AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
OF MAINE
2003 – 2004 Annual
Reports
REPORT OF THE
PRESIDENT
Association
Convention, June 2003
The theme for the 2003 AAUW
convention was “Women in Charge: Bold,
Innovative, Collaborative.” Many of the workshops reflected that
theme. A highlight for many of us was
the opportunity to listen to and talk with several young women who attended the
National Conference for College Women Student Leaders a few days prior to the
convention. They stayed and participated
as members of the AAUW Student Advisory Council. They shared with us what they and other young
women seek in volunteer affiliations and what keeps them engaged. The loudest message we heard was: “We are busy; we are interested only in
meaningful affiliations.” They all value the work of AAUW, and are eager to be involved in worthwhile community
projects. They are not interested in
attending meetings only for meeting’s sake.
They also value the opportunity to network with and learn from
experienced women. These young women
hold our future in their hands. We were
very impressed with their enthusiasm, intelligence, maturity, directness, and
desire to carry on our work.
The
Dirigo – Maine
With our unflappable leadership spirit intact and undaunted
by temporary defeat, we agreed at our October 2003 Leadership Team Meeting (LTM) to again put forth our bylaws
amendment proposal to open AAUW membership to all who
support our mission. That decision was
unanimous and was supported by reaffirmation of all present
at the March 2004 LTM. The reason is simple and appears on almost
every AAUW publication: “Because equity is still an issue.” The proposal will be presented for discussion and vote during our May 15
business meeting at the spring convention at the Black Bear Inn in Orono. If it passes, we again will submit our
amendment request to the association’s bylaws committee, which will decide whether or not to put it forth at the 2005 convention.
Impact Grant: The October 2003 Leadership Team Meeting
included a panel discussion that focused on issues affecting
Discrimination
and McCarthyism
AAUW-Maine had
the opportunity to speak out on the injustice of discrimination and intolerance
when Michael Heath, Executive Director of the Christian Civic League of Maine,
suggested on that organization’s web site that anyone with information –
substantiated or otherwise – about the sexual orientation of our elected
officials should let him know. He would
then post this information on the web site.
The whole state was enraged by this – a
positive sign in itself – including AAUW-Maine. With the support and go-ahead of the
leadership team, I wrote a letter to the editor denouncing Mr. Heath, the
League, and his suggestion. The letter appeared
in several newspapers throughout the state. Mr.
Heath’s action – horrific as it was – gave us the opportunity to publicly weigh in on a very important public policy
issue. We cannot and will not tolerate
intolerance, and we took a stand in support of equality and justice for all.
Affiliation
Agreements
These are times of heightened scrutiny, fueled in part by
the well-publicized unscrupulous and often illegal activities of a few high
profile individuals. The Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) is closely examining the relationships and activities of
many tax-exempt organizations, AAUW being one of
them. The Association was
advised that it needed to provide thorough documentation of its
relationship with affiliates, i.e. branches, including evidence that the funds
raised by branches are, in fact, used as intended. All of this is intended
to protect the association’s tax-exempt status.
Thus came the multi-faceted and oft confusing
"affiliates agreement," to be signed and returned with articles of
incorporation, bylaws, proof of liability insurance, membership dues report,
statement of owned property, treasurers’ reports showing income and
disbursements, and any other proof of a branch’s activities. Along
with a very tight turnaround deadline, the required documentation and apparent
one-way indemnification feature of the agreement threw many states and branches
into a tailspin.
After considerable dialogue and a letter of explanation from
AAUW President Nancy Rustad,
responses were varied, with most branches complying in
one fashion or another. Most have signed
the agreement, retaining a copy of
Bylaws (In the
absence of an active state bylaws chair, I’m including
the bylaws report here.)
Interestingly, several branches were unable to unearth a
copy of their branch bylaws to accompany their affiliates’ agreement. Many are now working to update their bylaws,
incorporating the two branch-related amendments that passed at convention, i.e.
dues increase and extending the time a branch can function with less than a
minimum number of members before being required to disband (no evidence this
currently is enforced). Branches have been advised to download the branch bylaws template
from the Association web site and fine-tune it for their purposes. This is a good time to work toward standardizing
at least the format of all
Membership
Declining membership continues to be the biggest challenge –
for this Association and for most membership organizations. Further on in this
report you can read AAUW-Maine’s membership statistics
in the report from Membership VP Betsy Eggleston. You will find they mirror what is happening
at the national level. These are
Association membership figures as of August 31, 2003: 75,845 branch members, 42,371
Members-at-Large (MAL), 1,261 student affiliates, and 554 C/U members, for a total of 120,031. I
know that numbers have increased somewhat since the end of August, but not
significantly, and they are consistent by category with what is
reported here. A recent joint
letter from the presidents of the Association, EF,
and LAF reiterated the organization’s financial
straits, citing membership decline and MAL decline in particular.
I don’t have a magic wand I can
wave to solve our membership challenge.
I know from conversations with some of our branches that lack of
leadership is a significant issue.
Everyone wants to continue active branch membership, but few are willing
to assume leadership roles, many because they’ve
already served in every responsible position in their branches at least once,
if not more. Instinct tells me we need
to find a way to simplify leadership roles, making them more manageable for
women already filling several other roles in their lives, and that individual
responsibilities should be analyzed for ways to divvy up the workload so a few
members aren’t doing it all.
AAUW’s voice is
at least as important – probably more – than it ever has been. We need to strengthen our voice by having it
represent millions of American women, not 120,000. I believe the 2005 convention will feature
considerable dialogue about the association’s membership and its structure,
striving for a balance that meets the needs of members and strengthens our
voices. We need to be there and participate
in that dialogue.
State Board
(Leadership Team)
These past two years have been an incredible journey. We have addressed many challenges, some with success, others still “a work in progress.” Certainly one of the most enriching aspects
of AAUW membership is the opportunity to collaborate
and form meaningful friendships with an amazing group of women. Each meeting I attend, each encounter with AAUW-Maine women, leaves me marveling at the strength,
intelligence, compassion, creativity, and humor of each and
every one of you. I thank each of
you for the opportunity to serve as president of AAUW-Maine
for the past two years, and for the absolute pleasure of working with some of
Yours
in equality, Lucinda J.
Hebert, President, 2002-2004
REPORT OF THE CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
Since we did not hold
a 2003 spring convention where it normally would be
distributed, the 2002-2003 Annual Report was issued in June and mailed
to LT members and branches. It's the Team's continued hope that distributing the report
in spring (okay, early summer in 2003) makes it useful to branches as they plan
for upcoming programs and fundraising activities. Your secretary appreciates the continued
cooperation of LT members (including branch presidents) in submitting their
reports in a timely fashion and promptly replying to many e-mail and phone
requests for additional information, clarification, and so on.
The AAUW-Maine Directory for 2003-2004 was
produced in October and distributed primarily at the October 25 LT meeting,
with the remainder mailed out. Because many members of the Leadership Team (such as elected
officers) need certain directory information earlier than that, the
corresponding secretary provides the appropriate data by e-mail as soon as she
has it from all branches; members are encouraged to get in touch with her any
time they are in need of data she may be able to provide from current records.
In addition to her
primary tasks of getting out the Annual Report and the Directory--
including all necessary collection correspondence-- the corresponding secretary
assists the president as requested in miscellaneous correspondence and other
tasks. Widespread availability of e-mail
has significantly reduced the volume of correspondence needing to be done by the secretary for the president. I attended both meetings of the Leadership
Team and assisted minimally prior to and during them. Susan Nolan Landry, Corresponding Secretary
REPORT OF THE PROGRAM VICE PRESIDENT
The
issues discussed were these:
- Reproductive rights
with panelist Ruth Lockhart, Executive Director of the Mabel Wadsworth
Women’s
- Environmental issues,
especially the issue of “taking,” with panelist Sharon Tisher,
Instructor of Environmental Law at the
- Privacy issues with
panelist Shannon Martin, Assistant Professor of Communication and
Journalism who teaches “Mass Media Law and Regulation” at the
- Access to the Courts
with Pat Ende, Attorney with the
Barbara
Crider, attorney in private practice and founder of the Penquis
Law Project, moderated the panel and offered concluding
remarks specific to the judicial review and selection process and what may be
its impact on the issues discussed.
Carolyn
Horn videotaped the proceedings, and the Women’s
The
2004 State
Convention program focuses on information and programs related to the Educational
Foundation. Bets Brown, national board
member, provides an overview of the Educational Foundation; and AAUW-EF Visiting Scholar Lyn Mikel
Brown is scheduled to present her research on girls’ friendships, with a focus
on the impact of media images. Dr.
Brown’s research culminated in a book called Girlfighting: Betrayal and Rejection Among
Girls, published in December 2003.
Books will be available at the convention and the author will sign books
after her presentation.
A
student-produced video about Zoey’s Room, a cyber
clubhouse for girls, will be shown. Maine AAUW is a
sponsor of Zoey’s Room, and has facilitated the
expansion of this program encouraging girls’ participation in technology into
Sharon Barker, Program Vice
President
REPORT OF THE RECORDING SECRETARY
Minutes were recorded and filed
for the Leadership Team Meetings held in Orono on October 25, 2003 and March
13, 2004. Minutes were also distributed by e-mail or hard copy to all Team
members. Copies of all written reports
are on file as well.
Genevieve V. Goltz, Recording Secretary
REPORT OF THE MEMBERSHIP VICE
PRESIDENT
For the year 2003, Maine AAUW had a
total membership of 386 as reported in the February 1, 2004 count reported by
the Association; this figure includes dual members and student affiliates as
well as life and annual members. The
total reflects all dues paid through January 31, 2004. The same total for the prior year was 443;
this means that we lost 12.94 percent of our membership in one year.
Congratulations to Houlton
Branch for an increase in membership for the year, from 13 members to 18. The remainder of our branches showed
decreases ranging from 2.54 to 23.1 percent.
The challenge in the coming year will be recruit new members and
retain current members despite obstacles like the Association dues
increase. Use of existing AAUW programs such as
"Shape the Future" and "Give a Grad a Gift" as well as new
programs may help each branch to attain its membership goals for 2004-2005.
Betsy Eggleston, Membership Vice President
REPORT OF THE EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION CHAIR
AAUW continues its long-standing awards to help
women attain their professional and personal goals. In 1888 the founders
gave $350 to its first fellowship for a graduate woman scholar. In the 2003-04 academic year
the Educational Foundation (EF) awarded close to $3.4
million to almost 200 women in a wide range of disciplines and leadership
positions in schools and communities. Lavina Shankar at
EF’s yearly deadline is December 31. You can access a link to Educational
Foundation information through the AAUW website,
www.aauw.org.
Nancy
Hutchinson, Educational Foundation Chair
REPORT OF THE LEGAL ADVOCACY FUND CHAIR
Once
again, a sincere thank-you to all local LAF
chairs/treasurers/member(s) who made sure your branches’ contribution(s) were
sent to the Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF) for the 2003
Recognition Year. Thanks, too, to those
who may have made separate, direct donations.
increase is despite the fact that we did not hold our
annual State Convention where we generally have further contributions from the LAF/EF Basket Raffle.
Branches that met or exceeded their $5-per-member-goal were
Bath-Brunswick, Caribou, Ellsworth-Downeast, Houlton,
Mid-Coast
As with EF, the deadline for
contributions to LAF each year is December 31. For further information and details/
updates on LAF and LAF cases, go to the AAUW website
(www.aauw.org) and click on the LAF link.
Nancy Hutchinson, LAF Liaison
REPORT OF THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Three issues of the Dawn
Breaker were prepared during the 2003-2004 year and were distributed as
Volume 51: Fall 2003 was number 1, Winter 2004 was number 2, and Spring 2004 was number
3. The fall issue was sent to all
members and members-at-large in
Bets Brown, Editor
REPORT OF THE COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY RELATIONS CHAIR
According to the
Association website, as of March 13, 2004 AAUW's
College/University partners in
Betty-Jane
Meader, College/University Representative
REPORT OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE
The following slate of officers was
presented to the Leadership Team at its meeting on March 13, 2004: Recording Secretary, Genevieve Goltz; Corresponding Secretary, Susan Landry; Membership
Vice President, Elizabeth Eggleston.
Alison
Bossie, as reported to the LT on behalf of the
Committee
REPORT OF THE ACHIEVEMENT CITATION AWARD COMMITTEE
Letters to branch presidents were mailed/e-mailed in August, setting a
nomination deadline of February 1.
Nominations were received by the deadline from
the Houlton,
The certificate and frame were purchased
in Houlton, with expenses submitted to the treasurer. The Penobscot Valley Branch was notified by telephone that its candidate had been
selected, and the branch relayed notice to the recipient. The three other nominating branches were notified by phone, followed by an e-mailed letter to
the branch president or the branch ACA committee.
As host branch for the convention,
The Award will be presented to
Phyllis Borns, who will share her accomplishments and
interests following the dinner on May 14.
Deborah
A. Melvin, Chair (Houlton
Branch)
Shirley
Ayer (Caribou Branch)
Betty Hardy (Mid-Coast Branch)
REPORT OF BATH/BRUNSWICK BRANCH
The
Bath Brunswick Branch has had another successful year of programs. Even
though our membership is down a bit, we continue to thrive in our activities.
Our
September program was held at the China Rose
Restaurant in
Our
October meeting was presented at
Our
November meeting was a tour of the new home for the Maine State Music Theater’s
production crew. We had an opportunity to view rehearsal studios as well
as the properties room, and the tour gave us a new appreciation of the effort
it takes to produce a successful musical.
Our
December potluck was held as usual at the Bowdoin College Alumni House. The meal was delicious
and the company was delightful.
Our
January meeting was held at Thornton Oaks Retirement
Community in
In
February we toured the 
selection
this year was Endurance, about the efforts of Sir Ernest Shackleton to reach the South Pole. The museum houses
artifacts of the North Pole explorations of Bowdoin
graduates Peary and MacMillan.
In
March we held our annual Spring Brunch, again at
Thornton Oaks with its wonderful food. This
year we asked one of our recent scholarship recipients to tell us about her
experience teaching English in
Our
annual meeting was held in April at the new
Our
last program of the year is our spring May Basket Brunch. At
this meeting we introduce to the branch the recipient
of our annual $1,000.00 scholarship.
Respectfully
submitted,
Catherine Jacobs, President, Bath/Brunswick
Branch
REPORT OF CARIBOU BRANCH
Membership: This year
we have maintained a healthy membership but have lost some members due to
relocation. Overall
in the last two years we have had about 50% increases in membership. This is quite an accomplishment given that
most civic organizations are having trouble gaining new members. We are fortunate
to have seasoned members who are willing to help mentor new members coming in
to the group. Many members are now
retired and enjoy the book group.
Programs and Outreach: Our first program essentially
involved planning for the Open World Russian Women Leaders exchange in
September. This entailed much planning
and the volunteering of time and effort of many group members interested in
this endeavor. Lisa Guerette,
a Russian immigrant, provided us with information about Russian women and their
culture.
The months of September and October were dedicated to the
hosting program for the visiting Russian women. We also discussed the “Get Out to
Vote” campaign. For the November program
Susan Starr, a certified yoga instructor, spoke about the different types of
yoga and also did hands-on introductory instruction
with the group.
Our December meeting is our annual Christmas auction, with
veteran auctioneers Donna Hurley and Rose Harris. We raffled several mystery gifts, and
proceeds went to both Legal Advocacy Fund and local scholarships. At our January meeting, our program was
identity theft and how to protect yourself against
it. We invited a local news journalist
to our February program to speak about cultural diversity in her professional
life. The March meeting was primarily a
work session to address the request of the national AAUW
to send in an Affiliates Agreement and our Branch bylaws.
The April program was “Women Athletes and Sports”; Sarah
Dominique and Karen Saenger, who are actively involved
with the
Branch
Dynamics: Caribou
Branch AAUW monthly meetings usually alternate
between a Saturday morning brunch program and a Thursday night generally at a
member’s home or the
Additional Highlights:
◊ Branch members Cindy Hebert and Joanne Labbe were instrumental in helping develop and obtain
funding for Zoey’s E-pals at the
◊ We purchased copies of Girlfighting
for area high and middle schools.
◊ We also organized and facilitated two panel discussions during
the MSSM summer camp for girls, featuring women who
use math, science, and computers in their careers.
Open
World Russian Women Leaders Program (by Cindy Hebert):
I first heard of this
program in a state presidents e-list message from the
Association back in March of 2003. They
were looking for branches willing to host a group of 8-10 Russian women
leaders, to introduce them to women leaders in our communities, to observe
women leaders in action, and to learn more about how we function in a
democracy. We jumped at the chance! It was a great deal of work made manageable
by the assistance of many, many people, some in AAUW,
some not. Everyone in the
Caribou-Presque Isle area was aware these women were coming, and they were very
excited about meeting them. We received
superb publicity, e.g. welcome signs, television coverage, numerous newspaper articles.
The Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Court even drove to Caribou to
have lunch with our visitors, all because a local judge (who hosted one of the
women) invited her! We introduced them
to lobster, took them on the
Respectfully submitted,
Mary Gallant, President,
Caribou Branch
REPORT OF
ELLSWORTH-DOWNEAST BRANCH
As of September 2003, the branch had 41 members, almost all
in
Our biggest problem is raising money to fund the
scholarships we have supported over the last number of years. Toward this end, we have traditionally held
two events: a pot luck
dinner and auction for members in December, at which time members both
contribute items to be auctioned and bid on items; and a rummage sale which
will take place this year on May 22nd at the
Speakers at our monthly meetings included a number of
local activist women, including the following:
one of the founders of Zoey’s Room; Lael Stegall, whose curriculum vitae includes long involvement
in women’s rights issues; Milja Brecher-DeMuro,
Executive Director of the Women’s Collective on Mt. Desert Island (addressing
the group on the needs of women and girls on MDI as well as in Hancock County). Roberta Kuriloff, an Ellsworth-based lawyer who specializes in
estate planning and elder law (providing an excellent overview of financial and
health care issues for women in an aging and ever more independent population).
The January meeting for the last several years has had as
its focus the reading habits of our members.
Each member is asked to provide sufficient
information about books she read during the prior 12 months to stimulate
members to rush out and read them. This
meeting-- except for the impact of snowstorms-- has been a favorite of many members.
Our goal for the 2004-2005 year is two-fold: increase membership, particularly with
younger women, and increase endowment to fund our chosen causes.
Respectfully
submitted,
Joyce Neiditz-Snow, President, Ellsworth-Downeast Branch
REPORT OF HOULTON BRANCH
The 2003/2004 term has been
a good example of growth and enrichment for the Houlton branch, and since we
found our bylaws, we're going to be much better
prepared for business. In one year, our membership grew 38.5%, from 13
members to 18 members, all of whom have brought new enthusiasm and ideas with
them. One member, Catherine Brown, single-handedly prepared our branch's
submission for the Achievement Citation Award candidate, Terri Brewer, an
outstanding local speech therapist.
Our
Branch strength is in the program content. I refer the reader to the
Winter 2004 Dawn Breaker for a description of
the fall and winter programs. Marilyn Roper, anthropologist and Branch
member, presented a provocative March program called "War or
Peace?" Marilyn submitted data from her graduate research that
supports evidence of widespread peaceful existence among some of the earliest
European people, in contrast to fighting and killing as many historians
describe. Marilyn's knowledge and passion for world peace clearly makes
her a timely speaker worth listening to.
The April program
featured Beatrice Szantyr, MD, who gave Branch
members and Houlton area community members startling information about the
prevalence of Lyme disease in
And now that we have the
Branch bylaws (missing ?? ; found
4/19/04), we'll move ahead with our "annual April business meeting"
(Article VII, Section 1.c.)!
Respectfully
submitted,
Nancy Putnam, President, Houlton Branch
REPORT OF MID-COAST MAINE
This
has been another year of change and challenge in our branch. We have changed our meeting place to
We
have been saddened by the deaths of several of our
members and the loss of others who have changed their place of residence. Mildred Walter, one of our former presidents,
has named us as a legatee in her will, and we will receive our general share of
her estate when the probate court is finished with its work some time in 2005.
Our
Education Fund is now fully compliant with the regulations of the Internal
Revenue Service, and we continue to see it grow as an arm of our branch. We fund three scholarships for graduating
high school students, and we support our "Lift-Off" program for older
non-traditional students at the University of Maine
Thomaston Center.
Our
Co-Vice Presidents of Program, Joyce Dock and Marsha Kaplan, have provided us
with imaginative and original programs.
Though we had to cancel two of our planned speakers because of terrible
weather, we have promises that they will come next year. The excellence and variety of our programs
are unequaled, and we open them to the public.
"Three Generations of Wyeths," a
program co-sponsored by Rockland Public Library and given by Shirley Stenberg,
was so well attended that we had to turn people away.
Our
major fundraiser and most prized event, the Authors Series, was
held in
The
Whitehall Inn in
We
move forward, sometimes slowly, sometimes shyly, but always surely, remembering
that we are WOMEN IN CHARGE.
Respectfully submitted,
Betty W. Hardy, President, Mid-Coast
REPORT OF PRESQUE ISLE
BRANCH
Presque Isle Branch had some outstanding programs and
speakers during the 2003-2004 year.
We were
informed and inspired by an amazing assortment of women who shared their
stories with us. Opening the year as guests of the
Caribou branch, we were impressed by the courage of
the Russian women who shared their stories as participants in the Open World
Russian Women Leaders Program. During
the same month, we attended the first presentation in the distinguished lecture
series at UMPI, on the history of public health in
Our branch was pleased to nominate Ms. Caroline Gentile,
retired UMPI faculty member and distinguished member
of our branch, for consideration for the Achievement Citation Award. While our candidate was not
selected, we were proud to have been part of the process for the first
time in many years.
To finish the year, we plan a yard sale fundraiser and our
annual “Mystery Dinner” event, which usually gets everyone out. Only the leaders know where we are going as
we wend our way thither and yon, finally discovering the true destination. This is our annual meeting, where new officers
are elected and dues are collected. One lucky person will receive free dues.
We had several guests this year at meetings, and we hope to see our membership increase slightly for next year. Although we did not give out any scholarships this year, we have continued co-sponsoring “Girls and Gifts,” a career event held twice a year for 5th-grade gifted and talented girls. We have also felt very fortunate to have access to function rooms and resources at UMPI for our meetings, and to be able to collaborate with the school for some events.
Respectfully
submitted,
Pat
Rathbun, Co-President, Presque
REPORT OF WATERVILLE
The
members of Waterville Branch of AAUW experienced an
interesting, exciting, and challenging year.
We started the year during the summer of 2003 by planning to overhaul
our annual book and bake sale, which is one of our two primary fund-raising
vehicles. This effort, led by
Educational Foundation Chair Regina Oliver, revitalized the book sale. Over half of the books, many of which had not
sold for years, were taken to be recycled. Thinning the collection made finding the
books that were more likely to sell more accessible to buyers. When branch members pulled together 
to
complete this effort, including an extra day’s hard work, they had the fun of
enjoying each other’s company.
The program was set during a summer board meeting. The September and the May meetings are social
events that sandwich the meetings of the year.
In September the board provides desserts for
the branch, interactive activities occur, AAUW is
introduced to new members, and introductions are made between new and longtime
members. During May’s end-of-year gala,
we celebrate the successes of the previous year, we applaud our members, we say
thanks for all the hard work, and we renew our belief in the mission of
education and equity for women and girls.
In December, our meeting is the time of the annual auction with our
entertaining and brilliant auctioneers, Betty-Jane Meader
and Kerri Oliver.
During the rest of the year, we had a series of interesting
programs that brought to our members new ideas and new possibilities for
networking. Our programs were as
follows:
- October: Professor of French Studies Suellen Diaconoff of