July 10, 2024, Global Connections (GC) Executive Committee (EC) Meeting Minutes
Members in Attendance:
Voting members: Bruce Truitt, Debbie Leo, Sunny Jiang, Yagmur Turker
Non-voting members: Bob Persiko, Wenjie Fu
Call to order at 7:04 PM.
June meeting minutes were accepted as submitted.
Reports of officers:
Acting Vice President Bob Persiko
- Bob mentioned his wife is reaching out to contacts at the Bellisario College of Communications to recruit a PR officer.
Treasurer, Bruce Truitt
- Bruce reported he is almost done with the revision of bylaws and plans to finish them soon. He will circulate the revised bylaws for review.
- Bruce reported receiving communication from the Center Foundation regarding an expected EFT transfer into our account for Centre Gives campaign, but he hasn’t seen the check yet.
- Following Bob’s question, discussing the allocation of funds for the literacy project is to be carried out after the check is received.
- Bruce shared details from discussion sessions at the Schlow Library indicating sessions are currently scheduled through August, with potential for extension based on community interest. He explained the sessions are intended to enhance English language skills through community-based discussions. Bruce suggested monitoring attendance over the summer and considering promotional efforts through social media, newsletter, and website if sessions continue into the fall. Deb expressed interest in attending but noted the evening timing might be challenging.
- Bruce mentioned a new interest in the Vice President position from the Volunteer Centre County, where Bob posted vacancies.
Secretary, Yagmur Turker
- Yagmur reported on a meeting with Marco before his departure, where he briefed her on website management responsibilities during his absence.
- Yagmur noted upcoming visa-related travel to Turkey in August and the possibility of not returning. She mentioned that October might be her family’s last time in State College due to her husband’s impending graduation.
Membership Chair, Sunny
- Sunny provided membership updates, noting a total of 81 members, with various renewal dates for active members.
- Bob discussed the new membership policy where renewal dates are staggered throughout the year based on registration date rather than a universal December deadline. He clarified the distinction between active members and contacts, noting the need to manage the contact list to stay within a 200-contact limit to avoid excessive charges.
- Sunny sought clarification on the process for handling inactive memberships. Bob explained members are moved to an archive list after one year of lapse, and he offered to review and manage the current list of lapsed members.
- Sunny proposed a potential partnership with a local senior home for conversation partners, which received positive feedback from Wenjie, who manages the Conversation Partners program.
Small Groups – Debbie Leo
- Deb reported on the status of small groups during the summer break, noting no new developments except for uncertainties regarding Becky’s involvement.
Global Programs – Wenjie Fu
- Wenjie provided updates on the Conversation Partners program, having matched approximately 40 volunteers with international participants recently. An in-person event is scheduled for September 8th, with plans for an ice cream social at the Creamery. Additionally, Wenjie mentioned the potluck signup progress and the need to reconcile registrations from different platforms.
- Wenjie highlighted Penn State Global’s participation at the Arts Festival, setting up cultural tables for community engagement, featuring Bolivia, Peru, Philippines, and Malaysia. She discussed the event’s impact and engagement with children through cultural education.
Removal of Kieran from Presidency
- Bob raised the issue of scheduling a membership meeting to vote on removing Kieran from office, requiring 15 days’ notice and a quorum of 10 people. July 31st was proposed as the meeting date, with plans to post the notice on the website and conduct the meeting via Zoom.
- Bob agreed to draft a meeting notification for review, and Yagmur volunteered to post it on both Wild Apricot and the website.
Unfinished business
- Bruce is nearing completion of the revisions to the bylaws and standing rules, with plans to distribute them soon for executive committee review.
New Business
- Discussion of allocation of funds for literacy project at September meeting.
- Monitoring attendance at discussion sessions at Schlow Library; consider promotional activities if sessions extend into fall.
- The need to fill vacancies in the leadership team: vice president, public relations officer, and soon-to-be vacant secretary.
Action Items
- Bruce will circulate revised bylaws for review.
- Bruce will monitor the receipt of the EFT and report back.
- Bob will follow up on Vice President interest from the Volunteer Centre County.
- Bob will check on inactive members and update the archive list.
- Bob will draft a meeting notification for July 31st to vote on removing Kieran.
- Yagmur will post the meeting notification on Wild Apricot and website once reviewed.
Meeting adjournment: 7:49 PM
Minutes prepared by Yagmur Turker