Money, money, money!

It’s a never-ending focus in our lives and in these economic times.  We’re constantly balancing budgets at home, at work, and at school.  So, deciding whether or not to travel to the upcoming 2012 Western Regions Conference comes under intense scrutiny.

Living in Alaska or in Hawaii, we scrutinize travel more closely than most.  While many of you can drive or take a cheap hop to one of the regular region conferences, I have to fly.  So, deciding whether or not to attend a SWE region conference because of travel costs isn’t a once in every five years decision.  It’s every year and every conference.  [Ever notice that the Hawaii members are at EVERY conference?]

And prior to 2006, I was with you:

• “It’s too expensive.”
• “I don’t have time.”
• “It’s not worth the cost.”

But in 2006, my section hosted the Region J conference and for the first time since I joined SWE, I felt connected far beyond Anchorage.  What I gain by attending the region conference each year IS worth the cost.  This is why I haven’t missed once since, even when my employer wasn’t able to support me.

I love the region conferences! And here are a few reasons why:

• There are a lot of women but not so many that I feel lost or overwhelmed.  I am able to make personal and lasting connections.
• It’s nice to put faces with the names of the people I email regularly.
• I love meeting not only my peers, but the women before and behind me – the up and coming collegiates and the founding “mothers” who helped build SWE before me.  I get to share my experiences and learn from theirs!
• I’ve made friends outside my region so if I ever have to travel solo for SWE or for work, I’m never really alone.
• The quality of presentations is excellent, on par with any other professional organization.  I’ve participated in a few sessions over the years that I carry with me always.  Other sessions let me know that our section is not alone in its challenges and triumphs and that a small, remote section can make a big difference.
• I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet and interact with SWE leadership at all levels.  It still surprises and pleases me how accessible and willing to share our leadership is while at conferences, especially the Society President.  And this year, I am really excited because our Society President, Melissa Tata, is attending only one conference this year – ours – taking the time and money to make the trip from Massachusetts to Hawaii – far longer than any of us West Coasters – and with a beautiful baby girl in tow!
• And while I have a job and am not currently looking for a new one, I really appreciate the career fairs.  For me, it’s an opportunity to see what’s out there and to network with companies from across the region.  Establishing connections now will help me when I am out looking for a job tomorrow.
• I feel like an important part of the whole, not just a member or section functioning in a vacuum.

Attending a SWE conference is not just a social opportunity, but a tool to help you grow.  If you don’t make time to work on your career now then how will you know what to aspire to, what goals to set to advance along that path, and how to achieve success?

SWE is an amazing, supportive network of women.  Women who want you to succeed and want to help you succeed – however you define your success!  But you have to make the choice.  Is the cost worth the rewards for you?

I hope to see you in Honolulu!

Melissa A. Branch, P.E.
Lt. Governor, SWE Region J
President, SWE Greatland

P.S.  Need help with funds?
Talk to your section and Region leadership today!
Funds are available to help defray the costs!  You can request up to $250 from Region A! Travel fund requests are due by Feb. 7th! See below attachments for forms.
Plus, leadership has great ideas on other fundraising sources.

Region A Travel Fund Application

Region A Travel Fund Procedure

Happy 2012 everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful celebration with family and friends. Ushering in a new year usually means making New Years resolutions. Now is a great time to reflect on the past year and figure out what changes we want to make in the coming year. We’re not talking about drastic, unrealistic changes; in fact, small changes can make a significant, positive impact. Here are 11 easy New Year’s resolutions to stick to in 2012:

1) Take the stairs

Going to the gym every day is a common new year’s resolution, but while gym membership enrollments rise in January, many of them are never used. Be realistic about your exercise goals. Why not try incorporating more physical activity into your every day? For example: Take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk or bike instead of driving whenever possible.

2) Turn off your cell phone

In this day and age we’re all wired all the time. Why not try to live in the moment a little more? Turn your cell phone off — completely — during work and social occasions. That phone call or text can probably wait until you’re done; it will also make your face-to-face time more valuable and productive. But don’t stop there: Why not turn it off even when you’re alone? You’ll probably notice more on your walk if you’re not stopping to tweet about it!

3) Eat in more than you eat out

Busy people often reach for the take-out menus or head to the restaurant for almost every meal. Why not set a goal of eating in more than you eat out? You are likely to hone new skills in the kitchen, eat healthier, save some money, and enjoy quality time working creatively with your hands. Not to mention you’ll probably have greater appreciation for the food you eat when you’re the one who labored over it!

4) Be better than punctual

Being on-time is a fine resolution, but if you really want to learn time-management skills, be better than punctual! Indeed, try to be five minutes early to everything.

5) Bring back the phone call

Yes, texts are a really efficient way of reaching somebody — it’s also arguably a better of way not interrupting the person you’re trying to get in touch with. But when was the last time you had a long phone conversation? Next time you want to contact someone, try to call them instead of texting. It’s more personal, less prone to miscommunication, and a great way to catch up with someone who is far away.

6) Get out of your comfort zone

Do something every day that takes you out of your comfort zone! This, of course, will be different for everyone. It can be as simple as speaking or smiling to a stranger, signing up for a dance class, running an extra mile, going to dinner by yourself or reading a book you’ve always meant to cross off your list. You may surprise yourself.

7) Turn off the Internet

Continuing on the theme of “unplugging,” consider turning off the Internet at 10 pm every night and getting your content fix out of a book instead!

8) Make more eye contact

An easy to way to show people around you that you’re engaged and interested is simply to make more eye contact during conversations. In this age of communicating through all kinds of at-a-distance contact, making the most of face-time with other people is a rare and highly appreciated skill.

9) Leave your credit cards at home

How much of what you spend do you really need? What if you gave yourself more time to consider what you spend? An easy way of forcing this considerate financial behavior is to leave your credit cards at home. This way you can only spend whatever cash you walk out with. If you still want it a few days later, maybe it’s a good choice after all. This is a simple way to cut down on impulse buys.

10) Write handwritten letters

Writing letters used to be an art. What happened? A special way to thank people and remind others you care and are thinking about them is to write handwritten letters, postcards, and thank-you notes for friends, family, and co-workers. It’s an easy sentiment that goes a very long way, particularly because it’s so rarefied these days.

11) Start your day off right

In our busy lives, we often forget to eat the most important meal of the day. Breakfast can set the tone for your entire day — providing you with the nutrients you need to have a productive day. If you’re a perennial breakfast-skipper, try giving yourself a mere 10 minutes more each morning to eat. It can make all the difference, so eat up!

I know I’m going to try to work on unplugging, being punctual and getting out of my comfort zone. Do you have any resolutions you’d like to share? Better yet, any tips on making small daily changes to accomplish big goals? Feel free to share!

(information from the Huffington Post: Healthy Living.)

•  ·         Governor’s Column
• ·         Member spotlight: Ipsheeta Furtado
• ·         Lt. Governor and Secretary’s Column
• ·         Treasurer’s Column
• ·         Senator Update
• ·         Engineering Awareness Program
• ·         Sierra Nevada’s Annual Holiday Party
• ·         SVS & SFS Upcoming Joint Event
• ·         2011 Sacramento Valley Holiday Social
• ·         Region A Council & Leadership Roster
• ·         Kudos To… & Don’t Forget…

Information provided by Melinda Mendolla and Ashley Pietz

SWE Senators are preparing for our 2^nd senate meeting of the year coming up in February and have a list of motions that will be discussed/voted on:

 S-1209: Changes the financial reporting requirement for the treasurer

The senate and board conduct other meetings by teleconferences that do not necessarily require a financial report from the treasurer. Any additional financial information the board or the senate wants to receive can be specified in the respective procedures. By including the speaker in 2.D.4., further financial information may be requested as desired for the senate at any time.

S-1210: Changes the way the number of RCRs per region are calculated

Changes the way the # of RCRs in a region are calculated from number of region collegiate members to number or collegiate sections. It also raises the RCR max cap from 2 to 3.

S-1214: CRF Withdrawal Ammendment

Amends the original motion (S-1001) removing the requirement to repay the money to the emergency fund. This is due to the fact that the CRF Operating Fund is now at or above the required minimum level as set by a previous motion (S1202).

S-1215: Replaces wording in Senate Duties section from ‘Contingency Reserve’ to ‘Reserve Fund’ 

Due to the motion S1202 which passed in the Senate this fall regarding changes to the contingency reserve fund, this reference to the “contingency fund” need to be updated in the bylaws.  The document is called the Reserve Fund so that is what this motion puts into the bylaws.

If you have any input/opinions on any of these motions please let your Region A Senators know as we will be voting on them February 11^th.

The Senate has continued to work on 2 mega issue topics this year:

MI 121: How can we change the conversation from what member value SWE provides to how engaged are our members?

This team is exploring many areas of engagement based on member demographics, reasons for joining SWE, and how members participate at their local level. By finding out what motivates members to be a part of SWE, they are hoping to provide recommendations to the BOD on improving membership engagement, and making sure there are resources\support available for all SWE members. They will be sending out a survey within the next few days, and your opinions and feedback are valuable. Feel free to contact Christine Cabrera with any personal stories regarding how you feel about your level of engagement in SWE, at: Christine.Cabrera@gmail.com

Mi 116: How can SWE inspire companies to provide creative opportunities for engineers who want to contribute in their industry and attend to family needs?

Throughout the Fall, this team has conducted research and facilitated surveys and interviews to discover the key factors of this issue.  At the conference in Chicago, the committee shared their initial findings with the Senate and received valuable feedback.  Their focus throughout the balance of 2011 has been to complete the final areas of research.  They are happy to share that they have finished this vital phase of work and have learned a great deal.  Their focus for 2012 is to identify long and short term recommendations.  They will be providing updates at all the Regional Conferences to gain input from SWE members.  If you are passionate about this issue and would like to share your ideas, do not hesitate to contact KarlaTankersley at karla_tankersley@homedepot.com

If you are interested in participating on either of these teams or want to know more about the Mega Issues Committee please let Mega Issues Chair Brittney Elkoknow (Brittney.elko@swe.org)

Also, if you are interested in being a Region A senator next year and have questions about the position feel free to reach out toBrittney Elko(professionals) or Cassi Janakos (collegiates).

Please let us know if you have any questions about the above information!

Region A Senators

-Brittney Elko

- Ipsheeta Furtado

- Cassi Janakos

by Allison Goodman

Region Collegiate Representatives and Region Collegiate Communications Editor: The RCR is responsible for representing collegiate members’ interests among regional leaders. The RCCE is responsible for communicating important SWE events and best practices through the region’s blog. Plus, the RCR(s) and RCCE from each region will have the opportunity to attend next summer’s Collegiate Leadership Forum in Minneapolis, MN. Click here to learn more about the positions.

Region Collegiate Senators: The RCS is responsible for chartering the strategic direction and adopting long-range goals for the Society. The alternate RCS is responsible for fulfilling her Senator’s duties if the Senator is unable to perform her tasks. The RCS from each region will also have the opportunity to attend next summer’s Collegiate Leadership Forum in Minneapolis, MN. Click here to learn more about the positions.

The RCR, RCCE and RCS positions provide invaluable interaction and coaching from SWE leaders. These leadership opportunities sharpen your career skill-set in the areas of leading and facilitation, group dynamics and communication, and project leadership. Click here to review the RCR/RCCE/RCS Qualifications.

Please click here to apply or copy and paste the following URL in your browser:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/fy13_rcr_rcce_rcs_appl

• To apply you will need:
• Member number
• Section/Region
• School and Permanent Address
• Position of interest
• SWE leadership positions
• Other leadership positions
• Why you want to be RCR/RCCE/RCS
• What you bring to the RCR/RCCE/RCS position
• What SWE means to you
• Interest outside of SWE
• Reference to confirm GPA/academic standing

Please also submit a 1-3 minute video that describes why you are running for the position, your name, year in school, major, SWE leadership experience, why people should vote for you, etc. Send the video to SWE.Collegiate.Elections@gmail.com by February 5, 2012 . Note that the video does not need to be submitted with the Survey Monkey application but does need to be emailed before the deadline. The video must be high enough quality to post on YouTube and should be under 25MB.

Applications are due by Sunday, February 5.

Similar to past years, in FY13 there will be one to two RCRs for every 1,000 collegiate members in each region. If collegiate membership reaches 1,000 members by January 31, 2012, a region will add or maintain a second RCR. There will be one RCCE and one RCS elected per region. Alternate RCSs are optional, and the position will go to the RCS candidate with the second highest number of votes.

Disclaimer: Be aware that if elected, you will need to secure your own housing accommodations for the WE12 Conference in Houston. There are resources available through your Region Governor.

If you have any questions regarding the positions or the election process, please contact your RCR(s) at example:rcr-x@swe.org, where X is replaced by the letter of your region, RCCE at example:rcce-x@swe.org, or Jessica Kiefer or Jasmine Harris at rcr-rcce-coordinator@swe.org.

• Jessica Kiefer, RCR/RCCE Coordinator
• Jasmine Harris, RCR/RCCE Coordinator Elect
• Linda Thomas, Director of Regions
• Colleen Layman, Deputy Director of Regions
• Helen Patricia, Speaker of the Senate
• Deborah Willems, Deputy Speaker of the Senate

Pictures of the event can be viewed here:  http://racesauce.com/2011/parties/kaboom-10-8-2011-sweet-edition/

Provided by Shantel Hunt

http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/10-things-that-women-invented.htm