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October/November 2004 |
Volume 45, Number 2 |
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President's CornerAs we head into the heart of the chapter year, I want our members to be aware that we have a hardworking team of managers and officers working every day to make your experience a better one as a member of the 475-member-strong Rocky Mountain Chapter (RMC). Check the Website (stcrmc.org) for the names and titles of our officers. Jobsite ControversyI'd like to review the recent controversy related to our job site (stcrmc.org/jobs_freelance/jobline.htm). Some of you have heard about this. My purpose is to give an overview of the facts and sequence of events. A Colorado organization, Focus on the Family, recently sent some recruitment ads to our jobs page editor, Anne Halsey, that requested, in 'Duties and Responsibilities,' a series of Christian-oriented belief requirements for applicants. After posting the ads, Anne received a number of complaints about the tone and the possibly discriminatory intent of the ads. Most of the members of the chapter council (in fact, all that I know of) also agreed with the substance of the complaints. As a result, we contacted STC headquarters and received a letter back from Executive Director Peter Herbst referencing STC's anti-discrimination policies. With this in hand, I wrote back to Focus on the Family, requesting as a courtesy their permission to remove or tone down the material in question, with the alternative being that we would remove the job postings, based on STC's policies. They did not respond by our requested deadline. We then removed the ads, indicating in another letter to them that we reserve the right to edit material being posting to our site. They then responded that, although the requirements admittedly were not directly related to the skills for the job, Focus on the Family is allowed to include those requirements because it is a non-profit religious organization, and they still wanted the language. This step occurred about October 5. There, the matter rests, and we hope that will be the end of it. However, just so you know, we have been in touch with the International office's legal counsel, Bill Stolgitis, on this matter and he is aware of the actions taken, along with Peter from STC headquarters. I'll keep you posted. Speaking of legalities, I will be circulating an electronic ballot for approval of some changes to our chapter's bylaws. This is the result of an effort by a team headed by Nancy Walters, and included Jay Mead, Barb Miller, and myself over the past year. Then-president Frank Tagader charged the team with a number of responsibilities, including filling any governance holes and generally tightening up the language found in the existing bylaws. The team reviewed the existing text and that of several other STC chapters comparable to our own, plus, of course, the bylaws of STC as a whole. We did find some significant holes and did find language that could have been clearer. The result is a draft of the bylaws that has just been approved by your administrative council (on October 7, 2004). That text will be provided to you for approval in the next few weeks. When you do get the notification of this review/approval step, please devote a bit of time to reading the new text and give us your approval (or comments if you don't approve). Year's Program ScheduleI previously announced that we would publish a year's worth of meeting program topics in October. In August, the program planning team met to review the results of this summer's program topic survey (about 100 of you responded…thanks!) and developed this annual program agenda:
Place these STC chapter meeting dates on your schedules now to be sure not to miss any of these exciting programs. Of course, you'll receive a post card with the meeting details before each meeting. Also, the programs are still being developed and might be subject to some tweaking. Volunteer OpportunitiesAs always, the chapter has openings for volunteers to help with the work (and the challenges) of running the chapter. Such opportunities are a great way to enhance your resume and get experience working with others in your profession—plus have a lot of fun! We currently need people to help with Program, Competitions, Website, Scholarships, SIGs and a number of other activities. Contact any of the officers through the Website if you have a few hours a week you would like to volunteer to help the chapter out. Also, see elsewhere in this issue the announcement from Cathy Barnes and Eileen Thornir that they are seeking candidates for officer positions for the 2005-2006 chapter year. Membership and RenewalIt's getting to be membership renewal time, and this year the membership options are going to be a bit different. November will be our annual membership drive, and you are encouraged to invite friends to attend (and get in free). When renewal comes up at the end of the year, you'll find some changes. You can actually join as a 'limited' member for a savings of $20 over the 'classic' membership, and not be a member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter ($145 versus $125). This is a good option mainly for people who are too remote to ever attend a meeting. You would save the $20 of extra cost if you attended two chapter meetings. Also, there is a $135 'e-membership,' which is the same as the classic but eliminates the hard copies of the periodicals. So, being a full member of the RMC is in reality only a $10 up-charge over limited membership. It's our job as chapter officers to ensure that all our current members see the value of their chapter membership and are willing to pay the extra $10 or $20. Come to the membership drive meeting and learn more about the benefits of being a 'classic.' Hope you're all enjoying a great fall and that work and business are good for you. Please let me know your comments and questions.  |
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© Copyright 2004 |
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