This year’s state convention, entitled "Indiana Women in Charge," will be hosted by the Richmond branch. Held at the Friends Fellowship hall in Richmond, it will feature Claire King as our keynote speaker. Ms. King is an instructor of English at Martin University in Indianapolis and a Research Fellow of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama. She will speak to us on diversity issues and lead an intriguing interactive exercise. You will also receive some free materials on teaching and encouraging tolerance, which will be valuable gifts for your branch as well as for educators at all levels whom you know.

Further, you will hear panelists on some of AAUW’s other focus areas: bullying, harassment, and hate crimes. You will meet EF recipients, and in addition to all this, you will be offered two workshops, one a "How-To" session – how to make branch operations more efficient and focused, how to become more team-oriented, how to enjoy branch life more fully! – and back by popular demand, a workshop on personal finance geared toward the needs of women. Guests are welcome!

The fee for this one-day packed event is just $35, which includes breakfast and a luncheon. (A late fee of $5 will be added after May 8th.) Registration and breakfast will begin at 8:00 a.m., and Phyllis Thompson will convene the annual business meeting promptly at 9:00. Watch for the Spring Bulletin, which will include the final schedule, a registration form, and directions to the meeting site. For those who need hotel accommodations, arrangements have been made at the Comfort Suites ($75.00 for a double).

Questions? Call Jean Amman, state vp program, 765-285-1333 or email jamman@bsu.edu.

Remember our newsletter contest this year! A branch must publish at least three issues during the year in order to be eligible and copies of each issue must be submitted. Entries will be judged by an independent panel of three on content and design. Branches will be divided into groups according to size.

The contest began in August 2002 and ends in March 2003 with the winners honored at the 2003 State Convention on May 17. Winning entries will be displayed so everyone can benefit.

Please send three copies of each of three issues to Barbara Wellnitz, the newsletter editor, 509 "I" Street, LaPorte 46350-4869 by April 1, 2003. If you have any questions, please contact the editor either by phone or via email.

What is our mission? Why do we do what we do? What is our organization’s reason for being? How do we want our communities to perceive us?

Our mission cannot be impersonal; it must have meaning, it must be something in which we believe and act upon. It must be something we know is right.

AAUW’s mission is to promote equity for all women and girls, lifelong education, and positive societal change.

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.

So how do we get new members, satisfy our current members and gain greater visibility within our communities? We need to ask ourselves these questions over and over again because people constantly change. So sometimes we need to change how we do something to attract new members, retain our current members and to work with those in our communities. Sometimes changing little things can produce results, but we must do this with regard for our basic integrity.

I look at Indiana branches today and I see women and men who are willing to work in collaboration with organizations within their communities. This is gaining visibility as to who we are. I also see women and men actively talking about AAUW, its mission and what it can do for each of us. I see a commitment and a reawakening as to our strength and power.

I think about the South Bend branch and what a superb job it has done in participating in AAUW’s Get Out the Vote. The task was not easy, but a commitment was made and as a result 14,000 letters were sent on issues pertaining to women and why it is important for all citizens to vote. Thank you, thank you, South Bend members. Thank you too to Indiana board member Laura LeRoy for working with Joanna Hock, South Bend president, and Betty Lawson, South Bend public policy chair.

I would like to challenge each branch, where there is a university or college to work more closely with that college or university. What a wonderful way to collaborate and cooperate. Resources and results will abound.

I also want to challenge each branch in Indiana to participate in the 21^st Century Recognition Program. It is simple and every branch is doing something for which it should be recognized.

I would encourage each member to remember AAUW’s mission and then to act. I want to encourage each member to participate in branch activities, in state activities, such as convention in Richmond on May 17, 2003. Also, plan to attend Association Convention in Providence, Rhode Island in June of 2003.

Finally, I want each Indiana AAUW member to remember that in 2004 Indiana is hosting the Regional Conference in Indianapolis. This means all of us will be challenged and working together. We are truly going to show our "Hoosier Hospitality."

As each day dawns, I realize how strong and unique AAUW members are. 

We need to remember we are "Women in Charge."

As Great Lakes Regional Director, I have a perspective I did not have as a branch member or officer, or even as a state board member. It has permitted me to see more and more women in interesting advanced positions having opportunities to speak, produce, instruct, organize and lead. The newsletters from branches and states from the region and around the country picture these women, laud their achievements, advertise their worth, and announce their specialties.

Title IX, ERA and yes, AAUW can take credit for promoting women, legislation, equity, education, and women’s rights. Over 50% of the population in our colleges and universities today are women. The percentage of women in the workforce is growing. Women know their worth. It’s not "will I," it’s "what will I…" Young women may be taking these opportunities for granted. Why shouldn’t they? They haven’t seen the struggle. Wasn’t this exactly what we have been struggling for? We are seeing the fruits of our labors and we can rejoice. Women are realizing equity.

AAUW has been very active in Secretary of Education’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics Title IX hearings being held around the country. As this Commission tinkers with Title IX, questioning its efficacy and legitimacy, we must keep active and vigilant. We know how important it is to keep Title IX intact. Women have gained too much through the enactment of this legislation to see it eroded now.

Mitzi Witchger, AAUW Indiana state board, and I were speakers at the Title IX hearing held in Chicago. Our AAUW voices and messages of equity were heard. Here is an excerpt of my 5-minute statement.

I know you have heard from a wide range of people on the progress that has been made over the past 30 years as a result of Title IX. However I have also heard members of this commission, panelists, and previous speakers say that while they support Title IX, they still think changes need to be made, particularly with the three-prong test. In fact, some people will even say that while they support Title IX, it is depriving men of opportunities to play sports. I am here to tell you that this argument misses the whole point of Title IX. In fact, before Title IX was enacted 30 years ago, women and girls were routinely denied opportunities in education and athletics.

And while I will not enumerate the lack of access women and girls had before Title IX was enacted, I will point out that it is not the case that Title IX is responsible for the budgetary decisions individual institutions around the country are making to cut sports teams—and potentially access for men and women. In fact, in this time of economic uncertainty, it is critical that Title IX’s regulations and statutes not be tampered with in order to preserve the access and improvements that have been made.

It is the case that full equity has not yet been achieved. Despite the gains women have made under Title IX, resources for women’s sports have never caught up to resources for men’s sports. We all are well aware that budgets for women’s sports are not at par with those of their male counterparts. Although male and female participation in athletics has steadily grown, female students lag in participation opportunities, receipt of scholarships, and allocation of operating and recruitment budgets. And, contrary to what Title IX’s adversaries believe, discrepancies in participation rates are the result of continuing discrimination in access to equal athletic opportunities. As the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education has made clear in its recent report, it is neither logical nor permissible to position a lack of interest in college sport participation on the part of female athletes when less then 200,000 college participation opportunities exist for females and 2.7 million high school girls are participating.

We are very lucky to have a colleague on this Commission. Cary Groth, Athletic Director at Northern Illinois University, is a member of the Commission. As Cary says, "If it weren’t for Title IX, I wouldn’t have this job." With people like Cary on the Commission, there is hope that Title IX will be strengthened, not weakened.

AAUW has written a report, "Title IX at 30, Report Card on Gender Equity." You can find it on the AAUW.org website. Periodically, emails are sent from the Association alerting us to the latest issues and updates from the Secretary of Education’s Commission. Watch for continuing announcements about the activities of the Commission. The Commission’s web address is http://www.ed.gov/inits/commissionsboards/athletics/. [note: there was a typo in the printed bulletin; this is the correct url]

Celebrate the young women around you who are on boards and commissions, who are running for office, who are speaking in your community, who are your bosses, who are making strides in their professions, who are in non-traditional careers, who are reaching for the stars. Support them, encourage them, applaud them. Do the same for those older women, too.

To say the least, Mitzi Witchger is one busy woman! She currently serves as public policy chair at the state level and has a long list of accomplishments in that venue. Through her diligent work, AAUW’s visibility in Indianapolis and Indiana has grown. So it came as no surprise when the state board chose to honor her as their named grant recipient for the $500 sent to the Educational Foundation in late 2002.

Her recent work as our public policy representative take up an entire 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper! Included in that list are:

• Received Public Policy Impact Grant from Association and, as a result, many hours of work and travel throughout the state to educate voters
• Received a Get Out the Vote campaign grant for the 2^nd District of Indiana and work there with the South Bend branch to distribute 14,000 voter guides
• Served as a member of the planning committee of Indiana Commission for Women for the 2002 Legislative Day and facilitated a lobbying workshop
• Bought 300 Indianapolis Star "A Citizen’s Guide to the IN General Assembly," donated 100 to the Indiana Commission for Women, and distributed 200 to AAUW members throughout the state
• Developed a statewide email network of AAUW contacts and regularly updates them on legislative issues
• Writes letters to the editor and encourages others to do the same in support of AAUW positions on issues of education, equity and life-long learning for women and girls
• Stays in contact with Association and other state public policy experts
• Continued collaborations with other organizations such as the Gender Fairness Coalition and the League of Women Voters
• Developed new partnerships with other organizations such as Common Bonds
• Collaborated with other groups to present a statewide Hate Crimes Prevention Symposium
• Collaborated with the Indiana Women’s History Association, Indiana Commission for Women and the NCAA to present a Title IX celebration

For all of these efforts and the many others not mentioned here, we thank and salute you, Mitzi, for all your hard work on our behalf!

Women and minorities holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university are eligible to apply to the National Urban/Rural Fellows Program. The program’s mission is to identify and recruit women and minorities from America’s cities and rural areas to enter a Masters of Public Administration program. The program is a 14-month graduate fellowship comprised of academic course work at Bernard M. Baruch College in New York City, a nine-month mentorship, and a one-week academic conference. Fellowships of up to $20,000 plus expenses are awarded.

Deadline for applications is February 3, 2003. Download application information at www.nuf.org or contact Abigail Torres at 212-349-6200 or abbytorres@nuf.org.

AAUW’s advocacy on issues regarding gender equity and voter education drew Agnes in as a member. And once the Gary-Merrillville branch got her, they have kept her busy as their first official newsletter editor and serving on the Educational Foundation committee. That’s what it takes to keep women interested and motivated to stay – involvement!

Agnes is a graduate of Mississippi Valley State University and is a Mississippi native. However, since coming to Gary over 30 years ago, she has adopted the community and been active in several groups and activities there.

She’s a library media specialist at Wirt High School where she also serves as the Media Services Department chair, is a member of the School Improvement team, and the North Center Association/Performance-Based Accreditation/Title I Self-Study Initiative. She adds her expertise to her building’s scholarship committee.

Her distribution of donated books has led to books being shipped to needy children and schools in Africa and the Philippines. She serves on the steering committee of a citywide reading program, Battle of the Books, and sponsors her school’s Battle of the Books team and the Top Reader Award program. She has also served on a statewide committee for the selection of Read Aloud books.

Agnes is married with three children and three grandchildren. She can be reached at 219 949 6015 [email forthcoming].

We welcome her to the state board to complete an un-expired term this year.

• In 2000-01, 72.5% of teachers in Indiana were women; 35.7% of administrators were women
• 82.7% of Hoosier women, aged 25 and older, held a high school diploma 1998; 16.9% completed four or more years of college

• In 2000, the median income for a female householder living alone was $18,163; the median income for a male householder living along was $26,723
• Hoosier women earn 66.7% of men’s earnings
• In 2000, 60% of the women in Indiana were in the labor force

• In 2000, there were 259,372 single-mother households which equaled 11.1% of total households
• There were an estimated 228,246 children under the age of 18 living in poverty in 2001; of those, 66,574 were under the age of five
• In 1998, Medicaid financed 31,178 births in Indiana; that equaled 37% of the total births in Indiana

• 12% of women in Indiana were uninsured in 1999-2000
• 386,600 women reported income less than the federally determined poverty level from 1999-2000
• 180.9 per 1000 Hoosier women died of cancer in 1999

• In 1998, 1,952 rapes were reported in Indiana. An estimated 80% of rapes go unreported each year
• Emergency shelters served 3,713 victims of domestic violence in2001. 1,744 victims were denied service
• In 2001, there were 41 deaths due to domestic violence in Indiana

• 27 out of 150 members of the General Assembly were women
• 0 out of 2 U.S. Senators are women
• 1 out of 10 U.S. Representatives are women
• 3 out of 8 State Executive Offices are headed by women

Sources available upon request from the Indiana Commission for Women, 317-233-5388.

While AAUW is cutting costs, balancing its budget, and seeking new revenue streams, members now are considering an additional solution: small dues increments on a regular basis.

Delegates at the 2003 convention (June 19-21, 2003 in Providence, RI) will consider an annual dues increase of a specific amount. If adopted, the bylaws change would institute a minimal $2 yearly increase for branch members, which could be easily anticipated.

Delegates will consider a "fixed-value" dues increase every year; a change that is made through a bylaws amendment. Then delegates will consider the amount of the increase. The proposal is for $2. If approved, the increase would take effect for the 2004-05 AAUW year.

If the annual increase is not adopted, delegates will consider a proposal to increase dues by $4 effective 2004-05.

Like every organization, business, and individual, AAUW faces continually rising costs due to inflation. We have also had significant declines in membership in recent years, which has meant lower revenues. The Association board of directors continues to pursue a course of fiscal responsibility. We have approved a balanced budget for 2002-03. Our staff has instituted business practices designed to allow us to use our resources more effectively.

But even with the new budgetary and business practices in place, the combination of rising costs and lower revenues has meant that we have been unable to develop new programs and services. And that limits our ability to advance our mission: education and equity for women and girls.

The last dues increase ($10) was approved at the 1999 convention. At that time, members indicated their preference for more frequent, smaller dues increases. By moving to an annual dues increase, the board and members can better plan financially and will no longer have to spend convention sessions debating dues increases.

We may lose some members, but the added revenue will allow us to increase our efforts on behalf of all women and girls, which in the long term will attract more individuals committed to our mission.

If you have any questions, refer to AAUW in Action and AAUW Outlook or call the Helpline at 800-326-AAUW or email HELPLINE@aauw.org.

The following is a report emailed to me and I want to share it with everyone, give kudos to the Calumet Area branch, and say that this is an example of what I would like to send to the national diversity chairperson so that we can say "Indiana is moving on this issue!"

As editor of the Calumet Area branch newsletter, I added the word "class" to the diversity statement last year so all issues of our monthly newsletter contain the complete statement.

Also, as editor I use the newsletter to communicate educational equity and sexual harassment information we receive from the state and Association. The current newsletter carries information about Jacqueline Woods and her efforts to make people aware that AAUW is to be inclusive. There is also information about Title IX and the gender and disability issues that Marilyn Rousso talks about in her book, Gender, Disability and Title IX. There is also information about the task force created by AAUW Educational Foundation to address the fact that awareness of policies on sexual harassment has not resulted in lower rates of harassment in our schools.

Our branch is represented on the Community Council of the Purdue University Calumet Women’s Studies program. Currently the council is working on a proposed Certificate in Diversity and Management, which will begin in the fall of 2003. The objective states: "Certificate-earners will learn how to translate the potential benefits of diversity into the tangible, productive workplace gains." Our branch also has given money to our member Colette Morrow, director of Women’s Studies at PUC, to help with her expenses for attending the AAUW Educational Foundation International Symposium – International Perspectives: Global Voices for Gender Equity – in Washington in November. (Jan Trusty, editor)

The addition of the word "class" to the end of the diversity statement has been in effect since early in 2001 and still many of the branches (and, last time I looked, neither had the state) have not made this change. I do not get copies of newsletters from all branches so cannot be sure who has and who has not done this yet. I’m sure there are still some (many?) of you who object to this change; however, it is a "done deal" so to speak and we need to get on with more immediate issues.

I would really like to get to some of the diversity and/or educational equity programs at branch meetings this year and next. Please let me know that you are planning such programs, when and where they are being held, and I will let you know when I can attend. Then if there are reports from the programs, comments from members, newspaper articles, etc., send them my way also and I will keep the rest of the state and national informed about the progress being made in Indiana.

Unfortunately, this seems to be a topic on which I must seem to be harping but this is my job and so I will continue to harp. Really, we should all want national to know what we are doing and I dislike seeming to always have my reports say that "I’m certain that there are Indiana branches doing diversity and educational equity programs and making progress in their communities; however, I have no specific knowledge of exactly what these consist."

This is why I am so pleased and excited to have this Calumet Area branch report to share with all of you and with national.

Calumet continue!! The rest of the Indiana branches will be joining you soon.

As financial consultants, my company hosts women’s events to assist females in the decision-making process concerning their financial future. My 17-year-old daughter is usually the mistress of ceremony for these. She is a voracious reader and future first female President of the United States (or at least that is what she has said since age seven). As such, Adrienne reads my notes and asks questions about these forums.

"What do you mean we only make 73 cents to a gentleman’s dollar? Why did ERA fail? Why do we make less Social Security than men? How come our pension benefits are less at retirement? Why do female attorneys make less than men? Why are so few women CEOs…" and on and on!

I do appreciate her questions because it gives me a format to share with my daughter, and ultimately other women, about our financial and historical past. It is true women make 73 cents to a man’s dollar. To put this in proper perspective, in 1954 women made 13 cents to the dollar and it was not until the 1970s that we made 50 cents compared to a dollar earned by a man.

This, coupled with lower pension and Social Security dollars at retirement, is a direct result of women raising children and entering the workforce later in life. Many women still have little to no experience managing money. I am not talking about the household finances and checkbook, but the 401k allocation decisions, the IRA choices, and estate planning issues, to name a few. Lack of knowledge and longer life expectancies leave too many women at the wrong time of life with little preparation.

There are female CEOs today doing their jobs quietly, effectively, gracefully, and with corporate governance. But when you consider that women were not allowed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange until World War II, and then only because there were no men left, it is not surprising that we have little practical experience. (After the men returned, women were once again barred from the floor of Wall Street until the late 1960s.)

As for ERA, I prefer to quote Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "Every constitution in the world that was written after WWII says…men and women are persons of equal stature, or words to that effect. The U.S. Constitution is now among the minority of constitutions in the world that does not make that clarion statement." This does not help answer Adrienne’s question, but it does segue a discussion into the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. When we get tired of the tiny (oh so tiny) steps taken to improve the lives of women everywhere, we ease our personal frustration by repeating part of the old Negro spiritual: "How long…not long!"

We are a generation away from self-actualized women – women fully integrated into business and culture, while comfortable with their personal identity. Until such time, I applaud those who understand that small steps are necessary: read about money, join a investment club, be a participant in your household investment decisions not a follower, ask questions, find a financial advisor you trust, share with friends what you are doing financially to encourage others, talk to young women everywhere about the dangers of being uninformed, and remind young women that it soon will be their turn to push us closer to the $1 to $1 earning potential.

Our latest women’s financial lecture began with five personal stories. There were very few dry eyes after hearing the pain and sorrow of divorce, death, financial and emotional abuse, and the challenges of the "early" days of business. In our rush to be "super" women of the new century, many of us fail to tell others our story. We need more voices…voices added to the collective forward movement of women. In a time past, we burned our bras in support of other sisters…as we age, our voice and story is all we really have.

My daughter yelled from across our home not too long ago: "Are we up to a dollar yet, Mom?" I smiled and thought of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. We cannot do it alone and all we can offer are our shoulders as a boost to those who come behind us. For standing on top of one another we reach – with our voices, stories, and experience – for a higher goal.

"No, we are not up to a dollar yet," I replied. With strength and fortitude from those on whose shoulders I stand, I added: "How long?" The voice of my teenage daughter echoes a reply: "Not long, Mom, not long!"

(Ed note: Deb Romary has owned Romary Financial Services since 1981, is a member of the Fort Wayne branch and currently branch Educational Foundation co-chair.)

AAUW recommends the following books [synopses from amazon.com; note: amazon often has sample pages to read!]:

• September – In the Name of Salome, by Julia Alvarez

It's 1960, and 65-year-old Camila Ureña decides to join the New World. Castro's new world, that is, which she has been following on the news with a heated excitement she hasn't felt for years. Forced into early retirement from her 20-year post as a Spanish teacher among the perky white girls of Vassar College, Camila faces a choice: whether to move to Florida and live down the block from her best friend or to fly over Florida and into Havana where her brothers live--and thereby land in a place of upheaval and hungry ghosts. The hungriest ghost of all is Camila's mother, Salomé Ureña, whose poems became inspirational anthems for a short-lived revolution in the late-19th-century Dominican Republic. Based in fact, In the Name of Salomé alternates between Camila's story and her mother's. Camila's chapters are written in the third person, Salomé's in the first.

• October – Venus on Wheels: Two Decades of Dialogue on Disability, Biography, and Being Female in America, by Gelya Frank

In 1976 Gelya Frank began writing about the life of Diane DeVries, a woman born with all the physical and mental equipment she would need to live in our society--except arms and legs. Frank was 28 years old, DeVries 26. This remarkable book--by turns moving, funny, and revelatory--records the relationship that developed between the women over the next twenty years. An empathic listener and participant in DeVries's life, and a scholar of the feminist and disability rights movements, Frank argues that Diane DeVries is a perfect example of an American woman coming of age in the second half of the twentieth century. By addressing the dynamics of power in ethnographic representation, Frank--anthropology's leading expert on life history and life story methods--lays the critical groundwork for a new genre, "cultural biography."

Challenged to examine the cultural sources of her initial image of DeVries as limited and flawed, Frank discovers that DeVries is gutsy, buoyant, sexy-- and definitely not a victim. While she analyzes the portrayal of women with disabilities in popular culture--from limbless circus performers to suicidal heroines on the TV news--Frank's encounters with DeVries lead her to come to terms with her own "invisible disabilities" motivating the study. Drawing on anthropology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, narrative theory, law, and the history of medicine, Venus on Wheels is an intellectual tour de force.

• November – Daughters of the Earth: The Lives and Legends of American Indian Women, by Carolyn Niethammer

Here, as it unfolded, is the chronology of the native American woman's life. Here are the birth rites of Caddo women from the Mississippi-Arkansas border, who bore their children alone by the banks of rivers and then immersed themselves and their babies in river water; here are Apache puberty ceremonies that are still carried on today, when the cost for the celebrations can run anywhere from one to six thousand dollars. Here are songs from the Night Dances of the Sioux, where girls clustered on one side of the lodge and boys congregated on the other; here is the Shawnee legend of the Corn Person and of Our Grandmother, the two female deities who ruled the earth. Far from the submissive, downtrodden "squaw" of popular myth, the native American woman emerges as a proud, sometimes stoic, always human individual from whom those who came after can learn much.

At a time when many contemporary American women are seeking alternatives to a life-style and role they have outgrown, Daughters of the Earth offers us an absorbing -- and illuminating -- legacy of dignity and purpose.

• December – Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood, by Fatima Mernissi

From Booklist
Every once in a while, a childhood memoir effortlessly transports us to another world in which we dwell happily for the duration of the book. From its opening--"I was born in a harem in 1940 in Fez, a ninth-century Moroccan city"--to its closing questions about the nature of power between men and women, this one reads as part fairy tale, part feminist manifesto. Sociologist and scholar Mernissi vividly paints an unforgettable world of women who created a rich life behind closed doors. Through her consciousness as a young girl, we see the weekly beauty rituals, feel the nurturance of living among so many women, and sense the comfort of age-old traditions. But also through her sharp-eyed perspective come descriptions of a changing world, dissatisfaction among the women over their virtual entrapment within the harem compound, and endless questions about the powerlessness she feels even as a girl. Amazingly, she manages to be nonjudgmental while still questioning the very foundation of Islam. A rare book, both magical and political. Mary Ellen Sullivan

• January – Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys

In 1966 Jean Rhys reemerged after a long silence with a novel called Wide Sargasso Sea. Rhys had enjoyed minor literary success in the 1920s and '30s with a series of evocative novels featuring women protagonists adrift in Europe, verging on poverty, hoping to be saved by men. By the '40s, however, her work was out of fashion, too sad for a world at war. And Rhys herself was often too sad for the world--she was suicidal, alcoholic, troubled by a vast loneliness. She was also a great writer, despite her powerful self-destructive impulses.

Wide Sargasso Sea is the story of Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress who grew up in the West Indies on a decaying plantation. When she comes of age she is married off to an Englishman, and he takes her away from the only place she has known--a house with a garden where "the paths were overgrown and a smell of dead flowers mixed with the fresh living smell. Underneath the tree ferns, tall as forest tree ferns, the light was green. Orchids flourished out of reach or for some reason not to be touched."

The novel is Rhys's answer to Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë's book had long haunted her, mostly for the story it did not tell--that of the madwoman in the attic, Rochester's terrible secret. Antoinette is Rhys's imagining of that locked-up woman, who in the end burns up the house and herself. Wide Sargasso Sea follows her voyage into the dark, both from her point of view and Rochester's. It is a voyage charged with soul-destroying lust. "I watched her die many times," observes the new husband. "In my way, not in hers. In sunlight, in shadow, by moonlight, by candlelight. In the long afternoons when the house was empty."

Rhys struggled over the book, enduring rejections and revisions, wrestling to bring this ruined woman out of the ashes. The slim volume was finally published when she was 70 years old. The critical adulation that followed, she said, "has come too late." Jean Rhys died a few years later, but with Wide Sargasso Sea she left behind a great legacy, a work of strange, scary loveliness. There has not been a book like it before or since. Believe me, I've been searching. --Emily White

• February – All About Love: New Visions, by Bell Hooks

From Booklist: It's obvious in all of hooks' forthright works, from her stunning memoirs to her seminal works on race, gender, art, and education, that for her writing is a moral act. Now, in this clarion treatise, she writes from a spiritual perspective to offer "new ways of thinking about love." Motivated both by her own struggles with heartache and by the despair she observes in society at large, hooks defines love as "an action rather than a feeling" in a gracefully flowing narrative that begins with family life, "the original school of love," and ultimately yields fresh insights into the nature of romance, the value of community, and the pitfalls of our consumer-oriented culture. Quoting spiritual leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., a "prophet of love," hooks explains that there can be no justice without love, and that our prevailing sense of spiritual emptiness can only be remedied by overcoming our fear and accepting love in its most spiritual aspects as our "true destiny." Donna Seaman

• March – Woman: An Intimate Geography, by Natalie Angier

Ms. magazine
O joy, O rapture unforeseen! Natalie Angier's fascinating book about the female body is a hilarious romp through, well, our innards. In a deliciously irreverent, energetic, and clear writing style, she demystifies and de-mythicizes women's anatomy and biological workings. Along the way, Angier leaves no metaphor unexplored....She reveals the mysterious universe of women's bodies for even the most scientifically impaired souls. Like the evolution she describes, Angier is self-selecting in what she writes about, but her passion for what make us gals tick is infectious. Her explanation of chromosomes veritably sings. Woman: An Intimate Geography will leave the reader, male or female, in sheer awe of the complexity and power of women's bodies.

• April – Brown Girl, Brownstones, by Paule Marshall

The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature
First novel by Paule Marshall, originally published in 1959. Somewhat autobiographical, this groundbreaking work describes the coming of age of Selina Boyce, a Caribbean-American girl in New York City in the mid-20th century. Although the book did not gain widespread recognition until it was reprinted in 1981, it was initially noted for its expressive dialogue.

Each book relates to a different group of people and encourages each of us to view things from a different perspective than we may have now.

Read these yourself and/or form a group to discuss them. Everyone can benefit from the exchange of ideas.

House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer appointed Representative Sheila Klinker to serve as vice chairman of the most powerful legislative committee. She will be the first woman chosen for this two-year appointment according to Bauer.

Rep. Klinker (D-Lafayette) has been a member of this committee since 1989 and will be a major player in the formation of the state’s biennial budget. With the state facing a $780 million budget deficit and low revenue collections, the legislative session is expected to be a difficult one.

She served as chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee last budget session and has also been assistant majority caucus chair. Bauer credited Klinker with having a thorough understanding of the budget process and trusts her judgment. William Crawford (D-Indianapolis) chairs the committee.

See our website http://web.indstate.edu/aauw-in for a list of committee appointments for the coming legislative session. [note from web master: as of January 19, 2003, there was no one place to find committee appointments; start with http://www.in.gov/legislative/legislators/. Then check the House committee schedule and the  Senate committee schedule.

The AAUW National Committee on Resolutions rejected the proposed Department of Peace resolution passed by delegates at the 2002 Indiana State Convention. This means it will not be on the agenda for the 2003 Association Convention.

The proposed resolution was rejected because "There was small probability for implementation of such a proposal given the current global and congressional climate…and the limited resources in time and personnel of the AAUW Public Policy staff and volunteers to move this proposal through Congress."

(Ed note: information excerpted from the Calumet Area branch newsletter.)

Indiana branches are finding innovative ways to raise monies to fund their programs and assist other women via the Educational Foundation and local scholarship programs.

Anderson hosted a "boutique shopping" event comprised of members’ craft items and other appropriate donations. Guests were invited to shop the event and get a head start on holiday gift buying. Proceeds were designated for Educational Foundation.

Fort Wayne held a silent auction consisting of baked goods, candies, gift items, decorations, and whatever else struck members’ fancy to donate. This benefited the Legal Advocacy Fund.

Muncie had an auction soliciting donations from the business community in addition to members. Two of their interest groups organized the successful event, which raised $1900 for the Educational Foundation.

The Calumet branch sells Entertainment and Golden books each year.

Several stores host Community Days for which local non-profit organizations can sell tickets, which can be redeemed as discount coupons on one day set aside for this event. Among those offering this are Elder-Beerman and Carson, Pirie, Scott. If neither of these stores is in your community, check to see if another business offers this opportunity.

These are among the fundraising methods mentioned in recent branch newsletters and shared with you in hopes one of them will strike the fancy of another branch and be just the impetus needed to raise those extra monies.

The 2002 Virginia Jenckes awardees and guests gathered in the Statehouse Rotunda to celebrate the contributions of five women and one man in various fields. Honorees were Patricia Miller and Barbara Baekgaard founders of Vera Bradley Designs for their contributions in the field of business; Dr. Rebecca Pierce, education; Geneva Shedd, government; Sheila Suess Kennedy, law; and Elmer Blankenship, for significant contributions by a male to gender equality.

The award is named after Virginia Ellis Jenckes, the first woman to be elected by Indiana voters to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. She served three consecutive terms there from 1933-39. In 1937 she was the U.S. delegate to the Interparliamentary Union in Paris, France. After leaving Congress, Jenckes remained in Washington D.C. for many years working for the American Red Cross.

Hostile Hallways: Bullying, Teasing, and Sexual Harassment in School (AAUW Educational Foundation, 2001) exposed an alarming paradox. Students today are more aware of school policies concerning sexual harassment than they were in 1993 when the Foundation took the first survey but sexual harassment remains a serious problem in our schools.

· Seven in 10 students (69%) in 2001 said their schools have a policy on sexual harassment, compared to less than three in 10 (26%) in 1993.

· In 2002, as in1993, four out of five students, both boys and girls, said they had experienced sexual harassment at school.

Clearly, awareness of policies has not resulted in lower rates of harassment.

In response, the Foundation convened a task force of national educational leaders, researchers, and school climate experts to develop a user-friendly resource guide to help schools, school districts, parents, and students assess the effectiveness of sexual harassment policies and create a safe school environment. The sexual harassment task force was convened in November 2001 in partnership with the National Education Association and with initial support from 3M, First USA, the National Education Association, and the AAUW Educational Foundation.

The task force’s resource guide, Harassment-Free Hallways: How to Stop Sexual Harassment in School, a guide for students, parents, and educators, was posted on AAUW’s website (download) August 20, 2002 to coincide with back-to-school activities. It features

· Targeted checklists and surveys to assess existing sexual harassment policies

· Proven practical strategies to help prevent sexual harassment in schools

· An extensive list of resources

· Examples of model sexual harassment policies and prevention programs nationwide

· Separate downloadable sections specifically geared to various audiences

· A survey, resource list, and safety plan just for students.

Free bookmarks are now available to distribute to students, school staff, and parents. Contact 202-728-3300 or email gibbs@aauw.org.

(Source: AAUW Educational Foundation)

We hear a lot about Title IX these days but how many of us know what is actually included in this Educational Amendment?

No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

This constitutes Title IX of the Educational Amendments, June 23, 1972. Senators Birch Bayh, D-IN, Ted Stevens, R-AK, Representatives Patsy Mink, D-HI, and Edith Green, R-OR, were the original sponsors of this bill in the Senate and the House of Representatives in 1972.

Who does this law affect? All private, parochial, prep, and public schools that accept Federal dollars. Does Title IX cover all sports programs? Title IX compliance does not include professional or community sports programs.

In addition to a school’s athletic programs, it does include: sexual harassment issues, equal access to educational opportunities, and participation in nontraditional fields. Before 1972 most females were actually prohibited from enrolling in some technical programs, like engineering. In high schools it meant that girls would be included in shop classes and boys and girls could now sign up for home economics.

It used to be that in many schools, women actually had to have higher scores to be admitted to some colleges and universities. It used to be that women professors could not head departments, no matter what qualifications they had, nor could they belong to the faculty club on campus.

Title IX covers employees in educational institutions as it relates to recruiting and hiring, promotion and tenure, compensation and benefits such as health care.

However, sports programs are the place where Title IX has the most visibility. The US Department of Education’s Opportunities in Athletics Commission will send its final report to Congress with its recommendations regarding Title IX. Watch for them. Be ready to write your Congresspeople to voice your opinion as well.

The Indiana state board is looking into the possibility of accepting advertising in our newsletters to help defray the cost of the newsletter. How do you feel about this? We want your opinion, please.

The cost of each newsletter is in the neighborhood of $1300 making this our largest budget item. We feel it is very important to communicate with our members around the state and feel that four times a year is appropriate. For some members, this may be the only link they have with the state organization.

Unfortunately, adding advertising would cut down on the number of articles we could publish. There are other advantages and disadvantages.

If you have other suggestions to help with this cost or would prefer to have fewer issues, please tell us that also.

Please let us know your opinion on this; call, write, or email Barbara Wellnitz, AAUW-IN newsletter editor, phone - 219-324-9244; mailing address - 509 "I" Street, LaPorte, IN 46350; or email.

The National Women’s Music Festival (NWMF) will host its 2003 get together on June 5-8 at Ball State University in Muncie celebrating the Year of the B.A.D. Girls.

Why "B.A.D." girls? We intend to give new definitions to the meaning of this patriarchal term and claim it as our own powerful rallying cry! Each month between now and next year’s festival, we’ll announce a new definition so that by the time you arrive at NWMF next year, you’ll be well versed in how to be B.A.D.

October’s definition of B.A.D. is Bold and Defiant:

B.A.D. girls break the rules – and then make new rules!

B.A.D. girls are out to change the world!

B.A.D. girls pave the way for their daughters!

November's definition: Brave And Dedicated

B.A.D. girls bravely stand in unity with their sisters and are dedicated to peace on earth.

B.A.D. girls are bravely dedicated to making the world a better place.

B.A.D. girls are bravely dedicated to saving the environment.

B.A.D. girls are bravely dedicated to protecting our children.

B.A.D. girls bravely challenge lawmakers and are dedicated to ensuring that all people have equal rights regardless of their race, religion, age, gender, or sexual orientation.

December's definition (even though it's a bit late): Brilliant Art Defenders

B.A.D. Girls are determined to keep NWMF alive and thriving.

B.A.D. Girls support women in the arts and Women In the Arts, Inc.

B.A.D. Girls write their local lawmakers and insist that they stop voting to decrease funding for arts organizations, and instead vote to increase funding.

Mark your calendar, submit your vacation request, tell all your friends, and spread the word any way you can: Join us and be as B.A.D. as you can be in 2003!

For more information, contact Joyce Warner-Stone, Festival and Mainstage Producer, at 317-585-9447, nwmfproducer@wiaonline.org or visit their website at www.wiaonline.org/nwmf.