Minutes: 26th March 2010

STaG Executive Board Meeting

26^th March 2010

In attendance: H. Sloan, A. Blundell, R. Jones, P. Mannion.

Apologies: S. Gregson.

This is a general summary of discussion points.

1. Elections – There was consensus that we need to advertise the elections, i.e. make ourselves visible around campus, particularly in Theatre Studies. The Board should note that blurbs for your position should be worked on over the holiday. STaG will also hand out contact information for current board members, so that potential candidates will have an opportunity to discuss the roles they are interested in. It was suggested that we make it clear that people who are aboard this year know that they can run as well. People should declare their intentions in advance, as per last year. The STaG Picnic and Elections will be on Sunday, May 9^th, and all STaG Board members should be present.
2. Post-mortems – The Exec has agreed that it would be best practice to invite the director(s) of a production to the Post-mortem, to encourage discussion and further contact with the board. As the director, most of the time, will be on the board, this appears the fairest way to deal with the situation. We need to appear transparent and open to criticism, and feel able to critically discuss the production in front of the director. It was agreed that Post-mortems should take place on the same day as the Open Board Meeting, to allow and encourage people to come along. There was discussion of ensuring that a director knows that there will be a post-mortem of their show, and P. Mannion will put it in the Director’s Pack.
3. Board Rep – It was agreed that the guidelines for Board Rep were useful. It is important to treat each director in a similar way, even if it is a close friend. We need to encourage everyone to use their board rep. The Board Rep should not be making decisions on their own, but they should be flagging these issues with the board. Transparency is key in these situations. We are still in the process of shaping this role, and the work so far has been good.
4. Handover – All Board Members are expected to write a blurb for their position. At handover, meeting with your elected counterpart will be enforced, and you will need to explain how your role works and how the board works to them. It should be stressed that Board Members should make themselves available by email to their counterpart after handover is complete to ease the transition. It was suggested that we formalise the handover process, with each position having a folder of useful documents and notes that can be passed on through the years. There was more ‘chat’ of a STaG Wiki.
5. Ordinary Board – There was discussion the possibility of one of the Ord Board being attached to publicity. The publicity committee idea is still not functioning well, and it was suggested that it could be more of a directorial responsibility that is advised by the Publicity Officer. There needs to be more discussion of how to make this work.