From: Isis Secretary Molly Faulkner-Bond ’06
Subject: [Isis] 10/2 Meeting Recap
Date: Sun Oct 2 19:15:52 EDT 2005

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Greetings, Ladies! 

    Hope today’s meeting got everyone psyched up for punch!! Despite the fact that we had to talk about some stressful stuff today, punch overall is really fun (& definitely brings us all closer as a club, I think) so I hope you all are looking forward to it. 

    Below, please find all the info from the meeting, including dates and policies. I suggest that, after reading it through entirely once (and it’s a long e-mail, I apologize), you hold on to/print this e-mail for future reference! 

    I: DATES AND TIMES FOR EVENTS AND MEETINGS. 

    -EVENT 1: Saturday, 10/8, AD garden. Members arrive at 2:30; punches will come in 2 shifts (3-4, 4:30-5:30). Dress is casual. 

    -CUT MTG 1: Sunday, 10/9. Exec board only. 

    -EVENT 2: Monday, 10/17, Phoenix. Members arrive at 5:30; punches will come in 2 shifts (6-7, 7:30-8:30). Theme is Black & White, dress is semi-formal/cocktail party. 
    
    -CUT MTG 2: Tuesday, 10/18, location TBD. Members arrive at 6pm, leave when it’s over. 

    -EVENT 3: Tuesday, 10/25, location TBD, likely Caprice. More details coming regarding time, pregames, etc. 

    -CUT MTG 3: Sunday, 10/30, location and time TBD. 

    -EVENT 4 (FINAL DINNER): Tuesday, 11/8, Delphic. Dinner will be preceded by an afternoon scavenger hut in Boston involving punches, members, clue cards, limos, etc. Details pending, but block off the afternoon & evening. 

    -CUT MTG 4: not yet announced. Stay tuned. 

    II: CUT MEETING AND VOTING POLICIES. 

    -PUNCHBOOK: to make comments on punches prior to a meeting, e-mail . Comments will be compiled & made anonymous by the punchmasters, and distributed at the beginning of each punch meeting. 
    Use the punchbook to: 
    * make comments on girls while your impressions are fresh on your mind following an event. 
    * say something you don’t feel comfortable saying in person at a meeting. 
    * make both negative AND positive comments, so long as they are substantive! 

    -ATTENDING MEETINGS AND EVENTS: 
    Bottom line: EVERY EVENT AND EVERY MEETING IS MANDATORY, extenuating circumstances notwithstanding. As such, mark these dates now and write your papers and do your problem sets ahead of time! THE FEE FOR MISSING A PUNCH MEETING (or a significant portion of one) IS $25. Please note that arriving late and/or leaving early are also considered ‘missing’ in most circumstances. 

    -VOTING: 
    * To progress to the next round, a punch must be voted “yes” by 2/3 of the members presently voting at a meeting. 
    * A member who is out of the room for any part of the discussion for a punch may NOT vote on that punch. 
    * Members may abstain from voting in the 2nd and 3rd rounds if they feel they do not have enough information to make a decision about a punch. In general, however, members should try to abstain from abstaining (haha!) whenever possible. 
    * Abstensions are not allowed in the final cut. 
    * A member may throw a ‘black ball’ in the final round to permanently eliminate a punch whose membership she would strongly oppose. Given this, however, it is asked that members alert the club to this possiblity *prior* to the final cut, so as to avoid leading a punch on longer than necessary. 
    * Punches will be discussed in a different, random order at each meeting. 

    III: NUMBERS. 

    Below are loose estimates for how many punches we would like to have at each round of punch: 
    1st event: ~120 (presently: ~148) 
    2nd event: ~80 
    3rd event: ~45 
    Final Dinner: ~30-32 
    Invitations of Membership: ~25 

    Obviously, these numbers are idealized, and we will never turn away a girl whom everyone loves simply for the sake of meeting a quota. But, keep these numbers in mind as we progress through the punch process. 

    IV. GENERAL THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND. 
    -ISIS/BEE RELATIONS: It is *imperative* that we maintain our ‘pro-Isis.’ attitude during punch this year. Do not, under any circumstances, say anything negative or pejorative regarding the Bee club, its members, its building, or anything else. We want to win our girls with positivity by emphasizing the positive qualities of Isis and the impact it has on its members. Feel free to empathize with girls who are on the fence between clubs, but do NOT attempt to dissuade them from the Bee *except* by gushing (truthfully) about how fantastic Isis is and how much it enriches its members lives. :-) 

    - LUNCHES/DRINKS/DINNERS/OUTINGS: Once punch is fully underway, members will be expected to meet and get to know girls in smaller settings by taking them out for dinners, coffees, drinks, whatever. Aimee and Steph will be officially organizing and assigning certain events, so as to ensure that every punch gets to spend time with members in at least 2 different settings. That said, however, pro-action from members is always welcome, so feel free to set up your own outings with punches and other members (preferably ones you don’t yet know well). If you do set up any outings, be sure to alert Aimee and Steph so that they can account for these as they plan others. 
    -UNSPOKEN RULES/POLICIES FOR MEETINGS: 
    * If you have a laptop with wireless access, please try to bring it to punch meetings so that you (and others) can access pictures of punches (through the facebook or Harvard directory) as we discuss them. 
    * BE OPEN-MINDED (in either direction) about punches! If your good friend is being put up, try to consider her objectively from the point of view of the club and what we look for in/among our members. On the other hand, if a girl you think you dislike is being put up, consider her in the same way and give her a fair chance before you conclude that you don’t want her in the club. 
    * BE HONEST (in either direction) when discussing punches. It is understood among all members that we all have the interests and values of our current members and the club at heart. We will all remember that punch decisions are not personal attacks or judgments on members or their friends. 
    * BE PRO-ACTIVE about getting to know as many punches as possible. Reach out to those girls who aren’t automatically on everyone’s radar! [just remember to let Aimee and Steph know when you set something up].* 
    BE PITHY. That’s code for ‘say it in 10 words or less.’ [According to the OED, also: ‘strong, full of alcohol.’ Be that too, just not at meetings.] 

    So, congrats, you got to the bottom of this book-length e-mail! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments regarding punch, your feelings during punch, or anything at all, contact Mama G as a first line of defense. Also feel free to talk to seniors who have been through this once before and can help you keep your wits about you as you go into this stressful but (more importantly) fun and exciting process! 

    Isis love; See you all at 2:30 on Saturday at the AD! 


    Your humble secretary, 

    MFB