Daily Archives: March 31, 2016

Sexual Assault on College Campuses by Jessica Arauza

What Public Policy Is (and means to AAUW Members)

What Public Policy Is (and means to AAUW Members)

March concludes Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to rewriting women back into history and celebrating the innumerable contributions women have made to the country and world at large.  The month offers us both the opportunity to celebrate our strides and also assess how much further we have yet to go in achieving gender equity.

April marks the transition into Sexual Assault Awareness Month and enables us to engage in conversation on what superficially may seem like a simple topic of the gender equity scope: keeping women safe. Around 28 percent of women are targets of attempted or completed sexual assault while they are college students.  Laws such as Title IX, the Violence against Women Act and the Clery Act are some of the many public policies intended to hold college campuses accountable for making concrete efforts at ending sexual assault through education, empowerment and assistance of victims.

While these policies have undoubtedly resulted in tremendous changes and impact, strengthening sexual assault efforts also means advocating for more preventative measures through bystander intervention trainings and male ally groups on college campuses. Moreover, we need to be equally vested in training and educating law enforcement on how to properly address sexual assault cases and develop more streamlined measures to help victims who do not report directly to law enforcement. True gender equity will not prevail until we are able to find multifaceted and transformative solutions at institutional and societal levels to address violence against women.

Membership Matters by Shirley Wheeler & Pat Winkle; In Memoriam: Virginia Mueller by Cathy Locke

Membership Matters

membership benefitsPlease join us at the Author’s Luncheon on April 30, when we will acknowledge our 50 Year Honorary Lifetime Members. The women of our Branch who have achieved that status this year are JEAN BROWN, RUTH BURGESS, VIVIAN COUNTS, RUTH ANN HINES and BARBARA SMITH. Congratulations to each of you, and thank you for all you have contributed to AAUW!

On March 6, the Membership Committee hosted a meet-and-greet gathering for new members at the home of Gloria Yost. Approximately 10 new members were in attendance as well as seven longer tenured women. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet each other, share information about the Branch mission, and speak about the Scholarship Committee, Speech Trek, Tech Trek and WOW. Several of the new members have already been active in committees and interest groups. The gathering was so successful that members requested to hold another one in a few months.

Please welcome the following new AAUW members:

Lynn C. Anderson received her BA in English from the University of California, Davis. She was referred by Sharon Anderson. Lynn is a retired Policy Analyst with the State of California. She lives in Sacramento.

Karen Humphrey received her BA in humanities from the University of Southern California and her MA in public policy and women’s studies from California State University, Sacramento. Karen is

On March 6, Membership Hosted a New Member Social at Gloria Yost's

On March 6, Membership Hosted a New Member Social at Gloria Yost’s

a retired education administrator/elected official. She was referred by Pat Winkle and lives in Sacramento.

Ellynrose Sheehan received her AA from Rogue Community College in Medford, Oregon. She is currently attending Sacramento City College and plans to transfer to California State University, Sacramento and major in art history. Ellynrose lives in Sacramento.

Monique Stovall received her BS in dietetics from Prairie View A&M University in Texas and her MBA from California State University, Sacramento. Monique works full time as a dietician for San Juan School District. She was referred by Lisa Howard and lives in Sacramento.

 

Reminder: AAUW Dues Renewal Forms will be mailed mid-April. Please renew by June 1! Thank you.

In Memoriam: Virginia Mueller by Cathy Locke

Virginia Mueller, a 50-year AAUW member and longtime Sacramento attorney, died March 14 of pneumonia. She was 91.

Virginia began practicing law in 1946 and was hired as Sacramento County’s first female deputy district attorney in 1959. She later worked for the Legal Aid Society, serving as a defense attorney. She spent many years in independent practice, retiring in 2009. She is remembered as a mentor to generations of younger women entering the legal profession.

Family members plan to hold a celebration of her life at the family home in Sacramento, probably in June. Friends and colleagues will be invited to share their memories of her.