Members Present:  Ben Robinson, Phil Anderson, Fred Cox, Jenell Joiner, Pam Morris, Charles Payne, Charmaine Powell, Keith Robinson, Foster Stephens, Sue Taylor and Laura Waldron.  Guest:  Bill Joiner.

Call to Order-The meeting was called to order at 10:50 a.m.

2003 Reunion: Creating a Bond That Never Ends

Friday, August 1

• Allen, Ben, Charmaine, Fred, Phil and Joyce will begin putting up decorations at 8:30 a.m. If anyone else would like to help, please contact Sue
• After the Greek Reunions, the board will meet at 4:00 p.m. in the Alumni Center Board Room to touch base
• Evening Reception will be available for $13 per person and include hors d’oeuvres and one complimentary drink. A cash bar will provide free soft drinks and operate for those who desire additional beverages
• Casino Night will take place from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. With regards to entertainment, Keith has made compilation CDs that include a variety of music. The cost for the reception and Casino Night will be $39 per person. After some discussion, the board unanimously approved a motion to underwrite $10 per person but not to exceed $1200. This brings the cost of the evening down to $29 per person
• The goal is to have at least 100 participants. Based on this, there will be 5 black jack tables, 1 table for craps, 1 roulette table and 1 table of let it ride
• Dress is casual
• All reservations must be pre-paid in order to ensure game space and food
• Attendees to Casino Night will receive a pass that will be traded in for chips. The company will keep the events fun and will do their best to ensure everyone has chips for the entire evening
• The casino company will provide tickets for a raffle. Each member of the board has been asked to obtain 3 casino prizes for the event with a retail value of $20-$30 each.  The Alumni Association will mail board members information to present to area vendors for this purpose. Sue also suggested that reunion participants be asked for items that represent their own companies

Saturday, August 2

• Photo will be at 6:30 (before dinner)
• Dinner and Program
• Welcome – Mike 
• Candle lighting and reading – Joyce and Charmaine
• “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – led by John
• Recognition of board – Ben
• Special guests – Mike
• Invocation – Jenell
• Dinner followed by keynote speaker Eugene White – introduced by Ben
• Awards – John and Phil
• Thanks for the Memories video (approximately 3 minutes or less) – Fred
• Closing remarks - Ben
• Dancing follows dinner
• Fred has secured Thomas J. Griffin for Saturday night. His cost was originally $500 plus a hotel room but Fred negotiated a rate of $450 plus the room. Griffin will DJ from 9:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m.

Miscellaneous Reunion Information

Flier. The flier should be mailed by the second week of June. The board was asked to make reservations early because attendees will be posted on the web. The listing will encourage others to make their reservations.

Accommodations/Hospitality. The Alumni Association has blocked rooms at the Signature Inn for $55 a night.  A hospitality room will be available both nights and will open at 11:00 p.m. on Friday. Ben reminded the board to reserve their rooms early.

Contacting Alumni/Publicity.  The board was reminded that this is an alumni event, not open to the general public.

Charmaine has arranged for Fred to appear on a June segment of the Channel 6 program Livin' for the City. The program airs on Sundays at 5:30 a.m. In addition, reunion information (i.e., who, what, when, where, why) can run across the bottom of the screen as a ticker.  The program requests that the board present 9 questions to be addressed on the air. Fred submitted the following for consideration: Tell us about the BSU Black Alumni Constituent Society. When was the first Black Alumni Reunion and where was it held? How many Black Alumni are there from Ball State? How do you register for the event? What are the events that will take place at the reunion? Who is involved with setting up the reunion? Who are the members of the Black Alumni Constituent Society? How can you get involved with the Black Alumni Constituent Society?  Additional question suggestions can be submitted to Fred or Charmaine.

Charmaine said that The Recorder would run an ad every month prior to the reunion.  Phil and Jenell wanted to increase exposure in the Gary and South Bend areas. The board suggested using community calendar access on the cable systems that run from 6-9 a.m. in the mornings. It was also suggested that local weekly papers be added to the routing for any press releases.

Charmaine reminded the board that Mike was able to get airtime on 1310 AM during the Willie Frank Middlebrook Show, “The Bottomline.” The live program airs weekdays from 4:00-6:00 p.m.  June availability for appearances includes the 18th by Phil and Pam, the 20th by Pam and the 26th by Fred. July availability includes Pam on the first, Phil on the 8th, Fred, Phil and Pam on the 16th, Fred on the 17th, Pam on the 22nd, Fred on the 24th, Phil on the 28th and Fred on the 30th. Mike will also be appearing on the show and Sue requested that Anthony be contacted because he is in the area. Anyone else that is interested in appearing on the show is encouraged to contact Mike or Charmaine.

Ben suggested that anyone with free evening and weekend minutes on their cell phones use that time to contact alumni about the reunion.

Black Expo 2003

Anthony provided Sue with information from Dr. Davis about Black Expo. Members of the board will have the opportunity to pass out reunion fliers and greet participants at the Ball State University table from July 18-20. Volunteers should contact Sue or Anthony.

Upcoming Events

• Alumni College, Alumni Council and Symphony on the Green will be held Saturday, June 14, 2003 at the Alumni Center. Visit http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/college/ for more information
• Fort Wayne Wizards Picnic and Baseball Outing is July 3, 2003 at Memorial Stadium in Fort Wayne, IN. Visit http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/events/ftwaynewizards/ for more information
• Conner Prairie Symphony on the Prairie Outing is July 26, 2003. Visit http://www.bsu.edu/alumni/events/symphonyprairie/ for more information

Next Meeting Date

A brief meeting will be held during the reunion on Friday, August 1, 2003 at 4:00 p.m. in the Alumni Center Board Room.

The next regular board meeting will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2003 at 11:00 a.m. in the Alumni Center Board Room.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m. to phone alumni about the reunion.