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Board Meeting Call: : 7/16/2020

2020, Board Meeting Minutes, Minutes

On the Call: Maddie, Liz, Jenn, Tessa, Mike, Jamie, Pat, Tessa, Kate, Meg, Sheila, Jane, Lori

DEI Reps– Gulliver Scott, Paula Thoms, Claire Kuehnel

AGENDA:

  1. DEI Committee Updates
  2. Board update – Vice President
  3. Legislation Updates
  4. COVID Task Force
  5. Program Preservation Committee
    1. coordination with IRCA
    2. Press outreach
  6. Misc.
  1. DEI Committee Updates (Liz, Paula, Gulliver, Tessa)
    1. Had initial meeting ~ over 60 people, Liz created Sub committees and initial strategic plan ( all can be up for change- just to get it kick started)
    2. Sub-committees created- could sign up for 1 or multiple
    3. Liz reaching out to RISE to have a conversation about a potential ongoing partnership for what continuing education could look like
    4. NEXT MEETING – call for nominations for Committee Chairs- will send invite to Board Members to join
    5. Subcommittee on the Call:  Mission Statement–
      1. Did a vision exercise and to then work on mission statement and values
      2. Stepped back and looked at it as far as the CRCA’s mission statement/ vision/ etc –  they were ahead of the CRCA’s posted one ( which is very outdated)… and want to be in alignment with CRCA
        1. Want to hear more about the strategic plan for the CRCA and how that fits into the whole picture
        2. ACTION ITEMS to create goals for their next meeting

~This is the time to take a step back and dig into the CRCA Strategic Plan (specifically the mission statement, vision, values, etc)

Current statement (in bylaws and on website):

The CRCA exists to unify collegiate women’s rowing coaches, to act as a collective voice, and to inform collegiate women’s rowing coaches on issues related to rowing. The CRCA will:

  • Promote women’s rowing as a collegiate sport
  • Serve as the voice of college rowing coaches in appropriate legislative arenas, in particular with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and its member conferences
  • Serve as the primary adviser on collegiate women’s rowing issues to the United States Rowing Association.

Suggestion to hire someone to help with strategic plan; worth entertaining that thought – also think about having a really good planning process is getting input from all areas and lots of people

~ suggested researching  groups for non-profits like us that can help with this

Gulliver has a few people in mind, Liz also has a non-profit consultant friend to help us in it

Sheila and Liz– will research and contact people regarding this

Paula – Are we right to have stopped the process of creating our mission statement/vision/values?

Do they continue, or stop and wait for CRCA?

does what the DEI came up with, is it in opposition with the CRCA’s Mission?  

~CRCA is so general, that really, nothing can be in opposition

Liz– likes the idea of the DEI making it before the board does –

Maddie– we want to keep the momentum going for the DEI committee, and what they come up with, will probably help us create the CRCA’s strategic plan, 

Jen – it might give more guidance as well when creating the CRCA’s

Kate- the covid task force made a mission statement – and the realization came out of it the relationship between diversity and women’s rowing; it didn’t stop the task force from moving forward- so I wouldn’t halt the process of the DEI

Meg- it being so general does allow so much to happen, we can go in many directions within committees

Conclusion  for sub committee = move forward with DEI mission, vision, values

(Have the DEI M,V,V be woven into the CRCA’s M,V,V)

Gulliver – THE DEI committee needs to hear that the support from the CRCA is there ~ so they know the work is valued.  Also need to make sure of process and procedures within our organization and committees act equitably.

The Chair of the DEI, or as we designate new roles, those positions could be on the CRCA Board zoom meetings, to help see and hear the conversations going on- so they know the support is there

~SR_ ADD new committees and contacts to the website so that they can be reached out to by the membership.

IDEA from JENN – Creating emails through collegerowcoach.org- LOOK INTO process of creating email addresses——President, VP, Treasurer, Legislative, ETC

Transparency- Lori: “could send out a message that we had a meeting, add in the link to the minutes, if interested”

~Post when we are meeting next in the notes – and if anyone has issues, topics to discuss they can get it to us before the meeting —-create ability to submit issues, concerns, topics for meeting) – This also falls in line with DEI initiatives to be inclusives in how the organization operates

  1. Board update – Vice President
    1. Maddie moves to nominate Liz Tuppen as Vice President
    2. Mike and  Tessa second.…..No one opposes
  1. Legislation Updates
    1. Can stack Financial Aid ! ( need based and athletic) Effective Aug 1, 2020
    2. Recruiting Dead period- we submitted feedback. Jenn did get majority of good feedback; Kate did get one email of someone upset
    3. WTT  -next main thing to focus on, steve came back to Jenn that we need to go through conferences to get an extension of the blanket waiver from last year and add in the COVID IMPACT from this year
      1. Jenn looked into which conferences were all on board wanting it: Pac12, Patriot, A10, 
      2. Jenn is going to put together a blanket waiver- just has to find out if she passes it along to coaches and then they forward it to their conference? She’ll check with her compliance office
      3. D2 – Quiet Period extended until Aug 31
  1. COVID Task Force
  2. Program Preservation Committee- LINK 

Sam Sarff named interim chair of this committee to get it up and going, and we’ll look for someone to lead it  (discussed possibility of leader to be someone not currently in coaching, but involved in rowing) 

  1. coordination with IRCA- Chris and John are leading that up- its very new. 
  2. Press outreach- Rowing Mag. reached out and Maddie talked with Ed. (wanted a quote about our concern for cutting programs; talked about our collaboration with the IRCA) Ed Hewitt also reached out and we are looking into a story or getting the word out about what we’re doing)

concern about the rising trend of waivers to lower min. number of sponsored sports for NCAA –  Partnership with men’s coaches association is really important for many reasons

What is the CRCA’s exact role when programs are on the fence? (We have voices and numbers, especially when we work with the mens programs)

As we work to advocate for our sport – we have to also show how we are modernizing our sport. Were not trying to preserve a privilege – how do we merge these committees 

~name of committee potentially being something like “growth” or “sustainability” vs preservation

Mike Lane – Membership Drive: website is ready to go, sheila will send out link as a test to make sure it all works and then we’ll email it out to membership

  1. Misc.
  2. Guidance for international student athletes:  Seems to be changing on a daily basis.  One thing that may be changing is for internationals that already have a visa – they may not have to quarantine for 14 days in another country, before arriving l in the US.
  1. Practice restrictions for fall rowing? 
    1.  Departments may restrict teams who row off-campus from traveling to the boathouse.  Others are not prohibiting but creating procedures/guidelines on how to get to practice.
    2. If fall sports get cancelled – will teams still be able to train?  Seems to differ from school to school
  2. Schedule next board meeting for around a month from now and schedule one before than if needed (which is likely)
  3. Liz will send an invite to the board for the DEI meeting next week.  DEI meeting notes will be sent out afterwards if a board member can not attend.

Meeting Adjourned. 

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