[Imc] Steering Group Meeting 4/7/02

[Clint Popetz]

Steering Group Meeting, 4/7/02

Attending: Avram (facilitating), Danielle, Jenny, James, Russ, Ellen,
Sascha, Clint (taking notes), Brian,


Group Reports: 

Avram: Newshour last week was somewhat hosed due to technical
problems.  News is recruiting.  

Shows: Sascha is fronting money for a PA, hopefully in time for Olson
show.  Jenny is going to make a display for shows to alert attendees
to volunteer opportunities.

Outreach: Disbanded; every group should do some sort of outreach.
Ellen says that although outreach in its current form wasn't very
useful, she's worried about groups becoming territorial about people,
and having an outreach group would be an useful way to coordinate
inter-group relations.  Brian says that perhaps steering should be
doing that.  Sascha notes that we can always reconvene outreach as an
adhoc group to deal with issues/events.  Danielle recalls her comments
from the membership meeting, where she noted that outreach needs to be
a priority for the IMC, and having a group to kick people into doing
outreach might be useful in the future.

Librarians: We met and focused on cleaning/organizing the librarians
junk in the back area.  We weeded some books, and if people look
through the boxes and see something worth keeping, email the
librarians and give what should be kept and why.  We can't keep
everything.  In the front room we organized the bulletin board to
make a clearer place for notes.  The staffing information has been
moved from the main board over to the area next to the staffing
computer.  A space has been made to post volunteer opportunities.  The
requests for help should be very specific.  Sascha asks for a clear
dividing line between internal IMC stuff and external stuff.  Ellen
volunteers to do that Tuesday.  

Print: Absent.

Space: Reservations of the space is now being done in coordination
with the shows group.  Clint is still the contact person for renting
the space, but he is now going to shows group meetings.  We are
getting many more requests for space rentals than Clint can possibly
staff by himself.  As new requests come in, he is going to start
sending them to the IMC list to see if anyone is interesting in
staffing them, assuming they happen during a non-staffed time.  The
IMC makes $50 on the middle room, and $70 on the back room, so if you
see a potential rental that you are interested in attending, please
consider volunteering to staff it (meaning, make sure you are here and
the building is open and closed before and after.)  

Finance: We are running a deficit.  Fiscal sponsorship and shows are
keeping us afloat, but founding funders are drying up, and so we are
not sustainable at this point.  We are now at 20 funders, down from 50
or so.  Russ offers to pay for a dinner for funders.  This will be
discussed at the finance group.  We really need people finding ways to
raise money.  Our endowment gives us 4-5 months of operating costs.
So no one should panic now, but it is a serious issue, and we need
help.  Please talk to Sascha if you want to help with finances or
fundraising.  No skills required.  

Tech: Met, discussed video camera.  There is a new staffing computer.


Old Business: 

	Language in structure document.

		As a recap, at the membership meeting it was suggested/agreed
	that we need non-discriminatory language in our structure document.
	Ellen brings a proposal that the following statement be added.
	"The IMC is committed to creating and maintaining an open and fair
	community.  Meetings are open to all without regard to age, gender, 
	race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, or any 
	other applicable basis proscribed by law.  Every participant will be 
	treated fairly and equitably."  

		Ellen also proposes that this language be put out to the list, 
	so that others may comment, and we could bring those changes to the 
	next steering meeting.  This was passed by consensus.


Spring Cleaning is happening after this meeting.

Buying the building:  

	Is this a good idea?  Worries about duties of being landlords.
	Danielle suggests that we hire a building manager and pay them.
	Danielle asks if we can prequalify for a loan.  Sascha says that the
	fiscal sponsorship gives us a lot of money to count as "ours."  Sascha
	proposes that we look into buying the building.  This passes by
	consensus.  Note that this doesn't mean Sascha will buy the building;
	it's a long way off.  We are now in the investigation/feasibility
	stage.

Announcements:

	Green party is having a fundraiser at Carl's house, 5
Litchfield lane (peals of laughter) in Champaign from 2-4.  

	Alex Olson playing Tuesday at 8pm, with the Newspoets opening.
Spread the word, because the DI and the Octupus didn't promote this as
well as last week.  Cover is $10 and up, sliding scale.

	Ellen has decided not to serve another term as a library spoke
to the steering group.  She wants to make it clear that this has
nothing to do with the climate of the steering group.  She needs to
focus on her thesis.

Meeting Adjourned.