January 2010 meeting was called to order at The Orchid, Metuchen. Present: Barbara Reed, Acting President; Jane Primerano, Treasurer; Board members: Ron Miskoff; Guy Baehr; Eli Holtzman; Frances Burns

1. President's report -- Barbara Reed Barbara suggests posting pictures of contest winners on the chapter Website. ID is needed on all pictures. It was suggested to using links to winning entries, also putting the pictures on Facebook, with the links there. She also wants an e-mail blast every week from now until the contest deadline, reminding people about the contest.
2. No treasurer's report.
3. Jane Primerano reported on the regional conference, April 9 and 10, New York City. Attendees can stay in the New Yorker Hotel,the official conference hotel, but events will take place at CUNY in midtown. The registration cost is $175 for professionals and $150 for students. New Jersey will provide bags for the conference. New York also expects us to kick in $1,600, which we will presumably get back. Jane outlined the proposed panels, including a two-parter on jobs being organized by Jerry Dunphy and Sri Srinevassanon on blogs.
4. The Contest New Jersey is exchanging entries with the Connecticut and Pittsburgh chapters. Guy urged sending entries by registered mail, UPS or Fed Ex to avoid problems with packages getting lost in the mail. It was suggested that Ron and Sue write notes with the email blasts, talking about how the contest is structured, that one does not need to be a member to submit, that no fancy binders should be used with the entries as they are thrown out, and how the contest works, i.e., judged by judges from other, out-of-state SPJ chapters. Another thought was to highlight the Barto, Awbrey and O'Brien awards.
5. Discussion occurred about planning an event in May that would combine saying farewell to Guy Baehr as he moves his life to the Caribbean and celebrating the chapter's 50^th anniversary, inviting all former presidents still in the vicinity. Suggested venues include the Rutgers Faculty Club and the Main Street Trattoria (which opens for private parties on Sundays.) Barbara to make some calls. Ron will handle invitations.
6. Memorial for Martin O'Shea was discussed. Ron will write something for the SPJ Website.
7. A program will take place at Rutgers in early March on online sources. It will be a workshop.
8. It was decided to ask if the type size on the Website could be increased by one size for ease of reading.
9. Ron announced that FOG is considering hiring an administrator, who could also fund-raise for the organization.A consequence would be that our dues to be organization must be raised. SPJ could contribute $1-2,000.

Meeting adjourned about 8:45. Frances Burns, secretary.

December 2009 meeting was called to order after 7 p.m. at The Orchid, Metuchen. Present: Guy Baehr, Fran Burns, David Levitt, Ron Miskoff, Barbara Reed

1. Fran was thanked for the minutes, and it was decided that minutes would be sent to the website, through Cindy Walker, within two weeks after the meeting, also announcing the next meeting date.
2. Jane Primerano sent a treasurer’s report: We have about $15,000 available.
3. The contest for 2010: Walter O’Brien’s report was circulated. He is ready to send the brochure to Cindy for the website and may have already done so. Walter needs to use the national list fro NJ and needs the online access code to get to it. Guy said he could use Guy’s code, etc. The print version of the brochure is at the printers, and the postal list will go to the mailers Monday. He wants to send an email blast—and
   asks for the best time to do it.
   Discussion occurred about when the optimum times would be. The decision was to send the brochure to printer during Christmas week, at the latest, and mail it out by first week of January, at the latest. An e-mail blast should occur during first week of January, and more as well. Walter will retrieve the excess copies from the printers in Piscataway. Barbara will
   ask Robert Bugai if he will distribute them to newsrooms, as he has done before. Also, all entries for all categories in the contest should go to Marsha Bergman.
   Sue Livio sent her report. She was pleased that the print version is at the printer and the e-mail blast is in the works for the early part of January. Sue asked Keystone (PA) and Connecticut SPJ chapters to swap entries with us next year.
4. Program maybe for first week in March, possibly at Rutgers. Robert Bugai has an excellent person named Heatherington, and we can ask Sree Sreenivasen of Columbia (and Channel 7) to appear also. May mean spending money for the speakers.
5. Party for Guy Baehr on his move to the Dominican Republic will take place, but he prefers an “intimate” kind of party. Venues were discussed. Possibly the Rutgers Club, upstairs, would be appropriate, especially since Guy will be inviting people from Rutgers, possibly to take place during the last week of January. David Levitt was selected as a kind of “This-is your-life” moderator.
6. Possible tribute to Martin O’Shea, who died this week, with FOG members as well. Maybe a March event. Ron Miskoff, president of FOG, told of a special FOG fundraising occasion honoring John Farmer, now dean at Rutgers Law School. We may become involved with that. It is extra-special as his father was with the Star-Ledger. Ron Miskoff thought we should be involved in the O’Shea death announcement by putting a box on our website about it; he will write an appropriate notice for the website. Also, we should be involved in paying for a better-than-normal death notice. Others agreed these actions should occur.
7. Discussion took place about an idea Fran Burns had about checkbook journalism. This was discussed briefly but will be revisited at the next meeting.
8. The Region One conference, to be in NYC in April, was discussed for a long time, and various people had ideas for programs there. Jane Primerano has an idea about covering trauma, and she weighed in via phone. David Levitt thought we should get media analysts such as John Morton and the person heading the Knight News Challenge. Ron Miskoff spoke of “New Media on a Budget “ for the regional. Possible speakers are someone from The Patch (by AOL), new journalism graduates, unconventional graduates doing journalism unconventionally. David Levitt chimed in with “What are the new niches?” Future must show savvy folks, it was agreed. He also spoke of Mark Pitman(?) of Bloomberg, a reporter most responsible for the word “sub-prime” and showing the movie, “American Casino” at the conference with a panel to discuss the movie.

Meeting was adjourned by Acting President Barbara Reed at 9 p.m. Next meeting: Monday, January 18, 6:30, The Orchid.

Meeting at The Orchid, Metuchen on Nov. 15, 2009. Present: Barbara Reed, acting president; Sue Livio; Seth Mandel; David Levitt'; Eli Holtzman; Ron Miskoff: Frances Burns From Middlesex County College: Professor Melissa Edwards; students Tatiana Smith; Phillip Vazquz; Hector Bonilla.

1. Acting President's Report: Barbara arranged for chapter to co-sponsor and attended a panel on Race and Ethnicity at the Newark Museum. It was an excellent discussion with high-profile speakers, including the historian Eric Foner.
2. In the absence of the treasurer, no treasurer's report.
3. Barbara suggests organizing a workshop like the one done by the Western Washington chapter on finding information on line. Suggested people include Joe Tyrrell, Sri Vanyan (spelling?) from Columbia, who is probably unwilling to travel to New Jersey.
4. Discussion of holiday party in honor of departing board member or of some sort of get-together with Harvey Fisher for belated celebration of 50th anniversary. Put off until New Year.
5. Rutgers student chapter holding an event Nov. 18.
6. Middlesex County College urged to start a student chapter.
7. Next meeting Sunday, Dec. 13 at the Orchid.