AAUW Has No Tie to Conservatives

You have aired two articles about the Santa Monica-based American Assn. of Women in the last four months, labeling them archconservatives. We, the members of the American Assn. of University Women (AAUW) of Santa Monica, want to inform the public that we are in no way connected with that organization. Our members have been embarrassed by inquiries about what we were doing. We would like to request that any time you write an article about the other group, that you include a disclaimer that they are in no way associated with our organization.

The other group gains fame through destroying and finding fault. They claim to be an educational organization, but in fact they are primarily political, with a very small base of support and small grass-roots membership. The American Assn. of University Women is over 100 years old and has a worldwide membership--nearly 180,000 active members in the United States, 28,000 in California.

We in AAUW have a more positive approach and believe in bringing about change in an orderly manner . . . and occasionally have been labeled arch-moderates. Our current action issues include women’s work/women’s worth, promoting individual liberties, teen advocacy and child care.

The American Assn. of University Women, the oldest, largest national organization of university graduates, has a longstanding commitment to the advancement of women, quality education, community involvement, cultural interests and international relations. Through its Educational Foundation Program, it supports the oldest and largest non-university fellowship fund for women. In February we will present a Restaurant Tour to raise money for scholarships for women.

The most newsworthy action we made in 1987 was to vote to accept men into our traditionally female organization.

DIANA C. WICKES

Los Angeles