Dec 11 2011 board meeting minutes

December 12, 2011 board meeting minutes

Attendance: Sarah Bacha, Tom Borgerding, Dan Caterinicchia, Beth Gianforcaro, Meredith Heagney, Julanne Hohbach, Karen Kasler, Eric Lyttle, Jennifer Monnin, Chuck Nelson, Phil Rudell, Andrew Welsh-Huggins

November minutes were approved

Financial report
>Payment to Dan C. for OSU chapter 100th anniversary ($330)
>the state bar association cashed our check ($97.68)
>$274 in deposits
>Nov. 18 checking balance: $4,851.85
>Phil says we should talk about whether we want to do financial advisory committee (as outlined in the bylaws)

Membership
>Beth switched over the LinkedIn group, asks for help populating the site (give people the URL, and we’ll approve them)
>Beth says she’ll keep it lively with events and membership opportunities
>We plan to make it wide open
>Beth says we should talk about the benefits of local membership, try to focus on those.

Programming
>Diversity program: We like the covering immigrants/immigration idea; probably for February on a Thursday; Eric will look at venues (Bluestone is one option); Andrew will check Cafe Daniela
>Our diversity panelists: Andrew, a Latino course (Eric checking), a Somali source (Andrew and Meredith checking) and Stephanie Czekalinski (Meredith checking), with Meredith as moderator
Ethics program: We need a venue for this, too; probably we’ll do it in April; social media and the presidential election? Ohio Senate race? Third District House Race?
>Founders Day: Beth handed out a sheet with possible speakers, dates, places; we will start trying people after Jan. 1

Old Business
>Bylaws review: Chuck has completed a proposed edit of the bylaws
>A question: The board went from 21 to 15 … should it be bigger again?
>Faulkner: Could we take the funds used for the Faulkner at the Columbus Foundation and use it as a general scholarship fund? (If, heaven forbid, the chapter ever folds, the scholarship can go on.) We need to check with the foundation to see what we can do. Chuck thinks we’re the only custodians and that there’s $70K in the fund.
>We plan to review this through a bylaws committee; the committee will wrap up its work in March or April, and the membership can vote on Founders Day (bylaws committee: Beth, Chuck, Julanne, Eric).
>Scholarship/finance committee: Phil, Chuck, Sarah, Eric, Julanne
>Committees will figure out among themselves when to meet.

New Business
>National high-school essay contest discussed; we are going to promote it
>Kevin is researching contacts at high schools (English teachers? journalism advisers? libraries?)
>Tom and Meredith agreed to do some in-person marketing at high schools
>Barb is taking the entries
>We can send this call for entries with the Martys one
>Julanne says we want to get them out in early January
>Beth says make sure we put “essay contest” on outside, or something to grab attention
>We decide we should have a local winner for the national SPJ contest