NYSFAAA Region VI

Holiday Meeting

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

 

The following individuals attended the holiday meeting:

 

Hassan Adams

Anita Algernon

Rebecca Ali

Fiona Approo

Amanda Baright

William Berrios

Bill Cavin

Sonya Chestnut

Jim Cirillo

Chris Constable

Jason Cook

Dzelika Daniel

Daffodil Dennis

Patricia Donowski

Ursula Duran

Nalini Dyal

Tracy Ercetin

Angelica Esparza

Michele Farley

Lori Farrior

Mildred Figueroa

Barry Fischer

Barrie Fox

Mina Friedman

Socorro Gago

Dawn Germano

Brian Ghanoo

Martha Giannasio

Theresa Gieseke

Ed Gilbert

Donna Gill

Mark Goldstein

Leany Gomez

Ed Gonzalez

Janet Gray

Lorrinza Grazette-Jordan  

Janet Gray

Luis Guaman

Juana Ham

Gary Hayes

Patty Herbst

Judy Hernandez

Clair Jacobi

Anthea Jeffrey

Anne Johnson

Edward Keough

Kermit Kook

Tom Kokis

Anna Kopit

Beatrice LaRue

Howard Leslie

Joanna Liadis

Brian Matthews

Jeanne McCarthy

Sharon McMillian

Eugene Monroe

Ben Morales

Michael Morozuk

Alex Ormeno

Jaimes Perez

Miriam Perez

Anthony Pizzuti

Ann Planell

Wendy Rizzo

Aristalia Rodriguez

Patti Ronan

Ivette Rosa

Rick Ross

Jefferey Sampson

Jason Santora

Julieta Schiffino

Kenneth Seabrooks

Vera Senese

Lisa Simpson

Brenda Smith

Henry Solorzano

Ken Storms

Steven Sweet

Jane Tartaro

Carole Taylor

Michael Taylor

Erika Terwilliger

Tony Thompson

Mary Torres-Erickson

Jennifer Trauman

Angela Van Dekker

Oscar Vasquez

Xavier Vega

Eddie Viera

Barbara Wakie

Joe Waldron

Joan Warren

Shelley Worrell

Savior Wright

Tsering Yankey

Frances Zuringa

 

 

 

If by chance anyone was inadvertently added or omitted from the attendance list, please contact Shelley Worrell (sworrell@gc.cuny.edu).

 

Anna Kopit welcomed everyone and thanked everyone for attending.

 

Shelley Worrell gave a brief financial update informing everyone that the balance in the account is $10,975. She also reminded those individuals who had outstanding checks to contact her within the next couple of days.

 

Steve Sweet distributed and briefly spoke about the HESC update. 

 

Ursula Duran & Judy Hernandez gave an update about College Goal Sunday – February 11, 2007 a National Service Project.  This is the first year that New York State will be participating. It is a collaborative effort between NYSHESC and NYSFAAA.  It will focus on low income students and will take place in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn.  Volunteers are need for all sites.

 

Mary Torres-Erickson spoke about the Region VI survey.  It is a vehicle through which region VI members can indicate what they want to see/hear at meetings as well as a chance to voice their concerns. Only 48 members of Region VI replied.  The survey will be sent out again.  Anna Kopit pointed out that there are almost 500 members in the region and it’s inexcusable that only 48 replied.

 

Angela VanDekker gave an Executive Council Report.

 

Regional funding - The proposal for funding of regional activities for one transitional year was approved.  It gives an additional $10 per member revenue sharing to each region, to be paid in November following the conference. If a regional treasury falls below $2500, the region can apply for more funds if they come back to Council with a legitimate request.

With $30,500 sponsorship, roughly $14,000 already planned in standard Revenue Sharing and the $16,000 already available ($1000 Training and $1000 Support Staff), on request, $60,500 is available for Regional events statewide.  6 regions have submitted budgets totaling just under $42,000. There are also remaining balances in all of the Regional budgets (some sizable). So there should be adequate funding for Regional activities.

After the "evaluation year," the process will be reviewed. This plan appears to offer some ease for the State Treasurer, preserves significant Regional autonomy, yet provides for variations in Regional costs and the Tri-Regional. This also avoids Exec Council micro managing every Regional initiative.

Committees that are working on projects may now use NYSFAAA’s  corporate BJ card.  The Treasurer has the card.

 

My Rich Uncle was not allowed to buy space at NYSFAAA’s Conference since they were not a member.  Joan Warren sent her (them) information about how they can apply to have their organization recognized as an approved association.  As of November they had not responded further.

 

All Executive Council members solicited feed back on the Proposed Statement of Principles. The region 6 comments from the September meeting and from the list serve are being presented to Executive Council.  Feedback can still be sent.

 

Exec Council meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend.

 

The next meeting is at the Marriott Courtyard in Newburgh, New York (Route 84) – make your voice heard.

 

Executive Council Meetings will no longer take place down state due to the cost. (since this meeting there has been a change to this statement. There will most likely be a meeting on Long Island this year.)

 

There is a new Ethics and Professional Standards Committee.

 

James Cirillo shared a brief summary of the first meeting of the Ethics and Professional Standards Committee in Syracuse, NY on 11/30/06.  

The chairs of the committee are Mark Humbert of SUNY Oswego and Doug Schaeffer of T.H.E. However, Dave Canaski (NYSFAAA President) ran the meeting and made all of the proposals. Dave wants to separate NYSFAAA’s revenue into two categories.  These are operating funds (dues, fees, money for advertising) and donated funds.  He then wants to separate our functions into two categories as well.  Functions will be categorized as either Administrative (dealing primarily with the internal operation of NYSFAAA itself) or Mission Driven (dealing primarily with the Association’s charitable, training, and outreach efforts.

His proposal is that the administrative functions (including the conference) are funded solely by operating funds and mission driven functions are to be funded by donations.  This makes it nearly impossible for there to ever be another conference south of Saratoga.  Our region may be the most effected by these proposals since things are more
expensive here compared to upstate.

I was the only Region VI person at this meeting.  Although no vote was taken, no one else made any comments questioning these ideas in any way.  I feel we need to take more time before going forward with this and a larger group of members should be involved.  I am asking that more region VI members get involved in this committee.  This is just one of many issues this committee will be working on.
 

For now, all of the meetings are going to be in Syracuse.  You can still get involved even if you cannot attend the meetings.  


You can email me at cirillo@fordham.edu if you have questions.  You can also email the chairs of the committee at humbert@oswego.edu and Douglas.schaeffer@theloanprogram.org.

Anna Kopit called
Joan Warren to the floor, where she was presented with the Regional Service Award by Fiona Approo.

 

Brian Ghanoo – In closing, Brian thanked everyone for being patient and for coming. He also thanked the sponsors and read their names which were printed on the last page of the agenda.