AAUW Kingston Membership

You can join Kingston AAUW as a member or a friend. Everyone is welcome to join.

In principle and 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.

Friends include all those who do not have the requisite 2- or 4-year college or university degree to qualify for Association (national) membership. Although friends may not vote at branch meetings or hold elective office, they may participate in all meetings, committees, interest groups, and activities of our branch. Moreover, by joining, friends help support our local community outreach, scholarships, and programming.

Membership fees include national Association ($49), New York State AAUW ($10), and local dues ($8) for a total of $67. Friends' membership fees remain in the local branch.

Scholarship help is available for those in need.

To join, download and print the membership form and send it, with your check, to the address listed. If you have questions feel free to contact any officer.

Kingston AAUW Joins the Woodstock Time Exchange

From Garnette:

Aloha,
At the most recent Kingston AAUW board meeting I presented information about the Woodstock Time Exchange.

Community time banks are growing across the USA, and some dedicated Woodstockers have started a site for our area. From the website:

Neighbors helping neighbors is as old as our species yet in the hustle and bustle of modern life we are losing touch with the pleasures of being in community. So we're using that touchstone of modern life - the Internet - to reintroduce neighbors to each other and the joys of doing things for each other in reciprocal relationships.

The board decided that AAUW should join as a club, thereby reaping and giving community service hours for the organization. I have already posted a request for what we call 'the trip treasurer,' someone to just balance the checkbook.

As we need outside help, we can post our needs on the WTE web site -- driving people to meetings, help setting up the bridge tables, putting up trip fliers etc.

AAUW earns hours to spend on these services by doing community activities, e.g. our Pay Equity and Voter Turnout programs which serve the whole community.

If you want more details I will be happy to have a chat with you. A bonus is that many more in the area can learn about AAUW and what we are up to.

When I enrolled AAUW, I found out we get 25 hours for signing up. So we have time 'money' in the bank already!

Can individuals join?

Some people at the board meeting wondered if they could join as individuals, as I did. The answer is YES. No matter where you live in the area, you can join.

Need pet sitting, drive to the airport, someone to organize your files, paint your porch? There's someone in WTB who is offering to do this for you. Janine Mowers quickly revamped my creative writing files. She got hours, I got order and we had fun. WTE also holds networking and community meetings, a further opportunity to talk about AAUW.

So please check out the link: http://community.timebanks.org for more information. To join click on the 'find time banks' button and scroll down to Woodstock (at the bottom of the alphabetical list). Just click the various links for more info. Also mention my name when it asks you how you found out about this.

The Big Read

The National Endowment for the Arts sponsors The Big Read - similar to One Book, One Community that ViVi organized last spring. The NEA provides a vast array of resources including grant money, discussion guides, and audio resources to support communities. Here's the list of books for 2008.

The Big Read: "Nine new books will be added to the Big Read library for 2008. Four titles will be available for the first grant cycle, from January to June 2008: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick, and for a cross-cultural Big Read, The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy.

Five additional titles will be added for the second grant cycle of 2008, from September to December 2008: Washington Square by Henry James, The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin, Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, and Old School by Tobias Wolff."

It's a nice reading list, isn't it?

Literary Group

The group is open to all AAUW members who enjoy reading and discussing books. New members are always welcome.

The meetings are usually held year round on the third Tuesday of each month, from 1-3 pm, in the Community Room of the Kingston Library.

Fall 2007 Books

September 18: Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker -- The story of the draft riots in 1863 New York City

October 16: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson -- a Kansas family history of the fight between abolitionists and slave holders.

November 13th: Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi -- the fictional account of a dwarf living in Germany between the World Wars

Summer 2007 Books

June: Nana by Emile Zola, the story of Nana, a prostitute, and how family alcoholism can turn into a propensity for vice.

July: Last Man Out by Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock. A true story of a coal mining disaster in Nova Scotia.

August: Slaughterhouse Five the late Kurt Vonnegut's anti-war novel

Convention Attendees Affirm Bylaws Changes

Thanks to Jeanne Townsend for sending this on for posting:

In case you both missed this, it looks as if our efforts to bring about one member/one vote have succeeded--that we will not have to attend a national convention to have our voices heard. A big cause for celebration! But regarding the complete separation of IFUW, I'm so glad we have your committee, Jeanne, to find our own links to this important work of helping women abroad.

Best wishes--ViVi

Sweeping changes to AAUW’s organizational structure were approved on Sunday, July 1 at the National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Passed by a unanimous vote, the dramatic changes will move the organization forward.

The largest alteration is structural in nature—AAUW and the AAUW Educational Foundation will combine most their assets and programs to work effectively around a single mission. There will be one board of directors for this new conglomeration. Between now and 2009, a transitional board of directors will oversee the changeover. AAUW will be better positioned to proceed in a sustainable and successful way.

In other changes, online balloting was approved realizing a “one member, one vote” system for future elections. Maximum terms for elected officials, new procedures for filling vacancies, a new audit committee and restructured nominating committee also comprised the bylaw changes. Finally, all references to the International Federation of University Women have been struck from the bylaws except for the acknowledgement of international reciprocity.

Kingston AAUW Newsletter Archive

May - June 2007

March - April 2007

January - February 2007

November - December 2006

About Kingston AAUW

What began with a meeting in 1881 of 17 like-minded women who defied society’s standards by earning college degrees has grown into a powerful network of more than 100,000 women who have influenced—and at times even shaped—the debate over fundamental issues of the day—educational, social, economic, and political.

The Kingston Branch of American Association of University Women is one of 1300 branches across the country. We gather together to study and learn, to have a voice in government on critical women's and civil rights issues, to make friends and network, and to enjoy the company of people who share our concerns.

The monthly membership meeting usually includes a speaker, a panel, a film -- always on a topic that is relevant and engaging.

Smaller special interest groups meet throughout the month. Those groups include a literary discussion, day and evening bridge groups (all levels; subs often needed), film discussions with covered dish supper, and public policy discussions.

In addition, our branch sponsors frequent trips, by bus, to museums and cultural events throughout the region.

See our calendar for currently planned events.

Mission: AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

Vision: AAUW will be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy, and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.

In principle and 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.

Members can participate in regional, state, and national AAUW activities.

The AAUW Educational Foundation — the world's largest source of funding exclusively for graduate women — supports aspiring scholars around the globe, teachers and activists in local communities, women at critical stages of their careers, and those pursuing professions where women are underrepresented.

The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund provides funding and a support system for individuals seeking judicial redress for sex discrimination. It is the nation's largest legal fund focused solely on sex discrimination in higher education.

The national theme for 2007 (PDF)

We welcome you at any of our events and would be delighted to have you become a member.