Report from Sonoma State
written by Joan Near
We were just one guild shy of 100% attendance at the recent Liaison Lunch at Sonoma State. How great is that?!
The reason for the gathering was threefold: The Advisory Council had a brief meeting, the Liaison meeting was held, and the CNCH 2019 conference was previewed with a campus tour, a slide show presentation, and distribution of conference booklets.
The Advisory council got a budget report, where there were no surprises. The organization has been running in the red for quite some time now, most recently due to forgoing our 2018 conference in deference to Convergence. But the board feels that a turnaround is in the works, with upcoming conferences prepared to turn profits. The bank accounts are still healthy, and expenses are being kept to a minimum.
One big money-saver — and the Board is hoping it’s also going to help recruit and keep AdCon members — is the new subscription to Zoom, an online meeting forum. At least half of AdCon’s future meetings will be held on line — no need to get out of your jammies to attend — and conference organizers can also utilize the service. Travel expenses will be minimized and communication enhanced. It’s definitely win-win!
The Liaison meeting included the treasurer’s report as well, so everyone’s on board with the finances. The Liaisons also got a follow-up report on some innovations aimed at better inter-guild communication: areas on the cnch.org website for study groups, sharing program and workshop plans, and listing members willing to share their expertise with talks or workshops for other guilds.
Finally, the Liaisons got an update from the CNCH 2020 co-chairs from Area One: Barbie Paulsen and Jodi Paley. They held their first organizational meeting, and have honed in on a theme as well as a possible venue. They could still use help with planning committees, so please contact them at cnch2020.chair@gmail.com if you can contribute.
Then came the main event: a tour of the Sonoma State University venue for CNCH 2019. We were shown around by SSU’s conference coordinator, Sarah Gillespie, getting a look at some of the classrooms, the eating area, and the housing. Many questions were asked and answered. After a truly delicious lunch, a slide show presentation gave everyone an in-depth look at the workshops and events planned for the June 20-23 conference. Registration opens January 15th at 9AM.
Your Liaison was provided with booklets, and can answer other questions you might have. You can also access the booklet via the cnch.org website: here is a direct link. The booklet also contains email addresses for each of the conference organizers in case of further questions.
As always, volunteers will be needed to help with transportation, set-up and clean-up needs, so if you can help, please contact Carol Marsh at basilindigo.cm@gmail.com.
