Connections

Through connections, one can find union, a flow of the creeks and rivers into the ocean. Letters to the Editor are one way in which we can share our views and make connections with each other, for what would be the beauty and force and unity of the ocean absent its waves? Going Forward invites your comments on any issue pertaining to Mensa, including topics that have not been specifically addressed previously in this newsletter.

I have just read Going Forward, Issue 3 [May `02]. There is one statement that I must respond to. Mary Kimball states ["Connections"], "We see a lot of `ASIEs,' which appear to have the force of Bylaws. No one has asked our opinion on them …" This is just not true.

Mary was Editor for the whole time I was her RVC. She, like every other Editor and every LocSec, received the AMC agenda before each meeting for her opinion. I encouraged the members to read the agenda and send me their opinions. I even encouraged them to send me agenda or discussion items for me to present to the AMC. In the eight years I was an RVC, I received very little feedback from members, but when I did, I always took it to the AMC, even if I did not agree with it.

The AMC does ask for and want your opinion. That is why we have RVCs.

—Bob Cox

[Ed. Note: Bob Cox, currently the LocSec of Borderline Mensa, served several terms as a Regional Vice Chairman.]

Mensa members may dismiss subjects that they consider "beneath" them, such as politics, quarrels (others'), conflict, etc.; but in doing this, they remove themselves from conversation/reading that leaves them ignorant of facts they need to know, and then proceed to make decisions and judgments based on their ignorance.

—Carole Moran

—Rebecca O'Neal

How do you do that? Run on petition. You do not have to be selected by the Nominating Committee in order to have your name on the ballot. I have included the process by which petition candidates must begin. From the Bylaws, Article VI:

(4) No later than January 1^st preceding each election, the Election Committee shall publish a notice to the effect that nominations by petition for the elective offices shall be directed to the Election Committee at an address to be given in the notice, accompanied by the signatures of at least 50 members in good standing as of that January 1^st, in a format prescribed by the Election Committee, and by a signed acceptance of nomination by the candidates, said petitions to reach the Election Committee not later than the March 1^st preceding the election.

Put your body where your mouth is.

— Jim Lange

[Ed. Note: The Chairman of this year's Election Committee is Linda Kelso. The format of petitions is not determined as of press time, but for other questions, one may contact Linda Kelso, the Election Committee Chairman at lkelso@teleport.com]

I do believe that the majority of the AMC 21 does not enjoy "expensive hotels in various attractive parts of the world." Airports are just not tourist attractions, and most hotel rooms look and are kept alike and are not enjoyable (especially the Hilton I was in for the Ontario, CA, meeting … my room's balcony overlooked an atrium, where a lively Mexican wedding reception was held on Saturday night. Every time I'd drift off to sleep, a chorus of "Aye, Yai Yai Yai" would boom out and startle me to a sitting-up position. The front desk clerk cheerfully assured me the reception would end early — at 1 a.m. or so.)

Anything extra that is not associated with the AMC meeting, such as extending a stay to sightsee and enjoy and relax, is paid for by the individual AMC member, as it should be. I've never even applied for or been reimbursed for tipping the various people who assist me in my travels. AMC members are not reimbursed for time lost from work to be at the AMC meeting by Friday's scheduled committee meetings. I believe this is just one of the costs of service, and we accept this when we volunteer to serve Mensa.

It is impossible to ask for reimbursement for friends/spouses who get up at ungodly hours to get us to the airport in time for a 6 a.m. flight. I spent seven hours each way in the airline system, on the ground or in the air, to get to the meeting in New Jersey, and also to the meeting in Palm Beach. Attractive? Not the Atlanta, Newark or Dallas airports. Once you do get to the hotel, there is usually barely time to unpack and freshen up before the committee meetings begin. These usually go late into the evening. The AMC meeting itself goes from early Saturday morning until at least late afternoon.

Where's the fun when everyone is usually mad at the AMC in general? I find the fun in making sure that my votes on the issues are both considered and representative. I find the fun in the camaraderie of both the AMC and the members I meet during the meeting breaks. I find the fun in dialogues like the one Nancy started so we can all understand each other better.

—Judy Vasiliauskas

American Mensa will be holding a Bylaws referendum in Spring 2003, in conjunction with the election for the AMC. The referendum will present several items to either modify a current bylaw or create a new one. It will then be up to the membership to accept or reject those items. Two of the changes proposed by the AMC also pertain to Article VI.

The petition forms that we have been circulating around the country show how Article VI would appear if the petition-only proposal were to be adopted by the AML membership. If any changes get made to Article VI before our proposal gets on the ballot, though, our current petition forms would become outdated, and we would need to start collecting signatures all over again. That's why we're getting the word out now that we need to collect the remainder of the 250 signatures that we need to qualify the petition-only proposal for this upcoming referendum ballot.

For those readers who have not seen a full explanation of the petition-only process, it's intended to create a level playing field among all candidates for elective AMC positions. Currently, a Nominating Committee (or "NomCom") handpicks certain individuals to appear on the ballot, and those individuals are marked on the ballot itself as having been selected by the Committee. Since NomCom selectees don't have to bother with collecting petition signatures, they have an easier path to the ballot, and the NomCom's stamp of approval on the ballot encourages voters to give NomCom-selected candidates preferential consideration.

What we want is for all candidates to become nominated by the same method, and to receive equal treatment on the ballot, so that the voting members of American Mensa are the only ones who get to decide which are the most qualified candidates.

According to the national Bylaws Committee Chair, in order to get the petition-only proposal on the ballot in Spring 2003, we need to get our completed petitions in by 10/1/02. That means we need to hurry if we really want to get this improvement enacted any time soon.

This, then, is our final call to arms! We've never before had this much momentum for the petition-only proposal, but we need your help to sustain and increase it. Please notify me at MaestroJCE@aol.com or 626-744-0311 to send you one or more blank petition forms, and then please get as many signatures as you can on them. Please also keep me posted on how many signatures you collect on each form, so that we can track our totals. The completed forms should be sent to Mensa member and CPA Bill Webster in Virginia at an address shown on the form itself, prior to October 1.

Thank you very much for your help with this important effort. Without it, we may be stuck for many more years with a system that rewards incumbents and other insiders, makes it difficult for new faces to dislodge the "Powers" and generally mitigates against rank-and-file Mensa members having our voices heard by those who are elected.

The deadline for gathering signatures is approaching fast. Will your signature be on a petition for real improvement?

—Jonathan Elliott

What is there about awards that make them so desirable? After all, they're only pieces of paper, or engraved metal on wood, or sculpted metal or glass or Lucite. Take them to the local pawnshop and at best you'd get $1.98. No, the value comes from elsewhere: It comes from the feeling that something you've done is so exceptional and so prized that others want to honor you for doing it. Awards are an expression of love, of respect and of recognition.

Notice that word "exceptional"? It's the other thing that gives awards their value—the fact that the awards are not given out to large numbers of people, but to a few whose work is seen as outstanding. In this sense, awards are like diamonds: valuable because of their rarity.

Which brings me around to Mensa awards. Today, there are many of them—newsletter awards in multiple categories and group sizes, awards bestowed by the Awards Committee, awards given by the Chairman, awards for group activities and proctoring efforts and websites; awards given based on objective criteria and awards given based on subjective criteria.

Am I against awards? Not at all. It is an honor to be given recognition for work that you've done. In a volunteer organization, such recognition is a factor in preventing burnout and also encourages new people to become volunteers. But, is giving an award always the best way to show such recognition?

I think not. Remember the "exceptional" mentioned earlier? "Exceptional" is the one-word way of saying, "That's abso-freakin'-lutely fantastic!" not the equivalent of "Good job." There are degrees of recognition; ignoring them shows no sense of understanding what people's work entails, no sense of seeing the great within a sea of good. Giving out awards wholesale is, ultimately, a way of making the giver feel important rather than making the recipient feel special.

Some of Mensa's awards are, indeed, for exceptional service or achievement; the Margot Award, the Abbie Salny Award and the Copper Black Award are all examples of these. The Owl Award used to be like those, also. Where the thought that the Owl was to be awarded engendered a sense of excitement and anticipation, now it's only one more annual award (actually, three more annual awards, since there's one for each group-size category)—and no big deal.

If awards turn into "no big deal," then the original reasons for them—showing love, respect, recognition, appreciation—become no big deal either. Quality sacrificed for quantity and the desire to avoid disappointment is a sacrifice for which no one should receive an award.

— Allen Neuner

Going Forward invites your comments on what you believe to be the necessary qualities of leadership, the attributes you feel would help Mensa's stewards retain or increase the value of Mensa's treasure.

A listener? A traditionalist? An iconoclast? Flexible? Motivated? Methods oriented? Member oriented? Something totally different?

Address letters and articles to Editor, Going Forward, 5933 NW 71 St., Warr Acres, OK 73132, or e-mail her at TJLundeen@aol.com. Please remember to address leadership qualities, not specific people.