UIC UNITED: A Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting November 17, 2006

Members Present: Marsha Borders, Merrill Gassman, Richard Johnson, William Jones, Irving Miller, Lawrence Poston, Susan Sindelar, Frank Tachau

Members Absent: Kathleen Crittenden, Geraldine Piorkowski, Jacob Starks, Wally Wadycki

The meeting was called to order by President Irving Miller at 10:10am.

1. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on September 18, 2006 and March 28, 2006 were approved.

2. Membership Report (Geraldine Piorkowski): In a written report, Gerry indicated that the current membership count is 1,688; 2 deaths were also reported. A solicitation letter has been prepared and will be sent to all UIC employees early next year.

3. President's Report (Irving Miller): The Board agreed with Irv that more effort should be made to raise the organization's visibility on campus. To that end, UIC UNITED will place an ad in UIC News and/or the Chicago Flame. In addition, an attempt will be made to get an interview with the editor of one or both campus newspapers. Irv will follow up.

President Miller will speak briefly about SUAA at the UIC Retirement Luncheon on Thursday, November 30, 2006. He will also staff a table and hand out literature prior to the event.

4. Treasurer's Report (Frank Tachau): As of November 17, 2006, the balance in savings is $17,271.42, divided as follows: Invested Savings (CD): $25,407.33; Checking: $2,352.44; University Account: $2,600.

Annual Audit: The Treasurer's report containing the Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements for the checking and savings accounts for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 was submitted to the Chapter's Audit Committee for review. The Audit Committee discussed the information included in the report with the acting Treasurer. The amount of dues collected and deposited for the year was tested. The Audit Committee also compared the beginning balances for the checking and savings account to the ending balances per the June 30, 2005 Treasurer's Report. A summary of the assets as of June 30, 2006 is as follows:

The audit appears to reflect fairly the financial activity reported for the UIC Chapter of SUAA. The Audit report for fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 was accepted and approved by the Board.

5. SUAACTION Issues (Richard Johnson): SUAA as an organization is at the point of deciding which direction it wants to take. If the organization is serious about becoming a statewide player by 2012, it needs a strong financial base. At the October 17th State SUAA Board of Directors Meeting, there was discussion about voluntary vs. obligatory SUAACTION dues. Most State Directors were not in favor of obligatory dues. SUAACTION has pursued a voluntary effort since its inception. Based on this feedback, Paula Purdue, SUAA's lobbyist, put together a draft document that presented several ways of managing voluntary fundraising. Chapters were asked for feedback on these approaches. Based on a review of the document by UIC UNITED's Board of Directors, the following recommendations were offered:

· Set a reasonable amount to be generated by each Chapter based on head count (e.g. $5)
· Put in place fundraising goals and realistic time lines to accomplish them
· Ask the membership to allow a portion of their dues to be transferred to SUAACTION annually
· Solicit additional voluntary dues above this annual giving

6. Newsletter (Larry Poston): A December publication date is still expected. Larry hopes to include pictures in the newsletter to liven it up. A final copy should be in the hands of UIC Publication Services very soon.

7. Programs and Events (Sue Sindelar): Susan reported the following:

· Dan Slack, Executive Director of SURS, delivered the keynote address at the Fall Chapter Meeting. Thirty-seven   members and guests were present.
· There were 11 individuals at the November Brown Bag talk on Election Results presented by Dick Simpson.
· The Holiday Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, December 6th at Costa's, located on the corner of Halsted and   Van Buren. An email notification containing all of the details has been sent to the Chapter membership; a followup   paper mailing is also planned. Suitable entertainment, such as pianist or small band, is being sought for the event.

Three individuals were selected from a slate of names that was presented to the Board as possible speakers for the Spring Chapter Meeting. Susan agreed to follow up as necessary to obtain a firm commitment from 1 of the 3.

Susan recommended that the next Brown Bag talk be held on the South Campus to help familiarize faculty and staff with the area.

8. Retirement Planning Conference (Marsha Borders): The annual UIC Retirement Conference is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2006 in the Chicago Rooms of Student Center West. Marsha Borders, Judy Curry, Gerry Piorkowski, and Jake Starks have agreed to work with Jacquie Berger on the planning, organizing, and implementation of the program. Jacquie has returned from maternity leave and wants to set up an initial meeting with the committee to begin the planning process. Ideas regarding topics, format, and presenters should be communicated to a Board liaison or to Jacquie directly.

9. New Business: Nominating Committee: With an election pending in Spring 2007, Irv reminded the Board that a Nominating Committee must be established in early January to slate individuals for the upcoming election of President, Second Vice President, and Treasurer. A Director-at-Large is also needed to replace Kathleen Crittenden whose term is expiring. Any UIC UNITED member who is willing to serve should contact President Miller.

Bill Jones alerted the Board that we have an opportunity to address the Board of Trustees during the public comment section of their meetings if we have an issue or agenda item.

11. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:28am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

to the Chapter's home page