Blastoff December 13, 2010

Dates to Remember

Click Calendar  for Club meetng dates in December and January

December 6, 2010 Club Meeting Review

The December 6th Rotary meeting was held at the University of Houston Clear Lake (UHCL).  Carl Stockton, Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, welcomed members to the campus.  He announced that enrollment at UHCL is at an all time high this semester, and the University is moving forward with a request for approval to add Freshman and Sophomore level classes to the program.  The decision should be finalized by the end of the legislative session in June.  An implementation timeline is still to be determined.   The budget is still a major issue as the state has cut funding by 41%.

Debby McBride led the singing, Carolos Villagomez led the prayer, and Scott Rainey led the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag.  Marilyn Musial led the Four Way Test, and Jerry Smith introduced visitors and guests.  Roger Donnelly reminded members that the Christmas fellowship will be December 15th.  Friday is the deadline to RSVP.  District 5890 Governor Sunny Sharma and Assistant District Governor Chris Schneider will also be attending.  Members passed the hat collecting funds to support the local family that lost three children to a fire on Veterans Day.  Four hundred dollars were collected for the family.  Phillip Harris presented the banner he received for the club when he attended a meeting of the Denver Colorado Sky High Rotary Club.  President Coney announced that the next golf outing will be December 8th at Bay Forest in LaPorte.  RSVP to Dick Hergert.  President Coney and Alan Wyle announced that 40 students had been interviewed for the Youth Exchange program and recognized those Rotarians who helped with the interview process.  Four students were accepted from our club.

John Branch introduced Rear Admiral Joel Sipes (U.S. Coast Guard, Ret).  Admiral Sipes reviewed the multi mission services provided by the U.S. Coast Guard.  He discussed experiences in oil spill administration and compared the handling of the Exxon Valdez and the British Petroleum (BP) Deepwater spill.  He noted that the BP spill is the largest spill that has ever occurred in American waters, and is the 2nd largest international spill, falling in line behind the deliberate crude oil release by the opposition during the Gulf War.  The offshore platform explosion at the Bay of Campeche is 3rd, followed by the Exxon Valdez spill.  He noted that the British frequently use dispersants in dealing with spills, while the United States does not due to toxicity.  He stated that the level of public outrage was higher for the Exxon Valdez spill and that since 1990, all tankers arriving in the United States have to be double hulled.  Admiral Sipes discussed lessons learned from Exxon Valdez concerning organization and administration of oil spill cleanup.  Similar disaster plans now include a unified command structure that allows assets to be mobilized more efficiently.  He noted that recent budget cuts may take the Coast Guard out of involvement with oil spill recovery and there is potential for loss of significant knowledge and experience.  He also noted that moving the Coast Guard under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security changed the traditional service focus.  Admiral Sipes answered questions, was thanked for his presentation by President David Coney, and the meeting was adjourned by President Coney.