Executive Board Transition Meeting
May 25, 2004
MEMBERS PRESENT: Dave Allen,
Kate Bligh, Patti Brady-Glassman, Rob Clarke, Anastacia Dillon, Pat Downey, Jim
Eddy, Michelle Holdway, Mary Jo Jackson, Mickey Jacobson, Randy Jones, Katy
Kelley, Kat Kordon, Leslie Limper, Andrea Maison, Kathy McCutchen, Scott Money,
Michele O’Leary, Suzie Petersen, Julia Reisinger, Tracy Reisinger, Jane
Reynolds
2003-04 OASFAA President, Jim Eddy, called the meeting to
order.
One
correction was made to the February 8, 2004 minutes – a sentence was struck
from the Membership Update section, as it had not yet been decided that mailing
labels would be provided to organizations for a $20 fee. Tracy Reisinger moved
to accept the minutes as corrected.
Mickey Jacobson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Jim Eddy provided instruction concerning OASFAA Executive Board meeting voting procedures. Elected officers may vote. Tracy Reisinger moved to allow both incoming and outgoing officers to vote during transition meeting. Dave Allen seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
All present members introduced themselves to the group.
LENGTH OF SERVICE
Jim Eddy reminded the group that the length of service for all elected offices is one year, with the exception of Treasurer-Elect and Treasurer. The Treasurer-Elect serves one year in this office and then moves-on to a two-year stint as Treasurer.
VICE PRESIDENTIAL REPORTS
VP 2 Year Public: Laurie Neil – Absent
VP 4 Year Public: Tracey Lehman – Absent
VP Independent: Crisanne Werner – Absent
VP Proprietary: Mickey Jacobson – Nothing to report
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Membership: Jane Reynolds reported that there are 324 current OASFAA members and 164 past members whose membership expired at the end of 2003. The 2004-2005 renewal deadline is May 31, 2004. Renewal reminders have not yet been sent but are planned, with different e-mails to members with different renewal situations. The membership database is running smoothly so far. Dave Allen asked for clarification about the membership registration/renewal process. Current process is as follows: person registers on-line and prints an invoice to send to Treasurer with a check. The Treasurer then updates the membership expiration date. Website password expires on same date as membership. Suggestions for improvement included closer communication between Membership Chair and Treasurer as each handles different parts of the process. There was discussion concerning the possibility of “pop-up” messages on the website notifying members that their membership has expired and encouraging them to renew. Also, group discussed if the process might work better if the check for new/renewed membership first
went to Membership Chair, and was then forwarded to Treasurer. These two may discuss possibilities for the best procedure. The group also thanked Jane for her great work to-date. The improvement has already been incredible!
Annual Conference: Michele O’Leary reported that 223 people
registered for and attended the 2004 Annual OASFAA Conference at Salishan. The
post-conference wrap-up and evaluation forms revealed good responses to the
food and the registration process. There were some negative responses
concerning over-crowding of the vendor room and audio-visual equipment in
sessions.
OPB: Patti Brady-Glassman reported that the 2003 broadcast of “Financial Aid for Students” went well. Currently the committee is waiting to hear from OPB about whether they want to produce and air this program in 2004; OPB usually makes this determination in September. The cost of making the program is also unknown at this time. In the past, OSAC has contributed $10,000 to the project, with OASFAA contributing $2,000 annually. Due to increased costs for making the 2003 show, OASFAA increased our contribution from $2000 to $4350. It is unlikely that cost will go down, so if OASFAA is interested in making the show again, we should commit to at least this amount. The show traditionally airs at the beginning of December. Committee will review content and make needed changes and updates. Tracy Reisinger reported data from the phone bank: overall number of calls has been decreasing. In 2003, the show aired later and the call-in time was shortened, which may explain the lower number of calls. Improved content leading to less need for additional help is another theory. This year, the phone bank was without a Spanish-speaking financial aid professional.
Summer Drive-In Workshop
Suzie Peterson reported that the Summer Drive-In Workshop that took place on the OSU campus went well. There was a time crunch surrounding on-line registration. There is a food bill still outstanding. Julia Reisinger will follow-up with Emilio at OSU to resolve this issue.
Support Staff Workshop
No report made, as co-chairs were absent from meeting.
Development
Randy Jones reported that the year was a good one for Development. More money was raised in 2003-04 than in the year prior; $44,625 was raised through sponsor fees and table fees from 19 sponsors and 25 exhibitors. A spreadsheet was distributed. A question was raised about whether there are any concerns about sponsor support dropping off with the changes in the loan industry. Group agreed to discuss this topic in future planning.
Technology
Pat Downey reported on the work done within the last year for the technology committee. New banner ads were posted on the OASFAA website; archives and awards pages were set up; schedule page was updated. In addition, on-line registration pages were set-up for all events and workshops. For new workshop registration pages to be set-up, Pat needs at least 2 weeks to get these up and running. Cost is $45 to ATAC for this service. Pat serves as the liaison between ATAC and OASFAA; changes should go to Pat who will pass these on to Paula at ATAC.
High School Counselor Training
No report as chair was absent.
Legislative
Susan Degen has a new position with OSAC, but is willing to continue serving as chair of this committee. As Susan couldn’t be at the meeting, she submitted her report through Dave Allen. It is likely that Reauthorization will fail to go through before September. If this happens, the process will start again in January.
Awards
Tracy Reisinger reported that awards were made successfully in past year. New awards will need to be posted on OASFAA website.
Vendor Liaison
Kate Bligh shared responses from vendors about the OASFAA Annual Conference. There were strong feelings from vendors that rules governing drawings are overly prescribed. Vendors were unhappy with the room in which they held their vendor sector meeting during conference and they hope that breaks will continue to be held in the room with vendor displays. Discussion concerning vendor requests was tabled for later in the meeting.
OSAC
Kat Kordon reported that public hearings on Senate Bill 437 (flat grant) are completed. The new Program Manager for the ASPIRE program is Vicki Falsgraf. This program has added 9 new schools to its roster, bringing the total number of schools served to 61. The new Program Manager of the Oregon Opportunity Grant program is Susan Degen. In addition, 4 colleges are currently running disbursement through OSAC; 7 new schools will be coming on to this program shortly.
OLD BUSINESS
Senate Bill 437: Jim Eddy asked for further discussion about Senate Bill 437. After discussions at the Annual Conference, OASFAA membership wanted further discussion concerning the issues surrounding the flat grant and a “task force” with members from all segments, before trying to reach consensus. Jim stated that he feels there is an expectation for OASFAA to have some discussion, research and dialogue about these issues, but that questions remain about how much time to spend on this process and whether consensus is possible. Tracy Reisinger stated that since the conference and hearing more from various constituents, she has come to the opinion that the segments will not reach consensus on this issue. She hopes that a great deal of time will not be spent on reaching this.
Direction from outgoing OASFAA Executive Board: The 2003-04 executive board spent time during their terms brainstorming about things OASFAA might want to do differently and coming up with what some of those things might be. Jim Eddy suggested that there might be a need for a new workshop for higher-level administrators offering intensive and in-depth training on a specific topic, (example 1040 review). The group agreed upon this concept. Dave Allen has asked for a “Training Chair,” someone who would work to coordinate OASFAA activities and look at what is already out there being offered by WASFAA and NASFAA and others.
Sherrill Kirchhoff Award: Sherrill Kirchhoff was supposed to be awarded the “Distinguished Service” award and was instead given the “Friends of OASFAA” plaque. Jim Eddy stated that the correct plaque should be ready by the end of the week.
Policies and Procedures: OASFAA Policies and Procedures have been updated and approved, but are yet to be put up on the OASFAA web site. Jim Eddy will work to have those added to the web before the end of the week.
NEW BUSINESS
Website voting: There was discussion regarding the process and etiquette around OASFAA voting. OASFAA members vote for the officers on-line at the OASFAA website. This year, results were sent to the OASFAA list serve before candidates were notified of the results. The group discussed whether there might be a need for more personal notification of candidates, before the general population is notified. Historically the OASFAA President has tried to contact every candidate personally – while time consuming, this has been a good time to recruit candidates who were not voted into office into other important roles within the organization. The board may want to set up some time-lines or procedures for this aspect of the election. Suggestions were made that within 48 hours of the election, the President should make his/her best effort to contact each candidate, first by phone and if necessary by e-mail.
Labels: Jane Reynolds asked the group for guidance concerning whether or not OASFAA will provide labels to companies/organizations wanted to promote their products to OASFAA members. The group agreed that if we provide this service, it is the responsibility of the Membership Committee Chair. However, a number of questions arose: How much would we charge? Can/should we do this electronically? Should there be boundaries on whom we will provide them to? Could this be a service provided just to vendors? Resolution of this question was tabled for later.
Debbie Owen Memorial Scholarship: A scholarship is being established in memory of Debbie Owen, an OIT financial aid counselor, who passed away in May. The scholarship will be administered through OSAC and will most likely be available to students attending OIT, KCC and/or OSU. Other details of the scholarship program are currently being discussed with Debbie’s family members. If $10,000 or more is contributed to the fund, the scholarship fund will be endowed.
TRANSITION
Jim Eddy passed on the Sage Box to incoming OASFAA President Dave Allen. Dave presented a plaque to Jim as thanks for his work as President during the 2003-04 year.
APPROVAL OF 2004-05 COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Dave Allen distributed a list showing the 2004-05 OASFAA Committee Chairs. Dina Birmingham has stated that she may not be able to serve as a chair, but Dave Allen will continue to speak to her. Tracy Reisinger moved to accept the committee chairs. Mary Jo Jackson seconded the motion. There was no discussion. Motion passed unanimously.
DATES FOR FUTURE MEETINGS
The following dates were decided upon as dates for future meetings of the 2004-05 OASFAA Executive Board: July 28, 2004
October 12, 2004
December 7, 2004
The Board also plans to meet on Sunday evening during the Annual Conference. Details to be determined later.
TREASURER’S REPORT & BUDGET REVIEW
Current checking account balance: $3,000, with $2,500 committed, but not yet paid
Money Market account: $27,600
Investment accounts: $88,900
C.D. reaches maturity on Thursday, May 27, 2004.
(Figures are appropriate).
Treasurer, Julia Reisinger provided an overview of the “Income & Expenses Summary” she handed out.
The Annual Conference Fees for 2005 will be as follows: $145 for OASFAA members registering by January 18th; $175 for non-members registering by January 18th; $175 for members registering after January 18th; $205 for non-members registering after January 18th.
Event fees will be $25 for OASFAA members and $35 for non-members (up from $20/$30).
There is a recommended increase of $4,000 in 2004-05 income for the Development committee. This additional income would come from additional fees gathered at the conference for tables. The Development Committee Co-chairs expressed concern at this expectation, especially in light of current concerns about vendor support. Group discussed this concern and agreed that $48,000 total income for this committee is a “good” goal, however, if it is not reached it will not necessarily be a problem.
No changes were made to membership dues.
The increase to “Scholarship” line item under Executive Board budget has not yet been designated for anything in particular.
A question came up about why in the OPB Night Budget, OSAC’s contribution is not listed. The answer was that the money doesn’t ever come through the OASFAA budget. OSAC’s contribution is in partnership with OASFAA and OPB.
Tracy Reisinger moved that we accept the budget as presented. Scott Money seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
WEB USE
Pat Downey gave overview of the possibilities for the organization to fully utilize the OASFAA website and supporting functions. He posed the question: “How does the web work for this group?” Minutes for committee meetings can be posted after each meeting; Executive Board meeting minutes posted after approval; a current events section with links to registration can also be created. Main discussion revolved around the “calendaring function” of the website. Currently, each committee can designate a person to update calendar information on the website; this hasn’t been happening and the feature has been unutilized. If the organization would like to change the way this function works, so that one person could update the calendar on behalf of the entire organization, a $225 fee will be assessed. A proposal was made that the new “Training Chair” might be in charge of keeping the OASFAA calendar updated. Pat will move forward with ATAC to change the function so that one designated person may be in charge of the calendar. Pat was asked about the level of traffic to the OASFAA website. He said that he would request a report. It was suggested that this information become part of the Technology Committee report at future OASFAA Exec Board meetings. Pat also noted that is $75 for new pages to be created on the OASFAA site, but there is no charge to add to or revise existing pages.
OPB FUNDING
Patti Brady-Glassman brought up her concern about the fact that OPB asked for additional money to make the “Financial Aid Night for Students” show in 2003. Posed the question of whether there would be at least the amount provided for last year ($4350) available again. The group was amenable to this. Julia Reisinger moved that new OPB Broadcast committee members be approved. Mickey Jacobson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
LABELS
It was decided that OASFAA will not provide labels to organizations wanting to contact our membership.
VENDOR GIFTS AT CONFERENCE
Dave Allen asked that the Vendor Liaison, Development Committee Co-Chairs and Annual Conference Committee Co-Chairs meet to discuss concerns and issues regarding gift presentation at the Annual Conference and report back to the Executive Board at the July 28th meeting.
CLOSER COORDINATION WITH WASFAA
Dave Allen brought up several areas where he would like to see increased cooperation between OASFAA and WASFAA: 1) Training 2) Graduate and Professional issues 3) Legislative issues. At this meeting we approved a new “Training Committee,” and the question arose, should we also formalize a position to work with WASFAA and NASFAA concerning issues that pertain specifically to graduate and professional students? Dave will ask Susan Degen to coordinate with WASFAA on legislative issues, position papers and research.
COMMITTEE DISCUSSIONS
Membership: Jane Reynolds reported her plans to be timelier with notifications about membership renewal dates. The membership drive for next year begins May 26, 2004. Plans to meet with Treasurer, Julia Reisinger, to better coordinate order of events for membership renewal and payment. It was decided that although paper checks may seem archaic, it might be wise to let WASFAA pioneer the change to on-line payment.
Annual Conference: Leslie Limper, OASFAA Annual Conference Co-Chair reported that the committee plans to meet monthly prior to the 2005 conference. Tracy Reisinger, WASFAA Annual Conference Chair will work with OASFAA Conference Co-Chairs to discuss what kinds of workshops and presentations will be happening at the WASFAA Conference. Jim Eddy moved that new committee members be accepted. Tracy Reisinger seconded the motion. There was discussion about whether members of the Development Committee could sit in on the Conference Committee meetings in an advisory capacity. The group agreed that this would be fine. The motion passed unanimously. Leslie asked if new committee members could be added at a later date. Dave Allen said to bring request to add members to next meeting for formal approval.
Support Staff Workshop: Rob Clark reported
that possible dates for the support staff workshop are October 29, 2004 or
November 19, 2004. The event will be held either on the
Development: Kathy McCutchen and Randy Jones asked that Glendi Gaddis be added to their committee. Jim Eddy moved that this addition be made. Katy Kelley seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. This committee will work on a calendar, timeline and website updates.
Technology: Pat Downey reported that he would be working on updates to the web mentioned earlier in the meeting, including the addition of OASFAA Policies and Procedures.
High School Counselor Training: Michelle
Holdway reported on behalf of Committee Chair Elizabeth Bickford, that she is
hoping that a Co-Chair can be named to serve with her. Dave Allen asked that
suggestions for Co-Chairs be sent to him or to
Awards: Jim Eddy will be chairing the OASFAA Awards Committee as past president. Awards include: Friend of OASFAA, Distinguished Service Award, Unsung Hero, and Lifetime Membership. Jim asked that nominations, proposals, questions and inspirational comments concerning these awards be forwarded on to him. Recipients of these awards must be approved at the December OASFAA Executive Board Meeting. The suggestion was also made that someone at each of the schools or organizations of the recipients should be notified in advance so that an effort can be made to get all of the people receiving the awards to be present at the Annual Conference.
Summer Drive-In Workshop: Date for the workshop will be held August 19th. Tracy Reisinger moved that new members to this committee be approved. Jim Eddy seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
OLD BUSINESS
Meeting location: Jim Eddy will try to
locate meeting space at
Job postings: The website is the ideal place for job postings. Once posted, a listing must be removed by the same person who originally submitted it. The posting time will be changed from 1 year to 2 months.
CD: One of OASFAA’s C.D.s matures on Thursday, May 27, 2004. There was discussion concerning what to do with the money. Julia Reisinger moved that the money be reinvested in another 6 month C.D. Mickey Jacobson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS
No new business.
Jim Eddy moved to adjourn the meeting. Tracy Reisinger seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.