From DSmith2361@aol.com Tue Aug 19 18:55:40 1997 Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 18:15:38 -0400 (EDT) From: DSmith2361@aol.com Message-ID: <970818181355_181969987@emout07.mail.aol.com> To: calebb@teleport.com, concepts@ix.netcom.com, crayton_berner@ccm.co.intel.com, dbergman@evolvnet.com, Gestaltt@aol.com, hillary@pdxcityclub.org, josborne@europa.com, KKrause105@aol.com, lfred@pps.k12.or.us, lhowe@smartstuff.com, lintobey@juno.com, marshas@canby.com, mulan@ix.netcom.com, nancy.stueber@omsi.edu, nealmcb@lucent.com, ROconnorii@aol.com, skoch@teleport.com, stand@straight-on.com, stephen.thompson@mci.com, sue_ridge@class.orednet.org, tbakke@informationage.com, viacalx@europa.com, vmegler@vnet.ibm.com Subject: Tech & Biz Minutes-8/14/95. NO MTG on 8/28!! Technology and Business Issue Committee City Club August 14, 1997 by Himself, the Ambidextrous Reverend O'Connor Members Present: Pete Heuser, Marsha Spellman, Nancy Steuber, Kurt Krause, Carol Sturdivant, Cynthia Hansen, Lew Frederick, Marie Morgan, Neal McBurnett, Linda Howe, and Co-chairs Duncan Smith and Dick O'Connor. Board guests were Carol Stone and Doug Marker. To the extent possible, Duncan called the meeting to order. Pete Heuser presented an overview of what the Board of Governors does, emphasizing the major issues faced by the Board, such as membership, finances, staffing, relationship with OPB, and advocacy. Pete stated he hoped that his comments today and those of Doug and Carol would help improve the communication between this issue committee and the Board. Pete noted that, except for the Research Committee, the Board does not oversee the work of the Issue Committees, and that each Board Member is responsible for a major Club activity or concern. Doug Marker then addressed the Committee. He gave a review of the past year when budget issues forced the Club to terminate Nancy Martin, who had served as the main liaison between this committee and the staff and Board of Governors. With her departure, the communication links have not been there, and it is clear problems have resulted. But as we are all volunteers, we need to pull together and to address and fix the problems. Carol Stone then addressed the Committee. She noted that she had been co-chair of the Public Services and Safety Committee. She said the Issue Committees are vehicles for members to get involved in the City Club, and as a means for getting people to learn more about a subject that interests them. The Issue Committees also serve as ways to identify future ideas that could become Friday programs. Marsha Spellman responded that support of this Issue Committee did not occur in two specific areas, one being the City Club's website, and the other being the series on Telecommunications. Duncan then reiterated that the purpose of today's meeting was to outline the roles of the staff and the Board of Governors and determine how to best fill in the gap caused by Nancy Martin's departure. He suggested that perhaps both the staff and the committee itself made their own assumptions about how to proceed without fully informing each other. Neal McBurnett recounted his perceptions of what happened on the website issue. He said Nancy Hedin had heard about Europa and brought some questions to Stan and not to the Committee as a whole. Neal said he felt let down that Stan had not brought a full discussion of his conversations with Nancy to the Committee. Doug mentioned that he thought there had been communication with other members of the Committee. Duncan said that Europa was not out of left field as far as Stan was concerned, but that Duncan was surprised that the Europa proposal was laid before the Board of Governors for approval, with no recommendation being made by this Committee. Discussion followed, and concluded with agreement that the Issue Committee should have had the opportunity to make its recommendation to the Board on the Europa proposal. Marsha then stated that the website issue was not the only problem faced by the Committee in working with the staff. Specifically, she noted that staff had included Chuck Lennart and Bill Scott on the first telecommunications presentation as a Friday program after being told that the series was not worthwhile for a Friday program. Pete said this decision was made by the Program committee which had to make its decision in one day, thus not allowing much time for discussion. Marsha stated that all she wants is an apology because of the incident at the Friday program and that she felt she was humiliated after working very hard in developing the series. Doug remarked that we are all volunteers, and that the role of staff is to facilitate, not to give direction. Marsha said the problem is that the staff has not acted in a facilitative manner. Marie Morgan asked if there is a Personnel committee to oversee the staff, and was told by Pete that there was. Duncan asked the question, "If the Issue Committees are to play a liaison role, then what should they do and not do?" Carol Sturdivant requested that a statement of objectives for Issue Committees be written. Also, we need a statement how Committees should function in light of staff support. Neal said he still wants to continue helping on website, that he has twice asked for Europa's proposal. Pete said he would see to it that Neal gets a copy. Marsha suggested that Carol Stone and Doug Marker and this Issue committee both write statements on how to work with Board and with Staff, and then reconcile the two. Hopefully, this will avoid future problems. Kurt Krause began a discussion about the Science Breakfasts. Kurt opined that the breakfast subjects tend to be those not yet ready for "prime time" but which still could draw a reasonably sized audience. He said that the Science Breakfasts need to have a scientific bent as their major characteristic. He noted that the Club is not reaching out to Washington County where much of the high tech work in Oregon is going on, and that the Breakfasts might be a way of attracting Washington County residents and workers into the Club. Pete noted that in the past this Committee held Breakfasts at the Greenwood Inn in Beaverton. Kurt then talked about the Wine Industry. There is some interesting scientific work being done, and there is an array of issues surrounding this industry, including taxes and land use. Pete remembered that the Club once sponsored a Wine Tasting at Reed College and perhaps instead of doing a breakfast, we might think of doing a wine tasting later in the day and wrap a presentation around that. Duncan noted there had also been a Friday program on the wine industry. Nancy Steuber suggested instead of our wondering what topics people would be interested in we should conduct a survey of Members and find out. Dick suggested that the survey could be handed out at Friday luncheon programs. Next, Kurt went on to talk about the electronics industry. He noted that on September 16th the American Electronics Association (AEA) will present its annual report on the state of the industry and will include information on technology, employment issues, education, and workforce. Perhaps it would be good to have a breakfast soon after the September 16th Report. The next idea Kurt presented was to have Dr. Don from the Oregon Primate Center do a presentation on cloning. Other ideas discussed included earthquake mapping and its impact on land use and the resultant disputes between geologists and engineers; neuroscience and recent studies done in Oregon on the effects of drugs, alcohol and aging on the brain. Marsha suggested having a longer, planning meeting at the end of a work day or on a weekend to discuss further. It was agreed to do so. THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 11, AT 5:15 P.M., AND IT WILL BE A PLANNING MEETING ON SCIENCE BREAKFASTS, AT A LOCATION TO BE ANNOUNCED. THERE WON'T BE AN AUGUST 28 MEETING.