Combustion Chamber Meeting

Monday, November 16, 2015

Facilitator: Pixie

Stack: Henry

Scribe: Charlcye

Attendees: Problem, Prost, Mer, Adam, Beth, Hawk, Decibel, Turtlebunnie, Clover, Pixie, Henry, Izzi, Breezy, Casey, Chim-Chim, Lurko, Tim, Private Bare, Psyche, Clovis, Dahling, Monkey, Charlcye, Dottie

7:50pm MEETING BEGINS

7:50pm LLC UPDATE (Adam)

AF retreat this past weekend successful

7:51pm AF UPDATE (Mer)

Tentative date for Fall Town Hall; Recurring dates would be nice, however, volunteer burnout a risk, and people may burn out; Getting topic sponsored may be by AF

7:58pm REGIONAL UPDATE (Clovis)

LOI still in process

7:59pm TOPIC: ART AT CHURCH NIGHT (Turtlebunnie)

Clarification—Art at WAREHOUSE

Not just at Church Night,but all nights.

CC MEETING

Monday, November 2, 2015

Facilitator: Prost

Stack: Turtlebunnie

Scribe: Chim-Chim

Brad, Bo, Rick, St. Tiki, Chim-Chim, Breezy, Princess, Kat, Pixie, Turtlebunnie, Prost, Cooper, Commander Awesomepants, Problem, Monkey, Hawk, Adam, Beth, Decibel, Bonobo, Clovis, Thomas, Sam

7:56pm MEETING BEGINS

TOPICS CC HANDBOOK

CC RETREAT

7:56pm LLC UPDATE (Adam)

How big is Flipside ? Last year, sold shy of 3200 tickets; cap 3211; came within 20-30; Growth curve; Number actually showed 2850, less than 2014.

This year, talking about selling fewer tickets; look at number actually sold through ticket distro; cutting to 2900-3000; possible that event will be smaller; number of people at event greater.

Considering rain, number of no shows 15% is low number of no shows for us considering rain; fewer no –shows in 2014; this year, if have 5% no shows, will still be bigger than 2015;

Still kicking around numbers; even if it didn’t flood, it was hard year on volunteers; 2 leads and 1 AF personal crisis; another AF had to leave; Makes sense to cut back and give breathing room;

Summary—been meeting demand for tickets by distro extra in bonus round; All things up for consideration this year as to size. Lots of competing drives; Want to be inclusive; don’t want to turn away people, reducing pop size is way of telling people “Hey this is hard, if you want to still grow, it’s on you.”

The numbers are rough estimates; Still have to talk to safety teams, genesis AF.Don’t want anyone surprised about numbers changing; easy on volunteer base; have tools for volunteers to grow, but people have to sign up; Going to grow event again inside-out, develop structures, grow; Reset the org. The important thing about ticket numbers is Staffing shifts for 3200 ppl is different than 3000 ppl; Setting expectations is important for those teams; If we have smaller number of tickets, those ppl less likely need a ranger;

Land search is an ongoing thing under Short cake Site prep AF

AFs ,LLC members—idea: moving all parking to other side of county road; would change layout of property/logistics; AF’s and LLC make operational decision

AF UPDATE (Clovis)

AF meeting: Progressing along; planning AF/LLC retreat; first leads all hands second weekend in December set; discussed size of event; leads rodeo coming up;

REGIONAL UPDATE (St.Tiki)

• Theme for BM: DaVinci’s workshop
• BM staff had retreat on echelon; off big sur;
• Discussion: Vancouver looking to expand 1,000-1,500 ppl; reaching out to us for input; Will do google hangout on Thursday;
• Amsterdam has reached out to us; One-day decomp; been asked to put together a large event; early discussions;
• BM intl grant open art grant due Tuesday; LOI for 2016due Mon. Nov 30; more info on website
• Re-laying out the city(BRC)

TOPIC: CC handbook (Pixie)

• AI: George to provide history of CC
• Where to keep it: Memory; Wiki; Website; Leads binder on website?
• AI: Voice memo from Tiki to send;
• Prost will take on Wolf: Bring up on list every two months; Rotate with CC members;
• Motion: every 8 meetings, ask wolf to keep or pass; blocked—wanna get it done
• Two months too short; four months may be ok; May have nothing during that time;
• Not worried about rotating; Some members would be blocked as wolf; Needs to be someone that checks email, wants to be wolf;
• Let wolf decide;
• Motion: every four months; check in; let wolf decide; When doing calendaring, ask wolf to step aside? Seconded;
• Meeting checklist:
  • Second: 72hours (if we use numbers)
  • Separate tasks; Review tasks; decide date for next meeting; decide facilitator, stack, scribe; There should be another checklist; Reviewing tasks is facilitator responsibility; Change order; These used to be Scribe tasks;
• Probationary Period
  • Percentages vs. 4/6 meetings; History: cc thinking of adding controversial ppl; think of it as more of a trial period;
• Member statuses
  • People on sabbatical removed from closed cc list? Must practice it
  • Any limits to number of people on cc; guideline;
  • Sabbatical: Attendance is important;
  • People on sabbatical should be off closed-cc list;
  • CC should reserve to make decisions for CC; Schedule sabbaticals as future topic – may or may not be at retreat; Opinion on admin status on closed cc list
  • Change inactive to emeritus; Motion to change inactive to emeritus/lazy fuckers; emeritus fuckers; motion passes
  • Process for removing cc member? On that page? 60-70%;
  • Body should discuss who’s effective, based on what body decides;
  • Action that needs to happen is a discussion
  • Change to “You’re expected to attend meetings”; Last check was in 2010; cc should manage itself; rulebook does not manage cc;
  • Privilege vs obligation
  • Active cc members are expected to regularly participate in meetings; MOTION; motion passes
  • Minority court reports against what we voted on
• Facilitating meeting/best practices
  • Reduce to bullet points
  • Recommend post meeting guidelines; Whoever is in charge of warehouse to take action; AI: Cooper takes ownership
  • Facilitator training as topics;
• What does a cc do/not do? Defining is useful; As a way to set expectations (e.g. motions); potential cc candidates
• New member selection process: on wiki
• Tl; dr; List basics: for what we are/are not
• FAQ:

10:16pm TOPIC: CC RETREAT

• DEPENDS on how we feel about camping; fire pit; land in Bastrop; Shower/bath facility; $5/person; Depends on date/availability; back yards;
• Friday, December 18-Sunday, December 20 at Lake Travis; Arrive; Set agenda Friday night; Saturday, meeting, Saturday evening party; $85 fee; $1710: rent/deposit; Deadline for Wednesday;

10:41pm SCXRIBE SEARCH

• postponed till further notice

photos: photographer Kati knows

calendaring: 25^th of January: cc probationary; next meeting first of Feb

• schedule cc pic day? 8^th of February; motion passes depends on heather lynn
• first weekend in Feb for suggested for spring TH Sat Feb 6; Jan meeting dates; Jan 4 ,19 th and 25
• Concerns—getting leads recruited; last year was great turnout but at great cost; DAFT lead announced; The later we have TH, the later we have the road shows; ticket sales; volunteers; Purpose of Town Hall is communication;
• MOTION to set date for Town Hall as February 6; Run by AF list to get input pending buy-in;
• Meeting for 12/14; cultural appropriation and children
• Meeting 1/25; Take on assignments; Prep AFs; Determine producer
• 11:03pm MEETING ADJOURNED
• FACILITATOR: ART ART ART 11/16
• PIXIE:
• STACK: BONOBO (TURTLEBUNNIE)

COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015

FACILITATOR: BETH

STACK: CLOVIS

SCRIBE: CHIM-CHIM

ATTENDEES: Problem, Adam, Princess, Hawk, Clovis, Chim-Chim, Breezy, Pixie, Gyesika, Bravo, Clover, Prost, Dahling, Julie, Monkey, Decibel, Henry, Kat, Eric,

7:53pm MEETING BEGINS

7:56pm LLC UPDATE

• First draft budget after this meeting
• Freezer burn asked to use warehouse for building; Probably not this year; Wed—wood for tool room build; Will start soon

7:57pm AF UPDATE (DAHLING)

First submission of AR leads done; Will announce soon; Still working on volunteer system for next year

7:58pm REGIONAL UPDATE

• BM hired someone to help with volunteer system; Kim Cook; Announced prelim dates for GLC; Save date Mar 31-Apr 3, 2016
• FS org submitted for white paper for this year; Panel

7:59pm TOPIC: Adult Camp Follow Up (Breezy)

• Opening cattle guard made everything feel less restrictive; One camp’s music lead was not happy with lack of visibility at the beginning of the event, but changed his mind; People generally happy

  Several of the camps placed in the corral in 2015 have asked to go back this year; They have requested a complete loop to go around the camping area.  This is being considered. There are plans being made by those camps to include lights at entrance to attract more attention; Open camping in Outlands in corral;

8:06pm MOTION TO CLOSE STACK

ACCESSIBILITY; can get car back there, might have to be treated as burnable art site; would be awesome secondary burn site for art piece

Have fire lead and stakeholders available to discuss fire circle in adult theme camps area; temporal art installation navigation team; handle all art

8:11pm THEME VOTING PROCESS (MONKEY)

Always fair amount of side conversations/discussions about the way we choose themes; specifically operational; Discussion about current process works or not;

No more stickers with negative space in between; get stickers with just stickers

Solution now is simplest; everyone has chance to buy into topic

Folks who miss town hall feel like they don’t get to buy in; try something less analog;

Some think it takes too long; too many themes that distract from real themes; Presentations are sometimes too long; People who are hurt by putting ideas they care about into an arena that doesn’t give a shit about their feelings; Not necessarily our job to fix; people think it’s a waste of time;

Online system thing: Most themes selected are based on presentations; Best part of town hall is in the presentations;

What do we do if people don’t show up? How important is the theme? How much work is it for people having to do town hall? If people wanna change that, they should be part of the cc;

Theme is the most important that doesn’t matter; flipside is gonna be what its gonna be;

Have to talk about it every year; Just as important as ludicrous methodologies;

Theme selection process: imperfections easy to understand and widely understood; If better idea for theme selection process, write it up and propose it while there is still time

I don’t think our process is unpredictable enough;

Toward s end of process, two front runners; those showed up with large crowd of supporters; popularity contest; has bias towards selecting themes based on process and not product; if we wanted a theme to be based on content than process, then we should tweak process;

FS owns sound meters; alternate voting method; get sound meter and vote for themes by who could make louder noise; Vote by sound meter

Not about having fairness and objectivity; it s having an art project; theme selected by one person who sits there thinking about theme and importance and dynamic on human condition; because of that, we are on shorter side remembering one thing; can do objectivity measures; at end of day, it’s a popularity contest; as long as community is deciding and proposing is all that matters

Mail in votes

8:37pm MOTION TO CLOSE STACK

Old business

Cultural Appropriation/-ism (Kat); Discussion on racism; cultural appropriation with customs

TH prep; setting up agenda

Save the date for leads all hands; Dec 12; same day as Santa rampage;

Facilitator: Hawk

Breezy: stack

8:47pm MEETING ADJOURNED

COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

FACILITATOR: Beth

STACK: Turtlebunnie

SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

ATTENDEES (24): Izzy, Problem, Adam, Thomas, Princess, Beth, Kat, Pixie, Turtlebunnie, Chim-Chim, Henry, Hawk, Breezy, Dahling, Monkey, Kate, Doc Mitz, Oxyace, Private Bare, Decibel, Clovis, Samantha, Bonobo, Jedi

7:48pm MEETING BEGINS

7:53pm AAR/LLC UPDATE (Problem)

The office space will be completed shortly

No theme has been selected for Flipside 2016

Internet for the new warehouse is currently being worked on

DO NOT leave anything at the warehouse, even if it’s considered a donation; The warehouse has to make room before accommodating stuff; Please leave beer/Gatorade/water in the fridge; Non-consumable items will not allowed at the warehouse

7:57pm AF UPDATE (Dahling)

Nominations for Leads are happening; 62 positions are available; This is an opportunity to apply for a position; You don’t have to be a Lead, but can be part of the team; Leads nominations ends October 26;

Leads retreat will be on the weekend of November 15

4 new Leads created—Volunteer Assistant Squad, Tactical Art Installation and Navigation Team (TAINT), Genesis AF, and Safety AF

LEADS RECRUITMENT: Half the Lead roles have been filled; All positions are chances to learn

More information on Leads nominations and volunteer recruitment will be available soon via link from Susan

8:13pm REGIONAL UPDATE (Clovis)

Letter of Intent (LOI) is due  out in October/November—This is a chance to receive art grant money from Burning Man; Money received goes toward your art project for Burning Man. If you, or someone you know, is interested in applying for an art grant from Burning Man, watch for email

8:14pm TOPIC: TOWN HALL WRAP-UP (Kate)

Town Hall overall was a SUCCESS!!!

DRAWBACKS: 1) Need more shade; 2) Heat management (inside/outside warehouse); 3) Conduct meeting with more decorum; 4) Voting process could be improved; 5) Coordinate better on port-o-potties; 6) Better timekeeping; 7) DO NOT PARK IN THE LOT NEXT DOOR; Park in the street; 8) 6-packs full of empty bottles in the fridge and crushed cans behind certain areas of the warehouse are considered MOOP; 9) Need to run sound OUTSIDE; Develop a short list of sound people to contact for future warehouse events; A sound system for the warehouse is in the works; 10) Check with the warehouse managers before donating anything to the warehouse

MOTION: To discuss how we vote on themes; MOTION PASSES; Monkey will speak on this topic, and the topic will be put on the calendar

8:30pm TOPIC: CC EFFECTIVENESS (Adam)

BACKGROUND: CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT, the Combustion Chamber (CC) handbook WILL outline the CC functions and responsibilities, and this will improve CC effectiveness; Discussion for this topic is specifically over what to do to become more effective; Although efficiency is nice, we don’t want to confuse it with effectiveness; We can do better to stay on top of meetings

GOAL: Effectiveness

CHALLENGES: There is not leader of the CC; This is a FLAT organization; The challenge is to define ways to backstop themselves to make CC operate more effectively.

DISCUSSION: Options regarding Action Items (AIs)—Designate a Task Master/Mistress/Taskinator; Owner of AI determines date, and reports back on that specified date; POINT OF INFORMATION—CC did have a Taskmaster in the past; Use Trello or Slack

A lot of the same things that prove efficiency also prove effectiveness; We ought to keep things short and concise; Consider renaming meetings to ‘PARTIES’; Some people who ramble, although not the best communicators, are sometimes trying to make a point; We want to make sure that all responsibilities we take on for Flipside and the money, time, effort, and warehouse is managed and reflected back-and-forth; The efficacy of a meeting is not predicated on the efficiencies or other shorthand that can call for people’s respect for time (mechanics); The point is to: 1) Have ideas; 2) Communicate; 3) Decide; 4) Deliver; We are FAILING on those; We need to sharpen our focus on specific tasks, especially those topics (ticket prices, shrinking the size of the event) that can get kicked back and discussed at a later date; Identify key things we can’t drop and spend time on the rest of it

Certain demographics (e.g. Those participants in their 20’s) will typically not get involved with CC meetings

When someone takes on a position/responsibility, we should all support that person, and ask how we can further help support

CC is NOT an operational body (with the exception of Town Hall)

Consider meeting up as a CC body at Flipside and having an OPEN FORUM at the creek—This would be good for community outreach where lots of ideas are pursued; Attend Church Night and ask community for topics to bring up with the CC/LLC in trying to make a better community

MOTION BACKGROUND: Considering we talk for a while over process/CC handbook, does anyone have a philosophical objection to holding people to those rules? It’s been stated that we can’t hold people to rules because ‘that’s not nice’

MOTION: To commit trying to hold down those rules; Motion passes

THE PHILOSOPHY OF PROCESS: The process is supposed to serve the body and not vice versa; The process can protect people from the efficiency of the meeting

The community has to take care of itself; There are always questions of why aren’t we taking care of [insert complaint here]

READ THE BOOK “The Tyranny of Structurelessness”

Research Trello and Slack

The most important items from the CC meeting minutes are the TASKS, MOTIONS (and blocks of motions, with explanations of the block), and SPECIFIC ITEMS

Ask the community, “What would you like to see at the new warehouse?”

Develop Quick Guide for Trello; Set up projector for how to use Trello

MOTION: To add AIs to end of each meeting—a review of immediate AIs to ensure we are staying on task; MOTION BLOCKED; Reason—Need to specify or explicitly call out and separate items into different MOTIONS, and work with each motion

MOTION: To add to recurring agenda at the end of our meetings time to discuss existing action items (AIs); MOTION PASSES

MOTION: To manage AIs—Set for the next meeting; CC will decide in brief discussion at the next meeting what tools (Trello, Slack, Google docs, etc.) to use; MOTION PASSES

MOTION: Pursuant to the discussion of what tools to use, we move to gather requirements for that tool so that we evaluate that tool, and have requirements for said tool for the next tool; Motion is to use Trello; MOTION PASSES

POINT OF INFORMATION: AAR/LLC is currently working to make task management happen easily

MOTION: If you take an AI, you are responsible to put it in Trello; MOTION BLOCKED; Reason NA

Turtlebunnie volunteers as Tribune to work with Trello

MOTION: When a motion is made, a second stack will be used until the motion is complete, and then we return to discussion; There shall be no more than ONE MOTION at a time; AMENDMENTS go on stack; MOTION BLOCKED; Reason—Request for further discussion online with other members to weigh in; Discussion is kicked to the next meeting; POST PROPOSAL TO CC LIST that acts as a motion

POINT OF CLARIFICATION: “This is unusual”

We are a consensus body…silence is consent if you don’t say anything

10:09pm CALENDARING

Theme Voting Process (Monkey) scheduled for Monday, November 30, 2015

NEXT MEETING: Monday, October 19, 2015

FACILITATOR: Pixie

STACK: Breezy

SCRIBE: Charlcye

TOPICS: Meeting Room Booking Policies (Beth); Warehouse Storage Policy (Prost)

10:12pm MEETING ADJOURNED

# COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

# MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

# FACILITATOR: Prost

# STACK: Decibel

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

# ATTENDEES (24): Chim-Chim, Commander Awesomepants, Hawk, Problem, Adam, Clovis, Donut, Thomas, Breezy, Decibel, Doc Mitz, Dahling, Gyesika, Prost, Alex, Chloe, Turtlebunnie, Pixie, Monkey, Beth, Wrinn, Izzy, Emily, Psyche

# 7:55pm MEETING BEGINS

# 7:58pm LLC UPDATE [Problem]

• AAR/LLC took a vacation
• Genesis AF position created
  • Duties/Responsibilities
    • Greeters, Zone Czars, Parking, Onsite tow truck driver
    • Julie Oliver is the new Genesis AF; Originally the Greeter Lead this past year
    • This position will go through a 1 year trial

# 8:00pm REGIONAL UPDATE [Clovis]

• There was a Regional meeting at Burning Man
• “Remind me to remind you to remind me about that regional thing.” –Thomas to Clovis
• Austin art project did well

# 8:01pm AF UPDATE [Commander Awesomepants, Clovis, Dahling]

• Warehouse is mostly moved
• Organized and labeled in big rows on shelves
• Another weekend still needed for moving
• We have a new dumpster delivered
• The community truck has arrived back from Burning Man—GET YOUR STUFF
• There will be a recycling run
• The Goddess of Unfinished projects will be the LAST thing to be moved
• There will be a couple of big loads going with individuals
• Issue with storage of propane and gas cans—Limited to (3)
• There are concerns about the doors being smaller
• Suggestion: Make tool room smaller to have a separate room as a machine shop for welding classes
• Help is still needed this weekend
• Plumbing will be done after the falls are finished
• Tarp cleaning party is needed
• Leads nominations is currently being together; Announcement will be made at Town Hall; Contact Dahling for more info

# 8:10pm TOPIC: Exodus [Wrinn]

• Background: Exodus started after Burn; Short-staffed; Exodus Lead needs to be ICS trained (operational issue) and should be a liability Lead position
• Serious (Safety AF) had idea: At the last AF meeting, discussion denoted many leads to be ICS trained, and there was discussion over ways to roll Rangers to get Exodus started sooner
• Issue: When packing up for Exodus, there were a few unsafe driving speeds occurring, especially with mud
• Challenge: What do we do if Exodus occurs in the middle of the event? (Needs community input)
• Issue: Dissemination of information; Convincing people there is a problem even when people know to leave
• THANKS to the Exodus Lead this year for helping at the last minute
• Issue: Traffic flow off property—Getting in/out expediently
• Challenge: Having an emergency Exodus plan and being explicit in communication
• Note: Exodus issues did not start until Monday afternoon
• Discussion: How far in advance do we need people gone by 5pm
• Discussion: This is a logistical problem no matter how well prepared we are
• Issue: When hundreds are left behind, there are crews in planning/infrastructure who needs to leave but won’t/can’t because they do not want to leave stranded people behind
• We must think in realistic terms; Always remember the ‘hippie’ factor; Plan for it; EMBRACE THE SUCK
• There actually are several exits off the property and routes available
• Volunteering verbally is insufficient; Plan ahead, put it in writing, and commit to it
• Motion made and passed: Postpone closing of topic until Kate has reviewed minutes and confirms all that has been discussed regarding the topic of Exodus

# 8:37pm TOPIC: TOWN HALL [Beth]

• TOWN HALL:

• Emily, our Off-Seasons Events Coordinator is rocking along, gathering volunteers, booking the portapotty, working on some art ideas, and more. She’s handling all the technical aspects of the event, and is doing a magnificent job. 
• From our standpoint, everything planning wise is also going well, one of the things I wanted to do tonight was make sure that everyone had checked in with the AF Buddy, but I can’t seem to find the list of who was paired with whom. If any one has that, I’d appreciate it. 
• TurtleBunnie is handling the Town Hall Voting, so we just need to see what supplies she needs. 
• We’ll need to make sure we have a fresh stack of waivers. I brought the clipboard back, and also donated a new plastic one. It has pickle duct tape on it. The pickle is saying “Dill with it.” 
• We should locate the CC sign, I’m pretty sure it made it over to the new WH. Though, it would be cool to have an nicer sign. 
• We’re still figuring out sound, but we’ve got enough options and time. 

• AFTERPARTY PLANNING: 

• Beth is working on getting the DJ lineup set. The current theme that has emerged was “Current/Former CC members” and it’s working out awesomely. Aka “Beth is a Badass.”
• Monk is donating his time to make an “Old WH” logo, that we’re burning to a screen, and setting up a “Make your own swag” station. We’re pretty sure we’ve already got all the items for that, we’ll just need the screen. Pixie is donating a lot of that.=, but she’s newly un-deserted, and is jumping right back into things.
• John England has volunteered to bring a robotic bartender, that lights up and can make something like 50 different types of drinks. It’s pretty rad in action. 
• As of right now, we are not intending to rent a portapotty to this. 

• AGENDA
  • Welcome (Kate?)
  • Dedication (Kate?)
  • LLC
  • AF/Volunteers (Prost/Dahling)
  • Themes/Voting (Turtlebunnie)
  • Stickets (Pixie, Rusty, Suzie)
  • DAFT (Bonobo)
  • Warehouse (Henry)
  • CC update (Clovis
  • Closing: 1) Earth Guardian 2) Community announcements 3) Theme announcement
• DISCUSSION
  • Each agenda item will last no longer than 5 minutes
  • Presentations will be no longer than 2 minutes
  • Voting will last at least 30 minutes
  • Emily and Kate will need to see the current layout at the new warehouse
  • Ensure buildout stuff/insulation piles are cleared out
  • Discuss with warehouse manager
  • Move the stage risers
  • Announce LNT at the beginning and end of Town Hall
  • Keep the meeting portion short; Let people be more social
  • Need to move a couple of shade structures for outside
  • Issue: ADA compliance: There is no ramp at the new warehouse
  • It would be nice to have a big step to make it easier to get through into the warehouse
  • Suggestion: Have team hang up art to make it not look so industrial; Art is currently taking up a corner; Putting art up can free up space
  • Theme registration has already been published; Clarify 2 minute rule
  • DO NOT PARK IN THE PARKING LOT FOR TOWN HALL!!! Park in the street or carpool
  • Set the tone: Emphasize LNT, and communicate in palindrome form at the beginning/end
  • We have interesting neighbors—Possibility for constructive relationships
  • Volunteering starts at 11am
  • Tailgating starts at Noon
  • Town Hall 2:30pm-4pm
  • Afterparty starts at 7pm: DJs consist of former/current CC members
  • Monk will have an old warehouse screen for people to make their own schwag
  • John England will be bringing a robotic bartender
  • Discussion over renting port-o-potty for event
  • BRING CHAIRS for afterparty
  • Move fridge to new warehouse

# 9:13pm TOPIC: Calendaring (All CC)

• 9/28: Town Hall Review (Kate); CC Effectiveness (Adam)
• 10/19: Meeting Room Booking Policies (Beth); Warehouse Storage Policy (Prost)
• 11/2: CC Handbook Draft Review (Pixie); CC retreat (Pixie)
• 11/16: Art @ Church Night (Turtlebunnie, Dawn); More Large Burnable Art (Breezy, Serious)
• 11/30: Adult Camp Follow Up (Breezy)
• 12/14: Cultural Appropriation/-ism Discussion (Doug?)
• 1/4: Calendaring (All); Volunteer Recruitment (Dahling)
• 1/18: Kids, Families, Policies, and Culture, Safety (Bonobo); LNT—What does it mean to us? (Wrinn)
• DISCUSSION:
  • Deadline: 10/15—Get topics to Pixie for CC handbook
  • AI: Bring up topics to discuss at Town Hall; Topics should be calendared 2-3 weeks out; Discuss things important to the community
  • Issue: Explicit policies on storage at the warehouse, and enforcement on policies (operational issue)

# NEXT MEETING: Monday, September 28

# FACILITATOR: Beth

# STACK: Turtlebunnie

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

# TOPICS: Town Hall Review (Kate); CC Effectiveness (Adam)

# 9:53pm MEETING ADJOURNED

# COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

# MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2015

# FACILITATOR: Turtlebunnie

# STACK: Kate

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

# ATTENDEES (23): Problem, Izzi, Adam, Turtlebunnie, Mer, Pixie, Kate, Serious, Decibel, Henry, Cooper, Chim-Chim, Julie, Dahling, Gyesika, Prost, Kat, Emily, Wrinn, Monkey, Clovis, Bonobo, Susan

# TOPICS: Town Hall (all); Early dropoff/vendor interaction (Adam)

# 7:53pm MEETING BEGINS

# 7:57pm AAR/LLC UPDATE (Problem)

• A Flipside Flood Relief fundraiser happened last weekend, and was a success; Another fundraiser will be happening this weekend, Saturday, August 22. See Facebook for more details
• The new warehouse is coming along; The lease is signed, and insurance is done; Breaker box is currently being installed; Demolition of old rooms will be getting started, and the building of new stuff will be soon
• Approximate use of the new warehouse is TBA; Items from the old warehouse will begin moving in September; Uncertain as to whether new waivers will need to be signed at the new warehouse
• Itinerary for moving items from the old warehouse to the new warehouse: There will be (2) weekends—1) Labor day weekend; and, 2) the following weekend which will be the BIG MOVE; Completion of move should be done two weeks before Town Hall; Night runs will occur in early September during the week when the temperatures are lower
• Announce date for those interested in cleaning out personal items before the move will be every Church Night on Wednesday and every Saturday/Sunday; If you see something that doesn’t have a name on it, and you think the individual would want it, contact Meredith (360 AF); Contact Meredith also if you, or anyone you know, may be interested in joining the Warehouse Art Relocation Team; Pics have been taken in and around the warehouse, and a photo album is currently being edited

# 8:08pm AF UPDATE (Dahling)

• Had a meeting yesterday; Discussion topics—Shuffling, Leads, consolidation; Meeting lasted 6 hours; Organizational chart is currently being reviewed

# 8:09pm REGIONAL UPDATE (Clovis)

• Burning Man is happening
• A community truck is still being arranged to bring stuff out to the playa (see previous meeting minutes for more info)

# 8:09pm TOPIC: TOWN HALL (All)

• Discussion is over FORMAT and AGENDA items
• Parking lot is smaller at the new warehouse; Considering blocking parking lot off for the event; There will be space for booths, if needed
• Suggest tables inside; Logistics being considered
• In the Fall Town Hall, most booths are people who are pimping their theme; Consider LLC and CC booths (inside/outside warehouse?)
• Suggestion for Kate, Emily, and other Town Hall organizers go in person to view the new warehouse to get a better idea
• We should offer all entities (LLC, CC, AFs, etc.) a station; Some of the community will be bitching of the new space; Others will be nostalgic; One of the most important things of Town Hall is to make people fall in love with the new space and motivate them to see the new potential; We need to remember, as a community, we have to absolutely BRING IT
• Consider presenting diagrams of where spaces are, including spaces neighbors have, etc.
• Idea of having the tables outside the door, and everyone who walks by, sees the table, including signs encouraging them to volunteer; Also can be a table to sign waivers; Can be a nice greeter station; People promoting themes can set up inside the perimeter
• Izzi can help run a tour of the new warehouse for those interested
• JOB DESCRIPTIONS (from the CC standpoint):
  • PRODUCER (Kate): Secure MC; Set agenda
  • EVENT COORDINATOR (Emily): Securing port-o-potties
  • CC: Recruits volunteers for various things (set up chairs, stage, parking, etc.); Helps manage volunteers

# 8:28pm MOTION: As producer, Kate is empowered to make final decisions, and the agenda has been delegated to Kate; Motion was BLOCKED

• The theme suggestion is TBA; The “Save-the-Date” has gone out
• Town Hall will be at the NEW WAREHOUSE
• The after-party following Town Hall will be at the OLD WAREHOUSE
• AI: Putting our own EAST-like event (set as topic for the next Calendaring session on 09/14)
• PREVIOUS AGENDA ITEMS for FALL TOWN HALL (2014):
  • Stickit Stuff
  • Presentation of Themes
  • Theme voting
  • LLC update
  • AF info/Volunteering
  • Leads process
  • CC report
  • Census update
  • Warehouse stuff presentation
  • Moop map presentation
  • DAFT presentation
  • More Stickit stuff
  • Theme announcement
  • Community announcements
  • (Adam will copy all agenda items onto the list
• Consider dedication ceremony; Grand opening for Town Hall at the new warehouse? Not yet—Consider Town Hall to be a SOFT opening for the new warehouse; The warehouse is not going to be ready yet when Town Hall happens; It’s still a work in progress; Bare studs = DECORUM
• Vital info can be presented in a short amount of time
• Time keeper?
• Getting people to respond online is more difficult than in person
• Discussion over artifying the new warehouse with art panels (murals); Also, suggest a guest book for the new warehouse
• Fall Town Hall is 5 WEEKS out
• MC: tba
• AGENDA ITEMS for FALL TOWN HALL:
  • WELCOME (Kate)
  • DEDICATION (Kate)
  • LLC
  • THEMES/VOTE (Theme presentation czar?): (Kate, Turtlebunnie)
  • STICKITS (Pixie)
  • AF UPDATE/VOLUNTEERISM (Prost, Dahling)
  • DAFT (Bonobo): Contact former DAFT list
  • WAREHOUSE (Henry)
  • CC UPDATES/WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS (Clovis)
    • Each speaker will have (5) minutes

# 9:00pm EARLY DROPOFF/VENDOR INTERACTION (Adam)

• HISTORY: Early entry for theme camps got introduced 7-8 years ago, and has expanded every year since; Early entry was extended to Theme Camps and Art Installations, especially when the need extra time to setup; With some of the biggest Theme Camp and Art Installations, even early entry was not enough; In a handful of cases, we have permitted Theme Camps to drop off part of their infrastructure and/or pick up the following Saturday after the event ended; In a few cases, we have had Theme Camps that wanted bulk fuel dropped off from the same vendor we get fuel from; There have been a few inquiries of having vendors drop off materials that Theme Camps could not/would not bring themselves. Is this GOOD or BAD? If it’s good, what are the parameters?
• There was an inquiry of having a large volume of food being dropped off which didn’t happen (catering situation)
• Issue with dropping off fuel at a theme camp when no one was there
• If you are having something dropped off at early entry, you must have someone there to sign off for it; If you just wanted to have something dropped off and get early entry just to sign off for it, you would be denied; This was a problem and a reason to avoid it becoming a problem in the future
• Question: From a logistical standpoint, if a vendor shows up after the event has started, should we let them through the gate?
• Question: If a theme camp wants to have something dropped off by the vendor, should we have them meet at the gate, come on in, or scale back?
• Pre- and Post- issue: Doing Exodus is a pain in the ass when people leave stuff on property
• Early entry has an impact on the community and host
• Post-event: There is NO allowance to let people leave their stuff on the property until Saturday; However, exceptions happen; Everything is supposed to be off, and it has been getting worse, impacting post-op operations; Everyone should be off property by Monday at 5pm
• Recommend policy via Accommodations—Health safety reasons should be considered when making accommodations (i.e. getting hay)
• Early entry is a case-by-case basis to be used in moderation
• 3 areas of big Theme Camps: Generator, Fuel, and Other Stuff; Limit use of same vendor; Designate a liaison; Ensure drop-off is not at wrong place; Outlier is acceptable; Theme camps can be required to pick up their generators at the gate; Limitations can impact Theme camps’/Villages’ ability to bring space to the community
• Regarding Registered Art/Installations: Limiting things that can come early is okay; Allowing camps to think its okay to leave things that haven’t been registered is a slippery slope, and needs repercussion
• Options regarding MONEY: Charge people to have vendor deliveries that are not part of the event; Make it organized with all info getting delivered; If we are pushing beyond the boundaries of what the event is providing, it would be reasonable to pay money; Have a policy to pay for delivery; Buy early entry passes; Approved vendor list—Not necessarily exclusive, but consists of a superset of lists; One cannot simply just get something delivered to the land
• Suggestion: Create approved vendors list, and have accountability for pickup
• Suggestion: Be flexible; Set policy
• Art/Theme Camp Execution: Adhere to principles
• Large Art Projects: Make accommodations and limit scope of art projects
• AAR Discussion:
  • Local vendors vs. landowner (e.g. hay)
  • Commodification issues
  • Money-changing at event
  • Question: What can we do to stop vendor use from getting bigger?
  • Discussion over not letting vendors in during the event
  • Approved vendor list
  • Note: Equipment is already set in advance
• Discussion over Accommodation/Favoratism: Because it’s open to everyone, if you have a big project, it’s NOT favoritism; There is a limiting factor—Regressive tax for extra dollars (weight, volume, how much infrastructure needs to be delivered); Anticipating the problem, and making sure application and placement happens late; When requesting shipment, have fuel drop-offs on Tuesday, Theme Camps early entry on Wednesday; Having approved vendor lists is like having camp dues; Have batch numbers for accountability, and utilize 100% pre-approval and deadlines
• “I’M AWESOME!” –Dahling
• Typically, Art logistics deliver art from the warehouse to the site on Saturday
• In order to foster big art, people may need heavy equipment

# NEXT MEETING: Monday, September 14, 2015

# FACILITATOR: Prost

# STACK: Decibel

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

# TOPICS: Town Hall (Kate), Calendaring (all), Exodus (Wrinn)

# 10:16pm MEETING ADJOURNED

COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2015

FACILITATOR: Beth

STACK: Kate

SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

ATTENDEES (39): Breezy, Turtle, VeryScary, Casey, Adam, Ghost, Kati, Izzi, Serious, Judge, Gyesika, Lily, Monk, Princess, Alpha, Cooper, Mer, Zack, Problem, Kate, Beth, Chim-Chim, St. Tiki, Prost, Clovis, Henry, Monkey, Thomas, Dahling, Aaron, Bonobo, Tamerika, Wrinn, Susan, Dotti, Fumbles, Tim, Liz, Paije

7:55pm MEETING BEGINS

7:58pm AAR/LLC UPDATE (Princess)

A new warehouse has been acquired!!! Lease has been signed today; Located at 183/Mopac
Meredith is the new 360AF; She is currently working on the setup for the move
The Flipside Flood Relief Fundraiser is up; Purpose—to help folks in Milam County; Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/flipsidefloodrelief?fref=ts; Please support; Volunteers needed for August 15
The earliest day to put stuff in the other warehouse has not been announced yet; There will be an opportunity to move in stuff beforehand, but there is already existing stuff needing to be demolished before we begin filling it up

8:00pm AF UPDATE (Mer)

Keep an eye on any big items that people may want; Turtle and Bonobo will be helping take down parts of the warehouse; We are currently working with outside safety stuff with Serious, including making money off scrap metal; Packing will begin August 22, and will continue every weekend and every Church Night; There will be ‘runs’ to the new warehouse with loads of stuff which will preferably occur at night because of heat/traffic; Anyone interested in participating on the warehouse move, please get on the email list; The list is for people who would like to assist/coordinate
Please welcome Serious as the new Safety AF!!!!!
Pics were taken of stuff outside; Will be sending out to the community, and figuring out where everything goes (NOTE: The new warehouse space does NOT have outside storage

8:06pm REGIONAL UPDATE (St. Tiki)

Burning Man had a well-articulated stance on ‘Plug n’ Play’ camps
Locally: People are being informed about the truck to Burning Man; First Google hangout occurred last Thursday; The entire discussion was broadcasted to a hotel in Reno!; There will be another Google hangout session regarding Burning Man on August 6 which will include a live Q & A; Email St. Tiki for more info
Community truck to Burning Man 2015: August 22; $10/cubic square feet; $40/box; $30 contigo size; Truck returns between 9/7-9/11; The community truck will not be something moved from the warehouse; Items will have to be picked up in advance; More info to be announced later; The Wooden Nickel Carnival crew will be responsible for the community truck this year

8:13pm TOPIC: SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS (Casey)

Discussion: How to reach the most amount of people in the least amount of time during incidents
K-flip is useful; 2 options: 1) Our own radio station; 2) Entry/Exit; The problem with the radio station is that, at the event, people aren’t sitting around listening to the radio
2-way Radios: Mult-layered approach through the Dirt Rangers; Use of Multi-use radio service (MURS) radios; The challenge is getting the consistent message out
Consider having a Safety Lead for Theme Camps
Transformus has a radio station as a safety team; Consider contacting for more info
Suggestion: Add option to have Safety Lead as part of theme camp registration
Suggestion: Advertise on kiosk on where to get info on incidents/weather updates, etc.
Issue: People in the Badlands may not get all the information needed; Solution—MEGAPHONES
The idea of having a Safety rep is great, but can we handle the influx of people who don’t commit to a certain discipline? It is possible to create content; Auxiliary Safety Rep who doesn’t have to commit to a certain discipline without choking the current Safetyside training
The problem is, as a community, we are not taking care of ourselves. We have the responsibility of taking care of our own camp
MURS is license-free; Channels can NOT be reserved; Consider programming; Safety communications is a liability
Issue: People driving around with megaphones may be screaming disinformation; This may lead to messages being ignored, and may also create panic; It shouldn’t be one person designated, but the entire camp should be notified
Low-tech is the best: If we have a time machine, we can plan for the future; At Safetyside, we had 180 people; We have 120 radios; 40 should be pledged in a box; When it’s time to break out the airhorns, everyone goes into position, with defcon 10, and no DJs playing; Utilize one message, one plan, with exodus ready, LEO, and DPS ready for us; Everyone would hear the same thing; the little ones ad hoc; We can’t take over K-flip; We’ve been using the same frequency for years with few recorded messages; Problems are for the individuals to handle
Radios are the nervous system for Flipside. Having a Theme Camp Safety Lead can switch that up, allowing us to increase our network and gives us the ability to send/receive messages. If an incident occurs, the message is easier to get out with the radio. There is a difficulty with establishing a system and increasing a network of radios; Safety is going to have to listen to them which means we’re going to need more volunteers; Regardless, Flipside could benefit from having MURS radios at theme camps; Theme camps can serve as populated call boxes; BARTENDERS SHOULD NOT BE THE ONES ON RADIOS
Relaying is beyond context (asking K-flip to act as repeater)
The challenge with 150 theme camp safety leads is a consistent message
Biggest problems this year: 1) Having people listen; 2) Community/Culture problem; 3) Shutting down music/going into Defcon 10 mode; 4) Brainstorming ways to have individuals take the message seriously
ENCULTURATION: We should take a multi-pronged approach, and use the massive sound systems; Bullhorns may not work for those not listening
The most trusted way to disseminate information is through Rangers
With over 3,000 people onsite, we are overcomplicating things; Establish the criteria for Defcon 10; Have a GIANT air horns; Rangers should have bullhorns; Keep it simple and use a SIREN
Having Safety Leads for Theme Camps has to be VOLUNTARY; The challenge is approaching camps with fewer members with Leads; It would be awesome if Theme Camp registration has a signup for a Safety Lead slot that comes with an invitation to Safetyside
MESH network: Have a registered account at Ranger HQ with the Flipside Actual; If it’s advertised enough, we can have up to 3,000 people participating; The downside—Anyone can say whatever they want; Also, if someone is using the device, they can communicate with the outside world; This can be a bug or a feature; Application is FREE, and can have a basic level of Communication structure
Suggestion: Disseminate info at ICE
FIRECHAT: Would be good to try with an ‘OH FUCK’ siren; Procedure would be needed that includes community collaboration with Safety’s decisions; The challenge: How can we collaborate as teammates so we can have more of these events later? We need more collaboration from theme camps; We want to be princiPALs
Auxiliary training is available for those interested—contact safetyside@burningflipside.com for more info; Anything that gets decided will have to be announced through Town Hall

9:25pm 5-minute BREAK

9:31pm TOPIC: DAFT (Bonobo)

SAFETY THIRD: How big should we let the effigy get? This year’s effigy was 48’; The tallest effigy to date was the Rocket ship at 52’ tall; It took almost (2) days to get the first floor level; Reason: It was a bad year; What can we do to support the organization and DAFT?
THANK YOU to DAFT for dealing with the conditions this year
Background: Similar to Burning Man; The effigy was part of the community; Committees of former DAFT Leads were entrusted in building the effigy and making a decision; The THEME was decided by the community
DAFT Selection Committee: Consists of former DAFT Leads who build it; 25’ is the current guideline; DAFT picks a proposal that is both WORKABLE and AESTHETIC; Pyro team uses a 100’ perimeter (2x the height of the effigy); QUESTION—Do we change the guidance? Do we want to impose a HARD LIMIT?
QUESTION: How do we temper ambition? We must have guidance and find ramifications in a more strict way to enable success instead of burnout
There is a psychic separation between the bubble created by working on the effigy and being there early; We are asking DAFT to create participancy; QUESTION: How can we continue that in reverse at the event? How can we give breaks?
DAFT Leads put their HEART and SOUL into these projects
Community support vs. Operational level: DAFT felt undersupported by the community this year; We should change this; Suggestion—Project Manager; DAFT would like to open this discussion for community input, to include programmers, builders, etc.; Rain undermined the concept this year
There should be one dedicated Fluffer; Pick an artist, and allow them to do what they need to do to make that happen; We should manage expectations
BUDGET: Has been the same; Can be used as a rough proxy for ambition of the project; Flexible on labor; The DAFT selection committee looks at not necessarily the merit of the proposal as much as the person capable of pulling it off; A lot of DAFT Leads have built at least (2) effigies
There is a need for more OPERATIONAL help for things during the event; In order to make things go, every person needs to work at least (3) hours
There is no need to change guidelines; Think about the ambition/elaborateness/number of parts going on in the effigy; Contingency—How much slack do you have to absorb; DAFT will have senior guidance to situations; BE PREPARED—How can you cut corners to get in earlier and be prepared to welcome it to the community
Support the crew instead of the artist; CHALLENGE—How to have greater participation; We might have a more complicated effigy; If we can support the group, we can still have a vision and participation; There is the old issue of ‘entitlement’; The focus should be on the needs of the build group, including an allocation of resources; The artist determines how to involve the community; Churettes (sp?)—An opportunity for people to come with creative ideas/brainstorming/designers and show what they have in mind; Ex. A/V crew filling in for Pyro; Build foreman?
ISSUE: People leaving when DAFT is brought up; There are NO actual lieutenants; There are people who spend an inordinate amount of time working on the effigy, and there are no breaks; The problem with volunteers is that people are asking how they can participate; DAFT needs help involving the community, and needs support
Another name for Project Manager? How ‘bout DAFT union?
Suggest care and feeding of DAFT volunteers; When the DAFT selection committee meets, consider the person who wants to build; That person may need project management assistance; Barriers need to be broken down; Crowdsourcing projects need managing; Church nights are chaotic; Saturdays or Fridays are better for work days

10:45pm TOPIC: CC SCRIBES, AND THE PROCESS FOR CHOOSING CC SCRIBES (Beth)

DEFINITION OF SCOPE: 360 AF currently has the ability to veto Scribe
Queston: Who manages the volunteers, and who manages the CC Scribes? Answer—A lead caliber/peer; How do we make sure we don’t have too many people managing? The 360 AF and AAR structure is kept fair
If the 360 AF is required to veto, we may want to revisit WHY it’s called a CC Scribe in determining the difference between veto and informal system in hopes of addressing the situation
Scribe came about as a junior CC member; Someone not ready, but willing to contribute; It’s an informal agreement that turned into an operational thing (and we are a POLICY body); ARGUMENT: We don’t have a choice because it’s operational; Question—Who controls the power? It’s the 360 AF which is NOT fundamental
Scribe is a provisional CC role; Question—What support are they getting from the AF
CC gets to interview/decide/block; The social contract changed; It’s not a provisional position
The organization wanted to protect volunteers to continue the role when it comes to continuity; Nothing has changed; AFs get to veto Leads; PAGE 13—Change occurred 2 years ago
SETTLING ISSUES: Discuss further at CC retreat; Clearly, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the role; Find minutes where change occurred; Throw out to CC list

NEXT MEETING: Monday, August 17

FACILITATOR: Turtlebunnie

STACK: Kate

SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

TOPICS: Town Hall (all); Early dropoff/vendor interaction (Adam); 2-minute rule (?)

11:24pm MEETING ADJOURNED

# COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING

# MONDAY, JULY 20, 2015

# FACILITATOR: Decibel

# STACK: Breezy

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

ATTENDEES (26): Decibel, Adam, Wrinn, Beth, Problem, Thomas, Izzi, Princess, Gyesika, Pixie, Turtlebunnie, Kate, T-Rey, Very Scary, Kate, Breezy, Chim-Chim, Clovis, Monkey, Casey, Bonobo, Psyche, Sam, Will, and two guests

# 8:09pm        MEETING BEGINS

# AAR/LLC UPDATE (Problem/Adam)

• A Letter of Intent and Lease application have been submitted for a new warehouse; Location is 183/Mopac area; The potential new warehouse is double in size of area; Includes an HVAC system; Located near Austin Beerworks
• Met with the Gate crew to discuss how Gate went and how to do better [for next year]
• Had a face-to-face with the Safety volunteers involved in response to the flood; Ghost facilitated; A coherent document will be released publicly soon

# 8:13pm        REGIONAL UPDATE (Clovis)

• A participant from Transformus passed away
• Tickets are out there for Burning Man
• Still negotiating about a Regional use agreement

# 8:15pm        AF UPDATE (Wrinn)

• Shortcake is the new Site Prep Lead!!!
• Leads/Volunteer appreciation is this weekend

# 8:16pm        TOPIC: PHOTOGRAPHY (Kate)

• Discussion over the current policy on photography, and issues pertaining to asking permission to take a photograph, and posting on social media
• Once a pic is posted onto a social media site, it becomes property of that site (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
• Another issue with photography is taking photos of art, especially those that state NO PICS of the project
• Regarding the current policy: There are distinct differences between the laws of the land, Texas, and the rules/feels within Flipside; Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean you should; Different rules apply in contrast to taking photos in the streets of Autin
• Current policy for Flipside: The AAR/LLC is not going to commercially distribute photos or works of video productions, moving video, audio, recordings, or performance art pieces (e.g. dance, art, sound); Every element is its own piece, and everyone is protected by the AAR/LLC because, in the state of Texas, on private property, unless otherwise negotiated, it’s 50/50 with the landowner; If you sign documents, you are protected as arranged in advance
• What happens if the AAR/LLC are not involved? The challenge is figuring out how the community can get involved
• There is a difference between taking advantage of art and ruining someone’s life; The AAR/LLC would rather the community don’t do that; There needs to be education; Distinction is important
• Edjumication is a poor substitute for culture; There is an interest in figuring how to reinforce culture in protecting each other and other people and how to get people to be in a different mindset; You’re not attached to recording devices [at Flipside]; You have to use them consciously; The reason we have different rules is because we have a different environment and different risks; We are trying to build a culture that expresses differently and privately; Because of that, we need difference in media; The issues are complex, important, and too big for us; We should focus on things where we are different and apply; For people’s safety and lives, we need to get people to understand that cameras and media are special; As long as people get the point, we should be fine dealing with the rest of the stuff (contracts, ad hoc, etc.); We need to build into the culture intentionality consent in recording other people
• Photos of inanimate objects are also an issue at Flipside
• “If there is so much to lose, then why attend?”: Enculturation; It impacts self-expression, community, people who have contributed a lot even though they go ahead and take that risk; It’s not just edjumication; Attitude is out there; It speaks about autonomy; It speaks to the interrelationship with the art we create and who gets to make the call on that
• The idea of banning photography—Using villages and zones: In this space, all participants turn off gadgets; The idea should be promoted for immediacy
• Photography is art in itself; We should not force people to self-edit because of technology
• Regarding attendance despite the risks involved: You used to not have to think about it; The problem is WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT; We would not be where we are today were it for that freedom; We are not as free as it used to be; We are being attacked by ignorance
• Example: Photos were taken; Phone/Camera was stolen; Can you guarantee those photos won’t get out? Can you really trust the security or intentions? As a community, do we want to start enculturating NO? You can’t necessarily be perfectly safe; We have to further enculturate consent and the risks in media; Younger people at the event who are between the ages of 18-21 have no concept of how dangerous it could be
• If we add [the education] to the culture, then it will make discussions easier
• Regarding the creation of immediacy: Change wording to immediacy within your reality; Have community signs in the theme camps saying, “This is an immediacy zone. Please turn off photography.”; The concept of immediacy is mind-blowing to an extent…not limiting, but opening
• Idea of banning cameras through camera-free zones—May put limits on expression
• Camera-free zones will dilute the concept—infiltration vs. edjumication
• There are no clear answers legally or culturally; There is no consent without an argument plus grey zones; Also, FUCK 18-YEAR OLDS

# 9:03pm        MOTION TO CLOSE STACK; NO BLOCKS; STACK CLOSED

• Offshoot events having the same conversations
• The concept of the Butterfly effect

# 9:14pm        TOPIC: EDJUMICATION (Kate)

• Discussion over enculturation, giving money to the cult, cultural smores: Topic is over how to further edjumicate dealing with output of information given to people, and the topic of further enculturation—How to enculture better regarding newbies/virgins
• Best thing to do is REMIND people
• Concept of having the Better Burner Bureau where volunteers come and answer questions
• In enculturation, there is a conflict with the rules; Solution—Have a more open forum
• Kids are one of our most exploitable resources; One of the ways to have education is to get on YouTube and eat ghost peppers and tell stories we are tired of telling and say things we are tired of hearing until they say, “I GET IT.”; Say it over and over; Repeating our culture has to be one of our cultural values; Figuring how to tell our stories is an important part of our culture; There is only so much that can be our story before it’s too long; The more we incorporate it as our core values, the more it’s a part of us; We aren’t saying, “And you have to adopt them, and they’re yours, too.”, but there is a deal we have to make with people: If you want to be a part of it, you have to think of our values; This is our attempt to express our core values; You’re not one of us if you don’t try; Everyone needs to know these small number of things
• Look at the tools providing for the community and spit ideas for putting it at the event; The Survival Guide and Better Burner Bureau is not enough; Help the community through tools
• Communication and Education is not the only answer; You can’t expect someone to get it all; You have to learn through immersion
• The point is the journey—Remaking/Reshaping it all the time; Distill principles of Burning Man into 6 ½ principles; There is an infinite amount to grow which is why we do it; When it’s not fun anymore, it’ll stagnate; Some are experiential learners; That’s why we don’t have rules; In banning, we don’t make that public so they will learn; We have to have cooperation because we have to work together with self-expression; There is accountability between us all; There is a lot of discussion; WE have to talk about what we know, and get rid of what we need to get rid of; Some things are hard to understand; Conversation is in of itself; TALK TO THE THEME CAMPS
• Today’s sparklepony is tomorrow’s oldie
• Regarding awkwardness, creepiness, uncomfortableness: Generally, when you have an experience, it locks in—physical, social, mental which is the key to enculturation because you’ll understand better in five days; Work weekends are good for enculturation; We never stop learning; We tend to change when we are uncomfortable

# 9:53pm        MOTION TO CLOSE STACK; NO BLOCKS; STACK CLOSED

# 9:55pm        MOTION TO DO SOMETHING; BRAINSTORM WHAT CC CAN DO; HAVE CC MEETIING AT EVENT; If anyone has questions and do not know who to ask, email the Combustion Chamber

• Edjumication Lead? The 360 AF is in charge of the Edjumication Lead; What do we want communicated? Idea of having people with a question mark on their helmet; Idea of worldly information booths; Make questions accessible to the Flipside website and Combustion Chamber; Idea of putting in stupid answers and then real answers

# 9:57pm        MOTION—Questions go to the Combustion Chamber from the website; Reina is the current Edjumication Lead; Send info to her; MOTION SECONDED; NO BLOCKS; MOTION PASSES

# 10:14pm      TOPIC: CC SCRIBES

#10:14pm       MOTION TO PASS UNTIL PROST AND GEORGE ARE HERE; ALSO, PRIORITIZE TO WHERE 360 AF COULD MAKE IT; DO WE NEED SCRIBES? NO BLOCKS; MOTION PASSES

# 10:21pm      COMMUNITY DISCUSSION

• Kate will be Town Hall producer
• Location for CC retreat sill being searched
• If you have a topic, write a brief description and send to Susan
• Flipside Flood Relief has gone live; $1,000 was donated from the Lava Lounge; $80 in patches were purchased; For more info, see www.flipsidefloodrelief.com
• There will be a community truck to Burning Man from Austin organized by the people from the Wooden Nickel group, posted on the Burning Flipside Flipizens group page on Facebook

# NEXT MEETING: MONDAY, AUGUST 3

# FACILITATOR: Turtlebunnie

# STACK: Kate

# SCRIBE: Chim-Chim

# TOPICS: SAFETY COMM (Casey); EFFIGY (Bonobo)

# 10:25pm      MEETING ADJOURNED

#          Combustion Chamber Meeting

#          Monday, July 6, 2015

#          Facilitator: Kate

#          Stack: Pixie

#          Scribe: Chim-Chim

#          Attendees (29): Izzi, Wrinn, Princess, Beth, Breezy, Kate, Prost, St. Tiki, Pixie, Turtlebunnie, Decibel, Sparky, Cheyne, Dick, T-Rey, Chim-Chim, Dahling, Andrea, Monkey, Problem, Adam, Clovis, Bonobo, Doug, Switch, Susan, Lori, Mayhem, Psyche

#          8:11pm           AAR/LLC UPDATE (Problem, Adam)

• New Warehouse Update

o        A couple of properties are currently being looked at

o        One in particular, located north on 183 and Mopac: Brewery nearby; Rollerderby on the weekends; Plenty of parking; In the process of writing a letter of intent, including specifications

• Flooded Flipside

o        Safety teams kicked ass

o        Discussion of debriefing (specific to mud at Flipside)

o        Meeting was facilitated by Ghost

o        Agenda was consolidated for AAR/LLC—Discussion over ICS relative to flooding

#          8:15pm           BURNING MAN REGIONAL CONTACT REPORT (Clovis, St. Tiki)

• Austin asked to be part of Carnival of mirrors  as part of support group at midway . (sp?)
• Discussion of Operations to engage for Burning Man  and support wooden nickel carnival.
• There is currently a yearly influx of Burners going to Burning Man; Any Burners in Austin interested on finding more information on heading out to the playa, please contact austin@burningman.org for more details

#          8:19pm           AF UPDATE (Wrinn, Clovis)

• A debriefing between the AF and LLC occurred a couple of weeks ago; Discussion was over rain and mud at Flipside, volunteer issues, Leads selection, and Town Hall
• Discussion of a retreat before Town Hall
• Meredith F. has been selected as the new 360 AF Lead; Thanks to Reese and Augustin for doing a kickass job as former 360 AF Leads!

#          8:21pm           TOPIC: PRE-EVENT COMMUNICATIONS

• QUESTION: Do we need to tweak the event?
• Discussion over consumable vs. combustible flame effects: There was a communication problem over placement of  flame effects; No map was received, but was posted onto the website (Note: the Burnable Art Lead is in charge of consumable art, NOT combustible art)
• ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED:

o        Communication with people up to the event

o        How to better inform participants with the conditions on the property

o        What is the best form of media to use?

o        How can we re-focus attention to the website

• A tentative date is being scheduled for the next Town Hall
• Discussion over the current methods being used to get information out to the community
• NOTE: When CC is carrying out information to the community, be careful when referencing historically known stuff; Be sure to check in with AAR/LLC first
• There are participants between the ages of 8-80; Communications is a multi-mobile approach
• Current trend is that nobody goes to the website or checks their emails; We currently have fragmented communication
• Use ‘Calendaring’ to point out key things (theme camp registration, art registration, etc.)
• Encourage people in the community to communicate
• Some people are intimidated to speak with Leads
• The Flipside Flame is encouraged to go on and provide further information clarification
• IDEA: Quit putting official information on the Burning Flipside Flipizens page on Facebook

#          9:06pm           MOTION WAS MADE AND SECONDED TO CLOSE STACK; NO BLOCKS

• IDEA: Wifi mesh networks (firechat); Download the app; Turn on wifi; app works among whoever uses the app
• Art Communications Lead spoke with AFs; On the art registration form, there was a box that asked, ‘What is the best way to reach you?’
• Discussion over how to reach people in Houston; Contact Regional Outreach for further info
• KFlip is NOT an official means of communication
• Concepts in building a Flipside app are in the works
• Greeters provide the extra step in providing information to people
• ISSUE: Inconsistency where we put things (resources); It’s easier if we use the right tools where one can cross-post to other channels

#          9:24pm           MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO GATHER IDEAS AND ASK THE COMMUNITY HOW TO BETTER COMMUNICATE, AND NOMINATE A SUB-COMMITTEE (Sparky on sub-committee); NO BLOCKS; St. Tiki will lead with a survey and response; Will be taking suggestions and ideas and figure out how to put information out to the community

#          9:32pm           TOPIC: ENSMALLENING THE EVENT (CLovis)

• QUESTION: Can we do the event? Is it sustainable? How does the AAR/LLC feels on liability?
• We have lost as many of 50% of leads in some depts. whether through  burn out or life changing events ( marriages, pregnancies, divorce ) etc. on the plus side , oportunity for growth .
• Community decides whether to shrink the event
• TREND: Same volunteers are starting to get burned out; There is a current push for Leads to get a Lieutenant and divide the load out
• We are failing to communicate to the community; This will be a major focus at the CC retreat, with the question—How to act as Edjumication Leads and how to educate each other
• QUESTION: What’s the fun in volunteering? What is it that hasn’t made volunteering enticing?
• Replacements should be less guilt-based
• QUESTION: Ask community—Are you willing to accept less Gate hours?
• Based on the number of volunteers, census will determine population
• # of Guardians are based on the geographic size of the property; As we grow, it’s hard to cover the geographic area (distance, costs, etc.)
• Volume issue vs. Culture issue
• Stressors with growth will have communication issues
• Operational needs vs. Philosophical needs
• If people start volunteering, some say it’s a gateway

#          10:11pm         MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO CLOSE STACK; NO BLOCKS

• Issues with absenteeism  rate is high, with people just wanting a ticket
• Discussion on ways to incentivize; There currently is a shortage of Leads; We must find ways to transition more shift people into Leads positions
• REASONS FOR SHRINKING THE EVENT: Flipside may be on new land; New land needs to be terra-formed
• Shrinking the event would also cut the # of people who could have volunteered
• Moving the event to new land took a couple of years to get used to
• EDUCATION: Different people will respond to different things

#          10:35pm         TOPIC: CC BUSINESS—NEW MEMBER RECRUITMENT (Doug)

• Process will take 5-8 weeks to get in place; Should be accomplished either now, or before the holidays
• When CC members are at Flipside, they should be actively recruiting
• See Doug’s Notes
• With the number of current members, we are not overstaffed at the meetings; Specifically, the CC is asking—What do you have to bring to the table?; Members should use new technologies to reach people
• Flipside Ambassador Lead

o        Include Ambassadors (people in other cities)

o        Flipside Ambassador is a separate position; Leads in this position will have a commitment to have two people on the Google community; Each has a mentor and a connection to the Combustion Chamber

o        AI: BOARD MEETING: To discuss the new position of Flipside Ambassador

o        Document roles and responsibilities

o        Zip code data to define

o        Primary method of communication

o        If CC decides to put off, suggest DATE

o        Flipside Ambassadors will act as a conduit of Flipside information

#          11:05pm         MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO TABLE DISCUSSION AND SET AS A TOPIC AND TO BE DISCUSSED FURTHER ONLINE; NO BLOCKS; (Original deadlines): Friday—Wording; To be reviewed and edited through Sunday; If it looks good, then send out; If people block new wording on Monday, revert back to old wording

#          11:07pm         TOPIC: CC BUSINESS—MENTORSHIP (Doug)

• Rename ‘mentor’ to one of the following: guide, guru, spirit animal, jock strap

#          11:23pm         MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO CONTINUE RECRUITING PEOPLE WITH A GURU; NO BLOCKS; Continue putting a call out also for Scribes (Note: 360 AF has veto power on Scribes); ADD ‘CC Scribes’ as a TOPIC for the next meeting (7/20) with a pre-meeting via email

#          11:33pm         TOPIC: CC BUSINESS—RETREAT (Kate)

• Still currently seeking location within price range, including amenities
• Parameters: Friday night—2-hour meeting; Set agenda; Saturday morning—Breakfast; All-day meeting with a break in-between; Sunday—Meeting; Pack & go home
• 20 people tentatively scheduled
• Can be lodge or camping
• Price range: ~$80 Friday – Sunday
• Need to determine # CC members vs. those who actually show up
• AI: Discuss on CC list—Need a head count
• Location must be within a 2-hour drive

#          Next meeting: Monday, July 20

#          Facilitator: Decibel

#          Stack: Breezy

#          Scribe: Chim-Chim

#          Topics:           Photography (Kate)

                                    Edjumicate—Safety, Enculturation, Community S’mores & Mores (Doug)

                                    CC Scribes (Kate?)

#          11:45pm         MEETING ADJOURNED

Monday, June 22, 2015

Facilitator: Henry

Stack: Princess

Scribe: Charlcye

Attendees (): Princess, Problem, Thomas, Henry, Adam, Beth, Stephanie, Reese, Casey, Dahling, T Rey, Wrinn, Psyche, cLovis, Decibel, Bonobo, Pinky Farrington, Susan, Brandt,

## 7:54pm MEETING BEGINS

LLC Update (Problem)

Warehouse lease is up end of September. AF’s will have first sort of the warehouse, then community, then whatever’s left will be disposed of.
Looked at Warehouse off old bastrop hwy. Parking too small for load out, too far away.
Looked at another Warehouse near Mr. Tramps off 183. 40% larger than our current space, in addition to climate controlled office space. Has good storage. Room for storage container outside. Active industrial park. Not conducive to working on vehicles outside. Property is gated. Need to assess gate controls. Neighbors are refrigerator repair company (pretty cool) and surf board manufacturing company. Mostly 9-5 companies. ServPro is there, would have to make sure we don’t block their parking.

## Regional Update (cLovis)
-Lakes of Fire was last weekend.
-Austin list moved to Google group.
-Regional agreement still under discussion by LLC. Same discussion likely ongoing at other regionals as well.
-Burning Man is in 2 months.

## AF Updates (Wrinn)
-LNT: Two trips, once for theme camps to get their stuff that we asked them to abandon, once just for cleanup. Filled two dumpsters with large items. However, river was still high so we don’t know what’s under there, and we missed a lot of small stuff (zip ties, etc.). Landowner flattened all that into the mud. Will need to wait until waters recede and then go out and do another cleanup.
-Lost 5 structures, 2 portapotties, one generator (might have walked). All was covered by insurance but $100 of the new generator. Org prepared to cover these losses.

Topic:

Volunteer Burnout (Dahling)
-Not fair to judge the volunteer situation this year since we had severe weather. On the other hand, it was great to see where anything and everything could go wrong so we can improve and reinforce our model.
-We had more people in the gates for early entry and sold more tickets than ever before, and we had more no-shows for volunteer shifts than we’ve ever had before. When volunteers don’t show up to do their jobs, the community suffers because we have fewer people allowed for early entry and the event in the future.
-MGA went from 2500 to 3000 but we still recruit the same volunteer base in the same way. Feels like it’s time to discuss reoptimizing our distribution of volunteer responsibility. Would be nice to make every lead have a lieutenant. (Lieutenants aren’t a formally recognized position currently.)
-Time commitment for volunteers is what leads to burnout. Would be nice to have lieutenants were trained and empowered to be complete backups for the leads. People are less effective when they’re overworked and will start making decisions that may not be the best for the organization. We need to give people the breaks they need.
-Would need to figure out how to ensure information is communicated clearly and fully throughout the ranks as we expand them
-Dahling: Highly visible org explanation (who are the leads, what are their responsibilities) and radio guides posted on the property would have helped this year.
-Also having this info visible at committee meetings may be helpful in educating the community pre-event since we usually just say “check the wiki” and people don’t always follow up on doing that.
-How can we make our volunteers feel appreciated and empowered? Incentives or consequences? We want volunteering to be a gift, not a job. As an AF or a lead, if one of our volunteers doesn’t do their job, we just don’t invite them back to do that job next year. We’ve seen TTITD and other regionals experiment with incentives like discounted tickets and it has not accomplished what we want. This isn’t an event that you “go to,” it’s an event that you build, and we need to keep getting that message to new participants.
-Very few organizations do it the way we do. Because of our principles, including drawing a line in the sand at 69 leads which hasn’t changed in 5 years, we’ve done a lot, grown the event, kept it flat rate, with failures (not meant critically) are because we choose to be flexible, empower our volunteers, and never punish anyone. Volunteering at Flipside is unlike volunteering in any other realm because you’re doing it because you want to or you love it, because you believe in it in a cult-like way. You engage with the event on your own terms. We should change our language requesting volunteers to include who we are and what we’re doing and why, so people don’t think we’re in it for the sexiness or the money. LLC has talked about capital expenses and budgets, and we often think we’re getting the message out, but it doesn’t make it out to everyone. Sometimes we miss even our key volunteers in communication, but as an event we are successful. We just need to tweak the successful model we have to make improvements.
-Had some volunteers sign up for lead positions not knowing how much work it would be or what would be expected of them.
-A lot of info is communicated verbally. Some people are visual; having written expectations would be helpful. How could we align people with similar work/communication styles together in the right roles?
-Calendar of deadlines may be helpful, especially for positions where work happens before the event.
-Would like more organized volunteer outreach to new people. Volunteers who signed up at town hall were not contacted. Navigating wiki isn’t easy (most people don’t know cartel exists, much less who to talk to about volunteering for it.)
-Burnout isn’t always bad. Turnover can be good.
-Working on redesign for volunteering website.
-Would like system to communicate on site when we need people to step up to volunteer during the event.
-Dahling riding around on the cart with water this year was really helpful. It helps to make sure volunteers and leads have basic necessities covered. Would be nice to have one big shade structure with water up during pre-post. Fluffer carts are really important.
-Leads should assess what would make their job less challenging, talk to their AF, and make sure they get what they need to make their department enjoyable to work for. Leads should all have a budget.
-The roles for leads and lieutenants are somewhat being made up as we go along. We don’t want to unnecessarily restrict their roles. Want to foster creativity and initiative. That’s also part of why we don’t have a master schedule. No one knows all of the details that go into producing flipside. There are a lot of moving parts.
-It may help to minimize the number of positions that must be filled for the event to be successful. We want to build a structure that allows for volunteers to be unreliable. We can’t pay them not to have other obligations of higher priority going on in their lives.
-We’re on burner time at the event, so it helps to have someone out on the cart reminding people that they have a shift coming up.
-We don’t want to overload our volunteers with responsibilities. We need to make sure we’re communicating with our volunteers about what a realistic commitment would be for them.
-If you’re volunteering for the appreciation or the recognition, you’re doing it for the wrong reason. For a myriad of reasons the community can fall short. Volunteering is sexy. We need to communicate that.
-Would be cool to nominate people to post in the flame about how they kicked ass this year.
-Leads list was really small this year. First and second leads all hands were also very small this year. Those are good checkpoints for next year.
-Reese’s mantra: “It doesn’t matter what happens on your volunteer shift; the event is still going to happen.” We knew volunteerism was down this year, but we embraced the suck. We need to keep people aware of what’s going on during the event when volunteers are needed, instead of making it look so easy. If we pull the “hero” thing, maybe we prevent the opportunity for someone else to step up.
-We breached the $100 mark for tickets this year, and maybe that had something to do with people not signing up for a 6 hour shift.
-We want Flipside to stay up to our high standard or we think it’s not working. The truth is, it’s working pretty well, and we may be killing ourselves trying to get it up to the high standards, leading to a certain cliquishness among our hard core volunteers, and leading to burnout.
-Having high visibility on-site volunteer signup would be great.
-Need to regularly check up on shift volunteers pre-event. Just because they put their name on the wiki months ago doesn’t mean they’re still planning to show up.
-Need to empower the community to teach people how to sign up to volunteer, teach everyone that this is their event and they need to know how to maintain it.
-Maybe stop asking people if they’re going to Flipside this year and start asking them if they’re building Flipside this year.

Topic:

Town Hall, When Is It & Who’s Producing It (Beth)
-Would like to have it Sept 26.
-People we’d normally voluntell to be producer aren’t here, but Clovis will browbeat someone into producing it.
-Not sure whether we should have it at current or future warehouse or offsite at moose or something; maybe town hall at new warehouse with afterparty at old warehouse.
-AF meeting is coming up so if we could tell them what the format would be that would be great mmkay

MOTION PASSES: Town hall date is tentatively set for 2:34 on Sept 26, tailgating starting at noon.

##Topic: Submit topic descriptions to CC list. <insert topic list from Beth’s last email>

Next Meeting: in 2 weeks
Facilitator: Kate
Stack: Pixie
Scribe: Chim-chim

## 10:00 STACK OFFICIALLY CLOSED
## 10:04 METING ADJOURNED