We are the Real Infrastructure:
Building Powerful Movements

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July 10-14, 2023
Labor Education Center
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Image of UALE logoRutgers University is thrilled to be hosting the Forty-Sixth UALE Northeast Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations! The Women’s Summer School will be held on the Rutgers campus at the Labor Education Center in New Brunswick, NJ from July 10-14, 2023. 

The Summer School is a four-day residential program that brings together rank-and-file members, staff, and officers of unions and workers’ rights organizations to develop their leadership and strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the U.S. labor movement.  

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We invite you to participate in leadership and skills building workshops, cultural activities, and educational sessions on current labor challenges, taught and shared by labor educators, union staff and officers, and worker organization activists. Network and learn; be inspired, be ready!

We use an inclusive definition of “woman” and “female” that includes trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people. 

For additional information, email wss2023@smlr.rutgers.edu.

 

Registration is temporarily closed due to full capacity.

Alternative events for women who were not able to register for the UALE Northeast Summer School
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
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UALE NE Summer School for Women Through the Years
ABOUT

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Every year, United Association for Labor Education (UALE) sponsors 4 regional “women’s schools”. These residential programs last 4 days and include classes and workshops on a variety of labor-related topics. Women from all over the country and beyond learn the skills and knowledge needed to play leadership roles in their organizations. Visitors from labor unions and workers’ organizations in other countries frequently participate. One of the most valuable aspects of the schools is the chance to meet and network with other labor women from around your region and beyond.  You can learn about the other three schools on the UALE website.

> Register for the 2023 UALE NE Women's Summer School
(Registration is temporarily closed due to full capacity.)

THE PROGRAM

All participants will choose from workshops designed to improve leadership skills and capacities. Multi-day workshops will be offered to allow for in-depth learning experiences and practical application. The courses are designed to promote development of self and relationships; organizational leadership; how labor’s values and issues intersect; member engagement, and an understanding of the economic and political forces shaping today’s labor movement. Summer school instructors are intergenerational pairs of union officers, staff, and labor educators from universities, unions and worker organizations. Throughout the week, experts on current labor issues share their knowledge and wisdom as guest speakers. Evening activities provide opportunities to network and have fun!  

Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NEunionwomensummerschool

NEW JERSEY LEADERS SPEAK AT 2023 UALE NE SUMMER SCHOOL
Photo of Petal RobertsonPetal Robertson
Secretary-Treasurer, NJEA

We are honored to have Petal Robertson, Secretary-Treasurer of the NJEA as our keynote speaker on the final day of the Women's Summer School.

Robertson has found creative ways to organize union members for different causes, including Restorative Justice Montclair, the Vision and Voices program and the 8:46 Project. Robertson is a dynamic leader, a truth-teller and has a commitment to the fight for racial, social and economic justice in and outside of the school community.


Photo of Laurel BrennanLaurel Brennan
Secretary-Treasurer, NJ AFL-CIO

We welcome Laurel Brennan back on opening night to the NE Summer School for Union Women. She has been involved in past schools as an instructor and a participant going back to 1977.

Laurel Brennan was elected as the first woman to the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the New Jersey State AFL-CIO in January 1997. Brennan, partnership with NJ State AFL-CIO President Charles Wowkanech, develops and implements statewide policies that impact 1 million union members and their families, including the Raise the Wage campaign, fight for equal pay and earned sick leave.


Photo of Adrienne EatonAdrienne Eaton
Dean, School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR)
Rutgers University

Adrienne Eaton is the Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations and a distinguished professor of Labor Studies and Employment at the Rutgers University. She is also a past President of the Rutgers AAUP-AFT, the union of faculty and graduate student employees at Rutgers.

Dean Eaton has expertise in Union participation in management decision-making and the relationship of unions to direct forms of worker participation; negotiation, effectiveness and outcomes of neutrality and card check agreements and the impact of unionization of particular groups of workers.


Photo of Nikol Alexander-FloydNikol Alexander-Floyd
AAUP-AFT Member
Professor Political Science, Rutgers University

Nikol Alexander-Floyd is a Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University-New Brunswick with specialties in Women & Politics, Race and Ethnic Politics and Public Law. She was a leader in the historic Rutgers Strike and a member of the AAUP-AFT.

As a lawyer and political scientist and an award-winning educator, Dr. Alexander-Floyd teaches a range of courses on Black feminist theory, Black women's political activism, and race, gender, media, and the law. Dr. Alexander-Floyd is the author of Gender, Race, and Nationalism Contemporary Black Politics (Palgrave Macmillan 2007).

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Start and End times are confirmed. Events during Summer School may change.

TIME

Monday
7/10

Tuesday
7/11

Wednesday
7/12

Thursday
7/13

Friday
7/14

7:00-
8:00am

 

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast

Breakfast &
Checkout

8:15-
9:45am

 

Leadership
Skills

Leadership
Skills

Leadership
Skills

Leadership
Skills

9:45-
10:00am

 

Coffee and
Snack Break

Coffee and
​Snack Break

Coffee and
​Snack Break

10:00-
11:30am

Instructor Meeting

Leadership
Skills

Plenary 1:
Climate Justice
Practice

Plenary 2:
Gender Based
Violence

Graduation
Brunch
@ LEC

10:45am-
1:00pm

 

12:00-
12:45pm

Instructor Lunch

Lunch  

Lunch  

Lunch  

1:15-
3:15pm

Check-in
2:00pm -
5:00pm

Workshop
A

Workshop
A

Workshop
A

 

3:15-
3:30pm
Coffee and
Snack Break
Coffee and
Snack Break
Coffee and
Snack Break
 

3:30-
5:00pm

Workshop
B

Workshop
B

Free Time

 

5:30-
6:45pm

 

Dinner:
Picnic/Pool Party
6:00pm-
8:00pm

5:00-5:15-
Staff Meeting/
Check-in

Dinner 

Dinner 

 

7:00-
8:30pm

Opening Program
& Dinner
@ LEC
7:00pm-
9:00pm

Dinner:
Picnic/Pool Party
6:00pm-
8:00pm

Free Night

Labor History
Night
& Dessert
Reception
7:00pm-
10:00pm

 

PLENARY SESSIONS

In Plenary Sessions programs, summer school participants gather to discuss crucially important labor and social issues, learning from our facilitators and from each other. All General Sessions will be have simultaneous translation for English/Spanish.


Climate Justice is Labor Justice

Wednesday July 12, 10am-11:30am Auditorium 

This plenary will explore how climate impacts all of us and what we can do through our organizations.  We will hear from local leaders and activists who are organizing in their communities, unions and regions to address the impacts of climate. The plenary will be a mixture of short presentation, sharing of personal experiences, and small group exercises.  At the end of this plenary, you will have learned steps you can take in your community and union, including building climate justice committees and climate as a bargaining issue. We will also learn about the recent work by the building trades building a green economy with good jobs.


A Gendered Approach to Organizing: Introduction to ILO Convention 190

Thursday July 13, 10am-1130am Auditorium

Background

The plenary session hosted by the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO) in partnership with the Labor Research Service (LRS) in relation to 46th UALE North East Regional Women’s Summer School will focus on what constitutes a “gendered” approach to organizing. Based on Leadership Journey Mapping workshops conducted by the Transformative Global Leadership Program (TGLP) of CIWO and LRS, one of the themes that emerged was the risk and safety issues that women labor leaders face in their leadership. The proposed event aims to further explore this theme. As a case study, the event will shed light on ILO Convention 190 (C190), the first international treaty to address violence and harassment in the world of work, adopted in 2019. Till date, 31 countries have ratified C190. 

The plenary session will follow a “World Café” model where the participants will have an opportunity to meet with the facilitators in small groups and conversation circles. 

Speakers/Facilitators
  • madeleine kennedy-macfoy, Executive Director, Gender at Work
  • Nina Benjamin, Gender Program Manager, Labour Research Service (LRS), South Africa
  • Nosipho Twala, Educator and Facilitator, Labour Research Service (LRS), South Africa
  • Adriana Paz, Latin America Regional Coordinator, International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF)
  • Sheri Davis, Associate Director, CIWO
  • Ardra Manasi, Global Program Manager, CIWO
  • Teyo Saree Abraham, Live Illustrator
WORKSHOP CHOICES

Workshop A: Tuesday through Thursday, 1:15pm - 3:15pm           

  1. Building an Economy for Workers from Crisis: Bargaining for the Common Good Framework
  2. Gripe or Grievance: Strengthening the Contract; Strengthening the Union
  3. Internal Organizing for Member Power
  4. Running for Office in your Community or Local Union
  5. Women in Non-traditional Occupations
  6. Introduction to Collective Bargaining
  7. Fighting United: Steps for Building & Working in Successful Coalitions

Workshop B: Tuesday and Wednesday, 3:30pm - 5:00pm           

  1. Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the World of Work: An introduction to ILO Convention 190
  2. Healing Justice Arts
  3. Speak Up, Stand Out and Amplify the Movement Online 
  4. Public Speaking
  5. Racial Justice
  6. Social Justice Tour of New Brunswick: New Labor and the fight for a Temp Workers Bill of Rights/Direct Action
  7. The Legal Right to Resist
  8. Nuts & Bolts of Quality Political Doorknocking: How UNITE HERE workers took on Trump, Pennsylvania and Working Class Political Apathy       
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Workshop A Choices

  1. Building an Economy for Workers from Crisis:  Bargaining for the Common Good Framework
    Elizabeth Pellerito, UMass Lowell - Labor Education Program

    In this course we will explore the tenets of bargaining for the common good, how to prioritize competing goals, create a bargaining platform, mobilize membership with coordinated outreach & meaningful actions, and build a successful contract campaign

  2. Gripe or Grievance: Strengthening the Contract; Strengthening the Union
    Michelle Keller, DC 37 AFSCME Retiree, NYC CLUW President and Valerie King, Senior Representative Organizer UWUA and President GNJ CLUW

    This workshop will address many questions including: What is the grievance process? How can we use it to organize within our Local ranks? What is my role as a Shop Steward/Delegate? How do I teach and inspire my members to seek justice in the workplace? We will learn to identify the grievance and work with management effectively. We will cover legal protections including Weingarten Rights, DFR, and Legal Rights of the Shop Steward. Grievances are neither the first resolution nor the only method of exerting pressure on mgmt. We will use group discussion, role play, presentation and lecture.  

  3. Internal Organizing: Empowering and Activating Our Members        
    Susan Tindall

    This workshop wil give you the tools to engage members at a local level! Participants will explore the basic concepts of internal organizing –including but not limited to: forming an internal organizing committee, identifying organizing targets, defining issues to mobilize around, educating        workers about the union, and moving members to action. Through class discussion and hands-on training, we will share ideas and strategies for             engaging in effective one-on-one conversations and building organizational strength.


  4. Running for Office in your Community or Local Union
    Nedelka McLean, Harry Van Arsdale SUNY Empire and Celeste Kirkland, TWU Local 100

    “The Future is Female!” Do you aspire to a higher leadership position in your community or in your union?  Have you attended rallies for social justice? Black Lives Matter, Immigration Reform, the Women’s Marches? Are you ready to find your voice and claim a seat at the table?  Drawing on the experience of successful women role models, this class will focus on strategies and tactics for overcoming barriers and building support for “moving up.”  You will develop an individual plan of action for achieving your goals within your community or union organization and quite possibly be inspired to run for public office!

  5. Women in Non-Traditional Jobs: Making History, Coping Strategies and Changing the Culture
    Erin Sullivan, IBEW Local 3          

    This workshop will focus on the challenges facing women in non-traditional jobs and offer ways to cope in the working environment. We will also discuss the advantages and obstacles of aspiring towards leadership, ways to create sister solidarity and not just how to survive at your job but how to thrive in your union. 

  6. Fighting United: Steps for Building & Working in Successful Coalitions
    Jeannette Garcia-Alonzo, Labor Education Coordinator, AFSCME and Pam Whitefield, UMass Lowell - Labor Education Program

    In this workshop, we will explore the elements of successful coalition campaigns and how to build strategic and respectful partnerships across diverse organizations, with different interests, values, and goals.

  7. Collective Bargaining    
    Adrienne Eaton, Dean Rutgers SMLR, and Anneta Argyres, UMASS Labor Center, President Professional Staff Union/MTA/NEA

    This workshop will focus on the skills and strategies for collective bargaining. Participants will examine the negotiations process as an on-going          method for resolving workplace disputes. Topics included are: 1) Who is on the negotiations team? 2) How does a local union prepare for        negotiations, including situation analysis, planning and division of labor? 3) During negotiations: proposals, strategies, impasse, settlement, 4)         The contract: on going negotiations and contract administration. Instruction methods will include brief lectures, small groups, and simulations.     

Workshop B Choices

  1. Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the World of Work: An introduction to ILO Convention 190
    Ardra Manasi, Global Program Manager at the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO)

    The workshop will introduce the participants to ILO Convention 190 (C190), the first international treaty to address violence and harassment in the world of work adopted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 2019. Till date, 31 countries have ratified C190. Through the workshop, the participants will get an opportunity to explore how C190 [along with Recommendation 206] can be operationalized and implemented (even before ratification), within their respective workplace contexts and settings.

  2. Healing Justice Arts
    Alethia Jones, CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

    We will use movement, music, poetry, and sing-along songs to explore healing as part of our freedom struggle. Participants will learn techniques they can use for themselves or use with others. Comfortable clothes and shoes recommended (barefoot ok).  Possibility of class session held outdoors, weather permitting.

  3. Speak Up, Stand Out and Amplify the Movement Online 
    Kristianna Brown, Communications Specialist for the UNITE HERE International Union

    Discover the transformative power of storytelling in this dynamic communications training. Learn how to share your stories online and on social media to inspire, mobilize, and proudly showcase your union's strength. Master the art of engaging social media posts, utilizing multimedia elements to captivate and cultivate a vibrant online community. Explore the visual storytelling potential of photography and videography. Gain practical skills in framing messages, targeting audiences, and leveraging social media analytics to amplify the reach and impact of your stories. 

  4. Public Speaking        
    Arianna Schindle, Director of Training and Curriculum Design, Equity and Worker Rights, Worker Institute

    Are you worried that you’ll blank before an audience? Or are you just looking for tips to improve your oral presentations? This workshop is designed to give you self-confidence and polish in speaking before various groups. You’ll have the opportunity for practice and feedback in a friendly, sympathetic setting, and the benefit of up-to-date strategies for coping with public speaking. 

  5. Racial Justice
    Kasi Perreira Director of Leadership and Organizational Development at Center for Innovation in Worker Organization (CIWO), and Sheri Gates, Associate Director CIWO, Assistant Professor, SMLR Rutgers

    Description Forthcoming

  6. Social Justice Tour of New Brunswick: New Labor and the fight for a Temp Workers Bill of Rights/Direct Action
    Germania Hernandez , Olga Morales and Jeniffer Garcia New Labor Organizers

    Join organizers from New Labor on a tour of the temp agencies in New Brunswick and learn about their successful fight for a Temp Worker Bill of Rights.  This unusual workshop will end with a training on direct action strategies used by New Labor to win both monetary and political demands from employers and the state.  A van will take us to the start of the tour.  If you have mobility concerns, please let us know in advance so we can accommodate your participation in this workshop.  BILINGUAL Spanish/English

  7. The Legal Right To Resist
    Tamara Lee, Assistant Professor, Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers

    This workshop covers basics and contemporary issues in federal and state labor law (e.g., employment-at-will, Title VII, wage and hour, the NLRA). We will then transition to the legal right to resist "unjust laws" (both on their face and in application), with resources for civil disobedience and discussion of opportunities for the labor movement at this political moment. This is the class to take if you, like me, have a problem with authority!
    We will also discuss the recent decision in Student for Fair Admission v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admission v. University of North Carolina 

  8. Nuts & Bolts of Quality Political Doorknocking: How UNITE HERE workers took on Trump, Pennsylvania and Working Class Political Apathy
    Rosslyn Wukinich, President President, UNITE HERE Local 274 and Sheila Silver UNITE HERE Philly

    After Donald Trump won Pennsylvania in the 2016 Presidential race, UNITE HERE Philadelphia decided it needed to do more than the volunteer door-knocking shifts it had been doing on political elections.  Using strategies from other UNITE HERE locals around the country, Philadelphia union leaders designed a massive and wildly successful door-to-door political program that knocked on over 350,000 doors in the 2020 Presidential race and almost 1,000,000 doors in the 2022 U.S. Senate & PA Governor’s races.  This workshop will teach the basics of deep, quality canvassing and why it matters.  We will practice how to talk with community members who have given up on the political system and how to connect their concerns not only to politics but to building the Union.  BILINGUAL Spanish/English
BASKET AUCTION FUNDRAISER
INCLUSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY

The UALE Northeast Summer School for Women in Unions and Worker Organizations strives to be a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students and instructors alike. We adhere to the following principles of unity:

To respect each other's race, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender expression and identity, immigrant status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and language.

To communicate in class and during the summer school with awareness that:

  • Life experiences and perceptions vary; be mindful of what you say and how you say it.
  • What you mean to say, with the best of intentions, may not always be interpreted that way by others.
  • Giving constructive feedback promotes respectful dialogue.
  • Being open to hearing constructive feedback promotes understanding.
HISTORY

The Union Women’s Summer Schools began in the Northeast Region in the late 1970s and expanded to the Midwest, Western, and Southern Districts of the United States. Their conception was rooted in the traditions of early worker education as exemplified by the Bryn Mawr summer schools for Women Workers of the 1920s and the Works Progress Administration worker education programs of the 1930s.

Courses of study were tailored to the needs and interests of working people. Barbara Wertheimer, Director of Cornell’s Institute of Women and Work, introduced the idea to colleagues in the University and College Labor Education Association (precursor to UALE). Encouraged by the the rising feminist movement and the founding of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, UCLEA launched its first school in 1975 at the University of Connecticut.

Designed by a committee of labor educators, the residential schools bring together women workers, officers and staff of unions and workers organizations to strengthen their knowledge of the labor movement and develop skills which will enable them to become more active and influential in their organizations. The schools are a place where women workers can share experiences and give one another support. As Gloria Johnson, past President of CLUW and frequent speaker at the schools’ graduations ceremonies pointed out, “We have to create 'old girls' networks to be able to support each other and advance.” The schools contribute to this objective, as evidenced by the record of participants. Since 1975, the schools have educated thousands, many of whom have become leaders of their unions.

COST
  • $750 Double Occupancy 
  • $850 Single Occupancy  
  • $525 for worker organizations other than unions 
  • $400 Commuter cost

The cost to attend is $750 (double room) or $850 (single room). This includes tuition, housing, meals, and parking for the four days of summer school.  Residents will be housed on campus, in dormitory apartments near the Labor Education Center (LEC). Each apartment has 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom, and will house two to four women. All apartments are non-smoking. Commuters to the school will pay a fee of $400, which includes tuition, parking, and two meals per day; commuter slots are limited. You should plan to arrive the afternoon of Monday, July 10, and the graduation program will end at approximately 1pm on Friday, July 14. 

Limited scholarship support is available. We request that Union members ask their Local to sponsor their attendance. The scholarship form will be available online in April or by contacting Djar Horn at wss2023@smlr.rutgers.edu

SCHOLARSHIPS

A limited number of partial scholarships are available and will be awarded based on individual need. We ask that you approach your union, Central Labor Council, or organization to cover your registration costs before you apply.

The scholarship application is available here. Contact Djar Horn at djar.horn@rutgers.edu with questions about scholarships. 

REGISTRATION

The Women's Summer School is an exciting week of learning and solidarity. Space is limited to 150 participants, so register early!

Register online with payment by check or by credit card. Your organization can make payment to cover your registration by either method.  

Registration deadline: June 15, 2023 

Cancellation Deadline: June 15, 2023 

> Click here to register for the 2023 UALE NE Women's Summer School

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS

All cancellations must be received in writing by email. Full refunds less a $25 cancellation fee are available until June 15, 2023. Cancellations made after June 15, 2023 will incur an additional $150 fee. Registered participants who fail to cancel in writing prior to the start of the summer school on July 10, 2023 and do not attend the program will not receive a refund except in extreme circumstances that will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. 

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY COVID POLICY

We have received updated guidance from Rutgers University as of March 2023. If the University updates the COVID policy prior to the start of the Summer School, we will notify all participants and post the information here. However, we have confirmed that the policy below will be in effect for the duration of our 2023 summer conference season. 

  • Guests to the university will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID test.  Group representatives will no longer be required to attest to the vaccination status of their participants.  
  • Face Coverings are not required in academic or administrative settings. Wearing a face covering is required of all faculty, staff, students, and visitors in all clinical settings. While masking is optional in academic and administrative settings, we do encourage it. 
Women’s Summer School Position 

In solidarity with those of us that are at higher risk, we ask all participants to consider wearing masks during the group activities. Masks and tests will be provided at the Women's Summer School. Further direction will be available prior to the start of the school.   

We are working on eating arrangements for those that need distance. More details to follow.   

CONTACT US

For the latest Women's Summer School updates, check out our Facebook page!

For more information about the 2023 program, contact the Rutgers Women’s Summer School team at wss2023@smlr.rutgers.edu.

Thank you to our Sponsors!

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