This is a very important topic that needs to be addressed. If you hold a position in your collegiate section and have it in your signature, it needs to include your section name. Only one person is the SWE President, and that is Nora Lin; only she has that title and can use that signature.

Three example signatures are shown below:

Amanda Romero
Region B Collegiate Communications Editor
Society of Women Engineers

Jane Doe
Utah State Collegiate Section President
Society of Women Engineers

Jane Doe
USU SWE Section President

Your signature doesn’t have to follow the same format in my examples. But the main thing is that you include Collegiate Section (or just Section but I enjoy showing my Collegiate pride) in your title.

Please, please pass this information on because this is important to anyone who has a position in SWE and uses it in their signatures (e.g. treasurers, directors, etc.)

Renew Your National SWE Dues
Click here to renew your National SWE membership! Just login and complete the online renewal form. A letter sent from the national organization contains your password (in case you forgot). If you don’t have your letter and don’t remember your password, select “Forgot your login or password? Click here” and enter your e-mail address. Your password should arrive shortly. If your e-mail address is not recognized, you will have to apply for a new membership.

Become a National SWE Member
Click here to register as a National SWE member! Just follow these easy steps:

• Select Collegiate and New Member or Former Member and click Continue.
• Select SWE Collegiate Member Dues
• Enter the following required information in the form.
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Home Address 1
  • Home Address City
  • Home Address Postal Code
  • Home Address Phone Number
  • Home Address Email
  • You must create and save at least one Education record.
• All other fields are optional; enter any or no optional information.
• Click Continue.
• Enter your credit card information and click Submit.

I really didn’t know what to write about with this hot topic until I though about what kept me in SWE. Also, the advice I later took from my section’s past president on how to connect to members, new and old. And I believe the best personal connection you can make with members is remembering their names and who they are.

When the first social begins, it should be expected that all officers initiate the conversation with members, whether they know them or not. Also, officers shouldn’t be talking with only other officers because that is a big turnoff for soon-to-be-members. A great way to start a conversation is to introduce yourself and get to know the other person. You should be able to remember their name, major, and year in school by the end of the social. A great way to remember names is to always think of people’s names as you see their faces at the social because you’re probably going to see the same faces over and over again (and be repeating their names over and over again in your head). If you can’t remember some one’s name, go ask them.

Once that first social is over with, the best way to keep that personal connection is to remember the people. If you see someone from the social on the way to class, address them by their name as you say hello. That often makes people think, “Wow, they remember me.” And this often shows a little bit to a lot of appreciation. And if they feel remembered, they tend to show up more often at SWE events.

Another way to make a personal connection is to connect with freshman or sophomores who are in your major. If you’ve already taken the classes they’re in, offer them help if they need it. Because chances are, if they need help, they’re going to remember you and seek you out.

Now for those who already have a connection to SWE, e.g. the returning members, ask if they want to come to the officer meetings. Always let members know that the officer meetings are open to any one who wants to go. And if these members do go to the meetings, assign them appointed positions and ask if they would like to help. If members are given responsibilities within the society, chances are they will be more likely to show up and participate.

As always, I would like to keep this topic as an ongoing discussion. I want everyone’s feedback and ideas on how to make a personal connection. Maybe there’s an even better way to connect with members that I haven’t talked about.

I thought I’d start this discussion by telling how my section increased our membership last year. Our section’s president came up with a “What SWE Can Do for You” flyer. This flyer listed almost all of the benefits of SWE and who could join. For our first social every year, we have door prizes, and we discuss what SWE is on a national, regional, and section level. Also, we include computers to allow students to register right then and there. So, to keep the discussion going, I’d like to hear what other sections do to attract and retain members.

School has officially started, and I’m beginning to get the hang of things… So, I thought I’d let everyone know of important events and information.

I’d like to inform everyone about our region’s goals for this year (FY10).
1. 95% of our sections turn their section report in on time.
2. 50% of professional sections host a joint meeting with a collegiate section.
3. 85% member retention rate from last year (FY09).
4. Our “SWE”eter future combined efforts reaches out to at least 10,000 K-12 students.
5. Our leadership pipeline fosters 10 mentor/mentee relationships.

The collegiate section reports were due on August 25. If you have not turned yours in yet, please email it to the RCRs asap. Only 4 out of 31 collegiate sections submitted their bylaws. So, if you haven’t submitted your bylaws yet, those need to be submitted asap as well.

The first important event is the Presidents Conference Call on September 6 (tomorrow). The Call will be at 5pm MST/4pm PST. If you cannot call in, please let the RCRs know (swe.rcr.b@gmail.com). The number is 218-339-4300, and the pass code is 319638#. Please remember to put your phones on mute when not speaking as the background noise can get very annoying. The agenda for the call is as follows:
1. Roll Call
2. Introduction of RCRs and RCNE
3. Introduction of Presidents and other officers
4. General Information
5. Region B Goals
6. Societal Conference
7. Next Conference Call
8. Second Roll Call
9. Questions

The next event to look out for is WE09 Annual Conference on October 15-17. Don’t forget to register for conference. Section Presidents are being offered free housing and should look into this promotion. You can also check out the conference schedule here. I look forward to seeing everyone in Long Beach!!!

The next item to talk about is the Define Your Own Success Contest. SWE wants to know what success means to you. You can share how you define your achievement through audio, video, visual poster, written essay, or poem. Winners will receive a gift card. Entries are due by September 24. To enter, visit this site. For rules, visit this site. I hope to see a member from Region B win!!

I would like to talk a little about our region outreach program: A SWEeter Future. Last year (FY09), we impacted 4319 K-12 students. That is a big accomplishment, and we hope to reach many more this year. Our goal is to reach 10,000 K-12 students. And I know we can do it. There is a monetary award for the sections that impact the most students. So, don’t forget to let the region know about how many students you impacted during your section’s outreach events (I will find out how we let the region know).

Now I’ve come to a nit-picky topic, but it’s also a very VERY important topic. The SWE logo. SWE logos cannot be changed or altered in any way, shape, or form. So, if your section is misusing the logo, please correct it. If you have questions about how to represent the SWE logo, please email hq@swe.org.

If you happen to use the SWE Communities, don’t forget to join the Sonora Region-B Community!!

I believe that is everything for now (or at least, I hope so). If you have any questions or comments, go ahead and comment on this post (it also gets your sections points in the process). I look forward to seeing every one at our Annual Conference in Long Beach!!! Go Region B!

Amanda Romero ~ RCNE

Hello everyone!

This is the Society of Women Engineers Region B Blog. Stuff will be posted here periodically including: important information and deadlines, hot topics, important people, and various other stuff. This year, we (the RCRs and RCCE) would like to increase our readers, article submissions, and comments. So, we have decided to give a prize out to the section that is the most active section on this blog based on a points system.

The points will go as follows:
* 5 points for submitting an article written by a SWE member
* 4 points for turning your section report in on time
* 3 points for commenting on the Hot Topics (note: only one comment per person will count for points)
* 2 points for turning your section report in late
* 1 point for commenting on general posts
* 1 point for submitting pictures

Here are the rules for this Most Active Section Competition:
* All articles and comments must relate to SWE and the collegiate members. We are hoping to recognize significant people and collegiate sections in our articles. So, if you’d like to recognize a person or section, send the RCCE (rcce-b@swe.org) an email to nominate them.
* All comments must relate to the article being commented on
* Articles must be submitted to the RCCE (rcce-b@swe.org), and they need to include the submitter’s name and section to receive credit
* Comments should include the poster’s name and their section

We hope this will help increase our readers. Also, we wanted to start something new and recognize people in our region who have done awesome things. So, if you’d like to recognize someone, send us their name, email, and why you’d like them to be recognized.

As always, everyone is more than welcome to email their articles, ideas, and comments to the RCCE (rcce-b@swe.org). We hope everyone has a good year!!

Amanda Romero ~ RCCE (Note: I am the Region Collegiate Communications Editor now)
Annika Jensen ~ RCR
Katherine Gage ~ RCR

The deadline for SWEFL (SWE Future Leaders) Program Nominations is May 1st; please nominate outstanding members in your collegiate section. Candidates for SWEFL nominations should be an undergraduate in first or second year of school with potential for future leadership in SWE. SWEFL candidates are chosen based on their nominations and availability to attend the Collegiate Leadership Forum (CLF) this summer in Chicago from July 30 – August 2nd. The nomination form opens today, April 1st, and is available here.

The nomination form asks for your contact information and the SWEFL nominee’s contact information.

The following questions are also part of the nomination, please include as much information as possible:
1. Is the nominee currently in a SWE leadership position? If yes, what is their role?
2. Why do you believe the nominee has great potential for future SWE leadership?
3. How would attendance at the Collegiate Leadership Forum benefit the nominee?

Whether you define cold as 60 or 30, you have to admit it’s pretty chilly this time of year. One of the challenges of the cold (other than driving in ice and snow for our northerly Region B members) is getting people to attend meetings and events. The cold confines us to our comfy bed and heated apartments, tempting us to remain indoors at all times. We still attend our courses but any events requiring going outdoors otherwise, we skip.

What can your section do?

• Take advantage of the cold: Hold a fundraiser selling hot coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Try a good, warming dish like stew (it can be as simple as heating up some Campbell’s) instead of the typical pizza at meetings. Give away mittens and hats as door prizes.  Conduct a service project in which you collect blankets and slightly used coats for the homeless. If you have any crafty types in your section, knit or crochet hats for local foster children.
• Offer additional incentives for winter participation: If your section uses a member points system, assign more points if it drops below a certain temperature and they still attend.  No points system? Give away door prizes. Determine meeting chairs for Spring events based upon Winter event attendance. Be creative.
• Set up rides for those who typically walk to attend: Many people take public transit and have to walk a good distance from campus to their bus or train stop. Offer to pick them up or drop them off. Same goes for members who live just off-campus or don’t have parking permits. A ride in a warm car can be a great incentive.
• Ignore the cold: Hold a summer in February event. While you may have to wear your warmest gear outside, who says you can’t change into your bathing suit and flip flops for a special summer-themed event? Eat watermelon (if you can get it) and drink tropical spritzers made with pinapple or mango juice and Sprite/7-up. Pretend it’s July, even if you can see the snow falling down outside.

Hello!

I’ve received several questions regarding the Friday night reception at Explora! Science Museum, so I thought I’d send a quick message to the Conference registrants with a little more detail.

The dress code for the Friday night reception is casual attire.  Explora! is a hands-on experience, so you’ll want to be comfortable when you’re “playing!”  (More here: www.explora.us)

There will be heavy hors d’oeuvres (and some sweets!) at Explora!, as well as plenty of non-alcoholic refreshments.  However, if you’re accustomed to eating a large dinner, you might grab a light bite before heading to the reception.

Additionally, we are officially SOLD OUT for the Conference events, with the exception of the Career Fair and the Friday AM/PM tours!!  It is so great to see such support from the Region, the Board of Directors, and SWE friends!  You can still sign up for the remaining open events using the website (http://www.swecnm.org/RegionBConference) and/or at the Registration Desk at the hotel.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!
Kerrie Greenfelder
Conference Planning Chair
B09Conference@swe.org

The Region B conference is just a week away! Are you ready? Here’s five conference events you don’t want to miss.

1. Career fair – Almost thirty companies will be atttending the career fair, held on Saturday. Bring a copy of your resume and dress to impress. While hard economic times make it seem like no one is hiring, these companies are! Attendees include Apple, ATK Space Systems, BP, CDM, NAVAIR, US Navy, Orbital Sciences, Raytheon, and Sandia National Laboratories.

2. Collegiate meeting – Not only will you learn invaluable information about what’s happening in the region, this is also when RCR and RCNE candidates for FY10 will be elected. Nominations are already closed for these positions and online voting has begun but the meeting will provide you an opportunity to learn more about what an RCR and RCNE do and to meet the men and women who may fill these positions next year.

3. Who’s who of SWE – Region B is proud to be the home of many of SWE’s top leaders including Virginia Connolly and Secretary Fran Stewart. The regoin conefrence provides you an excellent chance to meet and learn a great deal from these amazing women. You might even get to sit next to them at the etiquette lunch on Saturday.

4. Keynote speakers – The confernce has two keynote speakers: SWE National President Virginia Connolly and Jill Tietjen, past SWE President. For biographical information on these women, see the Keynote Speakers page of the conference website.

5. Energizing Women in College track – The conference committee has put together an exciting track just for collegiates including “Do You Have a Paparazzi Resume?” and a special panel on Women in Engineering, moderated by CLC Chair Autumn Smith. There’s are also tracks for energizing women in SWE, the workforce, and life which you can learn more about on the conferenc schedule page.