STARFLEET Region 7

Sub Space Chatter:
The really delayed, in-between
Shore Leave 33 and IC2011 Edition

By Adm. Bob Vosseller, VRC Region 7

It has been a hot and active summer around the region and I want to start off by apologizing for the delay in the release of this bulletin. Several personal demands on my time have prevented me from being able to sort through all the news we’ve had and finally, getting a day off from work I was able to put this together. Recent technical issues didn’t help either but that said lets move on to the report.

BBQ/PICNIC SEASON CONTINUES
The USS Abraham Lincoln held its annual picnic this past (and very hot) July 23 and I’m told they had a great time despite the heat and even netted two more members. Way to go guys.

SHORE LEAVE 33
The weekend of Shore Leave 33 was fantastic. It was great to see so many old friends and some new faces as well. Everyone was in great spirits and our Starfleet R7 meeting was full of fun. Thanks to the good folks of the USS Susquehannock provided a CQ from 1995 and I read off the R7 roster noting a number of chapters that are still with us. It was fun reading off the current list as well one of my favorite duties at a SL Starfleet meeting.

If you didn’t see R7 Comm. Chief Joe Dorfner’s meeting minutes currently posted on the R7 website I’ll touch on the highlights here.
As of June 30, 2011, Starfleet – Region 7’s bank balance was at $197 at PNC Bank. Since May 2005, we’ve received $393 from Empties4Cash.com for 298 qualified ink jet and laser toner cartridges. We also received more than $200 in Kilometer of Pennies donations.
The USS Susquehannock unveiled the R7 calendar that they produced and which was also a fundraiser for the region. It looks fantastic and I know we’ll see even more participation on this project with more chapter photos submitted next year. Good job Susquehannock crew!
R7 Awards were presented by Adm. Beryl Washington They included:
Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Avenger
Shakedown Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Storm
Support Ship of the Year: U.S.S. Challenger
Flag Officer of the Year: Glendon Diebold (USS Niagara)
Officer of the Year: Eric Schulman (USS Matrix)
Edgar Torres Memorial CO of the Year: Debbie French (USS Inferno)
Enlisted Member of the Year: Maggie Restivo (USS Richthofen)
Staff Member of the Year: Bob Vosseller (USS Challenger)
Electronic Newsletter of the Year: “The Peacekeeper”- USS Niagara
Printed Newsletter of the Year: “Avenger News”- USS Avenger
Helping Hands: John Wilson (USS DeBraak)
Other Regional Awards included R7 Commendations by RC Wayne Augustson Bob Vosseller, Jeff Victor, Joe Dorffner, Mike Stein, Beryl Washington, Mary Ann Pugliese Mike Allen and 7th Fleet Achievement Awards to Joe Hoolihan (for arranging/overseeing the recent softball event in MD) Karen Carothers (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics) Gary Ensey (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics) and to the crew of the USS Susquehannock (for creating/overseeing the aforementioned regional fundraiser- the R7 Calendar).
Promotion
USS Matrix XO Eric Schulman was promoted to Captain, on July 17.
Major Gen. Dorffner presented some awards for Fleet members from the Marines. The Naval Achievement Citation was presented to: Wayne Augustson, Bob Vosseller and Jeff Victor
STARFLEET NEWS
Also discussed at the SL Starfleet meeting was a little SF business. Right now the AB is looking at questions about background checks for those seeking positions on the Regional and Fleet levels, and possible membership fees for Mexican chapters.
As I am touring Playa Del Carmen in the next few days I will do my best to recruit some new members, form a new chapter and see if I can serve as proxy to Region 18 in time for the upcoming IC.

Joe Dorfner held the annual R7 Marine Muster after the Starfleet meeting where Marine awards for the Brigade were presented plans to update the marine website were made and where better usage of the 7th Brigade’s Facebook page was discussed.

IC 2011 COMING IN JUST A FEW WEEKS

Commodore Jeff Victor our chief of staff is the chairman of IC2011 which held it final preparation meeting on July 23 at the Challenger’s headquarters in Seaside Heights N.J Jeff and the IC staff went over program planning, the IC Program Book, various details that needed to be reviewed and it served as a very productive meeting.
As program chair I have to say I think those coming will definitely enjoy the movies, panels and activities we have lined up and I want to commend Laura and Jeff Victor for the outstanding detail oriented work they have done in the last two years to make this event happen. Great job guys. If you have not registered please do. Time is growing near and prices will be going up. Check out our FB page and our link ic2011.com that will tell you everything you need to know about IC2011 coming in just TWO WEEKS.
On Sunday of the IC there will be a R7 mini-conference at IC 2011/R7 Conference in 2012?? – We will have a mini R7 Conference Sunday at the IC. It should last about an hour.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!

REGION 7 CONFERENCE 2012
The Region did not receive any bids for the Regional Conference for 2012 and therefore, the R7 Command Staff will be hosting the event. Details of date, location, theme, programming to be announced when finalized.

KEEPING UP ON STARFLEET MEMBERSHIP STRENGTH
The Region is in good shape with about 579 members as of Shore Leave 33. We did have a few chapters with lower than the required 10 members. In both cases those issues have been settled. In the case of the USS Thor, they are back up to full strength and have a new commanding officer while the USS Blackheart has opted to decommission as a chapter of Starfleet. We wish them well.

REPORTING IN
We have 30 chapters and over 579 members. For the most part, chapters have been properly submitting their MSRs on-time.

COMING THIS FALL
Looking ahead to autumn we have Command Summit 2011 – Based on feedback from last year’s R7 Command Summit, there will be another Command Summit at the same location Mt. Laurel NJ, in mid to late October or early November. There were 13 chapters represented last year at the Summit.
The USS Richthofen will be hosting a Gettysburg Battlefield Tour in September.
The USS Accord will once again host Watkins Glen Weekend in September.
The USS Storm is throwing a Region 7 Masquerade party on Halloween night. Check out their link http://starfleetmarines.com/USSStorm/aux/hparty.html for all the details.

STARFLEET SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Your assistance is requested to help educate our members. The Scholarship Committee wishes to award 10 $500 Scholarships this year. For that, we need $5,000. At this time, we are short in the Scholarship Fund account by a tiny bit. Please consider making a donation of what you can to the Starfleet Scholarship Program. Be it $1, $5, $15 or more.

BIG MOVIE SUMMER
I couldn’t conclude this bulletin without noting that this summer has been great for films, actually when you think about it we’ve had a number of cool flicks this year starting with The Green Hornet, Thor, Green Lantern, Super 8, Transformers, Captain American: The First Avenger, the final Harry Potter movie, and this week the release of the much anticipated and very well cast, Cowboys & Aliens based on a graphic novel.

FACEBOOK PAGE BEING USED
Our Starfleet Region 7 Facebook page is being used more and more and I noticed yesterday that more photos are being added from different chapters focusing on their future and past events. That is great to see and it’s nice to share scenes from around the region. Keep it up. Share in the conversations and introduce some topics. One thing we know as members of Starfleet and this region is that we have many opinions out there and this is just another way to communicate. It is also a good way to advertise your club events that are open to the rest of the 7th Fleet.

THAT’S A WRAP
Well that concludes this bulletin. I know I will see many of you at IC2011 and I look forward to that. As always should you have an idea, compliment, complaint, project proposal or question for the staff of SF Region 7, reach out to us. Our contact information can be found on the R7 website or simply post us an e-mail to this list.

Enjoy the summer and keep cool.

Starfleet Region 7 Meeting Minutes

09 July 2011
Marriott’s Hunt Valley Inn
0900 hrs to 1000 hrs
Salon A

1. Call to Order Comm. Augustson
Wayne welcomed all to the Regional Meeting.

2. Roll Call of Chapters Adm. Vosseller
The USS Susquehannock brought a copy of the Communique from 1995. Bob read the list of ships for Region 7 listed in the Communique. Bob then gave the roll call of chapters for Region 7 currently.

3. Roll Call of R7 Staff Comm. Victor
Jeff read the list of Staff Officers for Region 7.

4. Chief of Staff Report Comm. Victor
Jeff asks for more details when COs submit thier MSRs.

5. ‘Condensed’ Staff Reports Attending Staff or Comm. Victor
Finance Report
     I – Revenue
          A – Beginning balance of funds as of February 1, 2011, was $366 at PNC Bank.
          B – From February 2011 to June 2011 a total of $60 was received and deposited as a result of R7’s Fundraising Raffles.
          C – An additional $30 donation was received in June 2011 from the USS Avenger and this was for as follows,
               1) $20 for Regional Awards
               2) $10 for Kilometers for Pennies
     II – Expenses
          A – A check for $259 was issued for R7 Plaques, in May 2011.
     III – Financial Status & Net Results
          A – As of June 30, 2011, Starfleet – Region 7’s bank balance is now at $197 at PNC Bank.
          B – Since May 2005, we’ve received $393 from Empties4Cash.com for 298 qualified ink jet and laser toner cartridges.
 
Communications 
     If you have submissions for the website, please send them to Joe. MSRs are being condensed and being added to the website every 2-3 months.

Recruiting
     Recruitment is setting up the table currently.

Awards
     Awards will be given out today.

6. VRC Report Adm. Vosseller
     Bob thanks those who gave to the Regional Fundraiser. Bob went over the history of the Kilometer of Pennies. Bob went over upcoming activities in the Region. IC2011 will be talked about  later in the meeting. Recruiting could use some help at the table this year.

7. RC Report Comm. Augustson

     A) Region Status Report – We have 31 chapters and over 579 members. For the most part, chapters have been properly submitting their MSRs on-time and keeping their membership numbers above the minimum requirements.

     B) AB Business – Not much AB business to discuss, other than questions about background checks for those seeking positions on the Regional and Fleet levels, and possible membership fees for Mexican chapters.

     C) Command Summit 2011 – Based on feedback from last year’s Summit, there will be another Command Summit. It will be held at the same location in Southern NJ, most likely October 22nd. There were 13 chapters represented last year at the Summit.

     D) R7 mini-conference at IC 2011/R7 Conference in 2012?? – We will have a mini R7 Conference Sunday at the IC. It should last only about an hour. Since we did not receive any bids for the Regional Conference for 2012, the R7 Command Staff will be hosting the event.

     E) Reminder about chapter numbers and MSRs – Please remember to keep your membership at 10+ members, and file your MSRs monthly.
 
      The USS Richthofen will be hosting a Gettysburgh Battlefield Tour in September. USS Accord will be hosting Watkins Glen Weekend in September.

8. IC2011 Comm. Victor
     Registration prices are still $25, prices are going up shortly. Jeff went over some of the programming going on at the IC.

9. 7th Brigade Report MGen. Dorffner
     The Marine Muster will take place after this meeting. Awards for the Brigade will be given out during the meeting.

10. R7 Annual Awards Presentation Adm. Washington
 The Regional Awards were given out by Beryl. The winners were:
     Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Avenger
     Shakedown Chapter of the Year: U.S.S. Storm
     Support Ship of the Year: U.S.S. Challenger
     Flag Officer of the Year: Glendon Diebold (USS Niagara)
     Officer of the Year: Eric Schulman (USS Matrix)
     Edgar Torres Memorial CO of the Year: Debbie French (USS Inferno)
     Enlisted Member of the Year: Maggie Restivo (USS Richthofen)
     Staff Member of the Year: Bob Vosseller (USS Challenger)
     Electronic Newsletter of the Year: “The Peacekeeper”- USS Niagara
     Printed Newsletter of the Year: “Avenger News”- USS Avenger
     Helping Hands: John Wilson (USS DeBraak) 

11. Other Regional Awards Comm. Augustson
7th Fleet Commendation-
     Bob Vosseller
     Jeff Victor
     Joe Dorffner
     Mike Stein
     Beryl Washington
     Mary Ann Pugliese
     Mike Allen
7th Fleet Achievement Award-
     Joe Hoolihan (for arranging/overseeing the recent softball event in MD)
     Karen Carothers (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics)
     Gary Ensey (for continuing to co-host the Trek Olympics)
     USS Susquehannock (for singlehandedly creating/overseeing a regional fundraiser- the R7 Calendar)
Promotion
     Eric Schulman, promoted to Captain, on 6/17/11.
At this time, MGEN Dorffner asked to present some awards for Fleet members from the Marines. The Naval Achievement Citation was presented to:
     Wayne Augustson
     Bob Vosseller
     Jeff Victor

12. Closing Comments/Adjournment Comm. Augustson – Have a good weekend, and see you at the IC next month!!

SUB SPACE CHATTER : The Almost End of the World Edition

Hey 7th Fleet, the good news is we’re still around, no rapture after all (unless you check out my Face Book account and click on the noted Blondie song that is).

NEWS AROUND THE 7th FLEET

Ok, I thought I’d share a few bits of news around the region.

First up, R7 Award winners (and big congrats by the way) have been forwarded on to the SF Award’s Director for review on that level to be announced at IC2011 in the Poconos this August.

How is IC2011 doing by the way? Glad you asked. The IC is moving ahead and doing well. We’re checking all names of those who committed to running panels have registered. For those who have said they will be taking on a panel and have not yet registered, let us know when you will be or if there is a change in plans.

We’re doing well attendance wise but more people registering can only be a plus and will add to the fun. The IC2011 Committee wants to thank the 7th Fleet membership for its support of this IC which was evident by our registration numbers and for those who volunteered to assist the effort. Big thanks to you and we can’t wait for August.

Now I must also report that if you are charged a full night’s stay on your card when you register THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. I dealt with this issue today when a member of the Abraham Lincoln experienced this situation. I’ve heard others have also been hit with this. Checking with the staff of the resort, I was assured that THIS IS NOT PART OF THE CONTRACT, so should you experience this situation, please tell them this is not permitted and ask for Crystal who will hopefully be present at the time you register. Also let Jeff and I know if you have experienced this situation. Outside of that the resort has been very helpful and attentive and this is probably a standard operating practice which does not apply to our arrangement but they probably don’t check as close as they should. Please keep this in mind.

STUFF GOING ON AROUND THE REGION

Its spring/pre-summer and that means a busy time around the region. Ren Faires, picnics, BBQs and Shore Leave. Leading up to Shore Leave is a variety of comic book shows like the Wizard Comic Con which I believe was held this weekend and the Philly Wizard Comic Con on June 17-19.

The Avenger, Challenger Justice and Abraham Lincoln are among those hosting picnics and I know further individual posts and reminders will be going out from those ships and other chapters as well. Keep watch of the regional lists and utilize the events calendar on the R7 website and feel free to mention this on the Starfleet Region 7 Face Book page.

Speaking of stuff going on activity in the Maryland Sector has been going strong in the last week with the USS Richthofen, the USS Matrix, and Pa. Sector import USS Sovereign who all showed up in Bowie, MD last night for Star Trek night at the Bowie Baysox minor league team. Karen reported that those from each chapter had a blast. The park gave them free tickets, a table for recruiting material,
and, a SKYBOX for their exclusive use! They all came in Starfleet uniforms of varying eras.

Several chapters in Maryland also participated in this year’s Trek Olympics and I know we’ll be hearing about that soon. Good show guys!

MOVIE BLOCKBUSTERS
Many of us will be busy at the movies this summer with crew visits to see flicks like the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie which the Avenger was assembling to see today. Green Lantern is coming up early next month and that will be a good group flick to see and there is Transformers III, Cowboys and Aliens and my own personal favorite which I can’t wait for…Captain America: The First Avenger.

KEEP THOSE NUMBERS UP AND REPORT ON TIME

Ok some more mundane stuff to talk about but important none the less. While our chapter reporting figures have been improving we still have a few ships that need to address their membership strength and who have been either late or have not sent in reports at all.

As to those chapters having problems with their crew strength, some are close to the mark with 8 members others have to do some recruiting or reminding their crew to renew. We also have at least one chapter that is in need of an XO. Wayne and I have been working to assist these chapters to meet SF requirements. We hate to see any change in status result from SF Ops based on these problems and the status change doesn’t happen over night but we’re there to assist and we want to do what we can to see that every chapter is in compliance. Ultimately though it is up to the chapter to address these issues in order to meet what is required by SF Operations.
We have one chapter out there that is drifting around the great barrier and that we need to hear from soon. We’ve tried every avenue of contact and we’re still trying. While our Regional SF membership stands good, we do hate to see any chapter decommission.

SHORE LEAVE KILOMETER OF PENNIES

The R7 Kilometer of Pennies challenge that was reactivated following our R7 Command Summit of last fall will be counted up and we’ll need to know your total PRIOR TO Shore Leave. In fact we’ll need to know the Saturday BEFORE Shore Leave. We appreciate your collection of loose change (although said amount should be presented in cash or check form as no one wants to cart home a bunch of copper coins for deposit from Shore Leave). This collection will go to the region’s coffers for use of regional expenses which generally means the awards program.

SF will be back with a recruitment table and meeting place and as details come in from the great folks of STAT we’ll be announcing them.

R7 CONFERENCE AND R7 COMMAND SUMMIT

Wayne, Jeff and I were disappointed that we received ZERO R7 Conference 2012 Conference Bids at the appointed deadline date. Our R7 Chief of Staff Jeff Victor requested to Wayne that we extend the deadline for the bids and I’ve spoken to some of those who said they had been interested in putting in a bid. Bid criteria is available at our R7 website and should you have any questions contact Jeff.

Wayne has told me that THERE WILL BE another R7 Command Summit this year probably in October. There will also be a MINI REGION 7 CONFERENCE on the Sunday of this year’s IC since this year’s IC is taking place within the Region. Yes, yet one more reason to come out to this year’s International Conference.

I always close by calling for any input you may have. Feel free to reach out and e-mail, call or even show up unannounced at Wayne’s front door….okay skip that last part but you know what I mean, contact us and in a reasonable amount of time, we’ll get back to you with your ideas, your complaints, questions, compliments or what have you.

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in the weeks and months ahead.