[chapter-delegates] Results of the board discussion on membership

[Veni Markovski]

At 20:19 12-03-05  -0500, Gene Gaines wrote:
>Patrick,
>
>I have read your email (below).
>
>I would appreciate knowing if the entire board was
>present and expressed their "sense" on the issue of the
>US$75 paid membership issue, or if any board members were
>absent.
>
>Also, if there were any dissenting statements on the board,
>it would be good to make those public.
>
>This is not intended to embarrass anyone, but this issue is
>of sufficient importance to people on this list so that
>dialogs on this issue can be opened.

Gene,
I really would like not to go into details, considering the fact that we 
(at least me and Patrick, who was sitting next to me) were not taking 
notes, but I had the opportunity to say already, that the chapters are the 
natural asset to ISOC, and we have to have good relations between them and 
the HQ.
The implementation of the new "associate" membership without advanced 
dicussion, is a mistake; I hope that it will not be repeated, and I said 
that publicly, as well as to David McAuley in a separate conversation. I 
repeat it here, so that he and Jim read it. I hope that the BoT will come 
soon with well written rules, procedural rules, so that we don't end up in 
such a heated discussion.

I think we can give ISOC another chance. Yes, we've been disappointed 
before, but let's see what will happen with the following:
- new membership model
- program funding (both to chapters, and to the IAC)
and last, but not least -
- public policy.

We also need to see who of the many nominated people will be running for 
the coming elections, what their programs will be, and what the response 
from chapters will be. Keep in mind that there are people, who have 
complained that they don't participate in the chapter-delegates list, 
because they are being attacked and blamed for being "too westernized". I 
have not met such people, but other Boatd members have, and this is what we 
were told.
Let's try to bring more than the current participants in the mailing list, 
and see what we can come to the Board with.

best,
v.