Council Meeting Minutes
African American Alumni Council Meeting
VCU Alumni House - Conference Room
Saturday, November 5, 2005
MEMBERS PRESENT: Franklin Dunn, Michelle Jones, Larry Powell, Regina Phinizey, Edward Robinson and Franklin Wallace. Guest: Miatta Sinayoko representing the VCU Black Caucus.
I. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 10:13 a.m.
II. WELCOME
Mr. Wallace welcomed the members to the meeting.
III. PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Mr. Wallace shared the AAAC meeting dates for the 2005-06:
December 3, 2005, February 4, 2006, March 4, April 1, April 29 (during the reunion), June 3.
Sponsors
Mr. Wallace asked the members to bring a name of a company that could serve as a potential AAAC sponsor. Mr. Powell was asked to check the university's policy on sponsorship and report the findings at the next AAAC meeting. Mr. Wallace said that he had information about sponsorship and would bring it to the next meeting.
Founders Day
The Founders Day/Alumni Stars event will be held on Friday, November 11 at the Science Museum. Mr. Wallace encouraged everyone to attend and reported that he will send a congratulatory letter to the lone African-American alumni star recipient, Mrs. Anita M Josey-Herring.
Other Items
Mr. Wallace suggested that AAAC consider sponsoring alumni trips similar to what the VCU Alumni Association (VCUAA) offer to alumni. It was also suggested that the AAAC consider coordinating an alumni game night similar to what the School of Business and the Young Alumni Council are doing this basketball season. Ms. Michelle Jones thought that the alumni game night was a good idea but she also felt that the Council should consider piggybacking or co-sponsoring activities with other groups and organizations.
IV. COMMITTEE REPORTS
Budget
Mr. Powell distributed a copy of the current AAAC budget. He commented that there weren't many expenditures at this point in the fiscal year. He noted that the Council joined the VCUAA in making a $200 contribution to the VCU Katrina Relief fund. The VCU Student Alumni Ambassadors also contributed $100.
Dues
Mr. Powell shared a report on alumni association membership and fund raising participation. The stats were broken down by various schools and a separate report was provided indicating support among African-American alumni. Mr. Powell pointed out that stats for African-American alumni were significantly lower than the overall alumni numbers. The goal for the alumni association is to increase membership by 10% and the AAAC was asked to strive for similar improvement.
Nominations
Mr. Powell reported that AAAC officer elections will take place during the April 3, 2006 meeting and a slate of candidates needs to be presented to the member by the January 7th meeting. A call for nominations will be included in the next AAAC newsletter and the executive committee will serve as nomination committee.
Professional Development
Mentoring
Mr. Wallace asked Mr. Powell if he heard anything about the mentorship program. Mr. Powell stated that he had not but would call Ms. Walker to get the status of that program.
Black Caucus Report
Ms. Sinayoko is the historian for the VCU Black Caucus and will serve as their representative at future AAAC meetings. She reported on several items:
* The Black Student Alliance is now called Black/Latina Alliance.
* Two new student organizations have been formed: Psychology student group and the African-American Tidewater area student group.
* Student Government Funds - Ms. Sinayoko stated that Black Caucus does not receive much funding from the student government and she thought their methods of distribution were unfair. She said that the Black Caucus follows the proper procedures for requesting funds and their representatives also attend a class regarding these procedures. Mr. Wallace said that the AAAC would be happy to provide the Black Caucus with any assistance they may need in preparing their funding request presentation and that the Black Caucus needs to make sure they're completely understand the criteria and specific requirements for student government funding.
* The Black Caucus would benefit by having the AAAC serve as an advisory resource for assistance and guidance on various issues that come up throughout the year.
* Ms. Sinayoko is attempting to construct scrapbooks on the history of the Black Caucus and asked for the AAAC's help in identifying and locating former caucus members.
Program and Events
Reunion
Mr. Powell stated that this year for reunion in lieu of a fraternity/sorority celebrating an anniversary this year the program and events committee is exploring the concept of focusing on a school based reunion (i.e. African-American Mass Comm majors).
Mr. Powell discussed the overall reunion discussing that have taken place thus far and said the challenge would be to incorporate everything members would like to plan into one weekend. He also reported that the reunion "Mark Your Calendar" postcard will hopefully be mailed before Thanksgiving.
Outreach and Recovery Summit
Mr. Wallace reported that the AAAC is working on an outreach summit to bring together former and current faculty, alumni, and students for the purpose of discussing issues relevant to the African-American student experience on our campus.
Public Relations
Website
Mr. Wallace and Mr. Powell will meet with a representative from the VCU Information Technology department to discuss enhancements to the AAAC's website. After the meeting they will meet with alumni activities director Mr. Chip Rossi to discuss the AAAC website plans and make a final decision of the proper course of action.
VCU Alumni Association Board Representative
Ms. Jones stated that all of the alumni associations are facing membership participation problems. She suggested that the Council needs to figure out the best way to appeal to alumni to encourage increased participation. She stated that the Young Alumni Council is having success with their activities and that the AAAC should consider partnering with them in the future. After further discussion the reunion golf outing was thought to be a potential activity that could be jointly coordinated.
V. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at noon.
Respectfully submitted
Regina Phinizey