Meeting 2012-11-27

This is the annual meeting.

Notice

New York law requires at least 10 days notice, either personally or by first class mail.

Officer Reports

President

• MAKE International 3D Print Meetup
  • Contact with Don from the Met regarding future collaboration at the museum, or to do a workshop/talk at HM
  • MAKE Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing Issue is on the shelf, digital version here: https://docs.google.com/a/nyu.edu/file/d/0B9_Bu9HtBEIlSkpMVFVlbXdidkE/edit
• Arduino Starter Kit
  • Freebie from Arduino with parts and beginner projects
  • Online video series at www.youtube.com/user/rswwwchannel
  • Good foundation for a beginner Arduino workshop? Or other ideas for how to use it.
• New School Collaboration
  • Potential to acquire equipment from defunct CA fab shop via New School Dean of Media Studies
  • If membership is interested, will meet to discuss the possibility of an institutional membership for student access

Treasurer

• Report on current lease situation
  • I think this was scheduled for last meeting, but not actually given.
    • Lease has now been signed and exchanged --Guan 22:51, 14 November 2012 (UTC)
• Financial report
• 501c3 report
  • Our application was received in April. The IRS is currently assigning applications received in February. We might send supplemental information in a month or so shortly before the processing starts.

Consensus Agenda

While brief explanatory questions are allowed, the Consensus Agenda is not debated and is passed as a block. Any member may object to an item being considered on the Consensus Agenda, in which case it is moved to New Business.

New members

• Meryl Greenblatt
• Rebecca

Meetup account

Hack Manhattan will sign up for a paid Meetup account.

Supporting membership levels

The board is authorized to grant to donors to Hack Manhattan the following honorary titles that do not confer membership privileges, for such term as the board may determine:

• Friend of Hack Manhattan
• Good Friend of Hack Manhattan
• Best Friend of Hack Manhattan
• Best Friend Forever of Hack Manhattan
• Hack Manhattan Supporter
• Hack Manhattan Sponsor
• Hack Manhattan Silver Sponsor
• Hack Manhattan Gold Sponsor
• Hack Manhattan Platinum Sponsor

Elections

Hack Manhattan elections use London-style alternative vote. Each ballot indicates a first and second preference.

The four elections take place sequentially, so a candidate who is not elected as President can run for the subsequent elections. Each candidate can run for two offices.

Where should nominations go? (rmd) I would like to nominate all the incumbents for another year, and myself as mascot.

Candidates/Nominations

President

I nominate Crystal and Justin. Why have new candidates when the old ones aren't broken? --Guan 21:29, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

Happy to have another go.--Crystal 14:29, 26 November 2012

Treasurer

I am running for re-election. --Guan 21:28, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

I nominate Guan. Xo 19:27, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

Secretary

I nominate Rendall for reelection. --Guan 23:42, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

I would be happy to serve another term. Xo 19:26, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

Director at Large

Thanks to everyone for their support over the last year. I'm not running for a Board position this year, so the position is open. I nominate Justin. --Dave

Discussion

In case you're wondering whether you should run and whether you have time for it. There is some time commitment, but in my opinion board members shouldn't feel that there is a constant obligation to do stuff. Obviously there are always things to be done, but with 4 board members, there's usually someone who can do it. In my opinion the most important part of the job is to be ready to help make decisions and to be available when there's a crisis. --Guan 21:32, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

New Business

Prospect of Expansion

Some possibilities; obviously, there are revenue implications.

• Try to expand at our current location
  • I will give a report on what we'd need --Guan 22:54, 14 November 2012 (UTC)
• Look elsewhere
• "Just say no"
  • So far, it's been easy to arrange extra space in the building when needed, but even so, when a special event is scheduled in our home room, it's difficult for anyone else to work.
    • It has been easy on weekends and on several weeks' notice, but it has often been difficult on weekdays. For example we couldn't get a studio for the Make 3D Printer meetup Thursday and Theaterlab was bothered by the noise when we borrowed Annatina's studio upstairs. --Guan 02:35, 17 November 2012 (UTC)
• A compromise
  • We could try to work out regular nights that we take studio D with Carlo, say Tuesdays and Thursdays, and plan any special events for those nights when possible. We can set up overflow tables and portable equipment in there every week if we'd like that way, maybe make room in our permanent space for new toys (laser cutter anyone?), and still have plenty of work space on busy nights without incurring the rent increase permanently or signing a new lease.--Crystal 14:34, 27 November 2012
  • I think this would only work well if we can build a double door in the wall. When we had Super Tech Tuesday, there was very little traffic between the two rooms. --Guan 20:04, 27 November 2012 (UTC)

Project for next year's FIGMENT

Interactive Automaton

• Attribution? Whose awesome idea is this? Crystal 14:45, 27 November 2012

Supporting membership

There has been some interest. Proposal: --Guan 16:23, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

• Friend of Hack Manhattan: recurring, at least $20/month
• Hack Manhattan Supporter: $100 over a 6-month period, listing on a special page
  • Note that a "Friend" who sticks it out for 5 months is automatically a "Supporter".
  • I'm fine with that --Guan 22:54, 14 November 2012 (UTC)
• General authority to make up more awesome titles for larger donations?

• What are the rights and privileges of the above support levels, other than the title and a possible tax deduction? Do you get your name printed on the back of the menu at the annual banquet? At the highest levels, do you get to sit at the President's table at said banquet? Do you get a jar of HM honey with a ribbon wrapped around it? Or what?
  • Nothing proposed at this point beyond symbolic titles and token rewards. These are all good ideas. Maybe President's Table, Treasurer's Table and Secretary's Table for different levels of support? --Guan 22:54, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

• I would like to add that I think we should have a lower-priced, limited access membership -- maybe $25 monthly?. It would require something like an RFID lock system to allow part-time members access during a restricted set of hours. Or for us to set up some combination of

specified 'office hours' between regulars--Crystal 14:39, 27 November 2012

Access Policy for Minors

• While we have in the past allowed access to minors during events and open nights with the presence of a responsible parent or guardian, interest has been expressed in allowing minors to attend alone, and/or individual membership.
• We should check if our insurance covers such attendance
• Options currently are (a) allow access to minors above a certain age (14?) with signed consent and liability waiver from a parent or guardian (b) allow access regardless of age, with consent (c) require supervision from parent or guardian (d) restrict access to 18+ or 21+.
• I suggest (a), if our insurance covers it. Any other ideas? --Dave

There is no specific mention of minors in our insurance policy. I would suggest access with signed waiver from age 13, access with a parent or guardian below that age. I would also suggest that access to the machine shop requires either a parent or guardian present, or a conversation with a parent about the risks and benefits of machine tools. --Guan 23:41, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

Quorum Requirements

As we get more members, it can be harder and harder to get a quorum for meetings. I would suggest a modification to the bylaws saying that for a regular monthly or annual meeting, a third of the members would be enough for a quorum.

There's certainly a risk that a small minority votes in something totally crazy, but we already have a provision for the board to submit decisions to online vote if fewer than half the members voted for it. (Currently a minimum of more than a quarter of the members would be required to pass something—a majority of the members to get a quorum, and a majority of that to pass.) As an added safeguard, we could say that 3 members can petition for an online vote if fewer than half the members voted for something.

As an alternative, we could make it clear that proxies count for the quorum.

Suggested wording:

The first sentence in Section 6 of Article 3 of the Bylaws ("Quorum and Online Votes") is amended to read:

Notwithstanding the previous provision, the quorum at regularly scheduled monthly meetings and at annual meetings held at the corporation's premises shall be one-third of the members entitled to vote on the day of the meeting.

Alternative proposal:

The first sentence in Section 6 of Article 3 of the Bylaws ("Quorum and Online Votes") is amended to read:

Members who are represented by a valid proxy shall be deemed present for the purposes of establishing a quorum.

Minutes

The consensus agenda was adopted.

The following were elected:

• President: Crystal Butler
• Treasurer: Guan Yang
• Secretary: Rendall Koski
• Director at Large: Justin Levinson

The following proposed amendment to the Bylaws was unanimously adopted:

The following is inserted after the first sentence in Section 6 of Article 3 of the Bylaws ("Quorum and Online Votes"):

Notwithstanding the previous provision, the quorum at regularly scheduled monthly meetings and at annual meetings held at the corporation's premises shall be one-third of the members entitled to vote on the day of the meeting.

This amendment is reflected this revision.