IEEE Newfoundland and Labrador Section
Executive Meeting Minutes
Tuesday April 10, 2001

In Attendance:
Yves Fontaine, Dennis Peters, Eric Gill, Kathleen Chafe, Doug Squires, Terry Hussey, Brian Kidney

Missing:
Siu O'Young, Mike Janes, Todd Hynes

Location: Fort William Building, Conference Room 314

Summary of Action Items:

Action:
Yves to ask Imprint for catalogue of trinkets complete with pricing.

Action:
Doug to ensure that we are in compliance with all aspects of the IEEE edict concerning the assignment of a co-signor from IEEE Central (not Region 7). Carry over from last meeting.

Action:
Kathleen to print address labels using the most up-to-date list when needed for mail-out (Newsletter, NECEC Call for Papers).

Action:
Siu to arrange for newly-hired co-op student (Jeff Newhook) to present an overview of the Marconi project to the executive in late April or early May.

Action:
Siu to give update on Marconi project progress.

Action:
Doug to submit his senior member application ASAP.

Action:
Gervase to compose an engrossing article on IEEE senior membership for the next edition of the newsletter.

Action:
Yves to track down the status of the Aliant NECEC delinquents.

Action:
Kathleen to give updated membership numbers breakdown at the next meeting.

Action:
Dennis to get some info, pics etc. about IEEE Night up on the website. Also this can be included in the newsletter. Lisa Pearcy could be asked to give a student perspective on the event.

Action:
Todd to finalize the details of the IMD tour planned for the week of May 14.

Action:
Kathleen to forward the e-mail from Ivana Vujosevic to Brian and Terry to see if any of the students are interested.

Action:
Dennis and Doug to look in to options for location, catering etc. for the Lobster boil.

Action:
Yves to arrange for a conference room and refreshments for next meeting.

Review acceptance of minutes from March 13th meeting

Minutes were reviewed and accepted.

Review of action items arising from last meeting

• Action:
  Yves to ask Imprint for catalogue of trinkets complete with pricing. Doug to check on pricing with his trinket contacts.

  Carry forward for Yves.

  Doug showed samples he had secured from Crown Five Advertising, as follows:

  • Steel travel mug. $12.05
  • Rose wood pen with case. $12.47
  Prices are based on 48. There was much discussion. The general agreement was that both were appropriate items, and that maybe a variety would be best to have on hand. This it to be addressed at the next meeting when Yves has other info to consider.

• Action:
  Doug to ensure that we are in compliance with all aspects of the IEEE edict concerning the assignment of a co-signor from IEEE Central (not Region 7). Carry over from last meeting.

  Carry forward. Cheques are on order. Forms will need to be signed.

• Action:
  Kathleen to give update on the status of the IEEE mailing list.

  Closed.

  Follow-up action:
  Kathleen to print address labels using the most up-to-date list when needed for mailout (Newsletter, NECEC Call for Papers).

• Action:
  Siu to arrange for newly-hired co-op student (Jeff Newhook) to present an overview of the Marconi project to the executive in late April or early May.

  Carry forward. A sample of the 'kit' and radio was viewed at IEEE Night (Thur. April 5).

  Follow-up action:
  Siu to give an update at the next meeting.

• Action:
  Siu to find out the status of the Marconi funding proposal to the provincial government.

  Closed. We got it -- about $7k (see follow-up action above).

• Action:
  Doug to submit his senior member application ASAP.

  Carry forward. Doug needs the appropriate forms.

  Follow-up action:
  Kathleen to find the forms and pass them on.

• Action:
  Gervase to compose an engrossing article on IEEE senior membership for the next edition of the newsletter.

  Carry forward.

• Action:
  Yves to track down the status of the Aliant NECEC delinquents.

  Carry forward.

• Action:
  Doug will provide comprehensive summary of all NECEC 2000 donations at next executive meeting.

  Closed. List sent to Ray Miller.

• Action:
  Doug to investigate an appropriate IEEE mailbox alternative and report back to the executive next meeting.

  Closed. Address is as follows:
  

  IEEE Newfoundland & Labrador Section
  P.O. Box 29102
  St. John's, NF A1A 5B5
  

• Action:
  Siu to determine the amount of funding the student section requires for its Employer Fair.

  Closed. Cost is $0.

• Action:
  Mike to arrange for a conference room and refreshments.

  Closed. The cookies were appreciated. Eric pointed out that the straws were too short for the bottles.

Committee reports

1. Finance

   Mostly dealt with above. Recent activity: we gave out $800 in awards at IEEE Night.

2. Awards

   Eric reported that John Quaicoe once again didn't get the Educator Award that we nominated him for.

   Action:
   Eric to get a list of available awards for which we can nominate individuals.

3. Membership Development

   Kathleen reported that the membership list is in hand and she will be updating with the most recent changes soon. She has been unable to contact G. Desbarats, for whom Dennis has a Senior Member plaque.

   Yves reported that he recalled the year-end numbers as 161 total, about 76 students.

   Action:
   Kathleen to give updated numbers breakdown at the next meeting.

4. Student Activities

   Terry reported on recent activities:

   • IEEE Night -- Went off without a hitch.
   • Wine & Cheese -- There was a very limited industry response, but Cortek gave a great presentation.
   • Sale of course notes -- Seemed to go well, but unfortunately the profits were stolen from the cash box so it was simply a break-even venture. Terry learned the lesson that he can't trust his classmates as much as he thought he could.
   • CD sales -- Again a successful venture this year. Roughly 50 CDs sold, with some profit being made (unsure of exact numbers). There are several CDs left over, so hopefully these will be suitable for next year.

   Brian Kidney reported on the plans for the summer semester:

   • The section will be holding elections early in the semester, at which time he will be stepping down as chair to make room for new blood.
   • The McNaughton Centre funding request was approved by R7 (see last meeting minutes). They will be spending that money over the summer, although they are finding that their costs are influenced by the US exchange rate. They'll soon be looking for the portions of the budget that the section has committed.

5. Technical Activities

   As mentioned above IEEE Night went off without a hitch.

   Action:
   Dennis to get some info, pics etc. up on the website. Also this can be included in the newsletter. Lisa Pearcy could be asked to give a student perspective on the event.

   The next planned technical meeting is a tour of IMD planned for the week of May 14.

   Action:
   Todd to finalize the details.

6. NECEC 2001

   Yves reported that the committee has the planning well in hand. The date is Nov. 13 (Tuesday) and the location is the Battery hotel. Kathleen, Doug and Yvonne Raymond will be viewing the facilities soon.

GOLD Committee Initiative

Kathleen reported that she had received an e-mail from Ivana Vujosevic (R7 GOLD Committee Chair) looking for volunteers to take part in production of a resource kit targeted at GOLD members who are looking for work. The volunteers should be either GOLD members (i.e., within 10 yrs of graduation with first technical degree) or senior students, expecting to graduate within the next year or so.

Action:
Kathleen to forward the e-mail to Brian and Terry to see if any of the students are interested.

New Business

1. Lobster Boil

   There was much frank discussion of the options and questions regarding this highlight of the IEEE Social Season. A summary of the points raised is as follows:

   • Pricing
     We've been operating this at a substantial loss for several years. (Note: Last year's total cost was about $31/person. We charged $10 for members.) Do we want to continue to spend so much? The general consensus was that the ticket price could stand to be increased somewhat although opinions varied.
   • Entertainment
     It was generally agreed that the entertainment shouldn't be the focus of the evening and should be quite/short enough to allow for active socializing. Last year we had too much entertainment and not enough socializing.
   • Catering (or lack thereof)
     Doug said that he felt we could do some or all of the catering ourselves and thereby reduce costs and possibly make the atmosphere somewhat more relaxed. Dennis and Yves expressed doubt about finding the people willing to take on the task (indicating their own preference to be served rather than server). Doug felt that finding interested people wouldn't be a problem.
   • Location
     We'd like to have a location that has both indoor and outdoor relaxation and socializing. The Curling club (last year's venue) was seen a less than ideal -- way too dark and no outdoor part. Some suggested alternatives:
     • Elks Club (1999 venue)
     • Murray's Pond
     • Justina Centre (Outer Cv.)
     • The Bungalow (Bowering Park)
     • Rent a tent in some field
     There was some discussion of town vs. the sticks. Terry and Dennis suggested that going too far would certainly reduce student attendance since it would mean cars/rides are more of an issue.
   • Food
     Is Lobster a necessary part of this event, or could we do it as well with other foodstuff? Yves and Terry, and others, expressed that they'd like to keep the lobster in the equation.
   • What do we hope to achieve from all this?
     It was agreed that the Lobster Boil is primarily a social event and that it should be accessible and fun for all members. When planning the event we'd like to be careful to not alienate any demographic (e.g., students, young professionals, not-so-young professionals, etc.). Terry said he felt the students look forward to it as a special event, and it would be best to not have it reduced to just a BBQ or something.

   Action:
   Dennis and Doug to look in to options for location, catering etc. for the Lobster boil.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held on May 15, 2001 at the Fort William Building.

Action:
Yves to arrange for a conference room and refreshments.

Scribe: Dennis Peters
Posted: Thu 2001.04.26 at 17:11 NDT by Dennis Peters