The May meeting of Manhattan branch AAUW wrapped up a stellar year, which included AAUW co-sponsoring the Manhattan visit of Afghan activist, writer and scholar, Noorjahan Akbar. The May meeting celebration included a dinner catered by Meadowlark Hills’ Prairie Star restaurant, a silent auction, and installation of incoming officers.

The next Manhattan AAUW branch meeting will be held at 6pm, Monday, September 12, at a location to be announced. Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.

The January meeting and 95th Anniversary celebration of the Manhattan branch of AAUW was held at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art and featured Linda Duke, director of the museum. Duke’s talk focused upon “Women Artists You Should Know.” She gave a wonderful, visual introduction to three artists whose work is held in the museum collection: Elizabeth “Grandma” Layton, Patricia DuBose Duncan, and Shirley Smith.

The Manhattan branch of AAUW was not chartered by National AAUW until 1924, but first met in Manhattan in 1920, thus the group is now in its 95th year. In 1960 the Manhattan branch had over 300 members. It’s fitting that the branch celebrate 95 years while at the museum. In 1934, the K-State Friends of Art formed as an outgrowth of an art lecture series sponsored by the our local branch of AAUW. Now known as the Friends of the Beach Museum of Art, the group was established to raise funds for the acquisition and care of work in the museum’s permanent collection.

The next Manhattan AAUW branch meeting will be held at the First Congregational Church, 700 Poyntz Avenue, 6pm, Monday, February 8th. The meeting will feature a program titled “ Women in STEM–a Good Fit” by Cindy Wallace-Lage, who works as a vice-president for Black and Veatch. She works internationally in water conservation.

Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.

November’s Manhattan branch AAUW meeting featured Dr. Yolanda Broyles-Gonzalez speaking on “Native Women’s Power: Past, Present, Future.” Dr. Broyles-Gonzalez is department head of the American Ethnic Studies department at K-State.Her talk emphasized local power in societies as expressed through lifeways and traditions. She used Oaxaca, Mexico as an example. Broyles-Gonzalez noted women’s unpredictable role within structures of power and governance in the United States. Within indigenous societies, according to Broyles-Gonzalez, women’s powers are institutionalized and guaranteed.

In other club news, Manhattan branch member, Nancy Bolsen, who also serves as statewide president of the American Association of University Women, was recently quoted in a Wichita Eagle newspaper article titled, “Pay disparity between women and men greater in Sedgwick County.” As stated in the article, US Census Data reveals that, “Women in Sedgwick County make an average of $12,352 less than men. Wichita women make $11,110 less per year than men….The numbers represent full-time, year-round workers from 2010 to 2014. Kansas women make $10,868 less on average than men each year, and the national disparity sits slightly below Kansas at $10,313.” “When you have that much less pay, you have that much less to put down on a car or a house,” Bolsen said. “The impacts are huge.”

The next Manhattan AAUW branch meeting will be held at the First Methodist Church, 600 Poyntz Avenue, 6pm, Monday, December 14. The holiday meeting will feature music and refreshments. Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.

The October meeting of the Manhattan branch of AAUW featured an eye-opening talk from Birgit Wassmuth, Ph.D., Director of K-State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications, titled “Women in the Media.” Dr. Wassmuth began the lecture with an overview of three media and culture theories: social comparison theory, symbolic interaction and framing theory, and cultivation theory. Wasmuth explained that groups of people not represented in media are made almost invisible. Dr. Wassmuth used music videos and images to make her well-studied points. She ended by suggesting media with empowering, serious coverage of women, including the PBS series, Makers: Women who make America.

The next Manhattan AAUW branch meeting will be held at the First Congregational Church, 700 Poyntz Avenue, 6pm, Monday, November 9. The meeting will feature a program on “Native American Women’s Powers: Past, Present, and Future” by Yolanda Broyles-González, Director, American Ethnic Studies Department, Kansas State University. Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.

The September meeting of the Manhattan branch of AAUW featured a talk by Stan Ward, titled “Poverty in Our Community.” Ward researches, writes and administers grants that aid students and families in USD 383. Ward relates that as a whole, USD 383 can be described as low poverty. However, this simplification does not capture the changing demographics of our community. For many years, Ward has gathered information on homeless students. In 2008, the numbers jumped from about 7 to 70. Each year since, the numbers have continued to climb. This year the number is enough to fill an entire elementary school. USD 383 also has more than 1000 migrant students. Ward asks people to consider what is happening, what the impact is upon our schools, and the type of support the district may need. There are many situations cause homeless. Children who live in cars, on street, in shelters are all considered homeless. Also, children who are living in another household due to economic hardship are considered homeless. He notes that a Peine Family Foundation funded survey done last summer identified sub-standard housing as a major community issue. Of all the challenges that affect children, poverty can have incredibly pervasive effects. Poverty affects health, nutrition, vocabulary size and literacy. To learn more, Ward recommends visiting hearus.org to view documentaries of homeless students.

The next Manhattan AAUW branch meeting will be held at the First Congregational Church, 700 Poyntz Avenue, 6pm, Monday, October 12. Persons interested in learning more about AAUW in Manhattan may go to manhattan-ks.aauw.net or email manhattanksaauw@gmail.com.