HAL-PC Board of Directors
Houston Area League of PC Users
Board of Directors
Executive Committee Meeting Minutes 11/1/2011
Attendees (6):
Annette Story, President
Open, First Vice President (N/A)
John Furby, Vice President Programs
Christian Hanlon, Vice President Communications
Erika Hanlon, Recording Secretary
D J Brown, Membership Secretary
Jerald Linsley, Treasurer
Rick Archibald, Executive Committee (absent)
Bernard Silverman, Executive Committee (absent)
Call to order at 7:23 pm
- Meeting with TAC Management
Meeting is tomorrow at 3:30 pm. Aldridge attendees are supposed to be Bryan Gregory and Patrick Wiley. HAL attendees are Annette, Jerald, John, Mike Wilson, and maybe Robert Spotswood. The main topic is the bandwidth overage billing. A follow up meeting is desired that will include help desk support, information about suspended accounts, the Office program, and the replacement chassis.
- SIG Room C
- Computers
Will the education committee use any of these?
Action: Rick, with Charles Olsen's help: Identify computers in SIG C that can be given away. Verify that we have enough working computers to fill all of the stations in the room.
- Old Cable
This discussion is about the CAT 5 and older cable. Put some cable out in the giveaway shelf. Take extra to the scrap store. There is also ribbon cable in the store room that we don't want.
Action: Erika: email Robert about taking extra unwanted cable (CAT 5 and older and ribbon cable in store room) to salvage.
- Records
Action: Jerald: Look through records in Sig C.
- Membership
- Guest policy
Bill Budell wrote a letter in the past to Robert Gunn about the guest policy. DJ suggests using a business card that will work as a guest pass, date it for 2 or 3 SIGs past the date of the first visit. Jerald suggests asking SIG leaders to say at the beginning of their meetings that they strongly encourage SIG attendees to become members.
Action: Annette: Find email Bill Budell wrote to Robert Gunn about the guest policy and send it to the executive committee.
- Member/SIG leader survey
Jay did a survey within the last year. It would be good to create a way for SIG leaders to give feedback (have forms available).
Action: Christian: Ask Jay for the HAL-PC survey results and distribute them to the committee.
- Volunteer section of website
Link from front page to volunteer page. Add new volunteer opportunities to the volunteer page.
Erika: Contact Meredith about updating volunteer section of website and link to it from the front page.
Other Membership Topics
Help Committee - The list needs to be updated. Jim Story is willing to update this.
The sample email to SIG leader about non-members was reviewed and looks good.
DJ went to Huntsville with Rick representing HAL-PC at the Association of IT Professionals symposium. 70 or 80 students signed up for the initial test that HAL was in charge of. The top students competed in the computer diagnostic competition.
- Financial
A break even analysis was completed by Jerald. It was assumed that the ratio of members to DSL subscribers is the same. The break even point came out at 1895 but that could be off +/- 100 members.
Daily balance finally went below $50,000 for the first time in several months. This is because several large bills were paid this month.
HAL is paying for the strategy committee conference call. More than one conference call a month is excessive. DJ volunteers to look into options for conference calling and determine typical costs and if there are any no cost options.
- Communications
Account suspensions
We haven't been getting information soon enough from TAC about account suspensions, including reasons for the suspensions. We need a policy for suspended accounts and faster resolution of these problems. We should be notified by TAC as soon as someone is suspended. Angie needs a list of things to say to suspended members.
Action: Christian: Write a policy for suspensions including a standard response that Angie and Lucille can use when members call.
- Security
- Doors
- Notification of members
Member cards work for opening the doors, so there is no need to notify them.
Need to remind SIG leaders to check that another SIG leader is here before they leave or make sure all of the doors are shut. Even if another SIG is scheduled afterward, if the SIG leader is not there yet they should shut the doors.
Should the doors be locked with card access only on Saturdays? Maybe on the 5th Saturday of the month only? Need to talk to the SIG leaders about this.
- Access to Database
The front desk only has access to credit card numbers that are given to them by people signing up that day. At the end of the day the records are put in the pass through lock box.
Old Office Server: we should delete the credit card information. Jerald wants a spreadsheet of the data in the current version of Office to be able to reconcile it against the credit card processing company.
VII. Other
VIII. Adjourn at 9:18 pm.
"
