Conejo Valley Student Commission (CVSC)
Meeting Minutes —January 14, 2017
• Location: Westlake Village Civic Center, Large Community Room (31200 Oak Crest Drive, Westlake Village, CA 91361)
• Date: January 14, 2017
• Time: 2 p.m. — 4 p.m.
• Absentees: Tian Ye, Katelin Zhou, Evelyn Zhai, Alyssa Li, Matthew R. Wimberley, Andrew Yang, Kyle Lee, Connie Ni
• Meeting Minute Recorders: Victor Zhou, Michelle Chen
1. Opening: Benjamin Yang (Chair)
I. For its new term, the CVSC will be opening officer positions again. For more information, refer to “CVSC Business” delivered by Andy Jin below.
II. With regards to CCCA membership, a projected goal is to enlist more members. Existing members should consider inviting their siblings to join the organization.
III. Kevin Chen will produce a video to advertise the 2017 Chinese New Year Performance.
2. Supervisor’s Welcome: Wen Chien (Supervisor)
I. This monthly meeting will feature a new activity: the Think Tank Talk. Student commissioner and Civic Engagement Liaison Katelin Zhou, who has previously encouraged youth in the Asian community to involve themselves in the most recent presidential election, first suggested the activity.
II. The January session of “TTT” will discuss the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution.
III. Sessions will continue in the meetings to follow. Students are encouraged to participate in each with adequate research, an eloquent voice, and an open mind.
3. CVSC Business: Andy Jin (Co-Chair)
I. Officer positions —Chair, co-chair, secretary, and treasurer —are now open again.
II. Prospective applicants must email Wen Chien with a statement of interest, including the position they will run for and the reasons for their doing so.
III. New positions this year include the Social Media Director and the Civic Engagement Liaison. Currently, they are occupied by Kevin Chen and Katelin Zhou.
IV. The deadline for all applications is January 31, 2017.
4. Social Media Project Report: Kevin Chen (Social Media Director)
I. A meeting was held last Saturday to initiate the project. New plans and ideas were discussed for the new year.
II. The primary objectives of this social media project are to (1) appeal to audiences and (2) garner a large amount of monthly active users.
III. All three accounts — Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter — have been opened. Those in charge of each will seek to gather a larger audience through more followers, and improve the SEO of each page so that the CVSC’s social media will be included in Google search results.
IV. Everyone can contribute to advertising for the CVSC. To get involved, one may, for example, attend a Social Media Instructional Clinic, which educates parents on how to use social media.
V. Kevin Chen is currently working on a video that will advertise the 2017 Chinese New Year performance. It should be professional so that it may be displayed at local high schools via video or audio announcements.
5. Guest Speaker Presentation / Radio Talk: Howie Yu (1300 AM)
I. This month’s guest speaker is Howie Yu, a radio host on 1300 AM.
II. He gave three tips to the students: (1) it is never too late to do something for your community; (2) community service is less about ability and more about the extent to which you want to help your community; and (3) people will inevitably degrade your work, but this is an obstacle that is as realistic as it is beneficial.
III. The next open slot on 1300 AM will be on February 2, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. The student commissioners will choose the topic and decide whether or not to allow call-ins. Those who speak Mandarin Chinese are preferred.
A. Preferred topics include news stories (especially those that have currency, prominence, etc.) and scientific subjects.
IV. Demographics for this radio show in particular include people who (1) have lived in Asian countries for a considerable amount of time; (2) are aged 20-70 years old; and (3) are educated in English and Chinese.
6. Status Report on Website: Victor Zhou (Webmaster)
I. Webmaster Victor Zhou is confident in the website’s current and future success.
II. He is considering relocating the CVSC to a separate website so that it may be found more easily.
7. CVSC Logo: Ruby Liu (Guest Participant)
I. Currently, the CVSC logo that Ruby has created represents the commission as a bird soaring toward the future.
II. It is suggested that the logo should be further universalized, simplified, and made to accurately depict the commission’s mission and vision statements.
A. Because the purpose of a logo is to publicize the CVSC’s name and mission statement, the name should also be made more visible.
B. Additionally, “less is more” — a simple design is preferred.
C. The bird might be designed to fly toward the sun instead, enduring obstacles and hardship alike with determination.
D. Color schemes should also be considered in a redesign.
8. 2017 Chinese New Year Celebration: Benjamin Yang (Chair)
I. The projected goal of the Student Commission is to sell at least 50 student tickets.
A. They are sold at fifteen dollars each, and it is proposed —but not imposed —for students to distribute them throughout their respective schools (Westlake, Newbury, Oak Park, etc.), along with flyers advertising the event.
B. The tickets can be sold in groups so that buyers will be able to sit next to their friends, family, etc.
C. Students should focus on reaching out to people who have not heard of the CVSC program, but would potentially be interested.
II. Kevin Chen is working on a video to advertise this event. See above for more details.
III. The performance is schedule for February 18th, three weeks from now.
IV. If students have not yet sold a ticket by February 4th, it is recommended that they return the stack to Thousand Oaks Chinese School under the CVSC’s name. By the time February 11th arrives, students are required to return their unsold tickets to Ben’s family.
9. Think Tank Talk #1 / Second Amendment: Lana Shiu (Advisor)
I. The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment reads, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
II. Students were called on one by one to share their thoughts and opinions regarding this constitutional law of the land. While some believed that the Second Amendment allowed citizens the means to defend themselves in times of strife — thus arguing that gun control unfairly restricted the rights of U.S. citizens — others advocated against this amendment and for gun control, citing incidents of school shootings and unjust violence as evidence.
A. Overall, many students found common ground in stricter background checks.
III. After every student had spoken, attendees of the meeting voted on the top three speakers.
A. The winners (in no particular order) were Benjamin Yang, Michelle Chen, and Andy Jin. All three received prizes for their eloquent participation.
10. Closing Remarks: Lana Shiu (Advisor), Irwin Ke (CCCA Liaison)
I. As a naval officer, Lana Shiu has her own beliefs regarding guns. She is familiar with their use, and thus has the knowledge, skills, and expertise to qualify such opinions.
A. She called on parents and other attendees to share any last-minute opinions.
II. CCCA Liaison Irwin Ke reminded the student commission of their origins within the CCCA, so as not to forget the objectives of the parent organization in planning future events and conducting future procedures.