Executive Committee Meeting

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1 FORM F-2 Agenda Item Number OFFICER REPORT 5.2 Item Title Operations Manager Date 6/9/17 Reported by Elizabeth Greenwood Purpose Executive Committee Meeting REPORT Texas-Mexico Student Conference Universidad Panamericana in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico has expressed the desire to host a future Texas- Mexico Student Conference. See attached report for additional information. A Task Committee to continue exploring this opportunity is recommended. REPORT Dues and Voluntary Contributions See attached report. REPORT Subsidiary Bylaws Submitted and pending review based on staff availability: Fort Worth Branch West TX Branch El Paso Branch Caprock Branch EWRI Austin Chapter TxUESI Chapter REPORT Section Meetings Schedule Please go to ITEMS FOR AGENDA Establishment of a Task Committee on Enhancing the Relationship with the ASCE Mexico Section Files\Admin-Organization\TxSx\Meetings\2017\ExCom-June 2017\Meeting\Reports\Forms\Non-Officer Reports\5.2_OM_ docx 1 of 1

2 June 6, 2017 Elizabeth Greenwood Operations Manager/Secretary ASCE Texas Section RE: Operations Manager Visit to Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico May 17 20, 2017 Representatives from Universidad Panamericana (UP) attended the ASCE Texas Student Symposium in El Paso March 2 4, 2017 and put forward a bid to host the 2019 Symposium at the Student Conference business meeting. Their bid was not accepted and 2019 will instead be hosted by UTRGV in South Padre Island. Possibly the biggest factor in denying the UP bid is the travel ban in the country of Mexico issued by the US State Department but there are also logistical issues that would need to be addressed. At the conclusion of the student business meeting several Texas Section leaders conferred with the UP delegates and were assured that the Mexican travel ban does not apply to Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco and they extended an invitation to attend their own upcoming 15 th annual Civil Engineering Symposium in May. After conferring with President Thompson, Executive Director Lindsay O Leary and Region 6 Director Nancy Cline, I accepted the invitation to their symposium and made plans to take my spring vacation in Mexico to visit Guadalajara and the UP campus. This is a brief report of my experience there. First impression? I was a disappointed about the air pollution and lack of big green trees when I first arrived. Brown air, brown terrain. Sigh. But the trees in Guadalajara are covered in flowers and while it may be hot, it is a dry heat and a very comfortable climate especially when in the shade. Guadalajara turned out to be a beautiful city and the UP campus is small, well laid out and quite lovely. More than those aesthetics, however, the people I met were to a person charming, respectful and happy to be helpful. I have seldom felt more welcome in a strange place than I did in Guadalajara. And safe. I saw only a few vagrants or panhandlers mostly trying to fund their passage to the US. I did not witness any crime and I felt quite comfortable walking the city streets in the central core of historic downtown near my hotel. I did see tagging and graffiti in other areas as I toured the city and when I inquired of several people was told that the graffiti there is of two types: the street artists trying to make a name for themselves, similar to the artwork you will see on railway cars, and; gang marks. These last are located in manufacturing or warehouse neighborhoods that are deserted at night, just as you find in any large city anywhere in the world. And that is the main take away Guadalajara is a large, ever growing city and deals with the same issues as any large city (e.g. don t go into certain areas at night) but it is not in the drug cartel corridor that breeds the violence that captures the news headlines. In fact the most recent travel warning issued by the US Department of State in December of 2016 does not warn against going to or traveling within the city, only travel in certain areas that border other states: Jalisco (includes Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, and Lake Chapala): U.S. citizens should defer nonessential travel to areas that border the states of Michoacán and Zacatecas [my emphasis] because of continued instability. U.S. government personnel are prohibited from personal travel to areas of Jalisco that border Zacatecas, intercity travel after hours, and from using Highway 80 between Cocula and La Huerta. U.S. government personnel are authorized to use Federal toll road 15D for travel to Mexico City; however, they may not stop in the town of La Barca or Ocotlan for any reason. travel warning.html

3 Region 6 Governor Patricia Frayre accompanied me to a breakfast meeting on the UP campus organized by UP faculty and staff including David Castellanos (engineering admissions coordinator), Rodrigo Navarro (civil engineering director), several students and also attended by UP International Director Leoncio Monjaras, and US Consulate/Guadalajara staff Linda Caruso and Ing. Patricia Reinosa. We were provided an overview of the city, especially from a business perspective, and then toured the campus. Attached to this report are some highlights from the slide show presented at breakfast. The campus is well equipped to handle a large Student Symposium, indeed they ve been hosting an international civil engineering symposium (SIICAUP) since 1996 (see attached). They have a multipurpose gymnasium for the bridge displays; canoe displays would be under shade tents outside; rooms for breakout sessions, and; a lovely open air lounge/conference room for the Texas Section Board meeting, should you decide to hold it there. The canoe races would be held at Lake Chapala (also in Jalisco), about 45 minutes from Guadalajara and there is more than sufficient accommodations near the campus and throughout the city to house the attendees. From my observations I would say this invitation to convene a Texas Mexico Student Conference in Guadalajara is worth endorsing. It presents a variety of opportunities not the least of which is allowing a Mexican ASCE Student Chapter to gain the experience of hosting their regional conference. UP is awaiting final approval by the Region 6 Board of Governors to be an official ASCE Student Chapter and they are certainly up to the task of hosting. Several issues would need to be addressed, however, to make this a reality. Although travel within the state of Jalisco is generally safe, getting to Guadalajara presents a challenge. All personnel would need to fly in and all equipment (canoes, bridge components, displays) would need to be shipped. This may be an expensive proposition for some of the Texas Chapters, but on the other hand the Mexico Chapters deal with it every year. There may be the possibility of acquiring some major sponsors to defray those costs (my round trip ticket was ~$300) or with enough advance notice the Chapters can start fund raising specifically for this purpose. Shipping costs might be controlled by having one carrier and one centralized point of departure; that would need to be researched. All personnel would need to obtain the required travel documents (e.g. a passport) and some coaching for the students on how to be a good ambassador in a foreign country and culture would be prudent. But what an exciting opportunity for these students! To experience a culture they ve only heard about? The UP hosts indicated they would be willing to organize the conference to include field trips for the students to local points of interest (perhaps an excursion to the Pueblo Mágico (Magic Town) of Guachimontones to explore the round pyramid ruins) especially if the event were planned with an extra day or two to accommodate these trips. But just to explore Guadalajara s restaurants and shops, to visit centuries old municipal and ecclesiastical buildings, to ride their modern commuter rail to the arts andcrafts towns of Tonala and Tlaquepaque, would be enough of an amazing experience for many of them. Another challenge is definitely going to be overcoming the resistance of those who perceive Mexico as a dangerous place and will be thoroughly opposed to this proposal. In particular the faculty advisors, department chairs and deans would need to be supportive of this endeavor as well as the head judge of the student competitions. If the Texas Section leadership sees this as a worthwhile proposition I recommend a Task Committee be formed to further examine the logistics it will take to get the Texas participants there and also address the concerns that will foster opposition to even going to Mexico. It will take time to work through it all but it is possible that the Student Conference convenes in Guadalajara as early as Whether it includes the Texas Student Symposium component or even the Texas Section Board meeting, would also need to be decided.

4 6/6/2017 Open for Business How People View Mexico Mexico s Security Situation Spring 2016 Linda Caruso, Principal Commercial Officer U.S. Consulate, Guadalajara Department of Commerce International Trade Administration 2 Mexican Handicrafts Today Guadalajara Mexico s Silicon Valley Size: Second largest market in Mexico Business Culture: Bilingual, open to U.S. goods and services Multinational Investors: GE, IBM, Intel, HP, Flextronics, Jabil, Oracle Logistics: Major distribution center Major Industries: Electronics, industrial process controls, packaging, agribusiness and food processing equipment Largest Exposition Center in Latin America: Regional shows Department of Commerce International Trade Administration 3 1

6/6/2017 Mexico Snapshot Security: Mexico vs. Other Destinations in the Americas Population: 120 million Unemployment: 6.4% (Sep 15) Remittances: $25 billion (2015) FDI into U.S.: $31.

1% (2014) Key facts 15 th largest world economy 79% urban population 45% population under 25 45% poverty rate 2015 Competitiveness: 57 th in world (WEF) (+ 4 places since 2014) 2015 Corruption

5 6/6/2017 Mexico Snapshot Security: Mexico vs. Other Destinations in the Americas Population: 120 million Unemployment: 6.4% (Sep 15) Remittances: $25 billion (2015) FDI into U.S.: $31.4 billion (2014) GDP per capita (PPP): $17,900 (2014) Real GDP growth: 2.1% (2014) Key facts 15 th largest world economy 79% urban population 45% population under 25 45% poverty rate 2015 Competitiveness: 57 th in world (WEF) (+ 4 places since 2014) 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index: 95/168 in world Source: U.S. Embassy, Mexico Security: Mexico City vs. U.S. cities Overview The security environment is very regional Some areas are better, others worse Border cities are particularly vulnerable, such as Nuevo Laredo, Juarez, Reynosa, Matamoros, and Tijuana Organized crime groups continue to produce high levels of violence throughout parts of the country Most of Mexico is manageable An extremely high percentage of homicides in Mexico continue to be narco-related Most narco-homicides not investigated In most areas, narco-violence poses limited risk to civilians Very little public outrage when violence remains contained 8 2

6/6/2017 Don t Forget Visitors need to use common sense and be aware Natural Disasters Earthquakes Hurricanes Volcanoes Fires Floods Health Issues Avian Flu Dengue Other Traffic Accidents Water 9

6 6/6/2017 Don t Forget Visitors need to use common sense and be aware Natural Disasters Earthquakes Hurricanes Volcanoes Fires Floods Health Issues Avian Flu Dengue Other Traffic Accidents Water 9 CONSULAR DISTRICTS IN MEXICO Tijuana Hermosillo Nuevo Laredo Tijuana Baja California Norte Sinaloa Coahuila (north) CG Baja California Sur Sonora (south) Tamaulipas (NW) Ciudad Juárez Nogales CG Nogales Ciudad Juárez Monterrey CG Sonora (north) Chihuahua Coahuila (south) SONORA Durango Hermosillo Nuevo León CG San Luis Potosí Piedras Negras CHIHUAHUA Zacatecas Nuevo Laredo Matamoros COAHUILA CG Reynosa Tamaulipas (south) SINALOA (except Tampico) CG Monterrey CG Matamoros NUEVO DURANGO LEON Guadalajara TAMAULIPAS ZACATECAS Aguascalientes Mazatlán Colima Cabo San Jalisco EMBASSY (1) SAN Tampico Lucas San Luis AGUAS LUIS Nayarit CALIENTES Potosí NAYARIT POTOSI CG CONSULATE GENERAL (9) San Miguel Mérida Ciudad Juárez Monterrey Puerto de Allende QRO. Vallarta CG Guadalajara CG Guadalajara Tijuana HIDALGO JALISCO Hermosillo Nogales Mexico City EDO. DE TLAX. Matamoros Nuevo Laredo DF COLIMA MEXICO. Mérida MICHOACAN MOR. CAMPECHE PUEBLA TABASCO CONSULAR AGENCY (13) GUERRERO Acapulco Ixtapa, Zih. Ixtapa, Zih. Oaxaca Cabo San Lucas Mazatlán Playa del Carmen OAXACA CHIAPAS Acapulco Cancún Oaxaca Puerto Vallarta San Luis Potosi Cozumel Piedras Negras Reynosa San Miguel de Allende Mexico City Chiapas Guanajuato Guerrero Estado de Mexico Hidalgo Michoacán Morelos Oaxaca Puebla Querétaro Tabasco (Tampico) Tlaxcala Veracruz Mérida Campeche Quintana Roo Yucatán Cancún Playa del Carmen Cozumel U.S. Mexico trade relationship U.S. Mexico relationship Mexico is the United States 3 rd largest trading partner Mexico is 2 nd in U.S. exports, accounting for 15% of all U.S. exports In 2014, U.S. goods exported to Mexico were up 6.3%, totaling over $240 billion 24 American states depend on Mexico as their first or second destination for exports More than $1.5 billion a day in two way trade Over 50,000 U.S. small and medium sized enterprises export to Mexico It is difficult to overstate the depth of ties between our two nations or the extraordinary importance of our relationship. It s obviously a simple fact of geography that we share a border and we have always been bound together by that geography. But it s not just that shared border that links us together. It s also culture, it s also immigration patterns that have taken place that have become so important. Our economic ties mean that whatever steps that we re going to take moving forward have to be taken together. President Barack Obama Mexico City, April 16,

8 About SIICAUP: The International Civil Engineering & Administration Symposium of the Panamerican University (SIICAUP for its initials in spanish) is an event that started back in Since then, we have had the privilege to receive speakers from 11 different countries representing some of the most important companies and universities in the world. Mission To provide the student community the opportunity to participate in events focused on enriching their professional vision for the future, by hosting distinguished speakers from all over the world and sharing cultural and technical aspects of the design + construction industry Vision To become the most important student-organized symposium in Mexico by linking the student community with the best companies, engineers and designers in the world.

9 Provenance of Speakers ( )

10 S.K. Ghosh, Ph. D Earthquake-Resistant Design of Concrete Structures Founder and President of S.K. Gosh Associates Inc. - Seismic and Building Code Consulting Author of several books dealing with seismic design, and over 200 publications in various technical journals and conference proceedings. Has investigated and reported on structural performance in most recent earthquakes.

Founder and President of Luis Bozo Estructuras

L Author of several books and publications on

11 Luis Bozzo, Ph. D Vanguard Structures: Omnilife Stadium Founder and President of Luis Bozo Estructuras y Proyectos, S.L Author of several books and publications on national and international magazines and technical journals. Participated in many investigation projects some of them at the University of California at Berkeley Owner of two patents on prefabricated slabs

12 Eulalio Juárez, Ph. D Development of the engineering in the XXI century Professor emeritus at UNAM Has taught at UNAM for more tan 50 years Received his Ph. D from Harvard University Author of over 120 publications in scientific journals

housing and urban development of the college of

Society of Civil Engineers, Member of the

Has received honors and award form several

13 Jorge Vanegas, Ph. D The 2020 engineer Director of the center for housing and urban development of the college of architecture of Texas A&M Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Member of the American Society Of Engineering Education. Has received honors and award form several universities in Mexico, and universities in the USA like Arizona State University and Purdue University

14 Wang Rushu, Ph. D Three Gorges Project Member of the China Three Gorges Corporation, organism that operates the largest dam in the world. Dr. Rushu is a professor at China and is the author of several books on the TGP and the environment

AISC / National Academy of Engineering /

15 Thomas M. Murray, Ph.D Floor vibrations due to human activity AISC / National Academy of Engineering / AISI / Virginia Tech Lead author of the Guide 11 AISC Design / CISC, "Floor Vibrations due to Human Activity". National Academy of Engineering. American Institute of Steel Construction. American Iron & Steel Institute. Virginia Tech

Studies with specialization in soil dynamics at Rensselaer

16 Gabriel Martínez Ramírez, MS Alternatives in geotechnical design and construction Founder and General Director of Sandstorm-GAM Studies with specialization in soil dynamics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA. Member of Geo -institute of ASCE

17 5.2 ASCE TEXAS SECTION DUES / ALLOTMENT / VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS DUES YEAR 2017 WITH COMPARISONS TO DUES YEAR SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG TOTAL ALLOTMENT 44,148 44,148 SECTION RETAINED 26,955 36,410 17,361 45,668 31,000 15,795 9,780 7,740 4,905 4,195 2,700 2, ,429 BRANCH PASS THR 5,626 7,408 3,510 9,514 6,394 3,320 2,042 1,626 1, ,510 COMBINED DUES (Section & Branch) 32,581 43,818 20,871 55,182 37,394 19,115 11,822 9,366 5,927 5,075 3,264 3, ,939 VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS 865 1, , ,414 TOTAL 33,446 44,913 21,121 56,566 38,134 19,436 12,206 9,471 6,017 5,215 3,284 3, ,501 NUMBER OF: MEMBERS PAID , ,571 VOLUNTARY CONT DUES YEAR SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG TOTAL ALLOTMENT 44,237 44,237 SECTION RETAINED 23,850 41,270 27,040 52,599 22,123 17,550 11,115 7,415 3,575 2,925 3,105 3, ,984 BRANCH PASS THR 4,916 8,508 5,278 10,488 4,476 3,600 2,298 1, ,558 COMBINED DUES 28,766 49,778 32,318 63,087 26,599 21,150 13,413 8,959 4,309 3,535 3,751 3, ,542 (Section & Branch) VOLUNTARY 945 1, , ,280 CONTRIBUTIONS TOTAL 29,711 51,063 32,857 64,192 27,111 21,645 13,577 9,069 4,419 3,535 3,751 3, ,059 NUMBER OF: MEMBERS PAID , ,693 VOLUNTARY CONT DUES YEAR SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG TOTAL ALLOTMENT 43,880 43,880 SECTION RETAINED 48,183 42,360 26,919 67,310 40,507 14,890 9,180 7, ,287 BRANCH PASS THR 7,470 6,582 4,350 10,526 6,082 2,300 1,420 1,210 39,940 COMBINED DUES (Section & Branch) 55,653 48,942 31,269 77,836 46,589 17,190 10,600 9, ,227 VOLUNTARY 1, , CONTRIBUTIONS - TOTAL 56,938 49,717 31,664 79,278 47,580 17,435 10,704 9, ,378 NUMBER OF: MEMBERS PAID , ,873 VOLUNTARY CONT Files\Admin-Business.Finance\Accounting\FY \REPORTS\Membership Dues\ Allotment Dues Vol Contributions for DY2017.xlsx Apr 2017

TRAVEL WARNING MEXICO

TRAVEL WARNING MEXICO U.S. Embassy Information The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas. U.S. citizens