UIC Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting February 1, 2005

Members Present: Frank Tachau (presiding), Marsha Borders, Merrill Gassman, Walter Wadycki, Jacob Starks, Dick Johnson, Irv Miller, Gerry Piorkowski, Kathy Crittenden (recording), and Ralph Westfall.

The meeting was called to order by Frank Tachau at 9am, and all attendees introduced themselves.

1. The minutes of the 11/9/04 and 12/15/04 Board meetings were approved.

2. Treasurer's Report: The Board welcomed back Wally Wadycki, who presented the Treasurer's Report. There is $30,972 in savings and $2,244 (already committed) in checking. He is looking into higher interest-bearing investments. The Chapter must adopt a budget for 2005-2006 in April, right after the elections.

3. Membership: Gerry Piorkowski reported that current membership is 1,201, including honorary memberships for Sylvia Manning and Jim Stukel; 216 are new members, and there were 24 non-renewals. Kevin Navratil, our graduate student employee, was helpful in our membership drive.

The state board is discussing family memberships, but is having difficulty defining a household. We decided (8 - 2) to propose waiving the local portion of the dues, if family memberships are instituted. A household membership would be $50, of which $42 would go to the state organization. This proposal will be voted on at the April Chapter meeting.

4. Program: The Stukel reception went well. The Stukels were gracious, but the weather was bad. The Spring Chapter meeting will be held on April 21. University President B. Joseph White will be the speaker, and he will stay through lunch.

Irv Miller announced the next two brown-bag presentations. On February 23, Kelvin Rodolfo will speak on the tsunami hazard; on April 14, Hedy Landman will talk about family caregiving.

5. Nominating Committee: The committee, appointed by the president and approved by the board, will report a slate at the Spring meeting. Committee members are Dick Johnson (chair), Kathy Crittenden, and Marsha Borders. Offices to be filled are president, two vice-presidents, and secretary, all for two-year terms. Three board members-at-large will serve three-year terms on a staggered basis.

6. Bylaws changes and appointments: We discussed combining the office of secretary with the role of archivist, and adding a new board position of parliamentarian. These changes would require amending the Bylaws. In the meantime, Frank Tachau has appointed Wally Wadycki as parliamentarian.

7. Newsletter: Roz Hoffman has agreed to produce the next issue of the newsletter.

8. Meeting with Dave Hilquist, SUAA State President: We discussed issues concerning the relation between the local chapter and the state organization, particularly legislative matters.

The state organization has decided to focus on three primary legislative objectives: a) full funding of SURS; b) maintenance of reasonable costs and coverages in health care; and 3) restoration of up to two years of service credit for sick days. The previous two-year policy had been dropped to one year by administrative ruling.

SUAA is developing a Political Involvement Committee (PIC) to strengthen legislative efforts. The Board discussed strategies for increasing the effectiveness of these efforts.

There was discussion of the progress and likely recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Pension Reform.

9. Spring SUAA Board Meeting: The Spring meeting will be March 10 at Governor's State University. The focus will be on revenues.

10. The Board will meet again on March 1 at 10 AM.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:35 AM.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Crittenden, Acting Secretary

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