VANCOUVER REGIONAL FREENET ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES OF MEETINGS JANUARY 8, 1994 Vancouver Public Library The meeting was called to order at 1:30 pm. Present: Margaret Coates, Steven Chan, Susan Pendakur, Jacqueline Van Dyk, Guy Thomas, Brian Campbell, Tom Hansen, Phil Lyons, Fritz Radandt, Eric Yung, Rob Clift, Greg Buss. Afternoon session: Brian chairs Considered official meeting of the Board of Directors and convened as such. Motions are noted below and voting is also recorded. Mission Statement/Constitution and Bylaws: * no changes suggested, although Steven suggested that (h) and (i) might be renumbered to (a) and (b). Timeline: * focus on getting setup. Brian: we should target the beginning of Information Right's week (April 11th). MOTION: Tom/Greg: That we start with the committees and work towards a date. unanimous vote. * Mike: Motorola's donation needs to be picked up. The hardware end of things requires that we install the equipment at the UBC machine room, and get a working agreement with UBC. The IPX from SUN should be delivered around the 15th of January. After receiving the hardware, we need to configure it (multiprocessors) and install the software, work out the software details etc. Not that much to do, but needs to be done. Plan is that Mike will get receipt of equipment from the UBC office on Monday (January 10th) and Steven will get the trucks/help for a move of the Motorola donation on Wednesday (January 12th). After the move, Mike expects 2 weeks or so to get it up and running. *NOTE: A letter of thanks to Motorola should be drafted and sent off. * Mike expects the contract with UBC to be finished around the 17th. * modems/terminal servers: Steven is to contact people * Phil is to contact MDI (letter to be sent) * Ross Lavendar of SUN is to be contacted by Steven for followup. * Software: registration automation needs to be done, configuration of PINE, populating the newsgroups and file transfers. * Harvey Dueck is working on the procmail interface * Brian: IRC? Mike and Eric are against it * Rob: Front ends (news and email) <- we need a decision on these * gopher client. Mike says no, Brian suggests discussion * Rob: features list * Brian: what is system design doing? Suggest: gopher discussion paper, features list (from Rob), technical writers to go to training, menu growth * Steven to take system design chair * decide on HD allocation - future Board issue * Steven: to apply for an Internet address, coordinated with Victoria, report back to Board Community Content: Guy gave an update * Brian: who is responsible for menu interface of IPs? * Phil: IPs who aren't endorsers? * Greg: is endorsement so critical - was for fundraising and credibility * Tom: agrees with Phil - donation or endorsement * Susan: agrees with Tom and Phil, individual exceptions in organizations though * Guy: BC Organization to fight Racism - will not endorse until we have a policy against racism. * Fritz: is endorsement a "big deal" if info offered? * Rob: policy on IPs not wanted (eg. neo-Nazis) * Brian: reluctant to spend energy on this issue * Guy: agreement between IP and VRFA about content * Brian: pragmatic concern is that we hgave few resources, thus endorsements only for IPs, thus an interim decision should be no endorsement, no info online. Guy has reservations about this. * Eric to work on a policy document of Board decisions to date * Phil and Guy to work on discussion paper on IPs and endorsements for next meetings * Guy: database is up and running and suggest use by other committees * Mike: what is procedure of IP info flow * Brian: suggests papers on the info flow for the 18th meeting. * Steven: content crisis? * Fritz: suggest putting liasons in charge of subject areas. * Steven: very bottom line: list content for monitoring * Mike: we need community content before IRC etc. (ritz) * Steven: team of liason etc. good for long-term, but not short-term. Mike agrees. * proposal that we list info that we point to * proposal for a "SWAT" team for info content * proposal to list information obtained so far * report from Community Content at next board meeting * Guy: who decides disenfranchised? * Brian: equal access to IPs who are disenfranchised for Comm. Content * Mike suggests board participation in Community Content * Margaret: offered to participate in meetings of Comm. Content to help out IPs vis-a-vis equal access. Fundraising: Greg gave an update * structure and tools are there, need to get money * success in small equipment in-kind thus far * problem with large $$ amounts * the lack of a charitable # is a stumbling block * endorsements -> profit organizations and info Public Relations: deferred to next Board meeting * Greg asked about regional major meetings * Rob: PC User's Society electronic newsletter Endorsements: * Brian: ready to start second round * Phil: need to followup on 1st round and revisit Equal Access: dealt with in morning session Public Training: * Rob: following posted action plan. Membership: Susan: would like to process people ASAP, since extremely busy in March/April Decisions/Motions: Brian: Discussions and Recommendations paper from Jacqueline this morning. Motion: Susan/Phil: To accept the Discussions and Recommendations paper from Jacqueline. unanimous vote Motion: Tom/Fritz: To accept letter of resignation from Jacqueline as System Design Chair and reassign her. Unanimous vote Motion: Tom/Susan: To suggest System Design Committee accept Steven as chair Unanimous vote. Motion: Tom/Phil: Jacqueline to head training subcommittee. Jacqueline declines during discussion. Motion withdrawn. Motion: Tom/Rob: To table resolution of training committee until the next Board meeting. Unanimous vote. Motion: Tom/Rob: For Guy to approach Jama Chorush for position on the Board at next Board meeting. unanimous vote. Motion: Fritz/Greg: To create a Library liason and have Jacqueline chair the position. Jacqueline accepts, and unanimous vote. * Phil to followup on Boodie Arnett for Board position. * registration policy paper at next Board meeting (January 18th). Meeting adjourned at 5:15pm.