NYSFAAA Region III Meeting

March 8, 2013

Tompkins Cortland Community College

Welcome: Kathy Flagherty started the meeting at 10:19 and introductions went around the room.

Executive Council:

-Meeting was in February in Albany to go along with student activity day at capital

-Looking for another co-chair for governance committee

-Anne Barton new chair of strategic planning committee

-Gold Star Award nominated TIC (Technology Innovation Committee)

-Elections being held this year, let Scott or Dan know if you want to help out

-The new affiliate category of our membership is up; these are nonvoting, non paying members. About 136 people are in this category statewide.

-The leadership committee is looking to start back up

-Low attendance on high school counselor workshop, looking at new ways to do this, maybe a webinar

-2014 conference is in North Country, Lake Placid area, still looking at hotels

-NOVICE is 6/1/13 - 6/6/13 at Mercy College, $580/person

Treasurer’s Report: Darrin

-Currently at 1331 members

-$2271.09 balance

Deposit holiday lunch $330
Deposit from the regional basket $19.37
Lunch at Justin’s $696
Two $3 bank fee
Two $6.50 bank fee

-Two outstanding checks for scholarship donation

-Discussion broke out about why we don’t have one bank account with all regions having their own budgets and money within that one bank account

No one would lose their money/budgets
The treasures job is so hard
Why are checks not being cashed
Why are we not getting revenue checks
Maybe not donating to the scholarship fund because we are being charged bank fees for not have over $3000 in our account

State Update: No Rep present but had hand outs for everyone

Support Staff Workshop:

-May 22, 2013 at LeMoyne College

-Kathy Flagherty brought up a motion to provide money for the support staff workshop and charge $10/person, Cathy Patella second the motion, everyone was in favor of the motion

-Need speakers still

-Volunteers needed

Mentor Committee:

-Took people from NOVICE and gave them a mentor to work with

Elections: Annette usually runs the elections for us regionally

State webinars are being very well attended, people are taking advantage

2013 Conference in Long Island, talk about getting a bus to help people get down there

Discussion broke out about

-Sequester and how it will affect us

-Verification

-Shopping Sheet

Alcohol Policy Discussion:

-I can’t stand it

-It’s always the misconception that the last person to serve you alcohol is the one responsible – but really it is anyone who serves you that people can come back and sue you

-If you have a written policy you are putting yourself in a position to get sued

-Do we need a policy or not

-Can’t we say we have no policy so we can’t get sued

-What do the insurance companies require us to have because they are driving us to look at having a policy

-Now in today’s world you need to have a policy because everybody is sue happy

-I feel the lines are blurred between the insurance company and what NNYSFAAA wants

-Does ESFAAA have a policy and what is it – if ESFAAA serves alcohol it is a cash bar

-It seems to be focused around NOVICE training because at no other event do we provide alcohol

-Could everyone who goes to NOVICE sign a release form – would that work

-This has been on the table for years

-Topic goes around and around

-With NOVICE they try and contain the alcohol to one area for safety

-Do people at NOVICE want to drink

-How do the schools feel about paying for alcohol for NOVICE training (directors)

-Go back to insurance company and ask for examples of other organizations and what their policy look like

-Looks like we either have a policy or no serving alcohol or we serve alcohol

-If president of NYSFAAA buys alcohol for people in a hotel room do we need a policy

-You can get sued for any reason

-If someone is drunk at a NYSFAAA event even if they did not get drunk on site we can still be sued

-Should we have a cash bar at NOVICE

-You tend to be more responsible if you have to pay for your own drinks – if it is free tend to go over board

Meeting adjourned at 12:43

Respectfully Submitted

Sarah Hicks

Regional Secretary

Members Present

Sarah Hicks, TC3

Colleen Conroy, TC3

Laura Hodel, BCC

Sanaa El-Amir, Syracuse University

Gina Soliz, Syracuse University Law

Peg Stearns, Syracuse University

Tammy Oliver, TC3

Sharon Karwowski, Tc3

Jennie Hoffman, SUNY Oswego

Anne Barton, Inceptia

Kathy Flagherty, SUNY Oswego

Cathy Patella, Wells College

Sam Veeder, Nazareth College

Kim Jarosinski, Discover Student Loans

Christine Payrot, OCC

Holly Zaglaniczny, IGRAD

Jim Janke, TC3

Amy Connors, Syracuse University

Kevin Shults, Syracuse University

Leigh Bove, Great Lakes

Laura Helmich, PNC

Darrin Rooker, NY Chiropractic College

Karen Gallagher, SUNY Cortland