From the Bylaws
Committee Chair:
Please Provide Your Suggestions about Membership
Levels
James Lattimore
As a member of the Board of Visitors Executive Committee and Chair of the Bylaws Committee, I have been part of discussions focusing on membership issues for the last couple of years.
Executive Committee members recognize just how unique the Board of BoV is. In particular, we are very grateful to those BoV members who have generously responded in the last several years to appeals from BoV Chairs David Chappell and Randy Henry by upgrading their membership status from Associate Member to Member. By doing so, these BoV members have volunteered to raise their giving from $750 to $2,000 per year. Here is a list of people who have generously decided to make the change:
Anne M. Adkins
Joe Christie
Clint Davis
Bill Dingus
Tom and Ann Hannigan
James King
Bill and Sue Kopplin
Mike Levy
Gery and Susan Muncey
Rasa Silenas
The extra funding has been made available to benefit the Department of Astronomy and McDonald Observatory, strengthening the BoV’s support for much-needed discretionary moneys available to the observatory director and department chair, along with sponsoring world-class international conferences, aiding efforts to recruit the best faculty and students, providing awards to recognize the best observatory and department staff members, and much more.
Recently, the Executive Committee has discussed a series of questions related to BoV membership levels and the desire to have as many Members as possible. Right now, there is very little visible distinction, beyond the level of giving (and the colors used for badge ribbons at BoV meetings), between Members and Associate Members. The Executive Committee wants to increase the number of people in the BoV Member category. Given that, what argument, beyond “doing good” for the Texas Astronomy Program, can we make to convince Associate Members to move to Member status?
We decided to poll the BoV membership for reactions and suggestions. So I am asking each BoV member to email me thoughts that arise based on the questions listed below.
Please don’t take this discussion the wrong way. We are not trying to exclude anyone or to set up first-class and second-class memberships. Every BoV member already serves Texas Astronomy through BoV support at whatever level, and it is much appreciated. The Executive Committee is working to make the Board of Visitors as effective as it can be, and that’s why we want to have input from everyone participating. Here are the questions we ask you to consider:
Q 1:
Some might say that they like the egalitarian spirit of the BoV. Others might argue that a greater distinction, recognizing the extra funding provided by Members, should be made. It boils down to the question: Should there more distinction between Members and Associate Members? What’s your opinion?
Q 2.
If you like the idea of greater distinction between the membership categories, please list some ideas that make sense to you. (Examples are offered to spark your ideas only):
a. At the July BoV meeting, a Member-level breakfast on Sunday mornings
b. At February and July meetings, a special seating section for Members
c. Restricting participation on BoV committees to Members
Please email your responses to me at the following address. Thanks for your time and your thoughts, and thanks for all you do to make Texas Astronomy great.
[James Lattimore]
BoV Chair's Message: Honoring David Lambert for a Decade of Leadership
Director's Report: HETDEX's Unique Texan View on Dark Energy
News from around the BoV and Texas Astronomy
Department Chair's Message: Recruiting the Best
"The Texas Book Two" Features Essay by Frank Bash
Join Us for the February 2013 BoV meeting
Giant Magellan Telescope Celebration in Washington
Thanks to All BoV Liquor Fund contributors
Please help Executive Committee with Thoughts about Membership Levels
LCOGTN one-meter telescope dedicated, running automated observations