FMO Executive Board Minutes:

Thursday, May 7, 2009


Start: 7:10 pm


  1. Minutes read

    1. Suggestion (Nissi): Instead of saying we will have Michael Eric Dyson as the fall speaker, change that to make it known that it was discussed that he is a possibility

      1. Motion made, seconded.

    2. Minutes passed with suggestion added

  2. Marrion

    1. Happy with new Exec Board

    2. Vision

      1. Community Bridging Effort

        1. Strong black community

        2. Active Effort

          1. FMO to help FAB with kick-it-night

          2. Community service

          3. Etc.

        3. Vocal Effort

          1. Act as political voice

            1. PAC – Kellyn Lewis/Brittany Brown

              1. Respect organization

              2. Start with programming because it is political aspect

          2. Firesides

        4. Structural Effort

          1. Coordinator and VC office hours

          2. Stricter publicity

          3. Attendance policy – turn in officer portfolio if you cannot attend

          4. Quarterly updates by officers

          5. Calendar of events

          6. Assessment

    3. Review updated constitution

      1. Focus on providing services and developing black leaders

        1. Don’t want to be lost in programming

        2. Professors to have office hours in the Black House

        3. Mentorship program for freshmen

      2. Membership







        1. Change: Membership forms will be available year-round and each school year membership must be renewed by winter quarter.

        2. Article 3, Section 2, Point 2: Change to “Members have the right to…”

        3. Create document of the members every year

      1. Officers

        1. Article 4, Section 1: Change to “The board shall consist of twelve (12) officers…” Add in VC of External Relations and Graduate and Alumni Liaison.

        2. Nissi question: When does the constitution have to be approved? If you see any changes that need to be made, then bring them.

        3. Under VC of External Relations

          1. Point 2, change to: “To investigate and encourage the support of programs and organizations…”

          2. Add: “To create and implement programming to bridge the Evanston/Northwestern community.”

          3. Add: “Should serve as liaison between university departments and FMO.”

          4. Point 2 to be split into two?

          5. Add: “Serve as liaison between FMO and other undergraduate black student alliances.”

          6. Add: “Should be chair of FMO Public Relations Committee.”

            1. There needs to be a description of public relations committee?

        4. Under Graduate and Alumni Liaison

          1. Change 1st point to “FMO Executive Board, BGSA, and NUBAA Executive Boards…”

          2. Add NAA to point 2.

          3. Change 3rd point to “BGSA, NUBAA, and the constituency of FMO.”

        5. Under ASG Senator

          1. Point 4: take out “written”

          2. Add “required to apply”

      2. Miscellaneou

        1. Every “board, exec board, and executive board” should be capitalized

        2. Wherever “VC Satellites” appears, add “affiliates.”

        3. Quorum should be changed to 7.

      3. Attendance

        1. Take out “Copies left in mailbox…”





        1. Decide about tardiness later

      1. Marrion to meet with each officer about their positions

    1. Inclusive Excellence Retreat

      1. Aim to push past diversity because diversity implies simply tolerance

      2. May 9, 2009, 9 am – 4 pm

      3. Kellyn, Beth, and Marrion to attend

    2. General meeting recap

      1. Exec board members should be conscientious of the way they carry themselves

      2. Don’t make side remarks, bash old board. Only put forth constructive criticisms of FMO. Don’t be unprofessional.

      3. Don’t want constituency turned off by what we’re doing and the way we present ourselves.

  1. Camille

    1. No one has emailed what they’re doing for the leadership conference

      1. Due by next Wednesday

      2. Lunch/Breakfast

        1. Coffee, bagels

        2. Box lunches

          1. Check with EJ to see how it will be done

    2. BSAC meeting

      1. To meet with Ayanna about her transition

      2. How often to have meetings? Don’t want programming to overlap

        1. Bi-weekly meetings

        2. Always invite FAB

    3. Still need updated contact information from satellites and affiliates

      1. Punitive action for absence at leadership retreat, BSAC meetings

  2. Nissi

    1. First committee meeting held

      1. Tuesdays at 7 pm

    2. Fall speaker

      1. Michael Eric Dyson more realistic

      2. Possibly Don Cheadle

      3. To extend offers to different people

      4. Need concrete contact info if given suggestions

      5. Fall speaker not concert-like

      6. Provide Youtube link with suggestions

      7. Suggestion by Francesca

        1. Michelle Obama

    3. Spring cleaning this Saturday 12 pm – 2 pm

      1. Come half hour before





      1. Lunch to be taken care of

      2. TELL PEOPLE

    1. Sunday dinner to start next year

    2. Alianza

      1. Ball

        1. Cheaper budget

        2. Halls instead of hotels

        3. Unity Ball – name

        4. Small-time artist or comedian

        5. Format

          1. Charity

          2. Dinner

          3. Dancing

  1. Beth

    1. Appreciation Dinner

      1. 10 faculty

        1. Monique King

        2. Celeste Watkins-Hayes

        3. Jose Santos

      2. Marrion to speak about Tracy Vaughn

      3. Email Beth if you are attending the student appreciation dinner

      4. NEED BOARD MEMBERS TO BE AT PARKES HALL AT 5:15 PM

      5. PARKES BALLROOM

      6. Dave’s Italian Kitchen

      7. To make program

        1. La Donna

    2. Inspire Films

      1. Committed to do Inspire Films

        1. Norris, May 16, 2009, 9 am – 6 pm

        2. 3 sessions

          1. 10:30 am

          2. 2:30 pm

          3. 4:00 pm

    3. Firesides

      1. Don’t start this quarter

      2. Her committee will do firesides

      3. Everyone to go at least once

      4. One per quarter, per dorm dorm, possibly four in the fall and four in the winter

      5. Board member on every committee – Marrion

        1. Committees

          1. Publicity – Francesca

            1. Dallas





          1. Programming – Nissi

            1. Camille/Kellyn

          2. Fundraising – Amin

            1. Adam

          3. Coordinator – Marrion

            1. La Donna

          4. PAC – Kellyn

            1. Kristin

          5. External Relations – Beth

            1. Tyris

  1. Adam

    1. $8142

      1. 1216.91 Outside money

      2. 664 General fund

      3. 3988 Fall speaker, gone to be rolled back

      4. To have 900 by end of year

      5. Reimbursements done

        1. Execpt Ayanna

      6. LUNA security guards

      7. UP

  2. Amin

    1. Meeting next week to get concrete date for committees

      1. Adam

      2. Robert

      3. Breajna

      4. Byran

    2. Financial Freedom Campaign

      1. Every exec board give $10/mo

      2. Provide promissory notes to everyone

    3. Fundraising event each quarter, more for fall and winter

    4. Ideas

      1. Thankathon

        1. When people give money through Phonathon, they get letters from the caller and a random student. The program sponsors the random student

        2. Every board member to write 15 letters

        3. $10 for every correctly-written card

          1. Picky on writing

        4. Might be able to start this quarter

      2. MCSA

        1. Create a sheet with budget and email to different academic departments

      3. Be the Change grant






        1. Petition for money to renovate Black House instead of going to president

      1. Peers Using Responsible Recreation

      2. Fall football concessions

        1. Sodexho

          1. Unresponsive

        2. Board members should participate at least twice

        3. Bigger booth to make more money

        4. Four different concessions

        5. Encourage committee members

  1. Tyris

    1. Rules Committee Monday

      1. Legislation read over

    2. Email about Robert’s Rules

    3. Funding recommended: 40,408; asked for 54,000; last year only got 37,000

    4. Senate Wednesday 6 pm

      1. To send out email by Sunday

      2. Attire: should be unified, all wear black, all sit in same section

    5. Idea

      1. Approached at Senate about Supply for Dream

      2. Goodsearch

    6. Shuttle system: GPS next Saturday

    7. Intercampus shuttle to run on Saturdays

    8. Freshman freeze to last only two weeks

  2. Marrion

    1. 17,500 for fall speaker, requested more money for security – 800

    2. 500 every quarter – MCSA website?

    3. 12,000 for spring event, can possibly get more money

    4. Write up plans for initiating these ideas – Amin

    5. Tyris suggestion: camera?, If so, to come from fundraising but other miscellaneous things must come first

  3. Francesca

    1. Appreciation dinner flier

      1. Over listserv

      2. Should go out tonight by itself

      3. Send to board so we can see it

    2. Co-sponsorship with ASA flier

      1. Send to everyone on board

      2. All same font

        1. Blurb

        2. Time

    3. To make Tyris flier for binder

  4. Dallas





    1. Individual photos will be up on website

    2. Black student handbook

      1. Geared toward black freshmen

      2. How-to to the black community

      3. Due by end of summer

    3. Black student yearbook

      1. Looking for ways to get it printed

      2. On internet

      3. Adam and Marrion to go over budget

  1. Kristin

    1. Layout nuformembersonly.ning.com

    2. Send letter from coordinator

    3. Marrion can do history

  2. Kellyn

    1. Apology about not being professional at the general meeting

    2. Newsletter

      1. Section about PAC

      2. Finish up within next week

      3. Marrion will send letter from coordinator

      4. Marrion

        1. Facebook group

          1. Database of alumni

          2. Send messages to them asking for more personal information

        2. Build relationship with NAA

  3. Marrion

    1. Review

      1. Inclusive excellence

      2. Spring cleaning

      3. Faculty/staff appreciation dinner

      4. AAS/AS May 19

  4. Nissi

    1. Extra

      1. T-shirt suggestions

  5. Marrion

    1. Make it known when you can’t come to events/meetings


End 9:36 pm




Non-Attendance