Society of American Archivists - UT Student Chapter

Society of American Archivists
University of Texas at Austin Student Chapter

13 FEBRUARY 2002 MEETING MINUTES

Next meeting TBA

Present: Carol Mead, Charles Hargrove, Becky Romanchuk, Joel Minor, Amy Braitsch, Molly Wheeler, Heather Arnold, Dr. David B. Gracy II

I. Meeting called to order by Carol Mead, president, at 5:15pm.

II. Memberships

Carol announced that chapter membership forms and SAA membership forms are now available online at our website. Dr. Gracy suggested a few editorial changes to the wording on the form. Joel asked about the confusion likely to arise if we require a completed copy of the national SAA membership form in order to join the chapter, i.e. people will have sent in the SAA form before they know they need a copy of it. After discussion we decided to drop this detail and trust that anyone joining our chapter has also joined SAA, as we expressly note is required on our membership form, on our website's instructions for completing the form, and in our constitution.

Questions arose as to the routing of completed membership forms and checks. We decided that the Vice President should receive forms and checks, add new members to our list, and forward the checks to the Treasurer who should keep a backup list of newly joined members.

Carol inquired if the fee for chapter membership is written in our constitution or bylaws. All recalled that it is not, and we agreed action should be taken to amend our bylaws to include this information. Charles moved that our bylaws state that membership in our chapter requires a five dollar fee per academic year (two semesters). Heather seconded the motion. We all voted "yes" to amend the bylaws as stated above.

Amy then moved that we also amend our bylaws to state that officer elections take place before Spring Break (they now state that elections be held in April.) Charles seconded the motion. We all voted "yes" to amend the bylaws according to Amy¹s motion.

III. Mugs

Charles stated that he has a scan of our mug image and that he talked to Cook Advertising about producing an order. Their price is 99 cents per mug. The high resolution image we require needs to be done on a decal, both for the image and the text on the opposite side of the mug; each decal is 50 cents, raising the price per mug to $1.99. Set up fee is $40 and turnaround time is 2-3 weeks. Charles plans to order a gross, making the total price $328 plus tax. Carol asked Joel what our current balance is and he replied $1040 with $65 in petty cash. In debate about what we should charge for a mug, officers suggested between $6 and $10. Most of us felt that $6 is a reasonable price. Shipping options will be explored by Charles. Dr. Gracy said he has lots of Styrofoam peanuts we could use for packing. He also told us that he wrote half a page about our last Archives Week in the alumni newsletter, mentioning our very popular mugs. He included the fact that more mugs would be available soon and that they could be ordered through him. That issue of the newsletter will be out in two months.

IV. Potluck

Carol told us she is considering what to say at the potluck to inspire potential new officers. She would like each current officer to describe their duties and experiences in his or her position to give everyone attending a better idea of what to expect and look forward to in serving on the board.

Amy asked Dr. Gracy if the board could provide any supplies for the potluck. Dr. Gracy suggested napkins would be welcome. He also asked if we are encouraging students to attend the potluck. Carol noted that non-officer attendance at the last meeting was unusually large and that many indicated interest in being an officer. Molly pointed out that reluctance to serve is mainly due to the impression that it would be overly time-consuming. We hope to dispel this worry at the potluck. Molly will announce the potluck in Dr. Gracy's archives class on Thursday.

V. Student visit

A prospective student from Memphis, TN will be visiting the campus on March 4 to speak with Dr. Gracy. Carol asked who else could spare time to meet with this person to acquaint her with the archives program at UT. Charles agreed to take this responsibility and suggested that they visit some local archives as well as tour the campus. Carol asked Dr. Gracy if she should organize some first year students to meet with the visitor. Of importance is the current curriculum to which changes will be proposed next fall or spring in order to reorganize the Gateway courses. Molly stated that while the current structure of the curriculum has frustrations, she and other new students would still be enthusiastic about recommending the program to the visitor.

VI. Upcoming events

The internship talk will be held next Tuesday evening. Our potluck is scheduled for February 22. The EAD workshop occurs on March 1. Carol recalled that the board provided snacks for the break at the EAD workshop last year. Molly and Amy agreed that they will repeat the hospitality.

Dr. Gracy announced that the GSLIS 25th year reunion will take place the first weekend of March. On March 2 from 2-4pm, faculty and students will conduct presentations for the alumni. Our new Dean wants GSLIS to be visible, and Dr. Gracy believes that the integration of new technology in our field is one example of how the educational process in our profession has changed that would be of great interest to these alumni. He suggests that we consider creating a presentation of our Archives Clinic from last October. Amy, Molly, Heather, and Becky agree to help; Carol and Charles agree to speak at the presentation. Dr. Gracy says he will be a part of the presentation as well. All but Charles and Dr. Gracy plan to meet over the weekend to discuss plans.

Dr. Gracy remarked that the presentation event would be a prime opportunity to sell some of our new mugs if they were ready by then.

Molly has spoken with the Dean who says he would like to attend one of our meetings. We all agree that he is welcome and we will remember to personally invite him to our next meeting.

Our financial quandary remains over inviting Lee Miller to come to speak about resume preparation for archive positions. Dr. Gracy will ask him if he plans to be in the area any time this spring, thus saving us transportation costs.

We all remind ourselves that committee reports must be written and submitted by the end of the semester.

VII. Meeting adjourned at 6:33pm.

Minutes submitted by Becky Romanchuk on February 21, 2002.

Go to top

Back | Next

2002 Minutes

Society of American Archivists - University of Texas at Austin Student Chapter
E-mail: saa@ischool.utexas.edu