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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 04/14/1998 APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION TUESDAY,APRIL 14, 1998 7:00 PM, PRAIRIE ROOMS A & B 8080 MITCHELL ROAD CITY CENTER COMMISSION MEMBERS: Brad Behrends, Richard Helzel, Harry Moran, Vicki Pellar-Price, Darryl Stanton, Gloria Winans, and Munna Yasiri YOUTH REPRESENTATIVES: Andrea Brown and Sopanha Te COMMISSION STAFF: Michael Barone, Sr. Personnel Coordinator, and Jan Nelson, Recording Secretary I. ROLL CALL Chair Winans called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Yasiri and Stanton arrived late. Commissioners introduced themselves to the new members. Yasiri arrived at 7:10 PM. Stanton arrived at 7:15 PM. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Winans added item V.E. Study Circles. MOTION: Behrends moved, seconded by Stanton, to approve the Agenda as published and amended. Motion carried 7-0. III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 10, 1998 MEETING MOTION: Behrends moved, seconded by Helzel, to approve as published the Minutes of the March 10, 1998 meeting. Motion carried 3-0-4, with Moran, Pellar- Price, Stanton and Yasiri abstaining. Human Rights and Diversity Commission April 14, 1998 Minutes Page 2 IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Update on April 16, 1998 Human Rights Award 1. March 31 - Selection Committee Report -Gloria Winans Winans said she and three other Commission members met to select the winners for the Human Rights Award. Barone distributed copies of the program for the Awards Luncheon. Winans said Magnetic Data is the winner of the Business Award. Their name was submitted by the Police Department for their efforts following the murder of an employee. She said Paragon Cable received Honorable Mention. Winans said Eden Prairie Common Ground is the winner of the Non- Profit Award. Peter Huck is the Individual Award winner, with Mary Jane Wissner and Pam Bandy receiving Honorable Mention. 2. Sponsorship of April 16 Luncheon - Mike Barone Winans said the luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 16 and asked for a count of those who planned to attend. Barone said the Chamber allows sponsors for their luncheons who pay a sponsorship fee and who can then give a small commercial at the luncheon;however, the City is not allowed to participate in such a sponsorship. B. Update on Youth Scholarship Award Winner Winans said Tram-Anh Vo is the winner of the Youth Scholarship Award. Barone said she will attend the Awards Luncheon and will be presented with her certificate at the luncheon and again at the High School Awards Ceremony on May 28, 1998. C. Update on Bias Crime Response Network Training for April 28, 1998 at City Center Barone distributed a letter regarding the training. He is working with Molly Koivumaki and Peter Huck to set up the training and finalize the agenda for the meeting. They want to get a speaker who can talk about the demographics of Eden Prairie and the southwest metro area at the beginning of the two-hour session. As a result of publicizing the Bias Crime network in the ABC newsletter, they have received several positive responses for new members. They also plan to invite those who attended the previous training in 1994. Winans asked what she will be able to do after she receives the training. Barone said she will understand her role as a member of this Commission and Human Rights and Diversity Commission April 14, 1998 Minutes Page 3 as a member of the Bias Crime Network if it is needed to deal with any bias crime incident. Helzel said we need to be able to support the victim and the families in terms of helping with the media and generally supporting them during the crisis time. Stanton asked if there has been a history of bias crimes in the City. Yasiri described some of the incidents including the cross burning. Stanton asked if we will get a report of some of the past incidents as part of the training. Barone thought we could summarize the incidents, although many of the details cannot be shared outside of the Police Department. He thought they could discuss how they categorize a crime as a bias crime. Yasiri noted we sometimes get reports of incidents but they may not be categorized as bias crimes. V. NEW BUSINESS A. Welcome to New Commission Members B. Determine Either June or July Work Session to Discuss Youth Scholarship Award Process for 1999 Winans said we want to look at how we are currently doing the Youth Scholarship Award and develop something to enhance or improve it for next year. She asked for three volunteers to work on a subcommittee to develop suggestions on changing the process. Barone noted we have set a workshop session on the calendar for this purpose. Winans thought we might want to have the discussion at a work session prior to the regular meeting. Pellar-Price, Te, and Stanton volunteered. They will meet at 6:00 p.m. before the July 14th Commission meeting. Barone will provide them with the forms currently used in the process. C. Diversity Fair at Eden Prairie High School - May 20, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Winans noted the Commission participated in the last Diversity Fair held at the High School two years ago. We would like to be involved again. Brown said the Fair has been rescheduled to Thursday, May 21 instead, and, due to a scheduling conflict, the time has been changed to 7:15 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. She said we can set up on Wednesday afternoon or early Thursday morning. They will provide a table and chairs. Human Rights and Diversity Commission April 14, 1998 Minutes Page 4 Winans said last time we handed out brochures and had the students sign a large copy of the Manifesto. Yasiri thought it would be a good opportunity to hand out information about the Youth Scholarship. She thought we might want to have an input form for suggestions on Human Rights initiatives or comments on incidents or problems of which they are aware. Stanton asked if we have a post card they could send to report a crime. Yasiri said we could hand out copies of our brochure that has a number to call on it. Brown thought we could leave something with the Guidance Counselors. Winans thought we should have two shifts, one from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and the other from 9:00 to 11:00. Barone said he will attend as the Staff liaison and will bring the materials. Yasiri said she will do the 7:00 to 9:00 shift. Brown will act as liaison with the school and help where possible. Behrends volunteered to act as coordinator and do the phone work. Moran and Winans also volunteered to help. D. Approval of West Suburban Mediation Center for First quarter 1998 - 625 Winans reviewed the activities of West Suburban Mediation Center. Stanton asked if we give them$625 each quarter. Winans said that was correct. MOTION: Helzel moved, seconded by Behrends, to recommend approval of the request from West Suburban Mediation Center for First Quarter 1998 funding in the amount of$625.00. Motion carried 7-0. E. Study Circles Winans asked if anyone had heard about the Study Circles described in the packet material. A discussion followed regarding what and how the Commissioners had heard about the groups and the groups' focus. Winans suggested that we have one or two people go to the training session. Pellar-Price agreed to attend, and Winans will try to go. Barone will call about the registration deadline. VI. REPORTS OF COMMISSION MEMBERS A. Housing, Transportation & Human Services Board: Brad Behrends Behrends said they did not meet this month. Human Rights and Diversity Commission April 14, 1998 Minutes Page 5 B. League of Human Rights Commissions: Gloria Winans Winans reviewed the function and activities of the League, noting she is the Commission's liaison to the League Their next Board meeting will be here in Eden Prairie on Sunday, April 26 from noon to 3:00 PM, and she urged Commissioners to attend. C. Report of Youth Representatives: Andrea Brown and Sopanha Te Te said she was in an American Cultures class at the High School this year. It was a new class offered to Juniors and Seniors, and they were interested in finding speakers who could address issues of cultural diversity in Eden Prairie and in the United States. Brown noted it will be offered again next year. Winans thought that would give us time to work on it and determine who from the Commission would be willing to make a presentation. She thought we might want to have a work session to review items that should be covered by the presentations. Winans said a speaker's bureau needs to be created which will offer training for individual Commission members so they can make presentations in an effective manner. VII. REPORTS OF STAFF Barone had nothing to report. VIII. FUTURE AGENDAS/EVENTS Winans encouraged Commissioners to bring their planning calendars to each meeting. Yasiri noted she will probably miss the May 12th meeting and will not be able to attend the Awards Banquet. A discussion followed regarding the date for the May meeting. It was decided to keep the meeting date on May 12, and there will be no optional workshop in May. Winans noted the August "Diversity on the Prairie" event is one of our big events for the year. She thought we did planning for that in May. Yasiri thought this is usually handed to us, and we then work on the finishing details. After a discussion of previous summers' events, Commissioners decided that a preplanning session would be beneficial. Barone noted that the Planning Calendar for the May meeting includes that item. He said he will put the Staff members who are planning the event on the Agenda for that night. He said Tria Mann is now involved in planning special events, and we would rely on her to formulate the event. Winans thought, since we are co-sponsoring this, we should sit down together and help plan it up front. She thought our reviews of the event have shown that there have been a number of things we were not happy with. She thought it would be important to have some input and provide some support,possibly by helping with the publicity Yasiri thought the issue is making early efforts to get a dialogue going, and we have Human Rights and Diversity Commission April 14, 1998 Minutes Page 6 never come forward early enough. She asked if we could possibly have a representative of the Commission on the planning group. Helzel noted we have to plan early with the restaurants that are involved. Pellar-Price thought something more needs to be done since it is an outdoor activity and we have not been prepared for the weather at the last two events. Helzel asked if the City has a facility for a large tent. Winans thought it might be better for the Staff people to talk to a smaller group rather than the entire Commission. Barone said he will try to set that up. Moran thought those involved might have different expectations. Yasiri suggested we pull out some of our observations from the previous years' Minutes. Winans, Barone and Helzel will meet on this issue prior to the May 12th meeting. Winans asked if someone would be willing to work with Tria on this. Helzel volunteered to do that. April 16 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM HRDC & EP Chamber of Commerce Human Rights Award Luncheon April 28 7:00 - 9:00 PM Optional HRDC Workshop May 12 7:00 - 9:00 PM HRDC Regular Meeting May 13 6:30 - 9:00 PM Awards Banquet - City Center Garden Room IX. ADJOURN MOTION: Helzel moved, seconded by Stanton, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 7-0. Chair Winans adjourned the meeting at 8:35 p.m.