The Rotary Club of Kirkland held its regular weekly meeting online on September 28, 2020.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Gary Cohn, Joanne Primavera, Rick Ostrander, Stefan Landvogt, Steve Shinstrom, Rich Bergdahl, John Pruitt, John Woodbery, James Meneketti, Darcia Tudor, Tricia Stromberg, Brandon Honcoop, Kristin Olson, Bob & Gail Auslander, Mike Hunter, Don Dicks, Dave DeBois, George Anderson, Rick Walter, Elizabeth Rusnak, Dave & Amy Mutal. Let me know if I missed anyone.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:16 p.m.
Rich Bergdahl recited the Pledge of Allegiance, while the rest of us stood, mostly mute, in order to avoid ‘out-of-sync-problems’ with our audio.
Guests this evening were Chris Rusnak and Jessica Nevers – she’s here a lot – maybe a new member candidate??
Announcements – we can now return to the Woodmark by mid-October, with plated dinners and proper social distancing. We will need a minimum of only ten diners. Let President James know your opinion via email on this option.
Don Dicks gave us a brief synopsis of the Rotary International Foundation. RIF has raised over $400,000,000 this year, which beats our goal. RIF has renewed its partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Wild polio virus has been eliminated from Africa. The polio infrastructure has been helpful in combatting COVID-19 across the globe. Remember October 24 is World Polio Day – celebrate with a donation to RIF.
Paul Harris Awards went to Mike Hunter – Plus 2; James Nevers; and Chris Rusnak. Congratulations to all and keep up the good work.
Our speaker was Dr. Amy Morrison, president of Lake Washington Institute of Technology. She began by thanking several Club members who have been involved with the college over the years. She has been a Rotarian in previous lives and locations.
Dr. Morrison gave us an update on institute activities in the age of the pandemic. The institute staff has also been heavily engaged in addressing issues of structural racism at the institute.
The institute has been involved with the city of Kirkland from the beginning in coping with the original and ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. She has been impressed with how quickly and effectively Kirkland mobilized to address the outbreak.
The school is ‘Still Open for Learning’, but has had to change how students access the institute’s offerings. Like most schools in Washington, much of the class offerings have migrated online. Several programs have been implemented to assist students and faculty with pandemic-related issues.
She also discussed that state budget shortfalls due to the pandemic are a looming threat to the state’s education infrastructure. But education is vital to the state’s successful recovery. The school has been asked to prepare for a 15% budget cut from the state.
Protocols and contact tracing implemented since the outbreak are credited with preventing an outbreak at the school due to on-campus activities.
There are three goals moving forward – prepare for an uncertain future; dismantle structural racism; and keep focused on educating students.
There were several questions from Club members, some specific to the issue of dismantling structural racism. The emphasis is on equitable outcomes for all. A Deputy Director for Equity and Inclusion will be hired.
Dr. Morrison encourages personal contact via email with Rotarians. She also encourages potential students to connect with the college administration to receive any needed help through the process.
We adjourned at about 7:05 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe