2023-01 From the President: A spring experiment

UMRA is generally flourishing, Our membership is at a five-year high. We have more special interest groups than ever, and their meetings are well-attended. Both our Como Park summer social and Jonathon Padelford riverboat ride were good times and well received. Our pivot to virtual programming during the Covid lockdown was a success, and attendance at our virtual workshops remains strong.

The one indicant that has been down is attendance at our in-person luncheon forums. Since resuming in-person forums in May, attendance has been lower than it was in the pre-Covid days of 2019. To help us figure out why, the UMRA Board conducted the survey you received right after Thanksgiving.

When we asked about attending our in-person events, three factors were named as obstacles (major or minor) by a majority:

• Covid/other disease concerns—68%
• Schedule conflicts—55%
• Parking—54%

Parking was cited as a major obstacle by only 7 percent, but it has been an irritant for many. We’ve heard several stories about how difficult it has been to find parking in the East River Road Garage, and how hard it is for people with mobility issues to make it to the Campus Club from the garage.

Financial issues at the Campus Club

Meanwhile, the UMRA Board was hearing about financial issues at the Campus Club, issues significant enough that it was not clear whether the Campus Club would remain open for the rest of the year. Given what we were hearing, we commissioned a group to investigate other venues and recommend an alternative.

The group came back with a recommendation for the Midland Hills Country Club in Roseville, not far from the U of M golf course and the condominiums at 1666 Coffman. Midland Hills has a large parking lot with ample free parking and a portico where people can be dropped off. Several University groups, including the University of Minnesota Women’s Club, meet there, and UMRA has held board retreats there.

The Campus Club financial situation has now stabilized enough that the club has assured us we can continue to meet there for the remainder of our current program year and the next. Nevertheless, the UMRA Board has decided it is worth experimenting with meeting at Midland Hills. Our plan for our spring 2023 forums is as follows:

• January and February forums will be virtual via Zoom (like last year)
• March and April forums will be in-person luncheon meetings at Midland Hills
• May forum/annual meeting will return to the Campus Club

This plan will allow us to experiment with the alternative venue and then make a fresh assessment of the Campus Club. We will be eager to hear from everybody who attends what they think. And we hope a lot of you will attend!

It will be fun. You’ll have a chance to be a restaurant critic and review everything about the two places. Based on the reviews, the UMRA Board will decide where to meet next year.

—Ron Matross, UMRA president, [email protected]