Cerritos College joined the rank of over 50 other colleges in California when it officially joined the American Association of University Women this past July.

Created in 1881, the AAUW has been working toward equality for women in universities and in the workplace. By joining with universities, the AAUW gives scholarships away to students to help further their education, giving away $4.3 million in scholarships.

While Cerritos’ official membership is relatively new, the school is no stranger to the AAUW. The two groups have been working together for more than 20 years.

Formed in 1972, the La-Palma-Cerritos Branch of the AAUW has been working on campus and in the community to help individuals better their lives.

This past March, the branch used the window display located by the Administration offices to present some of the accomplishments and goals the AAUW has achieved to coincide with Woman’s History Month. Later that month, the organization issued $6,000 worth of scholarships to several female students at Cerritos College.

“The nomination process requires students to submit an application, which included a personal essay listing their educational goals, community involvement, personal hardships and a letter of recommendation from at least one faculty or staff to the Cerritos College Foundation,” Edna Ethington, Publicist for the La Palma- Cerritos branch, said in a press release from the event.

In October, the group plans to be on campus to help students with voter registration and urge students to contact Governor Brown about Senate Bill 967, which would give a voice to survivors of sexual assaults on campus.

“SB 967 will require training for campus disciplinary panels and school administrators; adjudication panels need extensive training so that these investigations of ‘he said, she said’ are handled justly,” according to a release from Sue Miller, Public Policy Director of AAUW.

“We’ve been working with the college for a long time, but I feel like some students don’t really know we are here,” Tobi Balma, Legal Advocacy Chair for the La Palma-Cerritos branch, said. “We want everyone to join men and women. It’s important that everyone knows about what we are trying to do.”

The school has two representatives on campus, Dr. Amy Holzgang, of the Sociology Department, and Associate Professor of Nursing Patty Riedel.

The La Palma- Cerritos branch of the AAUW meets every third Thursday of the month at the Cerritos Public Library. Students can view the branch’s mission statement and plans online at: http://aauw-lapalma-cerritos.org/LaPalma-Cerritos_AAUW/Home.html, or view the official AAUW website at: http://www.aauw.org/