General Chapter Meeting
January, 2003
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Hello
PDK Cyberspace Chapter members and We have these major agenda items:
Treasurer's Report, as of 1/10/03 The Executive Board of PDK International has been working through a long process of self-examination and strategic planning for organizational improvement. One result of that process is a proposal to amend the constitution and bylaws. Our chapter has one vote on whether to accept or reject the proposed amendments, and it is due to International by March 1st. We must decide on how to vote during this meeting. When you vote for our officers, you'll find an opportunity to vote on this issue as well. You can read the proposed new constitution, as well as pro and con statements and other relevant information at http://www.pdkintl.org/PropCB/PropCB.htm . Perhaps the quickest way to inform yourself about the issue is to read the FAQ ("Frequently Asked Questions") and the Pro and Con Statement at that site. All the documents can be viewed as webpages, or downloaded as pdf files. The proposed changes were discussed at the fall District Conferences, and are highly recommended by our Executive Director and International President. There are some significant changes in organizational governance and in the requirements chapters must meet to stay in good standing. Some of the major changes proposed are:
How shall our chapter vote on the proposed constitutional amendment? Please inform yourself, take a stand, and vote on this issue when you cast your ballot for chapter officers later in this meeting. Our election committee chairperson, Andre Elliott, is still working to fill a slate of officers for the ballot. We currently have NO candidate for the Webmaster, Secretary, or Research Representative positions. Some of the other positions will have nominees on the ballot who are "willing to serve if needed" due to their dedication and commitment to the chapter, but who, for various reasons, feel they may not be the best candidate, or that they will not have the time during this term to perform as they feel they should. Some of these officers have already given YEARS of service to the chapter, and I am personally very grateful to each for their ongoing, unfailing commitment. I have appreciated the close and friendly relationship the executive board fosters among its members, as we continue to "break ground" together to make this chapter a success. I know that we have ALL grown as individuals through our collaboration; and slowly, but steadily, our chapter is maturing as we continue to work through the unique challenges we face. But as the chapter grows, the work grows; and we are spreading our core of hard-working officers dangerously thin... Remember that one of the three tenets of PDK is "SERVICE". How can YOU serve? Please consider becoming an officer, and nominate yourself for one of the vacant positions; or you might join one of the committees to learn more about how the chapter operates (Membership, Communications, Programs); or, you may simply express your willingness to be considered for ANY position, by emailing Andre Elliott (aelliott@waldenu.edu) or myself (gwiseman@mindspring.com). We look forward to hearing from you! Our election "polling place" will be open on our website from noon on Thursday the 16th (EST) through noon on Saturday the 18th. Please plan to vote during that time. Our election committee will then tabulate the ballots, and announce the results via email before our meeting closes at 10:00 p.m. (EST) on Sunday the 19th. I will send an email reminder message when the poll opens, and you will then be able to follow a link on our website to access the ballot page. By Monday or Tuesday evening, the revised budget proposal will be updated on our website for your review. Watch for an email with the url; then take a look, and share your thoughts. The current Treasurer's Report is available for your review here. I am still tabulating data from the member survey, and will have a report to share and discuss with you in the next few days. I've now received 28 responses, out of 81 current members. One of the first things I learned when closely examining the membership list, is that we have 13 members for whom we have NO email address, so these members are completely out of the loop on all our chapter communications unless they visit the website. (I'm not even sure they know the url of our website, since it moved to a new server in 2001!) There are another 12+ members for whom the email addresses we have are no good, so these people are also probably entirely out of the loop on all chapter communications. All the non-responders will eventually be telephoned in order to reach full participation on the survey, and this is going to take considerable time! Phoning people is not one of my favorite things to do, but I am determined to reach and hear from every member, because I truly won't know how to direct my leadership without knowing something more about the people I am trying to "lead"... so the survey will not close yet. If you have not taken the survey yet, please do! Click the link to "Chapter Main Page" below, and scroll down to the section where you'll see the red words "Member Survey in Progress". Click the link to go to the online survey form. Since this is for chapter members only, you will need to log in. If you did not receive the username and password by email, contact Gay Wiseman. Thank you for being here! Please review the constitution amendment information, and watch for an announcement that the budget proposal has been updated. Consider how you will serve the chapter next year, and contact Andre or me. Take the survey if you haven't. Use pdk@waldenu.edu to ask questions, share your thoughts, or bring up other topics on your mind. Take time to watch sunsets, and listen to children! Gay -- |
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