Columbia University EWB – Executive Board

MEETING AGENDA

February 14, 2010
In attendance: Sonal, Bruce, Kevin, Bethany, Lucy, Dhristie, Christen

Happy Valentine’s Day
1. Updates from PLs
- Program Decision on MCN (Millennium Campus Networks).

India-will assign one person to interact with MCN. They are on board with the idea of joining it.

Ghana-They don’t know who will be willing to be the point person. No one really responded when MCN was mentioned. Lucy will more directly address the question on Wednesday’s meeting.

Sonal-It makes sense if each program signs their own contract with MCN.

MCN: No real cons. It just takes up time to go to their meetings and network.

-Team Updates:

Uganda-Conference call with Peter Wall. Discussed water distribution project. Starting to prototype designs for first flush and distribution system. MFP: Got batteries in. Are going to begin testing.

Sonal: Prototyping. India got a contact from RIT, whose Senior design project is testing a smokeless stove.

Uganda-We are getting space in the Civil E lab.

2. Updates on Colorado Conference
10 people going right now. We are spending $2800 of our allocation to send them.
3. Debrief Meeting with Dr. Lambrech

Bruce: very useful advice from Dr. L for corporate Campaign. She could look over our materials and our letter to the companies. She’d be willing to look over anything that we want to send out.

Sonal: Her message was “How you present yourselves is very important.” Now Bruce is working on the brochure. Individual projects should make brochures: keep the same format as Bruce’s brochure.
- Task List

4. Debrief PM Meeting

Bethany, Sarah, Sonal, and the PM’s were in attendance.

Training sessions requested: CPR, PRA, Prototyping, Computer programs: water flow, data analysis, Business Plan, Soil. Need dynamic, interactive, technical, hands-on workshops. Preferably focusing on the countries that we work in.

How to raise money to reimburse the travel teams?

Currently, it’s whoever can afford to go, goes.

Programs want monthly budget statements!

Fund-raising Banquet: Everyone likes the idea!

But how would we get the companies to come?

i.Job fair: Probably not.

ii. Awesome guest speakers (professors and the Dean), and meeting EWB students: Excellent draw.

iii. How do Professors get funding? Many times, from corporations!

Have a preliminary meeting with all departments concerned: The dean, the alumni office, etc.

Be well-versed in our programs.

4. Analyze results from survey.
A. Is there a bias in that highly involved people answer the survey? How do you personally define “Very highly involved”?

B.The “Not well informed about the workings of my project” is probably weighed down by Uganda. They are working on better-informing their general membership.
C. Our CAD and GIS skills are very low.

D. Beyond Borders

i. E-Board’s Comments: Lucy-If we are trying to make it more like a conversation, it needs to be done differently. Sonal-To have a successful conversation, we need to have a more targeted audience. Dhristie-It was good that it was more open to everyone, because many people came and learned about EWB.

ii. Comments from Survey: We should have more structured presentations, with powerpoint.

E. We think the T-shirt idea is genius! Let’s get American Apparel. We can sell the t-shirts.

i. Special E-Board Apparal? Jackets, buttons, sweat-suits. I think we are kidding.

ii. Individual Project shirts? We need them for our conferences.

iii. Rough Quote for T-shirts: $12.50! Customink

5. Website

6. Emails
- Lilay Berhane: Working in South America. Alum.
- Hermann Mazard (Haiti Relief)
- Laura Taylor (TFA) : She wants to come to our meetings and present. Do programs want her to come and speak? Ghana: We have no graduating seniors. Tell her: if you are doing a larger presentation, we will advertise for you.

7. Poster for Conference

8. Business Cards

9. Corporate Campaign

Christen: Campaign last year was very polished, but the passion was lost from our presentation. We need to make sure to convey this when we meet with our companies.

Dhristie: When we send letters to our companies, can we send a photo? –Bruce: Well, we are sending a beautiful color brochure.

Lucy: Let’s talk to village copier about getting letterhead.

10. E-Week

We’re not doing any special EWB events for E-Week.