Executive Session

Every now and then, a Board needs to conduct itself in Executive Session. This is usually because the commentary that the Board may wish to engage in could be potentially embarrassing to the subject of the discussion (in the event of the removal of an officer or the concurrence with the expulsion of a member) or of a confidential nature (discussing the legal tactics of an ongoing lawsuit).

However, discussion in Executive Session is a far cry from conducting actual votes on motions in Executive Session. When the MWM ExComm took the action of removing an officer from the ExComm, while we conducted our discussion in Executive Session, making the actual motion and voting on it was done in open session, in full view of observers and plainly recorded in the minutes of the meeting. Such should also be the case in almost all instances with the AMC. (I am hard-pressed to come up with a single instance where a vote on any particular motion *requires* being taken in Executive Session and not be reported out as to who made and seconded the motion, and who voted Yes/No/Abstain.) There have been a few times in recent years where fundamental functions of the AMC have been conducted secretively that should have been in full view of the membership: the vote  (done by written ballot) to go into Executive Session for the purpose of dealing with funding extra days for the AMC'ers to attend the WG, the actual vote on funding those extra days (conducted in Executive Session), and the vote to concur with the expulsion of Barry Levine (also conducted in Executive Session - no way of ever knowing who voted which way). The membership deserves to know how AMC members voted on these items so that we can hold them accountable for their vote come election time. In these particular circumstances, we're talking about the spending of members' dues money and the AML "judicial" system.

The only circumstance that comes to mind where voting in Executive Session makes sense is where there are several items before the AMC in Executive Session and, rather than come out of Executive Session for each vote and re-enter it for the subsequent discussion (which is disruptive for any observers present, and confusing for the AMC'ers as to what was in Exec. Session and what wasn't), the motions and votes can be done in Executive Session with the explicit understanding that the precise motion, who moved, who seconded, and who voted each Yes/No/Abstain on the motion be reported out in open session and, thereby, included in the AMC meeting's minutes, giving the net effect of only the respective discussions being covered by the secrecy of Executive Session, not the votes themselves (so an AMC member can freely acknowledge how they voted).

It would be great if the AMC would hold itself to this standard. There should not be the *need* for an ASIE or a bylaws amendment. However, if there is sufficient resistance from AMC such that the AMC doesn't willingly hold itself to this standard, it would be instructive for there to be an official vote on a motion constructed to mandate this practice be implemented (if a mover and seconded can be secured).

Self-Limiting Beliefs?

I finally got around to reading the Governance Task Force's report. While there are many items that could be used for springboards for discussion, the thing that jumped out at me most was a list of self-limiting beliefs supposedly held by Mensans. While I admit that I hold some of the beliefs that were listed (though I don't consider all of those, even, to be "self-limiting"), what struck me most were things that I have not heard before. Do you believe any of the following? Do you think these are beliefs held by many Mensans? If so (for either of the preceding questions), then what do you think are some good ways to overcome them?

--Because we are all smart and are equals in a round table society, any willing member can do any job if they have the time and energy for it. (This was alternately phrased as "our veneration of equality hobbles us because we refuse to accept the truth that we are not all equally capable of every job that needs doing.")
--Young people are too busy to take on large, time-consuming volunteer jobs.
--Highly educated, socially adept professionals do not need Mensa because they already have other venues for interacting with intelligent people.


I found the first one above to be the most fascinating. I don't know anyone who has ever said that any willing member can de facto do (i.e., can accomplish) any job that put their hand to merely because they are willing to give it a shot, especially in the context of ExComms and the AMC, the latter of which is the underlying context of the GTF Report. What has been said many times, and which I wholeheartedly agree with, is that GIVEN we are a society of equals (i.e., equals-in-standing within the society), everyone should be equally permitted to seek office, regardless of what their prior involvement - or even success - is. It is then up to the membership to decide which of the members who is seeking office is the most qualified for the respective positions. It seems to me that it's a blatant statement of obvious fact that not all members are well-qualified for all positions on AMC, a local group ExComm, or any other role that can be named. But if we attempt to go around and tell people that they are not permitted to seek office because they don't meet an individual or group's potentially arbitrary criteria (such as might be ascribed to a Nominating Committee), we certainly hobble ourselves by turning OFF the desire to volunteer, lend a hand, and improve Mensa in a group of willing members.

MWM Website

In the coming days and weeks, the MWM website will be changing a fair bit. At the January 9 meeting, the ExComm will be discussing what should be on the website, what information should be behind the "Members Only" banner and what should be on the public side, and just how much leeway and discretion the webmaster has in making changes (especially with design and functionality).

What do you want to make sure is retained on the website? What are your "must-have"s?
What do you want to see on the website that isn't already (or regularly) visible?
What ideas for new functionality would you like to pass along for consideration?

Lack of courtesy in prolonged delay in replying

Sometimes "life" gets in the way of sending a reply to an e-mail. I certainly get that, and never *expect* an immediate reply to an e-mail I am initiating (though I'm always pleased to get them). A few days, and even a week at times, are totally reasonable amounts of time in which to respond to something. (And if one is out of contact for a long amount of time on vacation or somesuch, then it is appropriate to either give forewarning of same when that is possible or lead off with an acknowledgement of that when one finally gets back online and is replying to e-mail. Obviously if a dire emergency has intervened, it may take a considerable amount of time for some reflection of that to wind its way to people making inquiries on various topics.) Multiple weeks, let alone a month, without replying to any extent comes across as an avoidance tactic, especially when there are multiple people on the e-mail and no one replies.


As many may know, Barry Levine (no relation) was expelled from AML in 2008. Recently, he appealed that decision to the International Board of Directors (IBD) for the one thing they could offer him - Direct International Membership (DIM) status. He posted his official request on M-Pol and has provided brief (believe it or not) updates about how long it has been since he last inquired about the status.

Eventually, I wrote to a source (who I have promised, so far, not to identify and who is listed as [X] below) asking for the status of the decision. A full month after being informed that a decision has actually been reached (and I have no idea when that decision was made), that decision has not been conveyed to Barry nor to AML writ large. Nor has a simple explanation been provided as to what the extensive delay in conveying the decision is.

The below letter, I think, speaks for itself from this point on.

----

[X] and Ms. Rudolph,

I am flummoxed by the rather thorough lack of communication that seems to be occurring with respect to this situation. 5 weeks ago, I inquired about the status of Barry Levine's appeal to IBD. In what I thought was a reasonable amount of time (one week, especially since my e-mail was sent via the MIL website), [X] sent a reply indicating that a decision had been reached, but had not as yet been conveyed to Barry.

It seemed likely to me that a decent chunk of the posts I would read upon my return from a 2-week vacation would have been related to Barry's forwarding on whatever the decision was since, surely, he would have received that decision sometime during my time away. However, quite obviously, such was not the case. 

And still, 2 weeks further hence (a total of one month since the time you mentioned the fact that a decision HAD actually been reached, and an unstated amount of time since that decision was reached) there has not been any communication with Barry from IBD regarding this matter, nor have either of you responded to my simple query (in the thread backquoted below) as to what the delay is. While I am keenly interested in why it should take such a long time to inform the central party to this matter what the final resolution is, and am disappointed that neither of you appear to want to answer such, that is of lesser concern than making sure that the actual decision is finally conveyed.

This is hardly something that affects only Barry. Rather, it affects all of AML and, I dare say, all of MIL. The underlying matter is the fairness of AML's hearings process. Does IBD think that Barry, via the process that AML has in place and as applied to him with respect to his 2008 expulsion from AML, was treated to a fair and impartial hearing? If not, then IBD should do the one thing that it has at its disposal and offer him DIM status. This would be a clear signal to all of AML as well as the other national Mensas that MIL will take what action it can to ensure fairness within our respective hearings systems and would hopefully serve as a clarion signal to AML that reform of our system needs to be implemented.

If the IBD thinks that Barry was treated fairly, then it should not waver in stating so. In such an instance, this sort of delay is mind-boggling.

Regardless of what the IBD has already decided, Barry (as the petitioner), AML members (as the Mensan party with the highest vested interest), and MIL members writ large deserve to know what the decision was. If there is a particular technicality or legality that is holding up the process of disseminating that information, then it is a matter of simple propriety and courtesy that demands a basic explanation of same and an expected time by which we can expect to have the final decision rendered in its final form.

Ms. Rudolph, as AMC Chairman and a member of the International ExComm, I would appreciate it if you would do what you can to move this process along. I would also appreciate it if you would provide your understanding as to why there has been such a long delay (clearly over one month) in communicating the final decision of IBD in this matter (even if you aren't empowered to be the one to relay the actual decision itself).

Thank you, both. I look forward to your replies as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Jared Levine

LocSec, Metropolitan Washington Mensa

Candidate for AMC Secretary

Looking for a Few Good Volunteers

Like all local groups, MWM is always looking for some additional volunteers. Usually it's in reference to chapter-specific items (and I'll post something on that score soon enough). This time, however, it's for something non-Mensan (though there is a Mensa-specific opportunity within it).

I am certainly a proponent of Odyssey of the Mind. (See http://www.odysseyofthemind.com/) It's a great competition that teaches kids K-12 all about independent and creative thinking, teamwork, responsibility, self-reliance, and even specific subjects. They can ALWAYS utilize more people to volunteer as judges for their competitions. (And the more people who do so without having children in the competition, the more parents can actually watch their child compete and lend that critical piece of support.)

I would very much like to have at least as big a turn-out from MWM this year as came last year to assist with judging; we had about 7 people (not including having two people man a Mensa table during the competition, too). Having that many otherwise-unattached judges is a boon for the tournament organizers.

My focus, again, is on Sterling, VA (hey, it's my back yard!) and working with their coordinator. Training for the judging positions is on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Park View HS. The tournament itself is on March 12 at Park View HS. For additional information, go to the above website, contact the coordinator (Dennis Godfrey at pridefarm@gmail.com), or drop me a line directly and I can be an intermediary. If you have any interest in judging or volunteering in any capacity for the tournament, please drop me a line. If you are interested in manning a Mensa table and helping to recruit the next generation of Mensa members, make sure to contact me. Alas, if you're interested in doing both, you can't do so at any one location - you've gotta choose. And both are perfectly good and viable choices.

There are other locations (Alexandria, plus Reston and Falls Church), however please note that the Reston and Falls Church locations do not have sufficient space for a Mensa table and they mandate that you train at their specific location if you want to judge at their regional tournament. More details on those and the one WV location in my article on Odyssey in the January CapM. At present, Maryland-specific details are unknown.

So, if you're interested in judging for Odyssey of the Mind or for manning a Mensa table, make sure to contact me.

SIG Guidelines and Anti-Discrimination Policy wrap-up

Finally, after several months of discussing what can be recognized as a SIG and what needs to be done to be listed in the CapM SIGs Directory, the ExComm has set a policy in place. It is not the policy that was suggested on the past couple of agendas, rather, it is, in large measure, the same as is written atop the SIGs Directory in the March issue of the Mensa Bulletin, with minor adjustments that change AML-specific references to MWM-specific references.

In short, however, it says:
1) SIG leaders must submit a report to the SIG Coordinator (currently the Member-at-Large) at least once every 6 months to maintain their listing, and
2) Having one's SIG placed in the SIG Listing is at the discretion of the SIG Coordinator.

On a similar vein, the recently proposed anti-discrimination guidelines that would have applied to all calendar events and SIGs were voted down. There was no subsequent motion for an anti-discrimination policy of any sort put forward.

While the discussions that we have had over the past several months have been rather instructive on some issues, I'm happy that we finally have an end-result and hope that we can move on to other items, such as encouraging more active participation and volunteerism by members, improving the involvement of our child members, updating/upgrading/revamping the website to be a vehicle that encourages further involvement from the members and provides an even better face and up-to-date information to curious non-members, putting together the LDW, having an RG, and putting together Mind Games 2012.

Mind Games 2012

It's finally official: Metropolitan Washington Mensa will be hosting Mind Games 2012. Yay!

I'm looking forward to seeing lots of people in Albany, NY for Mind Games 2011, and having lots of regulars then also attend MG2012 in the metro DC area the following year.

Dues Increase Approved

At the Nov. AMC meeting, the AMC approved increasing the annual dues to $63 (up from the current $59/yr). It seems to me like it would make more sense to rejigger the scheduling process of determining dues and approving next year's budget so that the budget is set first (figuring out what priorities are to be funded to what extent, what can be expanded and what to be scaled back on or cut entirely). Once the spending priorities are set, determine what dues should be based on that.

Back on-line

I just got back late Wednesday night from a wonderfully relaxing two-week vacation in Australia, completely removed from all e-mail and cell phone contact. What a great time. If you get the chance to go Down Under, do so. I'm in the process of catching up on e-mail and various Mensa-related items that are on my radar and will soon start back up with posting to my blog.

November's "LocSec's Loquacious Lode"

Available for easy commentary, my column as published in November's Capital M.


---

Intermittently, we will receive a complaint about receiving an issue of CapM in what I like to refer to as crazy-late; this isn't just several days into the issue month because we got it to the printer slightly behind schedule, or the weather was uncooperative, or your postal carrier was just over-burdened for several days straight and things were just a bit wonky. No, this is receiving the issue of CapM several weeks late. When this happens, it is pretty much guaranteed that your local post office is at fault. To cover all your bases, please make sure to contact the ExComm first to notify us of the problem – after all, we'll let you know if it's the rare time that such excessive tardiness is our fault or if it's the post office. And if it's the latter, we'll tell you whether we have heard similar complaints, especially from others in your vicinity. If we think it's the post office's fault, then you will need to contact your local post office directly to attempt to resolve the issue. Prior experience in other chapters has shown that the post office is more responsive to the individual recipients of the mail moreso than the officers of a small organization that doesn't have any clout to influence their actions.

As you can see on the inside front cover, and as was mentioned in the minutes a few months ago, MWM has a new phone number, otherwise referred to as MensaPhone: 202-OK-MENSA (202-656-3672). MensaPhone is intended for several purposes:

1) Members can leave a voicemail for the ExComm: whether it is a question, complaint, issue to be addressed at an ExComm meeting, head's up about an event of interest, or the cancellation of a scheduled event after the CapM went to press;

2) Non-members can leave a voicemail and make inquiries about certain events, upcoming testing dates, membership criteria, or even requests for interview with their respective media outlet; and

3) The ExComm can notify the membership of last-minute changes of venue or cancellations. While this would have been a great option to have employed during our two major blizzards last winter, it was used effectively for the sudden change of venue for the September New Members Open House less than a week before the date of the party. If you need to cancel your event or if the venue needs to change, notify the ExComm via the MensaPhone (in addition to whatever e-mail you send out), and someone will update the outgoing message as soon as possible. While routine verification of whether an event is still being held should be done by the individual would-be attendee contacting the PoC listed in the calendar, when exceptional circumstances arise, such as blizzards, odds are you'll get lots of notifications all at once via this outgoing message. It's a great service, and best of all, it's free for all concerned!

In late August/early September, I created my own blog regarding both national and local Mensa items of interest. For those who are interested in contributing, go to boxmasterscorner.blogspot.com – and make sure to write to me with any pertinent Mensa-specific topics you would like to see addressed there. It's off to a gradual start so far.

National elections are coming up, and the petition period is still open for anyone who wants to run for any of the positions on the American Mensa Committee, the national board of directors. I encourage anyone with an interest in helping direct Mensa on the national level to consider submitting the necessary paperwork. Go to www.us.mensa.org/election for all the necessary information about submitting a petition candidacy (read through the Election Rules carefully) as well as for signing a candidate's online petition.  

Theatre Ticket Events Are Tricky to Organize

I knew that getting tickets for A Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre was likely going to be a little difficult, but I didn't appreciate just how difficult it would be, let alone how difficult it must have been to run the Theatre SIG. Alas, despite best of intentions, the Tourist SIG will not be going to a performance of A Christmas Carol during December as previously hoped for (they appear to be sold out on the dates I was searching); I will need to set a date several months in advance with commensurate RSVP/payment-by date for December 2011.

Now to figure out what to do for December in its stead. Any suggestions? Anything that particularly matches the festivities?

Nov. ExComm mtg. agenda

The agenda for the Nov. 5 MWM ExComm meeting is available, though not currently on the MWM website. If you are an MWM member and would like a copy of the agenda e-mailed to you, send me an e-mail at locsec@mwm.us.mensa.org

Incomplete Updating of ASIEs

Not unexpectedly, it is frequently difficult to find an Action Still in Effect (ASIE) relevant to a discussion related to action taken by the AMC. It's just such an unwieldy document, and despite the various "chapters," things aren't always where you might expect them to be. And if you aren't looking in the right spot, a keyword search might not prove fruitful if you don't hit on an appropriate term quickly enough.

The task is all the more complicated by two things:
1) The full ASIEs not being updated relatively quickly after each meeting of the AMC;
2) Incomplete/ineffective updating of the ASIEs in previous years

As of tonight, the ASIEs were last updated dated Dec. 1, 2009, although there have been 2 in-person meetings and one by teleconference this year.

I was just looking for an ASIE last night that was passed in 2007, though I didn't know that, specifically, at first. My keywords didn't locate the ASIE in a simple automated search, so I decided to do the old hunt-and-peck method by searching through each of the minutes of in-person meetings from the last few years until I found it. Turns out it was passed in a Consensus Agenda motion in December 2007 but the relevant ASIE number is nowhere to be found in the compilation document of our ASIEs. And as it has to do with the procedures of running a Hearing Committee, it is not in the chapter related to Hearings, rather the appendix dealing with the Policies and Rules Governing the Conduct of National Hearings. Further complicating things, that appendix lists the most recent amendment as having been passed (and, hence, included within the appendix) in March 2005, even though the text of the motion that was passed is actually included within the listing of rules in that appendix.

As Secretary, I will make sure, in short order following an AMC meeting or teleconference, that the ASIE listing is updated with each meeting's passed ASIEs. I will also endeavor to bring up to current the ASIE listing based on previous meetings. I will also attempt to make meaningful cross-references in AMC documentation where possible so that when ASIEs are added, amended, or deleted which affect other ASIEs, those changes will be more readily apparent.

New MWM Programs Officer

It is with regret that I note that during the ExComm meeting on Sunday, the ExComm voted unanimously to remove Paulos as Programs Officer. As the newsletter has not yet gone to the printers, we will make sure to have an
official announcement replicating the approved motion placed into the newsletter, so that there is no delay in informing the membership of this action.

The new Programs Officer is now Ben Paul. Kindly wait a couple of days before sending any calendar entries or other items relevant for the Programs Officer to the programs AT mwm DOT us DOT mensa DOT org e-mail address. While that is still the correct e-mail address to use, it may take the National Officer a day or so to get around to making the needed changes on their side.

Special Interest Groups

At the upcoming ExComm meeting on Sunday, the ExComm will be setting up guidelines related to SIGs. What do you think should be part of those guidelines? Also, what is the "essence" of a SIG that should be the definition that's used? Should it only be literal - special interest groups? Or should SIGs also include some sort of status within the acceptable types of SIGs, such as age, race, religion, gender, and sexual identity? (Note all of these do and/or have existed to some extent on both the local and national levels.) If yes to the latter, is there anything that would fall into those categories that would actually "cross the line" in your view? If so, what, how, and why?

Bylaws Amendment re: Hearings Committee

The agenda for the November 2010 AMC meeting just came out earlier tonight. One of the items on it is rather fascinating: Item B4. (B4a is the bylaws amendment proposal, B4b is the enabling ASIE in case the amendment passes.)

My initial reading of the language appears to jibe with the provided explanation that the National Hearings Committee would be dissolved. Instead, any hearings would be conducted on the more local level at a Regional Hearings Committee, convened on recommendation by the RVC -- the AMC would not be the body appointing the hearings committee, nor would it comprise, by default, former AMC members. An appeals process (appealing to AMC) would be put in place.

Definitely need to take some more time to examine this, but my initial reaction to this proposal is positive. I would also need to see what happens in the theoretical circumstance that both this and the bylaws amendment petition adding a subsequent section to this article of the bylaws (Mel's petition) both pass.

Items on Upcoming MWM ExComm Meeting Agenda

Items on the upcoming ExComm agenda (for Oct. 17 @ 2pm) include:

--Webmaster

--Storage Space Rental

--Annual Party - finalizing details for the party on Oct. 22

--Leadership Event - update on planning for "Take the Lead, Get the Lead Out", likely to be held in May 2011

--Appointee Guidelines - at the very least, a broad-strokes discussion related to guidelines for the Webmaster and SIG Coordinator, probably also Gifted Children Coordinator

--SIG Guidelines - We will finalize a set of guidelines on what constitutes a SIG, what are the minimum requirements to be in the SIG Directory, when/how does a SIG get de-listed, what are a SIG leader's basic responsibilities; after we have those determined, we will apply them to those SIGs currently listed and any being proposed, and make the necessary adjustments


--Anti-Discrimination Policy Discussion

For a copy of the agenda, please e-mail me at locsec@mwm.us.mensa.org -- only verified MWM members will be sent a copy upon request.

As published in every notice of ExComm meetings, MWM members are welcome to attend the ExComm meeting. This month at Exchequerer Toni's home - check CapM for the address.

Newsletters, the USPS, and Saving the Chapter $$$

Well, as is standard for the USPS every so often, they are changing things up and, depending on the chapter, in a major way. Adjustments in the barcoding of address labels, changes of administrative paperwork, and assorted miscellany are on the horizon and need to be examined by each of the local groups. Here in MWM, I have forwarded the recent alert sent by AMC's Communications Officer, Robin Crawford, onto MWM's "Labels Wrangler" a.k.a. "Lord of the Labels" -- Russ Nevins -- to digest and determine precisely how the indicated changes might affect the chapter (likely negatively), whether it be timing of newsletter mailing, cost of the mailing, or otherwise.

While one person who received Robin's alert opined that it is much easier to just go the non-barcoded route (and for her small group, that's true), I note an even easier route - at least as far as the chapter would be concerned: opt-in for electronic newsletters.

The greater number of members who opt in to electronic distribution of the newsletter, the greater the benefit.
1) Each chapter receives an 82-cent stipend per member per month which goes, in large part, to publication and mailing of the newsletter. For each member who opts into the electronic version of the newsletter, that's an extra 82 cents per member per month that can be used by the group to support other local activities and programs. In September's mailing, we had 402 electronic subscribers, which left a full 1562 members receiving hardcopy, which equates to $1,280.84 just for that one month. If we take that as an average number per month, if we were to get everyone to subscribe electronically to the newsletter, that would reduce our expenses by about $15k per year! Just think of all the MWM parties and activities, and added RG "extras" (or reduced registration costs) that could be provided for that much money.

2) Anyone getting the newsletter electronically and on our automated alert list finds out about, and has access to, our newsletter the same day that it is sent to the printers (since it is uploaded to National nearly simultaneously). Where the hardcopy of the newsletter can often be delayed either by late submission to the printer (for various possible reasons) or by lengthy processing time by the USPS, receipt of the electronic version is painless and has no delay. It's always nice to have an issue of the newsletter BEFORE the first of the month, especially in those months where activities of interest to you are very early in the month and might be missed due to a late delivery.

3) If you read the newsletter electronically, you will ALWAYS get the full-color version of it, rather than black-and-white.  (Rarely do we print full-color hardcopy of the newsletter.) Any pictures in the newsletter will always look better, crisper, and may even be able to be enlarged to enhance certain details, if desired, when viewed on the computer as opposed to in hardcopy.

4) For those who are concerned with all things “green,” opting into the electronic version of the newsletter greatly reduces the chapter's direct environmental impact, by cutting down the amount of paper (and hence trees) and ink used, and energy burned through in the production and mailing of each month's issue. While there is the additional amount of electricity expended in the amount of time spent online reading the newsletter that might not otherwise be spent, odds are that when both sides are weighed against each other that opting in is the more “environmentally friendly” of the two.

Opting in to electronic subscription of CapM is easy. Log into the AML website. Click on the Members tab atop the screen, and then select Profile Update from the left-side pane. Near the top of the page under ePublications Information, type the e-mail address where you want to receive the newsletter and select BOTH checkboxes immediately underneath it. It's just that easy!

Petition for AMC Secretary

I have just officially submitted my name to be a candidate for Secretary in the upcoming AMC election. To sign my petition, please log in on the AML website and go to www.us.mensa.org/election, select the "View/Sign Candidate Petitions" link, and click on the link with my name.

Thanks.

Anti-Discrimination Policy?

Do you think that MWM should have an anti-discrimination policy in effect? Is this an issue of concern to you? If so, what should such a policy look like? Should it only apply to the ExComm and ExComm-sponsored activities, or should it also apply to anything organized (such as SIGs) or hosted (such as calendar events) in the chapter?

Please include whether you are an MWM member or member of another chapter when replying to this thread, even if you are otherwise anonymous.

Also note that this is different than the recently reaffirmed portion of the Copious Code that ensures that, save for Gifted Children's events, all events listed in the calendar are open to all members. (Note further than AML does not have a very good policy, IMO, from which to draw - it is far too vague.)

Mel's Petition to Amend Bylaws of AML

Below is the text of the petition that Mel Dahl has put together to amend the AML bylaws which several of us are circulating to try to get it the 250 signatures needed to get it onto the upcoming referendum ballot. In short, the amendment would put both AMC and the membership on notice that the AMC does actually have the authority to hear an appeal related to a National Hearings Committee sanction.

If you would like to help circulate the petition, please paste the text below into the free-form box atop the basic petition form that can be found by going to http://www.us.mensa.org/election and scrolling down to the bottom, selecting the Referendum Petition Form link.

---[begin text of petition]---

A new Section (8) is added to Article IX, as follows:

(8) Any member who has been sanctioned by a hearing committee may appeal once to the American Mensa Committee, which shall have discretion to hear the appeal on the merits or not. A sanctioned member who wishes to appeal to the AMC shall, within thirty days of the imposition of sanctions, file a notice of appeal with the Secretary of AML, with copies to the Chair of AML, the Chair of the hearing committee that imposed the sanction, and the appropriate regional vice chair. The notice of appeal shall contain a short and concise statement of the facts of the case, the action taken by the hearing committee, and the grounds upon which the appeal is founded. The AML Secretary shall promptly transmit copies to all members of the AMC and place the matter on the agenda of the next regularly-scheduled AMC meeting.

In the event that the AMC decides to hear the appeal on the merits, the complainant may, but is not required to, provide the AMC with a short and concise statement as to why the AMC should not grant relief. The AMC may in its sole discretion determine whether to decide a merits appeal on the papers, or whether the parties shall be invited to address the AMC. Additionally, the AMC shall have sole discretion to determine the extent to which any such appeal shall be heard in executive session.

The AMC shall presume that any findings of fact made by the hearing committee are correct unless the member demonstrates that there is no reasonable basis in the evidence for said findings of fact The AMC may only overturn a decision of the hearings committee if it finds the hearing committee abused its discretion by acting illegally or in violation of AML’s by-laws, or that the proceedings were fundamentally unfair. 

---[end text of petition]---

MWM Mensa Phone phone number: 202-OK-MENSA

MWM recently established a new Mensa Phone at zero cost, thanks to Google Voice. For anyone who has questions which relate to MWM, you can call and leave a message on our voicemail. (You can give a shot with questions which relate to AML writ large, and I'll likely refer you to someone outside our chapter, depending on what the question is.) Thanks to Google Voice, not only will a semi-accurate transcript of the message be forwarded to the entire ExComm, but paired with it will be the audio file itself, so we needn't rely on the behind-the-scenes transcription software (which does come up with some amusing garbles). We will then be able to figure out amongst ourselves who on the ExComm is the most appropriate person to handle the message.

By the same token, as you will be reaching a recording, we can utilize the outgoing message as a way of announcing urgent messages, such as the change of venue for the New Members Open House that happened for earlier today or, if we have the same winter we did last year, the cancellation of an increasing number of events (including two ExComm meetings) due to weather conditions.

That number? 202-OK-MENSA
And, no, that's not short for Oklahoma, even though it is the postal abbreviation.

NEW MEMBERS OPEN HOUSE venue moved!

For those who are planning on attending the NMOH on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, the venue has MOVED!

We will not be at Edee Fay Schwartz's apartment in Silver Spring - she's recuperating from a pesky health issue that cropped up within the past week or so. (She's doing better, but certainly can't be hosting at the moment.)

The NMOH will be held at our Programs Officer's apartment in Falls Church. Look at the inside front cover of CapM or the main page of mwm.org for Paulos' address.

Hope to see you there!

2011 Annual Business Meeting

The ABM is scheduled to take place on the first day of the 2011 AG - June 30 (at 4pm). Despite my having pointed out this fairly poor (IMO) timing well in advance of the 10-month deadline that the Chairman has to notify the AG Committee of the date/time of the ABM, the ABM is remaining on the schedule as listed at the end of this year's ABM agenda (though it could have been changed - it's listing there was not "set in stone").

So, for a second year in a row, it is questionable (IMO) as to whether we will have a quorum for the business part of the ABM. Please spread the word to people who might even have a remote interest in the ABM that they should make their plans to get to the AG early on the first day (if they're not planning on getting their 1+ days early simply for touring) so that we can have a quorum for whatever business might be before the membership.

Oddity in Election Code

For those who are crazy enough to read through the full Election Code (like me, obviously), you may have noticed a couple of curiosities:
1) The Code talks about the biographic statement and the campaign statement as if they are items that are separate from the questions asked by AMC on the Candidate Information Forms (CIFs), however, those are actually questions 8 and 9 on the forms;
2) The word limit for the biographical statement on the CIF is 50 words, but the word limit for the biographical statement per the Election Code is 150 words.

It's not yet clear to me whether this means there are supposed to be two separate biographic statements and two separate campaign statements, or something else.

I've sent some questions to the Election Committee Chairman in an attempt to clarify these items and will post a follow-up note in this thread once it's cleared up.

Petition Procedure Announced for Upcoming Election

Candidates Wanted!

The Election Committee has finalized the Code of Election Procedures for the upcoming AMC election and bylaws referendum. You can view the various and sundry parts of the Code and access the relevant paperwork at www.us.mensa.org/election.

While you can download the petition in order to print out hardcopy and get signatures the old-fashioned way, you can also create and/or sign petitions (for AMC election, not for the bylaws referenda) online. Simply go to the above website and click on the "Create Your Candidate Petition" and/or "View/Sign Candidate Petitions" links. The process is rather straightforward. As the procedure was only just announced earlier today, there aren't any petitions created just yet. I have no doubt that there will be some in the coming days and weeks.

Qualifications, per se, are minimal to get on the ballot. You must be a member in good standing with your dues paid for the next membership year (at least) by Jan. 31 (i.e., renew early). You must reside in the U.S. For RVC positions, you must be a member of the region for which you are running. Candidates for Treasurer should be bondable. I think the same is true for candidates for Chairman. And while it is not something explicitly stated in the Code or in our bylaws, I seem to recall that candidates for AMC must be at least 18 years of age by the date they would be taking office (given NYS not-for-profit law). And, clearly, you must fill out the various paperwork required by the Code by the deadlines provided for in the Code. Did I overlook something? Full specifics on qualifications are laid out in www.us.mensa.org/election and scroll down to the bottom of the page to click on the "2011 Election Code - FINAL" link. Beneath that are the links to the various paperwork that needs to be filled out by candidates, as well as links related to bylaws petitions, the international election, and other AML links.

While that pretty much exhausts the basic requirements for getting on the ballot, it's up to the individual candidates to "sell" themselves as the best candidate for the office to the membership.

Some positions are currently contested, but the majority of the elected positions (9 out of the 15) are not yet contested: Chairman, Secretary, and RVCs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10.
(NB: There are four appointed positions, and the two most recent Past Chairmen are automatically members of the AMC, to bring us to the total of 21 members of AMC.)

Blog Kick-Off

Who would've thought I'd wind up blogging? But it seems like a good way of having more focused conversations on national Mensa issues (I'll do my best to prevent thread drift) as well as bringing up and responding to local issues of import for the membership of Metropolitan Washington Mensa.

I look forward to having those conversations. Please limit the conversations to:
--National AML elections, both for American Mensa Committee (AMC) positions and bylaws amendments
--AMC meetings, minutes, committees, etc.
--Annual Business Meeting items
--The Annual Gathering, Mind Games, and Colloquium
--AML bylaws and Actions Still in Effect (ASIEs)
--Metropolitan Washington Mensa items of interest (to include the ExComm, MWM bylaws and Copious Code, Calendar of Events, newsletter, website, RG, etc.)

Kindly refrain from any personal attacks and assuming what anyone's motives are. Questioning is fine, but purporting one's own opinion as fact is not - at least not on this blog.