Volume 28 No 3 November December 2013

Impact American Association of University Women

IMPACT is published monthly

September through May (except Dec.)

by AAUW, Janesville Branch,

Wisconsin.

Editors –

Janet Dow 756-1370

mikejanetdow@gmail.com

Diane Adams 815-624-7773

rjadams65@frontier.com

Articles for the next issue are due:

December 11th to Janet Dow

AAUW values and seeks a diverse membership

Co-Presidents – Wendy Facinger 757-0603

Emily Scheuneman (608) 473-2998

VP Program - Deb Cross (608) 758-1659

VP Membership – Jan McCann 754-0116

Secretary – Jane McBride 563-4710

Finance VP – Lynn McVicar 754-5092

AAUW’s Mission: Advancing equity for women and girls

through advocacy, education and research.

Classroom at the End of the ‘Line’: Assembly Line Workers at Midwest Community and Technical Colleges

Sharon A. Kennedy

Tuesday, November 26 6:45 p.m. Social 7:00 p.m. Business meeting 7:15 p.m. Program -See below

During the years 2008-2011, Janesville experienced much media coverage about the GM plant closing

and its aftermath. Local media carried stories about former workers from GM and other plants attending

UW-Rock County and Blackhawk Technical College to prepare for a new occupation or work toward a

bachelor’s degree. Sharon Kennedy was the chief academic officer at Blackhawk Technical College

from October, 2007 through June, 2013. Between 2010 and 2012, she recorded 46 interviews with a Job

Services case manager, former assembly line workers, staff, and faculty at BTC. The book she has

written is based on those interviews and her own experience.

Additionally, other authors she consulted believed she would generate more interest and a wider

audience for the book if she recorded other college stories. Further, she was curious whether Blackhawk’s experience was unique. So, she expanded her interviews to include a community college in Michigan

and Indiana, both states that had significant job losses in manufacturing during the Recession.

Sharon came away from this experience understanding that former assembly line workers are

unique. They experience challenges and deficits different from other dislocated workers, but, they also

have great strengths. She wrote the book to inform others about all of this. Books will be available to

purchase-$10.

President’s Message: Oct, 2013

It was wonderful to see so many of our members and some interested

people from the community at our Branch program on Affordable Health

Care. Programs of that type fill an important role for our AAUW branch.

Thank you, Dawn Olson and Rich Gruber. Thank you to all the ladies that

brought cookies for our enjoyment displayed on a lovely autumn table.

Our Janesville branch of AAUW finds itself at a crossroads this Fall that requires us to look closely at

our focus. There is an article in this issue that seeks to compose an Ad Hoc Committee to look into the

question of continuing the financial support of 108 South Jackson. Historically it has been our home,

donated by a woman to be used by women. However, this beautiful old building is expensive. Our

Mission is “Advancing equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and

research.” We work very hard to achieve those goals. Should we divide our resources to support this

building? What are our options? Do we want to leave this historic tradition? Can we find a place that

works as well for us and is not so expensive. Some of our members have cancelled their memberships

in AAUW for financial reasons. It is something we will discuss and seek the best answer to this

question. If you want to be actively involved in this question, join the Ad Hoc Committee. Everyone

will be involved in the final decision.

Looking ahead we have Sharon Kennedy presenting her ideas to help women get out of the factory

and into college for training in better, more available jobs. This is certainly in line with our AAUW

mission. An inspirational and informative program, seeing old friends and making new during the

social time, as well as, enjoying delicious refreshments, makes for a well spent evening on November

26. We look forward to seeing everyone there.

Wendy and Emily

Learn More about the Affordable Care Act Open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act began October 1. Uninsured Americans can sign up for health care plans through the state exchanges, with coverage starting on January 1. Learn more about the health care market, and determine your individual eligibility and costs today.

AD HOC COMMITTEE

FORMING

Woman’s Club dues are on the rise and

we are forming an ad hoc committee of

interested branch members to analyze

the situation and explore available

options. Facts and costs will be

gathered and presented to the board,

which will then develop

recommendations for the membership

to vote on. If you are interested in

serving on this important committee,

please contact Emily at

schmann65@gmail.com or Wendy at

wfacinger@sbcglobal.net.

IMPACT ARTICLES Articles for the January issue of Impact are due

to Janet Dow on December 11th

. Please note

the early date, this will help Janet fit it into her

holiday schedule.

Book Discussion

In October we met at the home of Sue Keeney.

Our book was Learning to Stay by Madison

author Erin Celello who was with us to lead the

discussion. About 15 of us enjoyed a lively

discussion about a very timely book dealing

with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. Many

thanks to Erin for joining us.

On November 19th

, we will meet at 7pm at the

home of Karen Winn, 4350 Hearthridge Dr. Our

book is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Please

come with ideas for future book selections.

On December 17 we will have our annual

Christmas gathering at the home of Paula

DeRubeis, 909 E. Centerway. There will be a

sign up sheet at the November meeting.

I wanted to write and thank

you and the AAUW for

having me back to visit with

you all this week. It was so

enjoyable, as I've come to

expect. What a lovely,

vibrant group of women!

You truly are my favorite

group, and I wish each of

you the very best. I hope our

paths cross soon!

Yours in good books,

Erin

Miriam Feingold Siker,

Janesville, Wi

(1921-2013)

Miriam Feingold Siker died peacefully

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013, at Jewish Home Care

Center in Milwaukee. She was the first baby born

in 1921, at Mercy Hospital in Janesville, on

January 2nd. Miriam was a lifelong resident of

Janesville. She made many lifelong friends

graduating from Janesville High School Class of

1938. She received her bachelor degree from

UW-Madison in 1942. She married Arthur Siker

in September 1943, he preceded her in death.

Survivors are her four children: Judith (Zeb)

Kozlowski, Daniel (Linda) Siker, Larry

(Svetlana) Siker and David (Telma) Siker. She

adored her grandchildren: Jody, Max, Malika,

Sarah, Samantha, Sabrina, Alexa and Jonathan;

six great-grandchildren. She will be greatly

missed and always fondly remembered by friends

and family who had the privilege of being in her

company and sharing her vivacious personality

and inspiring spirit.

Miriam was a longtime member of AAUW, and

a loyal member of book discussion. We will

miss her.

We’re making ready for the next

Susan B. Anthony birthday party!

Mark your calendar now for Noon,

February 16, 2014.

Susan B., portrayed by Rose Stephenson,

will be speaking this year along with

Wisconsin LWV President,

Andrea Kaminski.

Janesville and Beloit League of Women

Voters

Impact Articles

Articles for the January issue are due to

Janet Dow on December 11th

. Please

note the early date. This is so that Janet

can work editing into her holiday

schedule, and so that you don’t forget to

send in an article during your busy holiday

schedule.

Diversity in our Business Community

Italian House, Farmers Insurance, Rose’s Soul Food Restaurant,

Shorewest Realtors, Chique Boutique

Free and Public is Welcome!

Date: Thursday, November 7, 2013

Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Location: University of Wisconsin, Rock County

Hyatt Smith Meeting Room

2909 Kellogg Avenue, Janesville

Questions: Contact Jeanne Carfora

jcarfora@sbcglobal.net or 608.756.1815

What is it like to open a business in Janesville or Beloit, especially when there is diversity in the

ownership: gender, race, ethnicity? What awareness is needed to open a business here? What myths

surround new immigrant businesses?

The program is open to the public and registration is not needed. “Diversity in our Business Community”

continues the fall program schedule of the Diversity Action Team of Rock County, whose goals are to

eliminate racism and to create an inclusive community of respect for all.

Upcoming events:

January 18, 2014 AAUW Open Brunch

Meeting at the Woman’s Club Building:

“Artistry in Portrait Photography”

Presented by Carolyn Tretina,

of Carolyn’s Portrait Studio

10:30 A.M. Brunch and Program: $12

11:45 A.M. Program only: $5

More information in the next issue of

Impact. Plan ahead, and think about who

you would like to invite to share in this

exciting program.

AAUW BOOK SALE

February 27 – March 2

Put these important dates on

your calendar, and start

cleaning out the book

shelves. More information

next month.

(Please note the November 2nd date, coming really soon!)

Year of the Dancing Snake Gala

The Janesville Multicultural Teacher Opportunities Scholarship Program (JMTOS) was created in 2008 to

provide a multicultural pool of teacher candidates for the School District of Janesville.

The program addresses the growing population of students of color in the District and the gap between non-

white students and non-white teachers. In the 2011-12 school year the percentage of non-white students in

the District was 23 percent. For the same period, non-white teachers comprised 1.7 percent of the faculty or

13 out of 763 teachers.

The JMTOS program offers an incentive for Janesville students of color to return to the community as

professional teachers and role models for all students.

Selected students receive a multi-year renewable college scholarship of up to $5,000/year for tuition, books

and fees. In return the student must pursue a degree in education, obtain Wisconsin state teacher

certification, and apply for a position with the School District of Janesville when they have completed their

degree. The School District is not obligated to hire the student, but, if hired, the student is obligated to work

for the District for a minimum of three years.

To apply for the program, the student must be a graduate of a Janesville high school or be a resident of

Janesville. The student also must be of African American, Latino, Asian or Native American descent as

required on school registration forms. To remain in the program, the student must be full time and hold a

minimum 2.75 grade point average on a 4.0 scale.

To make a tax-deductible donation to the JMTOS program, you may donate online, or mail a check to the

Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin, 26 S. Jackson St., Janesville, WI 53548.

For more information, visit the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin website.

From AAUW Washington Update

From the New York Times

Senate Women Lead

WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown dragged on, Senator Susan Collins of

Maine was spending another weekend on Capitol Hill, staring at C-Span on her Senate

office television as one colleague after another came to the floor to rail about the

shuttered government.

Frustrated with the lack of progress, Ms. Collins, a Republican, two Saturdays ago

quickly zipped out a three-point plan that she thought both parties could live with,

marched to the Senate floor and dared her colleagues to come up with something better.

A few days later, two other Republican female senators eagerly signed on — Lisa

Murkowski of Alaska, who overcame the Tea Party to win re-election in 2010, and Kelly

Ayotte of New Hampshire, who benefited from the Tea Party wave.

Together the three women started a bipartisan group whose negotiating framework

formed the centerpiece of a tentative Senate deal nearing completion Monday to reopen

the federal government and avert a disastrous default. “Before I went to the Senate floor,

no one was presenting any way out,” Ms. Collins said. “I think what our group did was

pave the way, and I’m really happy about that.” In a Senate still dominated by men,

women on both sides of the partisan divide proved to be the driving forces that shaped a

negotiated settlement. The three Republican women put aside threats from the right to

advance the interests of their shutdown-weary states and asserted their own political

independence. “I probably will have retribution in my state,” Ms. Murkowski said.

“That’s fine. That doesn’t bother me at all. If there is backlash, hey, that’s what goes on

in D.C., but in the meantime there is a government that is shut down. There are people

who are really hurting.” Two powerful women on the Democratic side of the aisle —

Senators Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland and Patty Murray of Washington — took a

hard line and pressed their Republican counterparts to temper their demands, but they

also offered crucial points of compromise. Together, the five senators starkly showed off

the increasing power of women — even those who are not on the relevant committees —

as their numbers grow in the upper chamber. Of the 13 senators on a bipartisan

committee who worked on the deal framework, about half were women, even though

women make up only 20 percent of the Senate. Senator John McCain of Arizona joked at

several points in their meetings, “The women are taking over.”

Senator Joe Manchin III, Ms. Collins’s first Democratic collaborator, said: “That gender

mix was great. It helped tremendously.” He added: “Would it have worked as well if it

had been 12 women or 12 men? I can’t say for sure, but it worked pretty well with what

we had.” The women are hardly in lock step politically. But their practice of meeting

regularly and working on smaller bills together, even in a highly polarized Congress, set

the stage for more significant legislation. Ms. Ayotte and Senator Jeanne Shaheen,

Democrat of New Hampshire, hosted an informal get-together for women in the Senate

last Monday evening.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that women were so heavily involved in trying to end this

stalemate,” Ms. Collins said. “Although we span the ideological spectrum, we are used to

working together in a collaborative way.” More than two weeks into a government

shutdown, Washington is now two short days from a possible default on federal

obligations. The women showed pragmatism as negotiators in the midst of fierce

partisanship and a level of frustration with the leaders of both parties that reflect their

constituents and the nation. “Where we find ourselves right now is unacceptable for

America,” Ms. Ayotte said on the Senate floor. “It’s unacceptable as leaders that have

been elected by the people of this country. We owe it to our constituents to resolve this

now.” The Republican women involved in the compromise represented three of their

party’s four female members. (Senator Deb Fischer of Nebraska did not participate.) The

bipartisan negotiating group included three Democratic senators as well, Amy Klobuchar

of Minnesota, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Ms. Shaheen. The strongest

Democratic voices counseling a hard line were also women. Ms. Murray is chairwoman

of the Budget Committee and would have primary responsibility for turning any broad

agreement into a detailed plan for tax and spending policy over the next decade. Ms.

Mikulski, who leads the powerful Appropriations Committee, has been the most forceful

voice in efforts to blunt the impact of future budget cuts. “Patty and I were e-mailing all

weekend,” Ms. Collins said. “I was not off the phone for longer than 20 minutes

yesterday.” It was Ms. Murray who suggested language ordering an immediate start to

budget talks. That language tempered Democratic concerns that the emerging deal would

lock in across-the-board spending cuts for next year. In contrast, Ms. Mikulski’s

Republican counterpart on the Appropriations Committee, Senator Richard C. Shelby of

Alabama, and the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, Senator Jeff Sessions of

Alabama, were notably absent from the talks. Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin,

chairman of the House Budget Committee, complained over the weekend that the Collins

negotiations had excluded House Republicans. The leader of the Republican trio, Ms.

Collins, has emerged as the most powerful moderate in the Senate, and like her fellow

Mainer and now-retired Senator Olympia J. Snowe, often shows her own flair for the

dramatic — the only Republican vote on several high-profile Democratic bills and the

must-have Republican. Ms. Ayotte, best known in the Senate for her hawkish foreign

policy associations with fellow Republican Senators McCain and Lindsey Graham of

South Carolina, is using the moment to pursue an issue she has mostly paid lip service to:

finding money for a military with its wings clipped by automatic spending cuts.

Brimming with frustration, Ms. Ayotte went to the Senate floor earlier this month to

deliver what her own staff now calls “the reality check” speech. Members of her own

party had embraced “an ill-conceived strategy” to tie further financing of the government

to gutting the president’s health care law, she said. The government shut down, yet the

health care law is moving forward. “I would say to my Republican colleagues in the

House and to some in this chamber, it’s time for a reality check,” she said.

Ms. Murkowski has been nursing wounds since the Republican establishment abandoned

her in the wake of her defeat by a Tea Party candidate in the 2010 primary. She won as a

write-in candidate and has seized the chance to assert her independence.

“Politics be damned,” she said Monday.

110 Harding Street

P.O. Box 427

Janesville, WI 53547-0427

(608) 754-7701

(608) 7548555 FAX

READY MIXED CONCRETE

Calendar

November

2 Year of the Snake

7 DAT Program

19 Book Discussion

26 Branch Meeting

December

11 Impact Articles to Janet

17 Book Discussion

January

6 Board Meeting

18 Saturday Branch Meeting

February 27th – March 2 AAUW BOOK SALE

American Association of University Women

Janesville, WI Branch Bulletin

P.O. Box 8033

Janesville, WI 53547-8033