| Inside InterLoc |
|
| |
Question from the Editor Follow-up, from August 2009, November 1, 2009
|
| |
InterLoc asked:
Members clamor for information and answers from the AMC. When they do get it, it's often pooh-poohed and not believed because it's coming from the AMC. Is this fair? Is there a practical solution that will satisfy the membership and the AMC?
|
|
| |
Annual Gatherings Follow-up, November 1, 2009
|
| |
In August, I wrote that there was a differential registration rate, with non-members having to pay $10 extra for the 2006 World Gathering AG in Orlando, the 2008 Denver AG and the 2009 Pittsburgh AG, a policy instituted by the National Office as a "member benefit" prior to the 2006 Gathering. This isn't the whole truth!
|
|
| |
Mind Games Follow-up, November 1, 2009
|
| |
In the August 2009 InterLoc, Clifford Miller wrote about Mensa's Mind Games® event. The thrust of his article was that non-members, the companions or spouses of members attending, were not permitted to share in the distribution of the games used.
|
|
|
| |
Only Fools Volunteer, October 1, 2009
|
| |
"Only fools volunteer!" That’s what they told you in military basic training, right? Perhaps that was true in the Army, where volunteers risk their lives or reputations, but what about in Mensa — where all you’re risking is a few hours of your time?
|
|
| |
SIG: GenX — An Update, October 1, 2009
|
| |
The 2010 Annual Gathering will be hosted by the GenX Special Interest Group (SIG). It’s therefore the perfect time to have an InterLoc article about the SIG.
|
|
| |
The ADMENSA Lawsuit, September 1, 2009
|
| |
Clifton E. McCann, Metro Washington Mensa, Intellectual Property Counsel to American Mensa: I have been asked to reply to the August InterLoc 2009 article regarding the ADMENSA trademark litigation.
|
|
| |
Hotel contracts: The Ten Commandments, July 1, 2009
|
| |
We’re living in tough economic times. Hotels are hurting because they are losing significant revenues. The easiest answer is to tighten up their new contracts and slip in some profit bombs. So, “Caveat, Mensan Negotiator.” Here are the Ten Commandments of walking into a hotel sales office.
|
|
| |
LDWs and retreats: One size doesn't fit all, July 1, 2009
|
| |
The purpose of an LDW is to educate members about the different aspects of running a Mensa Local Group.... We also have one-day Retreats. Their purpose is to get the members of a Local Group, working together as a team, to identify areas where the Local Group could improve, then to set goals and decide how to meet them.
|
|
| |
The little town that could, May 1, 2009
|
| |
On National Testing Day 2008, 38 people took the Mensa test. That put Dickinson, N.D., #8 in the nation, testing more people than Phoenix or Boston.... We now have 16 members with Dickinson addresses. We’ve had two meetings since test day, with 12 people present both times.
|
|
|
| |
Assistant RVCs — Underfunded, Undefined and Underutilized, April 23, 2009
|
| |
One of the greatest challenges our Regional Vice Chairs (RVCs) face is the duality of the position— they are at once both directors on the AMC (our national board of directors) and representatives of their regions, responsible not only to the individual members but the local groups. This duality can often make the job difficult, if not impossible.
|
|
| |
Mensa Elections and Favoritism, April 23, 2009
|
| |
As a life member of Mensa I firmly resent having our election ballots in any other sequence other than alphabetical by last name by office. You will note this “favoritism” in our last Mensa election.
|
|
| |
Mediation, April 24, 2009
|
| |
Many groups have someone in an Ombudsman
role although the title may vary. This article applies to all those folks, whatever their appellation. One of the questions I'm regularly asked in my volunteer role as Denver Mensa’s Ombudsman is "What exactly do you do?" While there is no one all-encompassing answer, dictionary.com does provide a
good definition of an Ombudsman: Someone who investigates complaints and mediates fair settlements, especially between aggrieved parties such as consumers or students and an institution or organization.
|
|
| |
Who Will YOU Bring?, April 24, 2009
|
| |
I have to admit that Mensans often baffle me in interesting or unexpected ways, most often in quite amusing and enjoyable ways. Unfortunately, the most recent occurrence of this involves something far removed from enjoyable. I refer to a motion passed at the last American Mensa Committee (AMC) meeting which specifies that suspended and expelled members may not attend Mensa events, even as guests of members in good standing. The logic of this motion (ASIE) escapes me completely.
|
|
| |
Member Petition Proposal, February 1, 2009
|
| |
For some time, several members have observed problems regarding American Mensa’s "judicial system." National Hearings Committees decide members’ fates but are populated by the very people who create the rules (AMC) rather than by independent folk. A fundamentally fair and balanced system is not in place, and the rights of the accused member are not visibly foremost on the NHC’s mind. We have a process that neither gives appropriate notice of specific charges being brought against the accused nor lays out a specific threshold of damage to Mensa necessary for hearings to proceed.
|
|
| |
Hearings Process Review Committee Proposal, February 1, 2009
|
| |
It would be wonderful if Mensa-level intelligence was always coupled with acceptable social behavior and nothing but the best interests of all fellow members. Unfortunately, on a relatively few occasions in Mensa’s history such has not been the case. Mensa must have a way of dealing with those who would harm it, as must any membership society. While the existing hearings process has served to protect Mensa from such members, there is always room for improvement.
|
|
| |
SIGHT: The Best Mensa Benefit?, February 1, 2009
|
| |
You have plans to visit a location that you haven’t been to before, but you want the "real" facts on the attractions that are hyped. The solution can be found in one of the best benefits of Mensa membership — Service for Information, Guidance, and Hospitality to Travelers— SIGHT, as it’s known around the world.
|
|
| |
AMC Confidentiality and the Nature of Mensa, November 11, 2008
|
| |
The Mensa Constitution provides guidance as to why Mensa exists. The first section, The Nature of Mensa, states that one role Mensa fills is to “[provide] a forum for intellectual exchange among members.” The expectation is that members will participate in their own governance. InterLoc provides one such forum.
|
|
| |
Video Link — Another Way To Involve Members, November 11, 2008
|
| |
I became the president of South Texas Mensa in January 2007, adopting the mantra of “infinite possibilities.” My goal was to provide as many interesting ways for members to interact as I could that were rational, inexpensive and likely to be supported. That’s ongoing, with success.
|
|
| |
The importance of informal electronic communication, November 11, 2008
|
| |
Let’s face it, at 37 I hardly qualify for “spring chicken” status, but having a dozen nieces and nephews and going back to school with kids barely half my age, I have learned one thing: If you want to grab the attention of the younger crowd — you’re gonna have to type.
|
|
| |
Build a Better Group with Meetup.com, October 13, 2008
|
| |
Our Local Group already has a monthly newsletter and a regular Web site. After some consideration, we added a Meetup.com Web site to announce meetings and receive reservations for them.
|
|
| |
Toward a Vibrant Election within Mensa, October 13, 2008
|
| |
It is time to pose the question, "how will voters learn of the assets and liabilities of the candidates for regional and national offices?"
|
|
| |
School Is Not Real Life, August 4, 2008
|
| |
Everyone knows that the reason we put children in school by age for their instruction is that there are centuries of excellent research that proves this is the most effective way for children to learn, right? Well, no, actually, there is no such research at all.
|
|
| |
Exceeding the Rothstein Limit, August 4, 2008
|
| |
If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely among a small cadre of volunteers whose service to Mensa in hours is measured with more than one trailing zero. But the sad fact of life is that the return you receive (or want to receive) does not always reflect your contribution.
|
|
| |
Why Did The AMC Decide to Raise Dues?, June 1, 2008
|
| |
At the March meeting, the AMC agenda included a proposal to increase annual dues from $52 to $59 effective for the 2009-2010 membership year. We know that members will have questions about the need and reasons for this increase, so we wanted to take advantage of Interloc as the means to anticipate member concerns and questions.
|
|
| |
Sea Change?, June 1, 2008
|
| |
One of the things I receive as RVC is a report on local group demographics: the percentage of the members in each group who are Millenium members, Boomers, Gen-X, Gen-Y and so forth. I also receive the same report on local group officers, plus the same statistics on new members. Plus, I receive many newsletters so I can keep track of what activities groups offer their members.
|
|
| |
Personalize your online Mensa experience, June 1, 2008
|
| |
Having trouble finding a specific area on one of our Web sites? Know where you want to go but hate the trip to get there? We have the answer for you --
|
|
| |
Groupthink and the AMC, June 1, 2008
|
| |
Some are worried that the goal of collegiality on the AMC precludes active disagreement and leads to groupthink.
|
|
|
