President’s Report: March 2020

Hello FOAMers,

The weather is starting to warm up, which means more brew days for homebrewers like myself, who brave the elements to use a propane brew system. All y’all stovetoppers and electric brewers can brew rain or shine, of course.

March’s meeting is all about British/UK styles of beer, so I’ll be giving a tech talk all about malt – different kinds of malt, different ways to use malt, and tips on constructing recipes. I hope to see you all there.

 

FOAM Officer Openings / Emergency Appointments

Within the past few weeks, both the Webmaster, Whitney Ludwig, and our VP of Events, Solomon Torluemke, have decided to resign their posts.

Whereas this is unusual timing for officer resignations, and whereas we will miss them and appreciate their service to the club, it is now incumbent on the President nominate, and Executive Board to approve their replacements.

According to the FOAM Constitution:

Section VI, Section 3. Terms: Officers shall hold office 12 months or until their successors are duly elected and installed. The term of office shall be the calendar year. Vacancies may be filled by appointment by the President with the concurrence of a simple majority of the Executive Board.

At tomorrow night’s meeting, I will announce my nominations and present them to the Executive Board. If you would like to bring someone to the club’s attention, or volunteer yourself for one of these spots, please do so at the meeting. If you cannot make it to the meeting this month but would like to submit a nomination, please email your officers at officers@alemakers.org.

Here is a description of each position:

Webmaster:

The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining the club website as approved by the Executive Board. FOAM will fund and provide a registered domain for the Webmaster to use for posting electronic information to further club goals set forth by the President, Executive Board, and general membership.

VP of Events:

VP of Events is responsible for managing the logistics of event coordination. The events would include, but may not be limited to FOAM Picnic, BJCP study groups, the various festivals that the club participates heavily in (First Draft, Sip for Sight, New Leaf, Lagerhead, Real Okie Beerfest, WildBrew, HarvestFest), as well as be a resource to interface with High Gravity in assisting the FOAM Cup, and finally, The Christmas Party.

 

Proposed Constitutional Changes

After the last Officers’ Meeting, Gary Elliott drafted some recommended changes to the FOAM Constitution. Specifically, he proposed changes in the descriptions of the role of VP of Events, added an article requiring all members to agree upon joining the club to hold FOAM free from any legal responsibility due to the behaviors or actions of any club member or guest. Additionally, Gary made a proposal to limit the amount of money that can be approved for extra-budgetary spending at a general meeting, with a provision for a waiting period where the expense description is posted for a span of time to allow general membership to get acquainted with the proposition. Here’s the language Gary has drafted and proposed:

Proposed Constitution Amendments

Article III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 3. At the time of becoming a member and with the payment of dues, a release of responsibility must be signed, releasing FOAM from all legal responsibility should the member imbibe excessively prior to, in conjunction with, or following any FOAM related function.

Proposed By-Law Amendments

Article VI – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 7. VP of Events is responsible for managing the logistics of event coordination. The events would include, but may not be limited to FOAM Picnic, BJCP study groups, FOAM Cup, FOAM Christmas Party, and the various festivals that the club participates heavily in (such as First Draft, Sip for Sight, New Leaf, Lagerhead, Splash!, WildBrew, and HarvestFest), as well as be a resource to interface with High Gravity in assisting the FOAM Cup, and finally, The Christmas Party. The VP of Events will also work closely with High Gravity to co-ordinate their assistance in the organization of FOAM Cup.

Article VIII – FINANCES

Section 5. A minimum of two Officers should have the authority to sign checks, but the President may not be one of them. All expenses of $150.00 or less, if not approved in the Annual Budget, require approval by the Executive Board. All expenses more than $150.00, if not approved in the Annual Budget, require approval of two-thirds of the members present at a General meeting. All expenses more than $750, if not approved in the Annual Budget, whether proposed by a Member or an Officer, require a minimum 2-week notification via email to the Members prior to the next General meeting. The item will be a part of the agenda for that meeting. At that meeting, the proposal will require approval of two-thirds of the members present based on a count of hands or a paper ballot.

Club Committees

One thing I love about this club is always the willingness of FOAM members to bring forward new ideas, step up to new challenges, and contribute in whatever ways they can. It’s the homebrewer way. Our Club Constitution provides additional ways for general members to participate and contribute to the club, via committees. These have been in the constitution for awhile but haven’t really been used too much lately, and that is something that I think we should remedy. Check out the official verbage:

Article VII – COMMITTEES
Section 1. Executive Board: The Executive Board shall include the Officers, immediate past President, and the Chairs of each Standing Committee. The Executive Board is charged with managing and controlling the affairs of FOAM.
Section 2. Standing Committees: Before the March General meeting, the Officers and immediate past President shall designate the Standing Committees and the Chairs of each Standing Committee. Any person appointed to chair multiple committees shall have only one vote on the Executive Board.
Section 3. Other Committees: The President, as deemed necessary, may designate additional committees and chairs. They shall exist and the chairs shall serve at the pleasure of the President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board.
Section 4. Committee Membership: It shall be the responsibility of each Committee Chair to select and recruit FOAM members to assist in the work of the committee. Only FOAM members may serve, but the committee may use non-FOAM resources whenever appropriate.
Section 5. Committee Responsibilities: The President, with the advice and consent of the other Officers, shall provide each Committee Chair, at the time of his or her appointment, a description of the function, responsibility and authority of the committee.

It seems to me we could use a few more committees to help round out the myriad obligations and events that the club participates in every year. I’m going to be asking more of our general members to get down with service to our beloved homebrew club with some special Presidential Appointments. I truly hope that you’ll join me in making FOAM the best it can be. Some of these already have unofficial volunteer chairpersons, but I intend to formalize this list and facilitate everyone getting on the same page so that we can all coordinate and help out. Many of these are already darlings and pet projects of hard-working members. I’m not looking to take anything away from anyone with this initiative, just looking to formalize them to help build teams around their leaders. Here are some of the committees:

BJCP Class
FOAM Cup
NHC
Meeting Food
Swag
Food Pairing
Oktoberfest/Fisticuffs

There are MORE! Please help contribute to this list, and think of places that you would like to be involved.

 

Tulsa Craft Beer Invitational Update

We have set an official date for FOAM’s Tulsa Craft Beer Invitational this year. If you’re new to the club, TCBI was a beer festival that gave Oklahoma homebrew clubs and pro breweries a chance to compete together in a festival format that sought to promote brewing in all its forms. Last year was the first time we held this event and it went very well, lots of good beer, good food, good feedback, and amazing work done by FOAM and High Gravity. This year’s TCBI will be held June 27th, in the parking lot at High Gravity. If this sounds like fun to you, we would love to have your participation in planning and executing the festival. It’s a great time, and last year the volunteers made it the success it was. Also, every volunteer got half of the festival off to try out the amazing brews that were available. We’ll have signup sheets available at every meeting through June for this. I hope you’ll participate and drag your friends along as well.

 

That’s all the news that’s fit to print for this month. See you on the hill!

 

Marion Gooding

President, FOAM