• Site Info: June 12, 2008 •
Esteemed readers,
This marks the last issue of my yearlong custodianship of this great periodical. It may also be the last of its precise kind; there are ambitious plans in the works. Tentative changes include melding the Reporter (in some form) with a weekly or biweekly email digest of ICC business, and perhaps moving this publication toward a more journalistic form, with articles on extra-cooperative members and ongoing projects. For example, there are a documentary and an art project going on at Black Elk, but because they did not have "announcements", only a few people knew. I am especially excited about this potential new turn, and would like to have had a hand in it. But so it goes.
The newsletter on your bathroom wall will probably disappear at least for the summer, and perhaps altogether, as we go increasingly online in order to help conserve resources. This site may also vanish, perhaps to reappear elsewhere in a more robust form. So keep an eye out for new bits of paper on your walls, new sections popping up on the ICC website, and a new writing style.
Godspeed,
Alex
The PDF version of this week's issue will be up tomorrow (Friday).
Full text for announcements on the back of the paper issue can be found on Page Two. (Non-ICC announcements are generally cut down for printing.) There are also other announcements that wouldn't fit. If you really want to be up on events, see the Links page for other sites with goings-on around campus (and further cooperative opportunities). You can also download PDFs of all issues since May 2007 on the Download Issues page.
As always, if you have submissions, or ideas for the newsletter or website, please send them to icc.reporter@umich.edu.
• ICC & NASCO Announcements •
Updating Fire Extinguishers
I just wanted to let everyone know that two guys from Elite Fire will be walking through the common areas of all ICC houses over the next couple weeks to update fire extinguishers. Their names are Mark and Ron. Let me know if you have any questions.
-Geoff
Something's Brewing at Truth House
I've heard that some fellow co-opers have expressed an interest in brewing beer. If you or anyone in your house are interested, you are welcome to stop by Truth house at 4:30 next Sunday (before the board meeting). We'll be making a light pale blackberry-flavored ale, and might be making another to-be-determined batch.
Let me know if you'd be interested,
Craig (Truth House)
ICC History Video
Hi all,
I didn't realize that our history video was on the ICC website. I just came across it today. If you haven't seen it, it's worth the 30 minutes. If you have seen it, you may want to watch it again, just to remember where we come from.
http://www.icc.coop/learn/history/
In cooperation,
Shannon M. Tubb – Director of Member Services
NASCO Institute Call for Proposals - DEADLINE EXTENDED to Friday, June 13
NASCO is an organization of student co-ops, of which the ICC is a member. Institute is a weekend where co-opers from all around the country convene in Ann Arbor to educate each other about the cooperative movement and share skills and ideas.We send many participants to NASCO Institute every year, and as the conference is right in town, it would be wonderful if some ICC-ers would be willing to run sessions.Please consider submitting a proposal if you're interested! If you're interested but would like suggestions or guidance, email the ICC Education Committee at icc.education@umich.edu . The deadline is June 6th. Thanks for helping out!
--Rebecca Wolf, ICC President
Dear Friends of NASCO,
NASCO is in search of presenters for the 2008 Cooperative Education and Training Institute, November 7-9 in Ann Arbor, MI.
This year's Institute, Land, Part 1: Grassroots Run Deep: Cooperating in the Struggle for Land Rights, will focus on the intersection of power, people, and rights to land and property. See more info below or here on what we're looking for!
The deadline to submit proposals is June 6, 2008.
Kate Sassoon, Institute Educational Coordinator
There are six kinds of proposals:
* Workshops
* Panel Discussions
* Films
* Caucuses
* Staff and Managers Track
* Tables
We are seeking proposals for sessions that will educate and engage our cooperative community in exploring the following questions:
* What role does cooperation play in supporting struggles for land rights?
* How does the cooperative movement function as an effective tool in the struggle for land rights?
* What are the connections between land use, human rights, economic power and development, and the cooperative movement?
* How do these topics fit into the larger struggle against globalization and economic colonialism?
This year's Institute will form the foundation for next year's continuing exploration of Land: Ecological Justice and Sustainability.
We're also seeking sessions in the following categories:
* Developing New Co-ops
* Housing Co-op Operations
o Labor
o Finance
o Marketing
o Governance
o Co-op History
o Member Education
o Kitchen Management
o Energy Saving Initiatives
o Facilitation & Conflict Resolution
* Social Justice, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Equality
* Workplace Democracy
* Community Health
* Community Organizing
To Submit a Proposal: www.nasco.coop/proposal
Questions? Suggestions? Contact Kate at kate@nasco.coop.
Tech Team Seeking Members
Dear ICC members:
The ICC Technology Team is looking for members! If you have interest or experience in technology issues and would like to help the ICC houses implement, upgrade and maintain internet connections, networks, guff computers and the like, please reply to this email as soon as possible to let me know. The Tech Team will meet regularly to discuss these issues and plan action steps. You and your house will get ICC office labor credit for the work you do on the team.
The number one project the Tech Team will be working on this summer is preparing for and implementing the new, standardized internet system recently passed by the Board. We have signed a contract with a new DSL provider to cover all our houses (except North Campus) starting in the fall, and we want to set up standardized in-house networks as well to make maintenance easier. (Those of you who were affiliated with the IPhFy/IPHY/Iffy team in the Winter semester, that group is being absorbed into the Tech Team now that the proposal has passed.)
Other than this, we'll be talking about what is the best role for the Tech Team to play in the ICC right now, so if you join us, you can help define the other projects and tasks we'll be working on. Below is the section from the Standing Rules defining the Tech Team and what it does. I'm looking forward to getting started!
Peace,
Adam Konner
Technology Chair
Inter-Cooperative Council
2.11 TECHNOLOGY TEAM
PURPOSE: The Technology Team shall:
A) Formulate Technology policy for recommendation to the ICC Board of Directors.
B) Administer the ICC Technology Fund with expertise and discretion.
C) Have the power to approve Technology loans.
D) Change and amend the Technology Policy Manual.
E) Create and submit to the Finance Committee by February 15 an ICC Technology Budget for the next fiscal year.
F) Review the Maintenance staff’s inspection reports for technology issues.
G) Maintain office computers along with tech support staff.
STRUCTURE: The ICC Technology Team shall be composed of:
A) The Technology Team chair, who shall:
1) Have the power to call meetings of the ICC Technology Team.
2) Have the responsibility of drawing up the agenda for each meeting of the Team.
B) The ICC Staff Technology liaison, appointed by the General Manager, who shall act as an advisor and shall have the power to call meetings of the ICC Technology Team.
C) Members (board members or members at large) appointed to the committee by the
Coordinating Committee who shall assume full voting privileges.
D) The webmaster(s).
Community-Supported Agriculture
Greetings, fellow co-opers!
EdComm is working on possibly having a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share this summer and fall. This would include having a work holiday or two where we would have interested members work on a farm in exchange for home grown (hopefully organic) produce for each involved house. We're in the process of looking for participating farms in the area, and we're curious as to how many houses would be interested in doing this. Please respond if you think you have members in your house that would be interested in being involved. For more information on CSA, please visit this nifty Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_supported_agriculture
Thanks!
In co-operation,
Chelsea Brown
Owen House
ICC Email List Committee
Frustrated by the way email communication works in the ICC?
Want to do something about it?
Know how to create and manage moderated, spam-free email lists?
Join the ICC Email List Committee!
We are seeking members with relevant knowledge and experience to research and (with the Board of Directors’ approval) implement a moderated, limited-use and spam-free ICC-wide email list for disseminating necessary information to the entire membership.
If you're interested, email rwolf@umich.edu with your name, house, experience, and qualifications. Members of the committee must be approved by CoCo, and will receive office labor credit for their house.
Thanks in advance for your interest and your help!
Rebecca Wolf
Summer Contracts Still Available
You can still sign a contract for Summer Term (6/22 - 8/18/08). Short-term contracts may be available; contact the Member Services staff at 734.662.4414 x100 or info@icc.coop. Submit an application today at www.icc.coop!
DivCom: PEACE Award
Passionate, Engaged, Active Co-opers are at work in communities Everywhere!
The ICC Diversity Committee wants to acknowledge our Co-opers’ hard work in the
various communities that we are a part of. Please nominate yourself or your fellow Co-opers for monthly P.E.A.C.E. recognition! Send us your nomination’s name, house, and why they deserve PEACE recognition! Email us at icc.diversity@umich.edu.
Love,
your Diversity Committee
Do you see discrimination in the ICC?
Concerned with prejudicial or discriminatory behavior (classism, racism, homophobia, sexism, etc.) in your house or the ICC? Contact the Diversity Committee for these or related issues at icc.discriminationcomplaint@umich.edu.
• Pinecones •
Pinecones from the ICC Board
To Mindy Steffan, Work Manager at Mich House. Achieves a good balance of firmness and friendliness; house looks really good.
To Egypt Covington, In-house president of Nakamura. Good reaction to the possible priority status of Nakamura.
To Devo: New boiler at Lester.
To Debby and Damian at Black Elk: The only two who helped Dani in the kitchen; and to Debby for coming to the board meeting.
To Shreyank Muralidhara: notifying those who received pinecones at the last meeting.
To Jim Jones: made a donation of two plants to Baker.
To Leigh Pillars: Linder Work Manager, because the house is stunning
To Audra Puchalski, food steward at Linder: food is healthy and good
To Aubrey diCuna: Rock Climbing Wall is awesome.
To Stefan Rozel: International student at Ruths' who fixed the Guff computer so that it now has internet.
To John Baker from Linder: helped with Truth's rock wall.
To Dani Schumacher, Out-of-House President from Black Elk, for handling house drama
The Inter-Cooperative Council – 337 E. William Street – Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 9am - 12pm, 1 - 4pm. Closed on Tuesday; afternoons by appointment.
For a contract appointment: (734) 662-4414 x100
