Present: Bill Monroe, Gordon Spink, Bob Rice, Beryl Falcone, Dale Bartlett, Joe Levine, Gary Baron, Henry Nelson, Doug Goodrich, John Whitwell, Ken Bloomquist.
Secretary's Report
1999 Fall Reunion - September 11, 1999 - Beryl and Gary reported that 333 attended the Fall Reunion. In addition, a total of 453 paid dues this Fall. This is an increase in the number of people paying dues who were not participating. It appears that this year's announcements/registration form clarified the idea that it is possible to join the Association even though the person may not be able to participate in the Fall Reunion.
A concern regarding the high number of walk-ins (30+) at the event was discussed. It was suggested that a late registration fee be considered to entice members to register ahead of time. A concern was raised that the actions of the Board should not be perceived in a negative manner with the possibility of having negative affect on Association membership and participation. It was decided to continue this discussion in the future.
1999 Golf Outing - September 10, 1999 - Dale reported that 13 members participated in this year's First Annual event and everyone had a good time. The cost to the Association was very minimal - about $60. The Board felt that events of this sort were an excellent addition to the activities available to the membership and that Dale should consider coordinating the event again next year. Dale agreed to run next year's event.
Encore Newsletter - The next issue of Encore should be scheduled for publication prior to Christmas. Many comments were included in this Fall's Reunion Registration Form and space should be devoted in the Encore for sharing this information with the membership. In addition, other items that could be included in the Encore are a report of how our funds are being spent, outcomes of the Fall Reunion and the First Annual Gold Outing,
The idea of closer liaison between the Encore editor and the Board was discussed. This would help insure that material presented at Board meetings would be included in the Newsletter and that materials could be delivered to Eddy in a more timely manner. Bill Monroe agreed to fulfill this liaison function in a manner similar to the way that it had previously be done by the President-Elect. Such a liaison role should be considered as an ongoing responsibility of the President-Elect.
Cook Memorial Funds - The idea of presenting the remaining funds of the Cook Memorial to the MSU Development Office for use by the MSU Band Department for scholarships was discussed . A total of $815 remains in this account.
MSU Alumni Band Pins - Beryl and Gordon will be working with John Whitwell to identify students leaving the MSU Bands who are eligible for receiving a pin and free first year membership in the Association. Dates for them to make presentations to band members at the end of Fall Semester will be set with John.
Pins will also be made available for sale to Association members at the Fall Reunion and the Spring Reunion.
Policy Regarding Release of Membership Information - Joe shared a draft of a policy regarding the protection of information regarding our membership to outside organizations.
Policy Regarding Mailing of Newsletter - It was decided that all persons on the Association's mailing list will receive a copy of the summer Newsletter that announces the Fall Reunion. Subsequent Newsletters during the year will be sent only to members of the Association.
Enlarging the Board Membership - Gordon shared an idea regarding the enlarging of the Board Membership beyond the current 5 members. The purpose would be to involve additional members in the workings of the Association. Members liked the idea of encouraging greater participation of Members. The idea of enlarging the Board, however, was not seen as the only way for doing this. Additionally, the question was raised regarding the status of the Historian and whether or not a previous Board had officially made this position a Board Member position. (Joe will be searching the Minutes of past meetings to find out the answer.) This concern will continue to be discussed in the future.
Defining who is eligible for membership - The Board discussed the question of who was eligible for membership in the Association. Specifically, were members of the Touring Band who did not participate in an MSU Band Ensemble eligible for membership in the Association? The sentiment of the Board was that current members of the Association who had not participated in an MSU Band Ensemble but did participate in the Touring Band be "grandfathered" as regular members of the Association. However, if their membership in the Association lapsed they would no longer be eligible for regular membership.
Additionally, a new category of membership, Associate Membership, be created to provide a way for members of the Touring Band to join the Association if they had not participated in an MSU Band Ensemble.
Alumni Pep Bands - The idea of Alumni Pep Bands was briefly discussed. It was suggested that there were times during the Winter that more than one pep band was needed and it might be a viable form of participation for the Association. Henry suggested that the Strolling Spartans were already filfilling this function at times. Gordon and Henry will be discussing these ideas with John Madden and reporting back to the Board.
Fund Raising by the Association - The idea of a major fund raising effort by the Association in support of new facilities for the MSU Bands was briefly discussed. It was felt that the Association has a viable role to play in this area. Eddy Deeb has been a strong supporter of this effort and encouraging the Association to become proactive. Gordon will be talking with Eddy and encouraging him to attend the next Board meeting at which time a plan for moving ahead can be discussed.
Cherry Festival Request - A request from the Cherry Festival for encouraging Association members to participate in the Cherry Festival Band was briefly discussed. Beryl said that she would make sure that the announcement appeared in the next issue of Encore.
Website - Joe was complemented on the development of the Association's website. Over 130 former MSU band members are presently listed on the site. Photos of the Fall Reunion and Golf Outing are available for viewing on the site.
European Touring Band Trip - Henry reported that planning is proceeding well with the European Tour. He will be providing information to Bill for including in the next Encore.
Next Meeting - The date for the next meeting of the Board has been set for December 5, 1999 (2:00 pm, Buddies in Okemos).
Meeting was adjourned at 4:25 pm.
The Board recognizes the sensitive and privileged nature of the membership information which it has collected/stored and will take measures to guard against the inappropriate release and or use of this information.
I. In all cases the President will be responsible for resolving any questions of the implementation of this Policy.
II. Requests for release of membership information for commercial purposes will be denied.
III. Requests for release of membership information for non-commercial use will be considered in the following manner:
A. Requests by individuals, either members of the Association or not, for information about a particular member(s). The requesting individual will be notified whether or not the Association has the requested information. If the Association has the requested information, the request will be honored by forwarding it directly to the member(s) in question for response. The requesting individual will not be directly provided the information.
B. Requests by musical organizations, alumni associations, and other non-profit groups for obtaining a total membership list will be denied. At the discretion of the President, however, appropriate publicizing of the groups' request through the Association's Newsletter or Website may be granted.
C. In such cases where it is felt that the release of the total membership list will provide a direct benefit to the Association membership and not jeopardize the privacy of individual members the request will be brought to the Board for consideration. The Board will have the power to release the list upon a majority vote. The Board's decision should be predicated on concerns for protecting the privacy of the members, the establishment of safeguards against the unauthorized and/or repeated use of the list, and the release of only such information as is absolutely necessary for the requestor's purposes.
D. Membership information will be routinely made available to the MSU Bands for use in organizing events in support of the mission of the MSU Band Alumni Association.
IV. Requests for release of information about Board members will be honored. Such information will be limited to name and address but will not include telephone number or other recorded information.
V. The following notice will appear on any member information that is made available for the use of others:
"This MSU Alumni Band Association member information has been made available with the understanding that it is privileged information and care must be taken to protect the privacy rights of the individual(s) whose information is contained herein. In no event shall this information be distributed in any manner other than that which has been requested."