Opening:
The meeting was called to order by Aaron Yoshinobu, RJA President, who welcomed Dale Stieber as the new RJA Treasurer and thanked Charlie Rodewald for his service as Treasurer.
Attending:
Gere diZegera, Scott Einhorn, Tim Hunt, Dan Jensen, Jim Karman, Allen Mears, Charlie Rodewald, John Sanders, Dale Stieber, Josie Turner, and Aaron Yoshinobu
Minutes:
The minutes were moved for approval, seconded, and approved.
Treasurer’s Report (Dale Stieber, Treasurer):
- A quick overview of Dale the transition of accounts and records from Charlie to her.
- Annual dues revenue is on the order of $3,850 and adequate to cover RJA’s operational expenses (accounting costs, web site hosting, etc.)
- RJA has a budgetary surplus of approximately $15,000 that has accrued from donations, revenue from Lifetime Memberships that can be invested in future programming.
- RJA has 141 members, defined as those who have paid dues at least once within the past five years.
In the discussion that followed, the need to increase the percentage of members paying dues regularly and strategies for doing so were discussed. The pros and cons of creating a roster of members that included the relevant interests in Jeffers and in RJA programs and projects was discussed. The possibility of reviewing our dues structure was also raised.
Program Report (Tim Hunt, Executive Director):
- RJA has committed to processing the back issues of Jeffers Studies and Robinson Jeffers Newsletter so that they can be made available through ProQuest. This will integrate the content into most all college and university journal collections and make the content keyword searchable. We are considering allocating some of our funding surplus to provide some of the labor needed to make this happen.
- The print/subscription model is no longer working for Jeffers Studies and it is recommended that we switch the journal to an open access digital model with print copies available print on demand for those who want them.
- Minor tweaks to the RJA website has replaced content that had been posted without copyright clearance and improved navigation. The site is still in need additional content.
- RJA’s experiments with online program sessions have demonstrated the viability this mode of programming. How many sessions we can manage and the right mix of formats and occasions is still to be determined.
The discussion that followed included an extended exchange about the pros and cons of using RJA funding (whether drawing on annual dues revenue, current RJA surplus, or some combination of the two) to offset the cost of traveling to an in-person conference in Carmel, using funding to enable members to present on Jeffers at national conferences, and/or using funding to support travel for archival research. The need to formalize whatever strategies are adopted and to publicize them was emphasized.
Action items identified included:
- Organizing/presenting a zoom-delivered roundtable on Tamar & Other Poems to mark the centennial of this collection’s publication
- The need to recruit an editor for Jeffers Studies and staff the journal so that publication can be resumed
- Focusing at least some of RJA’s 2025 programming on Roan Stallion, Tamar & Other Poems to mark the centennial of its publication
Adjournment:
The 90 minute meeting was adjourned by President Yoshinobu