July 10, 2005 – WSBT Quarterly Conference Call Minutes – Documents Archive for Cocaine Anonymous

WSBT QUARTERLY CONFERENCE CALL MINUTES

July 10, 2005

Open with moment of silence followed by Serenity Prayer 1:09pm
Roll call

Present:

Absent:

Teri Knight Atlantic South Regional Trustee Chair

Acting Chair’s opening remarks

Apologize for not being active the past couple of weeks, commit to have the online agenda out very shortly; we need to make efficient use of the remaining time before the quarterly and address as many items from the online agenda as possible.

CAWS Convention updates:

a) CAWS 2006 (Jay)

All going well
The steering and general committees are meeting monthly.
Registration forms are out and outreach is continuing
The first pre – convention newsletter is being finalized
The committee is selling shirts too as a fundraiser
They will also have a meeting with Patty sometime this fall
They are finalizing their budget to submit to the WS Conference for approval

Question –is Texas Area Service as host of 2006 now caught up for the time schedules and check points? Answer, yes and we thank them for scrambling and getting fully up to speed.

b) CAWS 2007 (Tony)

No activity until two weeks ago –MWRT has started getting calls from 2007 Committee members and from the Missouri fellowship –with questions of how to remove the Host

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Committee Chair –the concerns center around challenges re communication, competency and follow up.

There is not a lot of guidance on removal of any convention committee servant in the WSCCC guidelines – there is a meeting on the 17^th July and the MWRT will be on the call and maybe someone from the WSOB.

Question – is it possible for MWRT to attend the meeting? Answer: It may be too costly to the fellowship, will check it out; MWRT will be on the call at a minimum.

MWRT- some on the Committee may request a vote of no confidence, and then ask for the Chair to step down and then that would save the difficult process of removing the Chair. MWRT will follow up with the Chair and share with her the fact of her right to appeal and action. MWRT will also follow up and communicate with the WSCCC Chair.

c) CAWS 2008 (Cynthia)

Continuing to get good communication; they need to get the minutes approved from the last Steering Committee Meeting and may do so on-line; may be some developments on the hotel front, John is aware of the dynamic, more to come over the summer, both the Hilton and Marriott are involved now, planning to meet two weeks before the Conference, Cynthia will be there at a campout before this meeting, want to get contract done before John rotates out. The committee may prefer the Marriott. John (WST) can move fast after the host committee selects its preferred hotel. Another fundraiser is being planned with the help of the Utah area.

OLD BUSINESS

LCF story review (Cynthia)
- Motion passed at May quarterly that the WSBT read all 16 stories currently at point 7 and be prepared to discuss their approval in our July 10^th conference call

Stories to be approved by WSBT per Point 7 of the 12 Point Literature Approval Process (“After the draft is approved by the World Service Conference Literature, Chips & Format Committee, it then goes to the World Service Board of Trustees to ensure that there are neither Traditions violations nor concerns that might affect Cocaine Anonymous as a whole.”): #111, #120, #174, #176, #315, #319, #404, #406, #412, #418, #421, #429, #434, #441, #443, and #446

Everyone on WSBT has read all of the stories

The stories have been first cut grammatically corrected and edited by the LCF sub-committee and will still be edited by professional editing after the requisite approvals.

Discussion about prime time standard of editing – what should remain in terms of profanity – discussion of keeping flavor of the story even if changed graphic language; also discussion about using native language from where the story came from; some discussion

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on the stories being detailed enough still such that some of us might know the author- this is an anonymity issue/concern.

Further discussion of profanity and level of expression – how does this fly across the regions of our fellowship and even for schools and libraries – there may be concerns of who gets and sells our books with or without the possible profanity – do we lose sales if the profanity remains? Comment: As principal financial planners, we need to ask and obtain an answer to this question — if the story book is too edgy do we lose readership and potentially fail therefore at reaching those we want to reach? The time to resolve the profanity is now versus after professional editing.

Motion to approve the stories as submitted with a recommendation that the issue of profanity be investigated as to how it may transmit regionally and internationally and how it may impact our ability to distribute the book through various channels. Second. Withdrawn.

Motion to recommend to LCF that the issue of profanity be investigated as to how it may transmit regionally and internationally and how it may impact our ability to distribute the book through various channels. Second. Passes unanimously.

Motion to remove the reference in the stories to any trade name such as Shoneys (#429 pg 4), and McDonalds (#443 pg 12). (friendly amended to include reference to trade names also not just Shoneys and McDonalds). Second. Passes unanimously.

Motion that with the suggested changes the stories submitted be approved. These are: #111, #120, #174, #176, #315, #319, #404, #406, #412, #418, #421, #429, #434, #441, #443, and #446.

Second. Passes unanimously

Recording Secretary for August (Cynthia, Jay)
- Tabled to July conference call

Comment from Jay: It is hard to participate and be secretary, also some time challenges. Any person who is serving as the secretary cannot be fully participating in the discussion such that there may be some challenges to that trustee’s region or segment of the fellowship that the trustee represents not being represented adequately under the Concept of the right of participation.

Discussion of how the tape works with a Secretary transcribing the tape. The confidentiality concerns are valid. The tape should never be outside of the board.

Also discussion of process of who on our board should help set up the recoding secretary. The guidelines refer to a cooperative effort with the WSBT Chair and Vice Chair.

Jay wanted to try a hybrid at the next quarterly of continuing to do the taping but also to have a recording secretary present. Jay and one other trustee would retain the tape and the recording secretary would take the minutes and submit a draft set of minutes.

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Jay and Carl met a woman last weekend in Phoenix who is the SVI Secretary and also the Arizona Convention Secretary as well as a member of our fellowship. Her qualifications were briefly discussed.

Motion that we endorse Jay’s recommendation that Niki M. be the recording Secretary at the WSBT August 05 quarterly. Second. Passes with one abstention

TEC report (Jay)

All six TEC delegates have been contacted and know the start time of the interviews

Have coordinated with the WSO on reimbursements and roommate process.

We have 7 interviews starting at 8am

This start time and process will have all interviews done before the orientation start time.

At least one trustee member of the TEC has expressed the desire to formulate additional specific questions for the WST position.

Interview schedule/times and people to be out in the next week or so.

E-mails from fellowship

a) CALA’s question from Arthur R. to Trustee Feedback Forum re use of personal prayer at meetings – first posted to WSBT group 6/8/05

Email Message: Prayer…its been brought to my attention….some meeting in the CALA are being concluded with personal prayer alone with the Serenity Prayer or the Lords prayer…not currently in our format for suggestive prayer (personal prayer).Please offer some guidance for me to address CALA on this matter of personal prayer being mix in with our formated prayer.

Initial discussion: Only recommendation in our materials are in the WSCCC guidlenes about prayer, nothing formal has ever been stated and there is nothing on point in the WSM. The wording in the guidelines are very helpful perhaps should be brought here and referred to structure and bylaws

John, Carl and Jay will work on this online

Jay as Secretary will let referrer know it may take more time to get an answer.

b) Question from Vickie to Tony re Potawatomi Traveling Times printing “Who is a Cocaine Addict?” – first posted to WSBT group 6/15/05

This will go on line – the referrer will be notified.

c) Oklahoma’s question from Barry H. to Jay re use of “As Bill Sees It” at meetings – first posted to WSBT group 6/22/05

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d) Missouri’s question to Tony re step CDs for fund-raising – first posted to WSBT group 6/30/05

e) Utah’s question from Stan S. to WSO re correctional facility buying Big Books for inmates in treatment program – not formally posted to WSBT group due to missing information.

These will all go online

Co-Anon follow-up.
- Will re-visit agenda item “WSBT statement regarding Co-Anon (Jay, John, Tony, Jackie, Teri)” at next quarterly

Nothing from this summer as referenced in the WSBT/Co-Anon meeting and minutes.

Carl and Jay reported that we have found some of the old minutes of the WSBT with references to the actions in 1997-1998.

NEW BUSINESS

Conference preparation – Need to be sure individual trustee reports are ready for Tuesday evening. Is there an initial report on behalf of entire WSBT? Is there any advance preparation we can do now versus when we get to the Conference to be ready to help at the delegate orientation (the play and more)? (Jay)

We all give an individual report of the past year that is different from our quarterly reports.

Suggestion of combining all of these into one handout with a goal to have these to Jay one week before the WSC- we can then copy together and circulate.

Jackie will ask the conference coordinator when she sees her next week

Discussion of what types of issues and concerns might be brought up during the question and answer segment of the WSBT report and how can we be prepared to respond

This will go to the online agenda.

Jay will pull the transcripts from the past three years and the questions the WSBT received during the opening report section of the WSC and will circulate.

Board-to-Board meeting at August quarterly – timing and agenda (Jay)
- In 2002, met on Monday; no times specified in minutes
- In 2003, met on Monday evening for 2 hours
- In 2004, met on Monday evening for 3.5 hours

Earl will ask about the needs of the WSOB to meet –Earl will report back

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We discussed possibly starting earlier on that Sunday depending on what Earl reports.

Date and time for November quarterly (All)

Motion that quarterly for November be Nov 18, 19, 20 of 2005. Second.

Start at 7pm Friday and end at 1pm Sunday

Passes with one abstention.

Process for interviewing and selection of WSOB Chair (Jay)

The question was raised about how the process of interview and selection of the WSOB Chair

See section 5.1 of WSM

John will work on the interview process/questions for the WSOB openings, Jay also

Once we have questions and then there will be interviews

Earl will pursue the timing issues with the WSOB and will let us know

Individual trustee budgets – when can we see them and what is the process to review them before they go to Finance Committee @ Conference? (Jay)

Patty and Earl have been looking at this issue – may come up with a new method of reporting too, this would also include the trustee for a new European Region.

Earl will get back to us within a couple of weeks

Report on Orlando drug court meeting

Jay will do online report as to his experience.

Bobbie asked the question about who should these types of meetings – as it is in the TAL Guidelines that the TAL specifically participates in these types of meetings.

It was explained that the request originated from the WSOB to Teri as the Chair of the WSBT, then Teri solicited participants from our board who might be able to go on their own dime.

Going forward, the TAL should participate and this needs to be added to the TAL budget

Adjourned 3:38 pm MST

Closing

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