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Minutes of the April 10, 2002
SGB EC Conference Call

Participants:

Absent:

1) SIGs not meeting their required fund balance in FY'03

SIGCAPH, SIGDOC, SIGMICRO, SIGSAC and SIGecomm all submitted budgets for FY'03 which will bring their fund balance below the requirement. The SGB EC discussed the reasons for this including:
  1. the new allocation minimum
  2. cost to produce membership obligations is not covered by membership revenue

Motion: The SGB EC approves the budgets of SIGCAPH, SIGDOC, SIGMICRO, SIGSAC and SIGecomm for FY'03. All Chairs for these SIGs will be required to submit an outline by June 1st indicating their plans to bring the SIG out of financial trouble.
Cohoon, Feldman
unanimous

The SGB EC was also concerned about the SIGs nearing their required fund balance including: SIGCHI, SIGAda, SIGART, SIGCAS, SIGCSE, SIGMIS, SIGMOD, SIGSIM. The main stream of revenue several of these SIGs has been conference related. There was some concern that the conferences are not bringing in as much revenue as in the past due to lowering of registration fees and contingencies. The SGB EC will advice the SGB leaders to watch this carefully and plan conservatively for the future.

Action: Baglio to inform ACM accounting staff of SGB EC decision regarding SIGs not meeting their required fund balance for FY'03.

2) SIGAPP continues to have issues as a conference SIG.

The SIGAPP leaders were concerned about the conversion to conference SIG and have not acknowledged that this has happened. Klein reported that they continue to act as a multi-service SIG and have just submitted a newsletter to ACM HQ. The conference seems to have had some trouble with servicing registrants (charging credit cards and cashing checks in a timely manner). The SGB EC continues to be concerned about volunteer development. Klein suggested that the submitted issue be printed and distributed and that the SIGAPP leadership be notified that this is the LAST ISSUE to be published. This notification will come from the appropriate member of the SGB EC. The SIG will remain in transition as a conference SIG as directed by the SGB.

Action: Chesnais to inform SIGAPP leadership that the SIG has been converted to a conference SIG and the last issue submitted as part of their newsletter is the last issue.

3) SIGART

Joe Marks, SIGART's Chair has submitted a request for SIGART to be converted to a conference SIG with the support and endorsement of the SIGART EC. They are finding it impossible to continue Intelligence Magazine as their member benefit. The costs are high and they have not seen the membership increases outlined in their business plan. The leadership did try to secure external funding but that has been unsuccessful.

Their plan is to make up for the one missed issue of intelligence. They have arranged for any member of SIGART who is not a member of AAAI to get a free six-month trial subscription to AI Magazine, a AAAI publication. Secondly they are considering sending proceedings from conferences that SIGART co-sponsors, beginning with Agents in July to all members. If this is unsatisfactory to any members they can receive a refund on their membership dues.

Although the SGB EC would prefer to see Intelligence continue but understand the difficulties in providing a magazine as a member benefit. Without the planned subscription base it has become too difficult for the SIG to sustain financially. Cohoon will inform the publications board of this and find out if they wish to continue Intelligence as a magazine of the ACM rather than of ACM SIGART. The SGB EC wanted to support the wishes of the SIG leaders and believe they have a reasonable plan to move ahead with conversion.

Motion: Move that SIGART be converted to a conference SIG as directed by the SIG Operating Rules.
Klein, Cohoon
unanimous

Action: Cohoon to discuss the discontinuation of Intelligence Magazine with the publications board.

Action: Ignatoff to inform SIGART leaders that they should develop a letter to the membership informing them of the conversion to conference SIG and ask ACM Accounting staff to remove costs associated with the magazine in the FY'03 budget.

4) SIGAPL

ACM HQ has been informed that three issues are close to ready.

ACM SGB-EC Minutes April 10, 2002 by Gina M. Murillo
 
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