OSFCI Board of Directors Meeting
Held Online via Zoom
October 14, 2021
ATTENDING: Board members attending: Car Bostick (OSFCI President), Jason Bostick, Aaron Curtis, D. Stephen Raymond, Debra Stansbury, Jeff Polier, Keri Turner (OSFCI Quartermaster), Linnea Thompson (also OryCon 42 Co-Chair), Travis Peters (OSFCI Treasurer),and Paula Duckhorn (OSFCI Secretary).
Other people attending included, Daniel Reitman (OryCon 42 Co-Chair), Jim Fiscus, Isaac Carroll (OSFCI IT), Jacob Engstrom (OSFCI Ombudsman), Sam Justice (OSFCI Counsel), Rick Lindsley (OryCon 42 Treasurer)
Absent: No absences
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
I.Minutes from the previous meeting
The minutes from the previous meeting were accepted without any objection.
II.Online Business Recap
(Item moved forward in agenda due to Treasurer not yet being present at meeting.)
Discussion about Inclusivity ribbons for OryCon42. Phoenix will contact Lea regarding what Lea may still have in her possession. Jason and Car will check GameStorm stock.
III.Treasurer’s Report
Up about $3400 since last meeting, more money coming in from OryCon and some from GameStorm. Rick and Earl are set up with banking. Rick has received debit card.
IV.Reports on Sponsored Activities
A.Conventions and Bids
1.OryCon 42 (Linnea Thompson and Daniel Reitman)
Last bits falling into place, attendance 900-100, Budget meeting scheduled for Saturday, more information from the hotel regarding COVID preparations, concerns still remain about air circulation and lack of masking in lobby. Would like more air purifiers added. Uncomfortable having Info Desk in lobby. Suggestion raised of moving Info Desk someplace else and encouraging people not to congregate in the lobby.
At this point, Aaron called Sam to have him join the meeting to discuss options, was unable to reach him.
Travis made suggestion not to use main lobby as entrance, use convention entrance and have people go down and around to reach lower level rooms.
Jacob brought up the point that while a sharply worded letter may not affect the change wanted, it does allow us to say that all available measures were taken. We do need to consider relationship with the hotel.
Aaron brought up since there is no legal remedy not to hold the convention, we should focus on what we can get the hotel to do and what we can’t do.
(Sam joined meeting at this point)
Linnea brought up recommendations on filter rating and air exchanges from the State of Oregon.
Suggestion was made to split the cost of portable air filters with hotel, try to meet them halfway.
Hotel will allow us to bring in extra filtration
Sam recommended getting requests to hotel in writing as soon as possible. A written record of our requests is the best recommendation he can give us. Hotel can require employees to be vaccinated. Request to isolate non-vaccinated employees can be made in writing.
Jim will assist with drafting letter. He also suggested looking into renting air filtration machines.
Discussion of renting a tent from hotel for $500/day to put on tennis court to allow for eating space
No bids for OryCon 43, no contract signed with the hotel for 2022
Question of letting OryCon rest for a year was raised. People are burned out, lacking spoons, and need a break. There would not be a significant financial hit if OryCon took a hiatus. Suggestion of Relaxicon in 2022 as a reset of expectations; no Art Show, no hard stuff, no complicated stuff. Jim brought up that OryCon started as a convention for readers, and other stuff got added to it. A reset should include writers and readers, to look at the core.
Keri moved that OryCon take a hiatus in 2022, to resume in 2023. Motion seconded by Jeff. Motion carried: 8 voting yea, 1 nay, 1 abstention
Jason will write up PR release, Aaron will follow up on contracts
Due to Jim needing to leave meeting early, Clayton and Endeavour reports were moved to this portion of the meeting.
2.Clayton Memorial Medical Fund (James Fiscus)
(A report was sent out earlier via email.)
Application for aid was received, Clayton Board hastentatively has approved a small amount for emergency dental work. Board votes on it, waits until receipts are in hand before paying out funds. Jim will check to see if Linnea is on Clayton email list.
Request to re-appoint 3 members of Clayton Board of Trustees: John Lorenz, Ruth Sachter, and Marc Wells. Motion carried
3.Endeavour Award (James Fiscus)
(A report was sent out earlier via email.)
Request to re-appoint Helen Umberger to Endeavour Board of Trustees. Motion carried.
Car (President) needed to step away from meeting due to medical issue, Travis Peters, OSFCI Treasurer took over running the meeting.3.GameStorm 23 (Debra Stansbury)
Nothing to report. Would like to discuss concerns with running Convention offline.
4.Game Lab (KC Humphries)
(report was sent in via email)
B.Fund and Awards1.Susan C. Petrey Clarion Scholarship Fund (Debbie Cross and Paul Wrigley)
(A report was submitted earlier via email.)
Stephen suggested Petrey should be informed that there will not be a OryCon in 2022, Travis will email them. Auction of membership #1 should be included in management agreement for OryCon
4.John Andrews Worldcon Grant (Debra Stansbury)
Nothing to report, no submissions received. Chicago and Washington DC memberships have been purchased. Suggestion was made to hold a drawing of people who have volunteered. Applications should be made by end of February. Stephen advised that Worldcon information should be updated on website, Debra will contact webmaster.
IV. Reports on Sponsored Activities (continued)
2.GameStorm 22 (Jason Bostick)
(A report was sent out earlier via email.)
Memberships are being sold. Rose City Comic Con went well, library set up was well received. Working on getting staff for Kumoricon and OryCon. Working on getting updated budget. 10 memberships sold in last 3 weeks. Hope to launch programming system on November 1st.
V.Other Continuing Business
A. Departments
1.Code of Conduct Committee (Tatiana McIrvin)
No report.
2.Future Guests of Honor (Ruth Sachter)
No report.
3.Hotel Committee (Aaron Curtis)
OryCon 2022 contract will not be negotiated. GameStorm 2023 will continue to be negotiated. No contact will hotel in several weeks due to focusing on OryCon operations.
4.Publicity (Jason Bostick)OryCon PR is ramped up, GameStorm is getting ready to ramp up. Need to get John Andrews write up done. After done chairing GameStorm, wants to work on grassroots recruiting for both conventions.
5. Quartermaster (Keri Turner)
No report sent in. Banker boxes and labels purchased, sorting through donations. Will work on list of stuff that needs to be gotten rid of due to breakage, etc. Linnea received email about old programs, Keri will send inventory information.
6.IT Committee (Isaac Carroll)
Committed to get GameCon software ready before November 1st. SSL certificates on websites should no longer be expiring. Laptops need to get to where they need to go. Isaac stated he can serve as repository for OryCon data. Rick offered assistance with data and wrangling emails sent to OryCon between conventions.
Proposal for a continuity committee for OryCon, Aaron stated he is willing to chair the committee. Rick, Jason, Daniel, and Keri. Motion carried.
7.Ombudsman (Jacob Engstrom)
Nothing to report at this time
8.Insurance (Aaron Curtis)
(no report received)
VI.Business Carried Over
None
VII.New Business
Question of having GameStorm Fall Edition to hold spot in hotel calendar. Aaron: no obligation to hold a convention.
Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting will be on Thursday, December 9th at 7 PM. This will be another online meeting via Zoom.
Meeting adjourned at 9:18 PM