Greetings all.
This is the email that I have been meaning to write for the past couple
weeks. Hopefully this clears up what may need to be cleared up. and
helps us progress towards a satisfying end goal. I'm sending this out
to both the Reno Linux Users Group (RLUG) and the Reno Area Wireless
Users Group (RAWUG) lists since there may be the 1-2 people that are on
one list but not the other. For those of you receiving duplicates I
apologize.
Most of this stuff is off of the top of my head, so I also apologize if
it reads like someone crazy wrote it. If you respond to this email
PLEASE place your comments after the quoted section that you are
commenting on, and try to limit what you quote to what you're responding
to. Also please post this back to the lists so that we can have full
discussion.
History
In 1998 Jay MacDonald and myself founded the Reno Linux Users Group.
The purpose of the organization was Open Source advocacy and to get
out and socialize with like minds.
At that time (and to the present) we wanted to create a 501c3
organization for the group to operate under. The funds collected by
the organization would be used to fund speakers, and other worth
while endeavours that the group would support.
The initial (and afaik current) officers of the group are:
President: Sam Phillips
Treasurer: Dennis Bagley
Secretary: Peter Neves
As the group has operated over the past years Jay and myself have
taken care of the doing meetings, taught classes, making
announcements, scheduling speakers, updating the website, and
correspondance; Dennis has kept track of the books; and Peter shows
up to meetings on occasion.
Through an arrangement with Aztech Cyberspace (now merged with
Twelve Horses North America) the money that was made from the Linux
classes that Jay and I taught at TMCC was to be given to RLUG.
In September 2002 a group of individual involved in RLUG started a
new group, the Reno Area Wireless Users Group. As part of the
City of Reno's ReTRAC project there was going to be a 2 mile
corridor of 802.11b wireless set up along the UP track through
downtown Reno. Parties involved with RAWUG and the ReTRAC project
felt that it was in the communities best interest if this wireless
was open for public Internet access.
RAWUG also was contemplating getting non-profit status. RAWUG
planned on using the donations to help build a publically available
wireless network accesible in the Reno/Sparks/??? area.
As part of working towards non-profit status the group elected the
following officers:
President: Mark Ballew
Alternate: Chris Neitzert
Secretary: Amber Verden
Current/Future Status
The reason for all of this hullabaloo is that by the end of this
year I will no longer be able to serve as the RLUG president. I
will be living in the San Francisco area for an indeterminate amount
of time going to school, and whatever may happen after that. It's
all together possible that I may come back years in The Future.
But before I go I would like to see RLUG in a state where someone
else can take over, and then someone else can take over, and then on
to infinity. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get this in a
mostly completed state as soon as possible.
It would be great if RAWUG has the same stuff in place as well. It
would also be great if both organizations can have their non-profit
status so that their larger goals can be fulfilled as well. To
address these needs I believe the creation of an umbrella
organization should be created with both groups as Special Interest
Groups underneath it.
I'm currently calling this organization the Northern Nevada Computer
Society. I liberated and modified the bylaws from a similar group
that the SVLUG and a few other groups are forming in the San Jose
area. Open Office and HTML versions are here:
http://www.dasbistro.com/~sam/nncs/
To help acheive these goals RAWUG has suspended any changes in
officers (by consensus vote at the last meeting.)
Currently RLUG is owed $3400 from Twelve Horses North America as
part of the classes that Jay and myself taught at TMCC.
Both groups currently host their sites on completely separate
machines that are owned by different individuals. It may be in the
best interest of the group to obtain the hardware for having our own
machine that can do email, web, and whatever else we need to have
done. We may be able to get such a machine from THNA as payment for
part of the money owed to RLUG.
Outstanding Issues
- Ideas? Any ideas or specific concerns please speak up and send it
to the lists. We need existing "member" input now before we end
up screwing something up.
- Twelve Horses North America owes RLUG $3400. Ideas on getting
these funds?
- Should we get a server?
- Need Article of Incorporation.
- Need to approve Corporate Bylaws.
- Need initial Board of Directors. How should we go about doing
this? I'm leaning towards whoever volunteers gets it right now.
There should be representation from both groups though.
- File 501c3.
It reads fairly simple in email, but there is quite a bit to do. And people to
look this over and help out are welcome. If anyone wants to meet to discuss
this or give me a call please do.
(C) 775-843-4114
(W) 775-332-3000x3224
--
Sam Phillips <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.dasbistro.com
Reno Nevada
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