[Imc] Meeting notes 12-10-00

[Peter Miller]

We have an address!  218 W. Main St., Urbana.

IMC Notes
12/10/00
at 1006 S. Garfield

Attending: Laura Haber, Bob Cook, Pauline Bartolone, Ed Mandel, Paul
Riismandel, Molly Stentz, Sarah Kanouse, Mike Lehman, Danielle Chynoweth, Peter
Miller, Sascha Meinrath , Brian Hagy, Russel Dietrich-Rybicki, Nancy
Dietrich-Rybicki, Brent McDonald, Eric Hiltner, Kate McDowell, Mark Enslin
(facilitator), Dave Rowley, Paul Kaiser, Sehvilla Mann, Sarah Carsey, Maria
Silva.

Nonprofit Status:  Sascha says we received our nonprofit status from Illinois!

Agenda:
1) Eric's Exercise (criteria for evaluating the work we're doing)
2) Librarians Report
3) Committee updates, ending with News, incl. tomorrow's program
4) Space
5) General Updates

1) Eric's exercise.  Attendees write down the criteria for evaluating the work
that the IMC does and return those items to Eric (akaphrates at hotmail.com)

2) Librarians.  What kind of physical print items would we want in the IMC
library (including on-line things).  What media resources do we need? 
Attendees write their needs on note cards and return them to Kate.

Librarians are figuring out how to organize IMC resources.

Librarians email list--Danielle will establish.  

Next meeting: Thursday, 5:15 at 604 S. Race. 

3) News

Formatting the WEFT program.  Paul Riismandel reported on a meeting last week. 
Aim program not only at activists but also at broad community.  Try to make
reports as balanced as possible.  We don't know the name of the program, yet;
but the official WEFT program name is "News with Views."  We have a news
listserv, but we may want to keep using the main IMC list for news until we
have a better division of labor.  No plans for a follow-up news format
meeting.  We decided not to plan another meeting, yet.

Danielle has a tape of David Barsamian talking about how to conduct
interviews.  We might consider having a group listen to it.

News in progress:
·       Danielle was working on the Urbana public schools project/"educating for
democracy"
·       Eric has reports from Urbana--written and ready to go.
·       Tuition increase at UI.  Brent is talking to Kurt Hilgendorf of Students
for Quality Education about the increase.
·       Molly attended the Bellflower mega cow farm meeting.
·       Downtown Urbana development--Eric will take a shot at it for the program
tomorrow.
·       Pauline will write about the Champaign city council meeting and Urban
planning.
·       Guerilla theatre--Danielle will report on public bus theatre.
·       School climate survey status:  Mike Cain delayed it until later in the
spring.  The researchers have said they'll release it by Feb. if Champaign
doesn't do it.  Talk to Sascha. Nancy R-D will write something for the news
program.
·       Brian--DSC story by News-Gazette was retracted. 

Peter asked for 100 - 150 words on each story, to be emailed to him and the IMC
list by 3 p.m. on Monday 12/11 for the Monday news program.

Other stories that people should start thinking about?
·       County board democrats.  Mike Lehman will keep an eye on it.
·       Wed. 13, 2:30, YMCA Board, Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice.  
·       Thurs, 14, Douglass Center, 6:30 - 8:30, Art Opening. 
Celebration--Mural Project.  Trying to get media coverage but being shafted. 
Brent will cover (stills); Maria Silva will take video.
·       Danville plant closing.  Peter will try to cover it.
·       GMO story.  Anyone interested?  Maybe Peter, Eric...
·       Henderson, KY UAW folks.  Sat., D16, Noon - 2 p.m., Duncan and
Springfield.  Sascha--should we record it?  IMC did it for the Urbana schools
thing, and we should do it for this.  Good for IMC, good for them.
·       Gesuntheit Board of Directors,  Mark Enslin.
·       D18 Urbana City Council--Human Relations Commission address overturning
of a HRC ruling.  Pauline and Danielle will cover.

Youth caucus at WEFT.  Danielle would like to bring them into IMC for media
production.

News passes?  Technical difficulties. Need PC with Photoshop to finish.  Give
picture to Brian if you want a pass, and he'll make it.

4) Updates
Budget.  Things look good.  Kate McDowell came aboard.  We're $850/month thus
far.  All of it is coming in.

Outreach.  Springfield folks are trying to get along.  National IMC folx are
very interested in us because we look competent (we have a fundraising scheme,
e.g.).  

Equipment. New portable minidisc is currently connected to Brian's computer. 
List of available equipment is available from Mike Lehman
(rebelmike at earthlink.net).

Tech.  urbana.indymedia.org--the site is up, but it's messy.  Bob volunteered
to work on the site.  Editorial system for article reviews is important.  List
of upcoming stories is important.

5) Space
The floor plan was presented.  Sascha proposed that we rent it as of Jan. 1.
Answer to previous questions:
Construction begin next fall at earliest.
Construction Discount: no
Rent after construction: unknown
Power bills: Max at $200/month (avg.) over the year.
Antenna: no prob.
Fan:  OK (not ceiling fans)
Flexibility constructing space:  anything we want, as long as we don't affect
structural integrity.
Lease begins: Jan. 1
When we can begin using:  We can get in any time (today, e.g.)
We'll have to do construction work (removing 3/4 walls, e.g.)
They won't remove carpet.
Lease term: 1 year.

Current budget is tight.  (Income is currently $850/month plus $2500 in the
bank. Expenses are $900/month for rent and utilities) 

Opposition to signing the lease?  
·       Cost is a concern.  
·       Eric doesn't think we need it because we've succeeded in producing media
without it.
·       Pauline proposed that we create a fundraising committee before we sign
the lease--several people expressed immediate interest.

Pro's
·       Landlords are nice and they live upstairs.
·       Relative cost is low.
·       It's a big, nice space.

We agreed by consensus to rent the space.  
Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center 
218 W. Main St. 
Urbana, IL 61801

Board will sign: Danielle, Sascha, Maiko, Mike Lehman, Brian, and Molly. 
Proposal to ask for delayed lease until Jan. 15.  Agreed.  If not Jan. 15, then
will bring it back to the group for discussion of a start date.  Sascha will
take the lease to Esther Patt for review.  

Form a design focus group?  Design Charrette--think about the function and
design of the space (a focus group).  Yes.  Danielle will help set it up. 
Brian, Danieille, Mike, Paul, Sarah, Eric.  6:30 p.m. Friday D15 at the space. 


Next meeting facilitator:  12/17/00, at 1006 S. Garfield.  Paul Riismandel

Meeting Adjourned at 1:40 p.m.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.chambana.net/pipermail/imc/attachments/20001210/e81fb836/attachment.html>