Welcome and Introductions: Club President Alissa Repanshek welcomed the attendees and proceeded to acknowledge the contributions that Michelle Tallarico has made to the organization. She was presented with a gift from the Club for all of her hard work over the last four and a half years.
Treasurer's Report: Club Treasurer Pete Ciarrocca provided the following report. The Club remains in good financial standing. Of these assets, $1,379.07 are held in CDs for our scholarship fund. $11,180.04 reside in our new ING Money Market Account and is being held for our scholarship fund and grant fund. $10,280.04 is held for our scholarship fund and $900 is held for our grant fund. The Club’s general operating fund is at $3,896.93.
If you have any questions about the Club's treasury, please contact Pete at pciarrocca@cox.net.
Membership Committee: Membership Chair Fred Horanic provided the following report. Our Club membership database reflects 373 active members, with 16 memberships pending payment confirmation. This updated number reflects 31 new members as of the beginning of 2008. In coming weeks, Fred will be reaching out to all expired members regarding renewal.
If you have any questions or suggestions about membership, please contact Fred at freddyo97@yahoo.com.
Community Service Committee: Community service Chair Cris Shaw provided the following report. The Club participated in the Fourth Annual "Scope It Out" 5K Race in support of club member Shawn Felty who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. The 5K Walk/Run took place on Sunday, March 30 in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. There were 76 Club members who participated in the walk in support of Shawn and Team "Never Felt Better".
The Club also participated in Hands on DC on April 26, 2008. There were 8 Pitt Club members who actively participated in updating the landscaping and painting a school in the District of Columbia.
The Club continues to volunteer monthly at So Others Might Eat (SOME), a local soup kitchen, the third Saturday of each month. The next volunteer day will be July 19th. SOME is located at 71 O Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. near I-395/New York Avenue.
Cris is currently looking for new Community Service ideas. If you have any questions or suggestions about community service activities, please contact Cris at c_shaw@juno.com.
Website: Webmaster Jake Repanshek provided the following report:
Web Stats: We had our biggest spike in web traffic on Tuesday, June 17th. This is likely due to an announcement distributed by the PAA regarding the Pitt vs Navy football event. Thus far, there have been approximately 1000 hits to the Chesapeake & Potomac Pitt Club's website; a significant increase from the 300 monthly average. In February, 48.4% of web hits were to the Pitt vs Navy football event page, 13.3% were to the home page, and 10.4% were to the events page.
Website Additions: Pages have been added for the rescheduled Fourth Annual Alumni Golf Outing and the Pitt vs Navy Football Event. The Club is still looking to add more pictures from various Pitt Club events (preferably from non-CAN sporting events). Email pictures to pittclub@iamjake.com.
Future Website Initiatives: Jake is pursuing several options to improve the way we collect membership dues and scholarship donations.
If you have any questions or suggestions about the website, please contact Jake at pittclub@iamjake.com.
Social Activities Committee: Social Activities Chair Robbe Bendick provided the following report. On June 10, the Club participated in the National Pitt Networking Day by hosting an event at the Clarendon Grille in Arlington Va. The outcome was approximately 50+ people, and resulted in the identification of 22 Pitt alums that were not C&P members. The event has received great feedback and truly illustrated networking.
Robbe is working with the University to coordinate a political event with the PA Congressmen and representatives on Capital Hill. Details are being finalized and additional details will be provided as they are available. The anticipated month of this event is September. A motion was passed during the meeting to allocate $250 of Club monies to this event.
During the next theatre season, the Chesapeake & Potomac Pitt Club will host an event at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Va. More details to come.
There was also discussion regarding a monthly happy hour being scheduled.
If you have any questions or suggestions for social events, or would like to help organize an event, please contact Robbe Bendick at diehlia107@yahoo.com.
Matching/Endowed Scholarship and Steiner-Pickard Four Year Grant: Scholarship Co-Chair John Martin provided the following report. The Chesapeake & Potomac Pitt Club's Matching/Endowed Scholarship Committee has been merged with the Chesapeake & Potomac Pitt Club Steiner-Pickard Four Year Grant for purposes of selecting students to receive the respective awards. This committee will be co-chaired by John Martin and Wesley Pickard. The criteria from prior years will remain in place for selecting the recipient of the endowed scholarship award. Club leadership has also established the criteria for the Steiner-Pickard grant, which will be awarded in full next academic year (additional info below).
The recipient of the 2008 Matching Scholarship is Rinal Choksi. Rinal received $2000 from the Chesapeake and Potomac Pitt Club to be matched by the University in years 2, 3 and 4.
Tara Matthews received a one time $5000 award from the Steiner-Pickard funding. Beginning in 2009, the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid will identify an incoming freshman student who demonstrates financial need and meets the parameters for the Steiner-Pickard Grant as set forth by the Club. This student will receive $5,000 per year for four years. The Club will discuss fundraising strategies to support this initiative for future years.
If you have any questions about either scholarship fund or process, please contact John Martin at jemartin04@yahoo.com or Wesley Pickard at wcpickard@msn.com.
Capital Alumni Network (CAN): CAN representative Rebecca Borghi and CAN Vice President Mark Tallarico provided an update regarding new CAN initiatives.
The bylaws have been revised with input from reps of the Advisory Committee Member Chapters. This process is currently in the strategic development/planning phase.
CAN has three open Committee Chair positions that it is seeking to fill; communications chair, community service chair and the newly formed business development chair. Anyone interested in applying for a chairperson position or being a member of the committee should contact Mark Tallarico at tallarico33@gmail.com or Rebecca Borghi at borghi73@hotmail.com.
Softball season is past the mid-way point. Pitt is 6-2 overall and 6-0 in division play. Notable victories include a win versus division rival WVU and undefeated Ohio University.
Flag football will begin in late August/early September. Additional information to come.
Other Business/Upcoming Events:
Spring 2008 Golf Tournament - Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Club will hold its Fourth Annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, August 23 at Reston National Golf Course in Reston Virginia. This is a rescheduled date, as the May 9th event was cancelled due to inclement weather. We will begin with a shotgun start at 1:30 pm, followed by a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. and a steak/chicken dinner immediately after the cocktail hour. Cost for the tournament will be $135 for golfers ($500/foursome) , which in addition to dinner/cocktail hour, will include a boxed lunch, greens and carts fees, and unlimited use of the driving range. For those interested in only attending for cocktails and dinner, the cost is $40 per person.
For more information and to register, go to http://www.pantherclub.org/golf2008.htm. If you have any questions, please contact Alissa Repanshek at alissa.repanshek@ gmail.com.
Pitt vs Navy - Saturday, October 18, 2008
The C&P Pitt Club is currently selling tickets for the Pitt vs Navy game in Annapolis on October 18, 2008. In addition, the Club will host a pregame event. There are various packages available for this event; see below.
Ticket & Pre-game (adults): $70
Ticket & Pre-game (individuals ages 12-20, and 21+ who will not consume alcohol): $64
Ticket & Pre-game (children ages 4-11): $50
Pre-game Only (adults): $47
Pre-game Only (Individuals ages 12-20, and 21+ who will not consume alcohol): $41
Pre-game Only (children ages 4-11): $25
As of now, there are approximately 580 tickets sold.
17th Annual Pitt-nic - August 10, 2008
On Sunday, August 10, the Pitt Club will host the 17th annual picnic for incoming freshmen from the Washington Metro area. The event will be held at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria, VA from 2pm-4pm. Light refreshments and beverages will be provided, free of charge. For questions, please contact Beth Hoffman-Leon at faleonca@hotmail.com.
Next Club Meeting: TBD
Hail to Pitt!
