I. Call to Order 7:04pm

II. Roll Call:  Ross Furner, Peter Emigh, Christy Donnelly, Suzanne Blasi, Scott Karow, Hye Won Lee, Elliot Norton, Todd Borland, Ginny Greiman, Andrea Pollack, Andy Hackett, Nikki Terzopolos, Jeff Baltzer, Meg Carlson

III. Previous Meeting Minutes Approval

A. 12 January 2009 – no objections, minutes approved 7:11pm

IV. Old Business

A. Vote on Renaissance Hotel contract for spring social, all in favor, none opposed

V. Officer Reports

A. President

1. New Volunteers – we have quite a number of new volunteers; greeters for events

2. Affiliate Group and Individual Award Nominations

3. Nominations Chair – Christy wants has volunteered for the nominations chair position (currently vacant).  

B. Treasurer

1. Financial Status Update

a. January was very light due to the large debit for Red Sox and Bruins tickets.  Moneys for tickets are beginning to trickle in, and spring outlook is positive.

b. $1500 currently in checking account as of Feb

c. web transactions are working very well – positive response from members, Andrea is tracking number of transactions through an email report she receives in realtime.

d. Next month Andy will present an update on how we are measuring up to our budget so far this year

C. VP Programs

1. Big Ten events – there is a scheduling conflict between Big Ten & PSU. Saturday March 14th there is a Bruins game, plus a free bowling event at Jillian’s through Big Ten.

2. Networking – March 18th will be the Networking Lunch for March, held at Skipjack’s.  Hae-Won reports that attendance has declined significantly, and the majority of attendees are either business owners, or unemployed and seeking job opportunities. 

a. Ideas/Possible solutions

i. Christy will look into resume posting on the PSU website

ii. Hye Won is considering starting happy hours back up in order to separate social seekers vs. job seekers

iii. Nikki suggested a posting board similar to the Chicago PSU website where job seekers and hiring parties can go to seek opportunities or advertise opportunities.

3. Red Sox tickets

a. Increase ticket limit to 4

i. Board agrees to increase limit to 4, will be announced when newsletter is released on Saturday

4. Bruins tickets

a. Remove ticket limit – we’ve sold 11 of 24 tickets.  Andy is going to remove the limit so increase the sell-through rate.  He will also update those who have already purchased tickets to let them know they may now purchase additional tickets.

5. Updates to the calendar

D. VP Membership – No update on membership numbers from Lisa, but she will update us shortly.

E. VP University Relations

1. LionsROAR volunteers needed – Peter and Janine have volunteered

a. Peter will take on recruiting Alumni to our group

b. Janine will take over eLion recruitment, where she will be able to talk to offer-ees about their acceptance. However, Ginny needs more volunteers for eLion because it’s a time consuming responsibility.  Volunteers will need to call up offer-ees, ask them if there’s anything you can assist with, and inform them about the Offer Reception.

c. Ginny handed out packets containing info in students that need to contacted regarding their offers.  Call and completed packets are due back to 3/2

d. Ginny needs donations for the silent auction for the spring social.  Each board member is responsible for one donation.  Date of Spring Social is 5/9/9.

2. Distribution of tasks

VI. Committee Reports

A. Alumni Admissions

B. Community Service

1. March 28th – Habitat for Humanity

a. Ross has about 8 volunteers

b. There is a monetary commitment involved, Ross may seek chapter assistance if individuals cannot come up with funds.

2. April 25th – Charles River Cleanup

3. June 6th – Saturday/Sunday’s Bread

4. October – Greater Boston Food Bank

C. Newsletter

1. Monthly newsletter policy/schedule

a. Postcard went out

b. Newsletter is online, we have a 4 Newsletter limit per month

i. 2 per month will be member benefits & upcoming events

ii. 1 last minutes cancellations, time changes, etc.

D. Scholarship

1. No updates until May, when Suzanne hears from the University.  She will then hear what we can give based on the development of our Endowment 

2. Silent Auction – May 8th

E. Spring Social – May 8th Renaissance Waterfront Hotel 

1. Logistics

a. Parking options: Valet, Hotel Garage, Courthouse Lots, and limited metered parking on the street

b. Food – Passed appetizers, pasta stations, cash bar but no dessert this year ($30/per person)

c. A/V – total cost estimated to be $250. Projector was acquired for $100 ($50 fee for A/V)

d. Attendance – shooting for 80 people.

e. Total Event Charges will be ~$3200 for 80 people, and we are aiming to get a stipend for a keynote speaker.  Proposed ticket charge for members:  earlybird nonmember purchase by April 15th, $35.00 and $25.00 for members, after April 15th $40.00 and $30.00 respectively. 

F. Member Benefits (Scott):

1. Scott will be reaching out to local business owners who are Alumni that may be willing to offer some sort of discount or member benefit

2. Scott will be working on creating ways to track participation for documentation purposes

VII. New Business

A. LionsROAR Committee proposals (see attached packet outlining proposals)

B. First reading of new By-Laws made this evening at 8:16pm (first of 3)

C. Community Service and Philanthropy Committees proposal

D. Appointment of committee chairs – Andrea motioned to approved, All in favor, none opposed.

VIII. Good of the Order

A. Open positions

1. Football chair

2. Activities chair

3. Membership committee chair

4. Hospitality chair

B. Next Meeting

1. Thursday, March 26rd, 2009 at 7:00pm. Location is Charlestown

C. Informal Discussion

1. Introducing Todd & Peter – new volunteers

IX. Final Notes and Task Assignments

A. Meeting adjourned at 8:21pm.

LionsROAR committee proposal

Whereas this chapter has coordinated the local activities of LionsROAR for many years; and

Whereas the chapter has an interest to formalize the work performed by this committee,

I  move that the bylaws ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES be amended to

• Renumber #12 to #13
• Insert “12. There shall be a LionsROAR Committee. This committee shall provide volunteers to assist the Admissions Office in the LionsROAR program in the greater Boston area. The committee will recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers to fulfill the program’s objectives.”

Community Service and Philanthropy Committees proposal:

Whereas charitable giving and community service are fulfilling parts of the lives for many of our members; and

Whereas the chapter has the purpose to promote the fellowship and the welfare of Penn State alumni residing in the Greater Boston area by providing services and opportunities for contact,

I move that the bylaws ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES be amended to

• Renumber #13 to #15
• Insert “13. There shall be a Community Service Committee. This committee shall provide opportunities for members to volunteer together at local events and to connect interested members with service opportunities that meet their interests.”
• Insert “14. There shall be a Philanthropy Committee. This committee shall provide opportunities for members to participate together and organize charitable events and to connect interested members with charitable opportunities that meet their interests.”

Committee Chair appointments:

Be it moved that the following appointments are made for committee chairs

Nominating Committee: Cristy Donnelly

Freshmen Reception Committee: Allison Kerivan

Social Events Committees: Whitney Carroll, Dia Karakantas, Mitch Angle