Order of Omega Summer Board Meeting
Minutes
July 21, 2006
Arlington, Texas 

Meeting Called to Order by ED WHIPPLE at 8:10 a.m., Friday, July 21, 2006. Board members present: Howard Farrell, Anne Forcier, Kent Gardner, David Grady, Larry Lunsford, Kent Pawlak, Alexandria Rantisi, Aurelio Rivera, Mardie Sorensen, Barbara Tootle, Ed Whipple, and Daisy Wood. Regional Province Directors present: Sally Cobb, Reatha Cox, David Hotz, Wes Schaub, Darald Stubbs, and Cheri Wechsler. 

ED WHIPPLE announced that this was the very location and hotel where first two board meetings were held and structure was adopted to include a student board member. 

ALEXANDRIA “Alex” RANTISI was introduced as the new Student Board Member. She is a student at University of Illinois where she serves as president of the Order of Omega chapter and is a member is Kappa Alpha Theta. 

ED WHIPPLE presented ALEXANDRIA RANTISI with an Omega T-shirt and pin to commemorate her election. 

AURELIO RIVERA, as outgoing student member, presented ALEXANDRIA RANTISI with a sweatshirt from his school, Florida International University.

Minutes for Summer 2005 Board of Directors were reviewed. BARBARA TOOTLE moved to accept minutes with two corrections. Motion was seconded by DAVID GRADY. Minutes passed. 

KENT GARDNER presented report on new headquarters building. GARDNER indicated it was fortunate that his retirement from UTA allowed him to become full-time at Order of Omega for this project. Construction challenges highlighted included: difficulty with city in securing permits; holdups with telephone service; and plumbing problems including flooding and hardwood floor damage and improper pipe materials. Total project cost is estimated at $260,000.00. This is below budget and on low end for commercial office property.  

KENT PAWLAK provided overview of technology in new facility including network capabilities, telecom system, and new computing equipment. 

KENT GARDNER indicated that we expect approximately 65 attendees for the open house on Saturday, July 22, 2006. Further discussion was held concerning the open house schedule and Board member roles. 

RCD reports were presented providing pertinent information on each region. Common concern presented was turnover among university Greek advisors creating difficulty in timely and accurate communication. Following discussion, several action items were established. RCDs will verify that each Order of Omega chapter is recognized as a student organization on its respective campus. KENT GARDNER will request that each regional conference ask schools if they have an active Order of Omega chapter as part of the registration form. MARDIE SORENSEN will work with RCDs to develop a basic manual for chapter presidents. BARBARA TOOTLE will develop an outline of basic speaking points to be used by Order of Omega representatives speaking at regional conferences and school Greek functions. KENT PAWLAK will work with MARDIE SORENSEN and RCDs to develop sample membership applications and recommended membership selection guidelines for chapters and make available on website. 

ED WHIPPLE initiated discussion concerning devastation from the hurricanes last year. Board members shared stories concerning affected campuses and chapters. SALLY COBB stated that Greek Life tends to be called on the first and did a great job answering the call. BARBARA TOOTLE suggested that we feature the Loyola chapter at the annual AFA meeting given that it was able to reactivate even through the crisis. 

KENT GARDNER provided a summary of new and reactivated chapters for the year. There are seven new chapters and 27 reactivated chapters this year. KENT PAWLAK presented initiate breakdown report for previous year. RCDs requested that this report information be made available on regular basis. RCDs will provide KENT PAWLAK with information on desired data to be included in reports. 

MARDIE SORENSEN presented report on Chapter Awards. Number of applicants continues to be small, but program still considered successful and positive impact on chapters. Winners include Dartmouth, Northwest Louisiana, Alabama, and University of Southern California. 

DAVID GRADY presented the fellowship and scholarship summary report. There were nine fellowship recipients including one doctoral, one master’s, and seven graduate assistant. $5, 250 was given in 2005 for total of $99,750 to date. We will exceed $100,000 in 2006. 157 total scholarships were distributed totaling $55,350 for 2006. Total scholarships to date exceed $484,000. We will exceed $500,000 in 2006. Judges have been consistent the past three years and are expected to participate this year. KENT PAWLAK will look at wording on fellowship application to better clarify school attending and/or employed. KENT GARDNER will work with AFA to get a list of their graduate students. This will be a great pool of applicants for future fellowships. 

DAVID GRADY discussed the AFA Case Study competition. The 2005 event had more teams register than spots available. This continues to be a good program and positive PR for Order of Omega. Case study competitions sponsored by Order of Omega are now beginning at regional conferences and involve pairing an undergraduate with an advisor to tackle a currently relevant issue.  

KENT GARDNER presented the dates for the regional conferences and asked who will attend. The dates are:

SEIFC 2/15-18/2007               Atlanta - Darald & Daisy
Northeast 2/22-25/2007           Pittsburg - Kent G.
MidAmerican 2/22-25/2007     Chicago - Ed, Wes, & Alexandria
Western 3/1-4/2007                 Burlingame – Kent G.
SEPC 3/29-4/1/2007               Atlanta – Reatha, Darald, & Sally 

MARDIE SORENSEN indicated that REATHA COX will oversee selection of next student board member. 

KENT GARDNER announced that next year’s summer board meeting will be held July 19-22, 2007. Current location proposals include Naples, FL; Squaw Peak, AZ; and Charleston, SC. 

KENT PAWLAK presented a technology report including a summary of website usage.  

DAVID GRADY and LARRY LUNSFORD are both on board for AFA Research Journal and indicated that they are having difficulty getting submissions. Guidelines are posted on website and Board agreed to assist in getting word out. SALLY COBB suggested we send information out to all our fellowship applicants.

KENT GARDNER presented business plan. Income to date for current fiscal year is approximately 24 percent above previous year. Largest part of increase is due to ability with increased staff to follow up with chapters and communicate number of members they may initiate. RCDs contact with chapters also instrumental. Business plan is very aggressive, but possible. Board discussed adding a full time Chapter Services Director. Motion was made by DAISY WOOD and seconded by AURELIO RIVERA to allow Executive Board to recruit Chapter Development person and determine appropriate salary. Motion passed. Executive Board will review entire staff salary structure, including future benefit plan, at winter board meeting.   

KENT GARDNER stated he is to meet soon with first corporate sponsorship contact at Chase Bank. Plan is to secure $50,000 with half directly designated to scholarships and other half for operating costs. KENT GARDNER will consult with attorney concerning necessary release statement for chapter members to share data with corporate partners and possible employers. 

KENT GARDNER informed the Board of increased charges to chapters for overnight shipping of graduation cords to avoid losing money. 

KENT GARDNER read two thank you letters from fellowship/scholarship recipients. 

KENT GARDNER entertained discussion concerning applicants for fellowship. Specifically what is considered a “related field” of study? After much discussion, the matter was referred to committee for review. DAVID GRADY, LARRY LUNSFORD, HOWARD FARRELL, and MARDIE SORENSEN shall serve on this committee. 

KENT GARDNER informed the Board of discussion with Tom Gelke to possibly co-host the AFA Reception. After discussion, the Board agreed to continue to hold our own reception and to request that AFA make every effort to schedule “like” receptions at the same time and not in competition with corporate sponsors. ED WHIPPLE will speak with Ron Binder, AFA President, about reception schedule and alcohol concerns. 

The Board discussed possibilities for a large chapter membership initiative. MARDIE SORENSEN and ALEXANDRIA RANTISI will work with RCDs to address issues.  

MARDIE SORENSEN will ensure that students in the area are invited to the AFA reception. 

KENT GARDNER posed the question of whether professional group members should be allowed membership in Order of Omega. After discussion, the Board agreed that membership criteria shall remain unchanged.  

The Board discussed the possibility of amending membership requirements to allow sophomore eligibility. Lively discussion ensued. ANNE FORCIER moved and HOWARD FARRELL seconded that Order of Omega maintain its current membership structure.  

MARDIE SORENSEN suggested that Order of Omega recognized Nancy Gardner for her work filling in at the office for Jessica while she was on maternity leave. HOWARD FARRELL suggested and all agreed to allow the Executive Board determine what to give to Nancy. 

DAVID GRADY requested that Order of Omega look at Facebook or My Space as a venue for communication to chapter members. KENT PAWLAK will research this.  

AURELIO RIVERA informed the Board of his effort to have a National Greek Service Day. AURELIO RIVERA will write an article for Omega Trends on what it means to be a Greek leader. ALEXANDRIA RANTISI and AURELIO RIVERA will work on establishing a national pin day. 

KENT GARDNER reviewed schedule for evening and open house event on Saturday.  

ED WHIPPLE adjourned meeting at 4:10 p.m.