CRCA MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Jan 26, 2021  1pm EST.

~216 registered for the call, 199 present 

1. Maddie Davis calls the meeting to order, Board Members introduce themselves
2. Committee Reports:
   1. Sustainability Committee – Sam Sarff, Dave Ringham, Bebe Bryans 
      1. Sam – Introduced all committee members
         1. Explained the purpose of the committee and the work that’s been done. Currently working on a few initiatives, 1-toolkits to strengthen programs and 2-assess vulnerability of a program.
      2. Dave – upcoming social media campaign
         1. How to support programs at risk of being cut, or prevent programs from being cut. Working to gather video testimonials- working to get a few in from SDSU  ( but realized they need to have more of a singular message) also with a lack of lawsuits in rowing, really trying to narrow in on the specific call to action. 
      3. Bebe – Everyone is in a position (all of our programs)  to be at Risk. The Official of Civil Rights can and will act against Title 9 violations- but ONLY when asked to step in.  It’s time for all of us as coaches to step up and protect what we have worked so hard to get. If a call goes out from our committee- please take action and help.. 
   2. DEI Committee – Paula Thoms, Gulliver Scott    
      1. Gulliver- CRCA DEI committee was started last summer, shortly after, Paula Thoms and Gulliver volunteered themselves to be Co-Chairs. Group has about 40-50 active members.  Wanted to lead off with their Mission Statement, Vision, and Org Chart for structure of the DEI Group, as three are 7 sub-committees.  (attachment 1)
      2.  Paula- subcommittees meet regularly, to work towards bringing lasting change within the rowing community. Two initiatives currently :
         1. Culture and Education: (El Hilton leads this group)  – Pilot Education Program-6 part education series,, launched last week, led by people in the group that have knowledge and allowing a space . Being piloted within the DEI committee first, with the hopes of bringing it to the entire membership.
            1. Three pillars in the education series- ( theory, reflection, and skill building) 
         2. Hiring and Retention Committee – Alyssa ODonnell-Resume Dropbox
      3. We think this is important b/c we are creating a space people can gather, learn and grow!  Next Steps: looking to the future, also working to  Collaboration with USRowing’s DEI committee and also starting to Build a social media presence.
   3. Legislative Committee – Jenn Langzettel  
      1. Erg “lending” – We received the official interpretation from the NCAA and it is a violation to lend or rent an erg to athletes during vacation periods.. It’s a piece of fitness equipment, not rowing equipment. However, there is a  COVID waiver that can be filed by institution or conference for athletes in quarantine. Stay tuned…. We are working with the NCAA to try to find a way to get this to work for vacation periods.  Reach out to Jenn if you have specific questions. 
      2. Reminder of Dead Period- until April 15th ( with that, you CANNOT set up tours!) You can educate them and provide info for who they contact, but cannot
         1. Current Student Athletes can contact prospects at direction of the coach, but remember it’s a CONTACT, no face to face at your direction. If a prospect does come to campus, they CANNOT have access to anything that is not open to the general student body (aka, BH, Athletic Facilities,etc). 
   4. Strategic Planning Committee – Meg Conan  
      1. Introduce the committee, Mike,, Liz, Patrick, Sheila, & Paula and Gulliver – our aim in undertaking this process is to clarify the values, mission and vision of the CRCA. The strategic plan will help guide us as we make decisions moving forward and also be more agile as an organization. 
      2. Overall Timeline, began the process at the beginning of the Fall; plan to be finished by the end of the summer.
      3. Have been approaching this- we want it to be as open and transparent as possible, we held a meeting in the fall and also added a question on the COVID survey.
      4. Next steps- sharing out those themes and planning some further engagement with the membership. Reach out at any time if you have input or would like to be further involved. 
   5. Polling – Derek Copeland 
      1. The Call for pollsters will be emailed next week -looking for representation from all conferences,regions etc. (same as last year- we will have a few non-coaches help evaluate and manage the process and help look for abnormalities.)  We usually do a PreSeason poll in February, ( once pollsters are picked- they will discuss if we’ll do so or not). 
   6. COVID Survey Summary– Kate Maxim  
      1. Shoutout to the entire committee who helped take the time to put this together and make this survey process work. 
      2. At the beginning, we wanted to track the “story” of rowing through COVID.  Specifically- wanted to gather information regarding Title 9 concerns and sustainability concerns, to help all of our programs be armed and have this information.  A more polished report will be sent out soon- It’ll contain the raw data, and 3 themes- what happened this fall, what the spring looks like, and future potential problem areas.  
   7. Awards- Ted Nagorsen 
      1. Will chair the Awards Committee Along with Tessa (who will help with D2/D3) if interested in getting involved, please email Ted directly. 
   8. Lightweight Committee – Lori Dauphiny 
      1. Call for committee members- Looking to build a group of committee members- any and all LWT coaches interested, please reach out to Lori directly. 
   9. Hall of Fame Committee – Jane LaRiviere  
      1. Would like to get a committee made, to help look at the nomination process, potentially edit and work on the selection of this award. Contact Jane Directly. 
   10. Social Media- Monica Whitehouse
       1. Hoping to get a lot of information out to the membership through instagram and twitter (@CRCA_Row). Reach out to Monica if you have any suggestions, or would like to be involved.
   11. Membership Committee – Jane LaRiviere / Sheila Rinozzi  
       1. Need an update on your program’s status for renewal ( please renew if able.  If not, or not racing- email Jane or Sheila to let us know)
3. USRowing, Level 2 Certification- Brett
   1. Continuing Level 2 certifications, virtually. Updating the sessions every time they run it. There are 2 February Dates and will be adding a March Date as well. 
4. Open for Questions……

Meeting Adjourned – 1:49pm