INDEPENDENCE BRANCH Empowering women since 1940

Vol. 78 No. 9 May 2018 EMPOWERING WOMEN SINCE 1881

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

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2017-2018 AAUW Year is in the Books

Patty Chadwick, our Historian, took us on a ‘train ride’ through the events and accomplishments of the year at our May 12 Annual Meeting. What a ride it was! Thank you to each and every one who has been involved with our meetings, activities, outreach, fundraising and social times. Much progress has been made. We received the Missouri 10 Star Award for our efforts.

June 26 New Member Outreach – Cookies & Convos

And so, we now turn our efforts to 2018-2019. I hope each of you have June 26 on your calendar! This is a huge prospective new member outreach. It will be a “Cookies & Conversation” event. We will gather in Fellowship Hall at Independence First United Methodist Church at 7:00 p.m. This will be a casual and informative get-together. No business, just goodies and fellowship – sharing about AAUW. We will also show a video by Kim Churches, AAUW CEO.

Please RSVP to me so we can plan accordingly. 816-365-1180 sueshineman46@gmail.com

ALSO, if you have not yet sent me your list of 5 prospects, please do so in the next few days. Handwritten invitations will be sent out by June 4. It is my hope to have no fewer than 20 guests and 20 members present.

June 19 AAUW Combined Board Meeting 9:30 - Noon

We will meet at IFUMC – our regular meeting place. There is much to discuss and some training/orientation for all. If you have a notebook specific to your position, please bring that along with any wrap up notes, ideas, suggestions to share with your successor.

Calling All Members

I have started calling members to ask where you would like to serve and what committee you can share your leadership talents as a chairperson. Please give thoughtful consideration to your involvement in our Branch. If each one helps in some way, we can make an even greater impact in the lives of women and girls.

Congratulations!

Mary Anderson, Edwina Forke and Karol Palmer are this year’s honorees of our Named Gifts recognition. We greatly appreciate their creativity and all they have done for our branch the past two years.

Sue Shineman, President

Evelyn Trigg – new email address:

Evelyn.trigg@yahoo.com

JUNE INFORMATIONAL EVENT

Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at 7 PM

First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall, 400 W. Maple, Independence, MO

Please invite your friends and RSVP to Sue Shineman

It’s not too late….

…to renew your membership for 2018-2019. Dues are due by June 1. Dues this year are $85

($59 national, $10 state, $16 branch). You may renew by check, at the May meeting, or online with the invoice that was sent to you. Thanks to the 37 who have already renewed!

Lois Domsch, Finance Officer

AWARD WINNERS Awards Chair, Patt Braley was pleased to

announce the following members of the

2017 Diamond Club:

Mary Anderson

Barbara Bickham

Patt Braley**

Jane Campbell**

Lois Domsch**

Jan Horner

Jan Keeler

Kathy Keeton

Kathy Kelley

Barbara Leabo**

Doris Negaard

Karol Palmer**

Jeanne Schneider

Sue Shineman**

Judy Tucker

Judy Tyson**

Carolyn Weeks

Jane White**

**also AAUW-MO Century Club Members

The 2017 Named Gift Honorees for

Independence Branch are:

Mary Anderson

Edwina Forke

Karol Palmer

Our branch truly appreciates the work and

leadership of these members.

Patt Braley, Awards Chair

WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT

Jill Esry, Woman of Achievement

Our recipient of the 2017 Woman of

Achievement Award is Jill Esry. Jill

graduated from Truman High and holds a

BA in Secondary Education with emphasis

on Business Education from UMKC. She

worked in the Hallmark Corporate Offices

after graduation until the birth of her first

daughter. Since that time, she has devoted

her time to our community and volunteer

organizations. She served on the Child

Abuse Prevention Association Board,

Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity

Board, Independence Junior Service League

Board and PEO Chapter IK. For 22 years

she has served Independence Meals on

Wheels as a driver and former board

member. In 2010 she was elected to the

Independence School District Board and has

served as the President in addition to other

positions.

Jill received several awards and honors. She

was presented the Independence Council of

PTA’s Citizen of the Year in 2013, Truman

Heartland Community Foundation and

Independence Outstanding Citizen Award in

2014 (with her husband, Bill) and Missouri

School Board Association, Paul Morris

Community Service Award in 2015.

Jill and her husband, Bill, are the proud

parents of two daughters. Daughter Ellie

graduated from William Jewell College and

is a NICU nurse at St. Luke’s East hospital

Daughter Jordan will graduate in May from

Westminster College with Business

Communication degree.

It is our privilege to award our 2017 Woman

of Achievement Award to Jill Esry.

Laura Vernon, Award Committee Chair

STUDENT AWARDS

Each year AAUW Independence has the

honor of recognizing outstanding female

students in the Independence School

District. This year we recognized the

following 7th and 8th graders:

Bingham: Harley Lankard & Olivia Parrish

Nowlin Katelina Harris & Sindy Angulo

Pioneer Ridge: Mailee Ransom & Ava Autry

The high school students receiving this

year’s scholarships are Lucinda Ruz,

Hannah Kimbrough and Mecoya Newson..

Lucinda Ruz attends Truman High

School and participates in Debate, Mock

Trials, DECA, FBLA, Spanish Club,

Community Action Council, Youth Court,

Girl Talk, and Activism Club. She hopes to

attend Stanford or Georgetown and major in

International Relations.

Hannah Kimbrough is a student at

William Chrisman High School. She is in

Scholar Bowl, President of National Honor

Society, French National Honor Society,

History Club, and plays violin in the

orchestra. Hannah completed an internship

at the Truman Library and attended Girls’

State. Her future plans include attending

Truman State and majoring in Biology and

Engineering.

Mecoya Newson is our scholarship

recipient at Van Horn High School. She

participates in National Honor Society,

Volleyball, Student Council and Girl Talk.

Mecoya also volunteers at the Boys and

Girls Club and works at HiBoys. She as a

passion for helping others and plans to

attend Missouri Western, majoring in

nursing.

Carol Kelley, Student Awards Chair

IBC SCHOLARSHIPS

On April 21st at Unity Village Dining Hall

the Greater Kansas City Interbranch Council

Reentry Scholarships were awarded for

2018. Eight scholarships of $600 each were

given to outstanding students in the Kansas

City community seeking to further their

education. The Reentry Women Awardees

were Charity Bishop, Maple Woods

Community College, AA Social Work;

Shana Shanteau, University of Missouri-

Kansas City, Urban Planning & Design;

Crystal Swope, Park University, Social

Work; Cherie Servello, Park University,

Sociology & Psychology. The Parkville

Branch Reentry Scholarship was awarded to

ShaVaughnn Holloway, Park University,

English. The recipients of the Toni

Thornton Awards were Sarah Palmer, Penn

Valley Community College, Nursing;

Samantha Kaiser, University of Kansas City,

Urban Planning and Design; and Jenn Bess,

Penn Valley Community College,

Sociology.

John Thornton was there to present the Toni

Thornton Scholarships.

STATE MEETING

On the first weekend in May members from

the branches around the state gathered in

Columbia, MO to hear AAUW CEO Kim

Churches meet Susan Landino, LAF

plantiff, install new officers and attend

workshops.

Sue and Patt, leaders in Missouri AAUW

Two of our members were elected to officer

positions on the state board. Sue Shineman

was re-elected as Vice -President of

Membership and Patt Braley was elected

Finance Officer of the state. We are

honored to have two members of our banch

willing to serve at the state level and

represent our branch.

Six of our members were in attendance for

the weekend, Lois, Domsch, Jolene

Cerveny, Karol Palmer, Sue Raymond,

Nancy Comtois, Patt Braly and Sue

Shineman. They were present to receive our

Star Award and a Certificate of Recognition

for total and per capita giving.

PUBLIC POLICY REPORT April 2018

The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay

Gap, 2018 edition

The following is taken from the 2018 edition

of The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay

Gap. It discusses the causes of pay gaps.

The full 36-page report can be found on the

AAUW website. Updated regularly with the

most current statistics from the Bureau of

Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, The

Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap is a

commonsense guide that provides key facts

about the gender pay gap in the United

States. Topics covered in the report include:

the definition of the pay gap and its history;

the pay gap in each state; the pay gap by

age, race/ethnicity, and education; guidance

for women facing workplace discrimination;

and resources for fair pay advocates.

What Causes the Pay Gap?

The gap of 20 cents on the dollar between

men and women working full time, year-

round is a statistical fact. The pay gap itself

is more complicated than a single number

since it summarizes a huge diversity of

women and life circumstances. The origins

of the pay gap are also more complicated

than a single cause. Women and men have

always participated in the workforce in

different ways—and have been treated

differently by employers—and though those

differences have shrunk over time, they still

contribute to women being paid less than

men.

OCCUPATION AND “CHOICE”

In part, the pay gap reflects women’s and

men’s choices. Women and men often

choose different college majors and types of

jobs after graduation. But women experience

pay gaps at every education level and in

nearly every line of work. Among the many

occupations for which the Bureau of Labor

Statistics collects data that allow for valid

comparison, men’s earnings are higher than

women’s in the vast majority (U.S. Bureau

of Labor Statistics, 2017b).

In 2016, the U.S. civilian workforce

included 151 million full- and part-time

employed workers; 53 percent were men,

and 47 percent were women (U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics, 2017a). But women and

men tend to work in different kinds of jobs.

Women are disproportionately represented

in education, office and administrative

support, and health care occupations, and

men are disproportionately represented in

construction, maintenance and repair, and

production and transportation occupations

(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017b).

Segregation by occupation is a major factor

behind the pay gap. Even though a pay gap

exists in nearly every occupational field,

jobs traditionally associated with men tend

to pay better than traditionally female-

dominated jobs that require the same level

of skill (Hegewisch & Hartmann, 2014).

Occupational gender segregation has

decreased over the last 40 years, largely due

to women moving into formerly male-

dominated jobs, especially during the 1970s

and 1980s, and to faster growth of more

evenly mixed-gender occupations in the

1990s. But integration has stalled since the

early 2000s. Occupational segregation also

continues to affect some women more than

others: Of all racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic

women and men are the least likely to work

in the same jobs (Hegewisch & Hartmann,

2014).

Increasing the number of women in

traditionally male fields will likely improve

wages for women, but it is unlikely to fully

eliminate the pay gap. Women in such male-

dominated jobs as computer programming

still face a pay gap compared with men in

the field (figure 9), even though women in

such jobs may be paid higher salaries than

women in traditionally female fields are

paid. It will take more than individual

women pursuing careers in historically male

fields to ensure fair pay for all. (See

AAUW’s reports Why So Few? Women in

Science, Technology, Engineering, and

Mathematics and Solving the Equation: The

Variables for Women’s Success in

Engineering and Computing for more

discussion of career choice and occupational

gender gaps.)

PARENTING AND TIME AWAY FROM

WORK

Becoming a parent is widely acknowledged

as a personal choice that affects careers, but

it produces different professional outcomes

for women and men.

Taking time away from the workforce or

cutting back hours, both more common

scenarios for mothers than fathers, hurts

earnings (Bertrand et al., 2010). Many

employers and industries still prioritize long,

continuous, traditional work hours rather

than flexible schedules, a preference that

tends to put women with children at a

disadvantage (Goldin, 2014). AAUW’s

Behind the Pay Gap report found that 10

years after college graduation, 23 percent of

mothers were out of the workforce, and 17

percent worked part time. Among fathers,

only 1 percent were out of the workforce,

and only 2 percent worked part time

(AAUW Educational Foundation, 2007).

Many stay-at-home and part-time working

mothers will eventually decide to return to

the full-time workforce, and when they do

they may encounter a “motherhood penalty”

that extends beyond the actual time out of

the workforce. Experimental studies have

documented that employers are less likely to

hire mothers (including mothers who never

left the workforce) compared with child-free

women, and when employers do make an

offer to a mother, they offer her a lower

salary than they do other women (Correll &

Benard, 2007; Kricheli-Katz, 2012). Fathers,

in contrast, do not suffer a penalty compared

with other working men. Many fathers

actually receive higher wages after having a

child, known as the “fatherhood bonus”

(Killewald, 2013; Budig, 2014).

2018 AAUW National Bylaws Amendment

Vote

The AAUW National Board of Directors has

voted to put three proposals for bylaws

amendments before the membership for a

vote this spring.

The first two proposals would bring

AAUW’s board governance structure more

in line with nationally accepted nonprofit

best practices and the needs of the

organization. The third proposal — to

eliminate the degree requirement for

membership — has come before the

membership for vote a number of times. The

board feels strongly that while the degree

requirement made perfect sense at AAUW’s

inception, this requirement is now perceived

by many as counter to our mission and limits

our ability to build the capacity needed to

increase our impact as an organization.

Voting on-line ends June 9, 2018 so if you

haven’t already cast your ballot do so right

away.

Jolene Cerveny, Public Policy Chair

MINUTES AAUW Independence Branch

Monthly Meeting April 24, 2018

First United Methodist Church

Following the gathering at 6:30; arrival of

award recipients and their families;

President Sue Shineman welcomed all to the

program at 7pm.

Thank you to: Hostesses Nancy Comtois,

Barbara Leabo, Joyce Gillespie, Judy Tyson

and Jane White. Hospitality Chairs were

Jolene Cerveny & Sue Raymond; décor

theme was Spring.

Woman of Achievement

President Sue Shineman recognized

members previously Woman of

Achievement recipients: 1989 – Patt Braley,

1992 – Kathy Vest, 1994 – Carolyn Weeks,

1996 – Sue Russell, 2010 – Laura Vernon,

2012 – Myla Gentry, 2014 – Jan Keeler,

2015 – Judy Austin. Patt Braley was also

honored as the Missouri AAUW Women of

Distinction in 1998. Carolyn Weeks was

honored again for being one of 20 Women

of Distinction in Eastern Jackson County for

2018.

Laura Vernon introduced Jill Esry, 2018

recipient of Woman of Achievement Award

for Independence Branch. Jill graciously

acknowledged receiving the award and

introduced her mother and her daughter.

AAUW Scholarships

Sue Shineman gave a brief history of

AAUW as an organization, and its

Scholarships.

The program was turned over to Carol

Kelley who recognized members of the

Student Awards Committee: Kathy Vest,

Kathy Keeton, Nancy Comtois and Sue

Russell; who all participated in presenting

gifts and the awards. Carol Kelley

introduced the Award Recipients who were

present.

Following an Intermission for Pictures and

Refreshments, the Business portion of the

meeting began at 8:05pm.

Membership: Edwina Forke & Mary

Anderson reported members and multiple

guests in attendance.

Recording Secretary: Sue Raymond – the

approved minutes for the March 27 meeting

are in the newsletter.

Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Leabo

sent a card to Jim Austin (Judy’s husband),

and reported Judith Gutekunst is doing very

well, and is out playing bridge!

Financial Officer. The Financial Report is

printed in the newsletter.

Public Policy. Jolene Cerveny.

All members with email will receive an

email from National on the voting dates and

online voting instructions and the individual

pin number needed for online voting. Your

pin will also be included in your issue of the

Outlook.

Voting is on three bylaws proposals: 1)

three-year, staggered board terms; 2)

membership requirement for board

members; 3) the degree requirement for

AAUW membership Supporting information

is available in the March Newsletter. ALL

ARE ENCOURAGED TO MAKE YOUR

VOICE HEARD. PLEASE VOTE.

Book Sale AAUW will have a booth at the

Vaile Mansion Strawberry Festival June 2

from 9 am – 4 pm. Book categories to be

sold are Gardening, Collectibles, and Local

History. Kathy Kelley passed around a

signup list for members to man the booth.

Booth rental is $50.00.

Announcements and Events

• State Annual Meeting in

Columbia, May 5. Kim Churches,

AAUW National CEO is the keynote

speaker Saturday morning. Six

Independence Club members are

attending.

• May brunch meeting will be at V’s;

May 12, 2018 9:30-11:30. 2018-

2019 Officers will be installed. The

program will be presented by Patt

Braley, Lois Domsch, Karol Palmer,

Sue Raymond, Jolene Cerveny and

Sue Shineman sharing information

on speakers, meetings and

workshops from the State AAUW

Meeting in Columbia May 4 – 5,

2018.

• New Member Outreach - June 26 –

IFUMC – 7:00 to 8:30 PM

Each Member is asked to submit at

least 5 names and contact

information.

The Board will issue the invitations

and ask members to follow up.

The format of this meeting has not

yet been established.

• Tee shirts are for sale - $20 each

Meeting Adjourned 8:25pm

Respectfully Submitted,

Sue L. Raymond, Recording Secretary

AAUW Independence Branch Monthly Meeting May 12, 2018 Annual Brunch at V’s Restaurant, Independence, MO

9:30 am. Gathering and Welcome. Brunch served. The meeting was called to order at 10:16 am.

The program consisted of summary reports from the six branch members that attended

the AAUW State Annual Meeting in Columbia May 4-5, 2018.

Sue Shineman. Reported on the College and University discussion group. Some suggestions that came from the discussion a) Promote as a Women’s Empowerment Organization, instead of an AAUW affiliate. Need several advisors in order to carry over interest and experience in the two-year program. The previous program known as Start Smart on how to negotiate a first salary is now owned by AAUW. The content is being updated and expanded and will be ready in June – FREE to all.

Karol Palmer gave a summary from the 8 college student panel, who brought forward campus issues: sexual assault, assertiveness training (even in the classroom); few women in leadership roles; pairing with other student groups; and suggestion of mentoring from AAUW members.

Lois Domsch talked about Kim Churches message to the membership. Kim is the new CEO of AAUW; and is excited to re-organize and streamline AAUW National. There will be a dues Increase. Only 15% of the budget comes from membership dues. Kim’s effort to work with outside businesses to bring expertise from diverse areas. Impact – What we can actually carry out. Focus on the primary issues of AAUW; do not be distracted by seemingly relevant issues that are not AAUW primary issues; stay focused on those specific to our mission Advance Equity - for women and girls. Be sustainable. Flexible. National has listed 12 organizations we can partner with, having similar goals.

Lois encouraged us to find out more about this; go to AAUW.org website → About →search tagline “What we do”. Also

mentioned: Additional training to be offered for women over 50, and STEM. Tech Trek.

Sue Raymond’s talk was on the afternoon’s speaker presentation by Susan Daria Landino. She was hired by Yale University in 1999 as Security Education Coordinator to help provide a safe campus environment. Coming to realize victims of assault, including rape, were not receiving adequate support from the university, and crime statistics were under-reported; she attempted to set in motion procedures and programs to build supportive programs for victims. Over more than a 10-year period, her efforts were thwarted and sabotaged by the university; creating substantial stress and harassment for Susan. Various attempts at litigation brought attention to her case from AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund who began supporting her case in 2015, and she received representation from one of the best victim rights lawyers in the U.S. Her case was finally settled favorably in 2017. AAUW LAF provided the financial support needed to get her through. Following counseling and recovery, both emotionally and professionally, Susan, now a member of AAUW, and continues her fight against abuse.

Because relevant issues are frequently covered in the AAUW Outlook, Sue encouraged us to actually READ the magazine. Since we no longer receive by mail, you can get it from the AAUW.org website; we will ask Jan to put a link on our Branch Website. You can also make a request to National to receive a printed copy. Also – if anyone wishes to make a donation to AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund; you can give a check to Lois; put LAF in memo line.

Jolene Cerveny reported on the upcoming vote on National Bylaws changes. Online voting is available April 25 to June 9. You will need your member number and your pin to go to the Ballot. All should have received an email from National with this information.

Proposed Issues:

• Staggered terms for the 15-member AAUW Board: 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 would be elected each term and could retain more experience on the Board.

• Up to 5 board members could be non-AAUW members. This would allow us to benefit from the broader scope experience and knowledge of other corporations and organizations.

• Eliminate the degree requirement for membership.

Patt Braley AAUW Fund

Independence Branch received various awards: Branch named honorees were Mary Anderson, Edwina Forke and Karol Palmer. (see other notes in later report)

This concluded the program.

Announcements and Comments:

• Sue Shineman introduced new members Shirley Graff and Marilyn Lowry.

• Financial Officer: Lois Domsch. There are only 5 members present who have not yet paid for 2018-2019. Dues are payable to AAUW. Please see the financial report printed in the Newsletter.

• Recording Secretary: Sue Raymond. Minutes approved as printed in the newsletter

• AAUW Fund. Patt Braley. Recognition for Century Club, Diamond Club and Named Gift Honorees.

• AAUW Fund: Patt Braley. Independence Branch received Awards from State for 10 Star Branch; 6th in Total Giving (of 17 branches) and 9th in per-capita giving.

• Book Sale. Kathy Kelley. We will sponsor a booth at the Vaile Mansion Strawberry Festival June 2, 2018. Set up 8-9am. Kathy has the list of volunteers to man the booth (#6); shifts are 8 – 12 and 12 – 4. We will be selling collectible, gardening and local interest books.

• Installation of Officers. Myla Gentry installed the following officers: VP/Membership – Sue Raymond and Jolene Cerveny, Financial Officer – Lois Domsch, Corresponding Secretary – Nancy Comtois, Recording Secretary – Barbara Leabo.

• Historian’s Report read by Branch Historian Patty Chadwick.

• Please take time to fill out the Evaluation Form on the meetings and events of the 2017-2018 year.

This will be helpful to the Program Committee planning for next year.

• The Final Board Meeting of the year is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, 9:30 am at First United Methodist Church (regular meeting location).

Meeting Adjourned 11:31 am

Respectfully submitted,

Sue L. Raymond

Recording Secretary

https://www.aauw.org/resource/national-election/

2018 AAUW BALLOT

Remember, you must submit your completed ballot online by June 9 at 9 p.m. ET!

BYLAWS AMENDMENTS(see Voter Guide)

Proposal 1.

Shall AAUW implement a staggered-term model for the AAUW Board of Directors that includes directors serving for three years per term, with four elected and one appointed each year?

Approve proposed amendment? Yes No Abstain

Proposal 2.

Shall the AAUW Bylaws be amended to allow up to five nonmembers of AAUW to be members of the Board of Directors?

Approve proposed amendment? Yes No Abstain

Proposal 3.

Shall the AAUW Bylaws be amended to eliminate the degree requirement for membership in AAUW?

Approve proposed amendment? Yes No Abstain

Ballots equal in number to at least 5 percent of the votes entitled to be cast must be cast for a vote to be counted. A choice of “abstain,” a vote of neither for nor against, will be counted toward quorum. The affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for the adoption of noticed business, except that a two-thirds vote shall be required to adopt bylaws amendments.

Questions? Contact Connect at connect@aauw.org or 800.326.2289.

AAUW Home | AAUW National Vote Information

April 2018 AAUW Financial Report

CHECKING ACCOUNT

BALANCE ON HAND 3/31/2018 $379.52

RECEIPTS

4/25/2018 Transfer from Savings to Checking 1500

4/26/2018 Deposit 17 mbrshps(85) + 1 @ 26 1471

4/26/2018 Deposit 19 brunch reservations @19 361 TOTAL RECEIPTS $3332.00

DISBURSEMENTS

4/1/2018 Mary Anderson - membership copies/printing 13.63 4/10/2018 Patty Chadwick - yearbook postage 7.26 4/24/2018 Nancy Comtois - student awards 120 4/25/2018 ISDF 3 HS scholarships 1500

TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $1640.89

BALANCE ON HAND 4/30/2018 $2070.63

SAVINGS ACCOUNT

BALANCE ON HAND 3/31/2018 $8854.65

RECEIPTS

4/4/2018 Pizza Ranch fund raiser 329.41

4/30/2018 Dividend April 0.36 TOTAL RECEIPTS $329.77

DISBURSEMENTS

4/25/2018 Transfer funds to Checking 1500 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $1500

BALANCE ON HAND 4/30/2018 $7684.42

TOTAL ASSETS 4/30/2018: Checking $2070.63 + Savings $7684.42 = $9755.05

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