Owl Collective Meeting 3/12/08
(1 hour 15 minutes)—previously unscheduled spontaneous meeting

Present: Will, Sascha, Molly
Facilitation: All
Notes: Molly

Agenda:
Check Ins
Response to women’s encuentro communiqué
Reclarifying TIP organizational structure/where we are now
Web Stuff
Travel/Schedules

Response to women’s encuentro:

With sexual harassment on the table we need to respond!!!
Response should contain 3 parts:
1) Affirm that women’s encuentro is a positive thing and we are glad it is happening
2) Affirm where we are as an organization currently. Four Owl Collective Members currently focusing on basics of day-to-day operations, working with encuentro/awaiting response and recommendations to proceed with transition.
3) State that claims of abuse and grievances of ethical nature are taken seriously and will be responded to accordingly.
Will will draft a response and send to all Owls.
Sascha will connect with Madigan via text/voice mail to proof and get consensus prior to posting on website front page and forums.
Molly will be available on community conference call 3/16 and will encourage other women of the encuentro to be present to answer community questions about process.
Q--What is the process?
A--Closed listening space for women to share personal experiences, identifying behavioral themes (as posted), move towards opening up the process for more voices to be included in working groups to draft policy and make recommendations for implementation.
Sascha--Impressed with process/amazing opportunity/feeling “back against the wall”.
Will—“A healthy organization does not work under such unclear circumstances!”
Will is getting support from allies in other organizations, who agree.
Making a statement as an organization in response helps.
It was acknowledged that interactions over time have been super intense and traumatic and Icarus has burned a bunch of people in the past.

Where Icarus is at organizationally:

Maintenance mode/need clarity about what are basic needs
Maintain what is already in progress without adding new projects/proposals
Will checked in with Mimi about distro, contact database and marketing.
Mimi is researching database issue.
Need to seek different distro options.
Any distro Icarus uses must be a “main supplier” for presence in bookstores.
Sascha will research distro options at upcoming anarchist book fair.

Web:

Will has been meeting and working with Empties on website issues.
A confidentiality policy has been drafted for the website.
Scott not available, Nick is the best candidate to work on upgrading Drupal.
Decisions that need to be made regarding what Empties has brought up can be done via email.

Travel/Schedules:

Madigan in Mexico until 3/19
Sascha in SF 3/18 and on West Coast for up to a month
Bellingham, WA Campus Icarus gig 4/10
Will in MA 4/5-6, London 4/23-1st/2nd Week of May (off-line end of April)

Proposal to have in person Owl Collective meeting/work group 4/11-12 in Portland or West Coast (Molly would fly in from NC). Need to know Madigan’s thoughts and schedule.

Who is answering email inquiries?
Sascha is getting info/support inquiries forwarded to him. He will look into what is there as well as the art submission contact and report back.
Empties is answering admin inquiries.

Sascha will send campus icarus report to all.

Next meeting undetermined.