Don't know if the Town Hall was recorded. It would probably be helpful if it were for those that weren't able to participate.
One thing worth mentioning regarding potential lack of care is that a non-trivial number of members don't live in Huntsville where the majority of events are. So while GHS may have X number of members, some of them are sufficiently far from where section activities occur that the section isn't relevant.
I do agree that there is risk with not passing the bylaws including loss of funds and even up to dissolution of the section. Perhaps I have missed it, but I would be interested in hearing what the proposed bylaws contain that is so important that READ would be willing to defund and potentially disband one of the largest and most awarded sections.
Yes, having cash on hand is oftentimes required to front the money even for profitable events. However, based on the amounts provided in the townhall, GHS has 50% more in reserve than it did two years ago. So it seems that if we had enough money available to front events, then we should have enough now. I am pleased to hear that there are thoughts as to what to do with the national funds moving forward, but it seems to me that as it currently stands, the situation is portrayed as an urgency that does not exist.
With respect to portions of member dues being sent somewhere else, how much of the non-Huntsville member dues go to events in those areas? Judging by the emails, it seems that most occurs in Huntsville. In fairness, this is where the majority of the members are, but it still is similar to dues going somewhere else. I like the idea of educator and student travel grants and senior design projects. That could be a great way to make the section relevant to areas outside Huntsville.
Engage could be a useful tool for the GHS website but could be replaced (it doesn't feel that long ago that GHS had its own site). As it stands, there are documents hosted there with very few views. Looking at the GHS library, most of the recent documents posted have 5 or fewer views.
While this post is a little (or a lot) rambling, my overall view can be summed up this way - it's the members and their vision that make the section. Whether or not GHS receives resources or national doesn't matter without invested membership with a vision of what could be. Tracie's ideas for growth and outreach are great. And in my opinion, even if GHS loses the national money, ideas like those will result in growth and investment that will make up for anything lost from national.
Original Message:
Sent: 23 Mar, 2022 09:34
From: Timothy Kibbey
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Quick question: was the TownHall recorded, and if so will it be released to members?
I appreciate the back-and-forth, and the investment several of you have made to understand this more deeply than I, and especially glad that I was reached out to personally, else I would not be aware. But like many things I'm busy and put off thinking about it until closer to the Apr 6 deadline to vote. So, when I couldn't rearrange things to join the TownHall, I was hopeful that I'd have more time to consider the arguments. I wouldn't be surprised if that goes for 80 or so of us (though it's normal for the majority in an org like this to not understand the stakes or care).
Thanks.
Tim
------------------------------
Timothy Kibbey
Sr Engineer
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville AL
(801)920-0054
Original Message:
Sent: 23 Mar, 2022 08:42
From: Tracie Prater
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Thanks for weighing in and I do understand that a lot of people carry the scars of P&E being cancelled.
I would add a couple of points here as a voter for consideration (again stating this in my personal capacity as a voter).
Yes, you heard on the town hall that GHS has a good amount in the GHS bank account and can "weather the storm" if there are financial penalties, but there are things I think the section could do that additional funding would help immensely with. For example, GHS used to have a local conference for young professionals (which was rebranded as NextGen Symposium). It would be nice to see GHS start that again. There is a GHS member with an idea for student and educator travel grants and also senior design project sponsorship -- additional funding lets GHS perhaps execute that. I would like to see GHS do a holiday STEM toy drive for local underserved students. GHS could also add more scholarship offerings or sponsor additional competitions. It's also kind of circular -- GHS generates revenue from awards and sponsorships that come with events, but funding enables us to have the events in the first place. And how do GHS members feel if portions of their member dues are sent somewhere else? GHS does great work at the section level and then can't be recognized for that with awards.
I think the ambivalence here (if it exists based on only 20 or so people showing up to a town hall) may be because people don't really understand the stakes. The information we learned at the town hall regarding "not in good standing" with noncompliance on up to date bylaws should make everyone take this really seriously, in my view, but not everyone knows about it. I think the multi-year history here and that all other sections have adopted this help explain some of the context too.
And as far as Engage goes, it probably isn't used as much as it should be. It's a powerful platform with wide reach. But the GHS website is actually on Engage. Events and RSVPs are created there. Section documents, including meeting meetings, are housed there. Really everything the section does is hosted on this platform. Certainly there are other options, but Engage is what AIAA has set up for GHS as a member of the institute.
But I very much ike your challenge to "do more" if we get to keep our national funding. There are a lot of great ideas that can be executed, for sure.
------------------------------
Tracie Prater
Original Message:
Sent: 22 Mar, 2022 19:12
From: Matthew Hitt
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Regarding the bylaws discussion, I would like to make an encouragement, an observation, and a challenge.
First, I would like to encourage a no vote on the proposed bylaws. Passing the new bylaws would result in a loss of autonomy, and with autonomy, you don't know what you've lost until it is too late. This was seen when the new national constitution eliminated any member driven recourse when the Propulsion & Energy Forum was eliminated. Perhaps the new section bylaws won't result in any problems, but if they do, it will be too late.
Second, it honestly seems that either way, the bylaws decision won't have much effect for the regular members. Yes, the section will lose national funds, but for the past two years, the section has banked about the amount that has been received from national AIAA. So at least recently, the loss of that money wouldn't affect any scholarships, etc. because it isn't being used. Also, Engage will still be available for section members – just not the section. Looking at the participation in the GHS section of the forum, that doesn't appear like it will impact that much. On the other hand, the same could be said for autonomy. While autonomy can be beneficial, it is a valid question as to what autonomy gives the section that wouldn't be available without it. Lastly, lest I be perceived as painting with too broad a brush that the result won't have an impact on the ordinary membership, I observed that about only 20 of the 800 section members were in the townhall. Whichever side wins, that's a significant number of members that presumably don't see the section bylaws as a significant effect on their AIAA experience.
Finally, the challenge. Whichever side ends up winning the bylaws vote should work towards making the above observation not true. If the bylaws pass and the section continues to receive money from national, there should be a plan for additional scholarships, outreaches, or activities to use the money. If the bylaws fail and autonomy is retained, a plan should be made to maximize what is possible such as growing the symposium, adding a journal, or something outside the box. Either outcome, the section has done good work in the past and has the potential for a great future.
------------------------------
Matthew Hitt
U.S. Army SMDC
Huntsville AL
(256) 683-1493
Original Message:
Sent: 22 Mar, 2022 06:45
From: Tracie Prater
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Disclaimer: This is written only in my personal capacity as a general member of AIAA.
I wanted to offer a few additional thoughts and reflections following last night's GHS bylaws forum. Many thanks to our chair Theresa for organizing this event. It was an excellent discussion and there was civility displayed throughout. I know for many (myself included) it was good to have a place to express ideas and emotions in what felt like a healthy, safe environment.
I wanted to post this document in Engage. It is an overlay of our current GHS bylaws (from 2011) with the standard bylaws that you are being asked to consider with your vote. Strikethroughs (what is removed from our current bylaws) are in red and additions are in green. I find this document very helpful whenever a question comes up about how our operations will change with adoption of the standard bylaws. It's a "just the facts, ma'am" version.
Last night I came away with a new way of framing the issue. Someone had brought up to me earlier that we are and should always strive to be a member-focused organization. To me being a member-focused organization means (in part) recognizing that we are part of a much broader community within the institute. Within AIAA, we are a section that is part of a region (region II, southeast). We are also part of a national institute. The poet John Donne wrote that "no man is an island entire of itself." Our section and section members aren't an island either – we exist within the framework of a larger organization.
I would also encourage voters to think about "what benefits the GHS community" when they consider this issue. I do want to caveat the following questions I pose below by saying that I appreciate the time and effort that went into analysis of bylaws by the current and previous councils. Amendments to bylaws going forward (with adoption) will now be subject to national approval and adoption. That changes one aspect of operations of our section in that members no longer have the final authority over bylaws (although you will still vote on changes).
I simply ask if there are benefits to accepting this change (and the other changes) in the standard bylaws. Does it benefit the community to continue to dwell in analysis and even intense conflict (this issue has a 4-5 year history) over bylaws which are now standard across the institute? Does it benefit the community to continue to ask our volunteers to expend a lot of time and energy into this effort given that we have been told the time for negotiation and inputs to this document have passed? Does it benefit our community to reject this document and see some of the privileges our members receive potentially stripped away by being a section that is not in good standing? Does it benefit us to operate the same way as all other sections across the institute? These are questions that came to my mind last night as I listened to the diverse views on this issue. I can't think of anything I see GHS currently doing in terms of events, scholarships, outreach, and engagements that benefit the membership which would be impeded by adoption of standard bylaws.
Someone on the forum last night shifted the conversation from penalties (which we have talked a lot about) to privileges. It has been my privilege to be a volunteer in this organization and participate in AIAA both personally and professionally. It is a privilege to be able to submit the work that our organization does to Aerospace America and share it with the global community in print. It is a privilege to receive funding from our member dues that enable us to give scholarships, host awards dinners that recognize our members' achievements, and organize STEM outreach events like the upcoming Quiz Bowl tournament. It is a privilege to compete for section awards and be recognized for the work we do at the local level. It is a privilege to use Engage and connect with our GHS community online as I am doing now. These are all privileges we receive (in my view) by following the framework and rules established by the institute.
Please know that this is written in my personal capacity only as a general member of AIAA. . At this point, I only ask that we as a GHS community consider this and vote. I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to state my personal views here without fear of reprisal. You can see in the document how bylaws are changing, but I also think it is important to know the full potential consequences of a "no" vote. If we become a section not in good standing by rejecting standard bylaws (and thereby being the only section that is noncompliant with the governance structure of the institute), that makes our community members vulnerable to losing some of the privileges of their membership and participation in GHS.
I want to close with the mission and vision statements for AIAA and ask again "What moves us forward as a community?"
AIAA exists to help aerospace professionals and their organizations succeed. AIAA's vision is to be the voice of the aerospace profession through innovation, technical excellence, and global leadership.
Thank you again for letting me have a voice as a member in this organization and to continue to be a part of this community that has meant so much to me over the years. I recognize there are those who will disagree with this or feel I have not captured the issue correctly. This is an incredibly difficult situation we are in. It has become an emotional one for me and I hope that you will respect my position. I have been scared to speak up sometimes in the course of all this, but I know that we all have a voice and we shouldn't ever feel afraid to use it. I encourage you to share your own views here as well.
I see this as the singular, most critical issue facing our GHS members going forward. I care a lot about the section. When I moved to Huntsville in 2013, AIAA was the singular organization that helped me integrate into the community. Many of my best memories outside of work in Huntsville have been volunteering with AIAA. Whatever the outcome of this vote, I will continue to be an active member of AIAA and strive to do good in our AIAA aerospace community at all levels.
AIAA GHS Ballot
------------------------------
Tracie Prater
Original Message:
Sent: 18 Mar, 2022 08:26
From: Tracie Prater
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Thanks for starting this thread, Mark! This is a very important issue that all our members within GHS need to vote on.
Original Message:
Sent: 16 Mar, 2022 21:37
From: Mark Becnel
Subject: GHS Bylaws Chat
Duplicate post. Engage messed me up!