Good Afternoon Central Cal Chapter I would like to encourage as many as possible to attend the meeting this Friday August 1, 2008 at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. In response to the email sent by the past president of WESTOP, Joy Brittain, we will be discussing this issue in more detail at the meeting. "I also have asked several chapters to assist us with a cash advance until WESTOP can be on better financial standing."-Joy Brittain if you did not get the original email, it is attached below. WESTOP is asking us, Cen Cal Chapter, to be one of the chapters who helps out. I have been in contact with our past president who has been in contact with our treasurer. Let me assure you that the chapter does have the funds to make this loan to WESTOP, however I will not approve such a loan with out having the chapter's consent. Please don't forget to RSVP to Ricardo your attendance at this meeting. See you all soon. Thank you -GUILLE P.S. I have attached to this email the agenda, and the template for the committe reports. Don't forget to also download minutes already sent by Secretary: Norma. Chairs: if you will not be in attendance at the Chapter meeting this Friday. PLEASE send your update to me or have someone report for you. Thank you all for your prompt response. Gillermina Martinez Retention Counselor STAAR Program CSU, Bakersfield 9001 Stockdale Hwy. Bakersfield CA, 93311 (661) 654.2281 [log in to unmask] ----- Original Message ----- Hello members and friends of WESTOP, I need you to be aware of some struggles WESTOP is facing since it affects all of us. Last year I sent out an email stating our funds were very tight and I put the board on a restrictive budget until the end of the budget year. As you were made aware, although we have been making a small profit on the previous year's conferences, it still was not enough to cover the WESTOP budget. Instead of adding to the accounts, we had to withdraw from the accounts. Add on the expense (close to $13,000/year) we had to pay for insurance and the overall expense of CVENT over the past few years in order to cover all of WESTOP's needs. Now bring in the airline crisis for our Hawaii conference and we have a problem. Not only did we not have the amount of people expected for the conference, but we also have people needing reimbursements. In order to keep WESTOP solid and keep our non-profit standing, we had to pay the hotel and other vendors first. This wiped out our maximizer account and left a very small amount in the checking account We do not have enough funds (yet) to pay back all the reimbursements. With this said, let me calm any major panic. We still have approximately $12, 000 that needs to come in from institutions who paid with a PO. We also have the chapters needing to reimburse WESTOP for CVENT and the trip to Palau. I also have asked several chapters to assist us with a cash advance until WESTOP can be on better financial standing. Once the checks from the chapters and from the PO's come in, we will be able to reimburse those people who still need a reimbursement. To answer some questions people may have: 1. Since there was cut-off date for any reimbursements and the airline crisis occurred after the cut-off date, why are people still getting a reimbursement? The WESTOP Board took a serious look at this and felt since the crisis was due to unforeseen circumstances, we wanted to honor the members and friends who had every intent on coming. That being said, we looked at other corporations and found they do not reimburse for anything after the cut-off date. The Board is seriously considering this type of policy and it will be discussed at the next Board meeting. The Board wants to be fair to all, but it has fiduciary responsibilities to the WESTOP corporation. 2. The WESTOP Board paid for tables at the COE Conference. If we are in such tight measures, why are we doing this? For the past few years, the WESTOP Board felt it necessary to support COE in its mission. COE has accomplished great feats over these past years and it was important to show that support from this region. We can not buy a table this year, but when we are in better financial stability, the WESTOP Board will continue to support COE in assisting all TRIO programs 3. Why are we paying so much for insurance and do we need it? Absolutely yes, We need to protect the corporation from any potential law-suits or misconduct. The insurance covers all of WESTOP which means four states and two territories. It has never been able to cover the other countries. WESTOP is in a catch-22 situation. We were too big for the small companies and too small for the larger companies. We cover four states with different laws in each state. I even called COE's insurance carrier and they were not able to assist us. I was charged with finding insurance that was similar to what we had, but less expensive. I did find such a company and now the rates are $ 3500/year. This still does not help us with what we had to pay previously. 4. The Board spent a lot for its trip to Palau. Why be so frivolous with its money? The Board felt it important to visit the Pacific Islands to get an idea of what our colleagues have to face each day. Palau Community College was very gracious and took care of our meals. The chapter is paying for part of the trip and WESTOP did not spend any more than the typical amount of a Board meeting. What the Board took from the experience was so very important to understanding our western neighbors. 5. We had a great amount in the maximizer. Where did it all go? WESTOP had to dip into its savings to pay for bills that came in throughout the years. The biggest amount came from this year's conference. Although we had people who did not come, we still had to pay for all the supplies, registration materials, food costs, etc. WESTOP did not get a reprieve due to the airline crisis. 6. The conferences did not make enough to carry the budget? No. No conference for the past six years made enough to carry WESTOP. Even with the membership dues, it still was not enough for the budget. WESTOP has been putting in its income column funds hoped to be received from grants and supporters. So far very little has come in through this method. The Board has been getting ideas from several people who have given us good advise and our hope is we can make a difference this year. 8. What about the Phoenix Conference? Why don't we cancel it? We have to sign our contracts three years in advance. If we cancelled the conference now, WESTOP will go bankrupt with its penalties and the funds to pay the penalties would be coming from the chapters since the chapters operate under the WESTOP corporation. 7. So where does that leave WESTOP? The Board will be meeting in Las Vegas in August. We will be scrutinizing the budget and trying to find ways to build up the checking and savings accounts. Hard decisions will be made regarding cancellation rules. You all can help and pay your membership early once that comes out. (The new board is in the process of an email vote to fix this year's fees.) The conference chair, Susan Madrid- Simon has been informed of the situation and she knows what has to be done. 8. Where does that leave my reimbursement? Please be patient with us. As soon as the funds come in through the PO's and with the chapter assistance, you will all be reimbursed. We need to pull together in order to get to the other side of this crisis. I know we can accomplish what ever needs to get done. We have survived the past financial woes and we can do it again. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact any of the presidents. Thank you for your support. Joy Brittain, Past President WESTOP _______________________________________________ Listserv mailing list [log in to unmask] http://westop.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/listserv