UNIQUELY AAUW

 AAUW National Convention Wrap-Up

Supreme Court Rules in Employment Discrimination Case

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 decision in favor of the plaintiffs in the case of Ricci v. Stefano. The employment discrimination case stems from a promotion exam administered within the New Haven fire department in 2003. Because the test results would have led to a nearly all-white team receiving promotions, the city feared the tests might be racially discriminatory and discarded the results. The plaintiffs, a group of 20 white firefighters and one Hispanic firefighter, brought the case against New Haven, arguing that their Title VII rights protecting them against employment discrimination had been violated.  New Haven argued that their actions prevented the certification of an exam that had had a disparate impact on a protected class under Title VII. 

AAUW is disappointed with the outcome of this case. In April, AAUW signed an amicus brief in support of the defendants' position that this decision could reduce efforts by employers to comply with Title VII and eliminate sex-based barriers in employment. Despite the outcome, the law still requires employers to avoid policies that are discriminatory in practice, and we hope employers will continue to take the steps to make sure that they are providing equal opportunity in the workplace.

 A new report by the National Women's Law Center analyzes the impact that this ruling and other key 2008-09 Supreme Court decisions will have on women and girls. For more information on this case, or to leave your comments on the ruling, visit AAUW dialog.

 Monday also marked Justice David Souter's last day on the Court. Confirmation hearings are set to begin for Judge Sonya Sotomayor on July 13.

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 Income-Based Repayment and Other Student Loan Benefits Take Effect

New benefits associated with the College Cost Reduction and Access Act that should make student loan payments more manageable for millions of Americans went into effect on Wednesday. For a graduating senior class entering one of the most difficult job markets in decades, this is especially welcome news. The House Education and Labor Committee reports that the average student now graduates with over $22,000 in total student debt and that of the 1.2 million jobs lost last year, 60 percent were held by workers 25 or younger. The new benefits include lower interest rates on federal loans, higher Pell Grant scholarships, and a new Income-Based Repayment program. The IBR program caps student loan payments based on the borrowers' income and family size, limiting payments to ten percent or less of their income for most eligible borrowers.  After 25 years of payments, the IBR program will also forgive any remaining federal debt.  Learn more about the new IBR program from the Project on Student Debt and the U.S. Department of Education.   Borrowers can contact their student loan lenders to apply for IBR; those with direct loans through the U.S. Department of Education can click here to apply. AAUW actively supported the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which became law in September 2007, as an important step in making college more affordable and accessible.   You can also read more about AAUW's recommendations for improving access to higher education.

 

ACTION: The Income-Based Repayment program will be a great help for those who struggle with student loans, but there is still one problem that needs to be addressed.  While most borrowers will pay off their debt in full, those responsible borrowers who are still paying off their college education 25 years later will be taxed on the forgiven amount as income under current law.  This would not only create a new financial obligation for borrowers, but the threat of a significant future tax liability may prevent those who could benefit most from the IBR program from taking advantage of it in the first place.  In addition, many borrowers may not realize the loan forgiveness is taxed and may have a hard time paying this unexpected expense. Contact your representative and urge her or him to support H.R. 2492, which would prevent the taxation of federal student loan debt forgiven through the IBR program and make the ideals behind loan forgiveness a reality.  

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 AAUW Testifies to STEM Committee

On Monday, AAUW testified before the National Science Foundation's Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE). CEOSE is a congressionally-mandated advisory committee that "encourages full participation of women, minorities, and other groups currently underrepresented in scientific, engineering, and professional fields." The portion of the CEOSE agenda in which AAUW participated concerned the topic of "Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM: a Science Policy Perspective."

 AAUW has worked to ensure that women and girls have the same opportunities in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields as men and boys. The lack of women and girls in STEM fields has significant implications for women's economic security as well as the overall economy and America's global competitiveness.  For more information, read AAUW's position paper on STEM education, AAUW's recommendations for improving girls' and women's opportunities in STEM fields, and a related blog post on AAUW Dialog. 

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 Funds Low for College Scholarships

At a time when families are already struggling to make ends meet, the prospect of saving for college might seem unbearable. But the New York Times reported that the recession has added the additional burden of a general decrease in available college scholarships and other forms of student financial aid. Private corporations and non-profit institutions with scholarship programs have had to cut back on either the number of scholarships they distribute or the amount of money each scholarship provides. And while local, state, and federal government education programs are designed to provide financial aid to those who need it, funding crises in several states have begun to cut into those budgets as well. States like New York, Pennsylvania, and California have had to make tough decisions about how to cut spending in education, and higher education grant programs have taken major hits. As private scholarships in each of these states falter and are able to provide fewer and fewer students with money for college, tuition rates are on the rise and public aid programs are unable to pick up the slack. Some private scholarship providers see a light at the end of the tunnel; as the stock market (a source of many endowments and much of the private sector's funding) stabilizes, programs that have managed to survive on smaller budgets will hopefully be able to begin to rebuild projects lost to recent budget cuts.

 

News like this makes it that much more impressive that AAUW, one of the world's largest sources of funding for graduate women, provided $4.5 million in funding for more than 250 fellowships, grants, and special awards to outstanding women in the 2008-09 academic year. Read more about our fellowships, grants, and awards. 

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 Changes on the Hill

The Minnesota Supreme Court confirmed Democrat Al Franken as the winner of Minnesota's senatorial race on Tuesday.  Minnesota's incumbent senator, Republican Norm Coleman conceded defeat and chose not to present his case to the federal courts, the Washington Post reported.  Coleman had challenged the election results in a district court and later in the Minnesota Supreme Court on the possibility that thousands of absentee ballots were unlawfully discounted. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Coleman's challenge, ruling that Franken had won by 312 votes.  Franken's win gives Democrats and Independents, who typically caucus with the Democrats, a 60-seat majority in the Senate, enough to vote for cloture against a Republican filibuster. Senator-elect Franken could take his seat in the Senate as early as next week.

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POLICY UPDATES

  Congress Enjoys July 4th Recess

Both houses of Congress were in recess this week for the Independence Day holiday.  Senators and representatives will return to their respective chambers the week of July 6 to prepare for more debate on climate change, health care, and Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings.

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 RESOURCES FOR ADVOCATES

Sign Up Your Friends and AAUW Colleagues for Action Network!

Visit AAUW's  Take Action page of our website, where AAUW members and nonmembers alike can sign up for Action Network. It is an excellent way to introduce potential members to AAUW's advocacy.  You can also print out flyers online.  Use flyers to sign up friends, family and coworkers to AAUW Action Network. These flyers are great to use at branch events, community events, etc.

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Join AAUW on Twitter and Facebook

Log on or sign up for a Twitter account and start following Executive Director Linda Hallman, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations Lisa Maatz, and AAUW members from around the nation to hear the latest AAUW and public policy news through the latest form of online communication technology. You can also follow your elected officials, and join AAUW's Facebook group. 

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