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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Rights and Diversity - 03/19/2002 APPROVED MINUTES Eden Prairie Human Rights & Diversity Citizen Advisory Commission Tuesday, March 19, 2002 7:00 PM - Prairie Rooms A/B, City Center 8080 Mitchell Road, Eden Prairie MN 55344-4485 Citizen Advisory Commission Members: Holly Clynch, Dorothy Fifield, Angie Garcia, Balu Iyer, Jodi Malmquist, Harry Moran (Chair), & Philip Young (Vice-Chair) Youth Representatives: Diana Fu, Rachel Harlos, and Amber Swiggum Commission Staff: Michael Barone, Staff Liaison, and Lorene McWaters, Recording Secretary I. Roll Call ® Dorothy Fifield ® Harry Moran ® Philip Young ® Diana Fu ❑ Angie Garcia ® Holly Clynch ® Jodi Malmquist ® Rachel Harlos ❑ Balu Iyer ® Michael Barone ® Lorene McWaters ® Amber Swiggum II. Approval of March 19, 2002 Agenda Young moved, seconded by Fifield to approve the Agenda as published. Motion carried 5-0. III. Approval of Minutes from January 8, 2002 meeting Young moved, seconded by Malmquist to approve the minutes of the January 8, 2002, as published. Motion carried 5-0. IV. Reports of Staff A. Eden Prairie Immigrant Services Group (EPISG) Barone reported that a representative from Hennepin County Health Care Services, Anna Teman, spoke at the last EPISG meeting, about the Child and Teen Healthcare Checkup program. B. Human Services Review Committee (HSRC) Barone's items cover material he gathered from the January, February and March Human Services Review Committee (HSRC) meetings. He reported that the new Community Resources Coordinator for Hennepin South Services Collaborative (HSSC) is Pearl Savage, who started on January 28. She will be working 20 hours a week at the Eden Prairie office and 20 hours a week at the Edina headquarters office. Eden Prairie Human Rights&Diversity Citizen Advisory Commission March 19,2002 Approved Minutes Page 2 Barone asked Fifield to report on the Senior Safety Workshop, sponsored by the Eden Prairie Police Department, that she had attended earlier in the day. Fifield said the workshop was extremely well done and that the Police Department should be commended for putting on such a fine program, especially Cpl. Joyce Conley, who coordinated the event. The program included a presentation by the Attorney General, information on services available to senior citizens, advice on handling traffic problems (including road rage), procedures to follow in case of emergencies, and issues facing seniors living alone. Barone also reported that Parks and Recreation has added a Therapeutic Recreational Services Specialist, Nicole White, to the staff. This position and the programs developed by it are paid for through federal fund transfers known as "waiver service" dollars that can be used for qualified therapeutic and adaptive recreational activities. Barone reported that Healthy Eden Prairie Initiatives (HEPI), under the leadership of Dr. Jean Lundgren, is considering purchasing a mobile medical van for use in the community. A needs assessment is to be completed with Hennepin County, who ultimately would be the primary funding source of such a vehicle, if the assessment shows a legitimate need. PROP has converted the director position from part-time volunteer to a paid full-time position. Nancy Holden, the former HSSC coordinator for Eden Prairie, has been hired for the director's position. C. Bias Crime Activity Status Barone said there is no activity to report. V. Old Business A. Update on HRA Process Barone reported that three applications for the Human Rights Award have been received to date; none of them received so far are for the business category. The deadline for applications is March 29. VI. New Business A. Determine Youth Scholarship Award Recipients Barone said five applications were received. One applicant was disqualified because they no longer met the residency requirement. All of the other applicants fulfilled all of the requirements set forth in the YSA guidelines. To ensure objectivity, the applicants' names were blocked out. Commission members evaluated each application according to three criteria: content of answers on the short essay questions, meeting all criteria set forth on the application, and letters of recommendation. Moran gathered the scores from each Commission member and totaled the points. Applicant 2 [Isabelle Chan, Eden Prairie Human Rights&Diversity Citizen Advisory Commission March 19,2002 Approved Minutes Page 3 8649 Columbine Road, Eden Prairie MN 55344] received the highest total, followed by applicant 4 [Joseph Hillary, 15005 Ironwood Court, Eden Prairie MN 55346], and are the recipients for the YSA's. Barone noted that the Commission had the choice of awarding one or two $500 scholarships. The Commission members agreed that it made sense to give the maximum amount possible, so they agreed on two $500 awards (Applicants 2 and 4). Barone said he would direct the proper correspondence to all the applicants as to the outcome of the Commissions work tonight. Moran asked if the youth representatives if they concurred with the Commission members on which applicants should receive awards. They said they agreed that applicant 2's application was the most impressive; however, they said they might have given greater consideration to applicant 3 over applicant 4. Moran asked the commission to think about whether the current application process provides enough information on which to choose the most deserving recipient. The following considerations were raised: • Non-native speaking applicants may have a harder time on the essay portion of the application,but still be deserving of the award • Asking for a separate list of diversity-related activities might help determine which applicants are most involved in applicable types of work • A short answer section might help evaluators filter out applicants whose activities are not really diversity-related • Ask applicants to get at least one letter of recommendation from a non-education source Moran said it sounds as if the application process may need to be adjusted to get a clearer picture of the applicants. Barone suggested making this discussion part of the April or May agendas. The Commission members agreed. B. Report on HRDC Appointments Barone reported that the City Council reappointed Balu Iyer and appointed Jeff Strate, both to three-year terms on the HRDC. Their three-year terms will start in April 2002 and end in March 2005. Barone also announced that the City Council selected Moran as Chair and Young as Vice-Chair for the April 2002—March 2003 timeframe for the Commission. Moran, on behalf of the Commission, thanked Jodi Malmquist for her year of service on the Commission. Malmquist's one year of service on the Commission ends with this March 2002 meeting. McWaters announced that the Board and Commission Recognition Banquet would be held on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, and that invitations will be sent out soon. Eden Prairie Human Rights&Diversity Citizen Advisory Commission March 19,2002 Approved Minutes Page 4 VII. Reports from Commission members There were no reports from Commission members. VIII. Future Meetings/Events The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 9, 2002. IX. Adiourn Young moved, seconded by Malmquist to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.