Minutes of NINA Board of Directors Meeting
April 13, 2000
Northern Star office, NIU

Meeting called to order at 10:10 a.m. by President Rick Nagel. Attending: (in addition to executive board): Rich Parmater, Ray Karges, Pam Lannon, Tana Kunz, Roger Ruthart and Lois Self.
Minutes: Lonny Cain could not provide October, 1999 minutes, AGAIN. March minutes were approved.
Treasurer's report: Slonoff said there is a $1,638.05 balance in our checking account. We made a profit of $150 from the Don Craven seminar on libel on March 30. That will show up in the next treasurer's report. Slonoff moved to accept his report and Lannon seconded.
NIU Department Chairman's Report: Self reported that the spring conference is on track. She reported that NIU Communications Department is buying $10,000 worth of new photo equipment and has spent $20,000 so far this year on capital improvements. She said a broadcast news position needs to be filled to replace Julie Fox. She reported that the NIU journalism banquet is tomorrow, April 14. Lonny Cain has been chosen NIU alumna of the year. Scholarship decisions have been made and the candidates looked stronger this year. On the death penalty seminar, cosponsored by NINA, Owen Phelps was only NINA board member to attend. She said it was an exciting day for NIU students.
Old business: Gale Baldwin was approved as a new board member.
· Program committee: Lonny Cain hopes to add Jonie Larson-Derrickson, ME of the Sauk Valley News, to our spring conference speaker lineup. The cost of the spring conference may be zero for NINA if everything works out. It's not really a seminar for reporters, but for city editors, those who hire. He said it should be an interesting day. Nagel said free-lance writers may also want to attend. (Program is on Thomson's journalism school.) Fee is $20 to attend. A press release on the conference will be sent to the Associated Press. Killam will check that out. Question: should board members call papers to see if they are sending someone? A poll of board members attending here showed at least 24 people are planning to come. Killam will send out mass email. Nagel will greet people on April 28 to see if anyone is not a member and get him/her signed up.
· Membership: Larsen reported that her committee was handed out membership packets in March, which included an example letter to send. Each committee member promised to contact 10 newspapers, she has list of whom they are to contact. She has done a prospect list of potential members. More importantly, she has identified who is a NINA member and who is not so we can finally clean up our membership list.
· Education: Etheridge said that 44 people attended the libel seminar; it was very successful according to responses. The plan is to host a computer-based reporting workshop at end of June with Dedman, but it will not be cosponsored with IPA. Self said it needs to be a Friday, maybe June 23 or 16. There are plans to host another workshop in September and he is open to suggestions. Maybe sports? That could be limited attendance. Nagel said libel and writing are always popular topics. Maybe we could get Dirk Johnson (sp?) of the New York Times Midwest Bureau on writing? Or someone from Thomson on narrative writing? A possible social event for early September was discussed. A Cubs game? Attending Ravinia? Nagel said he'd talk to Nick Pullia, board member, about Ravinia. Regarding high school journalist of the year entries: there were 26 and 22 of them were female. That number was down a little from last year.
· Treasurer's report: Slonoff said we do 400 mailings a year for $300 on our high school journalist of the year, are we getting our money's worth? Slonoff said he could get printing done for free and save us $200. Maybe Dana could get a list of high schools and members and call to see if the high school has a student newspaper.
· Killam: Said he'll take care of a high school general excellence competition by this fall. He will model it on our college competition. He said the summer newsletter will include a profile of our high school scholarship winner, the Journalist of the Year, the Craven report and NIU journalism camp. He noted that the Society of Newspaper Design was having a quick course May 5 in Rockford and it's on the NINA Web site. He said the Northern Star staff editors are suing the university over closed meetings on the presidential search committee. He said it violates the Open Meetings Act. He will keep us posted on it. Craven is co-counsel for it.
· Meeting adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
· Respectfully submitted,
Jan Larsen, secretary, second vice president