Membership Renewal Decision:

I was at the Hartford Symposium, before the gigantic blowup... I want to go to the next one, and I know that the only way that I can do that is if I am a member. I also REALLY enjoy the Journal (when it finally gets here) and I don't want to have to start over with a new number, passwords and stuff, so, UNDER PROTEST, I'm going to renew my membership.
Protesting what???
The unanswered questions made to the Bod, the Ethics Committee, et al. Unless these issues have been addressed since I started typing this, I'm still waiting to have most of them acknowledged, let alone answered.

In the beginning, I was vocal and overly pointed. Since Mary asked us to, I have been mostly quiet. This is my last attempt to point out that I am still unhappy with the status quo and that all future renewals are subject to the resolution of my (and those of many others) concerns...

There are more than 12 months to address these issues for me now. If they are not going to be addressed, I feel STRONGLY that I'll just have to attend other symposia, gather and share my thoughts, feelings about woodturning on the many other avenues available in the years to come.

 

You don't have to be a member to attend a symposium. However it does save you money if you are. We're glad to have you. Of course the magazine is great and getting better all the time.
As for the Board. We'll have to see how it works out in the next year. If it doesn't then as a member you have the right to vote and change things.
The absolutely #1 reason I am a member is because the AAW is the biggest voice when it comes to woodturning education. I support that immensly.

 

Issues about the Board have been placed with the Ethics Committee, but there seems to be an overly simplistic view of the situation. That Committee will, to do things properly, have to bring out not simply what was done (or not done) but also why. Answering the "why" questions will take way more time than the people who filed the 'complaint' anticipated, and, I'll wager, will involve bringing facts to light that more than a few people will wish had been left undisturbed. But it's more than a little late to unring the bell, so this set of questions or issues will continue to drag on.

Members are, of course, perfectly entitled to "vote with their feet", and, as John points out, the Annual Symposium is open to all. What members save on a general admission registration has usually been the price of their membership dues, so it's sort of a zero sum game.

The American Woodturner we can all buy on a good magazine rack, where I've seen it more than a few times before my copy arrived in the mail.

 

Clearing up one of many misconceptions (this is an easy one) – the price of symposium admission for a non-member includes one year’s membership in AAW.

 

John,
In a lot of situations (in life) what we have as choices in voting are not necessarily reflective of our actual concerns:
"Would you like the belt or a switch?" How about "We need to talk.?" Not on the ballot? I don't know if I said it yet, but I didn't vote this time. Disillusionment was so strong that I just couldn't bring myself to pick from a list that I knew too little about or already had an issue with.
Walking "with my feet" will become a last resort. Selfish motives on every front, do I honor my values or do I get the magazine and the other benefits from membership, in spite of my misgivings?

Mark,
Ed says the difference IS the Membership. It is a zero sum game there.
Part of my decision WAS based on the reasonable likelihood that getting answers might take longer than my "patience" was allowing.
I'm not going to rehash any of this, but I'm willing to see the facts, hear the answers, be they reasons or excuses and move forward.
I agree that there is a lot of good done by the Association, across a wide spectrum of individuals, but my core concern is, what to me looks like, the stain on our organization caused by the who and why of all of this.

It's about all of the lessons being learned here. The turning aspect is important, but, to me, the moral underpinnings, openness, accountability are paramount. Its personal, because I can do good for other turners in a variety of ways. I don't have to belong to any organization to do it. This one is my first choice, but only if the values I hold are consistent with those of the people who "represent" me in it.