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From: tencati@nssdcb.gsfc.nasa.gov (Ron Tencati)
Newsgroups: comp.org.decus
Subject: Re: DECUS Board of Directors Election
Keywords: DECUS
Message-ID: <4496@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: 4 Mar 91 15:40:06 GMT
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Organization: ST Systems Corporation
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As Kurt Reisler pointed out, the time for adding new candidates was 
long ago.

The DECUS ballots are being returned to an independent third-party
accounting firm that is being paid to tally the votes. Any ballots
that have been marked in such a way that the optical scanner cannot
read them will simply be round-filed.  LDEC, the Leadership 
Development and Elections Committee, will have no knowledge of any 
write-in candidate. They will only see the results of the valid
ballots returned to them.

If you want your voice heard, get in touch with your SIG Executive 
Committees or your LUG Chairs. These people all have accounts on the
DECUS Communications System (DCS) computer system which enables DECUS
leadership to communicate with each other between symposia. Not all
leaders read DECUSERVE, or COMP.ORG.DECUS, but they are required
(requested?) to check their DCS mail as often as they can. 

The leadership can speak for you, the concerned DECUS attendee, 
in places and circles where you cannot. 

The ethical issues surrounding the Mitnick incident, questions about 
how much DECUS is influenced by DEC - and why, the DECUS/DEXPO 
relationship, as well as a much larger issue, a major overhaul of the
DECUS internal structure, are being debated and discussed very
actively between DECUS leadership. The key word here is DEBATED. The
DECUS leadership are not in total agreement on how these issues should
be handled or resolved. But they are discussing them in a reasonably-
professional manner for a bunch of volunteer leaders, and your voices
have not been ignored in their discussions. Leadership is very much 
plugged in to what concerns the users.

But if you want to be a part of the change, instead of just part of 
the "static", let your immediate DECUS leadership know your feelings.
Don't just post something here. Call somebody.  If you want to get 
involved in DECUS leadership in hopes that your voice can help change
things - go for it!  There is usually a session titled "Call for DECUS
Volunteers" or "So, you want to be a DECUS Leader" sponsored by LDEC.
These sessions provide the background information for how to get 
involved in DECUS and how to get into leadership.  The Board also has
an open Board meeting that any symposium registrant can attend and be 
heard, so avenues exist.

Bitching about things is great, it lets us blow steam, but if we all 
blow smoke, nothing gets done. Nothing changes. Instead of 
philosophizing about how things "should be done", consider lending a 
hand, a voice, and some time to make things get done.  Then you too 
can be flamed by the symposia attendees who think all of DECUS 
leadership stinks...

Ron Tencati
Seminars Coordinator, Security SIG
Spring Volunteer Coordinator, VAX SIG

ST Systems Corp, Lanham, MD