Unofficial Minutes (approved as corrected Nov. 11, 2016)

The Journalism Education Association general membership meeting was held at 8 a.m. Friday, April 15, 2016, in Santa Barbara B, Lobby Level, Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles.

1. Call to order — Mark Newton

2. Roll call — Linda Barrington

(board members) Mark Newton, MJE, president; Sarah Nichols, MJE, vice president; Candace Perkins Bowen, MJE, past president; Carrie Faust, MJE, director-at-large; Stan Zoller, MJE, director-at-large; Megan Fromm, CJE, educational initiatives director; John Bowen, MJE, scholastic press rights director

(staff) Kelly Furnas, CJE, executive director

(committee chairs, liaisons) Kim Green, MJE, certification; Jon Rogers, MJE, professional outreach; Evelyn Lauer, CJE, publications/public relations; Linda Barrington, MJE, mentoring; Tom Gayda, MJE, Indianapolis local team chair

(state directors) Michelle Harmon, MJE; Rachel Rauch, CJE; Michael Reeves, Nancy Olson, CJE; Valerie Kibler, CJE; Jon Reese, Heather Nagel, CJE; Sue Skalicky, MJE; R.J. Morgan, Nancy Hastings, MJE; Susan Massy, Erin Castellano, Matthew LaPorte, CJE; Marva Hutchinson

(members) Ann Visser, MJE; Linda Drake, MJE; Joe Humphrey, MJE; Jim Streisel, MJE; Peggy Gregory, CJE; Brian Baron, CJE; Lori Keekley MJE; Kathy Schrier, MJE; Xumin Hu; Diana Hadley, Scott Duncan, Kristy Nyp, CJE; Scott Holt, Lizabeth Walsh, MJE.

(non-members), Kirk Lawson, Business Professionals of America; Deb Kidd

III. Approval of minutes — Mark Newton

Motion to approve the minutes from the Orlando general meeting. (passed unanimously)
Moved: Lizabeth Walsh; Seconded: Kim Green

3. Reports

4. Summary of board action — Mark Newton

Newton reviewed the motions passed in the Thursday board meeting: approval of balanced budget for next year; electronic vote taken previously to approve Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., for fall 2019 convention; approved Hilton Anaheim to host the spring 2019 convention.

Commendations: Adam Dawkins for Scholastic Journalism Week; state leaders who are working on passing state legislation for student press rights; Jonathan Rogers for Flipboard initiative; Michelle Harmon for her work in Idaho supporting scholastic journalism.

The Quiz Bowl will now have a qualifying round before the convention to help students attend the convention (in districts where qualifying is required for convention attendance).

Sarah Nichols announced that JEA/NSPA joint initiative in Adviser Outreach launched in February. There were 14 applicants and the finalists are in Louisiana and Mississippi.

JEA is funding and hosting a new media critique summit in June: JEA, NSPA CSPA, Quill and Scroll and some state scholastic press associations have been invited to discuss best practices for media critiques. The meeting will be June 10-12, 2016, in Denver.

Kelly Furnas and Newton met with National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) officials to discuss working together. The administrator outreach program offers administrators the opportunity to earn certification as a Certified Journalism Advocate. JEA will be offering scholarships for journalism teachers who will study to be administrators. Furnas and Newton met Kirk Lawton from Business Professionals of America, (CTE connection for Perkins funding) and they will be attending each other’s conventions.

Changes in the by-laws eliminated the office of past president and established three district directors — west, central and east. To give JEA members a greater voice, everyone will be able to vote in all three district races.

6. Conventions — Kelly Furnas

Furnas reported that JEA is at the highest level of paid membership in the organization’s history. Much credit goes to the curriculum initiative. Furnas introduced a new affiliate member in China.

Meeting the deadline for program proposals (July 15 for Indianapolis) will ease the scheduling process.

All room reservations for our conventions will now be through A Room with a View. Do not call the hotel to book your convention rooms.

JEA will hire a freelancer to create writeoffs.jea.org. Our web specialist, Kate Dubiel, will be updating jea.org.

Remember the July 11-14 Advisers Institute in Las Vegas at the Linq Hotel, newest on the strip. Curriculum leaders will be there.

7. Financial reports

Financially, our investment assets are at $1.7 million. Net operating revenue is at $88,000.

8. Items of concern, attention, update — officers, directors, chairs

John Bowen announced endorsements for New Voices legislation in Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin. Candace Bowen announced a September symposium that will bring together people involved in student press rights legislation to learn how to go through the process of getting legislation passed.

Linda Barrington encouraged states to join the Mentor Program. Significant funding is available to help support the mentor stipends.

Newton announced the board endorsement of the First Amendment Center “Freedom Sings” curriculum.

9. New business

10. Matters introduced by members

Tracy Sena asked that we move the Write-off deadline to midnight, not 7 p.m. (4 p.m. Pacific time).

Joe Humphrey suggested moving the Advisers Institute farther east.

Michelle Harmon commended Sue Skalicky for her work in starting New Voices legislation, which has affected so many other states.

Motion to commend the local Los Angeles team for its work on the convention (passed unanimously). Moved: Linda Barrington; Seconded: Joe Humphrey

Jonathan Rogers and Evelyn Lauer said JEA One Book is looking to team with some publishers and will announce the next book in June.

Candace Bowen announced the need for candidates for election next year. Additional nominations can be made on the floor in November. This is the start of the third year of a three-year term for board members. For the next election JEA will report the percentage of members who vote as well as who won. In cases with three or more people running for a single office, there will likely be need for a run-off election after the main election.

Tom Gayda, local convention chair, invited everyone to Indianapolis for the November convention.

Kathy Schrier, a member of the local planning committee for Seattle, invited everyone to Seattle next spring to “SEA the Possibilities.”

11. Adjournment

Motion to adjourn the meeting. (passed unanimously). Moved: Nancy Hastings; Seconded: Stan Zoller. Meeting was adjourned at 8:50 a.m.

The next meeting of the general membership will be 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 11, 2016, at the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis.