[H-GEN] agm agenda

[Clinton Roy]

Hi James,

On 8/30/06, James Iseppi <lists at iseppi.org> wrote:
> I'm one of the people who enjoys the late night meetings and the problem
> is that although I stay later, I often arrive later (between 5 and 8pm)
> making your suggestion of 10:30pm a rather short meeting for me.
> Traditionally HUMBUG meetings have ended quite late. This has allowed
> people time to do things in a relaxed fashion. I don't feel this should
> change while there are members willing and able to stay later and pack up
> at meetings.

Note that I'm suggesting the network shutdown and cleanup commence at
ten thirty, the meeting would keep going until eleven. I certainly
don't want to lose the relaxed, laid back nature of the meetings. Is
there really something that you can do in five hours that you can't do
in three?

> While it is a requirement for there to always be an exec member present at
> a meeting, perhaps only those members willing to stay and pack up
> occasionally should consider nominating.

This is my main beef. It should not be a requirement to be a insomniac
to be an exec member. Packing up the meetings should not be the main
task that an exec agrees to, it should be a minor inconvenience, a
side show. The fact that the current, highly competent, executive
finds this task difficult to share around, means that the bar is set
too high.

> I attend almost every meeting and often stay quite late and am quite happy to pack up.
> There is also no reason that every exec member needs to pack up, as long as it is made
> clear before they join the exec.

I would certainly encourage every humbug member to think about what
they can do for the club, from things like volunteering for the uq
computer museum, software freedom day, the distro server, hosing David
down occasionally, to serving on the executive. I think it would be a
mistake to allow exec people to opt out of packing up.

> I'm tired of hearing how we need to close up the meetings earlier. If you
> are unable to fulfil the roles of an exec member you either need to
> clearly state this when being elected as other exec members have
> previously done or think very carefully about whether you should run.

I completely agree. I am trying to lower the burdens placed on exec
members such that more people can fulfil them.

> David Seikel has packed up almost every meeting within the past twelve
> months and I know this because I'm frequently there helping him. I'm happy
> to be nominated for election to the exec again if this will help.

I know this, and am full of admiration for David's hard work. I
completely support him in receiving reimbursments for cab fares home.
I've had to eat humble pie over how well he's performed while on the
executive. I look forward to nominating you at the agm :)

cheers,
-- 
Clinton Roy
www.acqao.org - ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics
www.humbug.org.au  - Brisbane Unix Group
azure.humbug.org.au/~croy/blog - Blog
www.flickr.com/photos/croy/ - Photos