WCU women create local branch of University Women

from Smoky Mountain News | March 10, 2021

Macon moves forward with middle school renovations

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

The American Association of University Women was founded by a group of female college graduates in 1881 to advocate for women and help open the doors of higher education. One of the group’s first research endeavors involved an 1885 study disproving the prevailing myth that college impairs a woman’s fertility. One of its more recent studies? The economic impact of workplace sexual harassment.

AAUW was founded by Marion Talbot, who became the Dean of the College of Women at the University of Chicago and a leading figure in higher education, and Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman to earn a degree in chemistry and a leader in the field of home economics.

Until recently, there was no branch of AAUW in Western North Carolina. The journey toward creating one began five years ago when Dr. Mickey Randolph, professor of psychology, and her best friend Dr. Carol Burton began discussing the idea of an AAUW NC university partner affiliation for the WCU campus. They created the affiliation, and found enthusiastic interest on campus from faculty, staff and students, from whom they organized their first board.

Randolph had come to WCU 32 years earlier to restart one of its graduate programs.

“In addition to teaching and research, I strongly believe in the service aspect of being a faculty member at WCU. I volunteer for several agencies in the region and have long been interested in women’s issues and the AAUW organization’s mission,” she said.

As an affiliate of AAUW, the group was able to start a mentoring program for faculty, staff and students. This allowed women in the university to mentor each other on topics like resume writing, interviewing, applying for jobs and salary negotiation. The group also sponsored research sessions and held informal socials for women on campus to meet, something that was especially valuable for new faculty and staff.

About two years ago the group decided to apply for official branch status within the AAUW. The formalization process succeeded, and WCU is the newest branch in the state of North Carolina. Branch status allows the group to have its own members who pay dues, which helps it to organize different types of events for women in the region and possibly a scholarship in the future. Under branch status the group has also added an official student organization that sponsors programs for students on campus.

Last year, the WCU branch was involved in planning the AAUW NC annual conference, which was supposed to be held in Asheville in March 2020, but it was canceled due to the pandemic. Throughout the year the group has adapted to pandemic restrictions and this spring will host a four-part virtual series called “Pathways to Leadership.” The series will include talks with women from law, politics, education and health care. The talks are available for anyone to attend, registration is available at the group’s website.

“We are a part of the AAUW organization because we are very invested in its mission: gender equity, economic security, education, and advocacy. We are also strong proponents for the funding, research and mentoring this organization provides for women,” said Dr. Mickey Randolph, founder and president.

The AAUW is committed to addressing issues that affect women today. This includes closing the pay gap and supporting fair-pay legislation, ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, legal policies protecting people from sexual harassment and discrimination and advocating for women socially, politically and economically. It is also involved in increasing the number of women in STEM fields and providing funding through grants and fellowships.

Dr. Teri Domagalski is a professor of Management at WCU and a board member of the AAUW WCU branch. Her research has been in understanding the behavior and emotions of people in an employment context, management and organizational studies. When women on campus began organizing the local branch, she says, she pleaded to be given a spot on the board.

“I wanted to be an integral voice in promoting AAUW because of both our local initiative, which was to offer mentoring to females around campus, and because what we envisioned for our branch chapter was aligned with the advocacy work of the other chapters across the state of North Carolina,” said Domagalski.

She says it is important to have a branch here in WNC to provide an avenue and outlet for those interested in advocating for, empowering, and supporting women in the region.

“I have a strong desire to champion and coach females who aspire to positions of leadership. Although it is not my goal to be a leader that is out front, I hope to be a resource to other women who possess the will and the skill to be in a position of influence,” said Domagalski. “AAUW is one avenue that affords me the opportunity to realize my objective.”

To sign up to be a member of the local branch of the AAUW, or to support or participate in the group’s activities, visit https://aauwwcu.wixsite.com/aauwwcu.

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Vaccine availability increases

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Macon County became the first county in The Smoky Mountain News’ fourcounty coverage area to break the 20 percent mark on first doses, with the 7,759 people receiving first doses there as of March 8 equivalent to 21.64 percent of the county’s estimated population.

It’s a big bump up for Macon, which until about a week ago had been lagging several percentage points behind regional leader Haywood.

“We attribute this to what we have been saying since the beginning of the vaccine rollout, that if you give us more doses, we will find people to vaccinate,” said Emily Ritter, public information officer for Macon County Public Health. “With the help of other county agencies, the National Guard and local businesses offering their help, we have been able to continue to apply for special event allotments, which boost our supply and give us real hope.”

While Macon is the first county in the region to cross the 20 percent threshold, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians did so weeks ago and estimates that 29 percent of its population had received a first dose as of March 8.

The FDA’s recent approval of an emergency use authorization for the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine bodes well for a continued increase in doses. This week, Macon County received 1,700 first doses, of which 1,200 were Johnson & Johnson and 500 were Moderna. Haywood County is receiving a similar mix this week, with the county and Haywood Regional Medical Center expecting a combined 1,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 600 Moderna. Swain County received a smaller allotment of 300 Moderna vaccines, and no update was received from Jackson County as of press time.

A new regional clinic at Western Carolina University is also contributing to increased vaccine distribution and expects to administer 2,070 Pfizer vaccines this week, its third in operation. Blue Ridge Health will administer an additional 100 vaccines in Haywood and 100 in Jackson this week, all Moderna. CVS is also providing vaccines, and regional hospitals are receiving doses.

All vaccine providers contacted for this story said that they have not received reports of any serious reactions to the vaccine, though WCU Clinic Director Cortnee Lingerfelt said that, of a small number of people who reported feeling lightheaded after their shot last week, all said they had come to their appointment without eating breakfast. She recommends eating before getting vaccinated.

Vaccine providers also said they have had great success in using all the doses provided to them. Lingerfelt said that two of last week’s doses were not used due to technical issues, but other than that all vaccine providers reached for this story said all allocated doses were administered.

Increasing vaccination coverage comes as case numbers continue to fall. On Monday, March 8, only 1,228 new cases were reported statewide, the lowest since Oct. 19, 2020, when 1,144 cases were reported. As of March 8, Haywood County had reported 49 new cases in the last seven days, with 42 cases in Jackson, 19 in Macon and six in Swain.

Vaccine distributors say that the continuing decrease in case counts is due to a combination of factors and is not solely the result of vaccinations taking effect.

“Testing has dropped both as a consequence of less need but also the entities which had done the testing are now distributing vaccines,” said Aaron Ratliff of Blue Ridge Health. “The spike seen during and after the holidays in November, December and January was a direct consequence of behaviors such as travel, larger family/friend gatherings, relaxation of masks and social distancing. Finally, the first vaccines targeted to high-risk populations have helped reduce our infection rates and hospitalization rates.”

Vaccination by the numbers

March 1 March 1 March 8 March 8 First/Second Doses Percent populationPart/full vaccinationPercent population

Haywood ..........9,892/6,038..............15.87/9.69.............11,026/7,277............17.69/11.68 Jackson............6,119/2,489..............13.93/5.66...............7,531/2679................17.14/6.1 Swain.................2,183/966.................15.3/6.77...............2,534/1,089..............17.76/7.63 Macon ..............6,385/2,533..............17.81/7.06..............7,759/3,024..............21.64/8.43 EBCI .................3,525/1,488..................27/11..................3,776/2,830..................29/22 Statewide ...1,433,356/834,852.........13.67/7.96.......1,921,931/1,372,475......18.32/13.09

*Tribal dose numbers from EBCI. All other dose numbers from NCDHHS. Data do not include doses administered through the federal long-term care facilities program or by tribal governments and may be subject to a 72-hour reporting lag. Population figures based on 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, excepting tribal figures, which are from the EBCI.