Regional Conference Ideas

Idea Theme/Focus: Intergenerational gifts; etc…

Possible Name of Conference: Re-Generations

Friday evening ideas:

Reception, Music and art by local girls and women (Ali, Kelly, Alyssa – trio; Korean Drumming –Deb Hoskins, et al) (Betsy-sculpture)

"Speed meeting” between the generations

ATP performance

Women’s History photo essays from Chloe, Ali, and Emily

Saturday workshops with some intergenerational and history themes

• Susan Crutchfield
• Jodi Vandenberg-Daves
• Kick Box and Self-Defense
• Ending violence against women
• Panel of mix generations of women in politics (Shirley Haas, Sally Oswald, Tara Johnson, NOW leadership, other)
• I was a Teen-age Communist play (Amanda knows this)
• Could we have some partners in League of Women voters and campus groups?

November Meeting Minutes

Greater La Crosse NOW

November 23, 2009

Minutes, submitted by Andrea Hansen

Members in attendance: Alison Toetz, Chloe Miller Hansen, Betsy Gleiss Kaftan, Andrea Hansen, Heather Jett, Maureen Freedland, Amanda Bailey (WSSA), Megan Woodward (WSSA)

Regrets: Rebecca Toetz, Susan Crutchfield, Kris Geitwitz

1. Chloe called meeting to order and introductions and welcomes were made, especially to Maureen, and Amanda and Megan (Women’s Studies Student Association).

2. Ali gave the Treasurer’s report. We have $702.00 in our bank account. Some of this comes from a portion of the membership fees from this chapter. There have been 4 people renewing and 1 reinstated. You can join NOW through the national website http://now.org/ with memberships of $10 – $65; organizations can join, too. Chloe brought T-shirts ($12 new; $10 older)

3. Amanda and Megan provided an update of things happening on campus through WSSA. We all agreed that WSSA and NOW could be helpful to each other and we wanted to collaborate when we can. Amanda will provide Chloe with a link to WSSA http://www.uwlax.edu/wssa/ calendar for events such as: February Vigil; Women’s History Month.
   
   

4. Ideas for generating memberships:

• Send gift memberships to the friends, especially young women and daughters in our lives
• Have membership materials at the following events:
• Showing of Iron Jawed Angels – HighPoint Class room (Chloe and Ali); plan to watch this together at a NOW meeting (early next year)
• Dec 7: 6:00 pm Graff Main Hall (Chloe: get Heather the info for this table)
• January event: Alternative State of the Nation Event-Coulee Progressives, Concordia Ballroom (Andrea and Maureen will track)
• April 23 & 24: NOW Regional conference – outreach

5. Producing a NOW Women’s Calendar was discussed. Ideas: use this as a year- long project for 2011, featuring women in nontraditional careers, or women through a life-span (baby at the New Year….December elders?); etc… Walgreens has calendar formats and reasonable pricing

6. Email and meetings

• All agreed that email works for us. Ali will change the email address to our NOW chapter’s name.
• Meeting Wizard works for us.
• Meeting place: Diversity Center in the Cartwright Center (Amanda will reserve this space for us)
• We would like to meet once a month
• Tuesdays at 5:00 pm may work in December. (Chloe will send out scheduler for meeting date in December.)

7. La Crosse has been chosen for the Regional NOW Conference.

The facts:

• April 23^rd (5-8:30 pm) and April 24 (9-5)
• Cleary Center
• Expected attendance: 45-60
• States in the region: WI, MI, IL, OH
• Continuing Ed and Extension is providing basic conference support (no registration)
• NOW state and national offices handles marketing and registration
• NOW-La Crosse Chapter has input in planning and making connections with presenters, etc..

Chloe and Andrea will communicate ideas to Emily Reynolds (NOW-WI Chapter President).

Legislative Watch

Support:

Wisconsin NOW supports the following bills. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to become a co-sponsor and vote in favor of each bill.

Birth Control Protection Act, AB 532

Seeks to ensure access to birth control and emergency contraception by requiring that pharmacists fill all safe and legal birth control prescriptions. The Birth Control Protection Act also clarifies that contraceptive methods are not included in the State's definition of abortion.

Status: Introduced in the Assembly.

Compassionate Care for Rape Victims, SB 166/AB 305

Requires hospital emergency rooms to provide rape victims with information about and access to emergency contraception.

Status: Passed in the Senate.

Parents' Right to Know, SB 339/AB 691

Requires that parents be notified by the school district if abstinence-only education is taught and student's do not receive instruction on preventing unwanted pregnancies and the sexually transmitted infections.

Status: Introduced.

Responsible Sex Education, SB 340/AB 690

Ensures that sex education taught in Wisconsin public schools is scientifically accurate and comprehensive, including information about abstinence and the prevention of unintended pregnancies and STIs.

Status: Introduced.

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Oppose:

Wisconsin NOW opposes the following bills. Please contact your legislators and encourage them to refuse co-sponsorship and to vote against each the passage of each bill.

Community Endangerment Act, SB 403

Allows almost anyone to carry and conceal deadly weapons into most public places, included family planning clinics. This bill threatens the public's safety, as well as patient and health care providers' safety.

Status: passed in both the Assembly and the Senate.

Family Planning Ban/State Gag Rule, SB 72/AB 142

Eliminates state funding for family planning providers by prohibiting non-directive, all-options pregnancy counseling.

Status: passed out of Senate Labor Committee.

Prescription Denial, SB 155/AB 285

Allows pharmacists to refuse to dispense certain medications and contraceptive methods because of personal beliefs, even if the patient's health could be at risk as a result.

Status: passed out of the Senate Labor Committee.

Right to Lie, SB 71

Allows health care providers to lie to women about the results of prenatal tests if the health care provider believes the information will lead to the woman choosing to terminate the pregnancy.

Status: Passed out of Senate Labor Committee.

Teen Endangerment Act, SB 97/AB 175

Further restricts teen's access to abortion services by requiring parental permission, even if the parent is deceased, no longer the legal guardian or abusive, or if the teen is a victim of incest or suicidal. The Teen Endangerment Act also requires that the signature on the permission form be notarized, making the family's decision public rather than a private health care decision.

Status: Passed in Assembly. Passed our of Senate Labor Committee.

UW Birth Control Ban, AB 343

Would ban health care providers at UW health care centers and those working on UW property from prescribing, dispensing or advertising birth control to adult female students.

Status: Passed in Assembly.

2nd Meeting recap: April 8th

Greater La Crosse NOW

April 8, 2009

Minutes

Members in Attendance: Ali Toetz, Chloe Miller Hansen, Betsy Gleiss Kaftan, Andrea Hansen, Heather Jett, Rebecca Toetz, Susan Crutchfield

Visitors: Ben Crutchfield and Sara Miller Hansen

1. We talked about what we want our function to be and a couple ideas we came up with are: Finding out more about the Battered Women's Shelter, Sparta's resources for women; the female only clinic; responding to State Legislation alerts; and issues that come up in the media

2. Alison and Chloe will be taking care of the electronic stuff, including the website, blogs, and potential use of YouTube to spread the word about NOW and women’s issues

3. We reviewed the suggested revisions for the La Crosse Chapter By-laws. The following changes were offered:

(list the changes by the articles – for example…Article X specify 10 days.; Article XI specifies 10 days)

Susan made a motion to adopt the revised by-laws with the changes. Heather seconded the motion. Motion carried.

4. Nominations for the officers were taken for the 2009 term. Heather offered the following motion:

Chloe Miller Hansen-President

Alison Toetz-VicePresident

Rebecca Toetz-Treasurer

Susan seconded the motion. Motion carried.

5. We planned for our next meeting to be May 6^th. (Update to minutes: the 3-Rivers house has a meeting that day so it is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 4^th if members can attend).

6. For our next meeting we will bring a couple movies to preview and plan our "We're here" event.

Submitted by:

Chloe Miller Hansen, President