The Wheaton-Glen Ellyn Branch is the proud recipient of AAUW’s
5 STAR AWARD!
“This distinction highlights the Wheaton-Glen Ellyn Branch’s exceptional alignment with AAUW’s strategic priorities and our leadership in advancing equity in our community.”
Tremayne Parquet, Deputy Director of Advancement, AAUW
February Branch Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 6:30 PM
Location: Wheaton Public Library, Meeting Room “A” Lower Level, 225 N. Cross St., Wheaton
Topic: Alice’s Ordinary People: Film and Discussion
Speaker: Film Director, Craig Dudnick
Join us for a Black History Month special program on February 4, 2026. This event will be a joint venture with the Wheaton Public Library. The library will offer a documentary film screening, including an introduction and discussion with the director, Craig Dudnick. Alice’s Ordinary People is a 60-minute film about Alice Tregay, an unsung heroine of the Civil Rights Movement.
Alice Tregay’s remarkable story spans the historic marches of Dr. King through the election of Barack Obama, and her great contributions in the field of politics are the thread that connects the two. “Alice Tregay was an ordinary person whose legacy of teaching and organizing in the Chicago area helped advance civil rights and likely set in motion the eventual election of President Barack Obama,” said film director Craig Dudnick.
The presentation begins at 6:30 pm with a fifteen-minute overview of the Civil Rights Movement and Alice’s role in bringing politics to the Movement, delivered by Film director Craig Dudnick, followed by the film screening, with a question-and-answer period to follow after the film.
Our Branch is co-sponsoring this presentation with the Wheaton Public Library, and AAUW members (and friends!) need to preregister for the February 4th program.
The link to register is:
https://www.wheatonlibrary.org/event/film-screening-alices-ordinary-people-123239
NOTE: This in-person event begins at 6:30 pm; No Zoom will be provided.
January Calendar
Jan. 7 – Branch Meeting, 6:45 p.m., Zoom Only
Jan. 9 – AM Lit, 9:30 a.m., Glen Ellyn Public Library, 400 Duane St., Glen Ellyn
Jan. 9 – Film Group, 7:00 p.m., TBD
Jan. 15 – Great Decisions, 1:00 p.m.
Jan. 19 – PM Lit, 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 28 – PM Non-Fiction, 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 3 – Great Decisions, 1:00 p.m., Zoom
Feb. 4 – Branch Meeting, “Alice’s Ordinary People”: Film and Discussion, 6:45 p.m., Wheaton Public Library, 225 North Cross St., Wheaton
Feb. 5 – Great Decisions, 1:00 p.m., Zoom
* Members: Click here to access Twigs. Password required. Please email us at: WGE-AAUW@comcast.net for assistance.
AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell issued the following statement on October 31, 2025 regarding a new Department of Education regulation:
“Public Service Loan Forgiveness is not just a repayment program – it is a lifeline that helps teachers, social workers, advocates, and other public-serving professionals stay in the work their communities rely on. PSLF helps make those careers possible.
Let’s be clear: this rule is not about protecting taxpayers. It creates a new and subjective test for which nonprofits ‘deserve’ relief, and that invites the federal government to pick winners and losers in public service. We are deeply concerned that this discretion could be used to intimidate nonprofits and silence lawful advocacy by threatening their employees’ access to loan forgiveness.
This part of a broader pattern. We have seen this Department use federal leverage to pressure colleges and universities to roll back diversity, equity, and inclusion effors, limit speech on campus, and even restrict which students are welcome – including international students. AAUW has already opposed those efforts as political litmus tests that attempt to condition federal support on abandoning inclusion and academic freedom.”
Other Branch Activity Updates:
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Our Branch initiative, Science Girls on the Go™, provides STEM-related activities in community settings. Click here for more information.
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Please email us at: WGE-AAUW@comcast.net if you would like to donate to the Branch’s Opportunities Fund. This fund annually provides Higher Education Incentive Awards to girls from local high schools who are continuing their education at the College of DuPage. From time to time, the Opportunities Fund also supports other Branch-sponsored gender equity initiatives and national AAUW projects.
What is AAUW?
AAUW’s Mission:
To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the nation’s leading voice promoting equity and education for women and girls. Since our founding in 1881, AAUW members have examined and taken positions on the fundamental issues of the day — educational, social, economic, and political. Click here for more information on AAUW’s Mission, Vision and Values. Join us!
As AAUW continues to move forward in a changing world, so have our Strategic Plan and our Vision Statement. Click here to read the complete plan.