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FINAL MINUTES
SIGMA PHI DELTA FRATERNITY
SUPREME COUNCIL MEETING
March 19, 2002, 6:30 PM PST
CALL TO ORDER: The on line meeting of Sigma Phi Delta Fraternity
Supreme Council was called to order on March 19, 2002, at 6:30 PM PST
ROLL CALL:
Supreme Council Members:
1. Grand President Derek Troy
2. Grand Vice President Keith Hileman (Absent)
3. Executive Director Bob Featheringham
4. Communications Director Alix Minden
5. Eastern Province Councillor Mike Votaw (Absent)
6. Western Province Councillor Darren Farnworth
7. Central Province Councillor Mike Stelzner
Non Supreme Council Members attending:
· Treasurer Ed Hurst (Absent)
· Information Systems Manager Golam Bokhtier (Absent)
· Vancouver Alumni Secretary Ed Gin
· Eta Chapter Chief Engineer Steve Mascheri
A quorum was present to allow the conduct of business.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Minutes of the February 12, 2002, Supreme Council Meeting were approved
in accordance with the Fraternity’s review and approval policy. They
were posted to the Fraternity’s web site on March 1, 2002.
OFFICER REPORTS:
Grand President: Reported the following:
1. SPD Board of Trustees’ meeting was held 03/02 in Santa Ana, CA;
minutes are posted on the Fraternity Web site. Trustees will be transferring
$40,000 to the general fund for Executive Director salary at $10,000/ quarter
for one year, starting April 1.
Grand Vice President: Reported the following:
1. No Report
Executive Director: Reported the following:
1. Faxed the California Franchise Tax Board their Form 3557, "Application
for Certificate of Revivor," requesting the reinstatement of our Article
of Incorporation. They replied, and ED sent reinstatement Forms to
Treasurer Hurst on 03/08. Hurst has the required tax returns, except for
1983; he will contact Brother Bob Beals to determine if there are old returns
in his files..
2. Contacted Brother Matt Gavronskey (Eta Alumnus) who agreed to help
get our expired trademarks reinstated. No progress, yet.
3. Developed Draft Officer Contact List in February, but there was
no consensus reached on its usefulness. There was concern expresses that
information on the web was available to outsiders, and some members cannot
take fraternity business calls at work. Also, some interest was raised
in providing cell phone numbers on line. It was finally agreed to
put the project on hold until the new Information Systems Manager was fully
on board. No new Guidance was developed at the meeting for Brother
Bokhtier. Project will be put on indefinite hold.
4. Setting up secondary bulk mailing account in Chicago to permit spring
Castle to be printed and mailed from there.
5. Visited Alpha on 3/4; formal report and Chapter Health Form submitted
to Grand President and Western Province Councillor, with copies to Alpha
and Brother Adam Lynch.
6. Mailed March birthday cards: 299 US; 32 Canada; 1 other.
Treasurer: Reported the following by e-mail:
1. February 2002 Financial Statements were posted to the Web site.
2. Theta and Psi will be delinquent on dues on 30 March. (Phi’s check
has a problem and needs to have a Form 22 attached.)
Communications Director: Reported the following:
1. Spring 2002 Castle proof sent out for review 3/13; will be submitted
to printer on 3/20, unless there are other changes.
2. Spring 2000 Castle will be posted to web in addition to mailing.
3. Will continue to print and mail Castle in Chicago.
4. In response to CD’s question regarding standardization of binders
and paper for the RITUAL, the Supreme Council members directed that the
size doesn't need to be standardized, as long as it is similar to what
was used in the past, 7-in by 4-in multi-ring black binder.
Western Province Councillor: Reported the following:
1. Active Chapter Issues: No issues to report.
2. Alumni Chapter Issues:
· Vancouver Alumni is holding its Annual General Meeting on
3/22/02.
· Alpha Alumni will hold its elections this spring. Nominations
open March 23rd; close April 27th. WPC will act as administrator
for these elections to maintain impartiality
Central Province Councillor:
1. Active Chapter Issues:
· Phi is working on their situation; shows promise that they
will pull through, but they are not out of the woods yet. (Note:
by phone call on 3/20, Phi Chief Engineer Chad Meirose reported to National
Office that the Chapter’s problems had unexpectedly multiplied due to the
landlord selling the Chapter house from underneath them.)
· Eta’s landlord (Marquette University) problems have abated;
they have a lease in hand for this year.
· Epsilon is doing well; no problems to report.
· Delta is on spring break; little news before they left.
2. Alumni Issues. None
3. CPC visits:
· Delta was postponed due to major snowstorm that weekend.
· Offical visits to Eta and Delta are scheduled for the fall.
· Will re-visit and double check on Phi in October.
4. Web page needs to be corrected; Central Province Secretary is Steve
Mascheri.
5. Eta Chief is here to address the OBJECT amendment issue. That
will happen during new business.
Eastern Province Councillor: (Phoned in report)
1. Province Convention Planning Report. Eastern Province retreat is
scheduled for June 7-9 in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Awaiting report from
EP Secretary Brother Bill Vogel to finalize details
2. Active Chapter Issues: Received information from Psi; they are alive
and well. (Note: By e-mail on 3/22, Psi announced its Founder’s Day picnic
in Newark on 4/12/02 for all interested actives and alumni.)
3. Alumni Chapter Issues: None.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Expansion: (Hileman by phone in).
1. Sent contact information to interested group in Calgary.
2. Installation of Colony at the University of Texas-Arlington will
be late April.
3. No response from California Poly Tech student, yet.
4. East coast trip to Delaware/expansion at University of Virginia
(TBD), perhaps, mid April.
5. Canadian Expansion Director Brother Richard Taylor submitted his
resignation to Grand President Troy, due to business conflicts.
Chapter Health: (Troy) Forms are being used and are posted to web for all to use.
Publications: (Troy)
1. Pledge Manual was posted to web. Intend to distribute paper
copies in three-ring binders.
2. Manual of Procedures (MOP) Update. New ISM must translate from .pdf
to HTML and link to Constitution and Statutory Code.
3. Vision is to have all internal forms on web; only forms with external
distribution will be paper.
Leadership: (Troy) International Subcommittee met 3/5 to discuss infrastructure needs of BUET installation.
Fund Raising. (F’ham) Results as of 3/19/02: 133 contributors and one outstanding pledge total $16,565 for an average of $123.62. Distributions: General Fund $10,150; Foundation $4935; various Alumni Chapters $1480. Full report will be in spring Castle. Contributions have diminished to a handfull in March; hopefully, Castle article will generate renewed interest, and we will reach our $20,000 goal. Wrote article for Theta alumni newsletter challenging our Canadian brothers to increase their support.
Engineers United. (Troy) Coordination meeting with Alpha Omega Epsilon sorority occurred on 26 February. GP Troy, GVP Hileman, and ED F’ham attended. Wounds appear to be mending; awaiting AOE to generate complete set of minutes.
Merchandise. (F’ham) Received information from Brother Lindner for this project while in California on 3/2. Putting project on “back burner,” per GP Troy until other more urgent issues are resolved. Putting forward a motion in New Business for a contest among actives to design a new logo using our letters and “Engineers.” Logo will appear on new merchandise.
35th General Convention. (F’ham) Delta took responsibility for this action. They met with UIUC Event Planning Office to better understand the university’s proposal. They reviewed the UIUC dorm facilities and believe they want to use them (Illinois Street Dorms—air conditioned and about 20-minute walk from Delta House). They are now looking at other accommodations on campus for parking, a meeting place and banquet. Delta Chief Engineer Brother Ian Santarinala will report back after spring break (week of 21 March). We must set a firm date for 35th General Convention by next Supreme Council meeting.
ISM Search: (Hurst) Brother Golam Bokhtier (Omega) selected and appointed. He is now on the job.
OLD BUSINESS: The following Old Business was addressed:
Budget Rental Car Accident Status. Board of Trustees was appraised of the situation on 3/2. They took position that Board and Fraternity should help in any way possible, indirectly. Direct financial support should not be considered. Board also stated that brothers who do not carry collision insurance on their personal cars must purchase collision waiver damage from the car rental company.
2001-2002 Internships and Scholarships . Application deadline was March 15. Grand President extended due date to 15 April; notices to Chapters and Province Councillors were sent out via e-mail on 3/18.
OBJECT Revision. On 2/12 Eta Brother Andrew Phillips moved to amend Constitution Article 1 Section 2, OBJECT of the Fraternity to change language from “virtuous manhood” to “manhood under God.” By e-mail on 2/13, GP Troy ruled that this motion was incorrectly presented. Per Fraternity law, Eta must submit the amendment to the Executive Director in writing; the ED, in turn, will place it on the SC meeting agenda, seeking a second. If seconded, it will be sent to the General Convention by mail for vote. There is no other action required by the Supreme Council. Cutoff for submission is 15 March to have amendment considered in spring 2002. As of 3/19, no proposed amendment has been submitted.
Eta Brother Steve Mascheri addressed the Supreme Council and stated that Eta polled its new membership and new officer cadre and found there was still agreement that they want to submit an amendment to change the OBJECT language “virtuous manhood” to “manhood under God.” He asked if the proposed change could still be submitted, despite the deadline of 3/19/02 having passed.
Grand President Brother Troy stated that there is no “deadline” to submit motions to the General Convention, only cutoff dates for each semester to allow fair mail-in voting for all members of the General Convention. The 3/19 cutoff date was set only to facilitate a mail ballot before school ended, as the Fraternity does not want voting going on when school is not in session. Since the spring cutoff date had passed, the OBJECT change, which requires a Constitutional Amendment, will not be considered until the fall semester. Eta was told submit its proposal at any time; the sooner the better.
Brother Mascheri stated he agreed with the logic and had all the information he needed.
Chapter Visits by Officers:
· ?Alpha: F’ham 4 March 2002
· Delta: CPC Stelzner (unofficial) 3/2 (Postponed due
to weather); Official Fall 2002
· Epsilon: CPC Stelzner 2/15;Troy April 19-21
· Eta: CPC Stelzner (unofficial) 3/1; Official Fall 2002
· Theta: 70th Anniversary Formal Dinner March 9, 2002, Farnworth
· Kappa:
· Phi:CPC Stelzner 2/22; Troy April 19-21
· Psi: GVP Hileman and ED F’ham April 11 for Founder’s
Day
· Omega: Postponed until after Province Retreat
Action Item Recapitulation from 02/12/01 SC Meeting (?=completed item. Italic=carryover from last month):
All SC Members: Create AOL IM identifiers consistent with your office. Use format “SPDGP_Troy” as example.
Farnworth:
1. Post WP Retreats report to web.
2. Complete Form 5C Efficiency Report for each active chapter by 1
March
Featheringham:
1. Provide 35th GC planning data to Bokhtier for Web Posting. (Waiting
on Delta’s decision on date and place.)
2. ?Contact Brother Santarinala to resolve 35th General Convention
planning issues.
3. ?Complete Form 5B Efficiency Report for each active chapter by 1
March)
Hileman:
1. Reschedule IPFW meeting for Lambda reactivation.
2. Keep SC informed of Budget Rental Car accident claim status.
3. ?Contact Brother Taylor re: Canadian expansion (Brother Taylor resigned
position)
Hurst:
1. Seek availability of .net for sigmaphidelta domain.
2. Contact Brother Carlo Mejia (Alpha Alum and owner of sigmaphidelta.com)
to make sure nothing "bad" happens to it.
3. Task incoming ISM (or intern) to convert MOP to HTML and link it
to Constitution and Statutory Code.
4. ?Work with Brother Bokhtier to get ISM responsibility transferred.
Minden:
1. ?Complete Form 5D Efficiency Report for each active chapter by 1
March. (Brother Wagner)
Stelzner:
1. Complete Form 5C Efficiency Report for each active chapter by 1
March
Troy:
1. ?Complete Manual of Procedure Updates and post to web.
2. ?Complete edits to Chapter Health Forms and post to web.
3. ?Re-send MOP to ISM.
4. Print copies of Pledge Manual for Hileman.
5. ?Send e-mail invitation for leadership/international meeting o/a
26 February. (Meeting rescheduled for 5 March).
6. ?Set agenda for 2/26 AOE Meeting
7. Complete Form 5A Efficiency Report for each active chapter by 1
March
Votaw:
· Ensure Province Business is included in EP Retreat Agenda.
· ?Make contact with Psi to ascertain any issues there.
· Visit Omega after EP retreat.
· Complete Form 5C Efficiency Report for each active chapter
by 1 March.
NEW BUSINESS:
Purchase Adobe Acrobat Writer. Since many Fraternity Forms are posted in Adobe Portable Document File (.pdf) format, Brother Featheringham moved and Brother Minden seconded a motion for the Fraternity to purchase a copy of Adobe Acrobat Writer to allow forms to be filed.
During discussion the following points were made. Primarily the ISM and Intern would use this item. CD Brother Minden stated that Writer would be helpful in producing the Castle. Since most brothers have PC’s that would be the most useful version to purchase; Brother Featheringham can run a PC emulation on his Mac, if he needs the capability. The motion passed unanimously.
Contest for New Logotype. Fraternity will be purchasing merchandise for online store and having logotype affixed thereto. Need to establish a standard logotype with some combination of SFD and Engineers. Grand President Brother Troy proposed a contest among actives with $500 award to winner who designs the logotype selected by the Supreme Council. This would become the standard logo displayed throughout the Fraternity. Designs must be submitted by April SC meeting. Brother Featheringham seconded.
Discussion centered around the $500 prize; some though it too rich and that brothers should contribute their design ideas with out monetary compensation; contrariwise others thought this would be sending a good message to Actives that the National Office was willing to pay for good ideas. Some thought the contest would challenge the creative juices of the Actives; while a contrary position developed that some Actives would simply dust off existing designs.
Brother Troy called the motion, and it passed.
Subsequently agreement coalesced around a set of rules:
1. Prize is $500.
2. All entries would be submitted electronically to the Executive Director
by April 15th, who in turn would provide blind copies to the Supreme Council
members for judgment.
3. Any standard graphic format (.jpg etc) would be suitable
4. We are looking for creativeness, not just changing what Chapters
as Theta, Psi, and Omega already have.
5. We are looking for a design that will become our trademarked logo
for all chapters. It must be designed so as to scale down to look good
on a hat or pocket logo on a shirt
6. Limit to one entry per person. Actives only.
7. Judgment of the Supreme Council is subjective and final. We
reserve the right to award no prize.
Brother Featheringham was directed to put out an announcement to all active chapters.
Other New Business, none was submitted from the floor.
NEXT MEETING:
The next SC meeting will be on April 16, 2002 at 6:00 PM PST.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:30 PM PST.
ACTION RECAPITULATION: Actions resulting from the meeting:
Bokhtier:
1. Correct Web page, showing Brother Maschari as Central Province Secretary.
Farnworth:
1. Determine status of Theta’s spring dues check before they are delinquent
on 30 March.
Featheringham:
1. Establish firm date for 35th General Convention with Delta.
Hileman:
Hurst:
1. Complete Tax Forms for California Franchise Tax Board.
2. ?Query brother Beals re: availability of 1983 Tax Return
3. Write Purchase Order for PC version of Adobe Acrobat Writer.
Minden:
1. Complete Castle distribution.
Stelzner:
1. Check with Phi re: status of Form 22 to support spring dues payment.
Troy:
1. Appoint replacement Canadian Expansion Director.
Votaw:
1. Determine status of Psi spring dues before they go delinquent 30 March.
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