[AUUG-Talk]: Re: AUUG: Time to pull the plug?

[Jon Wright]

Am I still a member? I don't know - I will check my card when I get  
home (coz I often pay for more than one year at a time. Assuming that  
I am still a member, I would like to submit my 2c worth:....

1. I love the AUUG conference but as mentioned on the portal forum  
(which appears to have zero people using it), I can't do Melbourne. I  
can do Sydney or Canberra but not Melbourne - this does not mean that  
AUUG cannot hold a conference in Melbourne, it just means we need to  
allow for the fact that there are members who love AUUGN conferences  
but may not make it to a particular city - in other words the # of  
people registered for Melbourne is not necessarily the same as the  
number of AUUGN fans out there....

2. Is Linux Australia the only alternative? What about SAGE-AU?

3. If it has to be dissolved, then I think the John Lions chair is  
the most appropriate of the options suggested....

Jon Wright

P.S. I have subscribed to the 'talk' list but I have had not  
confirmation email yet so I may (or may not) see replies to this  
message....


On 14/09/2006, at 11:52 AM, Greg 'groggy' Lehey wrote:

> In four weeks' time, the AUUG 2006 conference should be in full swing.
> Traditionally the AGM is held on the Thursday of the conference, four
> weeks from today.  According to Paragraph 15 of the constitution
> (http://www.auug.org.au/info/constitution.html), the Secretary should
> send written notice of such a meeting at least four weeks ahead of
> time, i.e. today.
>
> I have an agenda item, but I haven't seen notice of the meeting.
>
> In fact, there are a whole lot of things I haven't seen:
>
> - My membership renewal, due at the end of June.  I have agreed to
>   automatic renewal, so all the treasurer needs to do is to deduct the
>   sum from my credit card.  If my membership hasn't been renewed,
>   whose has?
>
> - Details of the new board.  The information on the web site is not up
>   to date.  It's not even from last year; it's from the year before
>   (2004/2005).  Who's our secretary?  Adrian sent out a message (his
>   only one since becoming president) with the names.  Raymond Smith is
>   the secretary, but I don't have an email address, and mail to
>   secretary at auug.org.au bounces.
>
> - Information about sponsors of the conference.  Part of the deal is
>   to put these details up on the web site.  Either we don't have any
>   sponsors, or the conference committee has not fulfilled its
>   obligation to them.
>
> - The final programme.  Typically this should be sent out as a flyer
>   registration forms months in advance.
>
> - Repeated mail messages to auug-announce with details of the
>   conference and programme.
>
> - The opportunity for "early bird" registration if done 6 weeks before
>   the conference.  Clearly that's not going to happen.
>
> - Registration details.  How do I register for this conference?
>
> - A reply to my message sen to the AUUG board last week asking about
>   this, and whether it wouldn't be better to cancel the conference.  I
>   didn't even get official confirmation that the message was received,
>   though one of the board members confirmed unofficially.
>
> - Anybody complaining on the mailing lists.  Does anybody care?
>
> From what I can see from my vantage point, the conference is a
> non-starter.  Last week the board could have possibly cancelled the
> event without owing the hotel too much money.  That's one of the
> things I suggested in the message.  Maybe it has happened; but one way
> or another, we need to know what is going on.
>
> So: it looks to me as if AUUG is dead and just doesn't know it.  On
> the other hand, last time the treasurer presented a report, we had
> significant funds.  Maybe it's time to do something else with them.
>
> Paragraph 33 of the constitution reads:
>
> DISSOLUTION OF THE AUUG
>
>   33.  1. Upon receipt of a petition requesting the dissolution of the
>           AUUG from twenty or more members, or half the membership,
>           whichever is less, the Secretary shall arrange for the
>           question to be put to the membership by ballot no later than
>           one month after the date that he receives the petition.
>
>        2. If three-quarters of the members voting agree, the AUUG
>           shall be dissolved.
>
>        3. If upon the dissolution of the AUUG there remains after
>           satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities any property
>           whatsoever, the same shall be paid or applied by the
>           Management Committee, according to a resolution of the
>           membership at or before the time of dissolution, to any
>           fund, institution or authority which, itself, is either a
>           non profit company as defined by Section 3(1) of the Income
>           Tax Act 1986 or is exempt from income tax.
>
> The first problem is: how many members does AUUG have?  It appears
> that renewals for memberships expiring in December last year *were*
> sent out in January or early February.  But who's a member?  Are even
> the board members in good financial standing?  Is there still a list
> of members?
>
> So, finally, my agenda item: I think that it's time to disband AUUG.
> Am I the only one?
>
> I'd like to see some discussion on this.  I've set Mail-followup-to:
> to talk at auug.org.au, which is the obvious place to discuss it.  If
> you're interested in the discussion, but you're not on the list, you
> can join via http://www.auug.org.au/mailman/listinfo.
>
> My questions at the moment:
>
> - Do enough members think that it's time to dissolve AUUG?
> - How many members do we have?
> - How do we know who the members are?  At this stage, I'd say that the
>   only proof is a receipt for payment of membership fees.
> - If we dissolve AUUG, what do we do with the funds?  I can see a
>   number of possibilities:
>   - AUUG should merge with Linux Australia.  I think it's pretty clear
>     that Linux Australia is conceptually the successor organization.
>     The problem I have (and that LA shares) is that there's no place
>     there for users of proprietary UNIX.
>   - Donate all the funds to the John Lions chair of computer science
>     at UNSW.
>
> Greg
> --
> See complete headers for address and phone numbers.
> _______________________________________________
> auug-announce - announcements from AUUG Inc.
> auug-announce at auug.org.au
> http://www.auug.org.au/mailman/listinfo/auug-announce


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