Meeting of July 4, 1986 at Jack Heneghan and Elaine Normandy's; President Michael Walsh presiding, Secretary Erica Van Dommelen taking minutes. The meeting was called to order at 5:18 p.m. There were four motions to adjourn. Minutes were waved. Treasurer Steve Smith reported that the treasury stood at last meeting's balance, plus $13.01.
Committees
Disclave 1987: Joe Mayhew reported that Sue Wheeler will be in charge of the Con Suite.
Entertainment Committee: Doll Gilliland reminded the membership that there was a barbecue today.
Old Business: None
New Business: A motion was made to allocate $200 for a WSFA party at Worldcon. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Susan Applegate suggested WSFA sponsor more outings, such as theatre parties. No immediate action was taken.
Announcements: Scott and Jane Dennis are going to be parents. Watch this space for further developments.
Charles Gilliland announced that, in the softball game held earlier in the day, he struck out Jack Heneghan.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:32.
Meeting of July 18, 1986 at Kent Bloom and Mary Morman's, President Michael Walsh presiding, Secretary Erica Van Dommelen taking minutes. The meeting was called to order at 9:07 p.m. Treasurer Steve Smith reported $5724.26 in the treasury.
COMMITTEES
Disclave 1986: Proceeds will be turned over to the club around September 1.
Entertainment Committee: Alexis Gilliland suggested a theatre party to see "Aliens." The motion was approved. Sign up at the First Friday meeting or call Doll. The party will be August 3rd and will cost $1 per person. WSFA will pay the balance.
Disclave 1987: Eva Whitley will run the Senior Prom (our own version, for all the fen who missed theirs). Gene Wolfe has sent a previously unpublished story for the program book.
Old Business: The attorney sent Michael Walsh a letter saying that all IRS and incorporation paperwork has been filed. He is now waited for word from the IRS on our tax standing; Maryland will probably follow the Fed's example.
Mary Morman brought up the subject of buying a WSFA poker table. After much discussion, the problems of cost, specific type, storage, and transportation were referred to a Poker Table Committee; Lee Smoire was appointed chairperson of the committee.
New Business: Erica Van Dommelen asked everyone to update their addresses and phone numbers on a copy of the most recent membership list.
Steve Smith is compiling a list of everything owned by WSFA. If you have any information on the existence or location of any of this stuff, please tell Steve.
Announcements: The Mad Engineer is now accepting art, reviews, and short fiction for its fourth issue. Tentative deadline is the third week of August. Please give submissions to the editor the first week in August or send to The Mad Engineer, c/o M. Hagen, [censored], Hyattsville, MD 20782. Telephone: 301 559-3690
Fran Friedman is looking for a ride to ConFederation. She will share expenses. Please call 301 922-6827.
The Unicon Committee is holding a Unicontinuity party at the Church of the Ascension in Silver Spring on July 26. Unicon will be held in 1987!
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40
NEW ADDRESS
Jane Wagner
[censored]
Somerville, MA 02144
617 776-7922
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Meeting of July 20, 1986 at Chris Callahan's, President Michael Walsh presiding, Secretary Erica Van Dommelen taking minutes. The meeting was called to order at 2:15 p.m.
Michael Walsh read a letter from WSFA's lawyer, saying essentially that everything is okay. Matters of fiscal year and membership rates are at the club's discretion.
Steve Smith has filed for a federal tax I.D. number for WSFA. WSFA and Disclave financial records will be sent to our accountant, Toni Smiley.
A list of topics the club needs to discuss and take action on in the near future was compiled.
Joe Mayhew gave a report on the negotiations with the Sheraton New Carrollton for Disclave 1987.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m.
AND NOW A FEW MORE WORDS FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.......
The WSFA executive committee is developing a list of topics we believe the club should think about for eventual discussion and voting. Here are the items we've come up with so far:
Bylaws: Some wording needs to be changed in view of our change in status as a corporation; it's mostly a matter of clarifying ambiguities and spelling out procedures already in practice.
Liability Insurance: Does the club itself (as opposed to Disclave) need insurance in case of an accident during a meeting or other official WSFA function? For example, if a writer should fall and break a vital typing finger.
Smoking Rules: Aside from individual homeowner rules, should the business portion only of the meetings be non-smoking? For example, the secretary has a low tolerance level and may have to leave a meeting and hand over recording to someone else if there is too much smoke. Some members who want to participate in the business part of the meeting have trouble doing so already because of this problem. Remember, we're talking about the business portion, not the much longer social part of the evening. Smoking then is not a problem, unless the hosts don't want it.
Child Supervision: There are a number of children appearing at meetings who are too big to be carried constantly, but too young to settle quietly with a book, game, or TV. Should their parents arrange for a volunteer (or volunteers) to babysit in a designated area, perhaps on a rotating basis?
Location for Special Meetings: Should WSFA arrange to rent a hall or hotel function room for certain meetings such as elections, which by their nature need extra space for large attendance? A larger space would alleviate the problem of smoke and sometimes unpleasant crowding at these meetings.
Other suggestions for discussion are welcome; see any club officer. If you want your suggestion to appear in the Journal, please give it to the secretary in writing, as usual.
38 YEARS AGO IN WSFA
August 1, 1948: Eleven members and three guests attended. The
treasury stood at $30.70; a book auction for the benefit of the
club raised $1.35. Edward E. Smith's "Triplanetary"
was reviewed by Mr. Loan, followed by a talk on the Lensman series by
Mr. Gillespie. The first issue of "Quanta," WSFA's first
fanzine, was distributed to the membership; 6 additional copies were
sold for a total of 50¢.
August 1, 1954 Executive Board meeting: The need for a new meeting place was discussed, as Frank Kerkhof was giving up his rooming house and leaving town. Dot Cole offered her apartment in North Arlington as a temporary meeting place.
August 1966: It was announced that Judith Merrill was freelance editor on science fiction for "Playboy."
The WSFA Journal is published monthly, by and for the members
of the Washington Science Fiction Association. This means that if you
want to read something besides minutes, you're going to have to write
it. Do so. Then send it ("it" being reviews, convention
reports, art, or anything else nonfictional and nonlibelous) to:
WSFA Journal
Erica Van Dommelen, Editor
2413 N. 11th St.
Arlington, VA 22201
If your material is typed up in columns exactly as wide as this one,
I'll be particularly grateful, because I hate typing almost as much
as I hate anchovies.
The Constitution and Bylaws of WSFA empower the Trustees to conduct the election of its mandated officers: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, the three Trustees and the Disclave Chairman. The Trustees are required to propose a slate of at least one candidate for each office to be filled at least one regularly scheduled business meeting prior to the scheduled election. Traditionally only one candidate has been proposed for each position. The purpose of that slate is to insure that one candidate will be available for each position. No candidate may be proposed by either the trustees or the voters without the consent of the nominated. No one who is not current in his dues can be nominated. Once the election has been opened no one may pay their dues until it is concluded.
The election meeting occurs after the regular meeting has concluded but without adjournment. The presiding officer turns the chair over to the Trustees, who will have designated a spokesperson and divided the other duties among themselves. A Trustee who knows he will not be able to be present, can designate a substitute, with the consent of the other trustees. If none is designated, or acceptable, the present trustees should appoint substitutes acceptable to the voting membership (no objection from the floor or a majority supporting). If no trustee is present or delegated, the President should submit names to perform the duties which are acceptable to the voters (as before).
Each officer is elected by separate ballot. If only candidate is nominated the trustees should ask if there is any objection to that candidate being certified for the office. If there is none, or if a majority of those voting approve, the candidate is elected.
If there are only two candidates, a written ballot is required but the voters should write in only one name. In the event of a tie, the vote must be repeated until the tie is broken, but with each ballot, new nominees can be added.
If there are three or more candidates, a written ballot is required. The voters should list those candidates they find acceptable for the office in the order in which they prefer them, numbering them. It is not desirable or necessary for a voter to list all of the candidates unless he would accept all of them for the office. Certification requires a majority, not a plurality. Thus one half plus one of those voting must be assigned to the winner. If no candidate has a majority at the first count, the votes received by the candidate receiving the fewest votes are re-assigned to the second name given on them. If two or more candidates tie for lowest place, they are all removed from the ballot and reassigned to the highest preference still in the race. Despite the second preference for one of the other removed candidates, the vote must be assigned to a candidate receiving more primary choice votes and who is therefore still in the running. The lowest candidates are dropped until one remains with a majority of the votes. If there are two candidates remaining tied without a majority, the votes for each candidate are scrutinized again. This time Candidate A's votes are assigned to Candidate B if Candidate B's name appears on the preferential list below A's name, and vs-vs. Usually that will break the tie as some number of the voters will not have listed both candidates. The winner of that run-off must have a majority. The votes for Candidate A which do not have Candidate B as a subsequent choice remain in Candidate A's count, and vs-vs. If the vote is still tied, a second ballot restricted to the two tied candidates is held. If the second ballot results in a tie, the trustees should refrain from voting on the third, in order to break the tie.
The Trustees are elected in three separate elections. All three candidates are proposed for each ballot (unless previously elected), likewise all nominees may remain on the slate until all three elections are concluded.
WSFA does not accept proxy ballots. A voter must be present to participate. The Trustees determine the acceptability of absent candidates for office.
<< TAKE THE CROSSTIME BUS TO WORLDCON! >>
A COMEDY FOR 11 VOICES BY JOE MAYHEW
LIVE PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 29th AT THE ATLANTA HILTON IN
SALONS D & E
6:00 PM
FEATURING:
Erica Van Dommelen as SATAN
Ray Ridenour as GOD
Alan Huff as VINSON PEASE
Virginia Vaughan-Nichols as DEAN LILLIAN ATHEARN
Walter Miles as ARTHUR DAGGETT
Bobby Gear as MARTHA NORTON
Steven Vaughan-Nichols as SIR KAY
Steven Fetheroff as SIR BEDEVERE
Joe Mayhew as SIR HECTOR
Marty Gear as MERLIN
Judy Newton as GWENEVERE