Appendix B: Member Programs

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Dinner Network for Education and Resources (Pilot)

A. Intention: The Dinner Network for Education and Resources (DinNER) is envisioned as a group of interested co-opers (“Member Education Facilitators”) from a wide range of units who are passionate about co-operative living and are willing to reach out to other members and share their general and BSC-specific knowledge and experience, as well as encourage members to articulate their own visions for their co-op. The intention behind the DinNER is to seed and support a positive cooperative culture by bringing members together to share knowledge and experience, and to catalyze the spread of knowledge among members and in between units in coordination with the management team of the house.

In addition to issues of cooperative living and culture, DinNER members should educate members they visit about the concrete resources available to them in their own house and the BSC as a whole. This includes, but is not limited to, identifying personnel in their houses and at the Central Level to answer questions about problems a member might have in their house.

The network will be piloted from Summer 2012 to Spring 2013, and will be considered for permanent implementation in Spring 2013. Before making a recommendation for continuing or discontinuing the program, the VPET should review the success of the program by collecting evaluations from the Cabinet members-at-large, the members of DinNER, house management involved in the program, as well as members who have participated in the program.


B. Composition:

The DinNER will be coordinated by the sitting Cabinet Members-At-Large.
The DinNER should consist of any and all interested BSC members, participating on a volunteer basis.
The members of the DinNER should expect to commit at least five evenings over the course of the semester either attending dinners or meeting as a group.
The members of the DinNER should be representative of the membership of the BSC at large, including a mix of members from large, medium, and small houses, and apartments, with an effort to reflect as much diversity as possible.
In the preceding semester, the incumbent Cabinet Members-At-Large will be responsible for publicizing the DinNER and recruiting members for the next semester’s team.
A note on composition: we recognize it is a little bit unusual to require outgoing officeholders to recruit and prepare the membership of the DinNER on behalf of their successors, but feel it is appropriate given the necessity of the DinNER to begin work as early as possible in any given contract period.


C. Logistics:

The members of the DinNER should plan to attend at least one dinner per week during the first two months of the semester.
The Cabinet Members-at-Large should contact the House Managers and establish with all the House Managers what they would like the role of the DinNER to be in their house.
It is the responsibility of the Cabinet Members-at-Large to coordinate the members of the team to ensure that houses are being visited appropriately.
Is is the responsibility of the members of the DinNER intending on visiting any particular house to communicate the logistics of their visit, including compensation for food, with that house’s House Manager.
Every two to three weeks (or as needed), the DinNER should convene as a whole to share their observations and plan further efforts to foster positive culture.


D. Role in the House:

The role of the members of the DinNER during their visits is twofold: to encourage dialogue and the sharing of ideas about cooperative living, as well as share BSC-specific information that may not have been adequately conveyed during other orientations.
The DinNER is not intended to serve any prescriptive role of dictating how houses should be run, as much as actively helping members decide this for themselves.
While members of the DinNER may attend councils at other houses, they should be discouraged from participating (in the context of their role on the DinNER).
Members of the DinNER may engage in dialogue as they prefer, but are encouraged to draw upon the suggested topics included in the “DinNER Manual.”
The DinNER will also be available to house members for guidance in addressing conflicts and creating a comfortable house environment for the membership.

Twin Pines Award (Pilot)

A. Intention The Twin Pines Award is meant to provide a fun, engaging, educational, and social incentive to encourage new members to venture outside the boundaries of their house or apartment and familiarize themselves with the happenings and workings of the larger BSC community. The program will be piloted from Summer 2012 to Spring 2013, and will be considered for permanent implementation in Spring 2013.

B. Program Structure

1. All new members will receive an activity card along with their Owner’s Manual. The activity cards will include a list of eligible activities (described below in section C).
2. During the course of their first semester, members may progress towards the award by participating in any of the qualifying activities listed on the card.
3. When attending any of the qualifying activities, the new members are responsible for ensuring that the appropriate individual (indicated on the activity card) signs the card to verify their participation.
4. Once members complete at least six (6) of the activities on the card, they may submit the card to one of the receptionists at the BSC’s Central Office. The receptionist should store the card for future use in determining unit participation.
5. Upon receipt of a completed activity card, the receptionist will give the member their award, and the member will become eligible for any further prizes The awards will be kept by the Central Office front desk (or in an alternative readily accessible location).
6. The cards should be kept at the Central Office. At the end of the Fall and Spring contract periods, the units with the highest percentage of new members completing the award program (divided into Small, Medium, and Large units) should receive additional recognition, as determined by ETCom.

C. Qualifying Activities

Every activity on the card should include the name of the activity, any necessary instructions to complete the activity, and space for a qualified individual to verify the member’s participation (by providing the date, and their signature and email address). The activities are defined below:

“Go to your Central Level New Member Orientation” (Verifiable by the Member Resources Supervisor)
“Go to your first social event at your co-op.” (Verifiable by your Social Manager or House Manager)
“Go to at least two councils at your co-op.” (Verifiable by your unit President or House Manager)
“Go to a manager meeting at your co-op.” (Verifiable by your unit President or House Manager)
“Don’t get more than five hours behind in your workshift for your first twelve weeks.” (Verifiable by your Workshift Manager)
“Go to dinner at two other houses.” (Verifiable by any manager at the other house)
“Go on your first tour of the Central Office.” (Verifiable by any of the Central Office staff)
“Go to your first workshop anywhere in the BSC (Such as a CAW or Consent Workshop).” (Verifiable by a manager at the unit the workshop is taking place)
“Go to your first Board meeting.” (Verifiable by the BSC President.)
“Go to a meeting of one of Board’s committees.” (Verifiable by the chair of the committee.)
“Free activity. This can be whatever you like.” (Include a short reflection on the activity.)

D. Incentive Structure

1. Upon turning in an activity card with least six (6) completed activities, the member should receive an immediate, small reward. (the titular “Twin Pines Award”).
a. The reward(s) should be unique to the program, featuring the “Twin Pines” logo.
b. The reward design is up to the discretion of ETCom (pending available resources), but may take the form of stickers, water bottles, t-shirts, etc.
2. No sooner than week 13 of the contract period, ETCom should collect all the activity cards completed thus far in the semester, and award additional prizes via a raffle system. Members who completed between six (6) and nine (9) activities will receive one entry into the raffle.
a. Members who completed ten (10) activities will receive two entries into the raffle.
b. Members who completed more than ten (10) activities will receive three entries into the raffle.
c. ETCom will randomly draw the prize winners. The prize details are up to the discretion of ETCom (pending available resources), but may take the form of rent credit, gift certificates, etc. The prizes and awards should be publicized as early as possible in the contract period to maximize exposure and interest.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

1. The Education and Training committee is responsible for ensuring the appropriate design and revision of the cards and the award components, as well administering the raffle.
2. During Manager Trainings at the beginning of the semester, the Members Resources Supervisor should make sure to introduce the program and briefly review the responsibilities managers have towards verifying member participation.
3. The Member Resources Supervisor will be responsible for ensuring that an adequate supply of both the activity cards and the awards are available on hand, re-stocking as necessary.

[Board Approved 04/26/12;]