Jan 10, 2003, Tucson, AZ

WESTOP
Board of Director’s Meeting
January 10, 2003
Radisson City Center
Tucson, AZ
APPROVED
I. Welcome and call to order: The meeting was called to order by President Irvin Coin at 9:10am on Saturday, January 10, 2003.
II. Roll Call
Members present: Justine Bellock, Joy Brittain, Irvin Coin, Darlene Conwell, Samuel Cortez, Rey Cuesta, Stephen Domingues, Emalyn Lapus, Jake Lindsay, Vanyel Lucas, Rhonda Moses, James Oda, Lydia Perez, Reginald Stewart, Scott Thayer, Michael Tokuno, Ling Yeh
Members absent: Kathryn Lomely, Heinrich Palik, Leonard Woods
III. Approval of minutes
Motion was made to accept the November 2002 minutes as amended (Motion #1). Motion passed.
IV. President’s Report
(report on file)
President Coin began the meeting by asking the Conference Chair to provide early registration for Board members. He then reviewed the President’s report.
2003 Fiscal Year Appropriations. Only two spending bills passed through the 107th Congress, so now it is up to the 108th Congress to pass it. President Coin speculated that TRIO would probably be given level funding at 802.5 million. With regards to the budget recommendations for FY 2004, the actual budget will probably be sent in early February of 2003. There will probably be significant funding cuts, which will most immediately affect Upward Bound and McNair programs.
Reauthorization: President Coin distributed a letter that was sent from Congressman Buck McKeon requesting that input about reauthorization be submitted by December 31, 2002. COE sent a letter and Mr. Domingues sent one as well, on behalf of WESTOP. Individuals are now being asked to send personal comments. President Coin asked us to give this information to WESTOP members, so they can respond individually. He emphasized that this action is very critical – everyone will need to be proactive and step up to make comments.
Director of TRIO Programs: President Coin reported that Larry Oxendine is the new Director of Federal TRIO Programs. The three WESTOP Presidents met with him recently, and reported that he is a big supporter of TRIO, but that he also expects us to prove that our programs are effective. He stressed that accountability will be a critical component of success of our programs.
Field readers for McNair and Upward Bound: President Coin reported that the McNair and Upward Bound grants will all be electronically read. Ms. Conwell asked for people who have gone through the reading process to offer pro and con comments about this method. She also suggested that we ask the Department of Education to tell all readers to shred their proposals after reading them. Ms. Lapus, who had already participated in an electronic reading, shared that she had 2 weeks to read 9 proposals, which she received in the mail. She reported that it was nice that she did not have to travel, but that it was difficult to have phone conferences because readers kept dropping out of the process. She also felt that it was difficult to have discussions on the phone, and that she could have argued her points more effectively if they were all there in person. Finally she shared that they were all asked to shred the grants, but there was no way to confirm that readers had actually done this. Although she understands that the Department is trying to save money, she still felt that it was better to do the proposal readings in person. People are more likely to pay attention to the process and take it more seriously. Currently, the Department is looking for 300 readers for the Upward Bound grants, and they only have 90 at this point. Ms. Moses asked about what happened when someone backed out of the process, and whether they had to return the proposals. Ms. Lapus did not know. Other Board members asked about the reading process. Ms. Lapus said it was challenging because it is difficult to take time off work to read proposals when you are still in town. Therefore, the quality of the reading is compromised. She added that most of the readers are not TRIO people, but are retired people from the field of education. It was frustrating to her because they don’t understand the programs as well. She also said that the prior experience sections were not supposed to be included with the proposals, but that they were all attached. Ms. Bellock asked whether this process was discussed at the national meeting in December, and President Coin indicated that the decision was just presented to them at that time. They also indicated the Upward Bound cutoff score would probably be set at 100 points, and that the field reading of Upward Bound grants is supposed to be completed by February. Ms. Conwell felt strongly that we should voice our concerns. President Coin was worried that the process was probably quite far along by now, and that it might be a moot point. Ms. Conwell stated that even though it might be a moot point, she felt that a letter of concern needed to be sent to Mr. Oxendine. President Coin indicated that he would be happy to send a letter on behalf of WESTOP. He asked Ms. Lapus to gather comments from others who have done the e-reading, and to draft the letter. Ms. Conwell offered to assist. Mr. Lindsay added that by law, a certain percentage of the readers must be peer readers - is this happening? Ms. Conwell asked him to assist with adding that to the letter.
National study of McNair Programs: The Department of Education has contracted with Decision Information Resources in Texas to conduct this study. Their quoted goal is to “determine the extent to which McNair program participants complete doctoral studies and obtain faculty or research positions at institutions of higher education.”
COE personnel: President Coin reported that Debra Henderson has been promoted to serve as the Vice-President of Public Policy. Liz Hollis and Liane Jacobs have resigned and accepted other positions. Sharon Klinder has accepted position as Executive Assistant to Arnold Mitchem. President Coin also received a letter from Maureen Hoyler, indicating that Buddy Blakey, the former COE general counsel, was recently terminated by Arnold Mitchem. He distributed copies of the letter to the Board.
COE Fairshare: President Coin named the two new national co-chairs. He reported that WESTOP is now at 46% of their projected goal.
Invitational Priority for Upward Bound: President Coin reported that Dave Ferguson composed a strong letter about the issues with this change. COE sent a letter of concern to Sally Stroup, the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Postsecondary Education. A copy of this letter was distributed to the Board. WESTOP is the only region that has voiced it’s concern at this time.
CAS standards: President Coin informed the Board about COE’s efforts around this topic. The COE State Initiative Committee asked us to make strong contacts with people outside of the federal government. Each region talked about strategies to reinforce these standards. These strategies were distributed to Board members.
President Coin discussed the typhoon that hit Guam and Rota recently. This disaster made it very difficult for the TRIO personnel in those locations to write their grant proposals. President Coin shared that they were able to receive an extension. In spite of their many hardships, they submitted their proposals today. He congratulated our colleagues there, especially Yoichi Rengill for his proactive leadership in obtaining an extension.
President Coin handed out the reporting format for the WESTOP annual report. During the committee reports today, he also asked Board members to submit proposed recommendations for next year, so we are all aware of what is getting passed on to the next Board.
V. Bylaws Report – Justine Bellock
(amendments on file)
Ms. Bellock handed out the Bylaws Amendment sample ballots. She indicated that these should be posted on the web by February 15, 2003. At the April Bylaws information session, people will receive the two-page document that we see today. Chapter VP’s/president elects should be working on this session with her, at the conference. She asked the current chapter presidents to confirm with her who that person will be. Ms. Bellock added that the document is a consolidation of the comments from the November Board meeting. She noted that item 7 will become Proposed Ballot Amendment (PBA) 1 on the final ballot. Currently, she is looking for additional comments listing pros and cons.
PBA 1 (Central California Chapter). An additional con was added, about becoming a “California-centric” Board of Directors. Some discussion took place about the term “California-centric.” A pro was added, referring to a wider representation for TRIO programs and professionals. She also confirmed that the Central Cal pilot chapter would be providing an informational forum at the conference. Mr. Cortez indicated that they would also be providing information to members prior to the conference. The pilot chapter proposal is on the Central Cal website, and a progress report will be available on the website prior to voting. It was decided that Mr. Cuesta would send out an email in mid-March to tell members that the information is available. Ms. Perez added that any member can obtain the pilot chapter’s financial information from the CFO. She wants to make it clear that the WESTOP CFO is maintaining their finances, not the chapter themselves.
PBA 2 (Number of directors). The Board is putting forward two options. Ms. Bellock reviewed changes from the last draft, indicating that “or” statements are based on whether the Central California chapter is approved or not. People had questions about the definition of “working BOD” as opposed to “policy-making BOD.” Wording was adjusted for clarity. Mr. Tokuno suggested that we add a “Purpose” statement (similar to PBA 1), which would then allow for definition and/or discussion. Others agreed that this was a good idea. Several other pros and cons were added.
PBA 3 (Standing Committees). Ms. Bellock gave us changes to the proposed text.
PBA 4 (Executive Committee). This amendment involves renaming the “Executive Committee” to “Executive Board.” Mr. Cuesta felt that a decision like this did not need to go to the membership, because they might find it cumbersome. Ms. Perez reminded the Board that committees don’t make decisions on behalf of a body – they only carry out work. Boards make decisions. Mr. Domingues suggested we tell the members that no change in function is proposed, but that any wording change to the Bylaws requires membership approval. More discussion took place about the wording and whether the function would change or not. Mr. Tokuno pointed out that the current wording states that the committee can make decisions; therefore there really isn’t a change in function. A motion was made to remove this Proposed Ballot Amendment (Motion #2). Motion passed.
PBA 5 (Membership and Credentials Committee). This amendment clarifies who the chair of the committee is. Ms. Conwell asked for clarification of the word “credentials,” and asked whether it should be changed to “elections.” Mr. Stewart answered that credentials are proof of student enrollment, etc. for membership purposes. Further discussion took place about this role. Ms. Bellock recommended that we close the conversation concerning the use of the word “elections,” and propose it for review next year.
PBA 6 (Financial Affairs Committee). The purpose of this amendment is to clarify committee membership. No additional comments were made.
PBA 7 (Statement of Purpose). Ms. Bellock indicated that we need to present our reasons for changing the statement of purpose. Mr. Domingues suggested that the purpose is that proposed text reflects the language of federal statutes and regulations. Mr. Lucas pointed out that the two texts state different things – one says that we will better serve students and the other says that we will enable professionals to provide better services. Mr. Oda stated that we wanted to take out any wording that could be construed as lobbying. Ms. Britttain felt that we would be changing the scope of the organization if were to say that we are no longer a professional development association. Mr. Thayer proposed that if we were to move towards this change in wording, we would need to tell the membership. Mr. Cortez reminded the Board that we have begun to move away from the original intent of this amendment, which was to just make it more succinct. Mr. Domingues stated that the intent is to be broad in scope – we want to make it more general and succinct. The new language does not exclude anything that was in old language. “Providing activities” is very general. Mr. Tokuno argued that the language implies that we would be providing activities for students, not staff. Perhaps we should add “professional development and student,” to clarify what type of activities we would provide. A motion was made to change the wording of this amendment (Motion #3). Motion passed.
PBA 8 (Fiscal Year). Ms. Bellock asked for additional pros and cons. Ms. Conwell added a con, that the membership due date would change again. Mr. Oda offered a pro, that the conference income and expenditures would occur within same fiscal year.
Ms. Bellock indicated that she would make the additional corrections and give them to us tomorrow. If there are additional email suggestions, she will send them to the Board next week. She will also attach an introductory cover letter to be sent to the membership. Ms. Bellock then asked for proposed bylaws recommendations for next year:
• Review the size and scope of the Board of Directors, in order to develop a concise policy-making entity. (Mr. Woods)
• Review for edit all current entries of “ex-officio” to be changed to “non-voting ex- officio.” (Mr. Oda)
• Review circumstances of vacant elected BOD positions to be appointed by president (Ms. Conwell)
• Review presidential appointment of FAC chair (Ms. Conwell)
• Review characteristics of CFO and President Elect (Ms. Conwell)
VI. CFO report – Joy Brittain
(report on file)
Ms. Brittain reviewed the figures for the most recent budget. The first page of the report detailed the Maximizer account. She reported that the account gets about $130 in interest per month. The next ten pages detail the checking account activity. Currently, we have $132,745.89. Ms. Brittain highlighted several expenses and deposits that could raise some concern. On page 1, the Central California pilot chapter currently has $4,240. A deposit will soon be made for $4,648 so their total will be $8888. On page 7, the Central Cal pilot chapter expenses total $8164. Ms. Brittain added that they still have some expenses to pay. Mr. Cuesta believed that the treasurer might still have checks to deposit, but since they are not in yet, they will not be included in the current financial statement. Thus, on paper it will look like they are at a deficit, though technically they are not. Ms. Brittain asked the Board whether she should bring this issue to the table or refer it to FAC. Ms. Conwell asked for clarification about some of the reimbursements and expressed concern about one person putting out a large amount of personal funds. Mr. Cuesta provided details about the nature of the expenses. Mr. Oda noted that this issue is part of the reason for the proposed bylaws change in the fiscal year. Mr. Stewart added that Central Cal did everything that they were supposed to do, but because of the structure of the fiscal year, it has negative consequences for them. The option of backdating the check deposits so that they would accurately reflect the Central Cal budget was discussed. However, most people agreed that the check deposits should not be adjusted, but should be entered as received. Mr. Cuesta reminded the Board that all of their functions were successful and made a profit, and hoped that the WESTOP members would be aware of this. Mr. Cortez was not worried about the budgetary discrepancy, and felt that they would be able to explain it to the members’ satisfaction. Ms. Brittain stated that the report would show an approximate $4000 deficit. Ms. Conwell recommended developing an interim report, to show that the Central California pilot chapter is not running a deficit.
Ms. Brittain also reported that she had purchased an airline ticket to visit Guam for fiscal training, but Guam was then hit with a very severe typhoon. Thus, she was not able to make the trip. The ticket is refundable, but she still hopes to go, as long as the Pacific Islands treasurer is willing and able to continue her duties.
Finally, Ms. Brittain reported that a reconciliation had been done on the savings and checking accounts, and the balances have equaled out.
VII. 2003 Conference Report – James Oda
(report on file)
Mr. Oda reported that the conference committee met most recently on Tuesday, January 7. Mr. Oda distributed his report, and reviewed the updated conference schedule. It was suggested that the New Members Orientation be moved earlier, to allow enough time for the Candidates Forum. They are hoping to invite Neil Abercrombie to serve as the keynote speaker. He also informed Chapter Presidents that they would be having a Ho’okupu ceremony, where guests bring gifts from their region, to present to the host region. The Staff Service Award will be presented at the TRIO Achievers Luncheon, as will the TRIO ThinkQuest winners. Ms. Conwell asked who would be working with Karen Morrell to coordinate travel for the TRIO ThinkQuest presentation. President Coin indicated that this duty would fall under the Technology Chair. Ms. Conwell asked why the Meeting of the Members was moved to the afternoon, instead of being held as a breakfast. Mr. Oda indicated that they wanted to accommodate the COE people who would be visiting. She was concerned that one hour was not enough time, and also that the Meeting of the Members should be a private meeting for members. President Coin suggested keeping the meeting of the members in the morning, until we find out what Arnold Mitchem’s plans are. His original intent was to offer the COE update immediately following the Meeting of the Members because there would be a captive audience. This would also afford members the opportunity to ask questions of the COE representatives. President Coin suggested tabling this portion of the schedule to unfinished business, so they could take time to reexamine the options. Ms. Conwell also reminded Mr. Oda to add time for elections. It was recommended to hold one full day of elections on Monday.
Conference fees were reviewed. Mr. Oda also provided a list of affiliates who would be eligible for the one-day fee. With regard to awards, Mr. Oda reminded people to provide the Awards Chair with names of people who have been in TRIO for over 10 years. He also reported that Peggy Whitehead will not be able to come to the conference, so they will try to either obtain a video of her or hook up a live transmission.
Mr. Oda reminded the Board that anything needing to be placed in the program must be submitted in late February or early March. He also needs an exhibits/ads chair, since his current chair has been affected by the typhoon. Workshop deadlines are coming up, so he encouraged BOD members to present. Ms. Perez asked for an updated budget so that FAC can approve it tonight.
President Coin added that Todd Peapenberg & Lydia Perez co-chaired a New Members Orientation session at the Arizona PDS. Part of this workshop included the transcript of a speech delivered by Charles Ratliffe, which reviews the 20-year history of WESTOP. Mr. Oda will be contacting Mr. Ratliffe for permission to reproduce it for the program booklet.
VIII. Professional Development – Kathryn Lomely
(report on file)
Mr. Cuesta presented a brief report on behalf of Ms. Lomely. Everything is in place for the pre- and post-conference workshops. All presenters have handed in their contracts. The possibility of offering a CAS standards training is still in discussion.
IX. Techonology Report – Rey Cuesta
(report on file)
Mr. Cuesta has obtained Karen Morrell’s contact information from Mr. Oda, and he is working with her to coordinate details for the Technology Fair. In response to requests about passwords for the website, Mr. Cuesta found that it is possible to set this up, but it would be very time-consuming. After some discussion, the members of his committee agreed that it was not a good idea to restrict people from the website. Mr. Cuesta recommended that this issue be presented to the next President-Elect, in order to determine whether the membership really needs this option or not. This type of restriction would require giving every single member a unique password, which is why it would be so time consuming. Mr. Cuesta gave his recommendations for next year, suggesting that the Technology Chair needs a more concrete or hands-on project to work with, such as WESHOP or the listserv. Perhaps each PDS should also offer a technology workshop. Mr. Lucas added that if we are going to work towards a more formalized WESHOP on-line system, then we will need to create a system that allows shoppers to create an account and submit credit card payment. With regards to Mr. Oda added that Viola Gray found someone who is willing to workshop on preparing your program for audits. They are hoping to secure this person. President Coin supported this effort.
Meeting recessed for the day at 4:06pm. A tour of the hotel (2004 Conference Site) took place at 4:15pm.
Meeting reconvened at 9:13am on January 11, 2003.
X. Membership & Credentials Report – Darlene Conwell
(report on file)
Ms. Conwell distributed her report, a Membership form and a Board Nomination form. She currently only has 2 nominations for next year’s Board. Her original deadline date is January 18, but if she does not receive enough nominations, she will extend the deadline to February 14. She is still working on scheduling the tentative Board meeting dates for next year. The 2003 Board fiscal training will take place on Wednesday April 9, and the half day Board training/half day Board meeting is scheduled for Thursday April 10.
With regards to current projects, the Peggy Whitehead Scholarship deadline has been extended to February 14. She has gotten several inquiries about the scholarship, and the Executive Committee decided that Mr. Woods would be responsible for answering questions about the scholarship.
Ms. Conwell also made a site visit to the Hollywood Renaissance for the 2005 WESTOP conference in Southern California. This hotel and the Las Palmas in Palm Springs are currently the two choices. One hotel has already sent a contract, which she will review with FAC. She is hoping to expedite this process and have a decision by the end of January. Mr. Thayer added that Damien Pena would be making a formal presentation to the Chapter on January 24, to get their input. He is still looking for information from other hotels as well. Ms. Conwell expressed concern about soliciting more proposals at this late date, because the Renaissance has been on hold for a year. Technically the Board should have conference sites decided for the next three years, and currently we are only two years ahead. Mr. Cuesta felt that timelines needed to be set and communicated to chapters, in order to give them enough time to do research. President Coin clarified that we had started soliciting suggestions for the SoCal Conference two years ago. More discussion took place about the site selection process. Mr. Cuesta suggested postponing the decision until April, to give Damien Pena more time to do thorough research. Mr. Thayer reported that Mr. Pena has been doing research since May, and he will get more information about other options, and email them to the Board. Ms. Conwell said that if the Hollywood Renaissance wants to drop the contract on January 28, she will have to allow them to do that because they have been waiting for so long. There was some debate about whether WESTOP announces the conference sites in the Conference Program one or two years out. Ms. Perez reminded us that most members do not know how to do a site review. She felt that we should educate others about how to do this, and also develop guidelines, procedures, standards and timelines. People asked whether we could ask the Renaissance to extend the deadline again, but others felt that it would be poor professional practice to ask for another extension. Ms. Conwell stated that she has been talking to Damien Pena for quite a while, and did give him guidelines and sample proposals. The last time she talked to him, he said that he was pretty set on using the Renaissance. Mr. Thayer felt confident that they would have a decision by the January chapter meeting. After that meeting, the Board can vote to approve it over email by January 28. Mr. Oda argued that this is procedurally against what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to send the contract to FAC for review before we can vote on it, so perhaps we can get this done by late February. Ms. Conwell reiterated that we currently do not have a procedural manual for this process, and that she is hoping to develop a committee that will put together a guidelines manual for hotel conference site reivews. She will also forward the entire contract from the Renaissance and the Las Palmas to Mr. Thayer so he can bring it to the chapter meeting. Mr. Stewart noted that it is written that FAC needs to review all contracts before they can be approved. He also indicated that several years ago, Mr. Woods had asked the past conference chairs to create a Standard Operation Procedures manual, which they did. President Coin entrusted Mr. Thayer to work with his chapter to get this settled as soon as possible. FAC will then review the contract, make a recommendation to Board, and the Board will vote over email. He also entrusts Ms. Conwell to carry forward with setting up this committee. Ms. Lapus asked whether the conference site selection process has been incorporated into the Standard Operating Procedures. Mr. Stewart answered that site review was not included – the manual mainly includes information and procedures that the conference chair would need in order to run the actual conference. Ms. Perez suggested that a committee may need to be created within each chapter to handle conference site review. President Coin instructed all chapter presidents to include this in their recommendations for next year.
XI. Strategic Plan – Leonard Woods
(no report on file)
XII. COE Fund Development – Sam Cortez
(report on file)
Mr. Cortez reported on the current status of the FairShare campaign. COE as a whole has raised 66% so far, and WESTOP has raised 46%. He congratulated the Nevada chapter for meeting 100% of their FairShare already. He also reminded people about the $38 personal campaign. Mr. Cortez will be continuing his educational campaign to inform people about what FairShare is, by attending chapter meetings and conferences and holding workshops. He strongly recommended making chapter presidents a more integral part of this process by including them on his committee and by having them each identify someone to work on FairShare within their chapter. He emphasized that fundraising efforts have been more successful when chapter presidents are involved. Ms. Moses brought attention to the institution presidents who are reluctant to pay the fee, and asked if there is a letter that we can give them that stresses the importance of COE. Mr. Cortez answered that this type of letter is available, and that they are even willing to travel to talk to administrators about it’s importance. Mr. Oda asked whether they would be willing to travel to the Federated States of Micronesia, and Mr. Cortez said that he would ask. President Coin asked him to follow up on these suggestions, and develop a policies and procedures manual for chapter presidents to give to their members. President Coin also encouraged Board members to make personal contributions, and acknowledged Mr. Cortez for all his hard work.
XIII. Research Committee – Rhonda Moses
(report on file)
Ms. Moses reported that she sent out 96 surveys to Upward Bound programs and has only gotten back 9 so far. She indicated that she would send it again and extend the deadline. She reported that she has some outstanding action items, but will have them completed by February 13. Her recommendations for next year included having researchers analyze the Upward Bound data, once it is all gathered. She also recommended setting up sub-committees to monitor the research that will be conducted on Talent Search and McNair programs. President Coin encouraged people to look over the report and make other recommendations. Some of the committee chairs will be asked to stand up and speak to the membership at the conference. He encouraged them to include a timeline in the Annual Report, so that the membership is fully aware of what each committee has done over the past year.
XIV. Legislation and Education Committee – Stephen Domingues
(report on file)
Mr. Domingues reported that he made presentations at the Central California and Arizona Professional Development Seminars. The Reauthorization recommendations have been approved and sent, and he thanked Dave Ferguson for posting the document on the WESTOP website. With regards to legislation, the main topic currently is the Policy Seminar. He received a request from President Coin to forward our recommendations to the House Education and Workforce Committee. In addition, there was a request from Debra Henderson at COE for various chapters to distribute information about the team leaders for the Policy Seminar, which he has done. At the time of the first draft of the team leader list, the new Congress had not been seated yet, so he found out the results of the elections as well as redistricting, and included them in his list. He just discovered that the new congressional directory has been posted on the congressional website, so he will validate this information when he returns from the Board meeting, and pass it on to the team leaders. Mr. Domingues also mentioned that COE (specifically Debra Henderson) has been very cooperative in respecting their team leader assignments. He also stressed that he needs more people to attend Policy Seminar. He needs additional team leaders and team members for all areas of WESTOP, but especially in the state of California. He asked the Chapter Presidents to help recruit people, as he knows that there are chapter meetings coming up soon.
Mr. Domingues reported that his committee is staying on top of the Reauthorization process, and will give updates as they come up. With regards to appropriations, an omnibus bill will probably be put together quickly, which will probably mirror the President’s original request for level funding. The real test will come once the budget proposal is submitted in February of 2003, when we see where TRIO falls in the 2004 budget. His recommendations for the next Legislation and Education chair included: 1) to continue to monitor progress of the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, 2) to advocate fiercely for an increase in TRIO fiscal appropriation for 2004, 3) to continue educating members about legislative issues through the WESTOP newsletter, and 4) to continue making presentations at as many Professional Development Seminars as possible.
Mr. Domingues also reported on the issue of invitational priority and how it affects Upward Bound programs. The invitational priority issue fits into the larger issue of how federal regulations coming from the Department of Education interpret congressional statutes and congressional intent. He clarified that this issue is not an anomaly specific to Upward Bound, but rather an issue that will come up again and again. Thus, the committee recommends that new chair consider various vehicles to educate members about the issue of federal regulations. Going to chapter meetings and PDS’s is very effective because you meet people that you never meet anywhere else. They will also be recommending that a workshop be offered at the Hawaii conference. There is also information on the WESTOP website, which will need to be maintained and updated. His final recommendation is to continue coordination for the 2004 Policy Seminar. Mr. Domingues expressed his concern about the transition, because his job will only partly be done when his term is up. He is working with Ms. Conwell to ensure a smooth transition, and he is encouraging his current members to continue participating on committee and to perhaps even serve on the Board as the committee chair. Additionally, he will be happy to work with this person, once he or she is identified. He hopes to know who this potential person will be prior to the Policy Seminar, so they can work together. Mr. Cortez asked about a memo that was sent regarding the President’s blue ribbon committee, which is reviewing all the federal programs that work with disadvantaged youth. He expressed concern about the consequences for Upward Bound, since the program has been labeled “ineffective” by Mathematica, and wondered if the task force had a hidden agenda to eliminate Upward Bound programs. Mr. Domingues responded that this is an even more urgent reason to send people to Policy Seminar. He is also uneasy about this committee – there will have to be some programs that win and some that lose. He stressed that we need to do everything we can to prove the effectiveness of our programs. President Coin commented that we have to make sure that we meet a certain standard for ourselves. 9 out of 96 responses to the Upward Bound questionnaire is very poor – if we WESTOP members don’t step up, then we will destroy ourselves. He urged Chapter Presidents to remind everyone to complete this survey. Mr. Cortez noted that Upward Bound directors were working on their proposals at the time, so it would be a good idea to send it again. Ms. Perez indicated that she was very angry at her chapter meeting, and remarked that WESTOP members cannot make charges that are unattainable – we cannot charge the Board to do something and then not help them do it.
XV. Communications – Emalyn Lapus
(report on file)
Ms. Lapus reported that she has completed the second edition of the newsletter, and is now working with Dave Ferguson to make final revisions. It should be posted by next week, and she will send an email to the listserv to let members know. She will work to have the third online edition before April, and will have hard copies available at the conference. Her recommendations include creating and maintaining a checklist of what her committee needs to do, reviewing the timelines for each newsletter edition, and updating the brochures if needed. She also recommended work more closely with chapter presidents to send out email reminders about various important dates and events. Ms. Lapus noted that the chapter presidents were very helpful in contributing articles, but that the chapter communications chairs were not as helpful. She also suggested working with all the committee chairs to coordinate all the emails that need to go out to the listserv. In other words, the Communications Chair would be responsible for sending out all messages, requests, and reminders to the membership. This would hopefully streamline communications as well as reduce the workload for other committee chairs. With regards to the Board pictures, Roxie Downie has an archive and hopefully she can continue to maintain it. President Coin recommended that she make efforts to document the 25th anniversary conference by having formal pictures taken and archived.
XVI. Public Relations – Michael Tokuno
(report on file)
Mr. Tokuno reported that he will be creating a regional directory of SSS directors in order to improve to connections between pre-college and college support programs. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the educational pipeline throughout college. Mr. Tokuno also indicated that he would be working more closely with the president-elect (membership) and the communications chair. He hopes to identify newly funded programs, welcome the people who have recently been hired, and invite them to the conference. He also feels it is important to have each chapter create and maintain an alumni database, starting with TRIO staff who are also TRIO alumni. President Coin liked the idea of welcoming new programs, and hoped that Ms. Conwell would entertain this idea when she is the new president. He added that the process for sharing future recommendations at this current meeting allows everyone to see what others are doing, and give input. It also allows the President-elect to plan for next year.
XVII. WESTOP Fund Development – Leonard Woods
(no report on file)

XVIII. Arizona Chapter Report – Lydia Perez
(report on file)
Ms. Perez reported that their last chapter meeting was held 2 days ago, at the PDS. She thanked the Board Members who attended and presented. There were 42 registrants, and she will be providing more details in April. The annual Success Seminar is scheduled for February 8 and National TRIO Day is scheduled for February 22. The 2004 conference committee has met once by conference call so far, and has decided upon a “learning communities” theme. Committee assignments will begin in February. Ms. Perez reviewed the chapter balance. Her recommendations include developing standing committees at chapter level to handle state initiatives and professional development (specifically addressing the CAS standards & board training). She also recommends creating a Who’s Who for TRIO alumni. She was very pleased with the collaboration between chapter presidents this year, and hopes that future presidents will maintain a similar system. She will also recommend that the chapter designates a conference site representative, and a state Fairshare representative.
XIX. Central California Pilot – Rey Cuesta
(report on file)
Mr. Cuesta indicated that their last meeting was held in December. He reported their tentative balance, but he needs to still resolve some payments and deposits. 70 people attended their PDS in December, and he thanked President Coin, Mr. Domingues and Mr. Oda for attending. National TRIO Day is scheduled for February 10, and the annual Summer Jam is being planned. They have raised about $1000 for a scholarship and they are setting up the process for rewarding this money. His recommendations are to obtain support of Board to become an official chapter. He also recommended asking for chapter membership reimbursements to help out with startup costs.
XX. Nevada Chapter – Reginald Stewart
(report on file)
Mr. Stewart shared that the last chapter meeting was held by teleconference. Leonard Woods will be the chapter president-elect, and Laura Latimer will be the president after him. He noted that they have begun to identify presidents three years ahead of time. They have already identified people who will be helping with the WESTOP conference. Mr. Stewart reported that the University of Nevada did some reorganizing, and they have been moved to a new division, under a new Assistant Vice President. His recommendations for next year included holding a chapter meeting in Las Vegas, starting to look for conference hotel sites, and starting to work with state funded educational opportunity programs to develop some kind of leadership program.
XXI. Northern California Chapter – Van Lucas
(report on file)
Mr. Lucas reported that their last meeting was held in December. The chapter has decided that they want to help the people in Guam, and are waiting to hear what form of assistance will be most helpful. 380 people registered for the Student Leadership Conference in Chico, and the chapter is collaborating with Central Cal for TRIO day events. He reviewed the current chapter balance. His recommendations are to structure chapter committees to mirror Board committees, develop a professional training module, maintain strong chapter president collaboration, collaborate with state funded programs like EOP, and to identify NorCal conference site representative and a Fairshare representative.
XXII. Pacific Islands Chapter – Heinrich Palik
(report on file)
Mr. Palik sent his report by email, and Mr. Oda gave brief remarks. As mentioned earlier, a super typhoon recently hit Guam, Rota and Chuuk. Guam Community College has been totally destroyed and the University of Guam’s power was just restored last week. The Pacific Islands Chapter will be donating $2000 to them, to be distributed evenly between TRIO programs. They are asking for donation from WESTOP as well, and he approached FAC with this request. Mr. Oda also highlighted that Sandy Matsui is up for nomination for the Pillars of Profession award through NASPA, and that donations to scholarship are welcome.
XXIII. Southern California Chapter – Scott Thayer
(report on file)
Mr. Thayer indicated that SoCal will be meeting at the end of January. The PDS revenue and expenses resulted in a $3258 net profit. Their Student Leadership Conference is scheduled for February 1 at CSU San Bernadino, and TRIO Day is on February 22. Mr. Thayer also invited all of WESTOP to their annual Dodger night event. He shared the chapter balance. His recommendations included developing a CAS standards committee, a program evaluation team within the chapter, a community relations committee, and a chapter professional development committee. He also recommended maintaining the collaborative effort with chapter presidents.
XXIV. Financial Affairs Committee Report – Lydia Perez
(report on file)
Ms. Perez handed out the 2003 approved budgets for WESTOP and for each chapter. FAC was supposed to have the Fiscal Policy Manual ready; it has been revised and forwarded to the committee for suggestions. Final approval should take place via email, and be ready for the fiscal training in April. Ms. Brittain urged Board members to please read it carefully, because FAC has made many revisions. For example they have proposed allocating more money for board travel, but also developing more guidelines for usage. Ms. Perez reported that the Chapter Policy/Procedure Manual will be ready by April as well. This document will be sent out over email for Board suggestions. These policies would presumably go into effect as soon as they are approved.
FAC also recommended that Board send a donation to the Pacific Island programs that were affected by the typhoon. Each chapter can decide on an amount to give, and the Board can decide on an amount to give from WESTOP. A motion was made to carry out the aforementioned donation (Motion #4). Motion passed. Ms. Conwell motioned that WESTOP match the Pacific Islands Chapter donation of $2000 (Motion #5). Ms. Brittain asked for clarification about where this money should come from. Mr. Oda recommended that it come from the WESTOP Maximizer account. Ms. Brittain then asked how the money should be divided and presented. Mr. Oda said that the Pacific Islands chapter would be distributing their money evenly between programs, and that it would be presented to the institution presidents. Mr. Lucas clarified that the money would be coming from WESTOP, and not from individual Board members. Mr. Cortez recommended giving the money to the Pacific Islands Chapter to distribute. Ms. Brittain also recommended cutting one direct check on behalf of all the chapters. Each chapter just needs to tell her how much to donate, and she will send one big check. More discussion took place about the logistics of this transaction. Motion passed.
FAC also recommends obtaining a credit card with $500 limit, for the conference chair to use. This motion was made (Motion #6). Ms. Conwell asked whether procedures for use of the credit card would be documented in the fiscal policy manual. Ms. Perez answered that there would definitely be a detailed procedures manual that would address use of the card. Motion passed. President Coin assumed that this motion would become effective immediately. FAC will create the policies, and email them to the Board for vote as soon as possible. Ms. Brittain was asked to work on obtaining a credit card for the current conference chair as soon as the procedures were approved.
XXV. Unfinished Business
1) President Coin reviewed the most recent changes to the conference schedule. He reminded each chapter to bring a gift for the silent auction, and to bring a gift for the host chapter that is reflective of their region.
2) President Coin distributed letters that will be sent out this week to Arnold Mitchem, Larry Oxendine, Jonathan McKenzie, and Bonnie Hall. He asked everyone to examine them and make comments. Ms. Conwell suggested asking COE to send a representative, in case Dr. Mitchem doesn’t come. President Coin also distributed a letter that will be sent to all the Westop founders, informing them that there will be a luncheon to honor them. Past WESTOP Presidents will also be invited and honored, and the 10 current regional presidents will be invited as well. He proposed that registration fees and meals be waived for each of these guests. Discussion took place about this. Someone asked what would happen with past-presidents who have already paid their registration fee. It was also noted that some past-presidents are not affiliated with WESTOP anymore. Some people thought it would be unfair to waive the fee for founders and not past-presidents. One person suggested giving greater recognition to the founders. President Coin pointed out that Debra Henderson, Maureen Hoyler, and Andrea Reeves will also be invited, but that their fees will not be waived. It was also suggested that we invite college presidents, and waive fees for them since they probably won’t come for whole time. President Coin asked who would be compiling this list and sending the letter. Ms. Conwell indicated that last year, Mr. Woods sent the letters and had them contact the Conference Chair to follow up.
XXVI. New Business
1) CAS standards: Ms. Conwell distributed action items that were developed at the most recent COE Board meeting, about what the regions are supposed to do. President Coin shared that there would be a CAS standards training prior to Policy Seminar, and encouraged incoming Chapter Presidents to attend. He also encouraged the current Chapter Presidents to identify someone to attend the Leadership Summit. Ms. Conwell asked that if she is required to attend this workshop, who pays for it? Mr. Coin shared that when he attended, his program paid for it. It is an allowable expense. Ms. Conwell felt that the COE committee should pay for it. If not, she may also approach FAC.
2) Board travel: Ms. Perez brought up the issue that the Board is travelling to Hawaii twice this year. Thus, there may not be enough funding to cover travel expenses. FAC may need to revisit the budget to adjust amounts, or perhaps this extra expense will come out of program funds. Ms. Perez asked for guidance about how to handle it. Mr. Oda pointed out that procedurally, we can’t revise our old budget; instead we can just go over the budgeted amount and approve that overexpense. Ms. Bellock suggested increasing each Board Member’s budget by $500. Mr. Lindsay asked for clarification about whether there would be any restrictions on the funds. Mr. Lucas indicated that it was meant to cover 2 nights of hotel and per diem. A motion was made to allocate additional funds to Board Members (Motion #7). Ms. Brittain suggested adding an amendment to restrict the funds for hotel and per diem use only, to minimize the possibility for abuse. Ms. Bellock did not accept the amendment. A lengthy debate took place about this issue. Ms. Perez reminded the Board that the original intent was to cover the hotel costs, because we visited a chapter more than once – a particularly more expensive one this time. If Board Members use the funds for a flight, then they are technically abusing what WESTOP is giving them. Question was called. First vote resulted in a tie. President Coin stated that he believes that everyone on this board is trustworthy and will use the funds wisely, so he votes yea. Motion passes.
3) Bylaws changes – Ms. Bellock handed out the most recent Bylaws revisions. She asked the Board to review all the changes and send any additional changes to her by Friday. She will send this out again (check tape for this), and this will be the official ballot.
4) Ms. Conwell suggested sending flowers to Mr. Tokuno’s wife. Board Members were in full support.
5) WESTOP website: President Coin asked everyone who has something on the website to look at it and eliminate everything that is old. Ms. Perez indicated that David Ferguson has agreed to archive everything. Ms. Conwell stated that she wants to provide a section for each committee, and that the most updated committee reports should be posted there.
6) Nominations: Every year we have a difficult time recruiting Board Members. President Coin expressed his hope that each of us make contacts, especially the committee chairs.
Meeting adjourned at 1:35pm.

Respectfully submitted by Ling Yeh, WESTOP Secretary
Addendum
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
January 10, 2003

Members present:
Joy Brittain, Irvin Coin, Darlene Conwell, Lydia Perez, Ling Yeh
The Executive Committee met at 5:15 pm to discuss the Peggy Whitehead Scholarship. Ms. Conwell shared an email from Denise Benton which expressed concern about how the terms for the scholarship came about. It seems that members are wondering about the process. President Coin recommended that Ms. Conwell ask Mr. Woods to explain the history behind this scholarship. Ms. Brittain observed that Denise Benton was a major contributor to the scholarship, so it is no wonder that she wants more information. A motion was made for Mr. Woods to respond to Denise Benton’s email (Motion #8). It was clarified that this information should go out to the entire listserv. Motion passed. Ms. Conwell also expressed concern about the Arizona conference hotel site, and whether or not it could accommodate WESTOP’s needs. No one on the Board had seen the hotel before the contract was signed, which was also an issue. Ms. Perez shared that there are only four hotels in Tucson. The top 2 are resorts, and are therefore too expensive. The other two are the Doubletree and the Radisson. Since the Doubletree did not show up to the hotel tour meeting, Erin Grisham decided to go with the Radisson. She talked about other issues and obstacles, and then shared that the Arizona Chapter supported Ms. Grisham’s decision. Ms. Conwell said that she would like someone to make contact with the regional representatives for hotels in the area, so that this problem doesn’t happen again. President Coin agreed that the Arizona Chapter would have to make the conference work beyond the capabilities of the facility, but he was confident they could do it. Ms. Perez indicated that she would bring these concerns to the attention of the chapter. Meeting adjourned at 5:55pm.

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
January 11, 2003
Members present:
Joy Brittain, Irvin Coin, Darlene Conwell, Lydia Perez, Ling Yeh
The Executive Committee met at 1:50 pm to review the contracts presented by the Professional Development Committee. It was suggested that we add a clause about a penalty for presenters if they cancel. Ms. Conwell indicated that she would add it for next year. Contracts were approved by the Executive Committee. Ms. Conwell stated that she would assemble a booklet of all the contract templates that WESTOP might need, so that we can use them in multiple situations. Meeting adjourned at 2:00pm.

Email Vote Minutes
January 2003
A motion was made over email to accept the Policies/Procedures for usage of the Conference Chair credit card, on Wednesday January 22, 2003 (Motion #9). Motion passed.

Email Vote Minutes
February 2003
A motion was made over email to allow the Department of Education to access the WESTOP listserv (Motion #10). Email discussion took place about the pros and cons of this action. A motion was also made to authorize either David Kong or David Ferguson to provide the USDE with our email list (Motion #11). Both motions passed. Motions
Motion #1: Motion to approve the November 2002 minutes as amended.
Move: Jake Lindsay
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #2: Motion to reconsider the question of the proposal regarding Bylaws Article 8 section 8.10 a1, to put to the ballot of the General Membership.
Move: Justine Bellock
Second: Joy Brittain
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #3: Motion to amend proposed text in PBA 7 to include the phrase “professional development and student” in front of the word “activities.”
Move: James Oda
Second: Justine Bellock
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #4: Motion to have each WESTOP chapter decide on the amount that can be donated by each chapter to the relief effort by their next chapter meetings and for the Board to decide on an amount at this meeting to serve as WESTOP’s gift.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Vanyel Lucas
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #5: Motion that WESTOP match the Pacific Islands Chapter donation of $2000 to the Guam, Rota, and Chuuk TRIO programs relief fund.
Move: Darlene Conwell
Second: Scott Thayer
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #6: Motion that a credit card be established with a credit limit of $500.00 for the Annual Conference Committee Chair to use during his/her term in the stated position.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Sam Cortez
Vote: Passed unanimous
Motion #7: Motion that each board member be allotted an additional $500 in travel allowance, and that the 2003 Board travel line be increased to accommodate the motion.
Move: Justine Bellock
Second: Vanyel Lucas
Vote: 6 yes, 5 no, 4 abstentions
Motion #8: Motion that Leonard Woods respond to the request of Denise Benton, regarding the origination and distribution of the Peggy Whitehead Scholarship.
Move: Darlene Conwell
Second: Joy Brittain
Vote: Passes unanimous
Motion #9: Motion to accept the proposed Credit Card Policies/Procedures that were developed for the Annual Conference Chair credit card.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: 16 yes, 3 abstentions
Motion #10: Motion to provide the USDE with access to the WESTOP listserv.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Darlene Conwell
Vote: 15 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention
Motion #11: Motion to authorize David Kong or David Ferguson to provide the USDE with the WESTOP listserv email list.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Darlene Conwell
Vote: 15 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention

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