UIC UNITED: A Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting September 18, 2006

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

Members Absent: Kathleen Crittenden, Richard Johnson, Jacob Starks,Wally Wadycki

The meeting was called to order by President Irving Miller at 10:15am.

1. Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the meeting held on June 9, 2006 were approved.

2. Membership Report (Geraldine Piorkowski): Gerry reported that UIC United, the UIC Chapter of SUAA, won an award from the parent organization for the largest increase in membership. Last year at this time our numbers reflected a membership of 1,261 compared to this year's count of 1,664 members. The increase is attributed to a mailing from the central office to all SURS members as well as a mass email solicitation from the Chapter to all UIC employees. William Jones volunteered to contact individuals who have not yet renewed their membership.

3. Treasurer's Report (Frank Tachau): A CD in the amount of $25,000 was purchased, as previously instructed by the Board; the rate of return on that investment is 4.4%. There is $16,000 in the savings account, for a total asset value of $41,000. Separately, there is $2,400 in the checking account for current expenses and $3,000 in a fund to cover program expenses.

4. SUAACTION Report (Dick Johnson): A Forum on the Illinois Pension System Funding was held on the UIC campus on September 13th; the event was co-hosted and co-funded by SEIU local 73. Five excellent panelists participated:John Filan, Director of the Governor's Office of Management and Budget; Jeff Schoenberg, Illinois State Senator; Ralph Martire, Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability; Fred Giertz, Professor of Economics at UIUC; and Christine Boardman, President of SEIU local 73. Feedback received concerning the forum has been quite positive. The panelists were outstanding: well-prepared and open. Dick felt that the overwhelming message is that the incurred debt in the system - some $40+ billion - presents a huge obstacle that cannot be dealt with through the regular budgetary process. Illinois will be unable to deal with its normal responsibilities until that problem is solved, and quickly. Dick is, therefore, attracted to some short-term measures, such as tollway leasing, that have been proposed to address the problem. There were approximately 80 people in attendance, a somewhat disappointing turnout. There were missteps with communication and getting the word out. Effort to adequately publicize the event through regular listservs was ineffective as many of our members do not use email. This issue of how to communicate with the membership must be solved.

Dick reported that a second meeting was held earlier in the afternoon for leaders of the 18 SUAA chapters in the northeast sector of Illinois. This sector has immense political importance as it involves 37 of the 59 senate districts and 74 of the 118 representative districts. Discussion at the meeting centered around what chapters have done and what must be done. Regrettably, only 6 of the 18 chapters had representatives at the meeting. Dick pointed out that the continuing item on the SUAACTION agenda involves making contacts with our legislators. Everyone is encouraged to meet and greet their legislators and go to their town meetings and similar events, and to get the word out about SUAACTION.

5. SUAA Legislative Goals and Implementation Strategy (Irving Miller): The Board was asked to comment and react to the Legislative Goals and Implementation Plan that was distributed several weeks earlier by the Central Office. Suggested changes should be forwarded to President Miller by September 21, 2006.

6. Publicizing the Fall Chapter Meeting (Marsha Borders): Marsha suggested sending a paper-mailing to the entire campus, announcing the Fall Chapter meeting, along with an invitation to join SUAA. This suggestion was prompted by the poor attendance at Chapter meetings by current employees. The use of mass email has not been a very effective way of getting the employees' attention because many do not have access to a computer. Additionally, the sheer volume of mass e-mails that are being sent has become so overwhelming that many employees simply delete them without ever really reading the content. Looking at alternate ways of generating interest might prove beneficial. Gerry will attempt to get the mailing distributed through the campus mail service.

7. Newsletter (Larry Poston): Larry indicated that he is moving toward a more expedited publication schedule and hopes to get the newsletter out by November. The Board was encouraged to identify recurring themes that could be included in every issue. He felt that one purpose of the newsletter is to impart a sense of cohesiveness to the membership. To that end, he suggested that consideration be given for using the newsletter for analytical pieces and for recapping events rather than as a marketing tool. Scheduling program events for inclusion in the newsletter requires speakers, dates, and topics to be identified well in advance. This would present a challenge, given that the publication cycle is limited to two issues per year. Board feedback on what content should be included must be received before the final format can be completed.

8. Programs and Events (Sue Sindelar): The next Brown Bag Lunch Discussion, "Election Results and its Implications," will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 12 noon in Room 613 Student Center East. Dick Simpson, Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, will moderate.

9. Annual Retirement Planning Conference Committee (Irving Miller): Marsha Borders, Judy Curry, Kathleen Crittenden, and Geraldine Piorkowski were appointed to serve on the Annual Retirement Conference Planning Committee. They will work with Jacqueline Berger to coordinate, organize, and plan the conference, including the identification of pertinent topics and speakers. The Board as well as the membership-at-large will be called upon to assist in this effort, especially on the day of the event. Please let them know of any issues or speakers that you wish to be considered for the conference. Planning meetings will begin early in November.

10. Scheduling Board Meetings (Irving Miller): The Board considered establishing a regular meeting date; the discussion was tabled due to low attendance. The matter will be revisited at the next Board meeting.

11. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:25am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

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