GWIPP – Graduate Women In Public Policy Newsletter
October 2004

I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.
-- Sara Teasdale

In this edition…
Member’s Corner
Alumna Interview
How MPP Alumnae are Impacting their Communities
GWIPP Happenings
University of Maryland Events
In and Around D.C.
Items of Interest

Dear GWIPP Members and Alumnae,

I am pleased to be involved with GWIPP this year – my first year in the MD School of Public Policy – both as a woman interested in and active in policy, but also in a more technical capacity. I jumped on the opportunity to update and recreate the GWIPP website when current president, Carolyn Chuhta made the plea to our incoming class in August. Design is a bit of a hobby of mine, so I am more than happy to share my talents.

GWIPP's presence on the internet serves as a warehouse of information for students and alumnae and helps link them with important events, issues, and networking opportunities throughout the year. By publishing our newsletter on the website we can get more information out to more people, while conserving valuable resources. Our website also provides easy access to GWIPP officers, who are there to guide the group and involve members of the larger University community.

I hope to bring to bring a particular eye for detail to the site, making it more fun to look at, easier to access, read, and navigate. See for yourself . . . http://www.puaf.umd.edu/students/GWIPPWEB.

Sincerely,
Dana Coelho, first year Environmental Policy and CONS student

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GWIPP is seeking Alumnae for interviews with students.
Contact Courtney Workman, GWIPP Alumnae Relations Chair, at (410) 381-0809 or by email at Courtney.workman@opm.gov with any topics you are willing to discuss. You will be paired up with a student who has expressed an interest in similar topics. Interviews can be done in person, by phone or email – whatever is most convenient. GWIPP members tell us that these interviews are extremely helpful and with your help we would like to continue to provide them.

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Many of us choose to attend the Maryland School of Public Policy because of the school’s emphasis on public service. For some of us that translated into government or nonprofit sector jobs, others have chosen to live out that ideal by volunteering for local charities, serving as mentors or participating on foundation boards among other things. We are looking for future articles on public service and how you work to make your community a better place – whether it be through a formal job or a volunteer position. Please contact Courtney Workman, Alumnae Relations Chair, at Courtney.Workman@opm.gov or by phone at (410) 381-0809 if you can share your story with us.

Catherine Howard, MPP Student
Concentration: Social Policy
 
Equal Marriage Rights & My Experience with Equality Maryland

So here is the situation about marriage equality - it can be a bit confusing, so stick with me for a minute as we wade through terms like “gay marriage” and “civil unions” in reaching the heart (yes, the heart) of the matter - marriage equality is about the lawful acceptance and allowance of two consenting adults to be joined together in a committed lifetime relationship.

As women, we are all too familiar with the clause, “regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, class, economic status, ethnicity, age, physical ability, and cultural and religious backgrounds.” Antidiscrimination language is a means to clearly define and acknowledge social inequities and to establish rules for steering society in the direction of national best interest. GWIPP, the organizational bond that brings us together, exists to make advances towards women’s equality as we continue to face inequities in the public policy realm.

Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBT) make the case that marriage inequality exists, as they are denied the right to marry based on sexual orientation. Without equal marriage rights, state and federal law entitles mixed sex couples to special benefits and protections unavailable to LGBT couples. For example, marriage is the only way to guarantee the right to visit a spouse or child in the hospital, to inherit jointly owned property tax without penalties, to share health and pension benefits, to access “family” memberships, as well as many other protections that validate and strengthen relationships. Marriage legally proves and socially validates a couple’s commitment to one another; anything separate, such as “civil unions” are unequal institutions.

I’m involved with the marriage equality issue on a voluntary basis, as a grassroots advocate for Equality Maryland (formerly Free State Justice), Maryland's LGBT civil rights organization. This past July, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), working closely with Equality Maryland, filed a lawsuit on behalf of nine same-sex couples and a recently widowed man seeking the right to marry in Maryland. The lawsuit charges that excluding same-sex couples from marriage violates the state constitution’s guarantees of equality.

For the last few months, I’ve been working with Dan Furmansky, the Executive Director, and Patrick Wojahn, a plaintiff in the lawsuit. I’ve developed marketing messages and materials, strategized outreach plans, gathered signatures in support of marriage equality, and ‘gotten the word out’ in a variety of forms – from email, to posting flyers, to speaking to constituents across the state about the issue. I’m also starting to be part of Development Committee, headed by Equality Maryland’s president, Larry Jacobs.

I am involved because a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman would, instead of furthering the goal of equal treatment for all people, would instead legalize discrimination of the LGBT community. Not acting on this issue puts our society’s best interests of equality, liberty, and tolerance in jeopardy and risks disrupting our legal, constitutional framework.

An amendment would further strip away the limited protections same sex couples now have, such as access to health insurance for domestic partners and their children. To deny two people who love each other the legal rights and protections marriage legally grants “for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do part” is to deny full equality and social inclusion.

Catherine is a second year student, part-time this semester, who concentrates in Social Policy. Please contact her at howardc@umd.edu or 301.928.6058 if you would like to get involved with Equality Maryland or with any questions!

For more information about Equality Maryland, please visit www.equalitymaryland.org

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First edition of GWIPP's Speaker Series

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 (Noon -1:30 PM)
Location: Community Lounge, MSPP

Anne L'Ecuyer is the Director of Arts Policy Information at Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. Anne provides technical assistance, research services, and policy information to arts advocates and their communities nationwide. She is the editor of the award-winning Monograph series and manages the organization's databases of arts policy information. Anne has served as marketing director for the University System of Maryland, as program staff for Business Volunteers for the Arts-Phoenix, and in product development for a national printing company. She has also consulted independently with businesses, nonprofits, and public institutions including the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Academy of Leadership at University of Maryland, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Project Kaleidoscope, and Experience Corps. Her core competencies are in leadership, management, research, and communications. She is also a skilled writer, facilitator, and public speaker. Anne holds a bachelors degree from Northern Arizona University, and has completed coursework toward a masters in public policy from University of Maryland.

GWIPP General Meeting

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 (Noon – 1:00 PM)
Location: Community Lounge, MSPP

This meeting will provide updates on the website, social activities, and the Election Day project. There will also be a budget review.

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The Norman and Florence Brody Public Policy Forum: Mounting National Debt: Blame Both Parties
Peter G. Peterson in a conversation with Doug Besharov, Professor, School of Public Policy

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM - Light Refreshments to Follow)
Location: Chesapeake Ballroom, Inn and Conference Center, University of Maryland, College Park

Peter G. Peterson, former Secretary of Commerce and Chairman of the Blackstone Group, will discuss his book, Running On Empty: How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About It. The discussion will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
Please RSVP to Caeli Higney at (202) 862-7160 or chigney@aei.org

Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture by Dr. Bruce James

Date/Time: Thursday, October 14, 2004 (3:30 PM - 5:00 PM)
Location: Art-Sociology Bldg.; 2203; University of Maryland

The second presentation in this year’s Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Lecture Series will be given by Dr. Bruce James from the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture. He will present “Environmental Challenges and Creative Response: Common Patterns in Healthy Ecosystems and Enduring Human Civilizations.”

University System of Maryland Women's Forum 14th Conference

Date/Time: Friday, October 22, 2004 (8:00 AM – 4:30 PM)
Location: Martin's Crosswinds in Greenbelt, Maryland

Join your fellow colleagues from all 13 USM institutions and gain tools to enhance your professional development in a variety of workshops and be included in the opportunity for system-wide communication and networking. Additionally, enjoy the Marketplace (vendors and exhibitors), guest speakers, door prizes, continental breakfast and lunch!

If interested, please contact Carolyn Chuhta at cachuhta@presidency.com to work out pricing and registration details.

Maryland Leadership Conference 2004

Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 23, 2004 (9:00 AM - 7:00 PM) and Sunday, Oct. 24, 2004 (9:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
Location: Stamp Student Union; University of Maryland

Living leadership can be an Amazing Race... at other times, it feels more like Fear Factor! Join other student leaders from the University of Maryland for an exciting weekend of reflection, skill-building, networking, and FUN! There will be a wide variety of experiences, including an outdoor leadership challenge course, workshops, small group discussions and projects, and whole-group activities and social time. The MLC is planned and facilitated by members of the Peer Leadership Council, advised by the Maryland Leadership Development Program.

Registration Details: $60 registration fee includes transportation, meals/snacks, and all conference materials. Registration deadline Tuesday, October 12: Payment deadline Tuesday, October 19. (Many students are sponsored by a student organization, department, or program.)

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Women of Washington Luncheon: "Wired Women, Peering into the Future"

Date/Time: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 (11:30 AM – 2:00 PM)
Location: The Four Seasons Hotel; 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

An E-Volution has taken place in our lives. Join Women of Washington and leaders in the world of high tech for an enlightening, exciting look at technology trends. Hear what is "in" now, what is being planned for the future, and how, inevitably, our lives will change-both for better and worse-as a result of computers, cellular technology, globalization, and the Information Age.

Speakers Include: Katherine Bagin, Vice President of Technology AT&T; Katherine Borsecnik, Former Executive, AOL; Paula Bruening, Staff Counsel, Center for Democracy and Technology; Susan DeFife, Internet Entrepreneur; Leslie Walker, Business Columnist, The Washington Post, and Tara Sonenshine, Moderator and Former President of WomensNewsLink. RSVP at www.womenof.org.

Brookings Institution/Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life Discussion: What Role Should Religion Play in Shaping U.S. Foreign Policy?

Date/Time: Friday, October 15, 2004, (10:00am – Noon)
Location: The Mayflower Hotel; 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW; Washington, DC 20036

Can religious convictions promote a more moral foreign policy? Do they lead to fanaticism, or do they encourage a new realism about the forces shaping the choices that confront the United States? The question of religion and its role in policy choices—particularly as those choices relate to nation-building and democratization—has long found itself at the heart of debates about foreign aid, economic sanctions, and military intervention.

Panelists include: Father Bryan Hehir, President, Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Boston; Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life, Harvard University; Charles Krauthammer, Syndicated columnist, Washington Post; Walter Russell Mead, Henry Kissinger Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations; Author, Power, Terror, Peace, and War: America's Grand Strategy in a World at Risk; Louise Richardson, Executive Dean, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University; Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor of Peace and Development, University of Maryland; Author, The Stakes: America and the Middle East. Moderated by: E.J.Dionne, Jr., Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; Co-editor, Liberty & Power; Columnist, Washington Post Writers Group. Register online at www.pewforum.org, or by calling (202) 955-5075

American Bar Association Brown Bag Series on Domestic Violence

Date/Time: Various Dates (12:30 PM – 2:00 PM)
Location: 740 15th Street, NW; 9th Floor; Washington, DC 20005  (Corner of 15th & H Sts.)

Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2004: Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act
Presenter Roberta Valente is a Senior Policy Advisor and Federal Agency Analyst for the Domestic Violence Resource Network and serves as a consultant on federal legislative issues for the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  Rob also serves as a Liaison to the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence.

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004: Domestic Violence and the Workplace
Presenter Robin Runge is the Director of the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence and has five years of experience representing victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking with employment issues.

For building security reasons, please RSVP two days prior to each lunch by sending your name, organizational affiliation if applicable, and contact information to Maria Del Rosario-Martin at martinm@staff.abanet.org.  Please bring a picture ID with you to gain access to the building to attend the Brown Bag Series.  For additional information, please call  the ABA Commission on Domestic Violence at (202) 662-1744.

International Perspectives: Women Leading Change in Public Health and Technology
Sponsored by the AAUW Educational Foundation

Date/Time: Friday, November 12 – Sunday, November 14, 2004 (full day)
Location: The Renaissance Washington DC Hotel; 999 9th St. NW; Washington, DC

Explore the innovative ways women are creating change throughout the world at this three-day program focusing on the intersection of public health and technology in regions where access to technology and knowledge of important health issues may vary.
To Register, http://www.aauw.org/symposium/

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News Articles

Intense Efforts Underway to Mobilize Female Voters
- By Allison Stevens - WeNews correspondent

President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry along with a wide array of activist groups are reaching out to female voters, who comprise one of the electorate's largest and most reliable voting blocs.

http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=2020

Publications

The Internet in Public Life
A publication of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at the Maryland School of Public Policy

The spread of new information and communications technologies during the past two decades has helped reshape civic associations, political communities, and global relations. In the midst of the information revolution, we find that the speed of this technology-driven change has outpaced our understanding of its social and ethical effects. The moral dimensions of this new technology and its effects on social bonds need to be questioned and scrutinized: Should the Internet be understood as a new form of public space and a source of public good? What are we to make of hackers? Does the Internet strengthen or weaken community? The Internet in Public Life confronts these and other important questions in philosophy and public policy arising from the use and influence of the Internet. This timely and necessary volume makes clear the need for a broader conversation about the effects of the Internet.

Contributors to this new collection of essays include William A. Galston, interim dean of the School of Public Policy and the Institute’s director; Verna V. Gehring, general editor at the Institute; Thomas C. Hilde, visiting assistant professor in the School of Public Policy; Lucas D. Introna, reader in Organization, Technology, and Ethics at the Lancaster University Management School; Peter Levine, deputy director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning (CIRCLE); Helen Nissenbaum, associate professor in the Department of Culture and Communication and a senior fellow of the Information Law Institute at New York University; Eric M. Uslaner, professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland; and Robert Wachbroit, research scholar at the Institute.

She Wins, You Win: The Most Important Rule Every Businesswoman Needs to Know
by Gail Evans

Evans, the first female to be named an executive vice president at CNN, obviously knows a thing or two about acquiring power. In this follow-up to her Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman, she advises women to trump the old boys' network by playing a "girls' game." Espousing a one-for-all, all-for one approach, Evans insists women must work together to "achieve a critical mass at the highest levels," concluding, "Every woman must always play on the women's team." Leading readers step-by-step through the process of building formal and informal teams, Evans explores seven pivotal topics, including mentoring, "rainmaking," information-sharing and "webbing" (networking with comprehensive, complex interconnections), while teaching women how to deal with challenges (including which people to cultivate and which to avoid) and dismantling popular myths and allaying common fears. This is an aggressive but motivating handbook for women who are serious about career success.

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