Executive Committee Meeting Minutes- March 2020

ExCom Meetings, Minutes

AFS Fisheries Information and Technology Section

Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

March 13, 2020

 

Attendees: Kayla, Rebecca, Paul, Dan, Tiffany

  • Old Business
    • Rebecca has fixed the email/newsletter issue.
      • Limited to one user on mailchimp and limits on sending emails
      • Difficult to manage as a group
      • MailPoet has been activated on the FITS Site. Action Item: Rebecca will work to transition the Section’s news entirely to MailPoet before the next meeting
    • CE workshop videos: Change SEO to relevant searches and see about single sign on SSO for our site (Rebecca).
    • Yoast SEO is a viable option for improving the “searchability/findability” of our website; Grant will work on implementing it on our unit site within the next week
    • SSO connecting a login from fisheries.org to the unit sites is fairly easily done, but a substantial enough project that it would need to be its own “line item” for the web programmer. Action Item: Rebecca will pursue this through the Electronic Services Advisory Board, as it affects all units and could be incredibly useful for all units.
  • Midway meeting report (Paul)
    • Day and a half long with a lot of focus grouping and discussion
    • Climate Change Action
      • Things AFS can do about climate change and prioritize those actions
      • What can each chapter and section do?
      • President is working on a letter from AFS to be shared with other aquatic societies
      • Idea of starting a climate change section of AFS
    • Strategic plan
      • Alignment with chapters and sections
        • Getting sections to identify how priorities and goals align with strategic plan
        • Making sure chapters are aware and using it
      • Encourage Plan of Work for each incoming President for every section
    • Workshopped President’s Plan of Work
      • Four high priority areas
        • Public trust and visibility
          • Outreach, Media, and Policy
        • Skills Development for Career Advancement
          • Surveying members for needs
        • Increase Diversity
          • Increasing interest earlier on in a person’s life
            • High school chapters
            • Minors- legal factors/red tape?
          • Expanding Hutton program
        • Planning of Rebranding AFS
          • Name change discussion
            • Territory issues
            • Large Canadian membership (issues with “American”)
              • Difficult for Federal policies
            • It’s not just name and logo that are important, but also connecting with who we serve
            • Options so far
              • American Fisheries Society of North America
              • International Fisheries Society
              • The Fisheries Society
            • Software
              • FAMS is a good revenue source for us, do we plan to put more out?
              • Our role is to facilitate the process of software development that fits the needs of the overall membership
              • Open source packages in R is typical avenue for many things these days
              • FSA legacy plan- FITS could possibly help with this, but it would not be a revenue source.
                • Could we tie this into workshop
              • Pathway to donations for software development?
              • Repository or clearing house for app data or apps that have data
            • AFS 2020
              • Update on Big Data Symposium (Dan)
                • Asked for full day
                • Action Item– Dan to follow up with tentative speakers to encourage abstract submissions
                • Well-advertised among AFS sections
                • Deadline for abstracts is March 23rd
              • Update on late CE workshop submission (Paul)
                • Data management workshop – Tentatively accepted for half a day
                  • Action Item: Kayla to ask Keith Hurley to instruct workshop
                  • If Keith cannot instruct, Julie has expressed interest
                • 150 booth update (Paul/Rebecca) and discussion
                  • Photo competition sent out and posted on our site and Students and Early Career subsection site
                    • Deadline is July 31, 2020
                    • 3D camera as prize
                    • Rebecca plans to share with student listserv
                  • Security provided by AFS
                  • Booth package at $130
                    • Includes: Back drape, side drape, table with curtain, two chairs and waste basket and ID sign
                    • $132 for electricity to charge phones
                    • Need a power strip
                    • Action Item: Rebecca to fill out booth form, due July 20th, try to submit before July.
                  • CFTC status (Paul/Rebecca)
                    • Rebecca has a call with Jason on Monday
                    • Can start building now that WordPress is updated with necessary plugin
                    • Lay out schedule with target deadlines
                  • Travel Award (Paul/Rebecca)
                    • Table until next meeting
                    • Goal for next meeting – decide on a timeline
                  • Other business
                    • ExComm discussion on election cycle
                      • Proposal by Rebecca
                      • Change of by-laws to convert to new system: 4 year commitment
                        • Second vice president
                          • Learning year
                        • President elect
                          • Filling more duties
                        • President
                        • Past president
                      • Action item: Kayla will get with Rebecca and work on pursuing discussion with constitutional consultant

Next Meeting April 10th

 

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