outreach Coordinator at MeL, the Michigan e-library. Deb gave us a tour of the MeL website - www.mel.org - which is federally funded and available to all Michigan residents. Databases are a core resource: you might research something in Academic OneFile, or read CultureGrams to learn about a country and its culture before a trip, or learn about Michigan authors or genealogy. We are fortunate to have these resources available to us - for free - as Michigan residents. Here are a few examples of what else MeL has to offer. MelCat allows patrons to borrow materials from other participating libraries, and has a database of items available from libraries across the state. Michigan Online Resources for Educators - known by its acronym MORE - has curriculum elements aligned to Common Core standards, and is browsable by subject or type. MeL also offers information about Michigan authors, and genealogy. MeL Michigana is an area of the website focused on Michigan history. It has over 50,000 primary resources from all over the state, including civil war diaries, oral histories, and old maps. MeL also has resources for students, like tutorials and sample tests for the ACT, as well as software tutorials and other materials for job seekers. MeL also has book-based programs, including its annual Twenty Notable Books, highlighting Michigan people, places, or e ve nt s. I t s a va ila b le at www.michigan.gov/notablebooks MeL resources are available directly via the MeL website, and via specific links in your own library s webpages. When MeL purchases core resources for all state residents, it allows individual libraries to use their own resources for items their local population want or need. If you re even slightly curious, please do take some time to investigate MeL s resources. You may be amazed at the quality and quantity. Josie Parker, our third speaker, is the Director of the Ann Arbor District Library (AADL). Josie shared an anecdote about her one-year-old grand-niece, who exhibits the same reaction of joy whether she is engaging with a printed book or an e-book. Without a crystal ball to tell us what the future holds for libraries, Josie points out that the world is awash in books. And at AADL, the book is here to stay; seventy-five percent of the collection is printed materials. She notes, however, that the collection has never been 100% print; music and other non-book materials have always been included. Electronic books, or e-books, are still a changing technology. AADL uses a service called Overdrive to loan e-books. It s a complicated environment, because publishers are redefining the entire publishing model as they struggle to stay in business. Josie explained that publishers see libraries as a threat to the sale of e-books. In fact, six of the largest publishers refuse to sell e-books to libraries. This is the first time in history that books have been for sale to the general public, but are not available to libraries. When a library purchases a paper book, the library owns that book forever, or until it falls apart or gets lost. But with an e-book, a library only purchases a license to rent the book (they don t own it), under specific terms from each publisher. Some publishers charge up to three times as much for an e-book as for a print book, while some publishers will only let a library loan an e-book to patrons 26 times, and then the library has to re-purchase the license again. The publishers are worried that if a patron can borrow an e-book, they won t want to buy one. However, the reverse is actually true about print books: libraries push new materials out to patrons and introduce new authors, leading to increased book sales by publishers. Hopefully, publishers will soon realize that libraries are helpful, and not harmful, to the e-book industry. With regard to books versus technology for young patrons, the library s role is to meet each parent and child where they are at, without judgment. It s up to each parent to decide when to introduce their child to technology, and it s up to the library to equitably represent what s available. And for those with low or no vision, audio book loans are available in a variety of formats via the Washtenaw Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled, administered by AADL. Josie also gave a gentle reminder that our school library media specialists are very important. They are potentially slated for staffing cuts in the upcoming school budget process. She reiterated the value of their role for students, and encouraged us to pay attention and ask questions as the issue comes up in local discussions and decisions. The evening ended with interesting questions from the audience. It s clear than in a changing information environment, books are still important and relevant, even as digital resources become more available. Jenny Hannibal MLIS SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY 2013 2012 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 54
2012 WINTER LUNCHEON The Winter Luncheon was organized by Social Chairs Nancy Harter and Betsy Reitbauer. The luncheon was a great opportunity to raise both awareness and donations for the Legal Advocacy Fund. Jeannette Carr reported the grand total of donations in the green LAF bag was $722.00; $157.00 of which was cash. The donations and contribution forms were sent on to the AAUW Development Office in Washington, D.C. The red scholarship fund bag simultaneously made its way throughout the room as Lynda Collins introduced this year s scholars; collecting a total of $460 to benefit future scholars via the AAUW International II Fund. Some our special guests included Mary Markley scholarship recipient Ariel Shalev, CEW University of Michigan returning student scholarship recipient Susan Buza, and Eastern Michigan University scholarship recipient Linda Loewe. Judy Nagle was in attendance to explain the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads program. This national program is based on the premise, One book; many conversations. The discussions that flow from the readings expose readers to a d iver sit y o f o p inio ns a nd perspectives. This year s theme is Understanding Race and runs February 8 through May 27. For information on how you can get i n v o l v e d c o n t a c t J u d y a t gngiraffe@mac.com. The Named Gift Honorees were also introduced (to their surprise) to the membership. Candace Friedman is a hospital epidemiologist who runs a lab at the University of Michigan. She is working on a call system for people to use to check and report on their disease symptoms. In addition to her many other professional duties, she has led our book sale for the past two years as Chair and Co-chair, is our Membership Chair, and is an active Travel Interest Group member. Hostess Peggy Fisher & Mary Markley scholarship recipient Ariel Shalev Hostess Kathe Johnson & U of M CEW scholar Susan Buza Hostess Yvette Wernick & EMU scholarship recipient Linda Loewe SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY 2013 2012 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 64
2012 WINTER LUNCHEON The second honoree is long time member Judy Steeh. Judy has served our group as President, as Editor of both the Directory and the state as well as local Ann Arbor Bulletins; and as Book Sale Chair, pricer, and special book locator. She also volunteers at the University of Michigan library, and is currently our Web Master. Both women received a lapel pin, a framed certificate, flowers, and our deepest gratitude. The luncheon concluded as five amazing Honorary Life members shared how AAUW membership has influenced their lives and regaled us with memories including how AAUW has changed within the last 50 year. The experiences these special ladies shared with the 125 members present were illuminating, amusing, and a pleasure to enjoy. Yvette Wernick, Bulletin Editor Due to the persistent and laborious work of the majority of the AAUW membership, we once again have been able to fund scholarships for deserving women. After deductions for overhead, we had $28,886.51 and then we added another $3,636 from the monies kept aside to begin the book sale in the following year. The committee which consisted of President Earline Hefferlin, President -Elect Mary Rea, Treasurer Barbara Duncan, Education Funds Chair Lynda Collins, High School Scholarships Chair Martha Petroski, and Chair and Co-Chair of the Book Sale Cheryl Gibbs and Karen Bourdon decided that $10,000 was enough for the start up money for the next book sale. Thus with now $32,523 the decision was made to fund one full semester for the high school scholars. That would mean Scholarship Funding instead of a $500.00 contribution five high school scholars would be fully funded for their first semester of schooling. A committee composed of Martha Petroski, Cheryl Gibbs, and Lynda Collins will review the applications and decide on which five young women from the seven schools will receive the scholarships. The International Fund II will be sent $l3,400 from the book sale monies and $1,000 dollars will be sent to the Eleanor Roosevelt Fund. Additionally, scholarships were funded at Eastern Michigan University for $3,300, at CEW for $5,000 and W.C.C. for $2,400. Additional monies collected in the red bag of $460 at the luncheon will go to the International Fund. Your labors are helping many young women. Lynda Collins CONNIE OLSON SHIRLEY AXON CAROL SMITH ELAINE WATSON KATHERINE UHLE SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY 2013 2012 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN BRANCH, INC. PAGE 74
American Association of University Women Ann Arbor, Michigan Branch, Inc. P.O. Box 2806 Ann Arbor, MI 48106