Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 1:20 p.m. by President Ben Robinson.

Minutes
Ben tabled the approval of the May 14, 2005 minutes.

Alumni Council
No report.

Embracing the Past – Steppin' Into the Future – 2005 reunion updates
Attendance. Laura reported that approximately 140 participants were registered to attend part or all of the reunion. Many of the reservations came in within the past week.

Awards. Sue reported that the Outstanding Black Alumni Awards for Saturday were in the office. Ben reported that he had purchased President's Awards for the reunion as well.

Decorations. Members of the board of directors will assist with putting decorations on the tables in the conservatory for the Friday evening reception after the meeting. Balloons and decorations for Saturday will be worked on at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning by board members.

Bracken House Reception. It was reported that President Gora was traveling in Asia with the Governor and a delegation of Indiana leaders. Trustee Ceola Digby-Berry and her husband, Walter, will host the Bracken House reception with the assistance of members of the president's staff, Vice President of University Advancement, Don Park, and Executive Director of the Alumni Association, Ed Shipley.  Laura was asked to put a note in attendee folders notifying participants of the change.

Panel Discussion. Ben stated that Wiley Wells, Carl Radford and Greg Williams had agreed to participate in the panel, ‘Is Bill Cosby Right?" Fred will film the discussion. Next time, Ben said he would like to invite C-SPAN to film the panel. Both Ben and Pam expressed their concern about the lack of female representation. Ben said he would talk to Ceola or June Payne regarding their ability to participate in the discussion. Ben requested the board's attendance at the panel discussion.  

Awards Dinner. Fred asked if it would be possible to receive BSU souvenirs. These items would be given away at the dinner for honors such as furthest distance, oldest attendee, most children, and things of that nature. Ed said he would provide hats, etc. for the giveaways. Mike would take care of the distribution. There was some discussion about the attendance of keynote speaker, Connie Bentley McGhee, as board members had not been able to speak with her personally in recent days. However, Pam felt certain that she would be coming. In the event she did not, Ben said he would give a keynote and Mike could introduce members of the board.

After much discussion, it was decided that Linda will light the candles during the welcome by Pam and Keith.  Mike, Master of Ceremonies, will introduce Ben who will introduce the board. Jenell agreed to give the invocation prior to dinner. Nancy Jo agreed to introduce Connie Bentley McGhee.  Phil and Joyce, award committee members, agreed to present the Outstanding Black Alumni Awards to Paul Kasambira, Patzetta Trice and Sandra Chapman. Following this, Ben will present his President's Award(s).  Mike will make some concluding comments and introduce DJ Thomas J. Griffin, Indianapolis, prior to the Steppin' dance.

The board of directors discussed having very soft music play during dinner. Fred said he would make his request to Thomas Griffin.

The board of directors was reminded that Michael White will be taking photographs of the reunion festivities. He will burn the pictures to CD on Sunday morning and make them available for $6 to interested alumni. One dollar from each CD sold will go towards the scholarship fund the Black Alumni Constituent Society Board of Directors is working to establish.

Next Reunion
The Black Alumni Constituent Society Board of Directors in attendance agreed to host the next reunion the first week of August 2007.  During discussion, Ed noted that during this time of year the campus is empty with very few students, faculty or administrators on campus.  He also noted that some alumni had expressed an interest in having the reunion during the school year.

Next Meeting Date
The meeting was adjourned at 2:35 p.m. 

The next meeting will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2005 in the Alumni Center Board Room. The pre-game luncheon at the Alumni Center and Ball State University versus Akron football game will follow.

***Since the August 5 meeting, the football game kick-off has been changed to 2:00 p.m. The pre-game luncheon is 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Consequently, the meeting time needs to be changed to 10:00 a.m. (Muncie time).***