Members present (14): Tom Martin (president), Pam Lannom (past president), Jim Slonoff (treasurer), Roger Ruthhart, Lois Self (executive secretary), Jim Killam (communications coordinator), Lonny Cain, Pete Nenni, Colin O'Donnell (2nd VP), John Etheredge, Joe Corrado (1st VP), Rick Nagel, Randy Swikle, Sharon Boehlefeld.
Members absent (6): Rich Rostron, Jay Dickerson, Owen Phelps, Greg Rivara, Jeannine Otto, Wally Haas.
Martin called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.
Minutes of the Aug. 6 board meeting were approved.
Treasurer's report:
Slonoff said the September 30 savings account balance was $5.94; the checking
account balance was $1,891.86
Treasurer's report approved
Executive secretary's report:
Self said the annual contest had 951 total entries, up from 883 last year.
113 people have signed up for the fall conference lunch, up from 84 last
year. The lunch is being moved from the Capitol Room to the Duke Ellington
Ballroom to accommodate the extra people.
Plaques cost $2,322 last year, or about $30 each. Self asked board members
if they thought people valued these plaques and whether the department should
keep awarding them. The overwhelming consensus was yes.
NIU is searching for a journalism professor to replace Dr. Angela Powers,
who left to become the chair of the department at Kansas State University.
The status of NIU's search is uncertain; the department has hired Connie
Davis on a one-year teaching appointment, which may stretch longer if the
search stalls.
Self's term as communication department chair ends in July; she plans to
serve through next fall as NINA's executive secretary. She asked how board
members thought the position should be handled after that. No overall consensus
was reached, but Ruthhart and Cain both mentioned they thought it important
to keep the new department chair closely involved in NINA matters - and
that some financial issues could be handled only by the department chair.
Also, Self said, only the department chair can assign the secretary's (Dana's)
time.
President's report:
Martin presented this year's Rhino Award to Joe Corrado for his work in
planning workshops and conferences.
Program committee:
Tom Hallman is set to lead tomorrow's workshop. He spent the last couple
of days with the staff of the Argus and Dispatch, and also with NIU students
in a journalism class and at the Northern Star.
Education committee:
No report - although O'Donnell said he is working on surveying high-school
newspaper advisers about what they would like to see in a workshop.
Membership committee:
Lannom plans to refocus efforts for next year. The "buddy system"
has gotten off to a slow start.
Resource committee:
No report.
Communication coordinator's report:
Killam asked board members for ideas for the newsletter. Several indicated
a willingness to write articles for upcoming issues.
Old business:
None.
New business:
Martin read a letter of resignation from Owen Phelps, who has served almost
three decades. Phelps' resignation was accepted with regret (Boehlefeld
motion / Nagel second). After several ideas were raised regarding a fitting
way to honor Owen, Corrado and others suggested that NINA institute an award
for religious/spiritual writing and name it after Owen. The idea was approved
(Ruthhart motion / Etheredge second).
Shop talk:
Nenni: The Daily Herald has expanded to Antioch, with 1,330 new subscribers.
Also, Colin O'Donnell ran the Chicago Marathon and finished in 4 hours,
29 minutes.
Swikle: The Illinois Press Foundation has received a $250,000 grant from
the McCormick Foundation to promote the First Amendment. Swikle is speaking
around the state, using the First Amendment curriculum he wrote.
Ruthhart: The Tom Hallman workshops have been worth the effort. "I've
seen light bulbs going on in the minds of my staff." He is willing
to share copies of a videotape of Hallman's meetings with the Argus and
Dispatch staffs.
Cain: The Daily Times is doing a project called Fright Write, where readers
tell scary, true stories. 45 people have entered, and local residents will
judge the contest.
Nagel: Life as a scab ended before it started; the Sun-Times settled its
labor dispute before suburban Hollinger managers had to cross a picket line
and help put the paper out.
Etheredge: The Ledger-Sentinel assembled and printed the Best of the Press
tabloid for NINA again this year. Also the paper has started an employee
running club.
Killam: The Illinois College Press Association's annual convention and job
fair is Feb. Feb. 18-19 at the Holiday Inn City Centre in Chicago.
Lannom: A Doings reporter ran the Chicago Marathon. And, six staffers attended
a national conference of editorial writers.
O'Donnel: The Daily Herald endorsed John Kerry for president Sunday. This
resulted in 300-plus cancellations; the paper is responding to everyone
who has complained. The paper also hired Garcia Media to redesign Reflejos,
its Spanish/English weekly suburban newspaper.
Boehlefeld: The Journal Standard's editorial board came up with a split
decision on the U.S. Senate race in Illinois; two editorials were published.
Martin: Galesburg's Maytag plant closed in September. 1,600 jobs have been
lost, including 800 that week alone. The Register-Mail produced a special
section whose cover featured a photomosaic of 800 mugs shots of the people
who lost their jobs. The section won widespread recognition, including a
write-up in Editor & Publisher.
Next board meeting: Friday, Dec. 3, 2004, at the Northern Star office, Campus Life Building, NIU.
Meeting adjourned at 8 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Jim Killam,
communications coordinator, 11-11-04.
Back to top