MCPP Board of Directors Meeting Minutes March 2012

Women’s City Club

Ann Arbor, MI

March 18, 2012

Present, MPC Board members: M. Atwell, D. Freiband, S. Freiband, M. Frye, R. Hutchison, D. Klein, M Meisels, M. Rivette, M. Rudy, M. Slowiaczek, E. Waiess, P. Wood. Past President: M. Meisels. Members: A. Brickman, R. Liberman, K. Sorrell,

1. The minutes of the meeting of February 19, 2012 were approved unanimously.

2. Treasurer (Michael Rudy)

• Reported the percents spending in various categories info.
• The working capital situation is goo, cash just under 18K.
• Nothing unusual in expenses.

3. President (Elizabeth Waiess)

• Laura Pierce has to resign as membership chair, will serve until the end of May and continue as board member at large. Waiess is contacting others who may take up the membership chair position.
• Edward Schmidt (Gd. Rapids) is willint to start as Board member-at-large in September. Wood moved and Rivette seconded that the Board accept Schmidt as a new board member. Motion carried unanimously.
• A few members are returning to active membership
• Bylaws: After discussion, S. Freiband moved and Wood seconded the motion that the Board approve sending the revisions to A. Brickman for final editing before the revisions are proposed to the membership for a vote. Motion passed unanimously. The board can vote electronically on the final version of the proposed revisions.
• A mini-retreat is proposed, on a weekend date in August, of Board and Committee chairs. Waiess is getting many requests for direction, including from finance committee…where we are heading, use of $$, educ. & training. Waiess will send out proposed dates.

4. Past President (Murray Meisels)

• Had a great vacation.

5. President Elect (David Klein)

• Expenditure report for the bulletin…nothing unexpected; cam in under budget.   Thanks also to Reena.
• The Board’s thanks David and the committee for very fine work.   Applause. Klein: thank the authors as well.
• The question has come up: Can bulletin be available digital? There are copyright permission issues; we may have to pay. That it is not digital is relevant to the dealings.   Also, confidentiality. Answer: Not now.

6. Education and Training (Peter Wood)

• Selections of courses for next year is almost complete, including 2-3 electives. The course of Freud is not scheduled; it is a year-long course; we are thinking of creatively formatting this, maybe a series of seminars.
• The announcement has gone out, of our giving over the April meeting to consider issues in training, including the proposals from the conversation last board meeting. Board agreed we would reach out personally to people, to phone, remind, invite, encourage, engage. April meeting starts at 10:00 a.m.

7. Programs (Michelle Rivette)

• October conference: volunteers are needed, e.g. creating folders for participants, being at tables. Maybe volunteers can be rewarded with brunch with speaker. Toronto and Cohen are helping. We might offer free entry to SW students, grad students, in return for volunteering.
• Getting a few big listserves to use for publicity.
• Tabled last time…discussion of annual April meeting:     Slowiaczek: we talked about being led by where the potential speakers want to speak. Several new people coming on are coming from Grand Rapids. Meetings alternate between Ann Arbor and East Lansing, except for April.
• Do we want to develop Detroit suburbs?   On the agenda for summer meeting. All of our relationships with other organizations requires a separate discussion. S. Freiband: let us leave the present location decision to the Program Chair.

8. Certification (Sonya Freiband)

• Reena Liberman has finished all requirements. Recommend she be certified. Michel, David2. Approved unanimously.
• We approved Michael Singer as a child psychoanalyst. S. Freiband moved, Atwell seconded, our certifying him as an adult analyst, as well. The motion passed unanimously.

9. Committee Reports

• Membership: No Report

• Elections – Marybeth Atwell

There are few responses so far to nominations requests. We should come up with ideas about who might be interested.

• PCD: No Report

• Bulletin: David Klein

The next issue will be out next month.

• Website (Rena Liberman)

o      She already updated us on the budget; invited approval of more $. She moved the approval of a revised budget, increased by $750. S. Freiband seconded. Rudy offered a friendly amendment to round up to $1K. Pierce seconded. The amended motion passed unanimously.

o      60 members are signed up on the new listserve. Discussion about transferring names from the present list-serve to the new one.

o      The board thanks Reena for a great job done.

• Social Action: no report
• Gender & Diversity: no report
• Newsletter: no report
• Parliamentarian & Bylaws: no report
• Strategic Planning: no report

• Bylaw Committee: (Art Brickman)

o      Bylaw revisions letter is to go in a surface-mail letter inviting members to refer to the bylaws on the MPC website. There is also a copy of the bylaws in the membership directory. The draft letter approved, by sense of the meeting.

• Library Committee: (Kay Sorrell)

o      The committee met. It agreed that its members are not willing to undertake schlepping books to and fro. Who will schlep is an issue. If we bring books to meetings, they have to moved to and fro, some has to staff a table, take money…

o      Topics needing information/discussion: Peter is holding MPC books, about 20 feet of shelf; book storage has to be climate-controlled; a 5’x10’ space costs about $50/mo to rent, $100 for a 10’x10’ space; it seems that a lot more books may be coming our way; the books have to organized; there might be an electronic list of available books, with prices, for members to access the books;

o      We can ask donors to send in lists of the books they want to donate. We might send an e-mail to the members inviting predictions of the numbers of books they might donate.

o      Is it worth our while to spend money and volunteer labor to store books?

o      The committee needs information about the Library Fund. How should it be used?

o      Libraries are happy to get books.

o      Suggestion: Sell books on consignment through an Ann Arbor bookstore. This could bring customers and name-recognition to the bookstore, and they get some of the money.

o      No decisions were taken in these matters.

10. New Business - none

The meeting was adjourned. 10:15.

Minutes respectfully submitted by Marilyn Frye, board secretary.

Note: it is MPC policy that Board meetings are open to all MPC members. Priority is given to Board members to address issues, but all MPC members may speak at meetings, time permitting.