AAUW - Louisiana

College Student Members Are Important to AAUW

AAUW is committed to college students. Visit AAUW's Campus Connections. Also read a list of AAUW Leadership Programs and a list of AAUW fellowships and grants.

Why are you so important and how can you help?

Active younger member participation is essential for the future of AAUW across the nation. The association NEEDS YOUR INPUT to stay current with the needs of women today and to help drive this powerful organization in the future.

Get involved at the local, state and national level. Join and network via AAUW on Facebook, on AAUW blogs and in SecondLife. Get involved with women's issues at your university or via alumni efforts and join your AAUW - university Facebook group. You can volunteer to work with the Louisiana Student Advisory Council (SAC), or start an AAUW student affiliate at your university.

You can add to AAUW's vast knowledge base! This is especially true if you keep up-to-date with all the latest innovations and technical skills. Then perhaps you can help AAUW better use the Internet, virtual environments and suggest the use of new technologies for networking.

Who would be interested?

• Anyone (men and women) interested in equity issues related to of women and girls.
• Those who agree with AAUW's Public Policy Priorities and want to receive timely notification of important woman’s issues.
• College students who want some direction and a voice for their issues.
• College students awakening to a vast array of possibilities and also recognizing some of the many additional challenges women face.
• New graduates who might want direction and mentoring in their careers
• Working women who want to network with others.
• Young mothers tired of baby talk who want to have some intelligent conversation for a change
• Women who have just moved into the region wanting to meet people
• Women wanting to expand their social circle

Suggested Presentations & Workshops

The following are suggestions of important and useful information that can be presented to a younger audience:

• "Real Life 101" - what your college classes didn't tell you about real life and real business
• "Debt Management And Your Credit Rating" - so you built up some debt in college! It's not the end of the world!
• "The Importance of Title IX" - today many women can get college degrees via sports scholarships thanks to opportunities provided by Title IX. AAUW advocates vigorous enforcement of Title IX and all other civil rights laws pertaining to education. The Title IX law states, "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."
• "Campaign College" - AAUW's Campaign College program trains and encourages women to run for student government.
• "$tart $mart" Salary Negotiation Workshop – $tart $mart Salary Negotiation Workshops provides women, who are college juniors and seniors, with the knowledge and skills to negotiate salaries and benefits to receive fair and realistic compensation.
• Look for AAUW programs in a box

Do you have any other ideas for meaningful presentations for younger members? Would you like to help provide these programs at your AAUW branch or college?

AAUW Louisiana Program Highlights

Campaign College at UL in Laffayette - March 7, 2009

Thanks to the efforts of UL student, Mary Anne McDougall, UL was selected as one of only two 2009 pilot locations for the new AAUW program, "Campaign College". While attending NCCWSL, Mary Anne heard about this opportunity and made the neccessary contacts to pull this off for UL.

The AAUW facilitator was Jillian Rubino, Director of Leadership Programs for the American University Women & Politics Institute. Jullian and guest speakers discussed the importance of women in politics, fund raising, communication, handling negative political attacks, meeting job requirements & paperwork. As well as having break out discussion & practice sessions; there was a reception and contest.

Organizers of "University of Louisiana, Lafayette Women to Win" received a letter from former Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, supporting the training and press from The Vermillion: "Seminar to be held for aspiring female candidates" and a post press feature on the AAUW Blog: "Campaign College and the RajinCajuns".

AAUW Louisiana Campus Action Project (CAP) Grants:

Campus Action Projects enable student leaders and campus faculty to design and implement effective programs that enhance campus offerings, promote leadership, and improve academic and career outcomes.

AAUW Louisiana strongly encourages ALL of our colleges to apply for AAUW Campus Action Project grants. LSU has successfully applied for and completed several AAUW CAP projects.

LSU Campus Action Project Grant Awards:

LSU CAP project, "WE>START", closing reception

Campus Action Project 2008-2009:
"Where the Girls Are: Promoting Equity for All Women and Girls"

Campus Action Project: The LSU Women’s Center was awarded a grant from the national office of AAUW as part of the 2008–09 Campus Action Project (CAP) titled "Where the Girls Are: Promoting Equity for All Women and Girls." The LSU project named "WE>START" worked with single mothers from old South Baton Rouge who are interested in going back to college.

Mary Linda Francis acted as the liaison between LSU, the Baton Rouge branch and state organizations.

LSU's "WE>START" team is featured on the AAUW national web site.

Visit the AAUW national web site for information about AAUW's nation-wide project: "Where The Girls Are".

Campus Action Project 2005:
"Project STOP (Student Team for Outreach and Prevention): An Anti-Harassment Coalition"

LSU Won AAUW Grant related to the research on sexual harassment. AAUW developed a program of small grants to campus groups, "Building a Harassment-Free Campus". One of these $5000 grants went to the Women’s Center at LSU who administered a survey to assess their campus climate and gather information on student experiences with sexual harassment. There was also a follow-up project at LSU - training for staff and students about what constitutes harassment.

Your vote is important! Let the voice of your generation be heard! On August 26, 1920 the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women — after a long and hard struggle — the right to vote. Our votes remain a vital tool for shaping the policy issues that affect women every day.