Three Attorneys General Refuse to Sign Pro-VAWA Letter
Republican attorneys general in three states have refused to sign onto a letter encouraging Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Virginia’s Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, Alaska’s Michael Geraghty, and Alabama’s Luther Strange have declined to sign the letter penned by the National Association of Attorneys General in support of VAWA. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011 (S. 1925) has 61 bipartisan cosponsors in the Senate.

AAUW identified VAWA reauthorization — and the inclusion of protections for students on campuses — as a key priority in our 2011–12 Federal Policy Agenda. In addition, in 2011 a coalition of women’s rights organizations, including AAUW, highlighted VAWA in as one of the top 10 historic advances for women’s lives that are now at risk.

Federal Appeals Court Rejects Pro-Affirmative Action Suit
A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit seeking to lift California’s ban on the consideration of race or ethnicity in admissions decisions of public colleges and universities. California’s voters outlawed consideration of race in state hiring and university decisions through passage of Proposition 209 in 1996. The appeals court said this month it found no reason to revisit its decision to uphold the law in a challenge to Proposition 209 in 2010.

AAUW supports affirmative action programs that establish equal opportunity for women and minorities and improve gender, racial, and ethnic diversity in educational institutions and in workplaces. AAUW’s mission to promote gender equity in school and at work is founded on the belief, articulated in AAUW’s legislative program since 1939, that all individuals have the right to full and free opportunity intellectually, socially, and economically, including the right to be employed according to abilities without regard to race or gender.

Voters Rank Education as Extremely Important Election Issue
A new report concludes that education is a top-tier issue for voters in 2012. Using a survey of registered voters in nine key swing states, the report found that 67 percent of swing state voters say education will be extremely important to them in this year’s elections for president and Congress. Education ranks behind jobs and the economy (82 percent) and government spending (69 percent) but ties with health care (67 percent) and comes in before the federal budget deficit (64 percent). The report also found that the gender gap on education as a priority holds across party lines, with women placing a greater priority on education regardless of party affiliation.

AAUW believes a strong, free public education system is the foundation of a democratic society. We advocate increased access to higher education, especially for women in poverty, and promote efforts to close the persistent achievement gap that disproportionately affects low-income children and students from minority communities.