SWE Mega Issue 114

Team Lead: Heather Bernardin habernardin@yahoo.com

To what extent and in what areas should SWE venture beyond STEM to issues relevant to SWE's mission in the area of public policy?

SWE’s History in Public Policy

• 1954 collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau on their bulletin “Employment Opportunities for Women in Professional Engineering”

• 1962 co-sponsored conference on Women in Professional Engineering with the Executive Office of the President of the United States

• 1973 supported the Equal Rights Amendment• 1977 participated in the National Women’s Conference

SWE’s Current Public Policy Goals and Areas of Focus

5

SWE Public Policy Goals

• Long-term goal: To be the STEM gender equity power broker at the federal level.

• FY11 priority • Lead the science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics (STEM) and diversity communities to engage SWE members, other professional societies, and policy makers on how Title IX can be applied to STEM fields

SWE Public Policy Focus Areas• Title IX and STEMoSWE is the lead organizationoPrimary area for the focus of SWE’s efforts

• K-12 STEM EducationoSWE is a supporting organization – others lead this

effort• Affirmative Action / Equal OpportunityoFills gap in policy statements related to women in the

non-academic workforceoPrimarily for educational or informational purposes for

our members

6

Other Societies Public Policy Initiatives

Some Societies have no Public Policy initiative.• Institute of Biological Engineering• Society of Manufacturing Engineers• Society of Petroleum Engineers

Societies with public policy initiatives

Some pursue policy related to their technology areas• Society of Fire Protection Engineers• Society of Broadcast Engineers• National Society of Professional Engineers• American Society of Safety Engineers• American Society of Agricultural and Biological

Engineers

Some societies deal with technology and other public policy areas

IEEE• Innovation & Competitiveness• Energy• Broadband Networks• Immigration• Patent Reform• Engineering Workforce Security• E-Health• Critical Infrastructure Protection

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics• Shaping the future of aerospace• STEM Education• Workforce Issues

Some societies deal with technology and other public policy areas

American Institute of Chemical Engineers• US Energy Strategy• Massive Electricity Storage• LNG• Fuel Cells• Energy

American Society of Civil Engineers• Clean Water, Drinking Water, & Wastewater Issues• Natural Hazards Mitigation• Qualifications Based Selection• Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Education• Sustainable Development & Sustainable Energy Use• Surface Transportation Authorization

Other Societies (cont)Association for Computing Machinery

• Advancing computing as a discipline• Balancing intellectual property and innovation• Protecting privacy• Assuring the security and reliability of systems

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers• Energy Policy Issues• Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) Education Issues• Innovation & Competitiveness• Federal Funding of Research and Development Issues• Standards Policy

Other Societies (cont)American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

• National Energy Policy• Building Energy Codes and Standards• Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education• Federal agency funding• High-Performance Green Buildings• Incentives for Energy Efficiency

American Association of University Women• To support a strong system of public education that promotes gender

fairness, equity, and diversity• To achieve economic self-sufficiency for all women• To guarantee equality, individual rights, and social justice for a diverse

society

Questions for Senate Input• Where should the society go from here?

• Expand current federal issues to state/local policies?• Expand STEM education?• Look at issues besides STEM education?

Which ones?• Expand roles that members can play? • Involvement on local issues.• Environmental Issues?• Family issues?

Thoughts – to consider with the recommendations

Pro’s and Con’s of perusing each of the suggestions.

Need to consider membership – want to be careful about dividing the membership.

Legal implications• Tax exempt status

Cost / Funding

Backup Slides

16

GRPP- Who Are We?• Government Relations & Public Policy (GRPP)

Committee: • Chair: Peggy Layne, P.E.• Chair-Elect: Karen Horton, P.E.• Members: At least 2 representatives from each region

• GRPP Board and HQ Contact: • Betty Shanahan, SWE Executive Director and CEO

• Part-time Representation in Washington:• Melissa Carl, SWE Washington Representative

SWE STEM Education Recommendations• Supports recommendations in the National

Academies’ report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm (2007):• Enlarge America’s talent pool by greatly improving K-12

STEM education through the recruitment, training, and retention of STEM teachers;

• Expand the STEM pipeline, especially targeting women and minorities, by increasing the number of students who pursue STEM coursework; and

• Make the United States the most appealing setting for study and research to cultivate, recruit, and retain top quality students, scientists, and engineers from within the United States and throughout the world

17

SWE Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Recommendations

• Policy makers should enforce existing laws and, when necessary, enact additional legislation outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex in employment, pay, and education to promote equal opportunity in the preparation for and pursuit of STEM careers.

• Personnel policies and procedures should provide all employees the opportunity to achieve their career goals and balance the demands of work and personal life.

• Voters and state legislatures should continue to support programs that ensure equal opportunity for women and men to pursue STEM education and careers, including where necessary affirmative action programs to address existing inequities.

18

Why Title IX and SWE?

• SWE has a unique opportunity to educate other STEM organizations and policymakers about how Title IX can be used as a proactive tool to increase diversity in STEM departments.

• SWE is partnering with the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) on this effort.

19

What is Title IX?

• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 opens the doors of all educational programs and activities to women

• 20 USC 1681(a) states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . .”

20

SWE Title IX Recommendations

• Policymakers should step up enforcement of Title IX;

• Educational institutions should fulfill their obligations under the law; and

• Federal funding agencies should fulfill their monitoring and enforcement obligations under the law, and make this information available to the public.

21