Hampedia Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

This page contains notes from Hampedia Board of Trustees meetings.

Friday, October 21, 2011
Hill Urbina Meeting Room, 11am

Agenda
In no particular order:
 * replacing Ian as chair
 * discuss further on mailing list
 * five college access
 * discuss further on mailing list
 * batch creating pages/otherwise creating pages
 * we can't do this officially, except probably on login (which Jeremy can make happen at some point)
 * defining process for removing information
 * Ian will make a page
 * CEL-1
 * Sarah has set up things for this to happen
 * fred's stuff
 * mostly sketchy and weird stuff; he wasn't at the meeting so it wasn't really discussed

Attendance

 * Jeremy Maryott
 * Sarah Ryder
 * Ian McEwen
 * Nelson Hernandez

Monday, May 2, 2011
Location: Hill/Urbina Room, 3rd Floor Library

Agenda:

 * Welcome to new Board Members
 * draft outreach materials for prospective students
 * Check-ins, what have you been doing for Hampedia?
 * Workstudy update, proposal for fall?
 * Survey?
 * Goals for fall
 * Summer preparation (student profiles, etc)
 * Vote for new Board Chair

Attendance:

 * Board Members: Ananda Valenzuela, Madeleine Hahn, Ian McEwen, Josiah Erikson, Nelson Hernandez, Sarah Ryder, Kwaku Yeboah Antwi
 * Guests: Chema Caillet-Bois, Jeremy Maryott (has superpowers on the Hampedia server - btw)
 * Absent: Fred Concklin, Jim Wald

Draft Outreach Materials for Prospies

 * These materials are really neat, but do they answer:
 * What is Hampedia?
 * Why should you use Hampedia?
 * Chema shares some ideas on fun advertising
 * Simple, referring to "wikipedia" as a good starting point
 * Hampedia?
 * a. Hamster + Media
 * b. Ham + Pediatrician
 * c. Hampshire + Encylopedia
 * Instructions:
 * 1. Sign up
 * 2. Make History
 * Having little knick-knacks, such as the little paper toy, and a button for first years
 * Emphasize that they can log onto Hampedia with their HampNet login
 * Talk to Josiah about getting in contact with the new students (facebook groups, mass emails?)
 * Would students be more motivated to edit their page if it was pre-made? (as in previous years)
 * There was a technical problem, and they are fixing this...
 * It must be fixed before we send Hampedia mailings to the new students (June 1st prospective fix date)
 * The papertoy is really cool, and the materials are very approachable

Workstudy Update; Fall Proposal?

 * Currently, our Hampedia workstudy students are temporary
 * About $2,000 per year for two Hampedia workstudy students is required ($4,000 total, but half is federal money)
 * Could we propose this amount to the President's Office every year? (also maybe temp)
 * There should be ways for groups other than offices to apply for workstudy funding
 * If we turned this into a CEL-1 requirement, how could those look?
 * Holding office hours, running workshops, outreach? - it should depend on their own interests!
 * Sarah is happy to be a CEL-1 sponsor! So is Josiah. Any Board member can be a sponsor
 * How many slots should we have, are there any specific requirements? As many slots as we can get!
 * Hopefully each student would be doing something different
 * Proposal will ask for this funding for next year, and ask that, in the long term, this issue be addressed institutionally (lack of way to get funding unless you are officially under an office)

Board Chair Vote

 * Discussion of who would like to be board chair...
 * Description: Keeps organized, sets agenda, calls meetings, public face of Hampedia, etc. - "knows what's going on and keeps everyone one track"
 * Ian would like to be a "very short-term" chair, but he feels that he fits the qualifications.
 * We hold a vote: Unanimously, Ian is our official board chair (as of right now)
 * New Board members should consider whether they would like to be chair in the fall
 * The Board Chair should be a student, all agree

Goals for the Fall

 * Public events?
 * Orientation leaders can integrate it into their chit-chat!
 * Have a chit-chat at the end of next semester with the new Board People, teach them how to do the work Ian does
 * Exporting course data - spare time project for Sarah
 * Ian will help Sarah with these changes (elicit help from Kwaku &amp; Fred)
 * Div III Showcasing Online
 * Linking D-Space and Div IIIs there on Hampedia
 * Contact Elaine Thomas and get an official article written about us
 * This would be going to Alumni, on the website, etc.
 * Survey for Hampshire students about Hampedia:
 * What questions should we be asking?
 * What's your favorite thing about Hampedia; least favorite; what do you use it for; features you'd like to see?
 * Questions that gauge the knowledge students have ABOUT Hampedia...
 * How people are using Hampedia now?
 * Have you logged in recently, what have you edited?
 * Gifts we could give them for filling out the survey?
 * Madeleine will make a snail made of yarn? - she says, "sure, key lime yarn"
 * Other Board members will see if they have prizes to donate
 * Would we have to get their email address to give them a prize, what about contacting them about their questions? Ask them to opt in to receiving an email?

Tuesday, February 22
Location: Bradford Room, 2nd Floor of the Library

Agenda

 * Future of Hampedia (with focus on strategic priorities for this semester)
 * Updates on personal goals
 * The next Board Chair (no vote yet, but I'd like for people to start thinking about that and talking to me in order to better understand the responsibilities of that position)
 * Legitimizing Hampedia (particularly in the eyes of faculty and staff)
 * Collaboration with IT (an ongoing constructive conversation)
 * Our lovely new Hampedia workstudy FishWrap Programmer (What should he prioritize?)
 * Spring elections (and to frame that, I ask you, are elections the best way to ensure the longevity of Hampedia? I want to open that up for broader discussion, before we jump straight to elections)
 * Hampedia housekeeping (Shibboleth! Any issues! shiny Digitizing Hampshire EPEC! etc)
 * Discuss (at some length) the board's involvement (or lack thereof) in a new Technology-based subcommittee of Community Council. Read a draft of the charge [[Media:Technology_TaskForce_(1st_Draft).pdf|here]].

Agenda

 * introduction for new Board members, general discussion of Hampedia
 * discussion of process for adding new members to the Board (curious for your input on the election process- does it work? How could we improve the process for choosing new members?)
 * Spring Hampedia goals (especially, building on our discussion from last time re how to better work with the college, instead of at cross purposes). Personal goals?
 * Workstudy updates
 * Random idea: survey, to learn more about current user habits and what issues they have, what improvements they'd like to see done to the platform?

Attendance
Ananda Valenzuela, Madeleine Hahn, Ian McEwen, Josiah Erikson, Nelson Hernandez, Sarah Ryder, Kwaku Yeboah Antwi, Jim Wald

Elections

 * Congratulations to the new Board members!
 * Detailed results will be posted to Hampedia: Fall 2010 Hampedia Board of Trustees Elections

Spring Personal Goals

 * Josiah:
 * Getting Hampedia authenticate bsShibboleth (Sarah will help), so that IT doesn't have to be the only one with root access
 * Getting workstudy positions for Hampedia, with Ananda
 * Ian:
 * Doing Hampedia EPEC course in JanTerm
 * Josiah, and maybe Sarah will be taking the EPEC course
 * Jim:
 * To facilitate understanding and use of Hampedia, like office hours. Given the low level understanding of faculty, how can we make the learning curve less difficult? For example, when should faculty use Moodle versus Hampedia? KEY: If you want something to be closed, use Moodle. If you want it to be open, use Hampedia. How is the hierarchy of the group structured? If professor wants to control the content, then Hampedia is not ideal. Tutorials and more clear directions are key. Currently, IT and librarians are the only ones who can make new Moodle sites.
 * Kwaku:
 * During JanTerm, will work on modules, add-ons to Hampedia, look back at some of the modules Fred and Niko worked on in the past
 * Will talk with Josiah about random stuff on the Hampedia server, look at possible security loopholes
 * Look into digitising Cultural Center history
 * Create a complaints page on Hampedia
 * Sarah:
 * Will get ssh access to Hampedia
 * When Div IIIs are made public, could they be sent to Hampedia, since dspace is private?
 * Make it so that when instructors upload a syllabus/other information, it automatically ports over to Hampedia. Sarah can do this, and Kwaku can help.
 * Work with CEL coordinator to post Hampedia project as an option (make it very open-ended, let them know they have Hampedia Board as resources/support structure)
 * Nelson:
 * Getting people to actually use Hampedia, figure out ways to do that, will do advertising
 * Fix up tutorials
 * Madeleine:
 * Do tutorials, like on things people have done, could do, look at current information
 * Ananda:
 * Get workstudy
 * Look into Academic Fair, getting tables at events
 * Hold everyone to their personal goals
 * Keep Hampedia progressing and growing

Overall goals of Hampedia

 * Repository of information about Hampshire. Living history of the college. Primary strength of Hampedia is to document its history.
 * Comment: Interesting to see the focus on Hampedia as courseware, never was one of the original goals. But it is very important to have all the course documentation on Hampedia.
 * Start having more public meetings, get more community members involved, do Hampedia tutorials

Workstudy

 * 2 positions, Systems Administrator and Specialist. Submitted to Janel this morning. For fall, if someone says they want the position, they will get it. For Spring, CS will ask for two more positions. Ideally in place before Spring semester begins. Put up job descriptions on Hampedia: Hampedia Workstudy Positions
 * Work with CEL coordinator to get at least one student doing a CEL project, get ourselves onto the list. Sarah will follow up on that

Agenda

 * How to better avoid duplication of efforts (collaborating instead of competing)
 * How to communicate effectively between the two bodies (always have IT and webdev staff on the Board?)
 * Whether we want to have IT maintain the server behind Hampedia, while the Board still controls the content
 * Getting student workers/better maintenance structure (Priority: student profiles for new first year students)
 * Hampedia's mission/focus for this upcoming year (What are your thoughts on this?)
 * Fall Board elections

Attendance

 * Board Members: Ananda Valenzuela, Josiah Erikson, Ian McEwen, Madeleine Hahn. Excused: Jim Wald
 * Guests: Bob Crowley, Doug Cotton, Jeremy Maryott, Sarah Ryder, Chris Kitzmiller, Naya Gabriel, Aaron Cantrell, Fred Concklin

Concerns

 * Security of data on campus - LDAP, next Five College meeting re Shibboleth will be in October
 * Have IT maintain the server behind Hampedia, while the Board still controls the content? Possibility, no decision either way for either side currently
 * Worries re copyright violations, libel, slander
 * Risks re libel? Acceptable use Policy - send out Hampedia Policies and Guidelines
 * Issues re faculty complaints about profiles being edited. Need to improve education, knowledge regarding safeguards in place
 * Setting up automatically created profiles - how can this be done effectively? Possibly have it made automatically the first time someone logs in?
 * Five College students can't log into Hampedia, setting up five college logins currently done unofficially, mainly through Ian McEwen

Replication of Services

 * All desire to not have unnecessary duplication of efforts, mainly will be done by increased communication between the bodies, e.g. have web development staff member on the Board
 * Course information going on Hampedia - copyright issues?
 * faculty profiles currently overseen by DOF office, faculty offered opportunity to made RedDot personal websites, very few faculty members have. A few have personal websites, some more have profiles on Hampedia (e.g. Jennifer Hamilton, Christoph Cox, Robert Meagher)

Student Employment

 * Need student worker hours
 * Josiah has contacted Student Employment, they refuse to give extra hours to CS office or IT
 * Contact offices regarding extra workstudy hours?
 * Issue: workstudy payment comes directly out of operating budget of an office
 * Faculty members are promised a certain number of workstudy hours, much of which is not used. Set up a system for faculty to donate their hours? Ananda will follow up with DOF office
 * DOF office maintains bios, Jennie Southgate could be adding links to their Hampedia profiles

Other Items

 * Tutorials exist, but could use more information support (webcasts?)
 * Chris Kitzmiller built a server for students, open to sharing server space with students
 * Student Server Room now exists, currently in ASH projector room

Hampedia Project (student group behind Hampedia)

 * Signers will be Madeleine, Fred, and Ian

Elections

 * Outreach: put up information in the spotlight!
 * Three slots open: two students, one faculty/staff slot
 * Elections will open Nov 1, Nominations (of self or others) open Oct 15, close Oct 22
 * Josiah will announce at CS school meeting, Ian at NS school meeting
 * Fred will draft beginning documents over the next week
 * Josiah doing posters, Ananda will send info to Josiah

More ideas

 * Hosting other services on Hampedia (IRC, document services, calendar)
 * Collaborating with Hydra, building these services
 * Do we want to slide more towards real time chat functionality?

Action Items

 * AUP for Hampedia sent out: Hampedia Policies and Guidelines
 * Shibboleth: Paused until meeting with Five Colleges
 * Student worker hours: Ananda will connect with Dean of Faculty office
 * Elections: See "Elections" section above

Attendance

 * Ella Wind
 * Madeleine Hahn
 * Adam Krellenstein
 * Ian McEwen
 * Josiah Erikson
 * Ananda Valenzuela
 * Kwaku Yeboah Antwi
 * Fred Concklin
 * John Schanck

Absent: Jim Wald (excused)

Agenda

 * Hampedia Orientation
 * Outreach
 * 40th
 * Elections
 * Ornia issue
 * hosting virtual machines- how to go about giving permission for projects most effectively

Attendance

 * Adam Krellenstein
 * Ian McEwen
 * Josiah Erikson
 * Jim Wald
 * Ananda Valenzuela

Absent: Ella Wind (excused), and Madeleine Hahn.

Agenda

 * Student Server Room
 * System for students wanting server space
 * workstudy oversight
 * the 40th Anniversary event
 * Spring elections
 * Outreach- event for students?
 * Publicity!!! Spread the word!

December 10, 2009
Called to Order: 4:12 PM

Present:


 * Jose Fuentes
 * Ananda Valenzuela
 * Madeleine Hahn
 * Ian McEwen
 * Josiah Erikson
 * Jim Wald
 * Ella Wind
 * Adam Krellenstein(late)

Guests:


 * Fred Concklin
 * Freddy Mora

Introducing Hampedia &amp; board members


 * purpose of the Board
 * need-based only
 * what is the Hampedia Advisory Board?
 * how is the chair to be decided? What is the purpose of the chair?
 * to act as the voice of the trustees?

Introductions


 * The board of trustees is meant to push the project forward
 * The management board acts as executive power
 * The advisory board gives opinions and run hampedia itself (can be merged with the administrators?)
 * The Board needs to work on sustainable technology
 * Last semester, we started to create workstudy jobs specifically for hampedia – those hours may have been approved, but Dan Parker is now gone – can we still get those students to work under Josiah? (Possibly.)
 * There has been talk about student computing support, and possibly a student server room
 * want to support student computing projects, and therefore want to give them a space to encourage building servers and skills
 * IT will provide the structure and the networking if council can provide the space (specifically, the FiCom Office)
 * rooms available in FPH instead? The room behind MLH?
 * server room must have 24 hour access, and also must have a wall to the outside (to install AC)
 * how much room is necessary? Doesn’t need to be very big.
 * overseen by students, faculty and staff to manage the room

What’s happening with shibboleth?


 * Hampshire passwords passing through hampedia’s server (not an official Hampshire IT server)
 * The same would be true of any student server that wanted it – this needs to be accommodated.
 * 5 college wants to authenticate shibboleth so we can log on at any of the colleges – Hampshire and Smith are now integrated, any 5 college campus can give wireless access.
 * UMass program to create shibboleth hosts, being heavily pushed by administrators, should be installed in February.

Missing an extra faculty/staff member – are we okay without that? Yes.

How to hold the voting system and tenure?

We should not be making decisions as a board whenever possible (usually is possible)


 * Recapped issue about Sam Light – awakened the need for the board

Libelous comment about a professor – Ananda is dealing with it.

Jose would like to continue with the project to write grant proposals for Hampedia.


 * Grants would go to Emogination, a 501(c)(3)
 * Can we change the bylaws to include an alum member?
 * “Hampedia Project Coordinator”
 * Jose wants a continuing position on the board so he can write on behalf of the Trustees
 * Can we simply have a grantwriter? Would this person have other duties?
 * Jose has been added to the Hampedia Management Board as Grantwriter and Official Representative of Board of Trustees – Jose is no longer a member of the Board of Trustees

Running for chair: who is interested? Madeleine, Ananda

Ananda will serve as the chair of the board

Reaffirming old decisions, reapproving bylaws.

Who will admin the listserv? Hampedia listserv will be used to call meetings and transmit information. Ananda will make these changes.

Reread 11/20 notes regarding Sam Light


 * Personal information trumps page ownership, which in turn trumps NPOV
 * What defines personal information? Address, phone number, etc.
 * Adam will make that change
 * Ian had clarified "page ownership" – approved

Merging separate, unofficial accounts with official Hampshire login pages – privacy and identification issue


 * Ian will make those changes and notify users affected by this change

Elections – tabled until spring

Board meeting adjourned 5:21 PM

Attendants
Hampedia Board of Trustees Members:


 * Jose Fuentes
 * Niko Kern
 * Ananda Valenzuela
 * Adam Krellenstein

Guests:


 * Sarah Ryder, Web Programmer
 * Matt Krefting, Alumni Relations Officer

Statistics

 * 45,000 pages
 * 600 users
 * 200 hits per day to the main page

March 6, 2008

 * Attendants
 * Ralph Hexter, President of the College
 * Stephen Pereira, Associate Dean of Students
 * Lee Spector, Professor of Computer Science
 * Dan Parker, Senior System Administrator
 * Gai Carpenter, Director of Library and Information Services
 * Jose Fuentes, Trustee

Topics Presented

 * Hampedia's security
 * Ownership
 * Hampedia's relation to the school
 * Server status

Resolutions

 * Hampedia will be hosted on Pitus once the server is built. Dan Parker will collaborate with the installation of the server in the server room. Dan will also provide long term supervision of the server.
 * Hampedia will be running LPAD in order to make it easy for Hampshire users to access and edit Hampedia and also to increase accountability.
 * Hampshire College will fully support and embrace Hampedia.
 * The success of Hampedia will depend of the creation of a constitution that outlines the rules of how Hampedia should be used.
 * A first draft of the Hampedia constitution will be presented in the next few days to the members of the board and the advisory board.

Statistics

 * 122 users
 * pages - 453 relevant pages
 * ~14 new pages per day
 * ~40 changes per day
 * Most Access pages:
 * Main page 4,664
 * Student Groups 1,004
 * Semester Budgets 974

Services

 * Hampedia (home)
 * Student Groups Core
 * Neighborhoods Core

Server
Hampedia is presently hosted by GoDaddy, but is in the process of being moved to Ornia, a local server.

What to do with Hampedia?

 * How to define Hampedia?
 * In which domains to use Hampedia?
 * How to increase the use of Hampedia?