Board Meeting, Minutes - December 4th, 2016

Meeting of the CVCLU Board
Little Niagara Room, UW-Eau Claire Davies Center December 4, 2016

Present: Ann Heywood (chair), Myron Buchholz, Mildred Larson, Anna Leffel, Teresa O’Halloran, David Shih, Paul Wagner, Mario Calderon (guest), John Wiltrout (guest)

1. Chair Heywood called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.

2. The Board welcomed new members Anna Leffel and Teresa O’Halloran. It also welcomed guests Mario Calderon (prospective CVCLU member) and John Wiltrout (CVCLU member).

3. The minutes of the CVCLU Board meeting of August 28 were approved. The minutes of the CVCLU chapter meeting of October 27 were approved.

4. The Board has received no report from outgoing Treasurer David Rice. An update is forthcoming.

5. Myron Buchholz nominated himself for the position of Treasurer, a two-year term. Buchholz was elected with unanimous consent of the Board.

6. President Heywood announced that Gary Smith, elected to the Board on October 27, is moving out of state, and that the Board will need to select at least one more member (the Board can have more than nine members). Teresa O’Halloran volunteered to help search for a candidate to add to the diversity of the Board. President Heywood reminded the Board that the CVCLU serves Dunn, Eau Claire, and Chippewa counties, and outreach should not be limited to only one area.

7. The Board reviewed the October 27 chapter meeting and program. President Heywood reported that approximately forty people attended the program and that it was timely and well-received. Myron Buchholz asked how the Board could increase attendance at chapter meeting programs and suggested a reprise of the program, perhaps on the UW-Eau Claire campus. He suggested that the Board reach out to community television to maximize the outreach of these programs.

8. The Board discussed strategies for recruiting more CVCLU members.

John Wiltrout distributed a written statement speaking to the need for a strong ACLU now more than ever. He offered to share an electronic MS Word template with CVCLU promotional info and suggested that the Board expand recruitment outreach to spaces with younger and more diverse constituencies (e.g., high schools, colleges and universities, Hmong Mutual Assistance Association).

Mildred Larson commented that ACLU membership has spiked in recent weeks, the greatest membership surge in 100 years.

The Board was reminded that, when recruiting, to denote CVCLU affiliation on new member info so that the chapter receives credit and rebate.

Anna Leffel suggested that the Board form a subcommittee on membership recruitment.

Mildred Larson suggested that the Board form a subcommittee responsible for committing to activism. Any statement with the ACLU/CVCLU name on it will also enhance publicity and recruitment.

John Wiltrout volunteered to assist with community relations related to activism, citing his experience as a law enforcement officer.

9. David Shih suggested that Board consider the investigation of the murder of Saudi student Hussain Saeed Alnahdi and the news from the Menomonie PD suggesting that his murder may not have been a hate crime. John Wiltrout suggested that the Board contact the Menomonie PD Chief of Police, stating that the CVCLU is interested in the investigation and requests to be updated on case developments. John Wiltrout volunteered to send a draft of such a letter to President Heywood.

10.. Lindsay Brandrup will email information on the ECASD maternity leave policy to the Board.

11. The Board discussed Tom Barland’s recent article in the CV Post addressing the recent case of racial profiling by UW-Eau Claire campus police. Mildred Larson had emailed a link to the article to the Board. She asked how the Board could remain engaged with these violations of civil liberties as they happen. David Shih reported that he had given Ann Heywood’s information to author of the Leader-Telegram opinion piece, but the author did not contact Ann Heywood.

12. Discussion of this item (UW-Eau Claire racial profiling case) was combined with the previous item.

13. The Board discussed possible violations of civil liberties related to the Trump rally held on the UW-Eau Claire campus a week prior to the election. Mildred Larson suggested that the Board sponsor legal observer training for interested community members and said that she would contact Emilio De Torre about that possibility. Anna Leffel wanted to know if legal observer training and activism could count toward service learning credits, and such training could help recruit more students to the CVCLU.

14. It was moved that the Board table discussion of the City of Eau Claire Camera policy until the next meeting. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

145 President Heywood moved that the board purchase stationery and note cards with the CVCLU logo. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously. Paul Wagner volunteered to work on the design of the CVCLU brochure.

16. The Board briefly discussed how to enhance its Facebook presence. Members reported that it was difficult to locate the group using expected search terms and keywords. It was moved and seconded that the Board table discussion of this item until the next meeting, and this motion was approved unanimously.

17. The Board decided to hold meetings more frequently: monthly instead of bi- monthly. It decided that it will meet on the second Sunday of every month, with the exception of May. Depending on circumstances, some meetings may be cancelled. The next meeting will be held on January 8, 2017.

18. Myron Buchholz reported that the UW-Eau Claire Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ event was a success and turnout was good. He reported that he talked to a lot of students and that he needed to have more Know Your Rights cards to distribute next year.

19. President Heywood made brief remarks about the State board meeting. David Shih reported that as a result of his presentation to the State board, he was invited by the Director of the Office of Civil Rights for the City of Madison to give his presentation to the mayor of Madison and all department heads on December 5, 2016.

20. The meeting adjourned at 8:22 pm.

Respectfully submitted, David Shih, Secretary