Theta Chapter News Theta Chapter, Cedar Rapids, April 2017

Executive Committee Upcoming MeetingsFebruary 26, 2015 2016-18 May 11, 2017 Thursday 4:30-6:30 Co-Presidents: Deanne Robinson Prairiewoods Spirituality Center 120 E. Boyson Rd. 319-826-1737 Hiawatha [email protected] Leading the way for future educators –Join us as we Sue Vogel 319-573-9461 expand on our informational tour from last year at the [email protected] center and celebrate with a meal in honor of our student grant recipients and our chapter initiates. Co-Vice Presidents: Hostesses: *Lori Bruzek, Dorothy Evans, Tammy Wawro Ann Nicholson 319-364-2869 ✓ Meal payment is $9.00 and is due in advance. Please send [email protected] your check payable to DKG Theta Chapter to Betty Betty Stewart Ehlinger, 7105 First Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405 319-393-2554 [email protected] ✓ Please RSVP for the May meeting by Monday, May 7th so we can provide an accurate meal count to Prairiewoods. Recording Secretary: Call Ann Nicholson or complete the survey at: Char Zrudsky https://doodle.com/poll/5duui2tcv2vcn8xm 319-378-9202 [email protected] ✓ If you have any dietary needs, please let us know.

Treasurer: Upcoming Events Betty Gorsegner Ehlinger 319-654-0610 May 2, 2017- National Teacher Appreciation Day [email protected] June 9-11, 2017- Upsilon State Convention

Parliamentarian: Music Man Square, Mason City Nancy Danforth June 28-July 1, 2017- Northwest Regional Conference 319-366-4383 Spearfish, SD [email protected]

Past President: Upsilon State Convention Registration Deadlines Lori Bruzek 319-551-0149 April 26–Early registration deadline [email protected] May 26–Regular price registration deadline deltakappagamma.org/IA-Theta iowadkg.weebly.com www.dkg.org Celebrate May and June birthdays: May 27 Betty Ehlinger Please bring your HyVee receipts and Box Tops for Education to a June 5 Rhonda Achenbach meeting. We will get them to June 25 Barb Taylor Grant Wood School. They mean Also, DKG turns 88 on May 11 and cash for the school. Upsilon State turns 81 on May 16

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Student Grants Leadership Seminar The 2017 Recipients of our student grants Pam Wittkamp, Upsilon President, has are Elizabeth Jasper, Kennedy HS, and announced “with great disappointment” that Hanna Saville, Linn-Mar HS. Both girls the 2017 Neva Barnhart Leadership will be attending Iowa State. You can find Seminar has been cancelled because of too out more about them and hopefully meet few applicants. She urges everyone to look them at our May meeting, or check out our ahead to 2019 when this valuable leadership Chapter website and newsletter later in tool will next be available to members. May. The committee received seven really good applications. Iowa DKG Vision Statement April Meeting Women Educators Committed to If you missed our April meeting and Emily Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All. Emonin’s talk about her death experience and miraculous recovery, you can find a chapter about her experience in the book Yearbooks Real Life, Real Miracles: True Stories That The Chapter Executive Board will soon be Will Help You Believe by James L. Garlow making the 2017-18 Yearbook. Please let a and Keith Wall. member of the board know of any updates A glass class just for Theta members will be to your personal information, and any set up at the Ceramics Center if a date can suggestions for program ideas and meeting be found that works for at least six of the sites. seven interested members. Watch for an upcoming email. Advocacy My DKG - My Account If you would like to learn Have you updated your profile on the DKG more about how to be website? Let an exec board member know involved in advocating for if you need help. education issues, contact Cindy Garlock at [email protected] or 319 310-4763.

Linn County Legislators Contact Information Senator - 515 281-3371 - [email protected] Senator - 515 281-3371 - [email protected] Senator - 515 281-3371 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep Kirsten Running-Marquardt - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Rep - 515 281-3221 - [email protected] Theta Chapter News April 2017 p. 3

DKG April Legislative Report From Cindy Garlock Federal Issues • 13.9% ($9.2 billion) cut to Dept. of Education Budget • Eliminates Title II which funds teacher training & professional development, after school & summer programs, low income college assistance, class size reductions, science & math partnerships • Amounts to about $600,000 for CRCSD (according to figures I could find) • Additional $1.4 billion for school choice (vouchers) and charter schools • Elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts (funds NPR and PBS)

State Issues Friday, March 31 was the second funnel deadline. Bills had to have cleared the other chamber’s committee to be viable. Education related bills that are still alive Dead bills • Gun rights, “Stand your Ground” allows • Disruptive students - would have allowed children under the age of 14 to handle a teacher to remove a disruptive student loaded handguns with parental temporarily or permanently from the supervision classroom • Ban on bathroom cameras • Sanctuary campuses • School funding equity - allows districts to Bills that can be resurrected from use categorical funds for a broader variety “unfinished business” calendar of needs, depending on local • Changes to high school equivalency circumstances programs • School funding/transportation equity - • Opening up participation in 403B evens out spending per pupil across the program to additional vendors. This has state and allows additional funding for the potential to be the beginning of the districts with high transportation costs end of IPERS and a shift from defined benefits to defined contributions. Bills signed into Law • Exemption of certain religious institutions • Rollbacks for collective bargaining operating residential facilities from a requirement that they provide appropriate • School aid increase of 1.11% services by contracting with local public • Reduction in Worker’s Comp benefits school, accredited nonpublic school or • Preemption bill - nullifies increases in becoming accredited themselves minimum wage enacted by 4 Iowa • Expansion of the provision of who can be counties, including Linn charged with a criminal offense of sexual exploitation by a school employee

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U.S. FORUM CONNECTION #159, MARCH 2017 SUPREME COURT REVISITED The U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case of the Gloucester County Virginia School Board versus a transgender male concerning which bathroom the student should use to the Fourth District Circuit of Appeals and referred to a recent reversal of the Justice Department policy dealing with use of restroom facilities when they ruled that bathroom assignment is a state’s right issue rather than a sexual rights issue covered by Title IX. The case of sixth grader Elena Fry who suffers from cerebral palsy and a school district which denied her service dog into the school was remanded to the Sixth District Circuit of Appeals. FAIR PAY/TITLE IX Women’s soccer which was ranked #1 from March 2008 to December 2014 has for some time been involved in a dispute with U.S. Soccer (the organization which rules professional soccer competition in the U.S.). The team’s 5–2 final win over Japan was watched by more than twenty-five million people in the United States, the largest-ever television audience for any English-speaking broadcast of any soccer game, men’s or women’s. In a federal complaint the players accused U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination because the women earned significantly less money than men playing soccer. It is estimated that the women’s national team earns about 25% less than the men despite outperforming the men’s national team, and producing nearly $20 million more in revenue for U.S Soccer than the men’s team. The women have filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about pay discrimination as well as filing a law suit in court against U.S. Soccer for equal pay. If the U.S. women’s soccer team is subject to wage discrimination, the U.S. women’s hockey team has been the subject of even more unfair wage inequity and is involved in a wage dispute with USA Hockey its governing organization. Despite being ranked number 1 in the world, players are forced to work one or two other jobs in order to earn a living. They are asking for an annual salary of $68,000 as well as child care and maternity leave. That would be over and above the cost of equipment, coaching salaries and travel expenses. They also want some sort of program for younger players who have the potential to play at the higher lever. (Players on the men’s teams earn a minimum of $650,000.) After threatening to sit out the upcoming International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship March 31, 2017 which they are favored to win, USA Hockey agreed to a wage settlement, and the women consented to play. IMMUNIZATIONS Although it is not yet available, a potentially more effective shingles vaccine is in development. In the meantime, medical professionals recommend that people over the age of 60 get the currently available shingles vaccine, both pneumonia vaccines and an annual flu shot. Several institutions are currently working hard and long to develop a vaccine against the Zika virus. There is evidence that Zika may cause substantial hearing loss in older adults, and there have been several documented cases of Guillain-Barre Syndrome which developed after Zika virus infection of older adults. REGIONAL CONFERENCE FORUM SESSIONS Northwest Region, Spearfish, North Dakota, 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM on June 29, 2017