Greetings:

The Spring Council Meeting will be this  2:00 to 5 pm, Wednesday, April 4,
in the IRIS conference room at AAAS 1200 New York Ave NW, .I understand
that some people will miss the begining of the meeting, but we need input
on items discussed near the end, so please come (even if you are late).
Building entrance guards will direct you to the meeting room.

You should have received the minutes from the past council meeting from Pat
Carr.  Below is the agenda for the council meeting.

See you on Wednesday.

Karen Prestegaard
2018 GSW President

Spring 2018 Council Meeting:

1. Call meeting to order:  2:30 pm. AAAS Headquarters, IRIS Conference room

2. Reading and approval of minutes from the Fall 2017 GSW Council meeting
   (Council Secretary Pat Carr).

3. Officer Report and Committee Reports
   a.  Treasurer Report (Carl-Henry Geshwind)

     Issue of moving money to pay for the GSW 125th?
   

   b.    Finance Committee Report (Callan Bentley)

   d.  Membership committee Report (Hankin)

    issues:  How to improve retention? increase recruitment?
   
             Representatives at major universities, USGS to better
   

advertise meetings?

4. Old Business

   125th Anniversary celebration.  Any discussion?
   
   Online meeting minutes and the minute minute:  Do we keep this
   

structure?

5. New Business:

   a.  Possibility of having some/all meetings at AGU headquarters.
   For discussion:  Should we ask for proposal from AGU on cost of
   meeting space, availability of parking, etc. to be presented at Fall
   meeting?
   Proposal for trial run:  Move 1 Fall meeting to AGU headquarters?

   b.  Other 125th anniversary events:

      Educational outreach?  (Callan)
   
      AGU meeting in Fall 2018.  Do we want to submit a session
   

proposal ( Session Due April 18)

         AGU meeting in Fall 2018:  Suggest Possible Field Trips?

Any other New Business?
Adjourn at 5 pm

Greetings, y'all:

Here is my treasurer's report for GSW, in case you'd like to familiarize
yourself with it before the meeting on Wednesday.
Attached please find a spreadsheet with two tabs, concerning (1) inflows
and expenditures and (2) assets.
First the good news, on the assets side (second tab): our investments
(in the Bradley Fund and Endowment Fund) have grown by another $9K since
6/30/2017, although growth has stalled since 1/1/2018. Certain amounts
in these funds are permanently restricted and cannot be spent (the MRB,
or Minimum Required Balance), but the excess over the MRB now
constitutes about 45% of the investments - giving us a significant
cushion for either spending or guarding against stock market downturns.
Now the bad news (first tab): revenues are down, costs are up, and while
we will be able to make ends meet this year and next, it is starting to
look iffy beyond that.
As for revenues: over the previous 5 years, on average we took in about
$14,700 in dues, contributions, and miscellaneous income (mainly
Geocare royalties). So far this year we have taken in a bit less than
$12,800, and for the rest of the fiscal year (through June 30) we can
expect at most a couple hundred more from very late renewals or new
members. At the bottom of the spreadsheet I give details for each of
the previous 5 years and the current year - revenues have been on a
consistent downward trajectory in all three categories. Simply put, we
are still hemorrhaging members, and that is leading to a dwindling of
our revenues.
As for expenses: over the previous 5 years, each meeting cost on average
$907. Odette had budgeted $1,020 per meeting for this fiscal year, but
so far we are actually running at $1,083 per meeting. The increase is
due to both increased hall rental costs and increased per-bottle
beverage costs. In addition, the average cost for having dinner for the
speakers has gone up from $180 per meeting to $194 per meeting. And we
are now also incurring expenses that we had not in previous years -
around $700 per year for liability insurance, $1,000 for Bradley Speaker
travel, and $100 for affiliation with the AGI.
Implications for the current fiscal year: this fiscal year (from 1 July
2017 to 30 June 2018) we will have only 10 meetings, plus the 125th
Anniversary meeting (which I am accounting for separately). Based on
current trends, the total expenditure for these 10 meetings, plus
administrative costs, will be about $16,400. So far our revenue has
been about $12,800 (and will not be much more). This leaves an
operating deficit of $3,600. To cover this we are allowed to take up to
4% out of our invested funds, which is close to $6,800 - so plenty
enough to cover the deficit. However, GSW is also on the hook for about
$6,800 for the 125th Anniversary event (which was spectacularly
successful, but also went way over budget). Thus, in order to cover the
costs of the 125th Anniversary event, I need to take out somewhere
around $3,700 more out of the invested funds than normally allowed.
Council has previously given me authority to withdraw an extra $2,000
for the event, but this will not be enough, and Council will need to
authorize me to withdraw more.
Implications for next year: if we have 12 meetings in a year, total
costs on current projections will be around $19,100. Revenues from
membership dues, contributions, and royalties, if declines are similar
to previous years, will be around $12,300. And assuming that there is
not a downturn in the markets, we will be able to take out around $6,800
from the invested funds. Thus, we will be able to fund 12 meetings - but
just barely, and without any room for contingencies or market downturns.
This will probably work for fiscal year 2019 - but is not really
sustainable beyond then.
So far we have already scheduled 5 meetings for the fall of 2018 and 1
for spring of 2019. We need to get in contact soon with the Cosmos
Club for our calendar year 2019 schedule. I recommend that we go for
12 meetings for calendar year 2019 - in other words, 7 meetings in
spring 2019 and 5 meetings in fall 2019. If we continue to experience
a financial squeeze, we may then need to cut down to 6 meetings in
spring 2020.
We need to consider ways to reduce the hemorrhaging of members. In
addition, we may also want to consider ways of cutting costs - in
particular, whether we can hold our meetings more cheaply at a
different venue.
--Carl-Henry

Dear all,

Thank you, Carl-Henry, for sending this detailed information.

I was waiting until the last possible minute, but I have been sick since Sunday (the lovely virus that is running around) and I am not yet ready to get out of the house-- and definitely do not want to pass this along to anyone.

Maybe I can see if I can join by phone? I am so sorry, I really wanted to be part of the meeting!

Please let me know.

All the best,

Ester.

Ester Sztein, PhD
Assistant Director, Board on International Scientific Organizations
Deputy Director, Board on Research Data and Information
The National Academies
500 5th Street, NW K504
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-334-3049
Fax: 202-334-2231
Email: esztein@nas.edu
http://national-academies.org/biso

From: gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org on behalf of Carl-Henry Geschwind geschwind@fastmail.com
Sent: Monday, April 2, 2018 2:54 PM
To: gsw-councilplus-l@minlists.org
Subject: [Gsw-councilplus-l] GSW Treasurer's Report

Greetings, y'all:

Here is my treasurer's report for GSW, in case you'd like to familiarize yourself with it before the meeting on Wednesday.

Attached please find a spreadsheet with two tabs, concerning (1) inflows and expenditures and (2) assets.

First the good news, on the assets side (second tab): our investments (in the Bradley Fund and Endowment Fund) have grown by another $9K since 6/30/2017, although growth has stalled since 1/1/2018. Certain amounts in these funds are permanently restricted and cannot be spent (the MRB, or Minimum Required Balance), but the excess over the MRB now constitutes about 45% of the investments - giving us a significant cushion for either spending or guarding against stock market downturns.

Now the bad news (first tab): revenues are down, costs are up, and while we will be able to make ends meet this year and next, it is starting to look iffy beyond that.

As for revenues: over the previous 5 years, on average we took in about $14,700 in dues, contributions, and miscellaneous income (mainly Geocare royalties). So far this year we have taken in a bit less than $12,800, and for the rest of the fiscal year (through June 30) we can expect at most a couple hundred more from very late renewals or new members. At the bottom of the spreadsheet I give details for each of the previous 5 years and the current year - revenues have been on a consistent downward trajectory in all three categories. Simply put, we are still hemorrhaging members, and that is leading to a dwindling of our revenues.

As for expenses: over the previous 5 years, each meeting cost on average $907. Odette had budgeted $1,020 per meeting for this fiscal year, but so far we are actually running at $1,083 per meeting. The increase is due to both increased hall rental costs and increased per-bottle beverage costs. In addition, the average cost for having dinner for the speakers has gone up from $180 per meeting to $194 per meeting. And we are now also incurring expenses that we had not in previous years - around $700 per year for liability insurance, $1,000 for Bradley Speaker travel, and $100 for affiliation with the AGI.

Implications for the current fiscal year: this fiscal year (from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018) we will have only 10 meetings, plus the 125th Anniversary meeting (which I am accounting for separately). Based on current trends, the total expenditure for these 10 meetings, plus administrative costs, will be about $16,400. So far our revenue has been about $12,800 (and will not be much more). This leaves an operating deficit of $3,600. To cover this we are allowed to take up to 4% out of our invested funds, which is close to $6,800 - so plenty enough to cover the deficit. However, GSW is also on the hook for about $6,800 for the 125th Anniversary event (which was spectacularly successful, but also went way over budget). Thus, in order to cover the costs of the 125th Anniversary event, I need to take out somewhere around $3,700 more out of the invested funds than normally allowed. Council has previously given me authority to withdraw an extra $2,000 for the event, but this will not be enough, and Council will need to authorize me to withdraw more.

Implications for next year: if we have 12 meetings in a year, total costs on current projections will be around $19,100. Revenues from membership dues, contributions, and royalties, if declines are similar to previous years, will be around $12,300. And assuming that there is not a downturn in the markets, we will be able to take out around $6,800 from the invested funds. Thus, we will be able to fund 12 meetings - but just barely, and without any room for contingencies or market downturns. This will probably work for fiscal year 2019 - but is not really sustainable beyond then.

So far we have already scheduled 5 meetings for the fall of 2018 and 1 for spring of 2019. We need to get in contact soon with the Cosmos Club for our calendar year 2019 schedule. I recommend that we go for 12 meetings for calendar year 2019 - in other words, 7 meetings in spring 2019 and 5 meetings in fall 2019. If we continue to experience a financial squeeze, we may then need to cut down to 6 meetings in spring 2020.

We need to consider ways to reduce the hemorrhaging of members. In addition, we may also want to consider ways of cutting costs - in particular, whether we can hold our meetings more cheaply at a different venue.

--Carl-Henry

Esther, we can do this via my laptop:

Callan Bentley is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: My Meeting
Time: Apr 4, 2018 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/612404827 (Click this link at 2pm)

Or else iPhone one-tap :
US: +16699006833,,612404827#  or +16468769923,,612404827#
Or else call in via Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 612 404 827
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/BuB1X1PN

Callan Bentley

Assistant Professor of Geology
President, Geo2YC divisionhttps://nagt.org/nagt/divisions/2yc/index.html, National Association of Geoscience Teachershttp://nagt.org/index.html
Contributing Editor, EARTH Magazinehttps://www.earthmagazine.org/

Geology Department
Northern Virginia Community Collegehttp://www.nvcc.edu/index.html
Math, Science, & Engineering Division, Annandale Campus
8333 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, VA 22003

Office: CS # 248-A
Phone: 703.323.3276
Fax: 703.323.4250

From: gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org [mailto:gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org] On Behalf Of Sztein, Ester
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2018 11:32 AM
To: Carl-Henry Geschwind geschwind@fastmail.com; gsw-councilplus-l@minlists.org
Subject: Re: [Gsw-councilplus-l] GSW Treasurer's Report

Dear all,

Thank you, Carl-Henry, for sending this detailed information.

I was waiting until the last possible minute, but I have been sick since Sunday (the lovely virus that is running around) and I am not yet ready to get out of the house-- and definitely do not want to pass this along to anyone.

Maybe I can see if I can join by phone? I am so sorry, I really wanted to be part of the meeting!

Please let me know.

All the best,

Ester.

Ester Sztein, PhD
Assistant Director, Board on International Scientific Organizations
Deputy Director, Board on Research Data and Information
The National Academies
500 5th Street, NW K504
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-334-3049
Fax: 202-334-2231
Email: esztein@nas.edumailto:esztein@nas.edu
http://national-academies.org/biso

From: gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.orgmailto:gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org <gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.orgmailto:gsw-councilplus-l-bounces@minlists.org> on behalf of Carl-Henry Geschwind <geschwind@fastmail.commailto:geschwind@fastmail.com>
Sent: Monday, April 2, 2018 2:54 PM
To: gsw-councilplus-l@minlists.orgmailto:gsw-councilplus-l@minlists.org
Subject: [Gsw-councilplus-l] GSW Treasurer's Report

Greetings, y'all:

Here is my treasurer's report for GSW, in case you'd like to familiarize yourself with it before the meeting on Wednesday.

Attached please find a spreadsheet with two tabs, concerning (1) inflows and expenditures and (2) assets.

First the good news, on the assets side (second tab): our investments (in the Bradley Fund and Endowment Fund) have grown by another $9K since 6/30/2017, although growth has stalled since 1/1/2018. Certain amounts in these funds are permanently restricted and cannot be spent (the MRB, or Minimum Required Balance), but the excess over the MRB now constitutes about 45% of the investments - giving us a significant cushion for either spending or guarding against stock market downturns.

Now the bad news (first tab): revenues are down, costs are up, and while we will be able to make ends meet this year and next, it is starting to look iffy beyond that.

As for revenues: over the previous 5 years, on average we took in about $14,700 in dues, contributions, and miscellaneous income (mainly Geocare royalties). So far this year we have taken in a bit less than $12,800, and for the rest of the fiscal year (through June 30) we can expect at most a couple hundred more from very late renewals or new members. At the bottom of the spreadsheet I give details for each of the previous 5 years and the current year - revenues have been on a consistent downward trajectory in all three categories. Simply put, we are still hemorrhaging members, and that is leading to a dwindling of our revenues.

As for expenses: over the previous 5 years, each meeting cost on average $907. Odette had budgeted $1,020 per meeting for this fiscal year, but so far we are actually running at $1,083 per meeting. The increase is due to both increased hall rental costs and increased per-bottle beverage costs. In addition, the average cost for having dinner for the speakers has gone up from $180 per meeting to $194 per meeting. And we are now also incurring expenses that we had not in previous years - around $700 per year for liability insurance, $1,000 for Bradley Speaker travel, and $100 for affiliation with the AGI.

Implications for the current fiscal year: this fiscal year (from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018) we will have only 10 meetings, plus the 125th Anniversary meeting (which I am accounting for separately). Based on current trends, the total expenditure for these 10 meetings, plus administrative costs, will be about $16,400. So far our revenue has been about $12,800 (and will not be much more). This leaves an operating deficit of $3,600. To cover this we are allowed to take up to 4% out of our invested funds, which is close to $6,800 - so plenty enough to cover the deficit. However, GSW is also on the hook for about $6,800 for the 125th Anniversary event (which was spectacularly successful, but also went way over budget). Thus, in order to cover the costs of the 125th Anniversary event, I need to take out somewhere around $3,700 more out of the invested funds than normally allowed. Council has previously given me authority to withdraw an extra $2,000 for the event, but this will not be enough, and Council will need to authorize me to withdraw more.

Implications for next year: if we have 12 meetings in a year, total costs on current projections will be around $19,100. Revenues from membership dues, contributions, and royalties, if declines are similar to previous years, will be around $12,300. And assuming that there is not a downturn in the markets, we will be able to take out around $6,800 from the invested funds. Thus, we will be able to fund 12 meetings - but just barely, and without any room for contingencies or market downturns. This will probably work for fiscal year 2019 - but is not really sustainable beyond then.

So far we have already scheduled 5 meetings for the fall of 2018 and 1 for spring of 2019. We need to get in contact soon with the Cosmos Club for our calendar year 2019 schedule. I recommend that we go for 12 meetings for calendar year 2019 - in other words, 7 meetings in spring 2019 and 5 meetings in fall 2019. If we continue to experience a financial squeeze, we may then need to cut down to 6 meetings in spring 2020.

We need to consider ways to reduce the hemorrhaging of members. In addition, we may also want to consider ways of cutting costs - in particular, whether we can hold our meetings more cheaply at a different venue.

--Carl-Henry