[Imc] Steering Group Minutes - 30 June 2002

[Michael S. Feltes]

Present: Brian, Mike L. (Space), Mike W. (Print), Mike F. (Radio News),
Paul R. (Tech), Paul K.

Group Reports:

Print - MW reports that Print needs more detail on finances.  Need to know
where the donations are coming from.  PR reported on new indy paper
syndicate that started at the Underground Publishing Congress, to which
the public i has affiliated.  The syndicate list will be set up on
groogroo in the next few days.

Space - Nothing new other than the Capital Campaign, which will be in Old
Biz.

BH raises the point that we really need the back sink.  ML says that it's
a landlord thing at this point.

Paul would like a space for "for-sale" zines outside of the display cases
so that folks can look over them.  The wall opposite the register next to
the bathroom would be a good spot; some various solutions are bandied
about.  Topic for future space meetings.

Tech - Implementation of Dada software is on hold until Clint's return.
Once installed, it should solve every technical problem we've had with the
website, particularly mp3 uploads.

News - Last Radio News meeting sketched out plans for the next few months.
We have reporters who will be coming back from their travels and producing
shows; Liz Avery will be producing a show about her travel to Bread and
Puppets Collective and Clint will be producing about Guatamalan refugees.

Finance - Paul will send out letters this week to Founding Funders asking
them to re-up.

Old Biz:

Conflict Resolution - PK wants to point out that he believes that his
proposal doesn't bypass our decision-making processes, as was pointed out
in the last Steering meeting.  ML wants this better delinated.

PR says that what PK is proposing sounds like a caucus.  To him, there
seem to be two types of problems that come up: problem people, who refuse
to work with us and just throw bombs, and problem situations, where people
are willing to work within the consensus process.  PK has concerns about a
seperate email list; he'd prefer to get people face-to-face much more
quickly rather than have a seperate email list.

ML points out that many of the problems which have happened w/o Steering's
knowledge end up falling in Steering's lap when they blow up. PR suggests
a clearer procedure for addressing problems.  Two positions to help
facilitate resolution could be an advocate, who would act as eyes, ears,
and a sounding board for a greivant, and who could help turn the conflict
into a resolvable situation, and also people who would mediate conflicts
if the parties having sat down face-to-face can't come up with a solution.

PR will set out his thoughts in an outline to the main IMC list in the
next few days, and perhaps those ideas can work into the solutions that PK
and Becca and Ellen have come up with. Further discussion next week.

Website use - ML reports that he thought that the poster commonly known as
DAN would straighten up earlier this week, but he has reverted to hateful
ways toward the end of this last week.  ML proposes that DAN be placed on
the perpetual hide list.  Because DAN can only be identified based on an
MO which ML has set out in earlier emails, ML will ID these posts in
a comment.  His ID's are always subject to review in the hidden lists, and
PR encourages people to read the hidden files regularly to make sure that
posts are not being hidden incorrectly.

4th of July - PR has 2 concerns.  If we impugn the N-G w/o evidence, we
put the IMC's credibility on the line.  Attacking the N-G could also
jeopardize future participation in parades, because the organization of
the parade has been separated from the city governments very carefully,
and so free speech issues could be bypassed.

The discussion seemed to favor a more positive message at the parade,
something along the lines of "Freeing people, freeing press".  Final
discussion of the message will probably take place at a upcoming workday
on Monday to construct banners and floats; keep an eye out for an
announcement.

Capital Campaign - Ad hoc group that met last week wants Steering to
approve an exploratory committee for funding that would prepare a business
plan for the purchase of a building to present to the membership at our
October meeting.  Action postponed until more spokes are present.

New Biz:

Bookmobile - Our guests had some runins with the police this weekend.
PR will write up a fuller description that would be placed on the website
in a few days, but suffice it to say for now that Paul will be speaking on
the subject at tomorrow night's City Council meeting, along with a few
other IMCstas, and you're encouraged to attend.

meeting dissolves


Michael Feltes
mfeltes at ucimc.org

"You may share in the labours of the great, but you will not share in the
spoil."  -Aesop