December 2005 Board Minutes

December 2005 Board Minutes UNL East Campus Union

Members Present: Jim Kendrick, Delivee Wright, Dick Boohar, Howard Ottoson, Wilma Crumley, Francis Haskins, Walter Mientka, Don Edwards, Jerry Petr, Max Clegg.

Meeting called to order at 1:30 p.m. by president Irv Omtvedt.

The death of Emeritus James Rawley following a stroke and a fall outside Oldfather Hall was noted.

In preliminary remarks, Omtvedt asked the board for aid in selecting committee members and chairs. He also expressed concern that there is a shortfall of city campus origin Emeriti attending membership meetings. Care also needs to be taken in assuring a balance of City and East Campus Emeriti on committees.

It was moved by Boohar, seconded by Wright, to approve the minutes of the November 3, 2005 board meeting. Carried.

Moved by Edwards, seconded by Ottoson, to approve the minutes of the November 17, 2005 membership meeting. Carried.

Mientka suggested looking into the possibility of asking speakers at membership meetings to submit an abstract of their presentation to facilitate a condensed version included in the minutes. Kendrick said he was working on an arrangement wherein an audio version of a presentation could be accessed on the website.

Treasurer’s report: Mientka distributed a hard copy. He noted that the amount of compensation to grant recipients from the Wisherd Fund needed to be added to the expense portion of the report. Moved by Edwards, seconded by Wright to approve the report. Carried.

The issue regarding providing refreshments to attendees of the monthly membership meetings was discussed. A statement of costs for refreshments available at the November meeting has not been received. It was decided that decaf coffee, hot cider (or ice tea) and cookies would be provided for the January, February, March and April membership meetings.

Vice President and Program Chair Ottoson discussed plans for programs at the February, March and April membership meetings. As announced earlier, the January membership meeting speaker will be Dean Marjorie Kostelnik of the UNL College of Education and Human Sciences, who will discuss how the academic unit was formed from previous academic entities.

He distributed a listing of program ideas. Several thoughts were expressed by board members regarding other possible program topics. These included Walgreen pharmacist Ally Jacobsen, who previously spoke to the Assn. on health care with emphasis on prescriptions, given the current interest in Medicare options and choices.

Another idea: a panel of Emeriti Assn. members discussing areas of interest of Emeriti, i.e., seniors. Topics might include travel, financial issues, spare time choices. This idea would also engage more Association members in the group’s activities. Other possible speakers/topics suggested included: Peter Levitov, relating to international students; pre-need funeral planning, Bill Haberlan, resource person; works of art—chimpanzees vs. humans, a field trip to studios; Tom Winter, UNL faculty member, on rubber band airplanes and related subjects. In informal discussion, the board showed little enthusiasm for N.U. and UNL master plan presentations, Report on UNK, and College of Engineering and Technology at UNO.

Standing committees’ year-end reports elicited a great deal of discussion.

Courtesy Committee—Delivee Wright. Within its present context, no more than a dozen baskets were distributed this year to members who returned home after hospitalization. Delivering baskets depends on word-of-mouth notification from members. Nothing is delivered to families in case of deaths. It was pointed out that patients recovering at home welcome visitors; this may be more therapeutic than the baskets themselves.

The need for the newly constituted Membership Relations Committee to arrange for getting baskets or other recognition to Emeriti outside Lincoln prompted an in-depth discussion on a system to contact various segments of the total Emeriti membership, whatever their residence, as well as new members, annual dues-paid members, life members, widows and widowers and various zip code groupings.

Boohar, with assistance by Kendrick, proposed the first mailing to go to new Emeriti who retired from UNL during the period July-September of this year—12-14 individuals. The goal would be a first class mailing this month (December). Boohar proposed that stationery would be printed by a private print shop; with envelopes carrying his (residence) return address. A post office box would be rented to receive returns, especially those indicating change of address or a recipient deceased. Boohar said he has the capability to sort mailing labels from the roster he maintains to a variety of recipient categories, some of which may be beyond the capability of UNL printing/mailing services, which handles current Emeriti Assn. mailings.

Lutz and Crumley questioned the appropriateness and legality of printed stationery and envelopes with different type style and size and particularly the use of a private return address. This possibility will be checked out as soon as possible.

After considerable discussion, it was moved by Kendrick, seconded by Edwards, for the Emeriti Assn. to produce its own stationery/letterhead and envelopes, with the Association’s chosen return address. In the light of considerable discussion, it was moved by Edwards, seconded by Ottoson, to withdraw the foregoing motion, and refer the situation to the Member Relations Committee for appropriate action. Carried.

Other Standing Committee reports:

Maude Wisherd Fund: Chairman Lee Jones absent.

Nominating Committee: Ted Hartung; mission accomplished for 2005.

Website: Jim Kendrick. Report posted on the website listed changes posted and cited usage for November, i.e., number of visitors, number of pages viewed and top pages viewed.

Omtvedt requested discussion relating to chairs of standing committees, committee responsibilities and potential members of committees for program year 2006.

Benefits Committee – Haskins wishes to be relieved of chairmanship. Possible candidates might be George Rejda and Barbara Kohn.

Wisherd Fund Committee – Lee Jones has declined to serve in 2006. A new chairman will be sought.

Membership Committee – Dick Boohar to continue as Chair. Max Clegg agreed to join Dick Boohar on the committee.

Jim McShane and Robert Fuller were mentioned as possible candidates for committee chairmanships. It was suggested that Dick Bradley be asked to serve as chairman of the Member Relations Committee. .

Recommended that Jim Kendrick continue as chair of the Website Committee.

Under new business:

Development of mission statement and working plan for Membership Relations Committee.

Pursue goal of developing a brochure describing the Association, its projects and goals for distribution to new or prospective members.

Kendrick raised the possibility of a surcharge to be borne by members who requested/desired to receive mailings containing information that members normally would expect to access through our website. Despite technology, some mass mailings will continue to be necessary to all members, but these costs would be considered as an item in the annual operating budget. The amount of a surcharge has not been determined, but it might be something like $1.85 a year. No formal action was taken on this suggestion..

The question was asked as to whether meeting rooms at the East Campus Union have been scheduled for upcoming months. Omtvedt said meeting rooms and dates have been scheduled for membership meetings. He will contact the East Union in the near future to reserve a meeting room with four tables arranged in conference-table style for 2006 board meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. starting in February.

Mientka requested that the board consider the following resolution.

Whereas:
The Maude E. Wisherd Fund was established at the University of Nebraska Foundation through the trust agreement of Zelma Wisherd.

Whereas:
This trust agreement created a fund with “the income there from to be used for the welfare and comfort of the Emeriti Association of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln”.

Whereas:
In 1998 Robert Raymond, then President of the Emeriti Association pronounced that the Association passed a resolution to provide the following types of support through the Wisherd Fund:

Help emeriti (or surviving spouses) pay health insurance premiums

Underwrite part of the cost of completing research and/or creative activity

Help pay for custodial care of emeriti.

Whereas:
It is in the Association’s power to have flexibility to use these funds for other purposes as verified by correspondence received on March 15, 2005 by the Association’s Treasurer Walter E. Mientka from Ms. Tracy J. Edgerton, J.D. Assistant Vice President of the University of Nebraska Foundation.

The Treasurer hereby submits the following resolution articulating additional types of support for the income from the Wisherd Fund:

Resolution (Motion):
Income from the Wisherd Fund may provide support for the programs and activities of the Association’s Membership, Membership Relations, Program and Website committees.

This Motion was seconded by Don Edwards and passed with unanimity by those present.

There being no further old, unfinished or new business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.

Submitted By: Dan B. Lutz, Secretary