BUTEX OGM 2006
11th July 2006
University of Durham (Butex Conference)
Members Meeting
Present: Erica Arthur (Keele), Paul Beavitt (Leicester), Donna Beckington (Queen’s University Belfast), Angela Bingley (Sheffield), Anja Bleidorn (Durham), Sarah Bloor (Manchester), Paul Clark (St Martins College Lancaster) Alison Cooper (Kingston), Tony Emmerson (Ulster), Lynn Baird (Essex), Jo Hagerty (Stirling), Jennifer Hales (London Met), Jenny Gonzalez-Hogg (Manchester), Allison Handley (Strathclyde), Elizabeth Harris (Leeds), Rachel Jessop (Nottingham), Helen Johnson (Warwick), Angela Jones (Swansea), Hazel Lander (Kent), Colette McGowan (Glasgow), Toby Moseley (Middlesex) David Moulds (York St John’s), Tory Ribar (Bristol), Andrea Schwedler (Bournemouth), Rob Seal (Leeds), Liz Simpson (Leeds), Emily Sinclair (Sussex), Ian Thompson (Glasgow), Val Vassallo (Roehampton), Natasa Vukadinovic (Oxford Brookes), Jane Wallis (Westminster), Caroline Whitehand (Manchester), Anne Worth (Exeter).
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1 The Next Butex Executive
· Elections date due in October
· Nomination forms to be sent out 4 weeks prior to all members.
· The handover is to be in December or January after the AGM.
· Elizabeth Harris mentioned that interested members to contact her prior to application.
2 2008 Conference
· There was a call for tenders to host the next Conference in 2008.
· Good opportunity to showcase your University to international partners.
· Again, Elizabeth Harris can be contacted formally or informally about this.
· Bids are expected by 30th October.
· Ian Thompson suggested Ireland as a possibility, as previous Conferences have been held in England, Scotland and Wales.
· Tony Emmerson that in this case the Conference would have to be delayed by a week to avoid the 12th July processions (bad traffic).
· Have to be aware of a conflict with UKCOSA also (although Butex usually sets the date first anyway).
3 NAFSA
· It was felt that the double booth worked well, and that it was a successful meeting space.
· It was also felt that the Reception went well. Security was less of an issue and the overall atmosphere was more relaxed.
· Ian Thompson commented that the venue was excellent, and that the canapés were a nice touch.
· Elizabeth Harris said that Butex contributed a great deal of money to it and that we put more pressure on to provide less food and more drink, due to the timing of the event.
· Angela Bingley commented that the door was a lot better, the Britpop soundtrack worked well, and that the ticket system (giving them out on the day/day before) was a good formula.
4 Communications
· The necessity of the Directory was brought into question, due to time and money spent. Is the web a better medium for this?
· There was a request for an email survey/feedback from those it’s sent to, in order to assess its usability.
· Elizabeth Harris said that there is a rather archaic list in existence, which has been passed down through the Exec.
· There are, however, another 3000 or so institutions to contact, and that Petersons could have that information available (2+2 institutions for example).
· Toby Moseley requested that all members be emailed to gather opinion.
· David Killick mentioned that it’s a bonus to have literature on shelves at our partners, with a choice of institutions in an easily manageable place.
· Anja Funston wondered if people might visit the British Council website over our own.
· Caroline Whitehand mentioned that the searchable database needed a drastic update. Also, is the database set up in a way we are happy with (UG & PG)? She also commented that the web and the scholarships are the main drivers of Butex.
· Natasa Vukadinovic suggested that Butex pay someone to look after the site, as it’s an important factor that shouldn’t be overlooked.
· Elizabeth Harris requested a new list of members and posters to take to NAFSA next year.
· Paul Clark commented that Butex should consider smaller/thinner literature, as bulky items at NAFSA are mildly inconvenient.
· Anja Funston (SOAS) thought the Scholarship magnets went down well at NAFSA. She also mentioned that it might be a good idea to use money to get onto key websites, rather than pay someone to look after our website.
· Elizabeth Harris said that work usually takes longer if it is voluntary.
· Ian Thompson and Caroline Whitehand both agreed that the new Secretariat/Exec Member who deals with the web could enlist the free help of the PH.D student. All were in agreement.
· If we were to scrap the Directory, we could produce a leaflet for NAFSA and pay a web person.
5 BUTEX Scholarship
· Rob Seal noted that there were so far only 3 submissions for the Scholarship, and requested that members contact their partners. He also mentioned that some profiles were missing for last year’s winners, and could the members in question possibly get hold of text/photos for the site.
· Toby Moseley called for an independent person to assess the applications, and Tony Emmerson suggested that this may be an Associate Member (e.g. Michael Wolf).
· Caroline Whitehand thought that a lottery might be needed this first year, and Elizabeth Harris added that we need to at least short list the applicants, as we will want them to potentially be ambassadors.
· Anja Funston stated that the Scholarship has to be promoted well, as contacting our partners will raise the profile, and Caroline Whitehand suggested maybe introducing extra criteria next year, once we’ve assessed the success of this year’s Scholarship.
· It was mentioned that the Exec would decide on the best method of judging this year.
6 Subscriptions Pending
· Elizabeth Harris said she would chase those members with pending subscriptions.
7 Treasurer’s Report – Tony Emmerson
· There is a correction to be noted. It should say ‘Expenditure for NAFSA 2006’, rather than ‘2003’.
· The AGM was much less expensive in 2005 than in 2004.
· NAFSA – we have not yet paid for the expense of the British Reception.
· Bursaries – this figure includes some of last year’s bursary winners, as it was carried to this year.
· The Scholarships will come out of next year’s account.
· Website – there is more money to come off this figure, due to recent maintenance.
· Proposal – that the bank account is changed from Jordanstown to Coleraine, which due to travel will make the operation smoother and quicker. Signatories to be Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer.
· It was suggested that the membership fee be maintained at £400, but to maybe even decrease it by £50.
· This suggestion was countered by the possibility of keeping the membership fee the same, but instead decreasing the Conference fee by £50 instead, to try and attract more international interest.
Any Other Business:
1 There was a request for ideas on who the guest speaker should be for the AGM.
2 All agreed that the Good Enough Club was a good enough location for this year (apologies).
3 Ian Thompson put forward the notion that maybe the number of members on the Exec was insufficient, as larger numbers would make members more likely to take on the task of getting involved. He suggested creating working groups, with one person who was on the Exec in charge of each group.