Minutes of the October 4, 1998 SIG Governing Board EC Meeting
Notkin opened meeting at 8:45 a.m. and reviewed the agenda. Conference call logistics were added to the agenda.
1.0 Actions and Motions from SGB Meeting
Baglio reviewed the actions and motions from the SGB meeting.
SIGCUE has asked for an extension of terms and will send a proposal on Monday.
Action: Baglio will forward request from SIGCUE for extension of terms to the SGB EC on Monday, October 5th for their review and recommendation.
Conference calls
Action: Baglio will contact John Hart and request the web tool he's designed to administer scheduling of conference calls.
Action: Baglio will set up monthly conference calls for the SGB EC once a schedule has been established.
Next meeting
Suggestions were made for North Carolina and Chicago, in either late February or mid March. Dates have to be sent to all SIG Chairs as well as SGB EC.
Action: Baglio will provide Notkin with location options for the next set of SGB meetings. Every attempt will be made to avoid overlapping SIG meetings.
IFIP
It was decided that implementing volunteers to satisfy the TC roles outlined would not be hard to do. Soffa suggested that an SGB member be in charge of writing a proposal on how to organize the TC appointments and funding.
Action: Ellis will inform Joe Turner that the SIGs wish to pursue the IFIP proposal presented to the SGB.
Action: Ellis will work with the SGB on possible funding options for IFIP TC travel expenses.
Action: Baglio will send a copy of the SGB EC budget to the SGB EC.
Cunningham offered to reevaluate the SDF process with SGB members and come up with a recommendation for the future of the fund.
Notkin accepted Cunningham's offer to take on this activity. He felt Cunningham should talk to the SIGs on who is already budgeting for other programs and get ideas.
Action: Cunningham will seek input from the SGB with regard to putting together a SIG Focus Discretionary Fund.
Action: Ellis will request feedback from the SGB on the current SDF and a possible SGB EC discretionary fund. She will suggest that they include a Special Project line in their FY'00 budgets as a source of funding for collective SGB/SGB EC projects.
The SGB EC was undecided on how to fund the IFIP TC slots.
Ryan suggested that the SGB EC let ACM Council know that there is a commitment to do this and will find the money to fund it, with ACM subsidization if needed.
As for appointments, Notkin suggested Ellis send e-mail to the SIG Chairs asking for suggestions. Ellis's email should indicate that support could come from SGB EC if the SIG cannot cover it.
SIG Reviewer Software
Action: Snodgrass will work with the SGB to collaborate the efforts of the SIG reviewer databases.
2.0 SIG Program Reviews
SIGCAPH
SIGCAPH was referred to the SGB EC because of several issues.
Concerns: small membership and small conference. The group at times appears to be inactive with limited volunteer development.
Notkin felt it was their obligation to figure how to strengthen things but not how to continue things that are not happening. It was discussed whether there might be another structure that SIGCAPH would fit into. They could talk with the ACM Committee on disabilities. Baer felt that SIGCAPH's Assets conference is very well known and they shouldn't try to change something that is not broken.
Action: Cohoon will review the activities of other "CAPH like" conferences and organizations and report back to the SGB EC.
Notkin felt that SIGCAPH should be told to be more active and the SGB should encourage activity.
Action: Cassel will work with SIGCAPH with regard to volunteer development. In addition, she will facilitate communication with ACM's Committee on Disability Issues in the hope of strengthening their ties.
Motion: Move that SIGCAPH retain its status as a multi-service SIG and provide the SGB with a program review in October'00.
Unanimous
Notkin thought it should be conveyed to SIGCAPH that they need to be more active within ACM. It is the SGB's job to make sure SIGs have effective leadership.
Action: Baglio will schedule a program review for SIGCAPH in 2 years in order to monitor their progress with regard to the concerns on volunteer development, strengthening of the SIG and their ties to the ACM Committee on Disability Issues.
Action: Rivera will transcribe minutes of SGB meeting tape with regard to motion on SIGCAPH. This will be forwarded to Ellis.
Other Business
Snodgrass asked for 2 thirty minute slots on the next meeting's agenda to discuss SIG issues and ideas.
Action: Snodgrass will poll SGB for topics to be discussed during the next SGB meeting. These topics will then be utilized as thirty-minute agenda items for the next SGB meetings i.e., Student Outreach, Education, Internationalization, Relationships with other societies.
Action: Baglio will leave 2 thirty-minute time slots (1 AM and 1 PM) on the next SGB agenda for Snodgrass' SGB collected topics.
3.0 Brainstorming
The group reviewed the SGB activity of Saturday where they'd outlined areas the SGB wished to focus on. They were: SGB EC Goals, HQ relationship, Publications relationship, Allocations/SIG Models, Program Reviews, Organizational Operational details, and Internationalization.
Notkin suggested a draft set of policies on operations and decision making. This would fall under the SGB EC secretary.
Action: Baer will lead a committee consisting of Whitton, Baglio, Ryan and 2 SGB representatives (large and small SIG) to update the operating rules for the SIGs.
Action: Ellis will request 2 SIG representatives (large and small SIG) to participate in the operating rules rewrite committee.
Action: Rivera will include a listing of SIG Chairs names as standard back-up for future SGB meetings.
SGB EC Goals
More alternatives in structure will make SIGs more productive than they are now. Notkin suggested L. Johnson and Furuta develop a task force to review alternate SIG structures including the current multi-service, conference, publication and electronic forum and future societies and other forms of Special Interest Groups. The society structure should be addressed and Atwood could contribute to this. Notkin would like a report at the next SGB meeting.
Action: Ellis will ask 2 members of the SGB to work with Furuta, Baglio and Ryan on the development of alternate organization models. A 60 minute time slot will be reserved for presentation of their report during the next SGB meeting.
Action: Ellis will seek an SGB representative for the model development committee (Johnson, and Furuta, Baglio, Ryan).
HQ Relationship
Whitton felt that the goal with regard to the ACM HQ relationship is for ACM HQ to address the issues mostly complained about. She indicated that HQ would know these areas best and suggested they outline the top 5 and make recommendations to SGB EC on how to deal with them.
Action: Baglio and staff will develop a list of the top 5 ACM HQ service issues, based on their most recent SIG experiences. She will present them to the SGB EC for further discussion.
Publications Relationship
Denning spoke at the last joint meeting and it turned out to be a good thing. Another joint meeting would be a good idea. The Publications Board is changing. They have a new Chair and are being more responsive to the SIGs.
Ryan encouraged the SGB to provide specifics on what the SIGs want from the Publications Board.
Action: Cohoon will review the distribution of funds with regard to the conference proceedings.
Action: Cohoon will work with SGB to come up with top 5 publication/SIG issues. The issues will then be further reviewed and prioritized by the SGB for action.
Action: Cohoon will provide URL to the fact sheet on electronic publishing.
Action: Ellis will invite the Pubs Board Chair to participate in the next SGB meeting.
Action: Baglio will put together e-mail distribution lists for the new Boards.
The SGB EC decided to invite the new ACM Executive Director to the next meeting.
Action: Ellis will invite ACM's new Executive Director to participate in the next set of SIG meetings.
Allocations/SIG Models
Notkin would recommend working on the alternative SIG structure model first as that might automatically change the allocation issue. For programming development, SGB EC will look at models on the whole including societies and funding mechanisms.
Program Reviews
Notkin explained that reviews always present what they've done but not the amount of resources consumed and ACM's accountability for providing some of these. The program review needs to be examined by the SGB EC with recommendations to the SGB for change.
Notkin was willing to take a lead on policy and procedures for program reviews.
Action: Baglio will make a HQ service fact sheet available on the web.
Organizational/Operational
The SGB EC requested:
- Meeting agenda be prepared by Baglio
- HQ maintain action items
- HQ send URL and attachments out when distributing backup
Ryan felt that although everyone has international conferences/programs, its difficult to bring them together to join international efforts. She suggested the efforts be consolidated by an SGB appointee. The SGB EC will consider this suggestion. Cunningham suggested Chesnais take this on.
Action: Baglio to report which of the FOCUS TC reps are ACM members.
Notkin closed the meeting at 11:30 am.
Participants:
- Jean-Loup Baer
- Donna Baglio
- Boots Cassel
- Jim Cohoon
- Steve Cunningham
- Carla Ellis
- Rick Furuta
- Heather Levell
- Steven Levitan
- Patrick McCarren
- David Notkin
- David Riederman
- Maria Rivera
- Alisa Rivkin
- Patricia Ryan
- Richard Snodgrass
- Mary Lou Soffa
- Mary Whitton