VCU African-American Alumni Council

Council Meeting Minutes

African American Alumni Council Meeting
VCU Alumni Association Boardroom
University Student Commons
Saturday, May 12, 2001

MEMBERS PRESENT: Thurmond Alford, Angela Brame, Lisa Brownlee, Larry Powell, and Rose M. Roberson

The meeting was called to order at 10:15 a.m.

Ms. Roberson welcomed the attendees and led the group introductions. AAAC President Linnie Carter asked Ms. Roberson to preside over the meeting in her absence due to a scheduling conflict.

A motion was made to approve the March 17, 2001 minutes as submitted. Moved. Seconded. Carried.

An Executive Committee meeting was held on April 12, 2001. The committee discussed the following items:

b.    Possible Reasons for Low Turnout: This year none of the major Black Greek organization celebrated an anniversary, therefore the Reunion Weekend didn't have sponsorship from any of the fraternities and sororities. Mr. Powell said that this year would be a good indication of the AAAC's ability to sustain its level of success on its own. The committee will discuss marketing strategies to get more alumni involved in Reunion Weekend.

c.     Recognition for Council Members: Mr. Powell suggested that AAAC recognize Jackie Tunstall Bynum and Rumae Foddrell for their outstanding work as co-chairs the Programs and Events Committee. After some discussion, it was decided that Ms. Carter would present a plaque to Ms. Bynum and Ms. Foddrell at the Sunday morning "Until We Meet Again" breakfast.

d.     AAAC President-elect: Nina Goodwyn was nominated to serve as the AAAC's President-elect beginning July 1, 2001 and ending June 30, 2002. A special election will be held during the May meeting.

Due to the AAAC's president-elect vacancy, a special election was held to fill the position. Ms. Goodwyn was the sole nominee for the vacancy. The election was conducted and Ms. Goodwyn was installed as the AAAC's president-elect as of July 1, 2001.

VI.    COMMITTEE REPORT

Professional Development - reported by Rose Roberson

Ms. Roberson lead a discussion reviewing some of the committee's events proposed for next year.

a.    Mentoring Students and Professional Development - Consider creating a possible list or database of successful alumni in various professional fields and match them with students who have an interest in pursuing a career in the same profession. The idea could possibly be linked to the Reunion Weekend Community Service Project. Similar programs in the past have experienced some success.

b.    Increased AAAC Diversity - Discuss how to attract more minority males to the Council to help mentor minority male teenagers and young adult.

Mr. Alford also suggested establishing an outreach program for VCU students interested in careers in acting, directing, producing, etc. Mr. Alford said a lot of movies are now being filmed in the Richmond area and an outreach program could help expose more young minorities to the industry. Mr. Alford recommends contacting Millennium Studios to possibly sponsor a tour for interested students. He said it would also be a good way for the Council to get some exposure.

Programs & Events - Reported by Larry Powell

Reunion Weekend

Mr. Powell reported that the AAAC had another successful Reunion Weekend. Though attendance was down from recent years, the AAAC was pleased with the end result, and the feedback has been positive thus far. More than 300 people attended the dance, over 100 participated in the picnic, and approximately 134 attended the Annabel Lee party cruise. The Sunday morning farewell breakfast was a new event added this year and it turned out to be an excellent program. Mr. Powell also thanked all AAAC members who have helped with planning Reunion Weekend.

Mr. Powell also expressed disappointment in the number of participants who registered late or chose not to register at all and just paid on-site during Reunion Weekend. This practice makes it very difficult to forecast attendance at each event. It also put additional stress on the staff during the days leading up to the weekend. The Programs and Events Committee will discuss ways to address this problem in preparing for next year's reunion.

Mr. Alford suggested ways to more effectively utilize the media in promoting Reunion Weekend:

b.    Contact Barbara Jackson, Editor-in-Chief of the Metro Business Section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

c.    Link to the Richmond.com website.

Mr. Powell also reported that Reunion Weekend photos can be viewed on the AAAC's website.

Multicultural Graduation

Mr. Powell reported that the AAAC would again participate in the Office of Multicultural Affair's graduation ceremony for minority students the evening before commencement. All AAAC members are invited and encouraged to attend.

Scholarships - Reported by Larry Powell

Mr. Powell stated that over $8,400 in unpaid pledges have not been honored by alumni supporting the AAAC's Freshman Merit Scholarship campaign. The AAAC previously included a letter from the AAAC president and Scholarship Committee chairperson encouraging alumni to fulfill their pledges. Unfortunately, the pledges remain unpaid and the AAAC will discontinue sending pledge reminders to these individuals. However, enough money was raised to meet the $10,000 threshold needed to establish the scholarship endowment. A renewable scholarship award will be made to the highest ranking African-American freshman beginning Fall 2001.

Mr. Powell reported that there may be interest in the DC area to re-establish a DC area AAAC group. Ms. Roberson suggested that this issue be tabled until the September meeting in order to have a more comprehensive discussion with more members present. In the interim, Ms. Roberson suggested that the DC area alumni begin working on a mission statement and information regarding any funding requests.

Meeting was adjourned at noon.

Respectfully Submitted,
Rose M. Roberson
AAAC Secretary

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