SWE - Spring 2009 - (Page 63)

POINT OF VIEW Your Role in Public Policy Whether you’re interested in having significant impact at the federal level or closer-to-home, SWE can help you more effectively express your views. BY CATHY PIERONEK, J.D., SWE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS AND PUBLIC POLICY CHAIR T his issue of SWE Magazine featuring both SWE’s public policy efforts and Women’s History Month, offers a perfect opportunity to educate you, our members, about your role in public policy. Yes, you read those words correctly: your role in public policy. I emphasize that point because public policy is not just the responsibility of SWE’s government relations and public policy (GRPP) committee, which I’m honored to serve as chair this year. It is the responsibility of every citizen to become involved in the issues that matter to her, whether in her capacity as an engineer, or in any of her myriad other roles in life — including, and especially, as a taxpayer. This year, for the first time, we have had the opportunity to present SWE’s public policy efforts in-depth at every regional conference. We hope you will agree that, through this work, the Society is impacting issues important to women engineers. We certainly hope you support SWE’s position statements (available at swe.org), with regard to improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at the K-12 level, and improving access for women at all levels of education through enforcement of existing federal genderequity laws, including Title IX. It is also our hope that you will convey your support for these policies to your elected representatives and senators in Washington when the opportunity arises. By making our 20,000-strong membership an active voice in Washington, we aim to effect real change in our working and educational climates. But more importantly, as educated professionals in a democracy, we have an obligation to let our voices be heard when our lawmakers are deciding how to spend our money on any issue. Too often we believe that no one will listen to us because we’re just one citizen from our congressional district or from our state. Or maybe we don’t understand how to formulate a position that will resonate. Or perhaps we’re simply afraid to try because doing so means stepping outside our comfort zone. However, if there is one thing I’ve learned during the past few years of my involvement with public policy, it’s that our elected representatives want to be reelected and, consequently, they do listen to the people who vote. They might not always agree, but they always listen. So, as you look at the information in these pages, ask yourself the following question: “To whom should they listen?” Should they listen to those who fill the “letters to the editor” page of daily newspapers with their uninformed diatribes? Should they listen to similarly uninformed people who have nothing better to do all day than call their congressional offices with their opinions? Should they listen to people based solely on their celebrity status? Should they listen to lobbyists of whatever cause? Should they listen to one another or other Washington insiders? Or should they listen to the educated, informed professionals that we are? If you answer these questions the way I do (no, no, no, no, no, YES!), please take the time to learn what SWE is doing to make this process easier and more comfortable for you. Whether you’re interested in having significant impact at the federal level, or a closer-to-home impact at a local level with your school board or county council, SWE’s public policy toolkit, sessions at regional and national conferences, and upcoming webinars can help you to become more comfortable sharing your views on issues that matter to you. I Cathy Pieronek, J.D., is director of academic affairs and the women’s engineering program at the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering. Well versed in issues surrounding the application of Title IX, she has written and spoken extensively on this topic. Pieronek chairs SWE’s government relations and public policy committee and received the Society’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award in 2007 for her support of the University of Notre Dame Collegiate Section. SWE SPRING 2009 63 http://www.swe.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of SWE - Spring 2009

SWE - Spring 2009 Heritage Club Contents President's Note View from the Executive Suite Editor’s Page Honoring Women’s History Public Policy Update First Lady: The “Second-Hardest Job in America” Bringing Science and Engineering into Public Policy At the Intersection of Engineering and Public Policy From Research to Reality Coffee Table Dialogues Membership Information & Calendar A&B Winning Essays from the Lava Lounge Engineering World: Issues • Events • Technology • People Point of View: Your Role in Public Policy Career Toolbox: Communicating with Congress; Finding Your Voice Corporate Partnership Council Media Shelf: Women’s History Opportunity Index SWE Scrapbook: Dressed for Success

SWE - Spring 2009

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