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From: tencati@nssdcb.gsfc.nasa.gov (Ron Tencati)
Newsgroups: comp.org.decus
Subject: Re: DECUS Board of Directors Election
Message-ID: <4530@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: 5 Mar 91 23:42:09 GMT
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In article <009451A5.83C422A0@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU>, 
  sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney) writes:

>I don't suppose that you could post Internet addresses for the appropriate
>committee members? Or is DCS not linked into any network?  Or I have to go get
>an audience with SIG leadership first? 

I don't know who-all in leadership has internet access. As Steve Tihor 
pointed out, there are efforts afoot to get the DCS machine connected 
to Internet. Currently, all one can do is forward mail FROM DCS to an 
Internet mailbox. There are certain individuals who have internet 
accounts, but nobody has ever put them all together.

The technical problem with getting this access is that DEC owns the 
computer system, and is finally agreeing to connect that system to the 
internet. They are concerned about hackers banging away on the system, 
and of DECUS leaders subscribing to umpteen mailing lists and filling 
up the disks. Since DEC supplies the system (and the office space it's 
in, and the system manager, etc), DECUS can only ask for certain
services to be provided on the machine. 

Re: Mitnick et al:
>DECUS leadership has not conveyed this discussion to the masses. Or maybe I'm
>wrong, but there's nothing sitting in my mailbox which says "Hello DECUS
>member, these are the issues we are discussing." Do I have to pay more money to
>get onto DECUSERVE to be heard? 

You *could* get onto DECUSERVE, but it's not required.  Rest assured 
that your comments are falling on "Board Ears".  I think a good 
suggestion would be to request that the minutes from the monthly Board 
teleconference be posted here. However, this list is considered to be 
"Public", and some unresolved issues are preferred to be held "in 
private" until a consensus is reached. I think you could understand 
the sensitivity here. Not that anyone is trying to "hide" anything 
from the general membership.


Re: Symposia Membership: 
>There should be another alternative to entering DECUS leadership other than
>showing up at Symposia. I was quite disturbed that one of the "requirements"
>for being a nominated BoD candidate was to show up at symposia for 3 years
>running. 

This requirement is, IMHO, meant to try to provide candidates who are 
knowledgeable about "current events", and who are probably involved in 
DECUS leadership at some other level. Votes count, so "Joe attendee" 
is probably not going to win a write-in campaign, since the membership 
at large won't know who he/she is. Not to say it *couldn't* happen...

>Not everyone can afford to go to Symposium twice a year. With the current
>financial situtation of the University, I'll be lucky to go once a decade. 

I don't read the official rules on running for the board, but I'm sure
there are exceptions to every rule.

[Could you put together a PSS? If you can, your airfare and hotel (one
day) will be paid by the Seminars Committee, since your seminar
generates additional revenue, it covers (some of) your expenses] 

Etcetera:
>>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...
> 
>You sound bitter. Not everyone should be hanged in effegy. At the same time, if
>DECUS, the body, claims me as a member, I have the right as a member to flame.
	
I'm not bitter, but I'll let you speak for yourself:

     >>The leadership can speak for you, the concerned DECUS attendee, 
     >>in places and circles where you cannot. 
     >  
     >If the problem is with the leadership.....
     >...
     >Marshmellows anyone?

I don't think people even know who they don't like, so they just say 
"Leadership". *I'm* Leadership. My Sig-Chair is on the Management 
Council. He's Leadership. Do you have a problem with us? John McMahon 
and Steve Tihor are Leadership. Are they your problem?  As an aside,
Ray Kaplan stepped down as a working group chair a few symposia ago, 
giving up his slot on the VAX SIG Steering Committee. He is still an
active session presenter, but he is no longer in DECUS "Leadership". 

Maybe we should focus on issues, and identify which "branch" of the 
leadership we are talking about before all of "leadership" gets 
flamed. We leaders don't all have the same priviliges and access to
the same discussion circles, so we aren't all involved in all
issues. But we all get scorched equally. 


Ron Tencati
Tencati@Nssdca.Gsfc.Nasa.Gov