Check your Membership Status + CompuBookie 2018

Posted on | by ben | 7 Comments on Check your Membership Status + CompuBookie 2018

BAA Membership Roster

The preview is getting it’s final polish and we’re about ready to send it out, BUT before we do, here’s your chance to check and make sure that you’ve made your donation to the BAA and should be expecting the preview in the first round of distributions. We’re working on fixing up the site and the roster section is on the list, but for now use the link below.

CHECK YOUR STATUS HERE

If you’re not on the list and want think you should be, or want to fix your mistake of not donating, send your receipt email from CMU showing your donation and designation to join@cmubuggy.org and we’ll get you added. After you’ve got your membership sorted out, take a gander at this year’s auction where we’ve nearly passed the 50% mark with more than a day remaining!

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2018 Preliminary Lead Truck Auction is LIVE + Finals Auction Information

Posted on | by Bryan Arsham

WELCOME TO RACEDAY WEEK KICKOFF

The BAA is once again holding our lead truck auction this year, and the auction for the Preliminary Heats is now LIVE, and closes at 11:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 18! You can start bidding here.  It’s the one chance you (or a buggy fanatic in your life) have of being right in the middle of the action on Raceday. You’ll sit in the back of the lead truck for whatever race(s) you can win!

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Fall Kickoff and BAA Officer’s meeting notes

Posted on | by ben | 2 Comments on Fall Kickoff and BAA Officer’s meeting notes

Treasurer

We are still looking for one after the last election cycle. We will be reaching out to those who were nominated last year, but if you or someone you know has an interest in being an active BAA officer to help support everything that we do, please let us know. More info on this will be posted in the coming weeks.

Updates from campus

Sweepstakes has landed on a start date for fall rolls finding a balance between the various marathons/charity runs/other road closures. Weather permitting, first rolls will be September 30th, a bit later than usual, but will avoid some challenges and costs that past Sweepstakes have dealt with.

Many teams still need to complete capes, but they’ve still got two weeks to fit them all in. During capes, we saw the reveal of a new buggy from SDC named Inferno sporting a slightly darker red than their standby workhorse Rage. From first look, Inferno follows the form factor trends of their last few builds, so we can’t wait to see how it performs on the course, and with senior and veteran A-team driver Annie Black potentially behind the helm, we have some great expectations.

At the end of last year, the incoming Sweepstakes committee expressed an interest in a full rules committee to clear up some rules that have been modified over the years and also update procedural matters to align with the modern format/changes that haven’t been formally written down.

During Orientation, Sweepstakes held another iteration of “What is Buggy” to introduce the freshmen to our beloved sport. Several teams participated and brought out a buggy to show off on the cut drawing eyes and interest from passersby.

Notes from the last committee meeting

Some time ago, BAA HQ had our Fall meeting and caught up with each other and our projects so here’s a quick update on our progress and plans going forward.

Progress

  • Krishan has been making some great progress and should have fixed the account sign-up issue that we were having. If you’ve been waiting to sign up give it a try now and let us know if you run into any issues.
  • As we did last year, we are planning to release a kickoff/wrap-up  newsletter before the start of fall rolls (which now has a date) to all members.
  • Fall rolls reports will continue this semester and we are looking to add some new reporters to further expand on the weekend events. If you are in the area and come out to rolls, let us know and we would be more than happy to include any notes you might have!
  • Because of the vital role that cmuTV plays in Raceday, we’ve been talking with a few of their alums and are starting to organize a alumni support group specifically for them. Given how busy the group gets in the spring with their numerous shows, any support we can send their way will come back as support for us.

Next Steps

  • We are continuing to make a push to reach out to possible new teams and following up with the outreach that was started by last year’s sweepstakes. Along those lines, we are working to compile a list of available buggies that new teams could rent, please shoot us a message if you know of some in the area.
  • Priority for the website is cleaning up some security issues and cleaning up some of the underlying architecture. If you spot any issues please shoot us a message or post a comment. Thanks to those of you who continue to send us these notes!
  • There has been talk of doing a short mid-season newsletter this year as a recap of the fall and make some predictions for the spring, so keep an eye right here for more info on that. If you would be interested in helping, or have a topic that you want covered, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Events

  • Homecoming – CMU is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the merger between Carnegie Tech and Mellon College of Science this year.
    • Tom is preparing a special version of his History of Buggy Presentation for homecoming this year.
    • We are also planning to have our doughnut and coffee tent out for rolls that weekend, so come by and say hi if you’re in town!
  • Carnival – We are starting to make plans for Carnival this year and will again be looking for volunteers to help keep things running and up-to-date through the races. The officers will be busy managing other BAA tasks, so we are looking to find some leads to help us just during that weekend.
  • Local Meetups – We’ve attempted these to some success over the years, but we would love to have more Buggy Alumni meetups in other areas. The BAA has large concentrations in New York and Silicon Valley and will be making some outreach to those chapters, but if you are interested and would go to a local meetup, we’d love to hear from you and provide whatever support your area might need.

2017 Election Results and Treasurer Run-off

Posted on | by ben

The votes are in! Thanks to those of you who took the few minutes to participate. Here are the results:

  • Communications – Aileen Dinin
  • Head Reporter – Natalie McGuier
  • Webmaster – Krishan Taylor
  • Team Outreach – Edward Cao
  • President – Ben Matzke

During the election process, we had a few write-ins for Treasurer. None got enough votes for an outright election so once we get acceptances back, we will hold a run-off election for this position. Keep an eye out for more info, here are the current nominees:

  • Bryan Arsham
  • Ethan Gladding
  • Meghan Kaffine

Please join me in welcoming our new and returning exec board members!

2017 Elections Ballot Box

Posted on | by ben

After 2 weeks of Nominations, it’s high time we elect some new officers to the BAA!

Skip ahead and VOTE NOW!

We have short statements for all contested positions, and if you forgot, here’s a quick reminder of what’s happening.

This year we have a few contested, a few no-contest races, and an open position. All terms are for two years with potential for one re-election to the same position. Each position is looking for at least 5 votes or votes of confidence, contested positions require a simple majority after 5 votes. Additionally, each position will have a write in option.

NO-CONTEST RACES:

  • Communications: Aileen Dinin
  • Head Reporter: Natalie McGuier
  • President: Ben Matzke

CONTESTED RACES:

  • Webmaster
    • Madison Scott – I am currently the head driver for Fringe and will be graduating next month with a BS in ECE. Throwing myself head first into big projects is something I really love to do. Seeing as the website could use a little TLC, I’d be more than happy to take on this position and make the website more reliable and user friendly.
    • Krishan Taylor – Hi everyone, I’m Krishan! I’m a former member of Fringe, and I’ve been working on and leading web development teams since graduating from SCS in 2010. As Webmaster, I’m going to make our online experience more mobile friendly, give the website a more modern look, and roll out some new raceday tools, in addition to making the usual bug fixes and security updates. I look forward to hearing your suggestions on how else I can improve our website.
  • Team Outreach
    • Ethan Gladding – I originally joined on with what remained of Pioneers and I fell in love with Buggy. I have been a Pusher, Mechanic, Amateur Machinist, Assistant Chairman, and all around enthusiast. After Pioneers folded in the Fall of 2011 I worked with the school administration to transfer Pioneers resources into the fledgling Apex buggy and stuck around to help them build their first buggy. This year I helped operate the buggy safety net as a member of W3VC-Radio Club. I also have been assisting the Buggy Alumni Association by providing notes for the roll-reports. I’ll be staying in the city after graduating and would be honored to represent the BAA. Making buggy more accessible has always been a goal of mine. All sport is weird and arbitrary, but buggy takes it to the nth degree and that makes it special.
    • Edward Cao – Hi, I’m Edward and I was the Sweepstakes Chairman for Raceday 2016, I was a pusher and push captain for SDC Buggy, and also am a brother of Phi Delta Theta and helped procure them Perun and get their buggy program started with the help of KDR alums and Sweepstakes. I think I’d be a natural fit for this role given my experience with Sweepstakes and helping Phi Delt start their buggy team. I am still in contact with a good number of current students and recent alums such that I would be able help new or prospective teams connect with knowledgeable alumni for guidance. Furthermore, I’d be happy to help out with the publications that the BAA puts out.

NON-NOMINATED POSITION:

  • Treasurer – This position manages our financial reports, organizes our membership roster, and coordinates the Lead Truck Auction.

Happy Voting!

2017 Lead Truck Auction Details & Alumni Challenge update

Posted on | by ben

Alumni Challenge Update

No movement… if you or people you know haven’t yet become a member (or donated any amount), what are you waiting for?! We do not have a monetary goal, only a number of new people. If we reach our goal, we will be rewarded with funds from the university that will go straight to the support and advancement of Sweepstakes!

2017 BAA Lead Truck Auction

The BAA is once again holding our lead truck auction this year. It’s the one chance you (or a buggy fanatic in your life) have of being right in the middle of the action on Raceday. You’ll sit in the back of the lead truck for whatever race(s) you can win!

Proceeds help with all the costs of putting on such a spectacular event. Due to limited sponsorship this year, the BAA will be directly sponsoring the races with funding to cover the Jumbotrons this year.

Here’s how it works:

  • The auction will open at 9 AM EDT on Tuesday April 18th. A link will be posted on our website here.
  • Just like last year, we will run the auction on a third-party website. You will need to create an account with the auction site, and you can set up email alerts if you are outbid. Each heat will have a $10 minimum bid. The minimum bidding increment is $1. You may specify a maximum amount you wish to bid for any heat. Then, the site will automatically increase your bid in $1 increments as needed until your maximum is exceeded by someone else.
  • There will be separate auctions for each heat of Day 1, and picks for finals heats will be split up into multiple items meaning that you will be able to bid for multiple finals picks. For example, you could bid separately for 1st pick of the men’s finals and 2nd pick of the women’s. This will also allow you to potentially win multiple finals heat picks, though for the sake of inclusiveness we encourage you to only bid for one of each men’s and women’s picks.
  • Bid as much as you want, as often as you want until the auction closes at 11:00pm EDT on Wednesday April 18th
  • We will send out an email to the winners, along with instructions on how to collect your winnings.
  • On Raceday, check in WELL BEFORE your heat at the BAA tent between the finishline and broadcast booth and sign the waiver. Then you must be in the lead truck on Hill 1 before the start of your heat. If you’re late, then you miss your chance. The BAA cannot be the cause of delays.
  • Lead truck rides are transferable. If you can’t be in town or don’t like trucks, feel free to bid on an auction and then tell us who gets to take the ride. You can also just will it to your organization of choice and we’ll let the lucky team pick who gets to ride. All riders must be at least 18 years old.

If you have any questions, be sure to email Dan at danbecerra@cmubuggy.org or comment below, we want to address as much as we can before the auction.

We are, of course extremely thankful to sweepstakes for allowing us to use a spot in the lead truck to create this opportunity and raise some money so that the Buggy Alumni Association can pursue its mission to support buggy.

Fine Print Details

  • All heats will be auctioned simultaneously
  • The bidding will start at 9:00am EDT Tuesday April 18th
  • Bidding will end at 11:00pm EDT Wednesday April 19th
  • Payment must be received before winners take their rides. Credit card payment will be available and is strongly preferred. Cash and Check will also be accepted at the races.
  • All winning bids will be considered a gift to the Buggy Alumni Association. We have worked closely with the university to make sure that your gift to the BAA is also credited as a gift to Carnegie Mellon. Be assured that 100% of your gift will go to the Buggy Alumni Association. Also, if you’re an alum celebrating a reunion, your gift to the BAA will be counted towards your class totals.
  • For tax recognition purposes the donor can only claim their gift amount above the Fair Market Value of the Ride Auction. The fair market value of the Buggy Alumni Association Ride Auction is $10.00. Only the amount of your donation above the fair market value of the EVENT is tax deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.
  • If two people specify the same maximum bid, and the auction ends without any higher bids, the person that entered their maximum bid first will be the winner.
  • The end time (11:59pm EDT Wednesday April 19th) is fixed. There will be no extensions to allow for last minute bids. Get your bids in early and make use of the max bid feature!
  • Any heats that get rained out or otherwise cancelled will just void the auction for those heats. Of course, if winners of cancelled heats want to make their donations anyway, we won’t complain.
  • Winners should be present at the BAA tent at the top of hill 2 at the end of the preceding heat. Failure to show up in a timely manner will result in forfeiting the ride. We can’t be the cause of any delays, so the Buggy Alumni Association will have to be conservative in our estimation of “timely manner.” Be there!
  • The Buggy Alumni Association and Sweepstakes reserve the right to refund donations from and refuse a ride to anyone that is intoxicated or otherwise unable to safely ride in the back of a truck.
  • No rides may violate Pennsylvania’s laws concerning riding in a pickup truck. Basically this means the passenger must be over 18.
  • Sweepstakes also reserves the right to cancel rides and have us refund donations if they need to for any reason.

2017 BAA Elections Information

Posted on | by ben

It’s that time of year, the time when the BAA seeks out new blood and energy to fill upcoming Vacancies. This cycle we will be seeing many open spots on our board and that is where we need your help. Starting Sunday April 15th, we will open the floor for nominations of several key positions. You’ll have two weeks to get in your nominations during which you can nominate anyone to the below listed positions and they will be asked to either accept or deny said nomination. Following the nomination period, we will hold online elections for all dues paying members to vote in!

Here are some more details about what positions will be open and how you can be a part of the process:

Elections Timeline:

All times in EST

  1. April 16th @ noon – Nominations Open
    • We will put out a news post and social media blast with a link to a nominations form (we like our google forms this year).
  2. April 28th @ 7 pm – Nominations Close
    • Last call will be made and anyone nominated will be contacted to accept or decline.
  3. May 1st @ noon  – Elections Begin
    • News post will go live with a link to cast your ballot.
    • Only dues paying members will get their votes counted.
    • Anyone nominated will be encouraged, though not required, to add in a short statement on their goals for their term.
  4. May 5th @ 7 pm – Elections End
    • last call will be made for any stragglers to get their votes in.
  5. May 6th – Election results posted!
    • Congratulate our new BAA Exec Board!

Eligible Persons:

  1. Any CMU alumni who has graduated or will graduate by June 2017 is eligible to be nominated (Graduating Seniors, that means you too!)
  2. Any person who has been elected to two previous terms on the BAA Executive Board is not eligible to accept a nomination.

Open Seats:

This year we have several open seats that need to be filled and a few positions up for re-election. Each elected position constitutes a 2 year term on the board which can be held for 2 consecutive terms (total 4 consecutive years) pending successful re-election.

  •  Treasurer – This position is currently held by Daniel Becerra who will be stepping down. For the BAA, this person receives our monthly financial information and reports our standing to the membership. This role also has taken on organizing fundraising activities such as our annual Lead Truck Auction and keeps records of currently active members.
  • Team Outreach – This position is currently held by Connor Hayes who will be stepping down. This person is for someone who will be connected to the current sweepstakes leadership and is willing to reach out to current organizations or potential new ones to provide guidance and connections to other alumni. This person has also played a great role in providing content for our regular publications.
  • Webmaster – This position is held in a very limited capacity by Sam Swift. The BAA site is in need of some tender loving care and some repairs which I’m sure you’re all aware of. Please check out our website page for more info on how this site is organized and structured.
  • Communications – This position is currently held by Aileen Dinin who is completing her first term. This position organizes our larger newsletters and publications which go out to all dues paying members (i.e. Raceday Preview, Season Kickoff, ect.).
  • Reporting Lead – This position is currently held by Natalie McGuier who is completing her first term. This position organizes and compiles our weekly rolls reports and wrangles local Pittsburgh people every weekend of rolls.
  • President – This position is currently held by Ben Matzke. This person coordinates and directs all BAA Activities and communicates on behalf of the BAA to Alumni Relations and the larger CMU community and networks.

Completing the first year of his term, our Vice President Jeremy Tuttle’s seat is currently not open for election.

Given the unique nature of our organization, there will be an open field that can be entered with a new chair position for something that you believe is lacking or deserves it’s own role.

We’ve already heard from some people who are interested in joining the board and we are excited to give them the opportunity.

Happy voting!

2017 Membership Info and Undergraduate Alumni Networks Challenge

Posted on | by Dan | 2 Comments on 2017 Membership Info and Undergraduate Alumni Networks Challenge

If you’re reading this, you must be very interested in Buggy. And if you are, you definitely want to be a BAA member this year.
Members get exclusive perks, most importantly access to the highly anticipated Raceday Preview, which has everything you need to know about the teams and races. And you get to know you are supporting all the events we hold and the other things the BAA does to help make Sweepstakes run smoothly.

CMU is trying something new this year where they are running a challenge for every network and providing a potential cash reward! The challenge revolves around graduates from any Undergrad program at CMU who have never donated before. The best part is, ANY amount counts (e.g. the low low price of a BAA membership) and while we hope you send it our way, it can go towards any organization or program you want! Here are some more details:

  • Challenge will run between April 2 and Aprill 22
  • We will be posting weekly updates throughout
  • With 50 new people, we receive $500
  • With 100 new people, we receive $1000

If you’ve never before been a member, this is the perfect time to become one! To become a member, all you have to do is donate $10 or more to the BAA.

Should we make either of our goals, the money from this challenge will go towards the improvement of the cmuTV Raceday broadcast and help cover the costs of the production when sponsorship coverage is insufficient.

See our current membership list below which will be periodically updated. To help speed up the process of getting you on our list, or if you don’t see yourself on there and you think you should be, send me an email at danbecerra[at]cmubuggy.org with the receipt.

Click here to view the list!

Cheers,
Dan