Matt Strait typed up these minutes from a paper copy in 2020. No OCR was involved. Original errors, if any, are lovingly retained, and marked with [sic] when I noticed them. Other content in square brackets are likewise transcription notes. Additional errors may have been introduced. Original errors may have been inadvertently corrected. ================================================================================ [handwritten:] A # 15 Minn-STF Board of Directors -- minutes -- meeting held at Toad Hall on 20 Jan 1988, a.k.a. Night-of-the-Big-Storm, Unnnhhh! -- tradition tells us that the following were present: Board: Don Bailey, David Cargo, Rob Ihinger, Karen Johnson, Geri Fitzgerald Sullivan Officer: Denny Lien (Recording Secretary) Other Snow Bunnies: Dave Romm, Terry Garey (left early), Mark Richards (arrived late), and the Spirit of King Borealus ********************************************************************* All Board members present by 7:30 starting time, but most were too shaken by slippery driving conditions to consider starting before 7:45, so that the Board was on time but their timing was late. It was noted that Snow Emergency Parking Rules were to go into effect at 9 pm, thus giving us a reason for running a short meeting. The reason proved insufficient ("neither snow, nor hail, nor sleet, nor bitter col, shall stay this Board from the slow completion of its appointed rounds"). Agenda constructed, which consisted of: One Treu [sic] Mailing List; C'Ntraction final finances; Minicon final finances; Longo/Nelson Report; Ways To Spend Money; Walt Willis; Tales of the Unanticipated; Board Elections Calendar; and Secretarial Zerohood. ********************************************************************* Lien apologized for printing problems with distributed minutes: their Transtar printer has taken to printing parentheses instead of zeroes. The Minn-STF Board, in its wisdom assembled, realized this to be a serious problem, as Minn-STF uses up a lot of zeros, on way and another. They suggested replacing the daisy wheel. (Followup: This was tried and did in fact work, thus making fandom safe for nullity.) Cargo on the One Treu Mailing List: General question on when to weed names from the List because of Not-Heard-From-Since-Time-X. (For instance, some 650-1,000 on List have not been to a Minicon in the last three years.) It costs us something over a dime per person to send out Progress Report One. Names dropped from List could be kept in an archives file, just in case we did need to contact for some reason in future. Agreement that we flag PR 1 for next year (minicon 24) for those not at Minicon 21, 22, or 23 or otherwise known to remain active, and those so flagged not heard from be dropped. Lien and possibly others volunteered to eyeball list of such to see if any known extenuating circumstances apply ("circuit breaker check"). Cargo on same, continuing: We have received several requests for access of various sorts to our List. Our Constitution says that the List "shall not be sold for profit nor offered for profit-making use" (Bylaw 27.1). Requests included (a) one from ex-locals now in Milwaukee, seeking a subset of Milwaukee-area fans on LIst, with intent of organizing possible group transportation to ["Minn-STF" typed, corrected in pen to "Minicon"]; (b) one from non-local member doing a perzine and wishing to borrow subset of RUNE list to plug into his own mailing list; (c) More Wisconsinites, these seeking List to use for an X-Con mailing; (d) Brass Tacks Theatre, doing a science fiction play and seeking access to our mailing list to do a mass mailing to local sf fan community. ********************************************************************* "One Mailing List to Rule Them All, One Mailing List to Find Them.... In the Land of Loons, Where the 10,000 Lakes lie." ********************************************************************* Much discussion ensued. What is "profit-making"? What is "offered"? What is spirit vs. letter of relevant by-law? Do we want to consider changing the by-law? Do we want to consider all future grey area requests for such on a case-by-case basis? Possibility of amending by-law was tabled for future consideration at a time when everyone was not about to become illegally parked. It was assumed that Brass Tacks was a profit-making organization, and thus answer to them would be "No," although we would pass their information on to Einblatt and the Hotline. ((Secretarial afterrthefact [sic] note: It was apparently subsequently determined that Brass Tacks was not in fact profit-making, and apparently mailing did go out under mailing labels paid for by theatre but applied by volunteer fans.)) As for (a), numbers were thought to be small (circa 100 names), and Lien volunteered to stick and stuff at their expense, labels to be produced locally and not seen by requestors [sic] themselves. Board decided to postpone decision on (b) and (c) until the Meeting At Which The Board Meets Among Itself To Discuss What The Board And The Minicon Committee Will Discuss When They Meet Jointly Among Themselves, or the MAWTBMAI- TDWTBATMCWDWTMJAT for shorter. The MAWTBMAITDWTBAATMCWDWTMJAT [sic] was set for 4 February 1988 at Ihinger home. The next Board Meeting (or Brd Mtng, for shorter) was set for 16 February 1988 at 7:30 at Karen Johnson's, wherever she happens to be living by that point. It was also noted that Minn-STF Elections were bursting to happen, and nominations dates were set as 20 Feb. and 5 March meetings, with the voting on meeting of 19 March. Sullivan volunteered to rely [sic] to President Cummer and Lien to Einblatt editor Richards. Message relayed from Eric Heideman, requesting Board's permission to call a preliminary organizational meeting for the Fall Lecture Series. Board does not think its permission needed, but certainly granted. Bailey distributed C'Ntraction final financial report. We think we made $121.82. It is possible that postage meter expense has not been debited, in which case more later at the post-final financial report. The letters of complaint to Holiday Inn and of praise to Coca Cola have not yet been sent out. They still should be. Bailey distributed Minicon 22 final financial report. We have some bounced checks: five people for a total of $388, of which almost half is from one person. Flag names onto Weasel List subset of One Treu Mailing List and make sure they are not allowed into future cons without settling up. Ihinger offered opinions on options open to us. Sullivan noted that the Longo/Nelson incident report, written up for the Record, is ready. Presentation was tabled until next meeting. TALES OF THE UNANTICIPATED report from Eric Heideman distributed. TotU requests increase in Board level of support from $500/issue to $750/issue, partially to meet increased costs (largely printing, which is going up) and partially to upgrade payments to contributors. Hopes to increase frequency from present every c.9 months to every c.7 months, if Board agrees. (Slower schedule at present due to cashflow problems: under faster, Board would still eventually recover expenses other than agreed-upon level of support for each issue, but would not necessarily recover them before next issue appeared.) Board agreed with proposed changes in support level and in frequency, 4-0 with one abstention. Board offered thanks and praise to EH for the job he has done and is doing on TotU. Sullivan on Walt Willis to Winneapolis. . .sorry, Minneapolis--scheme. Willis will be in US in December 1988 for a con in Florida. We had hoped to attract him to Corflu if held locally, but he will not be able to attend that. Sullivan proposes ["to" struck out by hand] Minn-STF invite him (and wife, if she is accompanying him) to come to Twin Cities; Minn-STF to offer travel expenses in exchange for some to-be-determined talks or other fannish repayment; she has circa 35 names on petition to do so. Discussion. Concern about setting of precedent by offering money for non-official function participation. Nielsen-Haydens (1886 Not-a-D- Con guests) were not precedent, as all funds were raised by Wimpy Zone Fan Fund and no club moneys spent. Sullivan estimated at least $700 to 800 would be needed to bring both Willises here from Florida. There are official things we could use WW for: Shockwave, interview for RUNE, quasi-official fanpubbing workshop. Broader-board lecture (open to community at large)? Tie-in with St. Thomas Irish Studies program? Taping for the SF Oral History Association? Not all of above would necessarily be congenial to WW. If we do, must be sure that we obtain genuine "educational/literay [sic] benefit" out of project; as opposed to "providing a vacation for our friends." Maybe GOH at a really, really late [underlined] 1988 Fallcon? Bailey pointed out that advantages of our nonprofit status may be beginning to be outweighed by the disadvantages, and that we may want to consider exploring a change at some future meeting when all of our cars were not about to be towed. Board eventually voted 4-0, with one abstention, to have Sullivan write Willis outlining the Scheme and possible ways to utilize him if he consents to be brought, asking which be finds congenial/possible. ********************************************************************** "Gee, Walt, we discussed all these alternative uses of your body..." ********************************************************************** Romm on RUNE: RUNE is at printers; will be back in a few days; stick and stuff party at Jeanne Mealy's on Wednesday evening, 27 Jan 1988. Question: Should RUNE be printing club's financial reports, as well as the Board and other minutes? (Don't think an answer presented itself. In the past, when we had a RUNE we didn't always have financial reports and when we had financial reports we didn't often have a RUNE.) Romm on Ways To Spend Money, Method A: The Minn-STF Hotline answering machine is spittin' up blood and is still hanging on only because it's been nailed to its perch. Romm has done up a desirable features want list followed by some market research via telephone and shoe leather. The best buy found so far as the AT&T model at something under $200. Romm can also get Hotline switched from French House to his own house for a one-time $32 fee (probably keeping the same number). Board OKed 5-0 answering machine replacement expense of up to $200 before tax, Romm to select; Board would in fact hope bill would not need to be over $150 after more market research. ((Secretarial insert: My notes and my memory are equally silent on what, if anything, happened with the proposal to move the line. Stay tuned for corrections?)) Romm on Ways To Spend Money, Method B: A donation to station KFAI, under whose impoversihed [sic] auspices Shockwave appears. Romm on Ways To Spend Money, Method C: Previous suggestions that Minn-STF buy a Minn-STF computer have never flown, partially because of the where-do-we-keep-it-and-["th" struck out by hand]is-the-camel's-nose-in-the-tent-of-a- Minn-STF-Clubhouse suspicion. He has a new grandiose suggestion in its place: how about buying a Minn-STF Laser Printer (somewhere in $3500 to $6000 price range), which would be portable and could be schlepped around among/used for RUNE, Einblatt, Minicon stuff, Fallcon stuff, and perhaps TotU. All of the above save TotU are currently done on Macintoshes, notably Mark Mendel's, which is not fully compatible with the laser printers at Kinko's. Board seemed skeptical: it was noted that Laser Printers are not all that[underlined] portable, that compatibility problems would still be likely, and that where- does-it-live-officially problems would still be present. It was also noted that C.O.M.B.'s presently had Kaypros on["e" struck out by hand] sale very cheaply, and for $6000 we could instead buy a computer for everyone in the club who didn't already have one, thereby solving location problems as well.... ********************************************************************** "I'd rather not sleep with camels at all." ********************************************************************** Richards reported that the Santa Anonymous purchases had been made and distributed, and that the software used for Einblatt could separate off the weekend from the week more graphically only "with great difficulty." Sullivan reported that she now has possession of the Minn-STF Lost And Found box, and of the last several Minicons' Ongoing Lost And Found collection. See her if you're interested in losing and/or finding things. Unclaimed kipple will eventually be auctioned off for spare change and cheap amusement at Toad Hall fannish functions. Several people remarked that the New Year's Eve party was a success; kudos to Dreampark residents. At some point here (10:30ish?), the meeting finally broke up and everyone bundled up and went to see if their cars (a) had not been towed and (b) would start. I believe we were all lucky--this[underlined] time (sinister laughter). Tune In Next Time When.... [handwritten:] Minutes typed 14 Feb 88 by [signed:] Denny Lien ================================================================================