First Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, February 20, 1996

The first meeting of the First Board of Directors of the Blue Line Club was convened by Kent Schwickert at 4:06 p.m. on Tuesday, February 20, 1996, in the second floor conference room of the Warren Street Center building on the campus of Mankato State University.

Voting Board Members Present

7 of 7 Seats

• Kent Schwickert, Club President
• Henry Okleshen, Club Vice President
• Jim Bullard
• Steve Duea
• Jim Turk
• Brad Reeves
• Larry Morales

Ex-officio Nonvoting Board Members Present

5 of 6 Seats

• Don Amiot - MSU Men's Athletics Director
• David Cowan, Club Secretary-Treasurer - Maverick Boosters Club Liaison
• Don Brose - MSU Men's Ice Hockey Coach
• Cheryl Regan - MSU Athletics Promotions
• Margaret Healy - MSU Student Affairs Vice President

Ex-officio Nonvoting Board Members Absent

1 of 6 Seats

• Ron Hybertson (Excused) - Conference Faculty Representative (NCC)

Convener and Presiding Officer - Kent Schwickert

Without objection, Kent Schwickert announced that he would serve as presiding officer and convener of the First Board of Directors until such time as the bylaws could be approved and a Club President formally elected.

Agenda Approved

Without objection the agenda previously prepared and forwarded by Convener Kent Schwickert was adopted.

Minutes of Previous Meeting Approved

As this is the first meeting of the First Board of Directors of the Blue Line Club, minutes of a previous meeting do not exist.

Recording Secretary Appointed

With a nod of the head presiding officer Kent Schwickert appointed David Cowan as recording secretary until such time as the organization's bylaws could be approved and a Secretary-Treasuer formally elected.

Overview of the General Responsibilites of the Board of Directors

Board members then discussed what the responsibilities should be of the First Board of Directors and the need for continuity until such time as Mankato State's ice hockey program was formally accepted into the WCHA (Western Collegiate Hockey Association) Conference of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division I colleges and universities. This discussion then spilled over into the next agenda topic which dealt with changes to a draft set of bylaws dated 2/7/96.

Review of Proposed Bylaws for the Blue Line Club

Board members agreed that members of the First Board of Directors should hold office until the spring of 1998 which would allow sufficient time for the WCHA Conference issue to be resolved. In lieu of a title as "Interim Board of Directors," the group agreed that it would be called the "First Board of Directors."

Board members then carefully reviewed a 2/7/96 draft set of bylaws circulated earlier by Kent Schwickert. Morales indicated that changes should be made to define what a quorum was for Board meetings as well as for the general membership at the Annual Meeting. He also stated that the written notice requirement for meetings of the Board and the Annual Meeting needed to be clearly spelled out. The need for a Nominating Committee to deal with annual elections as well as mid-term vacancies was also mentioned.

Copy corrections were also highlighted which tied to the number of ex-officio nonvoting members of the Board - the draft identified six but used the word "four."

Considerable discussion was spent dealing with how the bylaws should deal with membership dues and when they should be paid. It was agreed to establish February 1 as the date by when the Board needs to establish a membership dues rate for the following year. It was agreed to change to draft to also identify October 1 as the date that members need to pay their dues for the fiscal year they are in.

[Accompanying these minutes is a rewrite of the draft bylaws reviewed by the Board on 2/2/96.]

Membership Dues

Members reviewed just what commitments were made to those who joined the Blue Line Club this past fall and how we had to honor the membership rates published at that time. As agreed to by this First Board of Directors, those "Charter Members" will find that for next year they will pay exactly what they paid last fall, a lower rate that what will be charged newcomers to the Club.

The membership dues include the cost of two season tickets for $500 individual members and four season tickets for $1,000 corporate members - these tickets are for seats located overlooking the blue line neutral zone at the Mankato Civic Center. There are 16 regularly scheduled home hockey games, 16 away games, and possibly two extras.

Membership Dues Rates

	1996-97	1996-97	1997-98	1997-98	1998-99	1998-99
	Charter	New	Charter	New	Charter	New
Individual Membership:	$500	$600	$600	$600	$750	$750
Individual Membership:	$1000	$1200	$1200	$1200	$1500	$1500

Brose reported that the 34 game schedule for next year includes 16 home games, three of which are against Division I opponents. Of the 18 away games, eight are Division I members.

Budget for the Blue Line Club

Margaret Healy and Don Amiot stated that they are isolating Blue Line Club expenditures which have occurred to date along with Club related membership dues revenue. This analysis will assist the Board in determining an income and expenditure plan for the 1996-97 fiscal year which commences July 1, 1996.

Creation of Standing Committees

Board members agreed that it would put a "hold" for now on the establishment of a Finance Committee electing instead have Club related financial matters determined by the full Board at a regular or special meeting. It was noted that decisions on revenue and spending forecasts needed to be reviewed by Mankato State University before brochures and other information could be mailed out.

Whether to establish standing committees on "Special Events" and "Membership Recruitment and Retention" was delayed. Members argued that the Board's full attention should be focused on getting membership in the WCHA and determining next year's budget.

Next Meeting of the Board - Tuesday, March 19, 1996

Without objection the next meeting of the Board will be held at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Marth 19th, in the conference room of the Warren Street Center building on Mankato State's campus.

Adjournment

The meeting then adjouned at 5:50 p.m.