Tuesday, June 03, 2008

New Web site

To better meet our growing needs, the Collegian Alumni Association has a new Web site:

collegianalumni.wordpress.com

Effective today, all new material will be posted to this site. If you are already on our e-mail list, you shouldn't have to do anything -- in fact, if you are getting this post by e-mail, you should receive all future posts, as well. You can also sign up for e-mail updates on our new site, just like on our old site. Please update any bookmarks, however, for collegianalumni.wordpress.com.

The new site offers several new features, including:
* Easily navigable pages and archives by topic
* Online job and internship banks (everyone is invited to e-mail us with openings to be posted)
* Easy access to downloads of newsletters and other material
* Permanent information about the Association and its projects

If anyone has any suggestions for the site, please let us know at collegian.alumni.association@gmail.com

Again, the CAA's new Web page is:

collegianalumni.wordpress.com

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

May 2008 conference call minutes

Collegian Alumni Association
May 4, 2008, conference call

On the call: Todd Holzman, Robbie Ketcham, Steve Lannen, Tracy Miller, Renee Peck

I.) ELECTION OF A CHAIR
The CAA charter requires that the first order of business for a new Board be the election of a chair, to be the main Association contact person. After discussion, the Board unanimously selected Todd Holzman to serve as chair.

II.) APPOINTMENT OF A FINANCE COMMITTEE
The CAA charter requires that the second order of business for a new Board be the appointment of a Finance Committee, to both assist and audit the treasurer’s budget management. After discussion, the Board appointed Todd and Adam Sapp to the committee. Both have since accepted the appointments. Robbie Ketcham, as treasurer, will chair the committee.

III.) BUDGET REPORT
Without a Finance Committee, this budget report was non-binding. But as of April, the Association had a bank balance of $411.78, as well as a $70 pledge not yet received. Of this, $150 and the $70 pledge had been given in order to support a new scanner for the Kenyon library that would help digitize the Collegian archives.

The Board discussed whether to continue the scanner campaign, since the unexpected birth of the Kluge Collegian Fund has since become a top fundraising priority. All members present felt that the scanner was a good idea, however, and wanted to continue the campaign. Robbie will contact Library and Information Services to see if the scanner was still a goal and to find out more about the scanner’s cost. Pending positive feedback from this, the Board directed Robbie to send Kenyon a check for $150 toward the scanner.

IV.) NEW BUSINESS / GOALS FOR THE BOARD
Most of the call was spent discussing the Board’s goals for the future, resulting in the following:

Short-term tasks
-- Broaden membership with a universal invitation/announcement to all alumni (via Kenyon Alumni Bulletin, News Digest, online, possible mailing). Two ideas were particularly stressed: It should be clear that anyone who was with the Collegian is welcome in the CAA, not just former editors; also, those now interested in supporting the Collegian or those now in communications should be invited to participate in the group, regardless of whether they were part of the paper as students. Renee Peck is working on an announcement.

-- Update the database of membership, creating one that the Association can maintain

-- Set up a new Web site, at Kenyon.edu or at wordpress.com (
collegianalumni.wordpress.com is in the works)

-- Look into a Kenyon.edu e-mail address

-- Create a CAA group on Facebook. Tracy created this, found at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17293169551

More long-term tasks:
-- Spread word about Kluge Fund and scanner campaigns
-- Fall meeting/workshop in Gambier
-- Mass mailing
-- Newsletter
-- Fundraising for Collegian and student needs

Ongoing missions:
-- Alumni job bank and career mentoring program
-- Sponsored internships and workshops, via Kluge Fund or own fundraising
-- Support for Collegian staff

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Opening agenda for the new Board

These are the opening points of business for the new Board of Directors. Any thoughts or input on these from any members is always welcome, either in the comments or by e-mail at collegian.alumni.association(at)gmail.com.

- Robbie Ketcham, treasurer and chair pro tem

-------------------------------------------------------

I.) ELECTION OF A CHAIR
Our charter requires that the first order of business for a new Board has to be electing a chair, who will "with the advice and consent of the Board, have the power to schedule meetings, appoint committee chairs, handle day-to-day affairs of the Association and undertake any other administrative measures ordained by the Board. The chair shall have power to sign Association checks, either with prior authorization of the Board or – in a case of urgent need – if the sum is less than $500. ... The chair shall promptly report all actions to the Board, and the Board shall have the power to overturn any of the chair’s actions by a simple majority vote."

Who among the five elected reps (Todd, Tracy, Adam, Steve, Renee) should do this?

II.) APPOINTMENT OF A FINANCE COMMITTEE
The charter requires that our second order of business be appointing a Finance Committee, to basically both help and oversee me regarding group funds. It can be any size, and anyone in the Association can be a member. Its purpose is pretty undefined, but its biggest role is in certifying the accuracy of budget reports -- once the committee agrees with me that the budget report is accurate, the Board can't change it, but only approve or reject it outright. The committee could also perhaps be a kind of fundraising group.

If anyone knows anyone with some financial background, it would be great.

III.) HELP ADVISE THE PAPER?
Pamela Camerra-Rowe has stepped down as a Collegian advisor due to time constraints. And as P.F. Kluge spends much of the spring semester abroad, the paper is currently advisor-less. The Interim Board suggested a few people on campus for advice on a more informal basis. But the editors were also wondering whether any alumni might be interested in being giving informal advice or looking over the paper and offering thoughts?

IV.) TREASURER'S REPORT
Without a Finance Committee, this is a rather informal report, but here goes: Our checking account currently has a balance of $411.78. We also have a $70 pledge that has not yet been received.

Of the total, however, $150 -- plus the $70 pledge -- are proceeds from the silent auction during the reunion, which had been designated for helping the Kenyon library buy a scanner to digitize the Collegian archives for use by the newspaper staff and the public.

While this campaign seemed a good idea when endorsed by the Interim Board, the unexpected birth of the Kluge Collegian Fund has put the scanner campaign on a back burner. The Interim Board discussed this at its final meeting, and its suggestion was that, if we can receive the final pledge (which also means making sure that the person actually received the item he was buying), we make a $220 donation to the Kenyon library for the scanner purchase, and tell them we are suspending this campaign for the time being.

What do people think?

Also in terms of the Kluge Fund, I talked briefly with the head of development for Kenyon, and he's agreed to send us an update on the Fund's balance and interest each fall, when Kenyon compiles these numbers for its own bookkeeping.

V.) PROGRAM SUGGESTIONS FROM THE INTERIM BOARD
The main topic of the final Interim Board conference call was program suggestions for the new Board. The main things brought up:

-- Creating an internship or job bank, where Collegian staffers (or other alumni) could find out about jobs posted by alumni. One way to do this could be through our blog, simply having alumni write in with a job opening and we put it up there. Our mirror blog, collegianalumni.wordpress.com, comes with the ability to easily "tag" messages, which would then allow someone to click on a "jobs" link and then see all posts with job openings. This could be an easy and effective way to get more posts to the blog and create a continuously growing job bank.

-- There was some discussion about possibly having a workshop/small-scale reunion at the start of the fall 2008 semester, when new students and editors might want some help on writing, design, etc.

-- One suggestion was that the Collegian editors, each year, think of a certain need, and the Board could help find a way to meet that need. However, it was noted that this might be what the Kluge Fund is designed for -- as it should provide at least $2,000+ in funding each year -- so the better policy might be to support that.

-- There's still some uncertainty about the new Collegian office. It's going to be on the third floor of Peirce, and Kenyon has said that the paper would have its own office and be able to share a second space. But not much new is known right now. There was some concern that the College could have the paper share space, then after the editors object, say it's too late to change. But Leslie doesn't think this is likely to happen, and there's also the fact that an alumnus gave substantial money to help furnish that floor of Peirce with the understanding that it would help the Collegian office. So all in all, there was no need seen for alumni to do anything at this time -- if anything, it could seem like meddling.

VI.) OTHER IDEAS?
What would people like to see in the next couple years?

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Voting results

My many apologies for the delay; althuogh the vote has been closed for some time, various distractions and my own forgetfulness led to an oversight in posting the results. But here they are:

In all 19 ballots were cast, 14 online and five by mail. Each ballot could have up to four votes for Board representative and one for treasurer. In all, 65 representative votes were cast, and 14 treasurer votes. The results, with winners named and vote totals only for other finishers:

Winners for Board of Directors representative:
RENEE PECK '75 ------------------ 14
TRACY MILLER '02 -------------- 10
ADAM SAPP '02 ------------------- 9
STEVE LANNEN '95 --------------- 7
TODD HOLZMAN '80 -------------- 7
Two candidates --------------------- 6
Two candidates --------------------- 3
One candidate ---------------------- 0

For Association treasurer:
ROBBIE KETCHAM '04 (unopposed) -- 14

All candidates have received the results, and all winners have accepted their positions. As of Feb. 16, or one month after the end of the vote, the new Board has taken office. In addition to the five elected representatives and elected treasurer, the Board also includes three ex-officio members: P.F. Kluge '64, the Collegian advisor; and Dayne Baughman '08 and Leslie Parsons '09, the 2008-09 Collegian editors-in-chief.

Although the new Board is officially in office, the Interim Board will be having a final meeting today. After its conclusion, an agenda for the beginning of the new Board will be created, and it will be posted here for any comments members might have.

- Robbie Ketcham '04, transition manager

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Poll now closed

The vote for the Collegian Alumni Association Board of Directors is now closed. The poll closed at 4 a.m. ET on Jan. 17, allowing some leeway for any late voters on the West Coast.

Jan. 16 was also the deadline to postmark paper ballots. As eligible votes might have just been sent and therefore will not arrive at our Gambier post office box for a few days, the Interim Board has decided to wait until next Wednesday, Jan. 23, to finalize the vote count. Winners will then be notified, and election results will be posted here.

If, by chance, there is a tie for Board representative, a run-off election will be held. Details on that will be posted if it becomes necessary.

Under our charter, the new Board must assume office within 30 days of the ballot-postmark deadline. Therefore, unless a run-off becomes necessary, the new Board will take charge no later than Feb. 16.

As I was unopposed for treasurer and, as treasurer, cannot run for Board chair (the election of which will be the first action of the new Board, as mandated by our charter), the Interim Board has approved me to help guide the transition to the new Board. So if anyone has any questions, I'll be happy to try and answer them!

- Robbie Ketcham '04

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Voting ends Wednesday!

Final call for votes! The election ends Wednesday, January 16. Cast your ballots now!

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Two Reminders

As of today, we have only received ten votes in the election for our first official board. As we wish to ensure that every Collegian Alumni Association member has a voice, we ask that you:

1) Become informed about the candidates and our charter. Copies of our newsletter and charter can be found by clicking here.

2) Voice your opinion and vote!