steno@accuscript.com
NEWS ARCHIVES

FEISSNER RECEIVES
CRI CERTIFICATION

     Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR was recently notified by the National Court Reporters Association that she successfully completed the NCRA Certified Reporting Instructor program. The CRI program was created by NCRA in order to establish a uniform standard of excellence among court reporting instructors throughout the United States.
     Lisa is the former lead court reporting instructor at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, where she was primarily responsible for developing the curriculum now being used by LCCC for training its court reporting students.

Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR, CRI

 

2003 NCRA ANNUAL CONVENTION & EXPOSITION
HELD IN RENO, NEVADA

     The 2003 NCRA Annual Convention & Exposition was held at John Ascuaga's Nugget Hotel in Reno, Nevada from July 31st through August 3rd. Attending the conference on behalf of AccuScript, Inc. Court Reporting & Video were AccuScript, Inc. President Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR and her husband Thomas K. Feissner, Esquire, CLVS. At the convention, NCRA members from throughout the United States and Canada met in a variety of forums to discuss issues of importance to court reporters, captioners, and CART providers.

     One such forum is the National Committee of State Associations (NCSA). On Thursday, July 31st, NCSA held its annual business meeting, at which time delegates elected by their state associations had an opportunity to exchange information on such topics as increasing the number of court reporting schools, the proliferation of electronic recording in the courtroom, and recruiting students into the profession

     As a member of the NCSA committee, PCRA President-Elect Lisa Feissner, RDR, CRR was also on hand to help moderate the event. In addition to her role as a committee member, Lisa introduced a motion from the floor intended to give NCSA a greater role in the planned revision of the NCRA constitution and bylaws. After some debate, the resolution was voted on and approved by the membership. Lisa was also re-elected to serve a two-year term on the NCSA committee.

 

NCRA Board liaison to the NCSA committee Donna Cascio, RPR (center) with
NCSA committee members (left to right) Mario Rodriquez, CMRS; Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR;
Karen Yates, RPR, CRR; and Doug Friend, RMR, CRR.

 

Lisa says farewell to outgoing NCRA President Laurel Eiler, RPR.

 

Lisa congratulates newly installed NCRA President Lisa Nagy-Baker, RDR, CRR.


ACCUSCRIPT, INC. FIRM MEMBERS ATTEND
2003 NCRA MIDYEAR CONVENTION IN NEW YORK CITY



     AccuScript, Inc. Court Reporting & Video is pleased to announce that several of its firm members became instructors for a day at the 2003 NCRA Midyear Conference held in New York City on April 11-13. Specifically, on Sunday, April 13th, Debbie Leonard, RMR, CRR and Michelle Anderson, B.S., a scopist with AccuScript, Inc., presented a seminar entitled "The Reporter/Scopist Relationship." This seminar focused on how to develop and/or improve the working relationship between the court reporter and the scopist. The seminar also addressed such topics as the role of the scopist in supporting the court reporter, the different functions performed by a scopist as compared to a proofreader, and how the court reporter and scopist can work together more efficiently to save time and achieve maximum income potential.
     
     AccuScript President and PCRA President-Elect Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR also presented two seminars on realtime for judicial reporters. The first session focused on resolving homophone conflicts, while the second session addressed solving word boundary problems through the use of conflict-free prefixes and suffixes.


2002 NCRA ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD
IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA

     The 2002 NCRA Annual Convention and Exposition was held at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida from August 8th through 11th, 2002. This year's theme was appropriately called "Adventures in Court Reporting and Captioning," as seminars focused on judicial realtime reporting, captioning and CART as never before.

    On Wednesday, August 7, 2002, AccuScript's own Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR and her husband, Thomas K. Feissner, CLVS, attended a reception given by the National Committee of State Associations (NCSA) to welcome its delegates to the convention, as Lisa was among PCRA's delegates to the NCSA Committee Meeting.

    On Thursday, August 8th, NCSA held its annual meeting, at which issues of concern to the state associations, such as anti-contracting legislation, were discussed. Resolutions for consideration by NCRA were adopted, and delegates had an opportunity to voice their opinions about current NCRA policies. Also on the agenda was the election of next year's NCSA Resolutions Committee. Lisa V. Feissner was elected to be on the 2003 NCSA Resolutions Committee.

    In addition, Lisa was invited to attend a special NCRA affiliate focus group meeting, at which NCRA representatives informally polled selected members for their views on the organization's initiatives. The NCRA Annual Business Meeting was also held on Thursday, as was the convention's opening reception. (See below for photos).

       On Friday August 9th, NCRA held its Annual Awards Luncheon, at which the winners of the annual speed contest were announced. The Santo J. Aurelio Award for Altruism, a special lifetime achievement award, was presented to Harry and Florence Foster, formerly of Philadelphia, for their professionalism and dedication to the profession. It was the Fosters who created the Philadelphia Clinic theory of shorthand reporting, which Lisa learned as a student at Pierce College in Philadelphia under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Foster's daughter, Rosemary Anderson. (See Photos below)

The Foster Family, left to right: Marianne Monteleone; Tony Foster; Florence Foster, RMR, FAPR; Madalene Foster Rohde; Harry J. Foster, RMR, FAPR; Darryl Monteleone, CLVS; and Rosemary Foster Anderson.


     Also on Friday, August 9th, Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR gave a seminar entitled "Effective Internet Research," which instructed individuals on how to use available search engines, conduct searches using Boolean logic, narrow searches for best results and which sources to trust and which not to trust. Participants also learned how the Internet works, the meaning of terminology specific to the Internet, and also received a copy of a specially prepared handout listing useful and reliable internet sources.

     To download a copy of Lisa's Effective Internet Research handout, click here. Adobe Acrobat Reader required. To obtain the latest free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader, go to www.adobe.com.



Left to right: Florence Foster, RMR, FAPR;
NCRF Chair Patricia A. Lutza, RPR, CRR
and Harry J. Foster, RMR, FAPR.

 

     Rosemary F. Anderson with her former    student, Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR.
     

SELECTED SCENES FROM THE PRESIDENT'S BANQUET
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2002

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was well-represented at the NCRA 2002 Convention. Attendees included, left to right, sitting: PCRA Immediate Past President and NCRA Director Donna Cascio, RPR; NCRA Immediate Past President William E. Weber, RDR; NCRA Director Kathy DiLorenzo, RDR, CRR; Mary Beth Johnson, CRI, of Community College of Allegheny County; and PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR. Standing, left to right: Erin Finn of Orleans Technical Institute; Diane Varallo; Andrea Weber; NCRA 2002 Distinguished Service Award Recipient Joseph R. Karlovits, FAPR, RDR; Irv Starkman, FAPR, RPR; Lillian Freiler, RPR; PCRA President-elect James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS; Amy F. Bowlen, FAPR, RDR, CRR and PCRA District 5 Director Barbara W. Lightcap, RMR.

 


PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner with NCRA Director and
PCRA Immediate Past President Donna Cascio.


"Ladies in Red" Lisa V. Feissner
and NCRA President Laurel Eiler.


Thomas & Lisa Feissner with NY Court Reporters Association President Annette Forbes and husband, Noel.

 

PCRA Past President and NCRA Distinguished Service Award Recipient Irv Starkman, RPR, FAPR strikes a pose with Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR.


U.S. CONGRESSMAN PAUL KANJORSKI
AGREES TO CO-SPONSOR H.R. 2527
BILL TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR TRAINING OF REALTIME REPORTERS AND CAPTIONERS

LISA V. FEISSNER AND U.S. CONGRESSMAN PAUL E. KANJORSKI
On February 26, 2002, Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR and United States Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski met to discuss the merits of H.R. 2527 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. during the NCRA "boot camp."

    Currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 2527 is a bill which will provide $75 million in U.S. Department of Education grants to post-secondary schools with NCRA-approved court reporting programs over the next 5 years on a competitive basis. The funds are to be used for training new captioners and CART providers, and to re-train judicial reporters to become captioners and CART providers pursuant to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

    Schools applying for grants under this program must submit applications justifying their need for funding. The U.S. Department of Education will then decide which schools are to receive grants and how much money each school will receive. Each year the schools must re-apply for funding.

     Orleans Technical Institute in Philadelphia and Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh are both NCRA-approved schools and will be eligible to apply for grants immediately upon funding, while Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, which is located within Congressman Kanjorski's Congressional District, expects to become eligible in the fall of 2004 upon completion of the NCRA approval process.

    There are currently 70 co-sponsors of the H.R. 2527 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which has given the bill overwhelming bi-partisan support. On May 14, 2002, Senator Tom Harkin (R-Iowa) introduced S. 2512, which is the Senate's companion bill to H.R. 2527. There are presently 13 co-sponsors of S. 2512 in the Senate.

    Both bills are designed to provide equal access to telecommunications to the 28 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, 650,000 of whom live in Pennsylvania. There are currently in excess of 70 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle for this win-win bill, but Congressman Kanjorski is the first Congressman from Pennsylvania to co-sponsor this legislation.

The Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association would like to thank
Congressman Kanjorski for his continued support of this important legislation.


LUZERNE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO OFFER
COURT REPORTING/CAPTIONING DEGREE

     Attendees at the Luzerne County Community College Open House held on April 6, 2002 included, left to right, Angela C. Sallemi; Suzanne A. Halko; Lisa V. Feissner; Kathleen Jenkins, LCCC Computer Information Systems Department faculty member; and Nancy Kosteleba, LCCC Vice-President for Academic Affairs.

     The Academic Affairs Committee of Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) has recently approved a two-year associate's degree program in Court Reporting and Captioning. This new program will help fill the void created by the closing of the court reporting programs at both Central Pennsylvania College in Harrisburg and Pierce College in Philadelphia. The LCCC course of study will consist of six semesters and will include courses designed to prepare students for CART, captioning and judicial reporting.
     The innovative curriculum is the result of the combined efforts of the PCRA Education Committee, LCCC educators and administrators, official court reporters, court administrators, freelance reporters and judges throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.
     In order to promote this new program, Suzanne A. Halko, RMR, an official reporter for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Angela C. Sallemi, RMR, an official reporter for the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County, and Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR, a freelance reporter and firm owner, attended the LCCC Open House held on April 6, 2002. Nancy Kosteleba, Vice-President for Academic Affairs, and Kathleen Jenkins, faculty member of the LCCC Computer Information Systems Department, were also on hand to show their support.
     Prospective students were told of the many opportunities available to members of the court reporting/captioning profession, invited to visit reporters in the workplace for a first-hand view of what court reporting is actually like, and also given a demonstration of realtime reporting and its potential applications, such as television captioning and assistance for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
     For more information on this exciting new program, contact the Luzerne County Community College Admissions Office at 1333 South Prospect Street, Nanticoke, PA 18634-3899 or call (570) 740-0200 or (800) 377-LCCC. Program applications and financial aid information are also available.

Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR and Suzanne A. Halko, RMR demonstrate realtime reporting.

PENNSYLVANIA COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION
HOLDS 2002 MIDYEAR CONVENTION IN HARRISBURG

Officers inducted at the PCRA 2002 MIdyear Convention, front row, left to right, PCRA Immediate Past President Donna Cascio, RPR; PCRA President-Elect James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS; and Secretary Marjorie Peters, RPR. Back row, left to right, PCRA President Janet A. Steffan, RDR, and PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR.


    The PCRA 2002 Midyear Convention was held at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania March 22-24, 2002. Official reporters, freelance reporters, captioners and CART providers from throughout the Commonwealth had an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of concern to their specific field of endevor and also to the profession as a whole.

    The convention was actually the combination of both the 2001 Annual Convention and the 2002 Midyear Convention, as the tragic events of September 11, 2001 forced the cancellation of the 2001 Annual Convention, which was to be held in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania. Seven Springs was located close to the crash site of Flight 97 and became the scene where many of the family members of the victims of Flight 97 stayed during their ordeal.

     Despite their abbreviated timetable, the PCRA leadership and its members were able to complete their agenda, which included providing a wide selection of seminars for those members requiring continuing education credit to maintain their NCRA certifications; holding a Chinese auction to raise funds for future PCRA events; installing PCRA's officers and directors for 2002; and discussing PCRA business, including PCRA President Janet A. Steffan's annual address to the membership; the treasurer's report, given by PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner; the Nominating Committee Report, given by PCRA Immediate Past President Donna Cascio, RPR; an update on legislation affecting the court reporting profession by PCRA attorney and lobbyist Christopher Lucas, Esquire.

    Pennsylvania Bar Association President H. Reginald Belden, Esquire graciously agreed to deliver the keynote speech held during the business luncheon on March 23rd. Also present to address the members of the association during the business luncheon was Reesa Parker, RPR, CRR of Dallas Texas. Reesa is the former chair of the National Court Reporters Foundation and is currently a member of the NCRA Board of Directors.

Lisa chats up Pennsylvania Bar Association President H. Reginald Belden, Esquire
at the PCRA 2002 Midyear Convention business luncheon.

      Among the seminars given at the convention was a presentation by Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR on basic internet terminology and useage and how court reporters in particular can use the internet to conduct research more effectively, thereby reducing the time spent producing transcripts and increasing their income potential as well.

    On the whole, Lisa's seminar was well-received, although some members thought that more time should have been devoted to this increasingly important subject. Lisa plans to present a revised version of her seminar to the membership at the 2002 NCRA Annual Convention to be held in Orlando, Florida in August.

    Other seminars incuded such subjects as cadaver dog search techniques, reviewing basic health issues, a criminal law update, and emergency management.


PCRA District 3 Director Debbie Leonard, former PCRA District 3 Director Melissa A. Snerr, and PCRA Treasurer and former PCRA District 3 Director Lisa V. Feissner were among the members of AccuScript, Inc. who attended the convention.


 PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR conducts a seminar on internet research techniques at the PCRA 2002 Midyear Convention.

PCRA DELEGATES ATTEND NCRA LEGISLATIVE
AND MEDIA TRAINING "BOOT CAMP" 2002

 "Boot Camp" participants visiting the U. S. Supreme Court included (left to right) NCRA Manager of Government Relations Dave Wenhold; NCRA President William E. Weber, PCRA Secretary Marjorie Peters, PCRA Immediate Past President Donna Cascio, and PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner.

     Pennsylvania was well-represented at NCRA's Legislative Boot Camp Training held at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corners, Virginia February 24-26, 2002. PCRA Officers Marjorie Peters and Lisa Feissner attended as Pennsylvania's delegates, while PCRA Immediate Past President and NCRA Director Donna Cascio attended as a RAIN Maker. PCRA Past President and current NCRA President Bill Weber was a key member of the Boot Camp training staff.

     Attendees spend three intense days learning how to effectively lobby legislators on issues of importance to the court reporting and captioning community. On the first day, topics such as The New Era of Grassroots Lobbying, Addressing the Reporting Shortage, and What is a PAC and What it Does for You were presented in interactive seminar format.

    On Day 2, participants were broken out into working groups and were given a legislative scenario to tackle. Through mock meetings with key impact players, participants had the opportunity to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of potential allies and competitors, and to better understand how to positively influence legislators. After gathering as much information as possible, each group made a presentation before a mock Congressional hearing in order to forward their cause. This year's scenario was particularly relevant, focusing on the current pending legislation (H.R. 2527) and the problems and pitfalls we may encounter while working for passage of this actual bill. This year's first place team included PCRA's own Treasurer, Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR.

    On Day 3, more than 75 leaders in the court reporting and captioning community "stormed the Hill" for scheduled meetings with legislators and their aides. The Pennsylvania contingent as a group met with aides from the offices of both Senator Specter and Senator Santorum, then each Pennsylvanian met with his or her Representative. Participants ended the day tired but exhilirated, with a sense of accomplishment which has carried through even to today. As of March 24th, Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (D-11th) has signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 2527 (see related story above).

 First place team members in the mock Congressional hearing exercise included (front left to right) Nancy and Price Banister; (back row, left to right) Jim Lyons, RDR, CRR; Patricia K. Graves, RDR, CRR; PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR; Robin Sunkees, RMR, CPE; Bill P. Ellis; and Tammy F. Ballew.

PCRA OFFICERS ATTEND
NCRA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE


Pennsylvania delegates to the NCRA annual leadership conference included (left to right) PCRA Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR; PCRA President Janet A. Steffan, RDR; NCRA President William E. Weber, RDR; PCRA Secretary Marjorie Peters, RPR; and PCRA Immediate Past President Donna Cascio, RPR.

     PCRA Board members Janet Steffan, Donna Cascio, Lisa Feissner and Marjorie Peters attended the annual NCRA Leadership Conference in Vienna, Virginia November 9th through 11th, 2001. The purpose of the conference is to bring together state and national association leaders in order to share ideas and address common problems.
     This year's agenda included discussion of the importance of PAC funds to advance the goals of state associations, legal and insurance issues concerning state associations, motivating members to become active participants in their state associations, and establishing more effective media relations on issues of concern to state associations and their members.
     The delegates also toured NCRA headquarters in Vienna, Virginia and attended a banquet designed to give state and national leaders the opportunity to network, as well as to recognize the accomplishments of various state leaders over the past year.
     One of the highlights of the conference was a comedy show entitled "Capitol Steps," a fund raiser and highly entertaining political satire intended to benefit the NCRA-PAC fund.
     To learn more about this event, be sure to read next month's Journal of Court Reporting published by the National Court Reporters Association or The Outline, the official newsletter of the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association.

PCRA President Janet A. Steffan, RDR and NCRF Chair Pat Lutza rendomly select the winner of the
William E. Weber Student Scholarship designed to commemorate the installation of
William E. Weber, RDR as President of NCRA.

PCRA BASICS OF REALTIME WORKSHOP SERIES
WELL-RECEIVED BY REPORTERS

The workshop included a PowerPoint presentation, dictation, a question & answer
session, and live realtime computer equipment demonstrations.

     A Basics of Realtime Workshop was presented by Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR as the second in a series of PCRA Regional Seminars. The workshop consisted of a three-hour hands-on workshop designed to introduce experienced reporters to the basic principles of realtime writing. In total, three separate workshops were held in 2001: The first in Scranton on September 29th, the second in King of Prussia on October 13th, and the third in Philadelphia on October 27th. Two additional seminars are expected to be presented in western Pennsylvania in the spring of 2002, and an advanced realtime workshop by fall 2002.
     Topics discussed included basic and advanced machine and computer setup for realtime writing; dictionary management; conflict resolution strategies such as resolving homophone conflicts, word boundary conflicts and proper name conflicts; prefixes and suffixes; and primary and secondary punctuation for realtime. In addition, because the program was accredited by NCRA, each participant earned 0.3 CEUs for attending.
      The workshop emphasized that reporters did not have to learn a completely new style of writing in order to write realtime, but merely adapt their existing personal style using a variety of techniques compiled by Lisa. Participants found this approach less intimidating and abundantly more practical than having to learn a completely new theory of realtime writing. Each participant also received a workbook and realtime plan of action intended to help them adapt their style to realtime more quickly through incorporating new techniques in a simple, intuitive fashion.

Participants at the PCRA King of Prussia Basics of Realtime Workshop included Henry J. Karasch, RMR of Karasch and Associates (foreground) and Celeste C. Rose, RMR of Celeste Rose Reporting (center).


Lisa and PCRA District 7 Director Janet
Dransfield, RMR, at King of Prussia.

Lisa reviewing the realtime plan of action.

 

    When asked to comment on her seminar experience, Susan Migatz, RMR wrote: "Lisa does a great seminar. Very attentive to participant's concerns. Also speaking style is great to listen to."

     Henry J. Karasch, RMR of Karasch & Associates also wrote: "Lisa motivates and inspires. A must-take seminar!"

 When asked if she would recommend this seminar to a friend, Judith J. Hall, RPR responded, "absolutely" because she found Lisa to be "extremely helpful, patient and professional."

Homophone conflict resolution strategies
was a popular topic among those in
attendance at all three seminars.

 

NCRA HOSTS ANNUAL CONVENTION IN NEW ORLEANS
William E. Weber, RDR Installed as NCRA President

Pictured at the President's Banquet are (left to right): Janet A. Steffan, RDR, President PCRA;
William E. Weber, RDR, President NCRA; and Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR, Treasurer, PCRA

     William E. Weber, RDR was installed as the 93rd President of the National Court Reporters Association at its annual convention in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 2001. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mr. Weber is an official reporter for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and a partner in a Pittsburgh-based freelance reporting firm. He is also a past president of the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association, having previously held all other offices within that organization. He received his associate's degree in court reporting from Duff's Business Institute in 1974, and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Robert Morris College in 1992.

PCRA Establishes Scholarship to Commemorate Weber's Presidency

     In order to commemorate the installation of William E. Weber, RDR as President of the National Court Reporters Association, the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association endowed the National Court Reporters Foundation with a one-time scholarship in the amount of $500. The scholarship was memorialized by a plaque which read:

     "In commemoration of the installation of William E. Weber, RDR as the President of the National Court Reporters Association, and in recognition of his leadership, integrity, and devotion to the profession, the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association, with the approbation and consent of its Board of Directors, has endowed the National Court Reporters Foundation with an individual scholarship in the amount of Five Hundred Dollars to be henceforth known and referred to as the William E. Weber Student Scholarship. Presented at the National Court Reporters Association Annual Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana this 4th day of August, 2001. "

Newly elected NCRA President William E. Weber, RDR receives the William E. Weber
Student Scholarship plaque from PCRA President Janet A. Steffan, RDR.

Pennsylvanians Celebrate New President

 President Weber poses with his fellow Pennsylvanians, front row, left to right, Marjorie Peters, RPR; Janet Fasy Dowds, RPR, CMRS; Janet A. Steffan, RDR; Sheila Stauffer, RPR; Donna Cascio, RPR; and Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR. Back row, left to right, Nativa Wood and two enthusiastic, unidentified supporters.

Pennsylvania's NCSA delegates Janet Steffan and Lisa Feissner.

 Lisa and New York Court Reporters Association President Annette Forbes at the pre-banquet reception.

 Lisa and Tom in front of the NCRA ice sculpture.

NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF STATE ASSOCIATIONS
RECOMMENDS TWO PCRA RESOLUTIONS

     The National Committee of State Associations (NCSA) has recommended the adoption of two resolutions as proposed by the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association. The first resolution reads as follows:

"That NCRA reduce or waive the CE Program Application fee of $100 to
State Associations for subsequent presentations of the same CE seminar."

    This resolution was drafted by Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR, one of PCRA's two delegates to the 2001 NCSA meeting. When asked about the rationale behind her proposal, Lisa explained that "a state association may desire to present the same CE seminar several times in different locations throughout the state in order to reach as many reporters as possible. If the state has paid the CE Program Application fee for the initial presentation of the program and NCRA has approved the seminar, it is redundant and financially burdensome to require the state association to apply for re-approval." Lisa is PCRA Treasurer and Co-chair of the PCRA Education Committee.

    The second resolution states:

"That NCRA increase its per-candidate rebate allowance to
State Associations for administering NCRA certification examinations."

    The rationale given for this second resolution, also proposed by Lisa, is that "as a result of NCRA's recent decision to allow RPR candidates to pass the RPR in legs, the expenses associated with administering the RPR exam have increased. The number of candidates for certification examinations, however, has decreased as the number of court reporters in general continues to decline. NCRA's per-candidate method of reimbursing state associations for expenses is, therefore, no longer sufficient to properly reimburse state associations for their efforts." Lisa has been the Chief Examiner of the Certified Realtime Reporter examination at Central Pennsylvania College since May 2000.

    Both resolutions will be voted on at the NCSA annual meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 2, 2001. If approved, the resolutions will be presented to the NCRA Board of Directors for further consideration. Of the six resolutions considered by NCSA this year, three were proposed by PCRA. No other resolutions were recommended for adoption.


PENNSYLVANIA COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION
CELEBRATES 100TH ANNIVERSARY!

Comedian Roger Mursick entertains at the birthday party.

     The Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association celebrated its 100th anniversary October 27-29, 2000 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Court reporters from across the Commonwealth gathered at the historic Hotel Hershey to reflect on the Association's accomplishments over the last 100 years, as well as to set ambitious new goals for the 21st century.
     The festivities began on Friday with the Pennsylvania Cup realtime competition, followed by seminars on government relations by lobbyist Tony Crisci and effective communication techniques by television personality Soni Diamond.
      The highlight of the evening, however, was the PCRA birthday bash, which included entertainment by comedian Roger Mursick, handwriting analysis by Helene Zuker, and a 10-foot tall "birthday cake" with 100 "candles."
     Saturday's events featured a riveting lecture by Vivien Spitz, one of the official court reporters for the Nuremberg Trials, and seminars by E. Duane Smith and William Weber on how to make business and marketing decisions in today's changing court reporting marketplace.

Nuremberg Trial reporter Vivien Spitz (left) was recognized for her contribution to
the court reporting profession by Centennial Committee Co-Chair Nativa Wood.

     The annual luncheon/business meeting was well-attended by the membership and included a keynote address by Justice Russell Nigro of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Outgoing President Donnia Cascio anounced the recipients of this year's President's Awards and recognized the District Directors for their dedication to the organization.
     NCRA Immediate Past President Carl Sauceda was also on hand to address the audience and congratulate PCRA on behalf of the national association. Carl also presided over the installation of the PCRA officers for 2001.

2001 PCRA officers (from left to right): Immediate Past President Donna Cascio, RPR;
Treasurer Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR; President Janet Steffan, RDR;
President-elect James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS; and Secretary Marjorie Peters, RPR

      A black-tie cocktail party and dinner dance was held Saturday evening, with entertainment by the Williamsport "Strolling Millionaires," followed by after-dinner dance music by a local jazz combo.
     Sunday's activities included a continental breakfast, a seminar on the realities of realtime by James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS, and a meeting of the Board of Directors.
     This year's annual meeting was co-chaired by Nativa Wood and James Moore.

2001 NCRA LEGISLATIVE AND MEDIA TRAINING
"BOOT CAMP" HELD IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

From left to right, PCRA President Donna Cascio, RPR; U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
of Pennsylvania; PCRA President-Elect Janet Steffan, RDR;
NCRA President-Elect Bill Weber,RDR; and Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR

     Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR was one of the PCRA delegates sent to NCRA Legislative and Media Training Boot Camp held in Washington, D.C. February 27-29, 2000. The purpose of the event was to provide state association leaders with hands-on training on how to effectively lobby legislators on issues of concern to the court reporting profession. The boot camp also included seminars on how to successfully deal with the media and build consensus within the membership.

     At the conclusion of the seminars, the delegates were divided into teams and given a mock scenerio designed to reinforce the skills they learned, such as drawing support from key people, dealing positively with media inquiries, and convincingly presenting arguments before a legislative hearing board.

     On the final day of Boot Camp, attendees visited Capitol Hill to meet with Senators and Representatives. Pennsylvania delegates met with Congressman Paul Kanjorski, Senator Rick Santorum and others to raise awareness of the need for training court reporters to meet the mandate of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which requires closed captioning of 95 percent of all new televised programming in major U.S. markets by the year 2006.

Boot Camp members met with NCRA President Carl Sauceda, RMR during the media skills
portion of their training. Members included (left to right): Pam Taylor, RPR;
Melissa DeMong, RPR, CRI, CPE; NCRA President Carl Sauceda, RMR;
Janice Casbeer, RPR; Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR; and Mary Quinn, RPR, CRR.

NCRA 2000 ANNUAL CONVENTION HELD IN SAN DIEGO

      Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR was chosen by the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association (PCRA) to be one of two Pennsylvania delegates to attend the annual meeting of the National Committee of State Associations (NCSA). This year's meeting was held at the NCRA Annual Convention in San Diego, California on July 20, 2000. NCSA acts as the liaison between the state court reporting associations and the National Court Reporters Association. The purpose of the meeting is to bring issues of concern to state associations to the attention of the NCRA Board of Directors through formal resolutions and informal discussions.

     One issue of great concern to PCRA is legislative efforts by media representatives and court officials, among others, to make transcripts of official proceedings part of the public record. Such legislation would, in effect, prevent court reporters from selling copies of their transcripts, thereby depriving them of fees to which they are currently entitled. In response to this alarming attempt to rob court reporters of their rights, Lisa drafted and proposed a resolution on behalf of PCRA requesting that NCRA undertake a study concerning possible alternate methods of court reporter compensation. The PCRA resolution was unanimously adopted by the NCSA membership.

     Lisa and her husband, Thomas K. Feissner, CLVS, then attended the NCRA Annual Convention held July 21 through 23, 2000, also in San Diego. Both Tom and Lisa participated in NCRA-sponsored continuing education seminars and attended social events designed to provide NCRA members with valuable networking opportunities. Tom and Lisa also learned about the latest developments in court reporting technology from convention vendors and exhibitors, explored the beautiful beaches of Coronado and La Jolla, and renewed old friendships with court reporters from all across the United States.

 

Attendees of the President's Reception & Banquet at the NCRA Convention in San Diego on July 22, 2000.
Left to right: Lisa V. Feissner, RPR, CRR; PCRA President Donna Cascio, RPR; Hon. John Cascio; Sheila Stauffer, RPR; PCRA President-Elect Janet Steffan, RDR; and James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS.


SECOND ANNUAL JEVS "STRICTLY BUSINESS"
AWARDS LUNCHEON HELD IN PHILADELPHIA

     The Jewish Employment & Vocational Service (JEVS) held its second annual "Strictly Business" awards luncheon at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza in Philadelphia on September 21, 2000. Originally founded as a school to provide job training to Jewish immigrants to the United States, JEVS has become a non-profit organization that provides employment and job training services to individuals on an equal opportunity basis. The purpose of the "Strictly Business" awards luncheon is to celebrate the accomplishments of JEVS graduates and recognize the contributions of employers who support JEVS and its efforts.

     Sponsors included the law firms of Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, LLP; Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP; Cozen and O'Connor; and Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay, LLP; as well as corporations such as Independence Blue Cross; Wawa, Inc.; Mellon Financial Corporation; PNC Bank; Sovereign Bank and Advanta Corporation, among others.

     This year's Inspiration Award went to Terry Tumolilo, President of Voice Print, Inc. Voice Print provides realtime captioning for the hearing-impaired in academic settings. Terry was saluted not only for the importance of her work, but also for her ability to overcome the many obstacles to success she faced in her personal life. Terry is a graduate of The Court Reporting Institute of Philadelphia (CRI), which is a JEVS-sponsored program.

     Lisa V. Feissner, RDR, CRR was invited to attend this year's event on behalf of the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association for her work in establishing the PCRA Mentoring Program. As many CRI students took part in the PCRA Mentoring Program, Lisa received a great deal of feedback about the program from CRI representatives. The feedback Lisa received was overwhelmingly positive: CRI considers the PCRA Mentoring Program to be a valuable resource for its students, and its representatives pledged their continued support for the program. For more information on the PCRA Mentoring Program, click here.


LISA V. FEISSNER, RDR, CRR TO BE CHIEF EXAMINER OF CRR

     As part of AccuScript, Inc.'s continuing commitment to the court reporting profession, Lisa has again volunteered to act as Chief Examiner for the CRR exam to be given on May 4, 2002 at Central Pennsylvania College. Lisa was also the Chief Examiner for the November 3, 2001, May 6, 2000 and November 4, 2000 CRR examination.