AAUW MEMBERSHIP MATTERS By Bonnie Penix and Jan Stuter

A WELCOME AND A FAREWELL

As we end our membership year, we are very pleased to welcome our newest member,

Bonnie Penix

Carmen L. Hobbs, to AAUW Sacramento. Carmen has a BS in nursing from San Jose State University and an MS from Sonoma State University in nursing leadership and management. She is retired from the position of nurse consultant with the State of California. She has a particular interest in working with our Public Policy and Scholarship Committees. She also is interested in joining Great Decisions, Cultural History, Readers’ Theatre and the Singles Dining Out groups. Carmen made a point of attending our final program meeting of this year on Zoom, and we are all eager to meet her in person as COVID restrictions are lifted.

Sadly, this will be the last column of our two-year term as co-membership directors and what a tumultuous two-year period it has been! The joy of our 100- year anniversary and the challenge of the COVID pandemic were only two of the events that shaped and influenced our term. We wish Donna Holmes and Marty McKnew the best outcome as they navigate membership during their two-year term.

Janice Stuter

ON MY (FINAL) RADAR (From Jan):

One of the last recommendations I would like to make as I end our stint in office: Instead of eliminating a degree requirement for members, why not add an “or” qualification that would extend membership to any interested women and men without formal degrees who have contributed to the advancement of equity for women by working with us locally, statewide, nationally or internationally as a volunteer, financially or otherwise, on projects related to our goals. This qualification would certainly broaden the net we are able to cast to recruit new members while still focusing recognition on one of our primary goals, education and equity for all women. We might also be able to award posthumous membership to those awesome women and men who fought for equity and are no longer with us. I hope National will explore this as an alternative path to more inclusivity in our organization.