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HomeMy WebLinkAbout~Master - Ames Human Relations Commission - AHRC Minutes 08-30-2018M I N U T E S HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION August 30, 2018 Call to Order – This regular meeting of the Ames Human Relations Commission was called to order by Commissioner Joel Hochstein at 5:30 p.m. in Conference Room 235 of City Hall. Commissioners Wayne Clinton and Liming Pals were present. Staff member Brian Phillips was also present. Public Forum – No one was present for Public Forum. Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 28, 2018 – It was moved by Wayne, seconded by Liming to approve the minutes of the June 28, 2018 meeting. Motion carried unanimously. IRIS Peace Walk – Joel requested to re-order the agenda to address this item, then the Race: the Power of Illusion item, then the Inclusive Ames Programming Partnership. There were no objections. Del Christiansen, representing IRIS, described the organization’s efforts and the IRIS Peace Walk. He mentioned this was the fourth year of the event. The displays will be arranged more along the north loop of Ada Hayden this year, rather than spread throughout the area. The walk will occur September 23rd from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Joel noted that the Commission is considering the requested $500 sponsorship and whether to have a presence at the event, given the reduced number of commissioners at the moment. Del mentioned that if the Commission is unable to have a physical presence at the event, the IRIS booths could have information about the Commission to share with others. It was moved by Wayne, seconded by Liming, to approve the sponsorship of the IRIS Peace Walk at the $500 level. Motion carried unanimously. Liming noted she could be at the walk from noon – 2. Joel indicated he could be there from 10 – noon. Wayne indicated he would be available to attend a portion of the event. Follow-up from Race: The Power of an Illusion Seminar – Wayne provided a review of the learning exchange he attended. Wayne suggested that having someone who is an expert in housing, as well as representatives from the university or school system, in attendance at the program would be beneficial. Wayne asked whether there would be a charge to attend the program and it was confirmed there would not be a charge. He noted the program in Adel involved food, and he felt including food would increase attendance. Overall, he felt the program was worthwhile. It was reported that the Library is prepared to promote the date of the event in its newsletter. The Commission could also have its brochures available at the event. Wayne suggested encouraging Ames Police and the Council Members to attend the event. It was moved by Wayne, seconded by Liming, to support the partnership with Inclusive Ames to host the Race: The Power of an Illusion Seminar. Motion carried unanimously. Report of Complaints or Inquiries from the Public – Brian reported he spoke with a person who had a pending claim with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission regarding disability discrimination in the area of housing. Des Moines Register Article Regarding WiFi Hotspot Name – Joel summarized the history of this item. Wayne asked if there was anything further since that article. No one knew of anything further. Joel reported that the particular wifi network name had been there for some time, based on information reported to the university. Joel noted the Commission is sort of a catch-all for issues of this nature, where there is not a criminal element to it. The Commission or Council needs to know how to respond or deal with these incidents. Liming stated something needs to be in place to deal with these incidents when they come up. She wondered whether the public knew about the Commission or what it could do to address it. Wayne said he didn’t know exactly how to respond to individual incidents, other than to use them as examples in future discussion. Joel said there was a fine line between responding to every incident and playing into the intent of those who make such statements to generate responses. Joel noted there may be a role for a climate response team like at ISU, and he suggested the Eugene, Oregon example of response concepts could be interesting to pursue. Symposium Development with Chamber and ISU – Joel noted the symposium is October 31, from 7:30 to 1:00. Joel noted the City is a sponsor and so there are 10 spaces available for City attendees. Public Service Announcements – Joel noted this ball has gotten dropped. He reached out to Derek but has been unable to connect. He will try to reconnect and learn more about the vision Derek and Anneke were working on. Program of Quarterly Educational Seminars – Joel reported Heidi was taking the lead on this. Joel needs to go back through files to figure out how to proceed. Follow-up from Joint City Council Meeting – Wayne felt there was more direction now. Liming felt there was progress in revamping Chapter 14. Joel felt the discussion left a lot open. He referenced Gloria’s motion at the end of the meeting to review the Campus Climate study, other data, and holding listening sessions, then reporting back to the Council. He discussed detailed information from Eugene, Oregon outlining how focus group discussions were held there. Joel mentioned efforts from the Inclusive Dubuque organization. Commissioner Comments – Joel mentioned the Iowa State Conference on Rae and Ethnicity will be held on campus. He said there was some discussion about having something like this as a community-focused conference. He said he would invite ISU administrators to attend a future Commission meeting if they wished to explore that. Brian mentioned he would be unavailable to take minutes at the next meeting. Joel agreed to take minutes. Next Meeting: September 27, 2018 The meeting adjourned at 7:02 p.m.