Presidents’ Log

As we look back on this year, one word comes to mind, “Wow!!” Together we have done much to advance equity for women and girls. With the 53rd Annual AAUW Used Book Sale before us, we salute the efforts of the following individuals:

Our newest volunteers at the Used Book Workshop

Our RSVP volunteers All the continuing pricers,

sorters, and general volunteers

Connie Schroeder, Book Sale Bulletin editor

Candace Davison, Counting Room Scheduler

Billie Willits, Hospitality/Information Table Scheduler

Anne Heinsohn, Book Sale move-in scheduler

Angie Hay, whose former librarian expertise contributes much to sorting

Louise Wartik, Special Collections

Connie Wheeler, Barb Haring, Gert Finley, and Anne Heinsohn, Counting Room leads

Suzanne Kerlin, Book Sale marketing

Donna Trapp and Connie Wheeler: Monday evening leads

Nancy Eberly and Suzanne Kerlin: Tuesday leads

Peggy Schlegel and Margaret Higginson: Wednesday leads

Nancy Eberly, volunteer scheduler

Donna Trapp, facilities coordinator

Nancy Dewalle, overall Used Book Sale chair

Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. Volume 47, No.5 May/June 2014

The Book Sale Bulletin, complete with volunteer schedule information, was mailed the week of April 20th. If you have not yet received your copy, contact Nancy DeWalle, overall book sale chair, nancyaauwbooks@outlook.com.

(LOG, page 4)

Join us for the 53rd Annual AAUW Used Book Sale

May 10th — May 13th Saturday —Tuesday

9:00 a.m.—9:00 p.m.

Branch Awards & Scholarship Banquet

Wednesday, May 21st Hilton Garden Inn, 1221 East College Avenue

Reception 6:00 p.m.; Dinner 6:30 p.m.

This month, we are honoring outstanding branch volunteers along with our branch scholarship recipients. As announced in the last issue of Branching Out, outstanding volunteers being recognized this year include Sue Werner, Outstanding Woman; Kristin Dreyer, Spotlight Award; Connie Wheeler, Centre County Council for Human Services Volunteer of the Year; Charlene Harrison and Sally Kalin, Special Honorees, and Discovery Space of Central PA, Gateway to Equity Award. We are equally pleased to introduce this year’s branch scholarship recipients, who are listed on page 3 of this newsletter. Plan to attend this inspirational event, to meet both our deserving scholarship recipients and the outstanding branch volunteers being recognized this year.

Our banquet speaker will be Jacqueline Edmondson, Ph.D., Associate Vice President & Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education at Penn State. Her topic will be Seeing the World Through Different Eyes: A Reflection on the Roles of Women in Our Community.

MAKE YOUR BANQUET RESERVATION TODAY! To attend the banquet, please complete and return

the banquet reservation form on page 3. We look forward to seeing you there!

Dr. Jacqueline Edmonson is the

May banquet speaker.

Branching Out Page 2

March Program Celebrates Life of Anna Keichline

About thirty people attended the March 22nd branch brunch and program at the Bellefonte Art Museum, which featured a presentation about Anna Wagner Keichline (1889-1943), a Bellefonte native. The program provided an opportunity for many to visit the Bellefonte Art Museum for the first time. Thank you to Cecilia

Mills for her leadership on the program, and to Pat House, museum director, for making the museum available to us.

The architecture gallery on the second floor is dedicated to Anna Keichline, whose life was highlighted by Nancy Perkins, Keichline’s great-niece. Anna Lewis discussed her challenges writing a book for teens on women in non-traditional careers.

Above: Julia Glover, Charlene Harrison and Billie Willits examine art display.

Left: Anna Lewis, author of Women of Steel and Stone, signs and sells books after the program to Connie Cousins and Sally Kalin.

Above: Nancy Perkins is joined by Anna Lewis, author of Women of Steel and Stone, which features Keichline among twenty-two women architects, engineers, and landscape designers.

Oral History Project Planned for 100th

Anniversary of Branch

“We all have stories to tell, stories we have lived from the inside out.” As the opening salvo (or beginning project) to commemorate 100 years of community service, activity and development, the State College Branch

Board has authorized the institution of an oral history project. “Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences.” This oral history initiative will focus on the growth and changing phenomenology of the State College Branch.

Penn State University Archivist Jackie

Esposito and Audio-Visual Technician Katelyn Dion will be scheduling appointments with and interviewing ten of the Branch’s former leaders to kick-off this documentary heritage project. The ten leaders are Jody Bland, Nancy Desmond, Marjorie Dunaway, Mary Dupuis, Jean

Forster, Linda Higginson, Trudy Levine, Felicia Lewis, E-tu Sun and Louise Tukey.

These interviews will be transcribed and available on the Branch website. They also will be permanently stored within the Branch’s archival collection housed at the Penn State University Archives. The oral history project will help set the foundation for a centennial celebration focusing on the narratives, memories, and voices of the women who have made the State College Branch a spectacular example of powerful women influencing and crafting a caring local community with hard work and dedication over the days, months, years and decades of its existence.

—Jackie R. Esposito

Page 3

Annual Branch

Endowment Update

Our branch has two endowments with the national AAUW organization, that help people around the corner, and around the world. They are as follows:

Research and Projects Grant (Fund #1552) sponsors a Community Action or Career Development Grant recipient every year. The 2013-14 recipient of this grant was the Carnegie Mellon University Girls of Steel FIRST Robotics Team. Girls of Steel provides experience with robotic technologies for high school students and conducts STEM outreach events for younger students.

International Fellowship (Fund #1187) sponsors an International Fellowship recipient every year. Dyna Kuthyola (right), a student from Malawi, was a 2013-14 International Fellow, which our branch’s International Fellowship sponsored. She also received an internship from the Clinton Foundation last fall.

MAY 21st BRANCH AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET RESERVATION

Please clip this portion of the invitation and mail it with your $25 check, payable to AAUW State College Branch.

Send to Julia Glover, State College Branch Programs, 315 Holly Ridge Drive, State College, 16801.

The reservation deadline is Wednesday, May 14th.

Our banquet meal is provided by award-winning Harrison’s Grill. Buffet style, we will offer two wonderful entrees, accompanied by a variety of vegetarian and gluten-free side dishes. Please mark below the entrée of your choice.

Dinner Choices: ___ Vineyard Chicken ___ Grilled Salmon Name_________________________________________

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2014 Branch Scholarship Recipients

Jennifer Gilbert State College Branch Scholarship

Jennifer Gilbert is a Penn State employee and part-time student. She is a sociology major and currently has a 3.36 GPA, with plans to graduate in spring, 2016. She is a single mother of a 4 year-old son.

Heather Ann Hall Suzanne McCrae Kerlin Scholarship

Heather Ann is enrolled at South Hills School of Business & Technology, seeking an associate degree in specialized technology--diagnostic medical sonography. After one term at South Hills, Heather has a

4.0 GPA, and will graduate in June, 2016. She is a single mother, raising a 16 year-old son.

Elizabeth Timblin Evelyn Marboe Scholarship

Elizabeth is a Penn State student, majoring in biotechnology with a clinical science option. Elizabeth currently has a 3.15 GPA, and anticipates graduating in August, 2016. She works part-time and is a single mother of a child in kindergarten and a pre-schooler.

Learn more about AAUW fellowships and grants at: http://www.aauw.org/resources/by-tag/

funding/page/2/ FUNDS.

Volume 47, Number 4

Volume 47, Number 4 Page 4

Branching Out

Thank you from CASE

Thanks to all of you in AAUW for becoming an anchor tenant in the

proposed CASE building. Lots of hard work by the Book Sale folks and the branch leadership have resulted in a great fit for the workshop in the proposed CASE Center in the College Heights building. Now we all must work to make the Center a reality. You can help by attending the

June 2 Borough Council meeting, and speaking to Council about why CASE should be the group who buys the building. Contact Dianne Gregg or Mary Dupuis for more information.

PA Earns D– on Gender Equity

PA earned a D- on gender equality, based on the number of women we've elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1989-2014. Women have won 10 elections in PA, out of 245 contests, which puts PA in 35th place among other states.

Smart Politics is an analysis project of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. They looked at every Congressional race--regular and special elections--in the country during this time period. Honors go to Wyoming, whose one Congressional seat has been won by a woman in 10 out of 13 elections, for an A+. A's went to South Dakota, Hawaii, Connecticut and Nevada. California got an A. On the other end, 10 states got Fs for having never elected any woman, not even once.

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2014/03/

gender_equality_in_the_us_hous.php

(LOG from page 1)

We extend a grateful shout-out to all who will volunteer over the four days of the May 10 to 13 sale and celebrate Louise Tukey’s contributions to all 53-branch book sales!

Following the sale, the Philanthropic Priorities and Funds Distribution Committee co-chaired by Connie Wheeler and Talat Azhar will recommend disbursements of net Book Sale proceeds to entities that advance the AAUW mission.

The efforts of four committees also will be showcased in May at the Awards and Scholarship Banquet; they are the Program, the Scholarship, the Awards, and the Nominating committees chaired by Christine Bishop, Ellen Frederick/Alison Franklin, Suzanne Kerlin, and Nancy Weinreb respectively.

We congratulate Carol Hodes and Michelle Decker for their membership efforts, which resulted in recognition for the branch at the AAUW-PA state convention. Carol has gotten the branch’s membership database in excellent shape and is currently soliciting membership renewals.

Our STEM Committee, co-chaired by Mary Dupuis and Kristin Dreyer, has developed several STEM initiatives including activities for middle school girls in three local school districts, the summer MATHH series, and scholarships to Penn State’s Science U camps. Mary Dupuis lead a session at the state convention on our STEM initiatives.

Our public policy dynamic duo of Mary Dupuis and Dianne Gregg continue to share their expertise by writing public policy columns that are very comprehensive and enable us to be better-informed voters.

Due to the efforts over time of Sue Werner, branch treasurer, and Sally Kalin, vice president for finance, and the work of two financially focused task forces chaired by Sally and Linda Friend, the branch’s financial structure has been strengthened.

We also celebrate the contributions of our members at the state level - AAUW-PA: Talat Azhar, outgoing program vice president; Connie Schroeder, Keystoner editor; Sherry Crassweller, conference registrar; Sally Kalin, special task force member; and Suzanne Kerlin, Outstanding Woman coordinator.

In closing, we thank Candace Davison, past president, for her wise counsel; Victoria Sanchez for her marketing expertise; Linda Friend for capturing board meetings with comprehensive minutes; Connie Schroeder for editing this newsletter; Patty Craig for being our webmaster; those who served on branch committees; and those who have assumed remaining branch leadership positions. As members of the largest AAUW branch in Pennsylvania, our collective efforts are needed to continue making a difference.

Charlene Harrison and Billie Willits, Branch Co-presidents

Page 5 Volume 47, Number 4

SCASD School Board Referendum

As a teacher in the State College Area South Building, I know first-hand the challenge to

education the current facilities offer. There are times – in the very cold, and in the very hot – that learning simply can’t happen. The buildings are quite literally crumbling around us. There are threats to the safety and security of our young people due to the design of the schools. Perhaps most importantly, the sprawling, two-building campus simply does not provide adequate spaces to teach the children of today – and tomorrow.

One of the biggest complaints teachers and students alike have is our heating system: it doesn’t work. It’s all so old that parts are no longer being made and our janitorial staff have to cobble together solutions to fix the heaters that don’t come on (like the classroom next to mine where students wear hats and coats daily to combat chill of the often-58 degree classroom) to heaters that have no shut-off (as in my classroom where, by the end of the day, students struggle to concentrate in the stifling 90 degree swampiness).

Windows are no longer sealed, leading to ice on the inside and, now that it’s warming, mold growth. Leaks in the roofs of both buildings mean that buckets line the halls in rainstorms. The North building regularly floods in the fall and the spring, leading to more mold growth – particularly in the auditorium and throughout the music wing. Antiquated wiring has led to several recent fires, and less dramatically, classrooms like mine with only two outlets that are in no way equipped for “20th Century learning.”

As we move increasingly away from four separate grades to many mixed-level classes, students cross the street for their classes – some crossing between every period. This compromises the safety of our young people many times each day.

Many of the problems the high school is facing (the heating and ventilation system, new windows and roofs, not enough outlets) could be addressed by updating the two buildings only– something that superintendent Bob O’Donnell recently stated would cost in the 70 million dollar range.

This money will come entirely from district coffers, will lead to cuts in staffing and programming, and will put an indefinite hold on renovating the equally inadequate Radio Park, Lemont/Houserville, and Corl Street elementary schools. If the referendum does not pass on May 20th, this is the best that our district will be able to do.

A “yes” vote on the referendum will do so much more. It will mean that we no longer have 53 unique points of entrance across an unwieldy campus. It will mean a new auditorium, for use by the entire community, and a true showcase for one of the top music programs in the country. It will mean there will be no more classrooms in a flood zone. Moving the entire campus to the south side will allow for more educational time, centralized departments, and flexible spaces with increased interactions between teachers and students.

A “yes” vote on the referendum will send a strong message: education is valued here.

Jennifer Schroeder Rand, NBCT jls66@scasd.org 10th Grade English Teacher State College Area High School

High School Referendum

Vote Essential!

We are close to a decisive day in the life of State College Area High School. The vote on May 20, at the primary, will impact students and this community for many years. As you listen to the arguments and attend meetings to discuss it, consider the following column written by Jen Rand, an English teacher at the high school, who lives this every day.

Most of those opposed to the referendum are saying it is not necessary and the cost is too high. If you have bought or built a home in the past ten years, you will understand why the costs are so high, especially given the technology needs of current educational practice. Even with the estimated costs, this proposal is well within the costs being faced by districts across the state.

There is still time to talk with school board members and other involved community members so you can feel well informed when you cast your vote. AAUW has a long history of supporting public education, especially as it impacts girls.

Remember that everyone who is registered to vote can vote on the referendum, including independents and those affiliated with parties other than R or D. Contact us with questions or comments.

Mary Dupuis and Dianne Gregg Public Policy Co-chairs

Candidates on Your Primary Ballot

Mark your calendar for the 2014 General Primary: May 20th!

GOVERNOR:

Republican: There may or may not be two candidates. Bob Guzzardi survived a challenge to his petitions in Commonwealth Court, but that ruling may be appealed to the PA Supreme Court. The outcome is uncertain at this writing.

Governor Tom Corbett, former Assistant U.S. Attorney and private practice lawyer, was Attorney General prior to his election as Governor. http://www.tomcorbettforgovernor.com

Bob Guzzardi is a real estate lawyer and developer noted for supporting challengers against incumbent Republicans. http://www.guzzardiforgovernor.com

Democrat: Pick one of these four:

Rob McCord, Montgomery County: Incumbent PA Treasurer and former venture capitalist. http://www.robmccord.com

Katie McGinty, Chester County: First woman to head the White House Office of Environmental Quality, former Secretary of the PA Department of Environmental Protection. http://www.katiemcginty.com

Allyson Schwartz, Montgomery County: Incumbent Congresswoman and former PA Senator. http://allysonschwartz.com

Tom Wolf, York County: Former Secretary of the PA Department of Revenue and businessman. http://www.wolfforpa.com

Page 6

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:

Republican: Incumbent Jim Cawley is running unopposed. Before his election, he was a Bucks County Commissioner and member of the Bristol School Board. http://www.tomcorbettforgovernor.com

Democrat: Pick one of these five:

Brandon Neuman, Washington County: Lawyer and State Representative. http://www.voteneuman.com

Mark Critz, Cambria County: Former Congressman, Congressional staffer and lobbyist. http://markcritz.com

Brad Koplinski, Dauphin County: Harrisburg City Councilman and political director for candidates including Hillary Clinton. http://www.koplinski2014.com

Mark Smith, Bradford County: Industrial design engineer, currently County Commissioner. http://www.marksmithforpa.com

Mike Stack, Philadelphia County: Currently PA State Senator and National Guard Captain. http://www.stackforpa.com/about/ Note: if the issue of choice is important to you, Koplinski and Smith are pro-choice. Critz and Neuman are anti-abortion. Stack’s record is mixed.

CONGRESS:

Republican: Incumbent G.T. Thompson is unopposed. He is former Chair of the Centre County Republican Party. http://www.friendsofglennthompson.com

Democrat: Pick between these two:

Kerith Strano Taylor, Jefferson County: Brookville School Board President and family lawyer. http://www.kstforcongress.com

Tom Tarantella, Clinton County: retired 22 year Army veteran. http://thomastarantella.com

STATE SENATOR and STATE REPRESENTATIVE: All five are unopposed in their primaries and have no challengers in the opposing party unless someone is

written in. They are Republicans Sen. Jake Corman and

Reps. Republicans Kerry Benninghoff, and Mike Fleck and Democrats Scott Conklin and Mike Hanna.

Branching Out

Dianne Gregg and Mary Dupuis

Public Policy Co-chairs

Page 7 Volume 47, Number 4

Looking Back & Moving Forward

The STEM Committee continues to work hard to meet the STEM needs of students in our community. The middle school programs for Spring 2014 are almost finished. Bald Eagle Area has thirteen girls busy building solar cars for the Penn State competition in May. Bellefonte completed its program in late March with a celebration of the girls’ creation of Lego robots. State College finished CSI early in March, and is now planning its summer program, to be held July 28-31 in the Mt. Nittany Middle School .

Two volunteers will be needed each day for the summer CSI offering. The program is held 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Monday, July 28—Thursday, July 31. The showcase will occur at 6:00 p.m. on July 31. If you can volunteer, contact Mary Dupuis, mjmdupuis@aol.com.

The M.A.T.H.H. program (Magical Activities for Talented Heroes and Heroines) is aimed at early elementary school-aged youth. This year’s programs will be held July 15, 22 and 29, all Tuesdays, and will feature the library’s “Fizz, Boom, Read” theme. Starting at 1:30 p.m., two groups will take part on each date. Participants begin at Schlow Library for a thirty minute book and activity session, then they go to Discovery Space for more hands-on science activities. Two volunteers are needed for each date. If you can help, contact Candace Davison, ccd2@psu.edu.

STEM’s Mini-grants have been awarded to several proposals this spring. The Northeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics hosted more than twenty local high school girls in January, and the annual GWIS Voices Conference was attended by 89 local female students and professionals in February.

Congratulations to Madeline Chandler, who is the first student to receive the Department of Women's Studies Undergraduate of the Year Award for two consecutive years. She is also an organizer of Sexual Violence Awareness Month at Penn State. She will attend grad school in the fall.

Best wishes to Alexandra Broyles and husband Jim, who are moving to Frederick, MD. She will continue her membership with the State College Branch.

Sympathy to the friends of Letta Fowler who died on April 13 at Foxdale Village. She volunteered for many years at the Used Book Workshop and book sale and will be missed.

Congratulations to Alison Franklin, whose application to Penn State's PhD program in Soil Science has been accepted for spring 2015.

Sympathy to Ann Frick whose brother, David Livingston, died on March 7 in Arizona City, Arizona.

Sympathy to Barbara Haring, whose father, Alex Davidson, age 96, died on March 11 in Upper St. Clair, a suburb of Pittsburgh.

Congratulations to Sue Hiester who is the grandmother of twin boys, born on April 8 to daughter Amy and husband Brian Mullins, of Philadelphia. The babies were named Finn Patrick Thomas and Kieran John Robert.

Congratulations to Carol Hodes, who is co-author of a new book, "Putting Your Data to Work: Improving Instruction in CTF", a publication of 130 pages which sells for $24.95.

Get Well wishes to Morgen Hummel recovering from hip surgery on April 22.

Get Well wishes to Connie Schroeder, who is rehabilitating a knee and an elbow after winter surgeries.

Congratulations to Judith Vicary Swisher whose daughter, Lauren Vicary, is one of the editors of "The Shriver Report: A Women's Nation Pushes Back from the Brink" which details information about women in the U.S. and is full of stories and essays.

Send Have You Heard submissions to tukey@psu.edu.

Middle school girls greet problem-solving head-on in Challenging

Science Investigations.

Branch member Pat Kephart volunteers regularly for CSI.

(STEM, page 10)

Page 8

AAUW State College Branch will participate in CentreGives, the 36-hour online fundraising campaign sponsored by the Centre Foundation. It will be held from 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on May 6th

to 12:00 p.m. (noon) on May 7th. Centre Foundation provides limited matching funds for donations of $25 and over. To learn more, visit CentreGives.org. Persons age 70 1/2 and older with IRA accounts subject to a required minimum distribution (RMD) may make a direct transfer to a charity during the 2014 tax year. If you are able to do so, consider gifting a portion of the RMD dollars through CentreGives.

Membership Renewals Due

AAUW State College Branch membership renewal forms for 2014-2015 were sent out in April. Please contact Membership VP Carol Hodes, aauwscmembershipinfo@gmail.com if you have not received yours yet.

Membership renewals are due June 1st.

All membership forms received by May 31st will be entered into a drawing for a gift card. Membership renewals also will be collected at the May 10-13 Used Book Sale and at the May 21st Awards and Scholarship Banquet.

Support the Branch Scholarship Fund

Consider making a gift to the AAUW State College Branch Scholarship Fund at the Centre Foundation. Learn more at www.centrecountycf.org, or call (814) 237-6229.

Debbie Creighton dlc2072@comcast.net

Hello, my name is Debbie Creighton. I moved to State College four years ago from Newtown, PA.

In 1974 I graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. Two months later I was hired by the Philadelphia School System where I taught for twenty-eight years, most of that time in the inner city.

The love of literature has always been a constant in my life, so instead of earning a Master’s Degree in Education, I chose to “follow my bliss” by obtaining a Master’s Degree in English Literature at Arcadia University.

In 2002 I took early retirement from the Philadelphia School System. Before I moved to State College I taught in a private school and simultaneously worked as a docent for the Bucks County Historical Society.

I believe intrinsically in the mission of AAUW, and am very glad to be part of an organization which advances the education and equity of women.

¡Adelante! Book Club

We're reading The Hairstons by Henry Wiencek, the story of the largest black and white family in the U.S. With several thousand family members, they share a complex history dating from the time of slavery. Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 12 at 3:30 p.m. at Café Lemont. Everyone is welcome. Contact Pat Kephart at pbk1@comcast.net, 234-2524 for more information.

Program Ideas Sought

While the branch program year ends with the Awards

& Scholarship Banquet, the planning efforts for next

year’s programs, which run September—May, have

only just begun. The program committee welcomes fresh ideas for

programs. With member input, we hope to develop programs that

appeal to the cross section of our diverse membership. There should

be something for everyone! Please share your program ideas with

Christine Bishop, Program Chair, cbishop@ccysb.com by May 31st.

Volume 47, Number 4 Branching Out

Branch Officer Election Individuals running for branch offices, to be elected at a brief business meeting following our May 21st banquet, include: Treasurer—Sherry Crassweller (2014-2016); Recording Secretary—Linda Friend (2014-2016); Membership Co-VP—Jane Sheeder (2014); Nominations Chair—Talat Azhar (2014-2016). —Nancy Weinreb, Nominations Chair

Page 9 Volume 47, Number 4

The AAUW-PA Annual Meeting in Gettysburg, held April 11-13, brought out over 100 women from around the state, the largest AAUW-PA meeting in recent history. The weekend provided a really stimulating series of sessions and panel discussions, and three wonderful speakers, based around the theme of Women On All Fronts.

Char Rusnak spoke on Personal Perspectives on Afghanistan, describing her work as Gender Integration Advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Jill Titus from the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College spoke on the Civil War in the context of the civil rights movement 100 years later. AAUW National Vice President Julia Brown provided an update of AAUW activities.

Kudos State College Branch! Among forty AAUW-PA branches, State College earned very high marks for their AAUW Funds contributions in 2013.

Total Giving: 1st Place—$8,515 Per Capita: 5th Place—$52 Top Branch:

Eleanor Roosevelt Fund—$5,103 Legal Advocacy Fund—$2,715

Eight AAUW State College members attended the AAUW-PA Annual Meeting in Gettysburg April 11-13, and were joined by three Penn State Humphrey Fellows, who provided a panel discussion during the meeting. Row 1 left-right: Connie Schroeder, Charlene Harrison, Julia Brown (AAUW National Vice President), Billie Willits, Suzanne Kerlin. Row 2, left-right: Julia Glover, Yvonne Yon (Humphrey Fellow), Judith Sakubu (Humphrey Fellow), Talat Azhar, Candace Davison, Sherry Crassweller, Zodwa Thwala (Humphrey Fellow). Not pictured: Mary Dupuis.

Above, left to right: Mary Dupuis led a session on STEM Initiatives; sisters Char Rusnak and Candace Davison enjoyed a moment before Char’s presentation; Outstanding Woman Chair Suzanne Kerlin presented award certificates. AAUW State College awardees included Sue Werner, Outstanding Woman; Kristin Dreyer, Spotlight Award; and Charlene Harrison and Sally Kalin, Special Honorees.

Below, left to right: Margaret McGrath presents Outstanding Woman award to Charlene Harrison; Civil War lady pays a visit; Julia Brown visits with Talat Azhar, outgoing AAUW-PA Program VP; Julia Glover receives award from Margaret McGrath for AAUW membership increase at Penn State World Campus.

Since its first meeting in 1881,

AAUW has been a catalyst for

change. Today, with more than

165,000 members and donors,

1,000 branches, and 800 college

and university partners, AAUW

advances equity for women and

girls through advocacy, education,

philanthropy, and research.

AAUW's voice has long influenced

legislative debate on critical social

issues. It provides millions of

dollars in fellowships, grants and

awards to outstanding women from

around the globe and for

community action projects. AAUW

also funds pioneering research on

women, girls, and education.

Through leadership programs,

women and girls acquire the skills

they need to succeed and assume

leadership roles in their academic,

professional, and personal lives.

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.

AAUW State College Branch P.O. Box 735

State College, PA 16804 www.aauwstatecollege.org

Sat., May 10th—Tue., May 13 53rd AAUW State College Used Book Sale, details p. 1.

Wed., May 21st, 6:00 p.m. AAUW State College Awards & Scholarship Banquet Hilton Garden Inn, details p. 1-2.

Friday, June 20th First day that book donations will be accepted at Used Book Workshop, 2100 East College Avenue behind Caspian Spa

July 9-13th Arts Festival Information Table Staffed by AAUW State College Corner of College and Allen Details forthcoming.

Late August Branch board member orientation, board meeting, and potluck. Details forthcoming.

Used Book Workshop 2100 East College Avenue

(814) 235-6884

Branch Co-presidents: Charlene Harrison, chh1@psu.edu

Billie Willits, bsw2@psu.edu

To join, renew, or update your membership, contact:

Membership Vice-presidents Michelle Decker

mgd152@psu.edu Carol Hodes

carolhodes@yahoo.com

Newsletter: Connie Schroeder

connieschroeder@gmail.com

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

(STEM from page 7)

Additionally, five girls have been awarded STEM Scholarships to PSU Science-U camps this summer. We hope to receive additional applications.

The Committee has designated its May 7 meeting as New Member meeting. We encourage anyone who is interested to attend the meeting (5:00—6:00 p.m., 242 Borough Building). We’re always interested in new ideas!

Mary Dupuis and Kristin Dreyer STEM Committee Co-Chairs

Thank You from AAUW National

Every day, we ask you — our

members and volunteers — to

make an effort to empower

women and girls. Not only do

you do this, but you do it well.

From leading our national

board, to planning state and

national conventions, holding

fundraisers, and pulling off

powerful local programming,

you do so much to help realize

AAUW’s mission, and we

cannot thank you enough.

We want to make sure you

know how much we appreciate

all you do to empower women

and to make AAUW the

powerful community it is.

Thank you, thank you, thank

you! — AAUW national staff

MSLC Tribute Dinner to Honor Branch Member Mary Dupuis and Martha Kolln

The Mid-State Literacy Council will honor two extraordinary volunteers at its 2nd Annual Tribute Dinner on Monday, May 19th. They are Mary Dupuis, longtime AAUW branch leader, and Martha Kolln, a past AAUW State College Branch member. Mary and Martha have contributed volumes of volunteer efforts to MSLC for the past few decades. To attend the dinner, which will be held at Celebration Hall, contact Amy Wilson, MSLC Executive Director, 238-1809, or visit www.mid-stateliteracycouncil.org for details.

Thank You,

Pat Kephart

for your leadership staffing the AAUW State College Arts Festival information table

for the past ten years. You have done a super job, and

your efforts are greatly appreciated!

CONGRATULATIONS Connie Wheeler, Centre County

Council for Human Services-

AAUW Volunteer of the Year!!

Connie’s contributions as a lead

at the Used Book Workshop and

as Philanthropic Priorities and

Funds Distribution Committee

Co-Chair are greatly

appreciated.