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A Publication of Women Graduates - USA |
| Eighth Edition June2009 |
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Letter from the Editor |
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This month's Letter from the Editor is, by necessity, quite brief. There is a lot of important information in this edition, including discussion of WG-USA at the AAUW Convention; details regarding the Annual General Meeting for WG-USA; and the prequel providing background to this week's Call for Nominations for our first elected Board. So, before I turn your attention elsewhere, I do want to share two points of information:
I hope the summer brings you opportunities for relaxation, peace and personal growth. |
| Bev Weiler, Editor of The Flame |
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WG-USA Board Meeting, May 26, 2009 Action Points |
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Meet the Board Member Fay Weber--Membership Convener |
 Greetings from California and Montana! I have the advantage of living between fast-paced sunny Southern California and slow paced snowy rural Southwestern Montana. I recently retired (3rd time) as a part-time grant consultant and administrator for the Whittier Union High School District. Besides my lifelong passion for international women’s issues, I’m a consummate volunteer for projects that support mental health, teen parents, community symphony, school music programs, and local historical museums.This article will focus on WG-USA membership and the AGM meeting in Long Beach, California. Membership Many of you have already joined WG-USA, but if not, let me share a few reasons why you should! WG-USA is the official United States’ member representative to the International Federation of University Women, giving you access to women of like interests and concerns throughout the world. Because WG is an on-line organization, you can participate from the comfort of your home and your own time schedule. Reading “The Flame,” learning about recent UN happenings, joining a discussion group on the BLOG, or following the monitoring of international issues related to equality and human rights, women peace and war, and violence and human trafficking are but a few things you can do on-line. If you’re attending the National AAUW Convention in St. Louis, stop by the WG-USA table to introduce yourself and if not a member, learn more about us. AGM Fall Meeting Don’t miss the WG-USA AGM meeting in Long Beach, CA, October 16- 17, 2009. The meeting will be held at the Courtyard Marriott, located in the heart of downtown Long Beach. Programs throughout the two days will address vital international issues related to the Beijing Platform, trafficking and universal violence, women in the media, and immigration, as well as getting us ready for the IFUW Conference in Mexico City, August 3-9, 2010. A special Friday evening event will include a “Behind the Scene’s Tour” of the Queen Mary followed by dinner on the ship in the Promenade or Chelsea Restaurant. For more information about WG-USA membership or the AGM conference see the article below or contact me at faycweber@bresnan.net. |
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Meet me in St. Louis! AAUW Convention |
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For Women Graduates-USA members attending the AAUW Convention in St. Louis on June 26-28, we look forward to the opportunity to connect with you. WG-USA will be sharing a table in the hallway with the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund. Stop by to pick up information on the Annual General Meeting in Long Beach, California this coming October. There will also be information on the IFUW Conference in Mexico City in August 2010. Florine Swanson, President of WG-USA and Fay Weber, Convener of the Membership Committee, will be hosting a reception on both Friday and Saturday night in their room. Pick up a flyer at the WG-USA table for the room number. Refreshments will be available. It will also be the time to get to know the current members of the Board as well as other members. Stop in on Friday night as you make your rounds to candidate receptions. Stop in on Saturday evening after the banquet as a time to connect and relax. |
| Florine Swanson, President |
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Evolution of Women Graduates-USA |
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Women Graduates-USA was born in August 2007 when thirty-some women gathered together at the International Federation of University Women’s Triennial Conference in Manchester, England. Since there was no longer a United States affiliate to the IFUW, the purpose of the meeting was to form a new organization in the US which would apply for and be granted affiliate status in the IFUW as soon as possible. Sarah Harder, Kathleen Laurila and others asked Florine Swanson from Iowa if she would assume the position of “organizing president.” In October 2007, Florine asked interested women from around the USA whom she knew were planning to attend the Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund meeting, if they were willing to meet just prior to discuss organizational procedures for a new US national organization. There were twelve women in attendance. Seven women, including Florine, volunteered to be “organizational Board” members. They assumed the following positions: Florine Swanson – President; Kathleen Laurila, Coordinator for International Relations; Carolyn Cowgill, Secretary; Barbara Carey, Treasurer; Myrna Brown, member-at-large and program; Louise McLeod, member-at-large and communications and web manager; Claire Stein, member-at-large and bylaws. The preliminary work facing these seven women was to: write bylaws, policies and procedures, and job descriptions; incorporate WG-USA; gain non-profit status with the Internal Revenue Service; apply for affiliate status with IFUW; adopt a budget; set dues; set committees and appoint committee members; develop an Internet presence and website; plan for the first Annual General Membership meeting; and survey the members. At the AGM in Perry, Iowa in October 2008, the Board reported to the general membership what had been accomplished in the first year of organization. No election was held at the AGM because the newly appointed Governance Committee had not had time to come forth with Nominating and Election procedures and put them into place. It was decided that the “organizing Board” should continue to function as such until the 2009 AGM was held. At the time of the 2009 AGM meeting in Long Beach, California, the membership will hold its first election. The “organizing Board” will cease to function after the election takes place. In order to have some continuity on the Board, it was the decision of the Governance Committee that they will present staggered terms for Board members for the first election. Members will be elected to the Board for three year, two year and one term terms, after which, in subsequent elections all Board members will be elected for three year terms. Since no election has been held up until this time, everyone is starting “fresh” on term limits. The past two years have been “organizational” only. |
| Claire R. Stein, Board Member-at-Large Bylaws, Liaison to Governance Committee |
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WG-USA Fall Conference plans announced |
 The program committee of WG-USA announces initial plans for its’ Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held October 16 and 17, 2009 at the Long Beach Courtyard in Long Beach, California. Hotel registration closes by September 15th and conference registration is due also by that date. Conference registration should be made directly through the hotel: Phone: 562-901-0210; Ref# 1-VS1475. Inquiries about conference registration should be directed to Barbara Carey, WG-USA treasurer, octoberbaby@windstream.net Download the AGM 2009 Brochure | Check the website for updated information Consider the context for such a conference! Calls for hope contrast with shrieks from the hopeless! Sunday paper images of bridal parties and success stories of the achievers contrast with Monday morning pictures of bodies stacked like wood in old vans, crumpled beside the road; girl children, sold for bread, or trafficked to make someone else rich. On Friday, October 16 and Saturday October 17 members of WG-USA are invited to gather together in Long Beach. They will consider the sobering issues emerging in this, the early twenty-first century. In a world with patterns of global migration emerging, the conference will consider “Moving Minds…the World’s in Motion” as its theme. Conference participants will be invited to focus on ways to enable future collaboration between women, regardless of their geographic location; they will examine ways which may bring about change both for individuals and for society; they will start, according to Dr. Janet Heinicke, program convener, along pathways designed to fulfill the organization’s mission of empowering women. Six program sessions are planned for an intense two day conference. Featured and confirmed speakers include Billie Heller, founder and head of the National Committee for the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); Glenda Ramsden, official representative and Vice President of the Mexican Federation of University Women, and a well known sculptor of public art; Elahe Amani, head of the International Womens’ Network; Rona Popal, Chair of the Afghan Womens’ Association International and Chair of the Women’s Intercultural Network; and Marisa Ugarte, Executive Director for the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition in San Diego. Panelists for three additional panel discussions will be confirmed and announced in August. Invited participants include Mary Purcell, former President of the International Federation of University Women, and Ambassador Louis de Baca, recently appointed US Ambassador for Trafficking of Persons. A mid-conference break in conference deliberations is planned for participants with a Friday night tour and dinner aboard the Queen Mary, which is docked at the port of Long Beach. (The tour and dinner are optional.) Conference sessions will address many issues emerging from the “Twelve Critical Areas” identified by the Beijing Conference on Women. Issues to be considered include the following: • The image of women in the media • Violence against women • Trafficking as an International Issue • The experiences of women living in areas of conflict • Worldwide migration patterns • Pros and cons of US immigration problems As the conference concludes, the overarching questions of: ”What is the role of the individual member of an online organization?” and “What future action steps are needed?” will be considered at a final “Inaugural Banquet” when new officers are introduced and retiring officers are identified for appreciation. |
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