Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 11:20 a.m. by Fred Cox.

Minutes
The minutes from the December 16, 2006 meeting were initially tabled due to a lack of quorum and not revisited when a quorum was reached.

Alumni Council
Alumni Council met Saturday, January 13, 2007, at the Alumni Center.  The Council welcomed incoming President Charles Green, '72MAE75EdD82 and two new Council members, Mike Shumaker, '73 MAE77 (Indianapolis Alumni Chapter) and Vince Von Der Vellen, '87 (Michiana Alumni Chapter).

The Alumni Association's 2006 financial statement and the 2007 budget were reviewed in detail and approved.

There was discussion regarding the level of alumni giving with the University. Only 14% of alumni donate to Ball State, a downward trend. Ball State will embark on a pride and image campaign to increase giving and the alumni giving percentage. A resolution was drafted and approved stating that the Alumni Association and Council strongly encourage successful and increased alumni involvement and giving participation while maintaining its current successful events, programs, and communications. The Council fully supports the capital campaign and fully endorses the proactive steps Ball State is taking to increase alumni pride and participation.

Tom DeWeese reported for the Ball State Board of Trustees. He noted that applications are up 23.7%; the Indianapolis Center officially opened and 125 students are currently attending classes there; Park Hall, the communications building, Woodworth dining hall remodeling and Scheumann Stadium will be completed in 2007. Plans for a recreation center and another new residence hall are in progress.

Wayne Estopinal reported that Tony Schneider is the new chair of the Foundation. In addition, the Ball State Foundation continues to rank among the nation's highest on three-year investment returns.

The next Alumni Council meeting is Saturday, April 28, 2007. The minutes are available online at: www.bsu.edu/alumni/article/0,1384,29263-4480-46560,00.html

University Banquet and Catering
Bill Kimes, General Manager of University Banquet and Catering (UBC), addressed concerns that board membership had regarding previous reunion meals. This involved concerns about allergies, food temperature, taste and service time.

Discussion regarding the Saturday evening meal included interest in a buffet in order to offer more selection.  Bill agreed that a buffet selection makes it easier to please large groups. In a buffet set-up, desserts would be pre-set and UBC would release tables one at a time to three food stations. The first station would be vegetarian with a salad, protein and bread.  The second station would be seafood, salad and bread. The final station would be "turf" or beef or pork, salad and bread.  In essence, all salads and all breads would be different and an individual could have items from any of the three stations.

Nancy expressed concern about the logistics of a buffet. She noted that some individuals may not be able to get up and get their food, that food might be spilled during the walk from the station to the table and that there might be a lot of running back and forth if items are forgotten or missed.

The discussion turned to choices for a sit-down meal.  Concerns included deciding on a menu in time for the spring flyer, following up with individuals who do not make a choice in advance, and the need for seating assignments with meal choices.

The board members in attendance were split on a sit-down meal versus a buffet. Bill will return at 10:00 a.m. on March 31 with sample menus, sample foods and discussion on the serving method.

Reunion – "Celebrate the Legacy"
Reunion Co-chairs: Pam Morris and Keith Robinson
Awards: Phil Anderson, Mike Chisley, Joyce Jamerson, Teresa Jeter and Sue Taylor
Decorations: ALL – headed up by Joyce Jamerson, Jenell Joiner, Nancy Price and Connie Winfrey
Entertainment: Phil Anderson and Fred Cox
Hospitality: Al Williams and Foster Stephens
Menu: Fred Cox, Joyce Jamerson, Jenell Joiner, Pam Morris, Charmaine Powell, Nancy Price, Sue Taylor, Linda Wilson and Connie Winfrey
Programs: Fred will work on programs and the keynote. Mike Chisley will MC
Publicity: ALL - headed up by Fred Cox, Anthony Head, Charmaine Powell, Keith Robinson and Sue Taylor
Reunion Assistance: Ebonee Cooper

Tentative schedule:  Friday's reception: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. or 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. At that point, everyone will head over to the hospitality area at the Holiday Inn Express. Saturday: Golf (optional) at 6:30 a.m.  Vendors: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. or 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Panel discussion at 10:00 a.m. and the Career Development Seminar from 1:00 – 3:00. 

Decorations. Nancy and Charmaine will investigate the costs of decorating approximately 30 tables and will bring sample decorations to the March 31 meeting. The group decided not to imprint the reunion theme on the balloons because of cost. Nancy asked if a local company would blow up and deliver balloons. Ebonee suggested that the board check with local student organizations and see if they will do this.

Entertainment. The board discussed having live entertainment for Friday evening's reception.  Nancy will check with a group from her church to see what they might charge. Due to timing, Phil and Fred decided to use DJ Thomas Griffin for Saturday evening. If the board would like to consider another DJ in the future, contact will need to be made well before the event in question.

Fred reported that alumnus Mike White is interested in making commemorative DVDs for the reunion. Mike would like to be near the registration table so that he can get a photo of every attendee at the reunion. Phil suggested that a Ball State or Black Alumni background decoration would be neat and would encourage everyone to stop and take a photo. Ben suggested building the cost of a music/mix CD in to the reunion for a memento. Al will do this.

Vendors. Concerns were raised that vendors were on hand for several hours at the last reunion but were not making many sales. However, it was noted that there was no charge to vendors (unless they attended the lunch) and that the networking makes the event worthwhile for them. Shortening the length of the vendor fair was discussed. Requests for Greek vendors, Cardinal Corner and TIS Bookstore were made. Charmaine will chair this aspect of the reunion and will compile a list of contacts/vendors. (Note: Charmaine is unavailable for the March 31 meeting and will send her information with Nancy).

Panel discussion/Career Development Seminar. Carl suggested that recent graduates might be looking for career advice or a dialogue with seasoned professionals in their fields of interest. Fred said that professionals could be on hand to entertain questions at the reception on Friday and appear at the seminar/panel on Saturday. This would be advertised on all reunion materials and encourage alumni to attend more than one activity.  Dori works in HR and volunteered to work with this event. She sees it spanning across different disciplines and highlighting various career paths. Fred will also assist and he will try to involve past keynote speakers with the seminar. Carl suggested that this event can go against the campus tour as many younger alumni have not been away from campus long enough to want a tour.

An additional panel discussion on the Multicultural Center was suggested. Given the current debate on the status of the Multicultural House (Student Center, same facility, new facility), this would be very timely. It was suggested that this idea be run by Dr. Virgil and perhaps have him attend an alumni society meeting as a general point of information. Fred suggested Al, Linda and Dr. Virgil as potential panelists for this discussion. Phil requested that a spotlight article on the Multicultural Center be featured in the Alumnus regarding the history of the Center and its future. Al will chair this opportunity and will contact Charlotte.  

Wine tasting. Wine tasting is a Saturday afternoon activity under consideration. Phil will look into potential vendors.

Keynote. It was decided that by the March 31 meeting, Ben should have confirmation from President Gora if she is available to do the keynote. There was also discussion on bringing back former keynote speakers to enhance the "Celebrating the Legacy" theme or bringing in an individual who has great success in their field (i.e., Rodney Miller).

Sunday's brunch. In order to have Voices of Triumph (VOT) perform, the breakfast would have to be moved to 10:30 a.m. with a performance at 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. There were concerns that individuals may not be willing to stay that late in the day and that VOT would not have much of a crowd at that time. Joyce will be asked to check further options.

Publicity. Al suggested that Greek organizations do a sidebar communication. This means the populace wouldn't perceive the reunion as a Greek event but would still provide a hook for Greek alumni. In addition, it was suggested that Voices of Triumph do a similar mail piece if they perform at the brunch. 

T-shirts. Fred suggested that there be a choice of either a reunion polo shirt or a reunion t-shirt. He has received feedback that some alumni would be more likely to wear a polo after the reunion than a t-shirt. Sue said that this would not be a problem with our local vendor. Ben faxed a sample shirt design from a minority vendor in his area which the board reviewed. Ebonee said she would email potential designs from current students/recent alumni for the board to consider within the next couple of weeks.

United Way Breakfast. Fred suggested that the board sponsor a table at the United Way breakfast during Expo again and will contact Pam for further details.

Next meeting
The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m. The next meeting will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. (Muncie time) in the Ball State University Alumni Center. Bill Kimes will bring sample food and menus to the meeting.