MINUTES
Present: Bernard Bidne, Liz Nichols, Robert Smith, Jr., and Jack Morlan
Staff: Tim Cook, Carol Leach, Mary Cowdrey, Frank Tribble, Marcia Coverdale, Pam Patton, Larry Lockman, Sommay Soulinthavong, Bill Armstrong, Natalie Burnham, Kent Renegar, Karl Schilling, and Don Grove
Public: None
Items:
1. Call to Order
2. Recognition of Public and News Media
3. Commissioners' Reports
Nichols – said she attended and really enjoyed the Civil Rights Victory Celebration sponsored by the Drake Law School and ICRC; noted that Pam Patton who works at the ICRC as an investigator brilliantly played Edna Griffin in the dramatic reenactment; as a trustee for Simpson College, she attended a board meeting last week and discovered that there had been racial tension, anti Semitic and anti gay and lesbian graffiti written on sidewalks and other things around campus; after the board meeting, she met with the Multicultural and Student Development Directors in an effort to organize/mobilize the administration and students to collectively respond to the hate incidents; and next week, she plans to meet with the Indianola Human Rights Commission to discuss the situation and maybe get the Commissioners and the rest of the community involved.
Bidne – said he thought last month’s meeting in Sioux City was very informative; thanked Commissioner Lee for making the arrangements; enjoyed the presentations by the law enforcement officials and the students from West High’s Student Multicultural Committee; as an executive board member, attended last night’s Friends of Iowa Civil Rights’ Third Annual Awards Banquet; Lt. Governor Joy Corning was there and the featured speaker was Wanda Everage from Drake University; Award winners included: Mark Willets, Nancy Nauman, Heidi Bagg, Langston Hughes Players, Elizabeth Creger, and B. John Burns.
Smith – said he gave opening remarks at a wonderful conference sponsored by the Waterloo Commission on Human Rights for 125-150 Cedar Valley area middle and high school students on diversity-related issues; as a trustee for Wartburg College, knows that the administration and students are working hard to help the police find the person(s) who wrote/posted the racial slurs in one of the dorms and in responding to the slurs as a collective college community; and he’s looking forward to another conference in Waterloo, on November 13, "Searching for Common Ground," sponsored by the Cedar Valley Diversity Appreciation Team. (The idea for the conference and much of the planning came from a study circle group as part of their action plan.)
Morlan – said he, too, really enjoyed last month’s meeting in Sioux City.
4. Next Meeting Date/Time/Location
November 20, 1998/10-Noon/Indianola
Commissioner Nichols will make the arrangements.
Following Meeting Date/Time/Location
January 22, 1999 over the ICN
5. Approval of Minutes of September 25, 1998 Meeting
Bidne moved to approve the minutes; Nichols seconded. Motion passed.
6. Presentation by Frank Tribble on the status of ICRC’s study into Police/Community Relations. Tribble reported that U.S. Attorney Don Nickerson could not attend today’s meeting but should be available for the November 20 meeting.
7. Presentation by Karl Schilling on ICRC’s new ICN classroom. Schilling demonstrated how the classroom worked and offered possible uses, including Commissioners’ Meetings, especially during bad weather months. The Commissioners asked Grove to explore the possibility of scheduling/holding the January 1999 meeting over the ICN.
8. Presentation by Administrative Law Judge Mary Cowdrey and Investigators Pam Patton, Natalie Burnham, Kent Renegar, Larry Lockman, Sommay Soulinthavong, and Bill Armstrong on the work of ICRC Investigators. Discussion among staff and Commissioners focused on the neutrality of ICRC investigators, the steps of investigation, and the thoroughness of investigations.
Marcia Coverdale and Pam Patton reported to the Commissioners that several staff created a birthday card for Edna Griffin and presented the card with flowers to Edna yesterday for her birthday today, October 23. Coverdale and Patton said that Edna seemed really pleased by their visit.
9. The Commissioners discussed whether to change the mission of the ICRC from "To eliminate discrimination in Iowa" to "Helping Iowans build inclusive communities" or to "Helping Iowans fight discrimination and build inclusive communities." The Commissioners directed Grove to survey the Local Commissions and the Diversity Teams on the issue and report back at the November 20 meeting. Grove reported that the issue has been presented to staff for consideration and has been discussed by the agency’s Steering Committee.