Meeting began at 6:30 p.m.

PRESENT:

Chair: Lauri Grunig
Members/Liaisons:

Chris Aggour
Patty Bernales
Roberta Coates
Joanne DeSiato
Susan Farr
Barbara Goldberg
Laura Nichols
Harriet Presser
Laura Slavin

Lauri Grunig welcomed Commissioners to this first meeting held in the CSPAC.

Approval of minutes:

Minutes of the February meeting were approved as amended.

Announcements:

• Plan for the evening: Business meeting 6:30-7:30, break 7:30-8, performance “Women in Theater” at 8, reception following performance
• Thanks to Susie Farr, executive director of the CSPAC, and her staff for making this evening possible
• Our (financial) co-sponsorship of activities that are part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Maryland Work-Life Alliance meeting later this month

Committee and liaison reports:

• Daycare: Laura Slavin reported that members of her group had held one meeting and had communicated with each other via e-mail. She read what she considered a “very promising” message from Linda Clement, who has become the champion of the childcare center to be built on the same piece of land as the Center for Young Children. High cost of the care remains an issue and eldercare is not part of the current plan. However, we remain optimistic because the campus is in the process of developing specifications that will inform a Request for Proposals. The center will be considered at the June meeting of the Board of Regents. It could be a reality 12 to 14 months from the date of final approval. Plans call for an outside vendor to staff the center but the center may work with a campus advisory council.
• Outreach: Patty Bernales reported that her committee has been slow to start but remains well intentioned.
• Women’s Leadership: Laura Nichols reported on upcoming activities of SAFER (Student Advocates for Education About Rape) and the Committee on Undergraduate Women’s Leadership. She also announced the April 24 leadership dinner to be held at a campus sorority.
• Professional Concepts Exchange Conference Planning Committee: No report, but we noted that the PCEC conference will be held June 3 this year.
• USM Women’s Forum: Chris Aggour announced that this year’s annual conference would be held Oct. 18 at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt. Theme is “Steps to Success.” No keynote speaker has been determined, but many workshops are planned. Aggour reminded us of the $500 scholarship the USM Women’s Forum offers returning women, undergrads or graduate students. Deadline is April 25. The Women’s Forum also funds modest research awards for junior faculty studying women’s issues.

Old business:

• We gloried in the successes of March Women’s History Month, with special thanks to Harriet Presser and Barbara Finkelstein for the colloquium on dilemmas of power and institution building. We talked about the need to develop additional colloquia in this series.
• We thanked Mary Cothran and her committee for the Outstanding Woman of Color award ceremony honoring Carmen Balthrop.
• We expressed our appreciation to Andrea Levy and her committee for the Outstanding Woman of the Year award ceremony to honor PCWI member Ellin Scholnick.
• Grunig reported that Ann Wylie expressed the appreciation of the president’s office for what she called our “thoughtful report” in response to the USM Women’s Forum Report on family-friendly policies. President Dan Mote has asked Rob Waters to review our report and discuss it with him. Wylie says we should hear shortly. Aggour thanked us for our worthwhile effort in responding to her group’s report.
• Grunig read a letter from Mote thanking us for our letter supporting the Domestic Partners Benefit Initiative. She also relayed the appreciation of Vicky Foxworth, chair of the PCLGBTI, for our support.

New business:

• Grunig met recently with the coalition of presidential commission and Waters to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. Main purpose of that meeting was to plan for our April 19 meeting with the president. As a group, we are concerned about how best to provide our counsel to Mote. We also intend to emphasize what we consider overlapping issues, such as the need to hire from within this campus for administrative positions in an effort to create diversity at the highest levels here.
• The PCWI’s May meeting will be in Tyser Tower II, date to be determined. Slavin suggested we wear Terp T-shirts and hats to this luncheon meeting.

  Adjournment at 7:40 for a break before the 8 p.m. performance and subsequent reception. The reception provided a wonderful opportunity for PCWI members to meet and talk with the performers about the special issues facing women in the arts.