UPAA Blog 2022-23 #9 - 12/22/22 (photos by Matt Cashore, text by Mark Carriveau, UPAA Board Secretary)
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Hello from the UPAA board! With the calendar year winding down we want to update the members on what we’ve been doing on your behalf.
We love to hear from you. Seriously! So please do participate in the surveys, but feel free to contact a board member whenever you have a question, concern or idea. We’re here to make the organization stronger for everyone.
In late September the board met mostly in person at Notre Dame for a two-day meeting. We planed logistics of the next Symposium, toured the Notre Dame campus, tolerated Matt Cashore’s jokes, and discussed the business of the UPAA organization. What have we heard from you all? Read on…
•First and foremost, we know as well as anyone that our business has a lot of weekend work. We heard from many people that they’d like a slightly shorter Symposium, so we’re not traveling on one of the few full weekends we get each year. The Board voted 7-1 to revise our symposium schedule to 4 days with an optional 5th day on the schedule at an extra price. The symposium will run from Monday through Thursday. The business meeting and awards banquet will be moved to Thursday. We’ll see how this goes this year and, as always, listen to member feedback on continuing the idea.
•UPAA of the 2020’s is bigger, more diverse, and does more and different visual storytelling than in the past. The Board started working on revisions to our organization bylaws that will better reflect how our organization has evolved over the decades. This important work continues during the board's monthly online meetings and will be ready for the membership to vote on at the next business meeting at the Symposium at Notre Dame in June.
•Student membership has grown enough to warrant an annual Student Photographer of the Year Award. The board discussed details and decided a monetary award in the amount of $250 would be especially beneficial to a student photographer.
•The Board voted 8-0 to look into the opportunity to offer our members the ability to purchase insurance for their personal equipment. Glenn contacted Molly Latone for more information. This plan would be paid by the individual. Glenn, Jason and Lyndsie will work together to develop a detailed list of member benefits to be added to the website.
•The Board voted 8-0 to charge corporate partners a $250 symposium fee. These fees would provide for the cost of meals and other symposium expenses per person.
Finally, here are the roles each board member will fill in 2023:
Your 2023 UPAA Board, left to right: Jason Halley, Lyndsie Schlink, Amanda Pitts, Derek Eckenroth, Mark Carriveau, Glenn Carpenter, Cyndey Scott (Not pictured: Nick Romanenko)
Glenn Carpenter - President and Web Chair
Cydney Scott - Vice-President and DEI Chair
Nick Romanenko - Treasurer
Mark Carriveau - Secretary
Jason Hailey - Communications Chair
Lyndsie Schlink - Membership Chair
Amanda Pitts - Corporate Partners Chair
Derek Eckenroth - Board Member At-Large
Thank you to all the members who participate in surveys and give us feedback to make UPAA better. See you at Notre Dame in June of 2023!
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"When surfers get together, is that considered a 'board meeting?'" Thanks for reading the UPAA Blog. The editor wants your critiques, suggestions and bad jokes! Email mcashore@nd.edu. And of course, follow UPAA on Instagram!