The end of a year is always a good time to reflect on the accomplishments and joys of the last 12 months and to look ahead to the new year. I spoke recently with members of the newly installed executive board of the AAUW student organization at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, about their highlights from 2012 and their goals for the new term. The UM-Dearborn organization got its legs in early 2012 after four students attended the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) in May 2011. I was lucky enough to hear from Tina Nelson, president of AAUW UM-Dearborn, and Benita Robinson, membership coordinator of AAUW UM-Dearborn and 2012–13 National Student Advisory Council member, about their 2012 reflections and 2013 goals.
Highlights from 2012
- Starting the AAUW student organization at UM-Dearborn — an idea sparked by NCCWSL 2011
- Attending NCCWSL 2012 with 34 UM-Dearborn students and 27 students from 13 other Michigan colleges and universities
- Presenting the Five Easy Steps to Starting an Organization on Campus workshop at NCCWSL 2012
- Teaching members of the college community about issues of inequality and ways we can work to combat inequality and discrimination
- Networking with other women and hearing stories of their successes and obstacles
- Painting the university rock during election week with AAUW’s logo and a reminder to vote — a night that made us feel radical and bold
Goals for 2013
- Engage and excite our members about our organization
- Return to NCCWSL in May with other members
- Sustain and further develop the relationships that we have with the AAUW Dearborn (MI) Branch and AAUW of Michigan
I can tell that the AAUW student organization at the University of Michigan, Dearborn, is going to do great things in 2013.
If you are inspired to start an AAUW student organization on your college or university campus, send us an e-mail at coll-univ@aauw.org with “student organization” in the subject line. You can also check out our Program in a Box for more information on forming an AAUW student org.
This post was written by AAUW College/University Relationships Intern Courtney Douglas.