Calendar January: MD State Winter Board Meeting, Date and Venue TBD January 16, 2017: Board Meeting, Pat Crane’s home, 4:00 PM January 28, 2017: Branch Meeting, Sexting, Easton Police Headquarters, 10:00 AM, Lunch to follow at the Washington Street Pub January 29, 2017: MLB Briefing, Shady Grove, MD January 30, 2017: Book Group, Sibyl Cochran’s home, 1:00 PM January 31, 2017: MLAW 2017 Legislative Reception and Briefing, Annapolis, MD 4:30 PM February 18, 2017: Branch Meeting, Book Discussion, St. Michaels Library, 10:00 AM, Lunch to follow March 18, 2017: Branch Meeting, Tricky Tray April 8, 2017: MD State Convention, Easton, MD April 22, 2017: Annual Branch Meeting, Business Meeting and Lunch, Venue TBD May 6, 2017: Bus Tour of Blackwater and Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad Trail May 15, 2017: Branch Meeting, Spring Dinner, Venue TBD, 6:00 PM June 14-17, 2017, AAUW National Convention, Washington, DC

President’s Message Twoofourlong-termmemberssufferedsadlossesrecently.JanetHarford’shusband,JayHarford,diedinNovemberwithacelebrationofhislifeinearlyDecember.Hewasanamazingindividual,describedbythosewhoknewhimbestasaRenaissanceMan.Hewasanengineer,aflutist,afatherandgrandfather,anavidwoodandmetalworker,andthelistgoeson.HewasontheboardofdirectorsofArtsCouncil,andtheMarylandSaltwaterSportfishingAssociation.HewasalsoalaborerforHabitatforHumanityandwasa

missionparticipantinbuildinganAnglicanschoolinBelize.Atthememorialservice,wesawpicturesofthegorgeouscrosshecreatedInBelize.

oftheMid-ShoreCommunityBand,theTalbot

missionparticipantinbuildinganAnglicanschoolinBelize.Atthememorialservice,wesawpicturesofthegorgeouscrosshecreatedInBelize.

PhyllisDelllostherhusband,TerryDell,inDecember.Hetoowasanengineer,father,andgrandfatherandcelebratedforhisamazingsenseofhumor.Afterretirement,theDellsmovedfromArnold,MarylandtoEastonin2002,whereheservedontheboardoftheEastonClubCommunityAssociationandontheEastonTownPlanningandZoningCommission.HewasalsoontheboardoftheInstituteforAdultLearningatChesapeakeCollege,wherehislifelongloveofmusicledhimtoteachclassesinjazz,blues,andfolkmusic.PleasekeepbothPhyllisandJanetinyourthoughtsandprayers.

Hopeyourholidayswere fullof loveand thewarmthoffamilyandfriends.Pleaseaddtwodatestoyourcalendar.On Friday, April 7, Easton Branch will host the AAUWMaryland Celebratory Dinner in advance of the stateconvention.TheMarylandAAUWconventionwillbeheldat Chesapeake College on Saturday, April 8. Moredetails will be in the Mayland AAUW SpringMarylander.Fondly,LindaandMettah

AAUW AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN

EASTON BRANCH JANUARY 2017 No. 165

JANUARY PROGRAM

Sexting

January 28th 10:00 AM

Easton Police Headquarters

Dover Street

Presented by Sergeant Eric Kellner Directions: Easton Police Headquarters is located on Dover St., next to the Talbot County Public Library parking lot. From Washington St. South, turn right onto Dover St. and from Washington St. North, turn left and proceed to the second block. Lunch to follow at the Washington Street Pub.

IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Easton Branch AAUW Meeting cancellations will be put on our Easton Web Site. Go to Google, Chrome or however you are comfortable getting into the internet. Type in AAUW Easton MD. Click on the site and then click on Updates and News (under the pictures of our Presidents). Try it now, and if you have a problem connecting with the site and opening Updates and News, give Sharron a call (410-822-6323). Branch Officers 2016-2017 Executive Committee: President Linda Tebbs 410-763-8265 Mettah Kollmann 410-770-6271 Program Patricia Crane 410-819-3653 Membership Janet Harford 410-746-5961 Secretary Sibyl Cochran 410-822-1108 Treasurer Heather Shoemaker 440-381-7149 Committee Members: Public Policy Maria D’Arcy 410-200-6720 Ways & Means Elaine Wilson 410-770-5049 Communications Sharron Cassavant 410-822-6323 Web Master Sharron Cassavant 410-822-6323 Newsletter Pat Crane 410-819-3653 Kay Wendowski 410-822-7457

Programs Pat Crane, Chair

January Branch Meeting

Our first meeting of the month is a program discussing sexting on January 28, 2017, at 10:00 AM, at the Easton Police Headquarters on Dover Street. Easton Police Department’s Sergeant Eric Kellner will lead the discussion on sexting: its prevalence in our schools; its consequences for the young people who

participate; and how we can approach the subject with our children. Sexting has gained a presence in every kind of school — rich and poor, urban and rural, big and small. As phones make their way into the hands of younger and younger kids, the incidents have grown more complex: Students collect their peers’ nude photos in passcode-protected Dropboxes, private Instagram accounts and apps disguised as calculators. Although many states have passed laws that draw a distinction between child pornography and sexting among underage kids, state police computer crimes units in many states get multiple calls a month from schools needing its intervention. What do you do when your 13-year-old takes photos of her body to impress a boy, and now she’s crying, stomping up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door screaming, “You don’t understand!” The kids of Generation Z have never known a world without smartphones and social media. We will examine what it means to grow up in an era where learning, flirting and hanging out all happens on screens.

Sergeant Kellner has been with the Easton Police Department since 2001 and currently supervises the Community Policing Unit. He is the team leader for the department’s SWAT Team and is a certified Maryland Policing Training Commissioner Instructor. If you know of any parents with a teenage student, please let them know about this very important meeting.

This program is open to the public and is a Shape the Future meeting. Anyone joining our branch at this meeting will pay only $24.50 National dues. Lunch will follow at Washington Street Pub.

February Branch Meeting

Looking ahead, we will meet at the St. Michaels Library on Saturday, February 18, at 10:00 AM, followed by lunch, to discuss the book, Ordinary Love and Good Will by Jane Smiley. These are two short novellas (in one book). Two copies are available at the library. You can also get the book from Marina; see the librarian if you are not sure how to access Marina. Lunch will follow.

March Branch Meeting

March 18th is our Tricky Tray fund raising meeting; full details will be sent to you soon. In the meantime, begin thinking of a “tray” you would like to create.

Ways and Means Elaine Wilson, Chair

Mature Women's Grant fundraiser bus trip to the NEW Harriet Tubman National Historic Park is May 6, 2017. "I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger." Harriet Tubman was a deeply spiritual woman who lived her ideals and dedicated her life to freedom. She is the Underground Railroad's best known conductor and before the Civil War repeatedly risked her life to guide nearly 70 enslaved people north to new lives of freedom. This new national historical park preserves the same landscapes that Tubman used to carry herself and others away from slavery. We will also visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and have a catered lunch in the Harriet Tubman picnic pavilion! Watch for more details!

Book Group

Date: Monday, January 30th 1:00 PM Host: Sibyl Cochran Book: Lincoln’s Boys by Joshua Zeitz NOTE CHANGE OF DATE

Membership Janet Harford, Chair Anyone joining our Branch after January 1st pays 50% ($24.50) of National dues as well as 50% of state and branch dues ($5.00 each) which provides them with membership through June 30th.

EF/LAF

How can you be sure that belonging to AAUW and participating in AAUW fundraisers is really a good use of your limited time and money? A thousand worthy causes hammer at your door all year round. How can you decide? The proof of the pudding is not in how we look at ourselves, but in how independent charity rating organizations look at us. One consistent measurement watchdogs use is the percentage of donations that promote a non-profit’s purpose as compared to its administrative costs. The benchmark figure is 75%. We’re proud to say that our profile on the most comprehensive US charity data website — Guide Star — shows that almost 85% of AAUW’s revenue directly furthers our mission of advancing equity for women through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research Our ratings by independent charity watchdog groups are consistently stellar. Check them out for yourselves on sites like:

• America’s Best Charities (www.independentcharities.org)

• Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org)

• Charity Watch (www.charitywatch.org) • Great Non-Profits

(www.greatnonprofits.org) • Guide Star (www.guidestar.org)

You can be proud that your AAUW membership money is well used and that every Easton branch fundraiser adds a little more. Extra contributions are always welcome. When aren’t they? But right this minute you are part of a remarkable organization that makes the world a better place — and not just women and girls. Helping women helps families everywhere. Our accomplishments are worth bragging about to your friends and family members.

News of our Members

I received a Christmas note from Marilyn Hale. She is settling in nicely at the assisted living portion of Brightview, 469 Jumpers Hole Rd. #308, Severna Park, MD 21146. mhollandhale@gmail.com. She would love to hear from you. Congratulations to Marci Leach director of continuing education and workforce training at Chesapeake College for recently completing the Shore Leadership Program of the Chesapeake Leadership Foundation. She was one of 26 applicants to complete the program. Our condolences to Phyllis Dell on the recent death of her husband, Terry.

Treasurer’s Report Heather Shoemaker, Treasurer

Checking account: $1,171.40 Savings Account: $1,979.03

Public Policy Maria D’Arcy, Chair

The MLAW Board of Directors reviewed the results of the balloting and identified issues that will comprise the MLAW Legislative Agenda 2017. The eight bills selected are the following:

Equal Pay Salary History and Salary Range. This bill intent to introduce legislation that prohibits discriminatory practices and increases transparency from employers when hiring women. Employers may not ask past salary history and Employers over a certain size (TBD) must disclose a salary range for

the position when requested by applicant.

Maryland Healthy Working Families Act. The proposed legislation requires Maryland employers to allow workers to earn a certain number of annual paid sick and safe days. Employees would begin accruing hours from the start of employment but would not be allowed to use their paid sick time until the completion of a probationary period. The “safe time” component of the legislation requires employers to allow employees who have been victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault to use their accrued paid sick leave to care for their health after these incidents or to seek legal protections or new housing.

Fair Scheduling Act. Unpredictable and unstable work schedules are wreaking havoc on the lives of women and families in Maryland. Women make up 70% of the low-wage workforce in Maryland where these practices are most common. The Fair Scheduling Act will provide baseline protections, like advance notice of work schedules, predictability pay for last minute schedule changes, and compensation for on-call shifts, to incentivize employers to create stable, predictable schedules and to ensure that employees are compensated for their time and flexibility.

Women on Board” Bill-Corporate Board Gender Diversity Requirements. This bill will encourage companies to abide by board appointment practices, which aim to maintain a diverse composition. Instead of attempting to compel all companies to maintain mandatory quotas, the scope of this bill extends only to those companies seeking work-contracts with the state. Leading authorities on pay equity believe the next important step involves placing more women on corporate boards can influence compensation policies and practices.

Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnant Workers. This bill will make clarifications to Maryland’s existing law to ensure that pregnant workers with a medical need for workplace accommodations due to normal pregnancy are in fact provided reasonable accommodations. It will also strengthen the law by clarifying that reasonable accommodations must also be provided for lactation-related needs.

Rape Survivor Family Protection Act. The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act would create a legal process for rape victims to terminate the parental rights of rapists when a child is conceived as result of rape. Victims would be required to meet a clear and convincing standard of evidence. This is the same standard used for other termination of parental rights cases – no more, no less.

Rape and Physical Resistance. This bill clarifies and modernizes Maryland’s sex crimes statutes by making it clear that rape victims are not required to physically resist sexual assault.

Maryland Tort Claims Act – Claim Requirement (Sexual Assault in the Workplace). This bill provides that a victim of sexual assault, in state government employment, may not be denied access to justice if she/he fails to file a claim within one year. This legislation would correct a tension in the existing law between two provisions that require a claimant to show good cause and the defendant to show actual prejudice.

MLAW 2017 LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING

House Office Building 6 Bladen Street, Room 180 Annapolis, MD 21401 To register: https://mlaw2017reception.eventbrite.com To support the agenda: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MLAW2017Agenda da WOMAN’S LEGISLATIVE BRIEFING Sunday, January 29, 2017 Doors Open at 11:30 am, Program 12:30–6 pm The Universities at Shady Grove, Bldg II 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, Maryland Get your tickets today! For more information, please contact the Montgomery County Commission for Women at 240-777-8333 or merci.wolff@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Our Easton Branch Website Sharron Cassavant

If you have AAUW records in your computer, I may ask you to email a copy to me at cassava39@goeaston.net I am trying to gather as much data in electronic form as possible. Newsletters from 2012 or before would be especially valuable, but I also welcome Minutes, Treasurer’s Reports, and photos of members and events. Please give me a call at 410-822-6323 to tell me what you have so I can figure out whether I need that material for our electronic record.

It’s easy to keep up to date with Easton AAUW by visiting our website, http://easton-md.aauw.net. The site has a public area that anyone can look at, but the member directory, minutes, newsletters and other confidential information is kept in a private area. You must scroll to the bottom of the HOME PAGE, click LOGIN, and enter our branch ID: MD2009 to look at it.

Looking for your AAUW friend’s phone number? The date of the next meeting? The newsletter with the bus trip info? It is all a couple of clicks away. Just visit http://easton-md.aauw.net. Click on LOG IN at the bottom of the page. Enter password MD2009. Click the REMEMBER ME box, save the address as a favorite, and you won’t have to look it up again. Our website is your GO TO place for reams of information. Check out the movies that are playing under What’s Happening on the Eastern Shore. Find some special news tidbits under News of Interest. Figure out which plastics are food safe under Health and Safety Tips. Problems or questions? Call or email your website administrator, Sharron Cassavant 410-822-6323 / scassavant@goeaston.net