Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!world!bzs From: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix Subject: Re: Places to hold conferences Message-ID: Date: 1 Jul 91 02:29:55 GMT References: <15155@ector.cs.purdue.edu> <2106@limbo.Intuitive.Com> Sender: bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) Organization: The World Lines: 45 In-Reply-To: taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com's message of 30 Jun 91 22: 07:45 GMT >Even Usenix itself: not only have they voted against having events >in Arizona USENIX has never voted against having events in Arizona and has no such policy. For a member of the press that was a breathtakingly liberal paraphrase of what even Gene said, David. >but they've also voted against (or, >to be more correct, "punted on voting") having a South African >university join the organization. The deciding issue was that it would cost USENIX some arbitrary amount of money, at least a thousand dollars (legal fees), to accept that application. At the time (I am not certain of the current situation) the United States Department of Commerce was enforcing a trade embargo against South Africa which specifically mentioned technical materiels. To accept the application for membership involved instructing our legal counsel to petition the US Dept of Commerce for approval. This would cost the membership at least a thousand dollars (I remember that was a minimum estimate.) Exact cost would depend upon the outcome, and whether the Dept of Commerce decided to require further detail or efforts on our (USENIX's) part to substantiate the request. We would also need to support continuing legal expenses to determine whether particular member benefits were exportable under the embargo, as the issues arose (e.g. if we developed a software tape.) It was decided this was not a prudent use of members' funds. What surprises me is, you were in the room during that discussion and decision, right? Did you miss all that, or just forget to mention it? -- -Barry Shein Software Tool & Die | bzs@world.std.com | uunet!world!bzs Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202 | Login: 617-739-WRLD