Lead Story Headline

Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1

NotationsNotations

Calendar

American Association of University WomenAmerican Association of University Women

BOOK CLUB Tuesday, Feb 26 — 1 p.m. in Astor Suite 202 Stoner by John Williams Details on page 4.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING: Saturday, February 2 — 10:00

COST $20COST $20

MakeMake a reservation by Monday, Dec 31.

414-276-6820 aauw.milwaukee@gmail.com

PleasePlease indicate special

dietary needs.

YouYou may come for just the program.

Guests are Guests are AlwaysAlways welcomewelcome!!

SATURDAY, SATURDAY,

FEBRUARY 2, FEBRUARY 2,

20132013

SOCIAL 11:30 am

Astor Suite 202

LUNCH 12:15 pm

Bach Room

PROGRAM 1 pm

N E W S L E T T E RN E W S L E T T E R Belted Women and Dagger Men:

projects ranging

from the Middle

Bronze Age

through the early

medieval period in

western Europe.

Since 1999 she has

co-directed a re-

search project in

southwest-

Germany focused

on the burial record of the early Iron Age

Heuneburg hillfort and its environs.

We will learn more about her long-term,

collaborative research project in southwest

Germany which combines conventional

analysis of burial remains and ancient DNA

to reconstruct aspects of social organiza-

tion. She will explain the symbolic nature of

such grave goods and also focus on the

role of gender in mortuary ritual.

In contrast to the commercial bling of

Valentine's Day, Dr. Arnold’s research on

women's personal ornamentation will give

us a deeper understanding of gender and

status markings even our modern society.

Jessie Moffat, VP—Programs

I t is a little known fact that archae-

ologists spend three to five years

on analysis, conservation and write-up

for every year of fieldwork. Public per-

ception tends to view this follow-up

activity as less exciting than the field-

work itself. Nothing could be further

from the truth. Thanks to new technolo-

gy, many elements of dress and orna-

ment can be reconstructed. The human

body in many prehistoric societies was a

kind of walking billboard. You could tell

whether someone was male, female, a

child, was married, occupied a certain

role in society and much more from

what they were wearing.

Bettina Arnold obtained her BA in

Archaeology from Yale University and

her MA and PhD degrees in Anthropol-

ogy from Harvard University. She is

Professor of Anthropology at the Uni-

versity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where

she served as the Co-Director of the

Center for Celtic Studies from 2000-

2009 and Coordinator of the Museum

Studies Graduate Program from 1996-

2012. She is the Editor of the on-line

peer-reviewed journal e-Keltoi. Her area

of expertise is the pre-Roman European

Iron Age, but in the course of her career

she has participated in archaeological

Technology Brings European Iron Age Back to Life? Presented by Bettina Arnold, Ph.D., Professor of Anthropology — UW-M

SOCIAL, LUNCH & SOCIAL, LUNCH & PROGRAM: PROGRAM: SATURDAY, MARCH 2,SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013 2013 ((Always the First Saturday)Always the First Saturday)

Things I want you to know >>>

President’s mmmeeessssssaaagggeee... ... ... C upid’s arrow never misses, and

it’s clear that 118 years ago, it

struck the Milwaukee Branch. A

group of women able to sustain a

long-term relationship with a city, a

mission and other women with such a

strong sense of purpose is truly a

love story. Let’s keep it that way.

We’ll honor the passion of AAUW

Milwaukee Branch and author Priscilla

Pardini by submitting our recently

published book to three award

competitions. The state and county

historical societies and the Wisconsin

Writers group will all get a chance to

review this labor of love and, I’m

confident, will offer up high praise

and affection for our efforts.

Leadership is Key As we continue to dance with the

issue of equality for women and girls,

particularly in education, AAUW Mil-

waukee Branch is looking for some-

one to lead. There are a number of

positions open on the board and in

our spring meeting, we’ll be voting on

the slate of incoming officers. Many

choose to continue their service for a

second term, but we welcome all

comers—our dance card is never too

full. In particular, those interested in

helping with our public and media

relations are encouraged to talk with

me or other board members about

an appointed position in PR. Want to

encourage others to join? Well,

you’re already naturally gifted as a

A s of January 1, anyone who joins AAUW Milwaukee Branch only pays 1/2 fees: $24.50

National, $6.50 for State, and $13 for Branch dues. That’s $44. What a deal! If a friend

or colleague (or family member) has been considering membership, now’s the time! Contact the

office for assistance in signing up your favorite person. Let’s make this the best year yet, and

take home the Growth and Gumption award for the third year in a row!

From C Tully, From C Tully,

VPVP——MembershipMembership

MembershipMembership ReportReport

All first Saturdays: March 2 April 6 May 4 June 1

membership chair! The nominating

committee may be calling you and

you’ll see a posting of all open posi-

tions elsewhere in this newsletter—

do not hesitate to court our execu-

tive board!

We have a Role in Success Love isn’t just in the air in February,

however. Prom season is upon us and

for AAUW Milwaukee, our biggest

date night of the year is Friday, April

26. Our

district is

hosting

this year’s

state con-

vention

and we’re

partnering

with our

sister

branches

as hospital-

ity leaders to host an amazing event

for those traveling to Southeastern

Wisconsin to share in the mission.

The convention, beginning Friday

night and hosting programming

through Saturday, April 27, will be in

Racine this year and the executive

board invites ALL MEMBERS to join

us—we’ll even pay your registra-

tion! Please notify Kathe in the

office by MARCH 29 if you will

attend and we’ll pay your regis-

tration fees!

April 26-27 is

state convention

and we are the

“hospitality! “

Carpooling is available and we’d love a

great showing at the event! Don’t fit

into your old prom dress? No prob-

lem! You can pick up one of our

AAUW Milwaukee Branch t-shirts in

the office if you’re attending the con-

vention.

Please know that we are the hospi-

tality coordinators during the conven-

tion and for those of you who have

been eager to serve, here’s your

chance. Volunteer to help as planning

builds to the April event!

T hough I now close this month’s

love note to you all, please never

hesitate to contact me with questions

or concerns about our group! Remem-

ber, the best way to find me is to

COME TO OUR MEETINGS!

Happy Valentine’s DayHappy Valentine’s Day!!

T he spring election of officers is

right around the corner, and we

need to encourage leadership within

our members. Leading the branch isn’t

so much governance as it is guidance.

Key positions to assume office in July

are the President-Elect, Member-

ship VP, Program VP and Hospi-

tality VP. With the assistance of

other board members and the office

staff, none of these positions is either

difficult or time-consuming. Some

roles, such as Membership, lend them-

selves to new members. All are two-

year terms, with the President-Elect

position ending in assuming the role of

President for two years.

For information on any of these offices,

contact the office.

And don’t be surprised if you get a

“call to duty”!

Maya Angelou

ductions, first in a voluntary capacity,

then as a paid Costume Designer.

Committed to environmental

issues, for three years Kathleen volun-

teered with Milwaukee Riverkeeper as

a Site Captain for Earth Day Cleanup,

organizing, registering and raising funds

to feed volunteers at Hoyt Hansen

Park. Volunteer activities also include

40+ of Southeastern Wisconsin as a

speaker and group co-leader.

Currently Kathleen works as

Director of Project Management for

an OEM (Original Equipment Manufac-

turer) of custom designed bags and

carrying cases.

In her leisure time, she enjoys

snowshoeing, organic gardening, gour-

met cooking, playing with two puppies,

and time at the lake in Rhinelander.

T hank you to Theresa Muselman

and Genevieve Prince for hosting

the January social. We look forward to

Sue Abler and Nancy

Nohl hosting the Febru-

ary gathering in the

suite before lunch and

program. We still need

a couple to host the

April 6 social. Call the

office to volunteer.

Hospitality Corner

K athleen Ellis Stifter came to

AAUW in 2007 through a client of

hers. She was an AAUW scholarship

recipient while in college, so therefore

AAUW holds a special place in her

heart.

Originally from Wauwatosa, Kath-

leen moved, as a single mother with a

5 year old, to New York City in order

to complete concurrent degrees from

UW, and FIT (Fashion Institute of

Technology) earning a B.S. and an

A.A.S.

Kathleen then remained in New

York and worked for over 25 years

designing womenswear, with a special-

ization in Special Sizes. Her last posi-

tion as designer was with a licensor

for “Just My Size”, where she designed

over 50 million (wholesale) dollars

worth of merchandise annually.

Kathleen returned to Milwaukee

after dating, and deciding to marry,

a high school classmate she met at a

reunion (no they didn’t know each other

in HS). Since returning she’s been cre-

atively involved with Divine Savior

Holy Angels High School stage pro-

Spotlight on Members

AAUW-Milwaukee Branch history

2011-2013 Pres Elect

2009-2011 VP Membership, bylaws

committee

2007-2009 Girls’ Club Fund Board

worked on bylaws

In Memory of

Faye Topetzes Faye and her daughter,

Angela Strelka.

F aye Topetzes passed away this past December much as

she lived her life—quietly and with dignity. A member

of the Milwaukee Branch AAUW since 1986, Faye served on

various committees throughout her membership, including

as President from 1988-1990. Her most recent service was as a long-standing

member of the Finance Committee. It was her mother’s love of and interest in

the Milwaukee Branch members and its activities that influenced her daughter,

Angela’s decision to join in 1989. Faye and Angela often hosted the social gath-

ering before the lunch and program.

O ver the years, it has been a privilege of the branch’s members to observe

the love and respect this mother-daughter team had for each other. We

extend our sympathies to Angela, and Faye’s family. We shall miss her —dearly.

Kathleen Ellis Stifter

Gifts & Memorials

Scholarship Gift from Pat Sheldrick in memory of Faye Topetzes.

Tuesday, February 26 2013 1 p.m. in Astor Suite Stoner by John Williams Discussion Leader: Benita Clark

John Williams’s 1965 novel Stoner documents the quiet and often painful life of William Stoner, an English professor at the University

of Missouri. In a direct, lucid style, the novel follows Stoner from the time he first enters the University of Missouri as a freshman, to his old age and eventual death.

This is a deeply moving, engaging, and often exasperating novel. It will make you truly, deeply sad.

Afternoon Book Club

The Chocolate Party Saturday, Feb 16

(2013) 7:00pm

at The Astor Ho-

tel.

O n Saturday February 16th

R&R Entertainment and Empire

Entertainment invite you to experience the

"Chocolate Party" Valentines weekend.

This annual event will soon become the

largest Chocolate Party held in the Mid-

West, and vows to set the bar and raise

your standards for Sexiness, Upscale, Ma-

ture and Classiness! There will be three

DJ's, two areas, a Live band and an exclu-

sive VIP room with limited desserts, food,

candy and Chocolate fountain(s) all for

your pleasure.

Advanced Tickets are $15 for general

admission and $20 at the door. VIP Tickets

are $25 in advance and $35 at the door.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Like

Father, Like Son youth mentoring.

Out & About...

Analyzing Governor Walker’s Proposed Budget & Final State Budget for Fiscal Years 2013-15

G oal: Our goal is to raise awareness of the impact

that budget cuts to women’s health programs will have on women and girls in Wisconsin. In order to achieve this, we will closely follow the budget process, and create a blog and analytical paper on Governor Walker’s pro-posed budget to share with Wiscon-sin policy makers and the public. Our analysis of the governor’s budget will help guide policy maker’s decisions during the bud-getary process on issues affecting Wisconsin women and girls’ health.

B ackground: How is Wisconsin ensuring the well-

being of women and girls? To find out, the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health (WAWH) will be taking a line-by-line look at the governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013 through the lens of gender. WAWH believes public budgets are a moral compass that direct the state’s obligation to its more vulnerable citizens. In three critical areas—economic security, safety and health. Last budget session, WAWH produced an initial analysis of Governor Walker’s pro-posed budget along with a second impact report based on the final budget based by the State Legisla-ture. Again for the 2013 budget session, we will create a similar product to demonstrate the im-portance of funding programs that help support the health, safety and well-being of Wisconsin women and girls.

A nticipated Focus Areas:

Maternal and Child Health Reproductive Health Mental Health Economic Security Higher Education Public Education Transportation Safety Housing

O utline:

Identify key programs affect-

ing the health of Wisconsin’s

women and girls that face budget

cuts under Governor Walker’s pro-

posed budget.

llustrate the positive impact these

programs have for women and girls,

and the tremendous cost savings

they achieve.

Begin building awareness through

weekly blog posts on the budget

process and our work beginning in

February 2013.

Present our findings to policy mak-

ers and the public through an analyt-

ical report and a presentation at the

Wisconsin Women’s Health Policy

Summit in May 2013.

R eferences:

Ÿ 2011-13 State Budget Impact Report: http://

www.wiawh.org/media/documents/pdf/WAWH%20State%20Budget%20Report%201.24.12.pdfhttp://www.wiawh.org/media/documents/pdf/WAWH%20State%20Budget%20Report%201.24.12.pdf

Wisconsin Women’s Health Budget Project Blog: http://wawhbudgetblog.wordpress.com/

Look for these links on our website.

Wisconsin Women

What the State Budget Means for Wisconsin’s Women and GirlsWhat the State Budget Means for Wisconsin’s Women and Girls

& THE BUDGET PROJECT

The Milwaukee Branch AAUW is in support of this project per vote by Board of Directors.