POTSDAM -- $tart $mart salary negotiations workshops for area college students are set for 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26 at SUNY Potsdam’s Barrington Student Union Fireside Lounge, Room 208.

These sessions are sponsored by the St. Lawrence County Branch of the American Association of University Women, and SUNY Potsdam’s Women and Gender Studies Program, School of Education, School of Music, and Career Planning.

The workshop covers topics such as the gender earnings gap and strategies and techniques in negotiation, including how to estimate how much salary individuals should earn given their qualifications and locations. The AAUW note that the national pay gap is still 77 percent for women, on average.

This workshop is sanctioned by the national WAGE Project (www.wageproject.org). It is open to all students from Clarkson, SLU, SUNY Canton, and SUNY Potsdam.

To attend, register by emailing marshbs@potsdam.edu or bonnerrl@potsdam.edu. For more information contact Professor Trevizan at trevizll@potsdam.edu or 267-2026.

AAUW member Dr. Mary Graham, Associate Professor in the School of Business at Clarkson University, was instrumental in bringing the WAGE Project’s Annie Houle to the area two years ago. A series of four $tart $mart workshops were held that trained students at all four area campuses and trained their community partners to lead workshops as part of an ongoing effort to empower young women to negotiate fair and realistic salaries and benefits upon graduation.

“Locally, AAUW is pleased to work with all the local colleges in the North Country to ensure that students leave our campuses with the information they need to get off on the right foot in terms of their compensations packages,” said AAUW Program co-VP Liliana Trevizan, Potsdam. “We hope students from all four campuses will take advantage of this timely opportunity.”

Membership in the St. Lawrence County Branch is open to anyone who supports the mission of AAUW. AAUW advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. AAUW’s commitment to educational equity is reflected in its public policy advocacy, community programs, leadership development, conventions and conferences, national partnerships, and international connections.

For more information about AAUW in St. Lawrence County, contact President Becky Gerber at 268-9957, gerberrl@potsdam.edu or Public Policy Chair Kathleen Stein at 386-3812, kstein1@twcny.rr.com, or visit the branch website, http://www.northnet.org/stlawrenceaauw/index.html.