COCA September 23rd, 2010 Minutes

Present:

Jeremy Nina Nora Sarah Emily Jorge

Brit Jessica Paul Martin Eliana Kristina

Visitor: Bang

Kalei: bylaws! Who got them? Jeremy, Emily, nora, Josh, Nina Kalei: bylaws guide our committee! Previous ones were from 08. I touched them up; let’s go through them. Last semester we got an election system down. Officers section was touched up. Added section about allowing signers to return for more money despite full funding, provided they have reasonable justification. We fund open and closed events. Blackout weekends on Halloween and Spring Jam. Pending only for one minute. Eliana: we fund private events? Kalei: council has changed its policy to allow for identity-based groups to have events funded under the SAF.

Kalei motions to approve the bylaws- notes that those who have not read them should feel comfortable blocking. Seconded by nina. No blocks. Motion passes: bylaws approved.

Jorge: we got $8000 from ficom! We had approved $10,000 worth of events, so this is good. Going to meet with James from Ficom.

Round of introductions.

Kalei motions to have Jeremy act as “acting FAC” in cyree’s absence. Brit seconds. No blocks. Motion passes.

Kalei: Sodhexo meeting 5:30 Thursday of next week, officers/Pam meeting tomorrow, Friday, at 12:30. Cierra calling light/ sound vendors Monday. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend/participate.

Lil Coca reportbacks.

Nurse arrives for Urban Word!

Nurse: Urban Word- brings urban artists from a plethora of cities to Hampshire. A growing group, with diverse interests. this year, comedian Greer Barnes- of Chappelle Show fame, a writer and comic. NYC based. Has appeared on Comedy Central Presents.

Kalei: $6,000 for the performer cost. work with comedy club on this?

Nurse: Did not know there was such a club.

Kalei: Crew Team Comedy!

Nurse: Will have to consult with group members. Personally, collaboration is great, don’t see a problem with it. Other members, I can’t say.

Nina: How did you arrive at $6,000?

Nurse: Lowball/highball from his agent: $6,000 / $10,000.

Jorge: We are currently in deficit; that week (oct. 15h), we just approved a $3,000 event. Obviously, this would greatly exceed our weekly budget. Date movable?

Nurse: Family and Friends weekend key- that is the weekend to have him there, would give visitors a fresh look at Hampshire.

Jorge: something to consider given our financial straights.

Nurse: Will shop around for a different date as a possible fallback.

Nina: trying to spread out spending and big events.

Nurse: will also be a performance from our group- would push it back, not forwards.

Kalei: is November bad?

Nurse: that’s far off for us; we are talking with slam about doing a collaborative event in November.

Brit: are there only 2 events for this semester?

Nurse: basically the only two coca-related events.

Kalei: would you guys consider an admission charge?

Nina: especially with your group being a 5 college group…

Kalei: like $2 or something?

Nurse: if there was one, it’d be very cheap. Don’t want to scare people away. Our 5 college member might not be the best person to be a big lightening rod for drumming up support…

Nina: your group seems like it would have a wide 5 college appeal! Just say “chappelle’s show” and people should flood in.

Nurse explains he’s more of a writer than a performer, but it is a good name to drop.

Discussion ends.

Nora to read ZoHo.

Kalei: We have around $6,000, so let’s keep that in mind.

Discussion of weekly budgeting in October; clarified that Halloween is considered in the weekly budgeting.

Revelation: Nothing in pending! A singular event! Joy!

Circus Folk Unite – Halloween performance. $110 total. Martin weighs in- request in flux, due to unavailability of black lights from media services. This is more about getting time and space to do it, we only need black paint and florescent body paint.

Kalei: bear in mind it is a Halloween event, keep Halloween spending in Halloween budget, events in events. Should we look at this as a performer- as it will be on the stage- and put it in with bands, or as a student group?

Emily: it’s a student group.

Nina: If it’s about stage time and spending, they’re basically a band. How long is it supposed to be?

Martin: each act around 2-5 minutes. Focus this year around making audience dance, move, get into crowd. Does not know the number of acts.

Emily: suggestion of circus as a transitional act. Sam: we could do this with a DJ, perhaps?

Martin: yes, that would be great.

Kalei: reminder that martin, as a signer, must leave when we vote on it. Circus usually comes out for Halloween funding first, gets buried by band submission process usually. Not this year!

Nina: what does circus think of intermission acts?

Martin: we could do that, and have done that, but would love to be more of a standalone act. Could also work with haunted house and parade, as introduced at last meeting. Would prefer to be own act.

Jeremy: if you teamed up with a DJ that we book, it could integrate nicely.

Nina: survey bands on willingness to include circus act?

Paul: what kind of music?

Martin: Techno, pop, dance, things people will dance to. Benny Bennassi to Lady Gaga. Desire to do synchronized dance/performance to music.

Kalei to make motion: martin leaves room.

To pend, overriding our pending rule- this is a Halloween event, also they do not have a budget. Let’s leave it for when we know how much it’s going to cost and we know what the music will look like: ex., “let’s give circus 30 minutes with _______ DJ”, etc.

Nina: why don’t we reject it and just ask them to come back in rather than override a bylaw we just made?

Sarah: Have them do a band submission?

Nora seconds. Jeremy blocks. Thinks we should look at it as a band submission, as we are now looking for a DJ for them and giving them stage time.

Emily: It would be nice to have them perform, better not to override a rule right away. Ask them to return.

Kalei: I agree with not overriding, as well as viewing them as a band submission, but I don’t want to reduce them to that as they are working hard to collaborate with COCA and that is both commendable and selfless. It’s about helping, and they’ll do something whether we fund it or not, so let’s help them back.

Nina: so let’s say that and reject it with a note saying, come back with a better number.

Kalei rescinds motion.

Emily motions to deny, with note explaining that we welcome them to return with a budget. Jorge seconds. No blocks. Motion passes.

Necrocinema- October 14th. In Solidarity with Immigrants day? Their screening is the day before. This is a request for food money for what seems to be a meeting… a FiCom issue.

Emily: motions to deny, this is a meeting not an event. Jeremy seconds. No blocks. Motion passes. “Event” denied.

QIPAC: Queertillion!

Jeremy recaps last meeting’s conversation about Queertillion, QCA and QIPAC splitting the costs and such.

Brit notes the lack of Drag Ball last year, hence making supporting this community all the more important.

Jeremy motions to approve in full, despite breaking our weekly quota- important event. Can we ask them to charge at door? Kalei thinks so. Kalei seconds. Kalei blocks- notes spending amount, discusses Lil Coca to instate charging policy.

Eliana: This will put us in a deficit- what good will the charging at the door go if it’s not getting back to us?

Kalei: encourages independence from COCA for groups, or for us to pay less.

Jeremy: vote?

Nina: is there a new motion?

General: no.

Nina: we are emphasizing the door charge.

In Favor: Josh, Brit, Kalei, Nina, Emily, Sarah, Nora, Jeremy, Jessica, Paul. Opposed: none. Abstaining: Jorge.

Motion Passes.

LIL COCA: QIPAC admissions fee.

Cyree enters.

Urban Word request- Greer Barnes. $6,500.

Nina’s thoughts- partially fund, have them look for more funding, as we do with most large requests

Jeremy: I completely agree. Very expensive request, suggest they fundraise.

Cyree: the budget contains a 4-star hotel. WTF?

Nina: Yeah, the ground transport and hotel stuff needs to be itemized. Agrees with Jeremy. Nurse didn’t seem that willing to advertise around, found that surprising and disconcerting.

Jorge: It’s $6,500… the president’s office will do a couple hundred at most. Us asking them to fundraise incremental parts of a big event might ultimately not be enough. Also, this puts us well over our weekly budgeting. He didn’t seem interested in working with the on-campus comedy group. Why bring in someone for a big price tag? This is too much.

Emily: there are many costs missing- no security or advertising built in. it’ll be more than $6,500. This is too big.

Brit: 1) as a member of the urban word and the community, I feel limited by the weekly budget. Only event of the semester, date set recently. The weekly cap is weird. 2) off campus advertising will absolutely happen, I am a force at both smith and umass. Doesn’t think charging will be an issue. Hampshire is unknown in most of the other communities. $2 is probably fine. Group shouldn’t be penalized due to weekly cap, it’s the only request of the semester.

Kristina: timing is appropriate, that weekend is great. Encourage group to do SOMETHING that weekend, regardless of funding.

Jeremy: Leanna can get up to $3,000 in funding for 5 college events. Deny it, ask them to come back with a better assessment of their financial needs.

Cyree: $43.23 per person in spending for this event… that’s the most I’ve ever seen on COCA per person. Weekend cap should be flexible within reason. Considering average of week, this is two week’s worth of money for a single group’s single event. They did not give us a lot of time to ask for that much money, giving everyone precious little squeeze room. Help them seek funding, but this is very, very expensive and as such, this is hard to pull off.

Nina: I disagree with Jorge, this is a great event and should happen. We should deny this, as nurse seemed receptive to find a different date, giving everyone time to seek out further funding and for them to budget.

Kalei: weekly targets are the basis for ALL of our funding; it determines the month, etc. This would take up half a month’s funding. They didn’t mention a venue- can’t be in Red barn. This will be up to $7,000 after it’s done getting totaled. Council would have to approve a week before the event at that price tag, which means they could shoot it down after the performer is booked or some other debacle.

Brit: would feel more comfortable with COCA supporting this at least partial at inception- would also help with 5 college board to see campus support.

Nina: in response to brit- would not be saying “go get money” with no support. Date change crucial.

Cyree: biggest problem- incomplete budget. Treating it unfairly due to veteran nature of Urban Word and their past successes. This budget is not complete, we can’t accept it.

Cyree motions to pend. Emily seconds the motion to pend. No blocks. Motion passes.

Martin questions: need to be on a trip to get a van?

2 weeks before, need 2 defensive drivers.

SNEAKER BALL

Brit question: DJ situation, though Dre was not into it, got Bang. Cyree: Dre is into it. Geo’s party is Saturday, not Friday.

Kalei; grin and bear the whole Franzia situation (overlap of tour de franzia and sneaker ball).

Jeremy: is dre into it, or just doing us a favor? We want people who are into it.

Kalei: 9-11, 11-1 shifts for the dance. Emily: 9-10, 10-11, 11-12, 12-1?

Kalei: pam is not giving us event monitors, thinks coca can handle it.

12 voting members present (sam by end of meeting, 13). Josh Jorge Paul Jessica Brit Kalei Cyree Emily Sarah Nora Sam Jeremy Nina

9-11 shift? Jorge, Paul, Jeremy, Nina, Sam, Nora, Sarah, Emily

11-1 shift? Cyree, Kalei, Josh, Brit, Jessica, Cierra

Kalei: DJ situation- should Dre DJ for 3 hours?

Sam: I can DJ from 9-11.

Brit calls Dre.

Jeremy: 3 DJs- divide it between Bangs, Sam, Dre?

Brit: Dre does not want to DJ with 2 other people.

Kalei: Sam/Bangs, 2 hours each?

Bangs raises question of transitions (digital to analogue and such)

Kalei proposes: Sam 9-11, bangs 11-1?

Bangs is willing to consider this.

Kalei: we need people there by 8:30. → Nina, Jeremy (media services- Kalei is driving stuff from Prescott to red barn), Bang, Kalei

Discussion of note to Urban Word.

HAMPSHIRE HALLOWEEN

Kristina: how much are tickets? Kalei: after much debate, raised tickets from $5-$10 last year. They sold out, 150 at each college- smith and umass within 4 hours. $16,000 from tickets last year. Any price raise would have to be a larger conversation than this council.

Kalei motions to publish survey results on Hampedia, along with comments- to show our seriousness with the surveys and the reality that people do respond to them. Josh seconds. No blocks. Motion passes.

Nina: where is tour de franzia? Josh: Enfield. Nina: Where in enfield? Josh: ENFIELD.

Kalei: to read out 178 survey response results, glow sticks and candy. (to be included)

Nina: many against any sort of exorbitant spending.

Jessica: how many glow sticks last year?

Kalei: ~1000.

Jessica: more for cheaper anywhere?

Kalei: investigated this; target and Michaels have 12/$1 sales on glow sticks, cheaper than online suppliers.

Emily: hard to look at these statistics as hard data- the budget is unknown to many, and that context would drastically alter what we are asking. Found $210 box of 2100 sticks online, too.

Jessica: recommends Shindigs, southern party supplier.

Eliana: are we grouping the YES answers- full AND for less? Accounts for 43% of vote

Nina: most of Hampshire doesn’t do these surveys, many of those clueless types might want glow sticks. Candy- how much was eaten, how much was strewn about.

Kalei: brit and I just found 5,000 for $200.

Jessica and Brit to look about for cheap glow sticks.

Martin, Sarah, Kalei to look for cheap candy.

Jessica: Haunted house?

Kalei: we have done practically nothing since it was discussed.

Martin: when? Day before, day after? Nina: DAY OF. Kalei: House offices! We should contact them.

LIL COCA: Jessica, Emily, Martin, Nina, Brit

Kalei: Zombie Walk- what if it was early in the week, a “getting excited” event?

Generally agreed.

Kalei: get other offices involved?

Jeremy: Viral marketing via Daily Announcements

WHAT DATE?

Discussed: Wednesday the 27th?

Nina: kick it off on the Monday of the week!

Kalei: Sunday night?

Cyree: better on week day.

Josh: Agreed.

Kalei: So Monday!

Josh; 3-4pm?

Cyree agrees.

Kalei suggests 5PM, saga dinner.

Jeremy has class at 5:20, others busy. We should practice, says Cyree.

Martin suggests involvement of circus, COCA is receptive given relative secrecy.

TUESDAY, 26th, 5:30 = motion from kalei Cyree seconds. No blocks. Motion passes.

Face paint discussion- circus to help.

Sneaker Ball tomorrow.

Sam would like to be a member of COCA, third meeting.

Cyree motions to approve sam. Nora seconds. Jeremy blocks. All in favor except Jeremy. Motion passes.

Meeting adjourned.