Meeting Notes 11/17/08

Minutes 11/17/08

Meeting called to order at 6:35 by Sara.

• Old business:
• AGR dinner went well.
• How much did the MCs make from franklins?
• Retreat went well in spite of rain!
• New business:
• Cook book prototype will be done over thanksgiving break, start pre-selling!
• Dollar donation post cards to benefit heifer are put off until next semester.
• We need to sign and mail out thank you cards for the masquerade!
• Webmaster:
• Send any photos from retreat to Molly please!
• Presidents report:
• Considerations for future fundraising:
• Should we continue striving to raise money for the arc, or will this result in waning interest from the group?
• Should we think of another project within Heifer to raise money for?
• Should we choose another fundraiser entirely?
• Think about these options and any other suggestions. We will discuss this on our last business meeting of the semester.
• Ag day:
• Definitely doing Kiss a Pig.
• Face painting again.
• If AG council decides to do grilling, then perhaps we could sign up for a time slot. It seems to make a lot of money.
• Possible smoothies or snow cones
• Maybe a raffle? We would need to come up with an item to raffle off.
• We could make specialty drinks like cucumber lemonade, iced tea, etc.
• Please give a summary of the ideas to Malora (Lara)!
• Annual reports are due Friday. Email Sara with any questions.
• Everyone must sign risk management sheet.
• Fill out a survey about retreat.
• Movie at 7pm at the Hoff about this Thursday about exploiting food/people.
• Policies and procedures:
• Changed to “at least one weekend event for rush” as opposed to two, but it still says that everyone must attend at least one weekend event. Therefore, next semester everyone must attend the one weekend event next semester.
• We are creating a handbook for incoming officers. If you know how to do something important like get the key for the board from Libby, or reserve a room, get food permits etc. write a short paragraph explaining how to do that, and email it to Sara.

Sum-Up:

• Start pre-selling cookbooks!
• Send Molly photos from the retreat.
• Think about what kind of fundraising to do from this point on.
• Don’t forget annual reports are due THIS FRIDAY!

Meeting adjourned at 7:10.

Meeting Notes 11/3/08

Minutes from Business Meeting, November 3^rd, 2008

Meeting called to order at 6:41 by Sara Meagher

Old Business:

• Deactivations are being processed. They should be done by the end of the semester.

President’s Report:

• Franklin’s restaurant fundraiser for the MCs is tomorrow night, November 4^th. Be sure to tell the cashier that you are with Sigma Alpha.
• Other Chapters are selling:
• “We wear the boots on campus” t-shirts
• $15, not including shipping
• Payment due by November 17^th.
• Green and yellow Longerberger-type baskets
• $34
• Payment due by November 26^th
• There is a meeting Thursday, November 13^th at 6pm to work on the Policies and Procedures document. Please be there. Normal meeting room.
• We are leaving for our retreat with the MC’s on the 14^th
• Today is the last day to let Rachael know if you cannot come to the retreat (rkriege1@umd.edu)

Professional:

• Next week is a professional meeting. We are doing a resume workshop. Please bring a resume if you have one.

Fundraising:

• Rush bracelets to sell to other chapters and to distribute during our rush are being ordered.
• We are switching to another cookbook-making company. Please give any recipes that you would like to be included to Molly by the end of the week.

Social:

• Spaghetti dinner at AGR is at 6:30 this Thursday (the 6^th).
• We need to send ‘thank yous’ to masquerade donors.

Ag Council:

• We need to come up with an idea for our table at Ag soon. Brainstorm!

We voted on whether or not to accept proposed changes to our bylaws. The results were as follows:

Amendment number:	Motion made by:	Seconded by:	Motion passed? (y/n)
1	Jennie	Lara	Y
2	Jennie	Margaret	Y
3	Margaret	Joann	Y
4	Maire	Vikki	Y
5	Kim	Julia	Y
6	Amanda	Joann	Y
7	Molly	Jennie	Y
8*	Kim	Amy	Y
9	Vikki	Margaret	Y
10	Amy	Kim	Y
11	Kim	Jennie	Y
12	Margaret	Vikki	Y
13	Julia	Amy	Y
14	Molly	Jennie	Y
15	Kim	Julia	Y

(* denotes if a discussion about the amendment occurred.)

*There was a discussion about Amendment 8. It was clarified that the changes made to the bylaws are not in effect until next semester.

In Summary:

• Meeting on Thursday November 13^th to work on Policies and Procedures document in the normal room.
• We are leaving for our retreat on November 14^th.
• Next week is a professional meeting. We will be working on resumes.
• Spaghetti dinner this Thursday at 6:30.
• Think about ideas for our table at AG day.
• We are sending in our revised bylaws.

Meeting Notes 10/20/08

Minutes 10/20/2008

Meeting called to order at 6:33p.m. by Sara Meagher.

President’s Report:

• There are pictures online of convention, which was great!
• National dues are being increased $10 a year, so they are now $80. We will keep our dues at $40, so overall dues will be $120 for next year.
• As of now, graduate students cannot rush Sigma Alpha.
• Peace, Love, and Ag T’s info (designed by another chapter) are being emailed out.
• An essay on global warming for an Independent Womens Forum Scholarship is due December 1^st. Email Sara for more info.
• Website with information on green industry careers, url is www.thelandlovers.org
• Dr. Glen of Plant Sciences has agreed to be our new advisor.
• We will be voting on bylaws November 3^rd! It is very important that you are all here.
• Thursday November 14^th during study hall hours we will be writing the policies and procedures document with Sara.

Sisterhoood:

• Margaret is thinking of having a Harry Potter-themed party and to celebrate the October birthdays at the next sisterhood meeting, October 27^th.
• Super Sister Points will start next semester, in order to allow time for formulating a point system. Fundraising, among other things, counts for points! There will be prizes!
• Lara is checking on the price of staying 2 nights for camping (For the pre-ceremony trip with the MC’s).
• Vikki, Amanda, Cindie, and Joanne will be working on activities,etc to do on the retreat.
• It would be around $10 a person for the retreat. The retreat is mandatory.

Fundraising:

• Molly is still working on the cookbooks. There are some issues with the company. She will give us an update soon.
• Amanda is looking into having bracelets made that say “Rush Sigma Alpha” in green and gold. They would be posted on the national website for sale.
• Tote bags, that were previously discussed, are available to order on the national website if you are interested.
• We are looking into ordering and selling (in class, whenever) lollipops as a fundraiser for Sigma Alpha. It is $144 a case.
• There are now pictures of AGNR fundraising items online if you are interested.
• Masquerade:
• 2 weeks from Saturday in the Maryland Room!
• Right now we will be able to use powerpoint. Be prepared if we cant though.
• Email out a draft of the powerpoint to the sister to be peer reviewed.
• If you are attending, please pay by the sisterhood event next Monday October 27^th.
• We are fronting Emilie Clingerman’s ticket price because she has been so helpful.
• There is a meeting next Thursday the 30^th in the regular meeting room to discuss the Masquerade in more detail.

Website:

• In the future we are considering using a web service for $10 per year which looks very professional and is easy to use. For now, however, we’re sticking with Molly’s J !

AGR:

• Due to Ag Council attendance issues, AGR cannot participate in AG Day.
• If they begin to attend meetings and get back on track, Sigma Alpha is considering allowing them to help us out on Ag day and sharing profits with them.

In Summary:

• November 3^rd we will be voting on the new bylaws. BE HERE!
• November 14^th we will be working on the Policies and Procedures document with Sara.
• The masquerade is just two weeks away!
• Payment for the masquerade is due October 27^th!
• October 30^th there will be a meeting to discuss the masquerade in more detail.

Rush 2008!

Interested in rushing Sigma Alpha? Plan on attending at least two of the following awesome rush events!

• Monday, September 15 at 6:30 pm: meet at the campus farm for a tour, followed by an info session where you can get to know the sisters- there will be ice cream!

• Wednesday, September 17 at 5 pm: Fall Bash in the Animal Sciences courtyard

• Friday, September 19 at 7 pm: bowling

• Thursday, September 25: cookout at the AGR house (the ag fraternity) at 5:30; call Amanda if you need directions
  

• Saturday, September 27 at 5:30 pm to Sunday, October 28: camping at Greenbelt Park

Meeting Notes 9/22/08

Old Business:

• Since the scholarship report is not being submitted, we will just pay the fine.
• Due to a mix-up, we will unfortunately have to pay dues for some deactivated members
• Sara, Amanda and Margaret are going to National Convention, and one of our rush shirts is being included in the quilt J

Don’t Forget:

• Interviews are next Monday. They are MANDATORY for all actives. Professional dress.
• Cookoff in the ANSC courtyard this Weds.
• The All Nighter is at Stamp this Friday

Reports By Officers:

• 1^st Vice (Professional):
• Planning an etiquette dinner, and possibly a presentation on professional speaking skills.
• Rush:
• Remember you must attend 3 rush events or be fined.
• The Thursday (formerly TBA) rush event will be a cookout w/ AGR at their house at 5:30 (Don’t forget if you signed up to bring something!)
• Saturday the 27^th is camping.
• Please reply to Kim ASAP if you want to come so that she can plan.
• If it rains, an email will be sent out the day of w/ new plans.
• Please bring $5 to camping.

Fundraising:

• Molly will be overseeing the cookbook project. Please come to the cookoff, taste food, and ask the teachers about contributing!
• Looking into citrus and nut sales for the holiday season.
• “Masquerade for Hunger Aid”
• Starts at 7:30, dinner at 8, on November 1^st.
• $33.50 per Sigma Alpha active (price per plate), $40 for students, $50 for non-students.
• Think of (and email to Kim!) ideas for baskets. We need to get businesses to donate.
• We will distribute letters about donating to heifer to other colleges in the university besides AGNR. Lara is working on this.

Chapter Visit:

· Mandatory for all actives. If you do not attend, you will be fined $25.

· October 3^rd in the evening is an officers meeting. Exec board only: Sara, Amanda, Cindie, Rachael, Jennie

· October 4^th from 8am to 5pm. Amanda will reserve room.

· Sisterhood event afterwards.

· Sara will organize the dinner for Friday, Joann will organize lunch on Saturday, Margaret will organize dinner and the subsequent sisterhood event.

· Dress comfortably. A list of things to bring will be emailed out.

Discussed things we like and dislike, in order to address changing the bylaws:

• Likes:
• Sisterhood of the sorority.
• How everyone is helpful and friendly
• The organization, efficiency
• Dislikes/ Ideas for Change:
• Idea that if you don’t attend a certain number of rush events, you can’t vote in interviews.
• Execute more fundraising
• Question whether, even if the absence is excused, you can be absent from all of the meetings of a semester and still be active.
• Create some system for regulating how many people come to each rush event (looks bad if there aren’t many of us there!)
• Want to make sure Bigs really get to know their Littles.
• Bring balloons etc to littles when they are accepted after interviews
• Can you have 2 littles?
• Institute a policy where you would have to be in the sorority for a certain amount of time before running for an office.

Meeting Notes 9/08/08

• Our new room is ANSC 3105. We will still meet at 6:30 on Mondays
• T-Shirts for rush should be in by September 15^th. They will be $19, and should be made payable to Sigma Alpha
• Due to work conflicts, Julia B. cannot come to meetings on Monday, so we need a new Rush and Social Chair.
• We voted for Kim J
• We need the mail from Lisa Perez!
• Cindie H. will now be in charge of the scholarship report.
• Amy B. will get the mail.
• Dues will need to be paid next week or week after, but preferably next week (9/15/08). They are $100.
• Amanda H. is going to look at some professional development events on the national website.
• Sarah G. and Julia B. are excused Mondays for work
• The Alpha Delta Chapter of Sigma Alpha (at University of Nebraska at Lincoln) re-chartered their chapter, so we are sending them a welcome back card (Maire).
• RUSH! :
• Amanda was voted rush chair
• Margaret could not find attractive pencils to give out at rush so we are not doing it this semester.
• Amanda will look into it for next semester, and made it a motion.
• Jennie seconded the motion.
• Motion passed.
• We are not doing the First Look Fair.
• ANSC new student orientation is this Wednesday. Setup is at 4:30. It will run from 5-7
• Kim moves that Fall Bash on Wednesday September 17^th be a rush event.
• Jennie seconded.
• Motion passed.
• The Cookoff is September the 24^th at around 5pm. It is not a rush event.
• Camping kim at greenbelt park or sleepover?
• Either Camping at Greenbelt Park or a sleepover (possibly at Sara & Amanda’s house) will be a rush event. It will be on the 26^th of September, a Saturday. Setup would be at 5:30.
• Kim made the motion.
• Victoria seconded.
• Motion passed.
• Again, we’re not doing the first look fair
• Cindie motioned.
• Kim seconded.
• Motion passed.
• We are looking into bowling for a rush event.
• Amanda will figure out where.
• It will be on sept 19^th Friday at 7
• Info session for rush will be a farm tour/ see the fistulated cows/ eat icecream. We will meet on Monday the 15^th @ 6:30 in the area outside the shack/ horse barn. Amanda will get the ice cream.
• Amy moved.
• Maragret seconded.
• Motion passed.
• If we can do a rush event with AGR we will. If not, we will do some kind of charity event. Time TBA, on September 25^th
• Jennie moved
• Amy seconded
• Passed
• Amy moved that sigma alpha reimburses people for costs incurred by rush
• Kim seconded.
• Motion passed.
• Molly said the website is up and running and that she will email out the url
• We will not chalk this week due to weather
• We will hang flyers this week
• Amanda will make flyers and bring them on weds, which we will hang rest of the week.
• Chalking at 2 on Tuesday next week, meeting in the ANSC dowstairs hall by 0408.
• Sara is bringing chalk to next weeks meeting to give to people. This way you can chalk at your own leisure

• Meetings for month of September:
• 15^th = rush event
• 22^nd= business
• 29^th = interviews
• Meetings for month of October:
• 6^th= mc ceremony
• 13^th= professional
• 20^th= business
• 27^th last one is sisterhood
• Meetings for month of November
• 3^rd= business
• 10^th = prof,
• 17^th = business/sisterhood
• 24^th = activation
• Meetings for month of December:
• 1^st= prof.
• 8^th = sisterhood/business wrap up
• We need to make list of rules saying about what you can and cannot do if you join sigma alpha to avoid confusion for rush/mc.
• Sara and Amanda are going to the National Convention. Please let them know by the end of the week if you are interested in going as well.
• They are getting sigma alpha button down shirts.
• You can access the shirts on the national website and buy them
• Maire is emailing Sara pics. from last year for the slide show.
• Tractor certification tutorial is on October 14^th. It is $60. See Sara for more info.
• 13^th = a young farmers leadership conference you see farms, workshops etc. email Sara for more info.
• Future harvest conference in January 16^th and 17^th in Frederick.
• American Agriwomen positions open. Email Sara. 10-20 hrs a week some paid positions through the school year.
• Women in dairy conference in Pennsylvania on Thursday November 20^th during the day. Good for networking, and speakers, etc. email Amanda for more info
• To raise more money for the ark:
• Costume Ball at Sir Walter Raleigh’s on November 1^st.
• Would like to have a silent auction.
• Also, would like to have a fall harvest-esque event where kids could come in their costumes and bob for apples, etc.
• Would ask local businesses to sponsor.
• KIM NEEDS HELP! This is a big project J
• Maragret made motion to do this.
• Jennie seconded.
• Motion passed.

Meeting Notes for 8/09/08 (summer meeting)

Minutes from Sigma Alpha summer meeting – 8-09-08

• Attendance: Sara, Amanda, Margaret, Jennie, Kim, Joanne
• Goals for this coming school year
• Every officer gives input/update on activities at meetings
• Secretary needs to take minutes/attendance at every meeting and send them to president for approval
• If an officer misses a meeting, she needs to find a replacement
• Enforcement of attendance policy and fines
• Hand out bylaws at first meeting for clarification
• We need get local ag sponsors for more SigAl events! (Ex: Monsanto)
• Develop a point system to motivate members to participate – the more you put into the sorority, the more you get out of it (prizes, $ to go to conventions, etc.)
• Kim volunteered to be “Points Master” and wear a wizard’s hat for whatever reason (heehee)
• Points Master would have all authority to decide on point values and to keep track of participation
• More fundraising, maybe by merchandise selling?
• Definitely do Flower Power again
• Fundraising through a possible Halloween/harvest-themed fall dance hosted by SigAl to benefit Heifer – tentatively Nov 1
• Another Franklin’s dinner plus more advertising for it
• Fruit sale
• Possibly have optional follow-up meetings for things that can wait the whole week at a coffee shop or something – also sort of sisterhood building
• Kim to take charge of getting on the New Resident Orientation list of activities, but maybe not with the watermelon crawl, because Pepsi turned down our grant application again
• Chapter visit, October 3-5: EVERYONE MUST COME!!
• National Convention in San Mateo, CA (Oct 16-19)
• Early registration ends Aug 31
• Cheapest flight Amanda found was about $350 round-trip with Southwest
• Will send an email with more details
• RUSH
• No input in MC voting by a sister unless that sister actually attended rush events/got to know the girl in question
• Should do co-rush event with AGR
• Line dancing with mocktails at AGR house
• More rush event ideas
• Bowling, camping/sleepover, Fall Bash, new student orientation, teacher-student cookout, moonbounce, ice cream meet and greet, fistulated cow/farm tour/ice cream
• Historian needs to update trifold – she needs money
• Rush handouts/flyers need to be redone – less text, more concise
• After last semester, we thought rushes could have been more informed – they can’t see bylaws until they’re MCs, but they will need to have a list of rules before rushing
• Tentative Rush Calendar
• Sept 8, 6:30 pm: first SigAl meeting for Fall 08
• Sept 8 – 12: flyering and chalking, go into Ag classes, hand out any promo items
• Sept 10, 4:30-7:30 pm (pizza @ 6:30) – Ag New Student Orientation
• Sept 15 – 26: two weeks of rush events
• Sept 16-17: first look fair
• Sept 29: interviews
• Oct 6: MC ceremony
• Nov 24: activation
• Julia: please compile that list of rules for possible rushes to read before rushing, and please fix flyers
• Rush t-shirts for fall 08
• Submit possible designs by Aug 16
• Kim wants everyone to send her an email by Aug 23 saying what t-shirt they’ll vote for, what size you want, whether or not they still want a shirt if another design is chosen; payment at beginning of semester
• PHILANTHROPY
• Faculty letters for $1 Heifer donations
• Cardstock already purchased, but letter needs to be written
• All sisters can have a building to deliver letters into faculty mailboxes
• SISTERHOOD
• Football games
• Sept 26: Stamp All-Nighter
• Birthday cake every month
• Brainstorm at meetings to include all sisters’ input for sisterhood events
• Spa night: hire masseuse during exam week?
• Capture the flag on the mall
• Farmer’s market in Riverdale
• PROFESSIONAL
• Have more speakers
• Do a dinner etiquette practice dinner
• Dress/make-up for the workplace seminar
• Resume writing
• “Elevator speeches”
• Graduate program advisors for girls who don’t want to be vets but do want to go to grad school
• Oct 14: tractor operation workshop
• Do more Ag workshops, like at National Ag Library down Rte 1
• MAEF for Ag in the Classroom
• FFA: “Goats in the Classroom”
• SOCIAL
• Cook for AGR at their house
• Sept 20: dairy farm tour (“Cows and Corn”) with AGR; also corn maze, barn dance, etc.
• SCHOLARSHIP
• Paper test bank needs to be started
• ALUMNI RELATIONS
• We need to have a liaison with them!