1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

ON THE MISSISSIPPI
Red Wing Area Branch
American Associa on of University Women In This Issue
January 2015 From the President
From the President ................ 1
Membership Counts ............. 2
Helping Hands & Paws ........ 2
Joint Program ......................... 3
Anita Hill Film ....................... 3
Making Dreams Come True 4
Public Policy........................... 5
Membership News ................ 6
Connecting Threads .............. 6
Brave New Girls .................... 6
Book Club ............................... 7
Coming Up ............................. 7
Joint Program
Book Club &
Connecting Threads
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
6:30 p.m.
Happy New Year to all of you!
I hope you have had a good Holiday time with family and friends,
and have started the New Year on a nice note!
Around New Year, I, as many others, take some time to reflect on the
year that passed, what was accomplished, what was good and what
could have been better.
Looking back at the AAUW fall season, we had a stylish, ʹblingyʹ
Holiday brunch with a nice attendance and fund raising result, we have
had interesting member meetings with varying attendance, book club
meetings, and preparation meetings for 2015.
AAUW Red Wing had a table during the environmental event
ʺClimate Solutions for Red Wing and Beyondʺ at the Anderson Center
in October. Most of the exhibitors were nature and environmental
organizations, so I naturally got the question ʺWhat is AAUW doing for
the environment?ʺ My answer was that our main focus is creating an
environment with equal opportunities for women and men....
Our spring program looks good, and I am sure we are all looking
forward to the Anita Hill film in February, Brave New Girls, the
summer picnic and everything in between.
My first concern for 2015 is that nobody is willing to volunteer as
coordinator for our GARAGE SALE. Please come forward if you can
do something—anything helps!
Twin Bluff Middle School
Another concern I have mentioned before; there are still many
well educated women in the area who a) don't know about AAUW
or b) have been members of AAUW who found that "AAUW was all
about raising money and nothing else" or "non of the meeting topics
really interest me." I understand that we cannot meet everybody's
need or interest, but if you have good ideas on how to reach out to
more women, tell us!
Don’t forget! $43.00 of your
And last but not least; - through my work at the hospital, I meet
many women with depression, anxiety, and other life challenges. It
does something to me when I meet a 15 year old girl/young woman
who is about to give up on everything that life has to offer. Depression
Film
Anita Hill: Speaking Truth
to Power
Wednesday, February 11
6 p.m.
membership is tax deductible. Hiawatha Happenings
(Continued on page 2)
Page
(Continued from page 1)
and anxiety affects at least 20 per cent (and boys/
young men, too) in middle school. Cammy Nelson's
article last fall was a good reminder of the subject as
well, and her article will be published in the Pine winter issue. She writes that it is very, very exhausting to
be perfect. But in a world where we can be anything
and everything is possible, what is really ʺperfectʺ? A
Norwegian saying is that ʺIt takes a strong spine to
carry good days.ʺ With all the opportunities and choices many have today, it takes a strong spine and mind
to make the ʺrightʺ choices. And good examples of notso-perfect ʺperfectʺ women who can light the trail, so
the numbers of depressed, exhausted, anxiety ridden
girls and young women will be reduced in the future.
In gratitude for the lighter days and your good work,
Mette
Membership Counts
By Kay Humphreys, VP Membership
We applaud the gains that our AAUW
National, State and Local Branches have made and
continue to make for women and girls. Our dues,
donations and efforts make a difference.
The women who began this organization in the
1880’s attended college, sought positions in the
professional fields and worked hard to make progress
in that area. Of course, we all know that women couldn’t possibly do “men’s work.” Perseverance
and hard work proved that “theory” wrong. Women
slowly made gains in the professional fields. Today
women still face the wage gap between men and women hired to do the same jobs, but our dues,
donations and efforts are chipping away at that
inequity. We can’t let up on that issue.
Women have experienced “glass ceilings,” “brick
walls,” and sexual harassment in their efforts to
achieve, contribute, and succeed economically. AAUW
has not been silent on these issues, but has been in the
forefront to support women. Your dues, donations and
efforts are important. Each of you has made a choice
by joining AAUW. You are important to improving
the lives of women and girls. Thank you for your
continued membership.
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Helping Hands and Paws
By Kathy Bell
November’s meeting was livened up by an adorable
golden retriever named Tori. He is a trained service
and therapy dog. Tori’s mom, Jane Ward introduced
us to many of Tori’s skills that he can perform. Tori
and Jane train with Helping Paws, an organization
dedicated to placing service/companion dogs with disabled folks. In addition to performing many needed
tasks, these dogs provide much needed emotional support as well as open doors of conversation and recognition for their owners in wheel chairs.
We saw how Tori
follows his commands
while wearing his
working vest, which
he can put on and
take off on his own!
He turned the lights
off and on and
demonstrated his ability to pick up things
for his owner. Even
coins off the floor.
Tori was well paid
with treats for his performance and quickly
became everyone’s
new best friend.
In addition to his service
skills, Tori takes time each
week to listen to young
children read and explore
books. It’s much more fun
to lay on Tori’s quilt and
read a story to him!
Due to allergies, Tori
will not be placed with
someone needing a service
dog thru Helping Paws.
The treatment would be
too much for someone in
that capacity to handle. He happily lives with the
Wards and is truly a community companion.
We also collected for the “Packing for the Weekend”
program, sponsored by United Way. You generously
donated $250 and 8 bags of groceries!! Well Done.
Hiawatha Happenings
Connec ng Threads and the Book Club Sponsor a Joint Program
By LaVonne Lommel
Tuesday, January 13, 2015—6:30 p.m.,
Members and guest are welcome to join in discussing Elizabeth Clineʹs book, Overd ressed , at the Presbyterian
church. The book explores what our ʺlove affair with cheap clothingʺ is doing to our environment, economy and
society.
Members are invited to show and tell about a garment they have sewed or mended. Letʹs brighten up January
with a lively discussion on fashion. Mark your calendar now.
RW library has a copy to check out for reading; Janet will also have books related to our topic to share with
us.
If you have created or sewn an article of clothing, please bring it to share and tell about it.
Tickets for the Anita‐
Speaking Truth to Power can be picked up at the Library. Seating is now open to the public. Hiawatha Happenings
Page 3
“Making College Dreams Come True”
48% of college freshmen struggled with effective time
management
The College and Career Readiness Network of Every
Hand Joined is focused on preparing students for a
successful transition to the next step in lives after completion of high school. Estimates show that by 2018,
70% of jobs in Minnesota will require some form of
post-secondary education. In many ways 2018 seems
like a distant date but as we approach the holidays and
prepare to launch into 2015 it becomes abundantly
clear that 2018 isn’t a distant year in the future but one
that we are approaching quickly.
39% of college freshmen had a hard time developing
effective study habits
by Charley Nelson, Every Hand Joined
We all want ensure that our children are adequately
prepared to enter their post-secondary education, have
a successful collegiate career and then 4 years after we
drop them off on campus, watch them walk across the
stage and pick up their degree.
73% of Red Wing students will enroll in higher education within one year of graduating high school
While this is every parent’s dream, for many students, this is far from what will be their collegiate reality.
About 46% of Red Wing students will complete their
post-secondary education within 6 years – the national
average is 54%
25% of college freshman will drop out of college and
they drop of for 2 primary reasons: financial pressure
and academic pressure.
38% will leave because of financial pressures
71% of all college student s will leave college with
some college debt
MN students owe an average of $31,497
US average is $29,400
MN ranks #5 in the nation for average student debt
MN ranks #4 in the nation for proportion of students
having debt
28% will leave because of academic disqualification
91% of college freshman believe they are well prepared
academically for college; 74% of their professors believe they are not well prepared academically for college.
51% of college freshmen felt overwhelmed by all they
had to do
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36% of college freshmen had difficulty adjusting to the
demands of coursework
13% of college freshmen thought they might switch
majors; 35% did!
What’s the answer to ensure success in college? Obviously, there is none. Every student is different and
every college experience is different. There are countless books, articles and blogs dedicated to helping students select the “right” college. While I’m not anything near an expert, here’s my list:
Be involved in the decision! Your son or daughter is
17 or 18. I guarantee that your son or daughter will
make decisions like a 17 or 18 year old. They may select a college because an older sibling attended that
school. They may reject the college because an older
sibling attended! On a warm, bright sunny day every
school looks great. On a cold, overcast, dreary day no
school looks good. The weather can impact the decision of an 18 year old. The food can impact the decision. If the tour guide is cute – that can impact the decision! Help them through this tough decision. They
need your help. You still know your child better than
they know themselves. Give them a hand. You child
will push back, probably hard, but stay connected to
the decision.
Visit your top 2 or 3 choices multiple times. If it’s at
all possible, make multiple visits to the school. The
first visit may go really well. The second one may not
go nearly as well. Get on campus as often as possible.
Stop by and tour on a weekend. Weekend environments can be very different than weekday visits. If the
school is a “suitcase” college the weekend can be very
quiet. Is your son or daughter OK with that environment?
Distance from home is an issue. Statistics show that
the farther from home a student goes to attend college,
the less likely the student is to graduate from college.
Some students are really well equipped to handle the
distance, others are not. Which category does your son
or daughter fall into? One thing that is certain, at some
point, the pressure of college is going to get to your
son or daughter. They are going to need you. Can
they get home to get away from the pressure? Can you
Hiawatha Happenings
get to them to help alleviate the pressure that they’re
feeling? This singular issue can often be the difference
between success and struggle in college.
Get your feet on the ground! Academic success in
high school does not guarantee academic success in
college. There are about 20,000 high schools in the US.
If your son or daughter was valedictorian of the class,
the argument can be made that he/she is now competing against 20,000 other students for college admission, scholarships and academic success. College will
be much more intellectually challenging and competitive than high school. Students will be “upping their
academic game.” The same level of effort that brought
tremendous academic success in high school will not
deliver the same level of success in college. While
your son/daughter may have been capable of handling
AP Calc, AP Physics, Chem and AP lit in the same semester, it may not be in their best academic interest to
Calc, Physics, Organic Chem and Macro Econ in the 1st
semester of college. Take a really challenging class
and compliment it with gen eds. Encourage your son
or daughter to take a class or two that you feel will be
a little “easier” and they are more likely to have success. Your son or daughter is going to be in class with
students that are freshmen, sophomores, juniors and
seniors. It’s going to be hard! It’s going to take a least
a semester to “figure out” college. Take the semester
to grow into more challenging coursework. Your son
or daughter has four years to complete their major –
don’t have them try to complete that major in the 1st
semester!
Money matters. As part of gathering research for
the College and Career Readiness program, we pulled
together two focus groups comprised of college students. There was universality in their desire for more
financial literacy. Each student stated that they really
didn’t understand the magnitude of the numbers they
were dealing with. $3,500 or $35,000, it really didn’t
matter. There’s a euphoria around getting into your
college coupled with a lack of financial understanding
that ultimately can cost a student financially. As a parent, how much are you prepared to pay? How much
does your child have saved for his/her education?
Your child may receive a very substantial scholarship
– what does that do the final cost of that college or university? How much of the cost of college are you willing to underwrite and how much is going to fall to
your son or daughter? Have the really tough conversation with your child. Being accepted into your son
Hiawatha Happenings
or daughter’s dream school is an incredible accomplishment. That still may not make it the best choice.
Help your son or daughter make a decision that also is
in their best economic interest.
On the Public Policy Front
By Dee Bender, VP Public Policy
AAUW has been empowering women as individuals and as a community for 134 years.
The efforts of those individuals and groups
have changed public policy for us as women, and
YOU can make an impact as well.
It’s as easy as a few clicks or finger gestures on
your smart phone, iPad or computer.
Are you on Facebook? Go to the AAUW page
to get up to the minute info about the big issues of
Education, Economic Security or Civil Rights. Be
sure to “like” the page to stay current. Do you
wonder what’s happening locally? Go to AAUW
Minnesota on FB.
Want the bigger picture or more in depth background? Google AAUW and get the website in
Washington DC. Click on “what we do”, then
“public policy” and join
as a “2 minute Activist” with just your email
address. You can unsubscribe any time.
Immigration Reform will be a big issue this year
and by giving yourself access to our MN members
of Congress, John Kline, Amy Klobchar and Al
Franken, YOU can help drive decisions. The reform as President Obama wrote it intends to take
the ‘fair and just path to legal status for over 40%
of the undocumented immigrants in the US’. Big
points on that will affect the parents of citizens
who were born here, “Dreamers” who entered the
US as kids before January, 2010 and victims of certain crimes and human trafficking with visas.
f this, or any other issue, comes to the critical
juncture of voting, I’ll be urging you through Pat
Welke to get on line and weigh in. In the mean
time, get familiar with the AAUW website and Facebook page. It’s so informative and easy to do
from home on these cold winter days. Stay informed! Stay active!!
Page 5
Brave New Girls: What Hue RU?
Share your news with AAUW Members by sending it to Pat Welke…….Inquiring minds want to know!
Red Wing Area Branch member, Nancy Hove, won
reelection as the Sheriff in Pierce County yesterday.
Congratulations, Nancy!
Kai Coyle married Matt Rodgers.
Terri Cook was promoted to Executive Vice President with Norwex. There are only 11 people at that
level in the country.
Dawn Bennett sold her Body Kneads business and is
concentrating on her new business venture “Body
Healing Power.”
By Marilyn Meinke
Please reserve Thursday March 26, 2015 from 3 5:30 p.m. for the 12th annual Brave New Girls Conference. Our Red Wing Area Branch will host 60
middle-school girls, inviting them to explore the
many ways color touches their lives.
This year's focus on color will give girls the opportunity to create alongside local artist Dawn Zero
Erickson while learning about her career and 'life in
color.' Branch member and 3M Science Wizard
Sandy Wollschlager will lead the girls through
hands-on experiments in light and color. And each
of the attendees will complete a short inventory to
determine what color best describes her personality.
Lacey Seefeldt, a staff member at SE Tech, will introduce and lead this fun activity designed to give the
girls better understanding of how they work with
others.
In addition to the expert help from these talented
local women, we'll again be assisted by Red Wing
High School junior girls.
2015
January 13, 2015—7 p.m.
Overdressed, The Shockingly
High Cost of Cheap Fashion
Elizabeth Cline
Presbyterian Church
And of course, this annual event is a big success
because of your ongoing and amazing support!
Your response in the past years has been wonderful!
Please watch for opportunities to help with all
aspects of the program. We need volunteers to help
with check-in, snack, t-shirt distribution, guiding the
girls to breakout discussions, clean-up and more.
As in the past, we'll ask AAUW members and
friends to support our girls by donating and sponsoring t-shirts for every attendee.
Watch for details about this opportunity to make
a difference in the life of a girl.
Sister City Travelogue
Date: late February/early March
Location: TBA
Chair: Shannon Hanson
In addition to each of you and our presenters, our
partners this year include Red Wing Community
Education, Girls on the Run of Bluff Country and SE
Tech. We thank each of these organizations for another year of support.
Spring Road Trip to Faribault Woolen Mill and Area
Date: Thursday in May
Chair: Elise Howell
Brave New Girls Planning Committee:
Erin Yoemans and Shannon Hanson (co‐chairs),
Linda Thielbar and Marilyn Meinke
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Hiawatha Happenings
Newsle er Informa on
Send information to: Pat Welke
1844 Bohmbach Drive, Red Wing, MN 55066
[email protected]—651-388-2100
Or, [email protected]
Minnesota Website: http://aauw-mn.net
Association Website: www.aauw.org
Association email: [email protected]
Red Wing Area Branch Website:
www.rwab-aauw.org
Mission Statement: AAUW advances equity for
women and girls through advocacy, education,
philanthropy and research
Vision Statement: AAUW will be a powerful
advocate and visible leader in equity and education
through research, philanthropy, and measurable change
in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.
2014‐2015 Branch Officers
President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
VP Program:
VP Membership:
VP AAUW Funds:
VP Public Policy:
Historian
Nominating Comm.
Mette Christiansen
Janet Brandt
Ellen Hutchinson
Kathy Bell
Kay Humphreys
Vacant
Dee Bender
Lynda Kern
Marilyn Meinke (2015-17)
If your email address changes, please notify me
and our president ASAP so that you don’t miss any
of our AAUW email notices.
FLASH
New members joining in January can join at a
reduced rate of $48.50. Pass the good news on.
Hiawatha Happenings
Looking Ahead
Jan 13
Joint Meeting-Book Club & Connecting
Threads
Feb 11
Anita Hill Film, TBMS
Mar 1
Documentary Film on Minnesota
Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Wahl,
Historical Society
Mar 10
Book Club, Sandy Wollschlager, host
Mar 26
Brave New Girls
AAUW Book Club 2015
What is included in the branch
reads
for this year? Here is the Book Club
information. All members are invited to join in book
club discussions for one or all of the meetings. If you
see a book you are interested in, please consider coming to review it and express your opinions. We share a
beverage—even wine—and a snack. Book club members host the meeting.
Selections for this year are:
January 13, 2015—7 p.m.
Overdressed, The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap
Fashion. Elizabeth Cline
March 10, 2015
My Beloved World
Sonia Sotomayor
Host, Sandy Wollschlager
May 12, 2015
The Paris Wife: A Novel
Paula McLain
Host, Kay Humphreys
July14, 2015
Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Anne Bronte
Host, LaVonne Lommel
September 8, 2015
Northern Slave Black Dakota:
The Life & Times of Joseph Godfrey
Walt Buchman
Host, Jean Magnusson
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