SOTM Meeting Minutes for April 21, 1999

Attendees: Alex J, Dianna, Gary, Kate, Sumi. (Colleen in very close proximity--her foot entered the room at one point even...)

Year in Brief(s)

This year we worked solely with Woodlawn Community Academy (WCA).
We taught all seven of their classes each week (2 classes each for K-2, plus one third grade class).
As there are roughly twenty children in each class, we worked with approximately 140 kids each week.

Classes spanned five weeks, though due to weather cancellations and school holidays, slightly more than three weeks' worth (10 days) of classes were taught.
Costs (Roughly)
 $738.00 skate rental
 $785.00 bussing
--------------------
$1523.00 total
We covered $1400.00 of this out of our CSF account, and the Office of Community Affairs (Duel Richardson's office) is going to cover the other $123.00. (They offered to cover our bussing expenses to a maximum of $4000.)
Problems
On two mornings, the busses arrived with children, but none of the volunteers were at the rink.

Futurama

  • Train new officers
  • Fundraise
  • Meet with RSO advisors/partners: Aracely Munoz and Duel Richardson
  • Meet with community partners: WCA (Mr. Guftason and Mr. Embil), Blue Gargoyle, other local schools(?)
  • Determine future of ice rink on the midway (will permanent one be built before next winter?)
  • Expand program with more community contacts: after-school programs, academic tie-ins, etc.
  • Build RSO support, enthusiasm, social network: social activities
  • Recruitment of new members
  • CSF annual funding request
  • Rafiki (youth-oriented service RSO's newsletter) updates

Proposed changes for the year next

  • Get daily rink managers figured out (someone to call volunteers ahead of time to confirm, cancel classes if bad weather, etc)
  • Update volunteer contact info
  • Webmaster (and move to RSO page)
  • (There really should be more here, but the others are assumed in stuff already mentioned above.)

Elections

Heh heh heh.
Unfortunately, none of those who had expressed interest in the General Coordinator position were able to attend the meeting. (Niels, Margot, and Dennis). Colleen begged for the position, but the other members unanimously rejected her pleas. Really. Anyway, it is assumed that some combination of the above mentioned people will be coordinators next year.

Other offices considered were Treasurer, School Contact, Volunteer Coordinator, Fundraising Chair, Secretary, Curriculum Chair, Social Chair, and Board Members. It is of course the duty of the filler of the position to come up with a suitably ... "dignified" title.

Dianna volunteered to be Volunteer Coordinator. She then realized that she would be in Toledo, Spain, for the fall quarter, and Kate volunteered to fill in for her during those harrowing times. Gary decided that he too wanted to be a volunteer coordinator, but was unanimously scoffed at and denounced. (But don't worry, things worked out well and happily for him in the end.)

Next we realized that Gary really wanted to be Social Chair, as he had the most ideas and concern regarding the lack of social cohesiveness currently afflicting our organization. So Social Chair he was deemed. Stay tuned to the mailing list for announcements regarding rollerblading and frisbee at the lake, horrible skating movie marathons, and other events I dare not post publicly.

Next a light shone forth from the fluorescent lights in the Reynolds Club conference room, and Sumi was inspired thusly to take upon her shoulders the mantle of Fundraising Chair. Shrugging aside warnings as to the extreme danger and difficulty inherent in the position, she figured, "what the heck?", and took it upon herself to get us some moola this quarter.

At this point Kate and Gary started to realize that this all about power: who had it, and who wanted it. They certainly didn't know who had it, but they knew that they wanted it. Jealous of Sumi's rivaling force, they snatched up the newly-created office of Webmaster(s). ("Chief Propagandist and Procrastinator" makes more sense to me, but if they prefer "Webmaster"...) As they are the only two people to have admitted actually seeing this page, they were voted in on a landslide of "Aye"'s.

But Sumi wasn't just going to sit by idly and see them snatch certain victory from her righteous hands. She thought, "Ah, anyone can put things on the web, but it's the content that matters... If I control the content of the SOTM web pages, I can rule the world!" (Or so I think she thought. I think.) So in a move henceforth to be known as the Sulamith Gambit, she grabbed the position of Secretary, and through subtle means of diplomacy and arcane magic, influenced her way to yet another unanimous landslide vote into office.

And Alex said he'd help show the ropes to people and live on as a Board Member (that's with a capital 'B' mind you), helping where and when he could.

Then came the locusts, and like frightened babes, we ran screaming out through the RSO computer lab, and back to the safety of the U of C quads.

Submitted by Alex Jacoby, April 21, 1999
ps- Almost forgot. For the first time in recalled SOTM history, free food was provided at the meeting. (Obtained with private, not CSF, funds, mind you.) Nothing special, but food nevertheless. Or at least we unanimously voted it such.
Organizational Email: Dennis Korneff, d-korneff@uchicago.edu
Web Page Email: Alex Jacoby, a-jacoby@uchicago.edu
Last edited: October 3, 1999