Board members present: Darcie Lunsford, Bill Hirschman, John Hopkins, Sylvia Gurinsky, Merwin Sigale, Beth Feinstein-Bartl
Committee chairs and representatives present: Tim Dodson (Sunshine State Awards), Michael Koretzky (student affairs)
Guests: Tim Collie (Sun-Sentinel)

Darcie called the meeting to order at 7:26 p.m.

SUNSHINE STATE AWARDS UPDATE

• Tim provided a timeline for the awards process through the banquet, which will be Saturday, April 12 in The Empire Room at the Sheraton on Griffin Road. The hotel is booked.

• Added two web categories (breaking web news, web enterprise reporting) that Sylvia will write descriptions for. Added “cumulative” to the grade report required for the college journalist of the year.

• Tentatively scheduled a banquet post-mortem on Thursday, April 17.

• By Monday, the board will email Tim regarding the cutting of any under-performing categories.

• Tim will email Phil Latzman about emceeing the banquet. Darcie will email the last three Batten judges and ask them to repeat.

• Bill and Julie will brainstorm about a high-profile banquet speaker.

• Tim will look into a press release to Hispanic PR Newswire to tout the Spanish-language categories, which hasn’t had many entries.

• Tim will contact past judging-partner chapters and ask them to do it again.

• Set “call for entries” for Dec. 10 or earlier, with entry deadline Jan. 18.

• Sorting party on Saturday, Jan. 19, at Tim’s party room. Use student chapter members? Koretzky will ask UM students.

• Shipping date is Jan. 26, with delivery to partner chapters in about a week and one month to judge. Entries back Feb. 29.

STUDENT AFFAIRS REPORT

• The University of Miami hosted a successful First Amendment Free Food Festival on Oct. 23 for more than 200 students in the courtyard of the Communication school. The event was funded by a $1,000 grant from the national Louis Inglehart First Amendment Fund. SPJ South Florida had approved $250 as a matching grant, but the money wasn’t needed.

• Koretzky announced that the First Amendment Free Food Festival won a national award from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, an organization founded by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1949.

MISC

• Darcie urged the board to ponder speakers for Ethics Week that could be underwritten with an SDX ethics grant. Sylvia suggested someone from Venezuela.

• John asked on behalf of the National Membership Committee: How to pitch lifetime memberships and extended college-rate memberships to journalists in our area? Board will brainstorm ideas.

Meeting adjourned 9:20 p.m.

— submitted by Michael Koretzky

Board members present: Darcie Lunsford, Julie Kay, Bill Hirschman, Sylvia Gurinsky, Sergy Tabuteau
Committee chairs present: Oline Cogdill (scholarship), Michael Koretzky (student affairs)

Darcie called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.

SCHOLARSHIP REPORT

• Oline distributed a revised scholarship report, with one major change: requesting $1,400 for the top three students, up from $1,000 last year. The total awarded for the year would be $8,950, comparable to last year’s total of $9,000.
Syvlia moves to accept the revised report, Julie seconds, passes unanimously.

• Darcie suggested buying each scholarship winner an SPJ student membership.
Bill moves to accept, Sylvia seconds, passes unanimously.

Topics raised for future discussion:
• Julie suggested writing a press release announcing the winners.
• Julie suggested inviting two scholarship winners to the banquet. Darcie suggested combing them and their families.
• Menu selection issues, including meat vs. chicken vs. vegetarian and final pricing.

BANQUET UPDATE

• Julie suggested the Sheraton on Griffin Road, which she visited with Harris Meyer. The Empire Room is only available April 14. Darcie and Bill were concerned this was too early to turn around the awards, but suggested moving up entry deadlines (to the first week in February) to compensate.
Julie moves to accept the hotel and date and new deadline, Sergy seconds, passes unanimously

Topics raised for future discussion:
• Can music majors from local colleges save us money by playing the reception for free or cheaper?
• Oline offered the idea of a luncheon instead of dinner.
• Bill suggested studying whether “awards season” should affect our own date or not.

STUDENT AFFAIRS REPORT

1. Koretzky updated the board on the results of the Ethics Hold’em poker tournament that was funded with a $600 national grant and a $600 local match.

2. Koretzky announced that the University of Miami will host a First Amendment Free Food Festival during the Fall 2007 semester, using a $1,000 grant from the national Louis Inglehart First Amendment Fund. Koretzky requested $250 as a matching grant.

Bill moves to grant $250, Sylvia seconds, passes unanimously

3. Koretzky announced that Broward New Times has written an $800 check for the third annual Short-and-Sweet Media Job Fair on March 1, and he requested $700 as a matching grant.

Sylvia moves to grant $700, Julie seconds, passes unanimously

Meeting adjourned 8:50 p.m.

— submitted by Michael Koretzky