Present. President Eric Immanent Grove rep), Recording Secretary Marilyn (Solitary rep), Corresponding Secretary Jane (Solitary rep), Treasurer Aree (Watonah Grove rep), Arwen (PanCraft rep), Leigh (PanCraft alt), Don (Watonah alt), Ann Marie (Solitary alt), Melissa (Immanent Grove alt)

The meeting opened with ritual, in which we called upon many deities representing wisdom, healing, and concord. Aree handed out a very useful list of current council members, and Eric handed out the agenda for the meeting, which had been previously posted on the EPN Council ist.

Eric thanked us all for being there, and requested that we be able to bring up each issue on the agenda in a timely fashion. He pointed out that in some cases those who had had concerns over the issues were no longer present, and so we needn't make any motions on any particular issue unless we felt compelled to do so. He felt that without a concrete proposal for change, we could view an issue as closed and move along. The issues would be addressed chronologically, according to when they had surfaced on the Council list.

MINORS. It had been suggested that we review our proscription against teaching minors. Marilyn had ascertained from a lawyer that it is illegal to instruct minors in a religion without the consent of the custodial parent. Eric pointed out that Geoff had felt that this information had ended the need for any further discussion. It had been suggested that we develop a pamphlet for minors which explains who we are and why we can't teach them until they attain their majority. Marilyn, Jane, and Melissa all offered to work on researching (other groups' statements, such as COG) and writing such a pamphlet, and Ann Marie agreed to assist with production. We also wanted input from members outside Council, particularly Bill Chellis and Josh, both of whom have expressed interest in the issue. Ann Marie offered to do something for our Web site as well. We agreed upon a goal of having something to present to the Annual Meeting of 2000, which will be held at Hersey Retreat at the end of January. At that time, we would seek further input from members; we would also put an insert into the Yule issue of the newsletter asking for input. Ann Marie agreed to coordinate all these efforts. Melissa commented that this way, we weren't leaving the youth with nothing.

Arwen said that she had put the issue out on a national Pagan leaders e-list, In the larger Pagan community, everyone who responded: they don't teach minors without parental permission. One pagan group in Ohio won't even use written permission. Chas Clifton kindly pointed us to the book Contemporary Rites of Passage, part of the Witchcraft Today series which he edits. In the larger Pagan community, Judy Harrow is the only exception to this practice, and she is aware that she is exceptional in this. Aree suggested that our pamphlet include information on "things to watch out for"; we thought that Bonewits' cult list would be good, particularly since he has given permission to reprint it freely. Don also thought we needed a section on "how to bring this up with your parents". Marilyn expressed some concerns about how to contain so much information on a one-page leaflet, and Melissa pointed out that we could put more material on a Web page. The mention of Web pages prompted Eric to request that someone test our URL and any others that we might recommend on our pamphlet at some public and school library machines to see if the addresses go through their filters. At this point, we felt we had closure on the issue.

STANDARDS. Eric listed our options with regards to the Standards document. 1) No change; 2) keep them as policy but do not require signatures; 3) ask only Council and Committee members to sign; 4) have a check-off saying you agree with the Standards but require no signatures; 5) re-write the Standards. Jane said she felt we don't have enough people or energy to enforce them; they are reasonable ethics, and we should keep them as guidelines but not require signatures for enforcement -- we have too much else to do. Ann Marie concurred with this view; she said that several people had told her they found the Standards "offensive" and contrary to autonomy. Jane said she felt that it wasn't the mechanism which was problematic, but that the dislike stemmed from a "don't tell my group what to do" philosophy. Eric pointed out that the intent of the Standards was to provide safety as part of our function as a networking organization, and that hurt feelings weren't as bad as danger to minors. Aree wondered if we should continue as an organization to refer people and simply allow individuals to make contact on their own, with the responsibility to "vet" groups resting with the individual. Ann Marie pointed out that this was what we had before the Standards, and that she was unwilling to accept responsibility for anyone else's behavior.

Arwen said that the Standards weren't just for minors; needy people are also vulnerable. Our concerns are with groups, not individuals, she felt, and wondered if we could just require the groups to adhere to the Standards. For her, a simple disclaimer was not enough. Ann Marie replied that even a signed copy of the Standards wasn't enough to guarantee good conduct. Jane wondered if we could make them recommendations rather than guidelines. She pointed out that as our group cohesion has lessened (meaning we've lost member groups), our community work has blossomed, with more and more public rituals being offered. She felt we were setting a good example in our public rituals, which will be remembered, and thus be an effective way of illustrating what folks ought to look for in Pagan groups. Arwen pointed out that the Standards came into being as a result of concerns over rumors of abuse. Marilyn said that as far as she was concerned, the Standards are a "cover your ass" protection for the Council and its members; no one can control individual behavior, but the Standards would protect us in the event of a lawsuit. Aree felt that they wouldn't hold up in court, that they were not a legal safeguard; Ann Marie wondered if in fact they would make us *more* liable to be sued. Marilyn offered to review them with a lawyer, and to ask him other questions concerning EPNs legal issues.

It was MOVED by Jane and SECONDED by Liss to scale back the Standards to the level of guidelines, renaming them as Ethical Guidelines; to recommit ourselves to the mission of educating people about the ethics of Paganism and how to evaluate new situations; to rewrite the By Laws to remove any reference to the Standards; to no longer require a signature on the Standards as a condition of membership; and to return the definition of membership to be subscriber to the EPN newsletter. Aree still wondered what we should do if we encountered suggestions of abuse. She pointed out that we need to remember all sides of an issue; she wondered how far we were obligated to take an accusation if we were no longer operating under the Standards. Eric felt that we could ascertain from a lawyer what the best approach is for legal liability as a referring organization. He felt that we could have our guidelines which we could recommend to others; we can't police, and we don't want to. He also pointed out that we were worrying about what hasn't yet happened; if someone comes to us down the road, we can deal with it at the time. So far we've only encountered unsubstantiated allegations of someone who is no longer a member. Jane commented that since we are only working with adults, they are responsible as adults. Don suggested that when Marilyn talks to the lawyer she ask for specifics on what to do and who do we refer to, or do we even refer?

Eric the MOVED to table the discussion pending our obtaining further information from a lawyer; Jane SECONDED this, and it was VOTED UNANIMOUSLY TO TABLE DISCUSSION. EPN would cover any expenses Marilyn incurred, and she would post a date to the e-list of her meeting so people could offer suggestions for her to take to the lawyer.

Aree wondered if we were covered for liability on the retreats we offered. Eric said that we are "self-insured", meaning that we accept responsibility but we don't have an insurance policy; this was to avoid higher fees for the retreats.Eric said we needed to resolve the Standards issue because of the ill-will it has created; Arwen said that they had become a presumption of guilt, which was unintended. Eric said he had received information that Silo 7 said they wouldn't return to EPN as long as the Standards exist; if they should come back, it would be important for us to work out a way to carry on together without being burdened by old history. He felt that peer pressure might work where an assumption of authority would not.

The meeting took a brief break at this point.

ACCESS AND OPENNESS. Eric presented the issues as: are Council meetings sufficiently open? Should we hold more regular meetings? It was MOVED by Jane and SECONDED by Arwen that, in the interest of allowing members to know more about their constituencies, any EPN members and subscribers be allowed to attend Council meetings; further, a new e-list should be created for EPN business, which would be open to any EPN members and subscribers. Arwen remarked that if such a list existed, where members could post as well as Council members, we might get more volunteers for our many tasks. She went on to say that the Council still needed a way to discuss confidential issues. Eric thought we might post council discussions on such a list, and discussion ensued on how this might work. It was suggested that, for executive sessions (i.e. Council members and alternates only), we could simply use a list of e-mail addresses and cc to one another. Jane pointed out that an open list would give an opportunity for Council members to be evaluated by their constituencies, and that it might also ensure more civilized behavior. Don remarked that it might also encourage membership (from among subscribers) to have such a list. Eric had two reservations about such a list: 1) it might stifle uncomfortable discussions which needed to take place, though we could still have private messages to deal with that, and 2) the need for privacy should we need to discuss an individual; this need could be met by holding the executive (i.e. Council and alternates only) discussions. He felt that any such e-list would need to be treated as an online meeting, with proper protocols for moving discussions (i.e. motions, seconds, etc., following Roberts Rules of Order). Jane felt that the Corresponding Secretary could deal with the minutiae involved in running the list (and keeping people to task), while the President could "bang the gavel" metaphorically speaking, when necessary to keep discussion in order. Aree wondered about the mechanics of such a list. Would every post be screened before posting? If not, how do we prevent nuisance posts? Jane replied that it was possible to put an individual on monitor status (i.e. all that person's posts would be reviewed before they were posted), if it became necessary. Arwen then wondered what the two Solitary reps could do to include the solitary members and subscribers who were not on e-mail, and speculated on mailings and phone trees. Marilyn felt that solitaries were solitary for a reason, and that many might not want to receive such attention; the newsletter was a good vehicle for spreading information about the Council actions, and the expense of sending additional mailings or phone calls to solitary members and subscribers was not something the Reps could take on by themselves. Aree suggested that the contact information for the Solitary Reps in the newsletter include the information that persons could write to the Reps in care of EPN. She also said that there were 37 signers of the Standards and 70 addresses of subscribers (which might include more than one person). This means an imbalance in the proportion of representation by the Council members, with those representing groups speaking for 3-7 people, while each Solitary Rep speaks for half of the entire body of solitary members. The motion for an e-list PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. We agreed that the new list would be announced on MEP, and that Jane would check with Aree (the Treasurer) to ascertain who were actually members and subscribers before signing anyone up.

VICE PRESIDENT. Eric pointed out that we were currently operating without a Vice President, and enumerated our alternatives: either we ignore the By-Laws and make an alternate Vice President or we work without a Vice President, or we ask an officer to double up on offices. We agreed that we hope to receive new membership, and thus more Council members, and folks believed that the only duty of the Vice President was to lead Council meetings in the absence of the President. Marilyn pointed out that we had also given to the Vice President the role of media contact as necessary, and so the holder of the office had to be content to speak with the media on occasion. Eric then NOMINATED Jane for Vice President, which was SECONDED by Ann Marie. The nomination PASSED with one abstention.

Eric then gave charge of the meeting to Jane for the next item of discussion.

VENDING. Jane asked Eric for a summary of the issue. Eric's summary ran as follows: 4 or 5 years ago Fred asked Apple Valley Books (AVB) to be the supplier for the Common Ground Fair (CGF) Booth every year; AVB has built up this partnership over the years, which has been mildly profitable for them and made them known to a wider Pagan community. Last February 1999, Silo 7 approached AVB and asked if they could vend side-by-side at the Full Circle Fair in July of 1999. The two businesses entered into a private agreement between themselves, which AVB contends was not met. AVB expressed their displeasure vocally to members of EarthTides at the Fair, which AVB now feels they should not have done. From AVB's perspective, there are many opportunities to vend at many events by both individuals and businesses. They felt it was fair to encourage any businesses who wished to do so to approach EPN about partnering at any event for fundraising efforts to benefit EPN. They also felt that since AVB has done so much work for the CGF booth, in effect developing that market, AVB should be allowed to continue to work it.

Jane then called for other points of view on the issue. Don felt that AVB goes out on a limb to carry stock for the CGF each year, many months in advance of the Fair (some stock being ordered as early as January). Jane said that if we did change the relationship, we should do so well in advance of the ordering time. Liss said that the Olympics uses "official sponsorships"; why not have AVB as an official sponsor for EPN at the CGF? Arwen stated that she had checked with a lawyer, and been told that Maine law on corporations doing business with non-profits is quite clear: it *encourages* the directors and board members of non-profit corporations to do business with the non-profits on whose boards they sit, as a means of encouraging the fiscal strength of all. Aree felt strongly that the question of "who has dibs" should be considered.

She felt there was an enormous difference between committed members of EPN doing business with and for us and vendors who aren't regular active members doing business with and for us. She felt that the active participants *deserve* our business support, and that we should be careful how we allow others to tack onto us.

Aree therefore MOVED that participating EPN members be given preferential consideration for vending opportunities at events in which EPN participates. The motion was SECONDED by Liss and PASSED with two abstentions.

It was then MOVED by Liss and SECONDED by Marilyn that, in recognition of their distinguished service to EPN, we designate Apple Valley Books as the official vendors for the EPN booth at the Common Ground Fair for as long as both organizations agree to the arrangement; sufficient notice will be given by December 31 of the year preceding the Fair should either party wish to discontinue the relationship. This motion PASSED with two abstentions.

Ann Marie then commented that she would like to see more integration between the vending side of the CGF booth and the EPN side of the booth, with a scaling back of items offered for sale if the integration couldn't be achieved by other means. She felt that the vending side of the booth as it had evolved was very commercial to be present in the Social/Political Action tent. Arwen stated that AVB had tried to maintain the separation when its owners were more "in the broom closet", but that this could be fixed. She was clear that accurate record keeping of all sales was essential for AVB, and so one or both of its owners needed to be there at all times to oversee the sales. Ann Marie commented that the list of items used at the CGF booth this year was helpful for ensuring that items sold were properly recorded. Eric affirmed that indeed AVB could find ways to integrate better with the EPN booth at the CGF.

We then took a break to order pizza, following which, Vice President Jane returned the running of the meeting to President Eric.

DURATION OF TERMS OF OFFICE. Eric stated that it was originally assumed that the Council would elect its own officers and that those officers would serve for three year terms, but pointed out that we had had several resignations which had altered this scheme. Jane said she would like us to revisit the officer posts every year; since we hope that the Council membership would increase soon, it would be good to be able to encourage new members as possible officers. It was pointed out that the Solitary Reps were elected to the *Council* for three year terms, but that this did not necessarily equate with any terms of *office* on the Council. We agreed that there were no constraints on the Council with regard to how it establishes its officers. Arwen pointed out that it is difficult to find people to fill spots, particularly those offices requiring special skills. Jane felt that this need for skill was actually helped by having more people rotating in and out of the offices more frequently, because that would ensure that there were more people on the Council who had the necessary experience, and allow us to build our knowledge base. Aree pointed out that each new Treasurer might need to buy software, though we agreed that such an expense was reimbursable with the proper receipts.

Eric pointed out that the By Laws say that the slate of Officers was voted in for three years for the sake of continuity, but that we were in a position to take advantage of the departures of several Officers to put new people in for three year terms, thus strengthening continuity. Arwen wondered if we might compromise with a two year term; Eric proposed instead that the term be up to three years, with any portion of a year being the equivalent of one year, after which time an Officer must be re-elected by the Council in order to continue in that office. Melissa pointed out that some organizations have the Vice President become the President automatically after both have served their terms of office, but it was felt that such an arrangement wouldn't serve our needs as well. We thus established that the current slate of officers for EPN runs as follows:

• President -- Eric (term to end at the annual meeting of 2002)
• Vice President -- Jane (term to end at the annual meeting of 2002)
• Secretary -- Marilyn (term to end at the annual meeting of 2001)
• Corresponding Secretary -- Jane (term to end at the annual meeting of 2001)
• Treasurer -- Aree (term to end at the annual meeting of 2002)

NEW BUSINESS. Marilyn announced the receipt of a letter from the librarian of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Waterville, thanking EPN for its donation to their library of a copy of Kerr Cuhulain's The Law Enforcement Guide to Wicca. She also made official request of a census from all the member groups, to be provided to her as Recording Secretary before the next Annual Meeting in January of 2000, as required by the By Laws. Ann Marie said that she had had some concerns about the openness of representation to the Council, but that these concerns had been partially addressed by the changes made during this meeting. She also suggested that we conduct a survey of Maine Pagans, asking them what they wanted from a statewide Pagan organization.

Eric MOVED to adjourn the meeting; Jane SECONDED, and the motion PASSED with one abstention.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilyn
Recording Secretary, EarthTides Pagan Network
Solitary Representative