Mar. 2002
President's
Message
President's Message
Bob Coffey
There will be an important vote on Slide Night April 15. This is the official
thirty (30) day notice of a proposed change to the DPS Constitution that
requires membership approval. Any change to the Constitution requires
approval first by the Executive Committee and then by the Membership.
The Executive Committee has already approved the modifications proposed
by the Constitution & Bylaws Review Committee, and it now urges all
members to vote their approval as well.
The proposed changes are needed
to reflect the evolution of responsibilities in certain elected officer
positions. Those affected are First Vice President, Second Vice President,
Education Director (New) and Program Director (New). Also, the Executive
Committee will be renamed as the Board of Directors. Other changes include
minor grammatical and formatting corrections that have no effect on the
policy.
Following that vote will be our election of officers. The Nominating Committee
has listed the proposed slate of nominees on page 9.
You will note that most of the nominees are those currently holding these positions and they have agreed to serve a second term. This is in preparation for another change approved by the Executive Committee, which is a two year term for all elected officers. This practice will begin with next year’s election. The Executive Committee feels that this will provide more effective, efficient leadership to your Society as it takes a year to develop proficiency in our jobs. Other clubs use this approach and it appears to be advantageous.
Still more improvements are
forthcoming. Our current system of judging monthly competitions will be
revised. Two years ago we elected to switch from three non-member judges
to two judges with one member and one non-member. However, many participants
have voiced their concern that the quality of judging has suffered as
a result of this move. Also, there has been some difficulty in getting
members to serve in this capacity, so a sign-up sheet will be circulated
for that purpose. Next year we will return to the three judge system with
two non-member judges and one member judge. We will make information and
guidelines on judging available and I believe that this will prove to
be a valuable learning experience for those who have not served in this
capacity. Please contact me with questions on any of these items.
- Bob Coffey