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A Publication of Women Graduates - USA |
| Sixth Edition February2009 |
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Letter from the Editor |
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First, allow me to tender my apologies for this being the first Flame of 2009, and thus somewhat longer than I might normally desire. However, quite a bit has happened and is happening within our organization and I would hate to deprive any of you of the information. Our website has gone through a major redesign, thanks in most part to the hard work of Louise McLeod. An acronym list used by the UN, National Federations and Associations (NFAs), and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) has also been added. There will also be an expanded Membership Center which will have the bylaws, budget information, and other items of interest to WG-USA members. The Communication Committee would greatly appreciate your input as to what you would consider to be some of these “items of interest.” In addition, we would also like your feedback concerning what kind of personal information you would like to have available (or not) in this password protected section of the website. Two of our members, Evelyn Aremu and Alicia Baucom, have been selected to participate in the IFUW Education Advocacy Working Group. This working group will develop an Education Advocacy Handbook to be used by NFAs to improve education in their respective countries. Evelyn and Alice will be working for the next year on this project with an international group of eight other women chosen from a group of applicants by the IFUW Board of Officer. The past two months have given our country and the world causes for both celebration and grave concern, and the effects of the increasing economic downturn have touched all of us in some fashion or another. But despite this, each positive step we take as individuals, an organization, and citizens of the world can only help make our present and the future better for us all. |
| Bev Weiler - Editor of The Flame |
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Meet the Board Carolyn Cowgill -- Board Secretary |
 Greetings from Pennsylvania! (via Illinois, Kentucky, Colorado, California, and Mexico where I have spent time growing up, teaching, and learning!)When writing this article, I wanted to focus on what most attracted me to Women Graduates-USA: Excitement! Imagine the low buzz among the women who first met in Phoenix which rose to a shout from the 30 women meeting in Manchester at the IFUW Conference when we agreed upon the name, Women Graduates-USA. Our first goal would be to apply for membership in International Federation of University Women (IFUW). It was my first IFUW Conference and the attractive women in colorful headdresses and clothing reminded me of the families from 50 different countries which I had met when I worked as supervisor of an English as a Second Language program. At the Manchester IFUW Conference, I found it thrilling to listen to women from various countries presenting resolutions and to exchange workplace experiences of sexual harassment in a workshop with a Mexican woman engineer. The last night at the banquet, I sat next to a beautiful young African woman who gave me a copy of the book she had written, and I wanted to come to the next IFUW Conference in Mexico in August, 2010. Energy! Besides energy, the women who are founding WG-USA to empower women around the world have experience, expertise, and, above all, enthusiasm. I was drawn to them because I learned to keep my life upright in times of addiction, divorce, and trauma from strong, capable women. Although I am president of an active organization of 111 women, I wanted to be part of WG-USA. I agreed to be secretary, and the responsibility of managing numerous daily emails is a challenge! Together during this first year and a half, we have applied and been accepted as the United States’ NFA (National Federations and Associations) member representative to IFUW and grown to over 160 members. Education! People often ask, “What has the U.N. actually accomplished?” Since joining these women who are veterans in their work to help women around the globe have a better life, I have begun to formulate an answer to that question. Books have always been my friends; reading and discussing other perspectives is a highlight of my life. Other highlights are singing Mozart in German, photographing and painting beautiful places and animals, and answering first graders’ questions about Faith Ringgold’s African American children flying free. Surely the most memorable wonders of the world are the people: The newlyweds across the courtyard in Mexico City who invited us to the country to share a barbeque with their family; the young refugee woman I tutor from Burma who asked me to share the life of her baby during her ultrasound. In the February 2nd “Newsweek”, Anna Quindlen wrote, “A simple primer on the state of the world: women do most of the good stuff and get most of the bad.” How can the UN, IFUW, and WG-USA give women a more powerful voice? We are trying to answer this question, and we invite you to volunteer your talents and come with us on our quest! |
| Carolyn Cowgill, Secretary |
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United Nations Commission on the Status of Women |
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Nine Women Graduates-USA members will be among the 33 IFUW delegates to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women meeting in New York City in March. Among those participating are: Carolyn Cowgill, PA - WG-USA secretary Alice Dahle, IA - WG-USA program committee member Marianne Haselgrove, Formerly from NY, now living in England - WG-USA member/Former IFUW Vice President Janet Heinicke, IA - WG-USA Program Committee Convener Loretta James, CT - IFUW New York Representative to ECOSOC Catherine Moore, NY - IFUW New York Coordinator of Representatives to ECOSOC Mary Purcell, PA - IFUW Past President Florine Swanson, IA - WG-USA President Polly Woodard, NY - IFUW New York Representative to ECOSOC Mary Purcell will be part of a workshop on "Equal Opportunities in Decision Making: Attainable at Last?". |
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WG-USA and IFUW: Working Together for Women |
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Members of WG-USA are urged to consider how their expertise and experience could be a valuable asset for the work of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW). Ordinarily, such contributions are done through the Internet--not surprising since the membership of IFUW is spread across the globe. Through 2010, the priorities of IFUW are the following:
A key strategy for implementing the work is for all of the IFUW affiliates, including WG-USA, is to Identify experts among the membership who have expertise in any of the four areas outlined above. The work may entail assisting with oral and written statements for use at international bodies and/or to educate members about an issue and/or strategy for achieving a goal, facilitating a month-long online discussion of a related issue, moderating an ongoing online network for those with expertise in any of the four priority issues, or participating in a working group that has a short-term project to achieve. If this is something that could interest you, contact the WG-USA Coordinator for International Relations, Kathleen Laurila, at cir@wg-usa.com for further information. |
| Kathleen Laurila |
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WG-USA Website Valuable Information Available for Members |
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Do you know there is much information available to you on the WG-USA.org website? The page that lists information about issues, IFUW alerts, and opportunities for you are on the WG blog page. (Although this is technically a “blog,” WG has not yet activated the “comments” capability.) Just click the Program & Actions tab at the top of the home page and find Issues We Are Monitoring. That will take you to the page that lists items either by month, or by category. Some of the items have a deadline. For instance, under IFUW News (or posted during the month of October) you will find information about a poster competition open to members and non-members. The poster is “to raise awareness of the challenges facing women and girls in accessing education and leadership positions in today’s world.” The deadline to IFUW is in late April, however, you will need to submit your entry to the WG-USA board via klaurila@mac.com by April 18th so all entries from the USA can be considered before forwarding recommendations to IFUW. Information on issues is also available. In January, the results of a study demonstrated that women see security differently than do men. In February, one of the issues of the Millenium Development Goals that relates to women’s reveals information about the work of the United Nations to eradicate female-genital mutilation. Please try out this site – even though issues may have been posted a year ago does not mean the information is out of date! |
| Kathleen Laurila |
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Membership |
| Thanks to the generosity of Barbara Carey, WG-USA treasurer, a WG-USA pin has been donated to every charter member. It has come to our attention that some of the pins were damaged during mailing. If your pin needs to be replaced, please e-mail Virginia Lyttle, Communications Committee member at lyttlevirigina@yahoo.com. Just ask for a new pin and provide your address. |
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