response 56 of 299:

Aug 26 20:05 UTC 2002

resp:48 - I don't spend a whole lot of mental energy on insults for 
people who don't deserve the attention, so I'm going to to speak solely 
on the topic you had the lack of class to perpetuate.  Since you've 
never given anything remotely resembling a coherent argument to link my 
post to a xenophobic mindset, your opinion has little substance.   Once 
more for the record, are you or or are you not posting such an 
accusation?
_________________________________________
Sapna, WCC is Washtenaw Community College. Other answered the other 
question.

response 58 of 299:

Aug 26 20:19 UTC 2002

I *do* agree that something should be in place before this happens, 
instead of crossing bridge when the BOD comes to it, as there are 
several issues that, ideally, should be addresse.  This would likely 
cause serious churn if the issue isn't resolved until an "out-of-
towner" gets elected.  Look how long it takes to get quarum every month.

response 60 of 299:

Aug 26 20:36 UTC 2002

The factors which weigh on the decision are primarily the current state 
of technology which would allow a nonlocal board member to have a 
functional presence at a meeting, and the cost of implementation.  Since 
these factors are impossible to determine in advance, any effort to 
decide a course of implementation in advance is a waste of time, in my 
considered opinion.

I do not believe there is significant opposition, in principle, to the 
election of nonlocal board members, all other things being equal.  So, 
the process of dealing with such a situation would not be ideological, 
but practical.  Which technology to employ, and how to handle the cost, 
not whether to do something.  I do not believe there is any reasonable 
basis for fears that an elected board member would be left out in the 
cold because of either action or inaction on the part of either the rest 
of the board or of the membership.

response 62 of 299:

Aug 26 21:28 UTC 2002

Speaker phones and phone calls are cheap.  I don't think cost is an issue.

I used to be a member of the Arbornet (M-Net) board.  One of the things we
noticed was that online interaction among the board members had all the
pitfalls of, well, online interaction.  Face-to-face meetings brought out
the best in people, and disputes which seemed intractable online were
worked out easily in person.  Thus, I would be opposed to using "party" or
similar text mode for board meetings.  I suppose that voice conferencing
is better, even if not quite as good as face-to-face. 

Grex's community is far more geographically dispersed than ever before,
and it makes sense that its leadership (at least the board) reflect that.

response 66 of 299:

Aug 27 00:28 UTC 2002

Could a conference call thingie work for multiple board members
participating at the same time?  Would these same remote board 
members be able to carry out the duties of president, secretary and
treasurer?  And how expensive would it be to have a multiple remote
site conference call for 2 hours?

The concept is interesting but I'd really like to see the details
of how it would come together, be fair to all, and affordable.