April 30, 2009
Organization of the Week: The Campus Business and Professional Women
Editor’s note: There are many organizations open to the UW faculty and staff. Some have been around for years and some are new. Some are structured groups with officers and committees; some are much more informal. University Week provides a space for campus groups to publish their information, and beginning this quarter, we’d like to introduce you to one group a week. This week, Sue Suwiwattanakul, program support supervisor for UW Technology, introduces the Campus Business and Professional Women.
Who can join?
The Campus Business and Professional Women (BPW) is a chapter of a national organization that advocates for working women. So it’s open to women and to men who feel strongly about working women’s issues. The campus chapter is not formally affiliated with the University, but it does meet on campus, at the UW Club.
What does the organization do?
The official mission of the national organization is to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information. The national group is called upon by Congress to testify regarding women’s issues and has been instrumental in bringing about changes to legislation for women’s benefit. Our chapter meets over lunch once a month, and we always have a speaker. The topics can vary from how to deal with stress to issues that are on the ballot in an election. You don’t have to be a member to come to the lunches.
In addition to the lunch meetings, we have business meetings as needed. And we support New Beginnings, a shelter for battered women and their children in Seattle. They provide long-term housing and help women who have been victims of domestic violence to move into the workplace.
Recent or typical activities
Our lunches take place on the third Friday of the month. You have to make a reservation for them by the preceding Monday. Our fundraising activities for New Beginnings vary. In recent times we have sold entertainment books. We usually present a check to the shelter around the time of the winter holidays. We also have given in-kind donations for their living spaces, such as soap, shampoo and baby diapers.
How can I get involved?
Contact me at sues@u.washington.edu to be placed on our e-mail list. Then you will receive a notice once a month about our lunches. Nonmembers can attend, but you must make a reservation.
Would you like to list your organization on University Week? Our organizational listings are open to groups that are either sponsored by the University or meet on the University campus. They need not be formally chartered (a book group, for example, is eligible). To qualify for a University Week listing, groups should be open to all UW employees or all employees within a particular classification, e.g. the Professional Staff Organization. Groups that are for students only are not eligible. To list your organization, visit the organizations page and click on “Post your UW organization.”
