APPROVED

I. Welcome and call to order: The meeting was called to order by President Irvin Coin at 1:26pm on Friday, November 15, 2002.

II. Roll Call
Members present: Justine Bellock, Joy Brittain, Irvin Coin, Darlene Conwell, Samuel Cortez, Rey Cuesta, Stephen Domingues, Emalyn Lapus, Jake Lindsay, Kathryn Lomely, Vanyel Lucas, Rhonda Moses, James Oda, Heinrich Palik, Lydia Perez, Reginald Stewart, Scott Thayer, Leonard Woods, Ling Yeh

Members absent: Samuel Martinez, Michael Tokuno

Guests: Trinette Briggs

President Coin reported that Samuel Martinez has written a letter requesting resignation from the Board. He recommended that the Board approve his resignation. A motion was made to approve the resignation of Samuel Martinez (Motion #1). Motion passed. Technically, the Board has 90 days to find a replacement for the position.

III. Approval of minutes
A motion was made to approve the August minutes as amended (Motion #2). President Coin clarified that we do not need to approve the minutes from the meeting of the members. These minutes will be posted on web immediately following this meeting.

A review of the email votes regarding the 2003 Conference rates was presented (early bird $295, regular $345, late $520, pre-conference $200). 10 votes were in favor, 3 were against, and 4 members abstained. Minutes of the email discussion are provided at the end of this document.

IV. President's Report
(report on file)
President Coin remarked that significant changes would take place as a result of the recent nationwide elections, because the Republicans are now in charge of both houses. There are two bills up for discussion during the current lame-duck session: the Omnibus Appropriations bill, and a Continuing Resolution (see President's Report for details). There is a possibility that TRIO may have money taken away from existing programs. In the House of Representatives, the Republicans are split between moderates and conservatives with regards to educational spending, and the conservatives are advocating for level funding.

With respect to changes in the Department of Education, Larry Oxendine has been appointed as the new Director of Federal TRIO programs. Mr. Oxendine has worked with the department since 1971. Margarita Benitez is now the Special Advisor to Mr. Oxendine. President Coin encourages WESTOP to develop relations with him quickly. Additionally, Dr. Scott Swail, the COE Vice-President of Research and Planning resigned in August 2002.

President Coin reported that 3 regions did not make Fair Share this year. Mr. Cortez worked very hard on behalf of WESTOP to try to reach this goal, and President Coin thanked him for his efforts.

COE will make its leadership transition this December. Jonathan McKenzie will serve as the new Board Chair. Ms. Conwell will begin her term with the COE Board at this time. She will be serving on the 2003 Conference Committee as well as the National TRIO Day Committee. Mr. Woods and President Coin will continue to serve on several committees as well (see President's Report for details).

A salary increase for COE President Arnold Mitchem was set at 3.8% and also included a $10,000 bonus. 7 COE Board members voted against the increase; three of these 7 were WESTOP presidents. However the increase still passed.

President Coin commented on the Upward Bound invitational priority issue. The Office of Postsecondary Education is encouraging applicants to recruit "higher-risk" students, based on results from the Mathematica report that suggest this will improve program effectiveness. This request could be problematic, because the changes would make it more difficult for Upward Bound students to attend institutions of higher education. Basically, the Department is asking Upward Bound to run a high school dropout program. President Coin reviewed a letter dated October 23, 2002 from Arnold Mitchem to Sally Stroup, which challenged the Department's position on invitational priority. President Coin encouraged the Board as individuals, and WESTOP as an association, to follow this example, and write our own letters to Sally Stroup as well.

President Coin also shared that Michael Moser represented WESTOP on a Technical Institute Committee, which was mandated by the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. There is some speculation that this is an attempt to get rid of prior experience points, and President Coin instructed the Board to be aware of such efforts.

With regards to the Board mid-year reports, President Coin wanted to make sure that we were on track toward attaining our goals. This is especially important for the Research, Legislation and Education, and Bylaws committees. He asked all Board members to come to the January meeting with draft recommendations for the next year. Final recommendations, as well as annual reports, will be due in March. Both will be included in the Annual Board of Directors report, to be distributed at the conference.

V. Bylaws Report ­ Justine Bellock
(amendments on file)
Ms. Bellock led the Board in a second reading of the bylaws amendments. In January, the Board will decide on what to present to the voting WESTOP members. A charge that she had from the last meeting was to clarify the process for Presidential Board appointments if there are not enough elected members. Ms. Bellock referred to Article 4.8 a and b, which state that the President may not appoint people to fill elected positions. Ms. Conwell pointed out that a special election would be required, which would take a great deal of time. She asked whether we could incorporate this as a bylaws change. Ms. Bellock answered that it could be a change recommended for next year but not this year. A longer discussion took place regarding the wording of this Article, and how to fill vacant elected spots on the Board. There was confusion around whether Board members can elect someone and whether the President can appoint someone who is currently on the Board versus someone who is not. Mr. Palik asked how we filled the Communications Chair vacancy last year. Mr. Woods answered that Joe Omega, an already current member of the Board, volunteered to complete the term. Ms. Bellock indicated that she would take this particular article to a legal reviewer, and will report back in January.

The next issue addressed email voting. Ms. Bellock indicated that Article 6.6 states that results of email votes are posted to the following meeting's minutes.

Amendment Review:
Part I Section 3.1 ­ Central California Chapter - ratification of a 6th chapter to WESTOP. Ms. Bellock included a suggestion to establish lines of demarcation between the three chapters in California. Mr. Cuesta and she have discussed the lines of demarcation, and have established two options ­ one is by geography, the other is by congressional district. Mr. Cuesta distributed his boundary proposals. Ms. Bellock also asked the other chapters in California to make suggestions if they have any. Mr. Lucas shared that the members of NorCal have suggested using congressional districts, and that details are stated in his report. His members just want some kind of demarcation so they know where it is. People should still have the option to go wherever they want. Mr. Thayer shared that SoCal's only question is about Bakersfield. They are fine with using congressional districts, but if a particular institution is located on a border, are they required to go with the assigned chapter, or can they choose? Mr. Cuesta passed out a color copy of the county lines, stating that the Central California Chapter will not force anyone to go to a particular chapter; programs can choose to go wherever they want. Assigning chapters by counties is also difficult because some programs serve other counties than their own. Mr. Cuesta reiterated that he has drawn chapter lines because people at the Monterey Conference requested them. However, members in Central California don't mind having or not having lines ­ they are fine either way. Mr. Stewart shared that Nevada members would like to understand how the lines are drawn. More specifically, they would like to know whether chapters can separate just because of distance. If that is the case, then Nevada should be able to split as well. The other issue will be the increase in power. If an additional chapter is added, California will have three presidents sitting on FAC, and WESTOP will become even more California-centric. Mr. Cuesta stated that distance is not the reason for splitting off. Instead, Central California has different issues ­ they are trying to demonstrate that there is a need for another chapter. Mr. Palik shared that the issue of Central California is very important to the Pacific Islands Chapter, because there are people there who are considering the same action. Ms. Perez stated that the Arizona members don't need lines of demarcation. There aren't any lines stated in the Bylaws right now. Once we start delineating, we have to explain why we are making those delineations. Mr. Cuesta indicated that they would prefer not to draw lines because they don't want to make anyone participate who doesn't want to. They would like to welcome everyone who wants to come. Ms. Bellock recommended that the two California chapter presidents and the Central California pilot chapter president meet with her to further discuss this issue. She proposed that we vote today on whether to have lines of chapter demarcation or not. If we vote to create these lines, then she will work with the Chapter Presidents to do this. If not, then this issue will not need to be discussed again. President Coin reminded the Board that if we do decide to create lines of demarcation, we should state a purpose for having them. A ten-minute recess was called in order for the before-stated persons to discuss the issue. Upon reconvening, it was decided that no lines of chapter demarcation would be drawn. A motion was made to approve the second reading bylaws changes for section 3.1 as stated in the Bylaws report (Motion #3). Motion passes. It was also decided that the ballot would allow for all members to vote on all questions.

Part Ia Section 4.2 ­ Number of Directors. Ms. Bellock proposed four options for this section: 1) maintain current number of BOD members (21); 2) increase BOD by one member ­ the new chapter president (22); 3) add a member-at-large position (23); 4) blank for suggestions. Ms. Bellock asked for approval of two of the options, which will then be placed on the April ballot. Ms. Bellock asked the Board for pros and cons of the first three options; these are listed below.
Option 1: maintain current budget (pro)
takes one appointed member away from president (con)
keeps Board from getting larger (pro)
new chapter does not get representation through at-large member (con) unbalances appointees and elected members (con)
Option 2: increase in Board size (con)
increases Board travel budget (con)
elimination of tiebreaker vote (con)
allows for addition of Central Cal chapter without changing BOD (pro)
Option 3: BOD growth reflects chapter/membership growth (pro)
increases Board travel budget (con)
expands BOD to an unwieldy number (con)

Ms. Bellock then took suggestions for a fourth option. Mr. Oda proposed reducing the Board to 17 total members: 3 elected and 3 appointed members, which allows for equal representation between appointed and elected members and also lowers the budget. Mr. Woods recommended reducing the Board to 15 members: 2 appointed and 2 elected. This would eliminate unneccesary positions, because some of the committees don't actually need to be on the Board. Mr. Oda agreed that the Board should be a policy-making entity, and that other duties can be made into standing committees. Ms. Conwell proposed keeping 21 Board members: 5 elected, 5 appointed. Mr. Oda retracted his suggestion in favor of Mr. Woods' suggestion. Ms. Bellock reviewed the 2 suggestions for Option 4. Ms. Bellock took a vote on the five options presented; Option 1 ­ 11 yes, 7 no, Option 2 ­ 0 yes, 18 no; Option 3 ­ 1 yes, 17 no; Option 4 ­ (15 members) ­ 14 yes, 4 no; Option 5 (21 members) ­ 11 yes, 7 no. A re-vote was taken between Options 1 and 5. Option 1 ­ 6 yes, 12 no; Option 5 ­ 11 yes, 7 no. Options 4 and 5 received the most votes and will go to membership for vote in April 2003.
Part Ia Sections 4.4, 7.1, 9.13 ­ no vote needed.

Part II ­ Section 2.1 - Development of statement of purpose in keeping with the strategic plan. Board vote: 14 yes, 2 no, 2 abstain. Amendment was ratified.
Section 8.10.a1 - Development of executive board. Discussion took place regarding the need for this amendment. Mr. Woods stated that committees can decide things when the entire Board is not in session; there needs to be an equivalent executive board who can make decisions in a timely manner when the entire Board is not in session. For example, the whole Board may direct the executive board to take some action before the meeting (ie: approving contracts). Mr. Oda clarified that changing the wording from "committee" to "board" allows the group to make a decision and act on it. Board vote: 12 yes, 5 no, 1 abstain. Amendment was ratified.
Section 9.10 ­ no vote needed.

Part III ­ no vote needed.

Part IV Section 11.3 ­ Fiscal Year. Ms. Conwell asked for clarification about the membership term. Discussion took place about the need to change membership dates to match fiscal year dates. Mr. Oda indicated that it would be easier to keep the accounting books; if membership does not coincide with the fiscal year, things are more complicated for the CFO. Ms. Perez also pointed out that if all the income and expenditures occured in the same financial year, we would not have to operate on a deficit anymore. Board vote: 15 yes, 3 no, 0 abstentions. Amendment was ratified.

Part V - Section 8.10.a - Standing Committees. Ms. Conwell wanted to change the Bylaws so that President appoints the FAC Chair. Ms. Bellock will add this to the recommendations for next year. Some debate also took place about ex-officio members of committees. Mr. Oda recommended adding the words "non-voting" in front of ex-officio, for clarification. Board vote: 18 yes. Amendment was ratified.
Section 8.10.a2 ­ Membership and Credentials. Board vote: 17 yes, 1 no. Amendment was ratified.
Section 8.10.a9 ­ Financial Affairs Committee. Four options were presented in the draft bylaws amendments. A fifth option was presented where all members besides the Chapter Presidents would be non-voting, ex-officio members. Board vote results: Option 1 ­ 5 yes, 13 no; Option 2 ­ 4 yes, 14 no; Option 3 ­ 1 yes, 17 no; Option 4 ­ 6 yes, 12 no; Option 5 ­ 16 yes, 2 no. Options 4 and 5 were selected to go forward to the ballot. Since Option 4 was not very popular, it was decided to present only Option 5 on the ballot.

Ms. Bellock will bring these amendment in ballot form to the January Board meeting.

Meeting recessed for the day at 5:06pm. A tour of the hotel (2004 Conference Site) will take place at 5:30pm.

Meeting reconvened at 9:49am on November 16, 2002.

VI. CFO report ­ Joy Brittain
(report on file)
Ms. Brittain reviewed the budget and current balance. She reported that a few committees have gone over their allocated amount, so FAC will need to adjust the budget. Copies of the Profit & Loss Budget vs. Actual were distributed. She also informed Mr. Palik that she still needs an invoice for the T-shirts from Guam, in the amount of $2000. With regards to chapter treasurers, Ms. Brittain has purchased copies of the QuickBooks software and has trained the treasurers from every chapter except the Pacific Islands. She is hoping to finish this task in the next several months. In addition, the WESTOP checking accounts have been reconciled, and she has updated the new distribution codes. Her goals for January are to train the Pacific Islands treasurer, update the fiscal reference packet, and update the 2003 budget.

VII. 2003 Conference Report ­ James Oda
(report on file)
Mr. Oda reviewed the most current conference schedule. He indicated that the budget for the moderators committee needs to be added, and that he will approach FAC for the appropriate amount. He also requested an honorarium for Michael Moser for offering technology and diversity pre-conference workshops. Essentially he is providing his services as a fundraiser for WESTOP, so the Professional Development Committee would like to include an honorarium for him.

With regards to the preconference workshops, the Hilo workshop was reduced to the at-cost price of $160 per person, in order to enable more people to attend. Mr. Oda also suggested dropping rates for the other workshops as well (Diversity - $106, Program Growth - $109, Databases - $80). He reported that people in Hawaii have been asking for one-day rates so that more local educators can attend; he recommended setting it at approximately $165. Finally, Mr. Oda asked the Board to consider changing the conference rates again, because of the concerns raised by the WESTOP membership.
A motion was made to reconsider conference rates (Motion #4). Motion passed. Mr. Oda stated that he would meet with FAC to compose new rates.

Mr. Oda shared that the TRIO Thinkquest winners will be invited to the conference. Additionally, the University of Washington has asked for permission to come present about ThinkQuest at the conference, for the student-focused workshop cluster. President Coin congratulated WESTOP on the fact that half of all the national winners are WESTOP members.

Several Board members asked for a full review of the Conference report. Mr. Oda began by reviewing the entire proposed conference agenda. He emphasized that the Vice President of Palau will be a guest speaker. The PCC event was moved to the end of the conference, making it an optional activity. Michael Moser is the chair of the Activities Committee. Mr. Oda reviewed some of the activities options that are currently being explored. The Awards Committee is in the process of completing the forms for nominations. E-mail nomination forms have been sent out over email, by Darlene Conwell. Most of the entertainment will feature Micronesian cultures. Maui Community College is in charge of conference equipment. The Evaluation Committee will have a report at end of conference. Mr. Oda relayed a message from the Fundraising Committee, asking for clarification about whether all funds raised go to WESTOP or to the chapter. It was determined that WESTOP has it's own fund development committee, and that monies raised by the PI Chapter can be kept for themselves. Sandy Matsui will be chairing the Evaluations Committee. With regards to new members, they are thinking about offering a hospitality suite. Mr. Oda skipped the pre-conference report because Ms. Lomely would be reporting on this later. The Program Committee is still deciding between a booklet or 3-ring binder format. The Speakers Committee may be putting together a college administrators forum. With regards to workshops, the Board needs to approve the Call for Proposals form, then he will send them out. Registration forms will be sent soon, and electronic registration will also be available on the web. The next Conference committee meeting is scheduled for January 6, 2003. They will conduct a preliminary headcount at that time. The main action items are to revisit the conference rates and conference budget, and select a conference logo. They also need to add a line item in the budget for inviting Peggy Whitehead to the conference.

The Board then asked questions regarding the report. Ms. Conwell inquired about the luncheon on the schedule for Tuesday. She was concerned that this would add additional meal costs. She also inquired about the luncheon proposed for the end of the closing ceremonies. Mr. Oda indicated that they are hoping that everyone stays for lunch and for the closing ceremony. Some discussion took place about whether people would actually stay or not, and whether the money might go to waste if they don't. Mr. Stewart asked for timelines to determine when tasks would be completed. While the Board does not necessarily need to approve everything that the Conference Committee does, they still need to see the general plan. Mr. Palik reassured everyone that the PI Chapter would not do any fundraising that might conflict with WESTOP fundraising. Mr. Lucas asked when the conference information would be sent to the membership, because the NorCal members have been looking for the flyers and brochures. Mr. Oda indicated that he would be sending these out as soon as the conference rates are confirmed. Ms. Perez echoed this concern, stating that members from her chapter don't know that they can reserve rates online now. Since most people don't constantly check the website, we need to give them something in writing. President Coin also felt that we should send the information out nationally, because others in the TRIO community have been asking about it. Mr. Oda stated that he would be sending out postcards next week. Mr. Cuesta requested that the Professional Development and Technology committees be allowed to report next, since their reports are related to the conference.

VIII. Professional Development ­ Kathryn Lomely
(report on file)
Ms. Lomely reviewed the honorariums, rates, and expenses of the pre and post conference workshops. She indicated the minimum numbers needed for each workshop in order to break even. Descriptions of the workshops were included in the report. She shared that all of the information would be posted on the website shortly. She still needs to work with Ms. Perez on creating a CAS workshop.

IX. Techonology Report ­ Rey Cuesta
(report on file)
Mr. Cuesta reported that he is working with Ms. Lomely on the pre-conference workshops related to technology. He is still trying to figure out the website technology, by learning to link the Central Cal website to the WESTOP site. Ms. Conwell asked whether Michael Moser would still be hosting the online directory. Mr. Cuesta responded that he would look into this issue. He is also still figuring out how to run the WESHOP website. He may propose that the Technology committee take over the website and/or the listserv. Mr. Lucas relayed a question from a NorCal member, asking if it is possible to have a "members only" section on the website. Mr. Oda felt that it would be better to leave the listserv with Mike Moser and the website with David Ferguson, because they already have systems set up. Other Board members agreed. With regards to online membership, Ms. Conwell informed Mr. Cuesta that not everyone listed on the online directory is necessarily a paid member ­ we need a system of checks and balances for this. She suggested that the Technology Committee handle this issue. Mr. Cuesta agreed.

Mr. Oda returned to the Conference report. He had two last questions for the Board.
1) what are their exact fundraising responsibilities? Ms. Perez answered that his committee is responsible for organizing the silent auction, and anything else that they want to do. The conference fundraising committee is not responsible for raising money per se, but any money raised does go to WESTOP. The Pacific Islands can also do their own fundraising separately, but it would be good to select an activity that does not conflict with the WESTOP fundraising.
2) does the Board want to approve the conference logo, or can his committee do it? The Board answered that the committee should make this decision.

X. Membership & Credentials Report ­ Darlene Conwell
(report on file)
Ms. Conwell reported that all the Board Nomination information is on the web. She also handed out a list of the 2003-04 BOD meeting dates. There were some issues about aligning the Board meetings with the PDS conferences, and how this affects the chapter rotation. There was some discussion about possibly changing the May and January BOD meetings. Ms. Conwell asked for suggestions about where to meet in January and May of 2004, because these meetings might not be attached to a PDS. Ms. Conwell also asked about the training for new Board members. Ms. Brittain replied that her main concern was for the new chapter presidents, because they need time to figure out bonding and liability, and other administrative issues. Additionally, the chapter presidents and treasurers will all need to be at the fiscal training. More discussion took place about scheduling the Board training and meeting dates. Ms. Lapus and Mr. Lucas recommend telling the Board nominees and chapter treasurers that they will need to stay for some extra time after the conference ends.

XI. Strategic Plan ­ Leonard Woods
(report on file)
Mr. Woods brought forth two action items: 1) discuss restructuring of the Board, and 2) think about ways to make the Board more effective. More specifically, he proposed a discussion about which committees should be standing committees, and which committees should remain on the Board. Ms. Lapus asked for the definition of a "standing committee." She was referred to the bylaws.

XII. Communications ­ Emalyn Lapus
(report on file)
Ms. Lapus distributed copies of the WESTOP presentation folder and brochure. She reported that she is currently soliciting articles for the second issue of the WESTOP newsletter, and is hoping to post it on the website in early January. Ms. Lomely shared that the SoCal Chapter gave out some of the outreach materials at the PDS, and that members liked them. Ms. Lapus informed the Board that she still has more directories, so if paid members are asking for them, they should contact Ms. Conwell, who will instruct Ms. Lapus to mail them out. President Coin commended Ms. Lapus for her work on the newsletter and materials.

XIII. Legislation and Education Committee ­ Stephen Domingues
(report on file)
Mr. Domingues announced that the Legislation & Education representative from SoCal has left, so he is looking for someone to fill that position. He drew attention to the issue of rising college tuition costs. He is continuing to present at PDS conferences about reauthorization and other related issues, in order to better inform the membership. Things are also on track with timelines for the Policy Seminar. He is making a concerted effort this year to coordinate with COE, so that the teams are not confused. He will be purchasing booklets to educate WESTOP members about legislative issues and processes as well. A motion was made to adopt the 2nd draft of reauthorization recommendations (Motion #5). Motion passed. President Coin encouraged all chapters to highlight Mr. Domingues' workshops at their PDS conferences, because his information is extremely important. Mr. Palik raised a concern about student eligibility for financial aid in the Pacific Islands, because this issue is going up for vote soon. He was very concerned about this, and asked for help from WESTOP. President Coin asked Mr. Palik to present a written request, and to include suggestions about how WESTOP should respond.

XIV. Research Committee ­ Rhonda Moses
(report on file)
Ms. Moses reported that her committee is on target to completing its' charges. They have designed a survey for Upward Bound directors to complete, which will be sent out by regular mail and email. Since they have not yet been successful with obtaining the data from Mathematica, they decided to conduct their own research in the meantime. Ms. Moses shared that the committee is also gathering suggestions/referrals for a faculty research committee. President Coin encouraged all Board members to update the membership about what the Research Committee is doing, so that people are continually apprised of its' progress. He also encouraged people to make sure that Upward Bound directors complete this survey. Mr. Lucas brought forth a charge from NorCal that the Board obtain the Mathematica data by December 1, 2002, by any means necessary. NorCal reminds the Board that the March 4, 2002 deadline has passed. President Coin reiterated that the 30- day recommendation was a good recommendation, but may have been a bit unrealistic. The committee is doing everything they can, and they are well aware of the urgency of the situation. Mr. Lindsay asked whether Norcal has suggestions for how to accomplish this task, beyond what Ms. Moses has already done? Ms. Conwell asked Ms. Moses whether she talked to anyone during the COE conference. She replied that she had not. Mr. Palik offered that he had read a letter somewhere, saying that we could get the data from COE. Ms. Moses answered that she asked COE but they referred her to the Pell Institute. Mr. Oda added that they always say they are happy to give us the data, but then they never do. Ms. Moses was told that COE has the Mathematica report, but they do not have the data. Mr. Woods felt that we might need to consider approaching our legislators for assistance, because we have tried all the regular channels, and that has not worked. Perhaps the legislators can help, based on the Freedom of Information Act. President Coin charged Ms. Moses to act on this suggestion. Mr. Woods asked for chapter presidents' assistance in identifying key legislators to contact.

XV. COE Fund Development ­ Sam Cortez
(report on file)
Mr. Cortez gave everyone a list of which institutions are current COE members. He asked the Chapter Presidents to encourage non-members to join. He also read a letter from COE President Jonathan McKenzie, who has started a personal contribution campaign. He asks everyone to contribute $38 (at least), to recognize the fact that TRIO has been in existence for 38 years. Mr. Cortez will be sending out more information about this campaign through email, as well.

XVI. Public Relations ­ Michael Tokuno
(no report on file)
No report was made.

XVII. WESTOP Fund Development ­ Sam Martinez
(no report on file)
No report was made.

XVIII. Financial Affairs Committee Report ­ Lydia Perez
(report on file)
The FAC met on Thursday, November 14. Before going further, Ms. Perez reminded the Board that anything recommended by FAC is just a recommendation. The Board still needs to vote for or against each recommendation. Ms. Perez then reviewed her written report. Questions and answers about the topics discussed at their meeting were listed. Most questions were related to specific line items and bookkeeping protocol. FAC does recommend that Ms. Brittain travel to Guam to train the Pacific Islands treasurer, in order to see the computer and space that the treasurer is using. Another question was raised about travel: if there is leftover money in a Board members' travel budget, can that person use it to go attend a PDS or another WESTOP-related conference? In response, FAC decided that any non-Board meeting travel should be included as a line item in each committee's budget (if applicable), and that Board meeting travel funds should only be used for their intended purpose. Finally, Ms. Perez reported that Chapter Presidents will have drafts of their chapter policy & procedures manual at the January meeting.

Since their meeting on Thursday, several new issues arose which are not listed in the report. These are listed below.
1) The 2003 committee budgets were submitted, but several items were missing or needed to be adjusted. Thus, FAC recommends postponing the budget approval until everything is detailed correctly in writing.

2) Some amendments to the 2002 budget will need to be made; specifically, some increases to expenditures lines are necessary, in order to compensate for some overspending. The Membership Committee needs an increase to $2600, to cover some new membership activities. The Legislation Committee requested increasing their budget to $800 in order to purchase copies of "Congress at Your Fingertips" for members. The WESTOP Fund Development Committee has also exceeded its' budget ­ Ms. Brittain is in the process of itemizing this portion, in order to see where the money was spent. The President's travel budget needs to be increased, so FAC recommends increasing the amount to $15,000 which will cover travel to the Miami COE training and to the Central California PDS. Ms. Perez noted that these increases would reduce WESTOP's 2002 net income. A motion was made for the Board to approve the FAC-recommended amendments to the 2002 budget (Motion #6).

3) A line item has been created in the 2003 budget to accommodate costs for ThinkQuest. FAC will wait to hear from the Technology Committee to determine the amount.

4) 2003 conference rates: a) Preconference workshops ­ Mr. Oda recommended decreasing the registration fees to only cover costs (see Professional Development report for details). FAC recommended that fees for workshops 1, 2, and 3 be decreased to $165, and fees for workshops 4 and 5 stay at $200. A motion was made to approve the FAC recommendations for pre-conference registration rates (Motion #7). Motion passed.
b) Registration deadlines ­ FAC recommended that the early bird deadline be extended to January 14, 2003. It was so moved (Motion #8). Motion passed.
c) One-day registration rates for conference ­ FAC decided that this option should be made available to locals only. The rate was recommended at $125. A motion was made to approve a one-day conference rate as recommended by FAC (Motion #9). Some discussion took place about who would be eligible for this option. Mr. Oda indicated that locals from Hawaii and educators from PRELL, for example, could utilize this rate but it would not be available to the entire Pacific Islands region. There were questions about whether this option would be available to other chapters in the future, and if it was used in the past. Mr. Stewart informed everyone that one-day registration has been offered in the past, but was very difficult to monitor. Thus, it is up to each conference chair to decide whether they want to offer it or not. Mr. Oda added that one-day participants would receive a different color nametag and meal tickets only for that day, and would not receive the extra WESTOP gifts. The conference committee agreed that they would do the extra work to monitor these registrants. The reason they want to offer this option is so that local people can have more exposure to WESTOP. The one-day rate would not be advertised on the web, and would only be made available to locals. Motion passed.
d) Conference rates ­ FAC recommended making no changes to the current conference rates. It was so moved (Motion #10). Motion passed.

In conclusion, Ms. Perez stated that the chapter rebates for 2001 have not been paid yet, so these need to be covered in a line item. Ms. Brittain responded that this amount had already been taken into account. A motion was made for the Board to approve an increase in the chapter rebate line to $3700, for 2002 budget (Motion #11). Motion passed.

XIX. Arizona Chapter Report ­ Lydia Perez
(report on file)
Ms. Perez reported that the Arizona Chapter recommends adding a date to the membership form, so people know if they are using the most current form or not. The suggestion was noted by the Membership Chair. The Arizona PDS will be held in Tucson, and people need to make their hotel reservations by December 8 to lock in a rate. The conference will follow a strand format, and will address topics in research, program evaluation, and models for reporting on research and evaluations.

XX. Nevada Chapter ­ Reginald Stewart
(report on file)
Mr. Stewart reviewed his report and chapter balance. Nevada has asked for a written report or presentation from the Central California Chapter to inform the membership about whether proposal objectives were met, to be presented at the Candidates Forum in April. He was also happy to report that the Nevada Chapter has increased its' membership by about 30%.

XXI. Northern California Chapter ­ Van Lucas
(report on file)
Mr. Lucas conveyed NorCal's recommendation that WESTOP offer a forum to address invitational priority, if it becomes listed in the Federal Register. President Coin charged the Legislation & Education Chair to handle this issue. There was some confusion about how this process works. Mr. Domingues explained that when Congress passes a law and it is signed by the President, the Department of Education then develops regulations to address that law. When they are contemplating a change in regulations, there is a window of time for public comment about whether those regulations are correctly or incorrectly interpreting the new law. Mr. Domingues stated that he would include information on how to address this issue in his January report. Mr. Lucas then reviewed chapter update items. The request for Peggy Whitehead to attend the WESTOP Conference was presented in writing (see report for details). Additionally, NorCal drafted a position paper on Reauthorization. A motion was made for the NorCal Chapter Reauthorization recommendation to be included along with the recommendation from WESTOP (Motion #12). Upon reading the recommendation, Mr. Oda commented that part of it conflicts with WESTOP's recommendation. Mr. Woods asked to hear from other chapter presidents. Arizona, Pacific Islands and SoCal did not have any additions. Mr. Stewart remarked that Nevada state legislation makes it difficult to work with GEAR UP programs. Mr. Lucas clarified that this document is to be submitted as an addendum to the WESTOP position paper. In other words, NorCal is NOT asking for us to change the current position paper, but just to add another document to it. A lengthy discussion took place regarding different ways to approach the issue. It was suggested that either Mr. Domingues review the document and incorporate NorCal's opinion if needed, or to just send the document separately. Mr. Domingues felt that for timeliness sake, we just post what we have on the website currently. He had never seen the NorCal document before today and thus did not have time to discuss it and incorporate it earlier. Motion did not pass. A motion was made to formally invite Peggy Whitehead and her husband to the 2003 conference (Motion #13). This would include paying for their travel expenses through the conference speaker travel line item. Motion passes.

XXII. Pacific Islands Chapter ­ Heinrich Palik
(report on file)
Mr. Palik reported that the Pacific Islands chapter recently held a successful teleconference. With regards to invitational priority, many of the Pacific Islands members were confused by this issue. Additionally, they were concerned about the late announcement, which was similar to the late announcement of the increased COE fee. Mr. Palik also announced that the PI Chapter has donated money to Patsy Mink foundation. Finally, he brought up the issue of site visits, and how their chapter has not received a site visit for almost 10 years. He asked the Board to reconsider his request that someone from WESTOP visit the chapter to perform a mock site visit.

XXIII. Central California ­ Rey Cuesta
(report on file)
Mr. Cuesta reported that Central California has recruited some new committee chairs. He then reviewed their scheduled event dates for then next several months. With regards to their Student Leadership Conference, their profit will be less than projected because their attendance was low, due to stormy weather. Their PDS will be held at CSU Fresno, and they are collaborating with NorCal on National TRIO Day events. The chapter's website is up, and has been linked to the WESTOP site. Ms. Conwell suggested that they include a section on the website which highlights their accomplishments thus far. Finally, the chapter has approved an official logo.

XXIV. Southern California Chapter ­ Scott Thayer
(report on file)
Mr. Thayer thanked the Board members who attended the SoCal PDS. He reviewed his report, highlighting their participation in a survey through California Lutheran University. Results from the study were positive (see report for details). SoCal will also be creating a "Program Highlight Book" for Policy Seminar. Additionally, the Sigma Gamma Lambda sorority from Loyola Marymount University raised $1700 for their chapter. Finally, Mr. Thayer congratulated and recognized the PDS committee for their hard work.

XXV. Guest ­ Chair of California EOP Association, Edward Pohlert
(handout on file)
Mr. Edward Pohlert, director of EOP and SSS at CSU San Marcos, was a guest speaker at the Board meeting. He shared his ideas for continuing to develop partnerships between WESTOP and EOP, including his three goals for the future: 1) organizational development, 2) program effectiveness, and 3) political strategy. He then took some time to ask the Board members to reflect on their work.

Mr. Pohlert discussed the national and state budget crisis, and the program monies that are now in jeopardy. Almost every institution in the nation is considering reorganization, and this can impact TRIO programs. He reviewed the partnership history between WESTOP and EOP, which used to be very strong. He pointed out that this relationship weakened in the 1990's, which was the last time there was a significant budget crisis. Hopefully things will be different this time, and our programs can grow strong together. Over the last 2 years, EOP has sent more people to WESTOP and has invited WESTOP Presidents to the EOP Conference. Through these collaborations, he hopes to share "best practices" and better explain how CSU EOP works. Mr. Pohlert distributed a document with the mission, goals and partnership strategy that he has proposed. He also included notes from the WESTOP Board meeting he attended last year. Finally, he offered potential next steps for working together: 1) devise a CSU EOP organizational strategy modeled after TRIO legislative structures; 2) develop joint regional programs; 3) have Executive Boards of WESTOP and EOP meet quarterly; 4) contact other educational equity programs; and 5) incorporate integrated TRIO-EOP chapter meetings.

There was a lengthy discussion in response to Mr. Pohlert's comments. Mr. Pohlert shared tentative dates for their Executive Board meetings, conferences, and other activities. Their events are limited because they do not have a budget like WESTOP. Mr. Stewart asked about model EOP programs in California, because the Nevada Board of Regents is focusing on what campuses are doing for underrepresented students. Currently, only TRIO programs address this need, and the Board of Regents is researching successful state models. Mr. Pohlert described several models: 1) EOP is central stand-alone unit; 2) EOP is part of an equity unit; or 3) EOP is decentralized. The Board agreed with Mr. Pohlert's ideas, and expressed excitement about collaborating on programming, policy issues, sharing contacts, etc. President Coin reiterated that collaboration with programs like EOP is specifically addressed in the strategic plan. He and other presidents have also attended EOP conferences. Most recently, the Public Relations Committee was developed to foster such partnerships. President Coin asked the Conference Chair to work with Mr. Pohlert to get addresses of EOP staff, so he can send conference information to them immediately. He also suggested recruiting EOP staff to present workshops at the conference. It was suggested that the Public Relations Committee follow up with Mr. Pohlert, and that relevant action items be presented in written format. It was also suggested that the Board identify other state programs similar to EOP, and collaboratewith them as well. President Coin asked the Chapter Presidents to include this issue in their recommendations for next year.

XXVI. Unfinished Business
2003 Peggy Whitehead Scholarship: Ms. Conwell reviewed the changes she has made on the form. She confirmed that we are giving one scholarship in the amount of $1000 each year, and indicated that Ms. Whitehead has requested that the scholarship be offered to Upward Bound, UBMath/Science and Educational Talent Search seniors only. She will send the edited version of the form over e-mail, once it is approved. Discussion took place about details of the scholarship; for example, how many nominations should be allowed per program? It was decided that one (1) would be best. Some time was spent reviewing and editing the content and formatting of the application form. Ms. Conwell said she would incorporate the edits and send out the information to the membership in the first week of December. It was also suggested that the scholarship be paid out of the Board budget and not the Conference budget, because it is a WESTOP function. However it was finally decided that the money would come from the conference awards budget, because that is where all the other awards are located. More debate took place about the costs of bringing students and parents/chaperones to the conference, and whether Ms. Whitehead would even be there to present the award. Mr. Palik suggested that only students from the conference host chapter can apply for the scholarship each year, in order to reduce travel costs. Mr. Lindsay suggested presenting the scholarship at the winner's high school graduation instead of at the conference. Ms. Perez brought up logistical issues such as selection committees, scoring criteria, liability, etc. She felt that the Board would need to see more concrete procedures in writing before voting. There was also some discussion about which committee would handle this award in the immediate future, and about the long-term plan to keep the scholarship sustainable. It needs to go to either the conference committee or an ad hoc committee. Ms. Conwell indicated that she was willing to oversee it this year, but some felt that the conference awards committee should be responsible. Debate took place about whether to vote on this issue now or not. Ms. Conwell suggested that she would sign up for the awards committee and work on it from there. A motion was made to refer this issue to the Executive Committee for action, to be reported on at the next BOD meeting (Motion #14). Mr. Lucas asked that the Executive Committee also consider whether it should be a chapter specific scholarship or not. Motion passed.

XXVII. New Business
President Coin distributed information pertinent to the Chapter Presidents, regarding state initiatives. He encouraged the Chapter Presidents to fill out the questionnaire and respond by November 22, and to inform their members about these initiatives.

Motion to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 5:27pm.

Addendum

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
November 16, 2002

Members present:
Joy Brittain, Irvin Coin, Darlene Conwell, Lydia Perez, Leonard Woods, Ling Yeh

The Executive Committee met at 5:35 pm to discuss the Peggy Whitehead Scholarship. Members agreed that Ms. Conwell should sit on the conference awards committee, and combine the NorCal and SoCal scholarship guidelines to design this scholarship. With regards to the question about whether it should be restricted to the conference host chapter each year, it was decided to rotate the scholarship each year because it would be more equitable and the chapters could possibly then pay for the travel costs during their year, if necessary. Since it will be a rotating scholarship, it needs to take place for at least 6 years (if Central Cal is approved) in order for each chapter to get a scholarship. Additionally, the Board or the Awards Committee will be responsible for announcing the award to each chapter on the year that they are eligible. Ms. Brittain suggested that Ms. Conwell make the necessary corrections to the application and send a copy to the Executive Committee for final review. It was also decided that award recipient and nominator would be invited to the conference, but they would not be required to attend. If the recipient attends, then he or she must be accompanied by an adult (either parent or chaperone). Moreover, if Ms. Whitehead comes to the first conference then she will present the award. Otherwise, the WESTOP President will present it. There was no decision made about whether to invite Ms. Whitehead in later years. Meeting was adjourned at 6pm.

Email Vote Minutes
September ­ October 2002

An email discussion about the Conference registration fees and deadlines began in late September, between James Oda, Veronica Hernandez, and Irvin Coin. In early October, Leonard Woods reminded the Conference Committee that conference rates needed to be approved by the Board of Directors. While conference rates for early bird and regular registration were approved with the conference budget, the Board still needed to approve pre/post conference rates, late registration, non-member, and student rates. A proposed fee structure was sent to the entire Board on October 9, 2002. The fee structure is as follows:

Early Bird (12/31/02) Regular (2/14/03) Late (after 2/14/03)
Member: $295 Member: $345 Member: $520
Non-Member: $395 Non-Member: $445 Non-Member: $645
Student: $150 Student: $175 Student: $225

Pre/Post Conference sessions:
Member: $200
Non-member: $300

James Oda made a motion to approve the rates as listed above (Motion #15). President Coin solicited comments and votes from the Board. Several non-Board members sent in emails expressing concern about the high conference rates, the additional day of activities at the end of the conference, and the pre-conference to be held in Hilo. They cited reasons that the conference rates should be lowered. Namely, they were concerned about program costs, and not being able to bring staff or needing to skip other conferences to attend the conference in Hawaii. Several Board members agreed that the conference rates should not be increased from last year. Other Board members felt that lowering a rate by $10 - $20 would not make that much of a difference in expenses. They also stated that most major conferences cost over $350. Past conference chairs shared that conference rates are usually set based on the cost of producing the event (eg: printing and sending registration materials, workshops, honorariums, advertising, conference attendee supplies, meals, etc.). Some Board members proposed lowering the Early Bird and Regular rates but keeping the Late Registration high, in order to discourage people from registering too late, which would make things more difficult for the conference planners. Other Board members reminded people that the conference is the only major fundraiser for the association, and that without revenue from the conference, they would not be able to fund projects that have been requested by the membership. (eg: leadership development program, increased travel funds for Board members, hiring researchers to address Mathematica). The question was called by Leonard Woods on October 22, 2002. Motion passed.

Email Vote Minutes
November 2002

A motion was made on November 25, 2002 by Lydia Perez to authorize the President Elect and Past President to receive funds from WESTOP to accommodate travel to the December COE Board of Directors Meeting in Miami Beach, FL (Motion #16). This action was proposed because this December meeting included a newly instituted New Director's Training, which was different from the standard COE Board meetings. In January, FAC will add a revision to the fiscal policy regarding President's travel to COE Board meetings. Motion passed.

Email Vote Minutes
December 2002

A motion was made on December 17, 2002 by Lydia Perez to approve the 2003 proposed budgets for the association, the Arizona Chapter, Central Cal pilot chapter, Nevada Chapter, NorCal Chapter, Pacific Islands Chapter, and SoCal Chapter (Motion #17). The budget was sent in Excel format as an attachment to the email. Motion passed.
Motions

Motion #1: Motion to approve the resignation of Samuel Martinez from the WESTOP Board.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Jake Lindsay
Vote: Passed unanimous

Motion #2: Motion to approve the August 2002 minutes as amended.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: Passed unanimous

Motion #3: Motion to approve the second reading bylaws changes for section 3.1, as stated in the Bylaws report.
Move: James Oda
Second: Leonard Woods
Vote: 17 yes, 1no, 0 abstentions

Motion #4: Motion to reconsider the 2003 WESTOP Conference rates.
Move: James Oda
Second: Leonard Woods
Vote: 7 yes, 5 no, 5 abstentions.

Motion #5: Motion to adopt the second draft of Reauthorization recommendations.
Move: Stephen Domingues
Second: Sam Cortez
Vote: Passed unanimous

Motion #6: Motion for the Board to approve the FAC recommended amendments to the 2002 budget.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: James Oda.
Vote: Passes unanaimous

Motion #7: Motion to approve the FAC recommendation for pre-conference registration rates.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: 17 yes, 1 no, 0 abstentions.

Motion #8: Motion to approve the revised date (January 14, 2003) for early bird registration.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: Passes unanimous.

Motion #9: Motion to approve a one-day conference rate as recommended by FAC.
Move: Leonard Woods
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: 16 yes, 1 no, 1 abstention.

Motion #10: Motion to keep early bird, regular, and student member conference rates same as approved.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: 15 yes, 1 no, 2 abstentions.

Motion #11: Motion to approve increase in chapter rebate line to $3700 for the 2002 budget.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Leonard Woods
Vote: Passes unanimous.

Motion #12: Motion to endorse the NorCal position on the upcoming Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, as an addendum to be put forward with WESTOP's position paper.
Move: Van Lucas
Second: Rey Cuesta
Vote: 7 yes, 8 no, 2 abstentions.

Motion #13: Motion to formally invite Peggy Whitehead and her husband to the 2003 WESTOP conference.
Move: Vanyel Lucas
Second: Samuel Cortez
Vote: Passed unanimous.

Motion #14: Motion to refer the Peggy Whitehead Scholarship issue to the Executive Committee for action, to be reported on at the next BOD meeting.
Move: James Oda
Second: Darlene Conwell
Vote: 11 yes, 5 no, 2 abstention.

Motion #15: Motion to approve proposed 2003 WESTOP Conference rates.
Move: James Oda
Second: Justine Bellock
Vote: 10 yes, 3 no, 4 abstentions.

Motion #16: Motion to authorize the President Elect and Past President to receive funds from WESTOP to attend the December COE Board Meeting.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Darlene Conwell
Vote: Passed unanimous.

Motion #17: Motion to approve the 2003 proposed budgets for the association, the Arizona Chapter, Central Cal pilot chapter, Nevada Chapter, NorCal Chapter, Pacific Islands Chapter, and SoCal Chapter.
Move: Lydia Perez
Second: Vanyel Lucas
Vote: 13 yes, 6 abstentions.