what are your opinions?

[Breanne M]

I am the new co-president of the RCU for southern California and i was just wondering what anyone thinks about the RCU and what improvements and such can be done so that more robot chicks are interested?
What do the girls on the east coast do for your meetings?

[Kristina]

For the short time I was on the RCU mailing list, my mailbox was bombarded with emails going back and forth about what kind of article of clothing the RCU label should be put on (lots of tank top v. shirt v. bandana debate). While I think the idea is good, there was far too much debate, someone should have just made a desicion. I would have liked to seen more areas where girls can get involved, build a sense of camraderie, and inspire future generations of girls. I'm sure there is a lot of it but it's not publicized that much which is another thing that can be worked on so more girls are aware of this group....especially out here on the West coast where it hasn't flourished as largely. Once you get members I suppose it will be much easier to get things going and have actual events.

[Jeff Rodriguez]

The first thing i thought of when I heard of the RCU is:

The word Chicks doesn't gain that much respect.

Wheni hear Robot Chicks Union i think of more of a club having fun than a professional society. I would think that you want to be regarded as a professional organization.

[bethMonster]

yeah i was on the mailing list for a while too. there was too much frivolous crap that wasn't directed at the club, it was just like listening to someone else's boring gossip. i was especially disappointed because i really believe in the potential for real female solidarity in a serious sense. we need to concentrate on bettering the whole robotics community through equal respect for females, and i don't mean just a token girl on each team. but no one can take us seriously before we do.

[Breanne M]

thanx you guys this input is really helpful...and it's good to see a guy being supportive as well. I like that. keep it commin'.

[MissAbi]

I see the RCU going in a very positive direction. My only concern is people not seeing the potential and therefore not investing the time needed to keep it running. I know that Kristen puts in ALOT of time to keep things running smoothly and under her leadership, we've been able to accomplish alot. I think next year's leadership team really need to pick up where we will leave off and go with it. For example, our partnership with Girls, Inc. has given us nonprofit status. We should start go for some grants and put the money to good use. I'd like to see the RCU do more with the Lego League. It's easier to get kids interested at a younger age and if we can boost the number of females in FLL it'll spill over into FIRST. I'd also like to see the RCU become more of a resource for women in FIRST. Set up a library of resources so they can learn how to build a robot. Set up a mentor-student or big sister-little sister program. Set up a scholarship fund for women pursuing engineering. Get involved with groups like SWE. Basically, provide a very postive environment for women in FIRST. We've already laid alot of the ground work. We just have to run with it now. The options are endless. The top priority though will be to keep people involved. None of it will happen unless the people who support it will continue to support it. And even though I'm going on to college and other stuff, I'll still be active in the FIRST community and if, at any time, the RCU needs my help or support, I will be there. So best of luck to next year's group.


AIM: LilGenkiGirl
abi@470robotics.com

[bethMonster]

i really like the big-little sister idea, and i agree about lego league. the scholarship issue, though, i think would be difficult (where would we get all that money) and unnecessary -- there are already a jillion more engineering scholarships for females than for males available. Maybe getting more girls aware of the ones that already exist would prove helpful, and it's a great incentive for girls to join FIRST!

[Kristen Kelso]

Originally, one of the RCU’s goals was to turn the negative into the positive. (Example: Giving the word “Chick” a positive meaning). We also had an open forum on Yahoo!Groups. (This was great when we only had 20 members)

However when we grew, some members started sending out silly things, like chain letters---we lost 10-20 members DAILY—then, to top it off our website was taken over by porn.

In the summer of 2002, we shut down the RCU forum. In November of 2002, we created a new panel of moderators and re-opened the forum for a monthly “newsletter”. We also bought a new domain ( www.robotchicksunion.org ). Thanks to the Beach City Robotics Team,a new design will be up soon!

Since November, we have…
*re-introduced RCU Illuminaries (January 2003)
*hosted a workshop at the Novi Kick-off. The results of this workshop will end up launching a study on how we can get more girls involved in FIRST.
*In March, we created an official partnership with Girls, Inc. of NH ( www.girlsinc.org ) They are a non-profit organization that will serve as our fiscal agent.
*to start bringing the RCU back into the FIRST Community, we will be starting “RCU Projects” (examples: “Girls Connect” and starting a pen-pal program between Robot Chicks and girls that participate in FLL)

Yes, it is taking some time to re-organize. Remember, success doesn’t just develop while you are sleeping…it is the result of your dedication, determination and hard work. We have been working wicked hard to pull things back together.

Thank you to Katie, Abi and Giselle who have stood by the RCU no matter what! Each of these girls embodies the true FIRST Spirit. It is the people with such a spirit that change our world. (note: They NEVER give up!)

So that is where we stand…feel free to contact me: Kristenkjk@attbi.com ,AIM: Angel1kjk or the e-mail the moderators: RobotChicks@hotmail.com

Thanks

[Sara Jane]

Maybe the website could be improved a little bit. Maybe more info or a list of all current members.

[MissAbi]

RCU is getting back to it's original path. and I can't wait to see where our efforts lead to.

Thank you to Katie, Abi and Giselle who have stood by the RCU no matter what! Each of these girls embodies the true FIRST Spirit. It is the people with such a spirit that change our world. (note: They NEVER give up!)

Thank you Kristen for all of your hard work too. AOL should create a permanent "wicked busy" away message for you.

[Jupee]

Wow I didn't even know it existed. Where can I get more info?

[Redhead Jokes]

Originally posted by Jupee
Wow I didn't even know it existed. Where can I get more info?

link