Minutes of Baltimore Yearly Meeting
Representative Meeting
Second Month 17, 2001
R2001-1 Opening. Baltimore
Yearly Meeting's Representative Meeting gathered on 2/17/2001
at the Stony Run Meeting House in Baltimore, Maryland, at the
call of the Presiding Clerk. People from 20 Meetings signed
in:
Adelphi: Ann Marie Moriarty, Arthur David Olson
(Takoma Park); Alexandria: Fred Ceppa, Judith Ceppa;
Annapolis: Pat Schenck; Baltimore, Homewood:
Edith Ballard, Nancy Clark, Miriam D. Green, Anne Greene, Celia
Stevens; Baltimore, Stony Run: Mike Boardman, Geni
Elliott, Dellie James, Marjorie F. Scott; Bethesda: Edward
Hawkins, Evamarie Hawkins; Carlisle: Stephen Davidson;
Deer Creek: Sarah Buchanan-Wollaston; Dunnings Creek:
Eric J. Uberseder; Frederick: John Darnell;
Gettysburg: Margaret Stambaugh; Goose Creek: Sheila Kryston, Arlene
Janney; Hopewell Centre: Laura Nell Morris; Langley
Hill: Sheila Bach, Rebecca Rawls, Laurie Wilner; Little
Britain: Charlesie Coates (Eastland), Linda Coates
(Eastland); Nottingham: Linda Uberseder; Sandy Spring: Jack
Fogarty, Frank Massey, Trudy Rogers (Seneca Valley);
Washington: David Etheridge; Williamsburg: Cindy Frazier;
York: Lamar Matthew.
R2001-2 Annual session. Sheila Bach, Program Committee Clerk, reported:
The Program Committee recommends that Baltimore Yearly Meeting change the location of the 2001 session to
Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, VA, from 25-29 Seventh Month 2001, with the retreat beginning on 24 Seventh
Month.
We have been at Wilson College since 1991. Those who live in the northern part of the Yearly Meeting have enjoyed
this location. It is time now to move to the southern section of the Yearly Meeting.
A few years ago the Program Committee felt that we might be outgrowing Wilson College. As Wilson College
undergoes renovations to several of their buildings, we are not able to have all the space which we have had. This year
we would have even less space. This is particularly true for the Young Friends.
Randolph-Macon College is a wonderful facility. It is
flat--so much so that when a few of us visited three years
ago it was raining and the water did not run anywhere, it
just sat there. Except for a sports day camp, we will be the
only ones on campus. All the buildings which we will use are
air conditioned. There are plenty of classrooms for
workshops, interest groups, worship sharing, Junior Yearly
Meeting activities, Junior Young Friends, and Young
Friends.
Blackwell Auditorium, where we will have our business
meetings and plenary sessions, has theater style seating. The
building was in its final stages of renovation when we
visited. All the seats have been completely refurbished and
all of us felt they were comfortable. This will be a change
from the half circle seating we have had.
The Dining Hall is pleasant with a great variety of food
offered each meal. We had lunch there and could choose from
a sandwich bar, a salad bar, hot food areas, pizza,
ready-made salads, deserts. Oh, yes, plenty of ice cream.
All the food we ate was good, and among the eighteen of us we
sampled almost everything.
The dorms are varied. Moreland Residence Hall will probably be used for families. Conrad Residence Hall is where
Young Friends and Young Adult Friends will be housed. Couples and individuals may be housed in either Moreland
if there is room or they will be on the north side of the campus in Starr, Irby, Jones, and Olin. Depending on how
many come to Yearly Meeting and the numbers of individuals, couples, and families, we may use some or all or more
of these dorms. Some of the dorms have shared baths in the hall and others have a bath for every two rooms.
There is no camping on the campus. However, for those who do want to camp, we have been offered space at Ashland
Vineyards, a Quaker community about three miles away. Both open space and trees are available.
Young Friends will have their program in Brown Campus
Center. The bookstore may be on the second floor of the
dining hall as there is an elevator in that building. We have
not found the best place for registration and office. There
is a pool in the Brock Center which we may use, although we
will not have the hours of pool use that we have had.
Please keep in mind that all these locations are not
definitely set. This is mainly to give you an idea of what our
thinking is at this point.
Henry Street does run through the campus. However, it dead ends very soon after the campus ends. There is an
elementary school down at the end so there is very little traffic during the summer, except college traffic. This means
we will need to have closer watch on our children.
Okay, how much is all this going to cost us? Frank and I have been going over the figures we have been given and
think we can get them to come fairly close to the costs we had at Wilson. It will be somewhat more for children as
they do not cost children by ages. The program committee is applying to a couple of sources for financial help. We do
not want higher costs to keep families away. We would like to ask monthly meetings to help Friends attend Yearly
Meeting. The Program Committee is aware that we will probably lose some Friends by moving south and we will
probably gain some Friends.
With your approval of this move and new dates, we are also suggesting that we shorten our time by one day. When
Program Committee meets next month we will be working very hard to finish putting the program together.
This past week the college has asked us if we would move
our dates from what we wanted to beginning on the
23rd of Seventh Month and ending with lunch on
the 28th. They have a camp coming in on the
29th and would like the extra time to prepare
the dorms for them.
We heard that room and board costs at Randolph-Macon are $42 a day, compared with $30 a day at Wilson College
(our current site); Randolph-Macon allows more than two people in a room (accommodating families), while Wilson
College now does not. We heard reports of approval for the change by absent Monthly Meetings; we did not hear of
any disapprovals. At the committee's recommendation, and on behalf of the Yearly Meeting, we CHANGED our
upcoming annual session to 7/25-29/2001 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, with the retreat
beginning on 7/24/2001. We EMPOWERED Program Committee to adjust the schedule within the week if need be.
R2001-3 Closing. We THANKED Stony Run Friends (in particular Ron Mattson) for their hospitality. We heard,
corrected, and APPROVED these minutes, along with the attachment of a written version of the report given. We
ADJOURNED, to gather next on 3/24/2001 at Nottingham Monthly Meeting in Oxford, Pennsylvania, or at the call of
the Presiding Clerk.
Marjorie F. Scott, presiding
Arthur David Olson, recording
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