Upcoming MWM Election

Just a reminder to those considering running for MWM's ExComm, you have until Tuesday to have your letters of intent to run and serve *received* by the Election Committee chairman. See CapM for specifics and the precise deadlines. As is the case with each MWM election, ALL ExComm positions are open for election. If you have questions about what a specific ExComm office entails, ask the current incumbent or even ask a former holder of that office. Most are most likely willing to give you an answer (though it may be a tight timeline, given possible holiday weekend plans). Speaking just for myself, it would be nice to see contested elections on a more regular basis. It seems to be a rarity in local group elections (at least in the three groups in which I've been a member).

MWM Hosting AMC

MWM will be hosting the March 2013 AMC meeting at the Hyatt Dulles hotel in Herndon, VA. When I have more details, I will post them here.

No More ExComm Meetings This Term

Even though the current ExComm remains in office until the end of October, we have decided to forego having a meeting at the Election Party in October. (We're only required to meet 10 times per year, and we've already met 11, with no additional pressing items for us to handle.)

The next ExComm meeting will be under the 2011-2013 ExComm, taking place at Jenifer Foster's home on Nov. 20 from noon-2pm.  Closer to that date, if you're interested in getting a copy of the agenda, you'll need to contact the new LocSec, Karen Caron, at locsec@mwm.us.mensa.org. (Don't try her yet at that address, as it's still going to me through Oct. 31.)

Sept. MWM ExComm Meeting

The penultimate (possibly the final) meeting of the current ExComm will be held this Sunday at Toni Smiley's home in DC. (Hopefully as many of the incoming ExComm as possible will also be in attendance.) There is very little on the agenda, given the waning days of this ExComm. We will set up the next ExComm with what we can, finish any planning re: the Election Party, and consider the possibility of purchasing a portable screen. If you're an MWM member and would like a copy of the agenda, drop me a line.

Incoming MWM ExComm declared elected

Debby Morris, MWM Election Committee Chair, has certified the results of the 2011 MWM election. All races were uncontested, and the respective candidates declared elected to their respective offices sought. The ExComm for Nov. 1, 2011 - Oct. 31, 2013 is:


LocSec:        Karen Caron
Treasurer:      Scott Emmel
Scrivener:      Brian Harrison
Publications: Jenifer Foster
Membership: Thomas Wright
Programs:     Bruce Ford
Member at Large: Joel Kaplan

ExComm Meeting Sunday

There isn't much on the agenda: appointing a testing coordinator, determining timing-wise how to deal with the bylaws amendment balloting, election party planning, and discussion re: event hosts/attendees.

If you are a member of MWM and would like a copy of the agenda, contact me directly and I will e-mail it to you. (Hopefully it will get on the MWM website soon.)

And if you are contemplating running for the ExComm - or have already submitted your paperwork to do so - please come so that you can see first-hand what we're doing, how we're doing it, and figure out for yourself what you think should be continued (especially methodology) and what should be done differently; there are plenty of different styles.

Sunday's ExComm Meeting

There's very little on our agenda for Sunday: appointing a new Testing Coordinator (and possibly one or more assistants) and talking bylaws. If you are a member of MWM and would like a copy of the agenda, please contact me.

July MWM ExComm meeting

The next ExComm meeting is set for July 12. At the moment, the agenda is VERY light, having only one discussion item on it, related to the potential upcoming bylaws amendment balloting.

If you are a member of MWM and would like a copy of the agenda once it is, essentially, finalized somewhere around July 8, please contact me.

Sunday's ExComm Meeting

MWM's ExComm meets on Sunday at the home of Gifted Children's Coordinator, Donna Campbell. (See CapM for the address)

On the agenda are a couple of appointments (a new Programs Officer and an additional Assistant Gifted Children's Coordinator), bylaws changes, and discussion related to the possibility of paying volunteers (initially focused on paying proctors) and job descriptions for various appointed offices.

If you are a member of MWM, To get a copy of the agenda as it currently stands, please contact me.

Incentivizing proctoring?

There are some members (both proctors and non-proctors) who have stated they think that proctors should be paid something (unstated in the general conversation) for proctoring the Mensa test, be it some set amount for the test session or a fee per person tested.

The main arguments seem pretty straightforward to me:

Pro:
Proctors are the main driver in terms of bringing testing candidates into the organization; if you've got a bad proctor (especially one who can't well-represent the organization and/or one who can't give sufficient answers as to what is done in the chapter), it is quite possible to turn that candidate off from joining should they qualify.

Con:
1) There is a current prohibition in paying officers. (NB: Either the outright prohibition or proctors' inclusion within the term "officers" could be changed, though, if desired.)
2) Why should we pay proctors but not other officers in the organization, especially some that may spend more time and energy than proctors in many cases: Editor and LocSec are the two most obvious examples; there may be many others.
3) Paying one category of officers but not others may be a disincentive for people to volunteer for those other unpaid positions.

Thoughts on other pros/cons for paying proctors for testing (beyond expenses related to the testing, which should be reimbursed, of course)? And do you favor paying proctors or not? (So far, the consensus seems to lean towards not paying them, though strongly acknowledging the pro argument listed above.) And if you're from a different chapter than MWM, what does your chapter do regarding payments to proctors.?

I've vacillated a bit on this myself, because of all of the above; I'll likely wind up abstaining on a motion that specifically provides for a stipend of some sort (above and beyond simple expense reimbursement) since I'm in the process of becoming a proctor, even though it will take a few months to complete that.

MWM LDE a Great Success

The LDE - Get the Lead Out: Time to Take the Lead - went VERY well today. We had 34 of the people who RSVP'd show up and most of them were there the whole day.

Hospitality (put on by George and Chris Cooper -- our upcoming RG's Hospitality Chair and Registrar, respectively) was VERY good. Plenty of food for everyone throughout the day. Snacks. Healthy stuff. Tasty "junk" (such as doughnuts). More than enough soft drinks and water.

The speakers, by and large, went over VERY well. Thank you to:
Loren Kropat
Karen Caron
Dave Cahn
Eileen Roberts (with additional assistance from both Karen Caron and GCC Donna Campbell)

Also thanks to Nancy Vogel, our emcee, for her intros of the various speakers. My apologies for not realizing where the microphone was during the first couple of intros.

Kudos go out to Leslie Jane Fahrney, for showing up very early to help out with the set-up, and to staying to the bitter end helping with breaking things down, clearing out the room, and even volunteering to hauling out the trash!

The people who stacked the chairs to the sides of the room -- THANK YOU! I was distracted enough by other stuff I was doing and people I was talking with, I didn't notice who was doing the stacking. It made clearing things up SO much easier.

For the several people who handed in the sheets re: volunteer -- THANK YOU! We will do our best in terms of taking "advantage" of your interest/offers as soon as possible. And all of the comments that were handed in will be helpful, especially if/when we hold another such event.

And, once again, a big thank you for the person who kicked this all off by putting in an entry into last year's contest and winning the Region 2 version -- Hal Handerson.

Interested in ExComm Positions?

This year is an election year here in MWM. As is the case with each election, all positions are available for election (or re-election, if an incumbent runs again for the same seat). Ideally, we will have as many contested offices as possible; there is no individual that is so indispensable or whose vision is "the only" one that they shouldn't have competition for the office. Competition for the Executive Committee (ExComm) positions is a healthy way of getting the members involved, getting additional ideas into the mix, and improving the chapter.

If you have been curious about just what it is that the ExComm as a whole or any of the individual ExComm members actually DO in their capacity on the ExComm, please ask us. To reiterate (compared to CapM) what the specific positions on the ExComm are:
Local Secretary (a.k.a. President)
Membership Officer (a.ka. Vice President)
Programs Officer
Treasurer (a.k.a. Exchequerer)
Publications Officer
Scrivener (a.k.a. Secretary)
Member-at-Large

Earlier today we, essentially, officially kicked off the election season in the chapter in two ways:
1) Appointing the Chairman and members of the Election Committee: Deb Morris (chairman); Nancy Vogel, Paul Bethe, Jody Carlson, and Stephanie Smilay (committee members)
2) Re-affirming that the Election Party will be conducted on Sunday, October 9, within the venue of the RG. (NB: The Election Party is free to all members of MWM.)

Consider running for the ExComm and making a difference for the better in the chapter. There's lots to be done, lots that can be done, and new ideas and energy are vital to keeping the chapter vibrant and thriving.

What are your opinions of the local, regional, and national status quo?

Are things in Mensa going the way that you want them to and/or approve? That question can and should be asked regularly, and is applicable at all levels of Mensa - locally, regionally, and nationally.

If you answered "no" with respect to any of those three "levels" of Mensa, are you doing anything about it? That doesn't necessarily mean running for office, running a local event, or even attending the local ExComm or national AMC meeting. It could be as simple as talking with an officer at an event you both attend, making a phone call, or sending an e-mail or snail-mail letter to them.

Letting one's opinion be known can be some of the most powerful tools at one's disposal. That said, ideally one won't hold everything back until there's one straw that finally breaks the proverbial camel's back. That does no one any good. To do so and then finally let loose with a litany of previously unstated complaints lessens the impact of any of them and potentially lets fester legitimate problems that might be going on unrecognized by anyone else.

Make your voice heard. Vote in elections to help steer the organization where you want it to go, and provide timely feedback.

May 15 ExComm Meeting

At the next meeting, these are the major items that will be on the agenda:
--Appointing the Election Committee
--Appointing a new webmaster
--Discussions related to AMC's March motion re: electronic default for newsletter delivery, bylaws, and the timing of this year's Election Party

If you are an MWM member and would like to get a full copy of the agenda (once it's finalized earl-mid next week), please let me know. Also, if you would like something addressed, please let me know by, say, Tuesday May 10.

LDE almost full

With the deadline tomorrow (Saturday), there's very little time left for you to RSVP to the Leadership Development Event we're holding on May 21. And, to boot, there's precious little room left. RSVPs are set to be cut off at 50, and we are currently at 48 people already signed up. Should be a good time. Take advantage of it while you can.

Late-breaking edit: As of May 6, we are completely FULL -- we've hit our max of 50. So, if you STILL want to attend the LDE, send me an e-mail to place you on the waitlist. If people cancel in advance of the event, I will proceed down the waitlist to add people in to fill up to that 50-person limit. Only members of MWM and their immediate family members, now, please.

ExComm Meeting - No Quorum

For any MWM'ers who may be thinking of attending today's ExComm meeting, be advised that we will not have a quorum and, hence, will not be able to conduct any business. This was only just confirmed a little while ago. Sorry for any inconvenience.

MWM ExComm Meeting

Items on our agenda for Sunday's meeting include appointing MWM's Election Committee (since we have our chapter election in October), appointing a new webmaster and editor, talking about the recent AMC decision defaulting the local group newsletters to electronic delivery and how it may affect us, and more on revising MWM's bylaws.

For those members of MWM who want a copy of the agenda, please contact me.

MWM Proctoring and our Proctor Incentive Program

We've got several proctors who are either "active" or "past active", as far as National's terminology is concerned. We do hold 1 or 2 test sessions, generally, monthly. Given the number of people who have previously expressed interest, and over the geographic area that our chapter covers, relatively few people wind up testing in any one session. But if we can, instead, test about 5 or 6 times per month across the area, this will add up fast and help us garner yet more members.

For those of you who are "past active" proctors, what can we do to help you get back into regular testing again - even if it's only once every few months? Do you need additional training to become "recertified"? Are you having difficulty locating a venue for testing? Or is it a time/overcommitment issue - which is something we likely can't help you with. Let us know.

For those of you MWM'ers who have contemplated becoming proctors but haven't gotten the process rolling, contact me or, better yet, our Proctor Coordinator, Nancy Farrar. We can point you to the right information. We also want you to remember about the Proctor Incentive Program that the ExComm approved earlier this term: we will give a free registration to the 2011 MWM RG to any proctor who proctors at least eight sessions prior to the RG. (Note: those people who are training, the initial two "observation" sessions count as to proctored sessions, as do the two sessions you proctor while being observed by a certified proctor; and those sessions count for the certified proctor, too.)

If you know an MWM'er who has been thinking about becoming a proctor, give them a nudge and point them to this blog post.

Persistence Pays Off

Lately, I've been pushing the need for a Gifted Children's Coordinator, so that we can provide some events and other support to our youngest members. I recently got contacted by the mother of one of our newest child members (and he being 7 years old). We just talked earlier, and her enthusiasm and prior experience putting on some really neat events for her son at his school very readily came through the phone. So, assuming that the ExComm formalizes the appointment on Sunday and everything proceeds apace with the requisite background check from National (no reason to believe there will be a hiccup in either process), it looks like we're about to finally have a new Gifted Children's Coordinator.

Now for the next big push -- growing our cadre of proctors.

Sunday's ExComm Meeting

We should have a finalized version of the agenda shortly. Currently on the agenda are ratifying the online vote to approve the RG contract and budget, appointing a new SIGHT Coordinator, re-appointing the ombudsman whose term ends March 31, and discussing possible bylaws changes to iron out and put before the membership. If you are an MWM member and would like a copy of the agenda when it is finalized (by Wednesday), please let me know.