On April 30 we combined our usual Social Brunch with a celebration of SWE Collegiates from Collin College, SMU, UNT, and UTD graduating in 2016! Jasper’s in Plano is always a good location, and the 15 attendees enjoyed some delicious food and each other’s company. Congratulations to all of our graduating seniors! We wish you the best on your future endeavors, and don’t forget to reconnect with a SWE professional section wherever life takes you!
It’s that time of year again: time to renew your SWE Membership, of course! This year, SWE has deployed a new Association Management System (AMS) so we wanted to bring a couple of changes to your attention.
You should have received an email about the new AMS and a link to reset your password in the new database. In most cases, your username has also changed and the new one should be in that password reset email. If you can’t find that email, visit swe.org and in the top navigation bar click “Login” then “Forgot Password” and another email will be sent to you.
Once you log into the SWE website, click Membership in the main nav bar, then Renew which will take you to the new SWE Account Portal. SWE has already set up invoices for FY17 membership renewal based on your current membership status. Make any necessary changes and follow the instructions to complete your payment. It’s quite simple!
While you’re there, be sure to update your individual profile, add a bio and photo, select your communication preferences, and let SWE know what your interests are (new for this AMS).
If you have any issues or questions on your membership renewal or the new AMS, the folks at SWE are ready to help! Email membership@swe.org and they’ll be happy to assist you.
SWE is still making updates to the system and Membership Directory so stay tuned for even more great features coming this summer!
Renew your SWE membership before June 30th and receive a $5 discount with coupon code ‘EBIRD’. Renew before June 15th and you’ll be entered into a Dallas SWE drawing for $100 gift card! Winner will be announced on June 21st!
Join Dallas SWE as we celebrate our amazing members!Bring your families and friends and come socialize with your fellow Dallas SWE members! Bowling is free for all members and only $8.34 ($7 + processing fee) for non-members, families, and friends. Please note, everyone is responsible for their own shoe rental. We’ll be serving some light snacks, but more snacks/refreshments can be purchased at the venue.
We’ll be bowling from 6:30-7:30. Stick around to socialize and network, while we thank our outgoing officers, recognize individuals who received awards and scholarships, and celebrate our Dallas SWE members!
*Please note, membership status will be verified before the event.*
Don’t forget to vote on our FY17 Leadership Team! Ballots close May 31 and results will be announced shortly thereafter.
Are you planning to attend WE16 in Philadelphia October 27 – 29? Hotel registration is now open. See the WE16 website for more info.
Save the Dates!
Will you help decide the future leadership of the Dallas SWE section? We need your vote!
In order for your vote to be counted you must be a paid member of the Society of Women Engineers Dallas Section in good standing. Voting is open May 2 – May 31 with results announced shortly thereafter.
Have you ever wondered about the best way to confront workplace sexism? Guest speaker Kate Van Dellen provided insight to Dallas SWE members in the April Professional Development meeting. On Tuesday, April 19 at Coffee House Café Dallas SWE Members were able to have a dialogue about identifying sexism and learning how to speak up when it happens within your workplace environment. You can find a PDF copy of Kate’s presentation here.
One of the major points of the presentation is in discovering the power of calling it out. Sexism does not go away when you don’t speak up about it. Most importantly, the way you speak up matters most. What is your go to response? Kate shared her response being “Not cool” meaning that what is being said is not appropriate and offensive.
Have you heard of sexism whiplash? Kate shared that sometimes people are not even aware that sexism is happening. Here are some key takeaways from this part of the presentation:
Kate shared many modern definitions of sexism. One of the definitions states that it is a language that tells a group that someone doesn’t belong based on gender. For women, this is why it is important to empower the next generation of engineers to become advocates in knowing how and when to speak up about sexism.
The call to action from Kate’s presentation is learning what to do if you experience workplace sexism. Some of the strategies shared include the following:
Overall, Dallas SWE members walked away empowered to become advocates in calling out workplace sexism, bullying and in celebrating that who you are matters.
Bio: Kate Van Dellen’s background is in Aerospace Engineering and she has worked on missile defense, cargo aircraft, business jets, helicopters, and unmanned aviation. In September 2015, she started her own company, New Trees, to provide supplemental education in math and science. She was the FY14 SWE Society Membership Committee Chair and was recently awarded the SWE Distinguished New Engineer Award. She is a blogger for the Huffington Post and was recently featured as an author in VIDA literary magazine. Check out Kate’s article in VIDA literacy magazine here Report from the Field: Calling Out Actions Allows People to Grow
~Alicia M. Morgan, Dallas SWE Program Committee
The application deadline for our new Annie Colaco Collegiate Leader Scholarship has been extended to April 30th!
Visit our Scholarships page to learn more and for instructions on how to apply.
