SEGS

 NEW!   2010 Annual Report to the GCAGS

NEW EVENTS   SEGS Field Trip to Lake Wales Ridge Sand Mines, Oct.16

                         November 20 – Field Trip to the Fl. Panhandle/Alum Bluff

Proposed 2010 Revisions to the SEGS Constitution

During the SEGS 2010 Annual Meeting on May 14th we discussed proposing revisions to the old and outdated Society constitution. Following that discussion, the Executive Committee has now drafted a revised Constitution which has been mailed to Society members along with a ballot to vote on the revisions. We will be accepting return ballots through the month of October 2010 and will announce the results to our members by email notice and through this webpage. We wish that every member seriously considers and understands the need for revising the document – it is long overdue. Rest assured, the proposed revisions were carefully deliberated on and crafted prior to being sent to the membership for a vote.

The proposed changes to the Constitution cover many aspects of how the society conducts business, including the make up of the Executive Committee, the official fiscal year of the SEGS, and how we will communicate with our members in the future. We are still trying to move the Society into the electonic age and allow for ballots and other business correspondence to be handled via the Internet. Just doing this requires revisions to the Constitution. Also of great importance is formally establishing the current annual dues amounts in the Constitution so we can continue to run the Society in a legitimate manner and provide improved benefits to our members.

Because the current Constitution is so outdated, the Executive Committee decided to seek adoption the revisions with two separate questions on the ballot. It seems a bit complicated but we believe it was best to ask a separate question for the proposed membership dues increase which, if approved, would not go into effect until 2012. We hope our members agree that a dues increase will greatly improve the viability of the SEGS as an organization. Either way, the second question on the ballot is necessary for approving either the proposed dues increase in 2012, or establishing the current dues amount in the constitution language. We hope our members understand the ballot question language and how it references the specific articles in either the current (1984) or proposed (2010) constitution documents. If there are any concerns about the ballot language, please contact us for clarification.

It’s never a good time to ask for an increase in membership dues, but it goes without saying that the SEGS can a reach much greater potential with additional operating capital. We have had discussions about funding a scholarship for geology students, continuing to pursue the distribution of geologic maps through the Maps in Schools program, and offering more high-quality field trips for our members. There are also additional operating expenses that we will have to cover in the future as the SEGS moves ahead.

We would always like to hear from you in for input and feedback, so please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@segs.org and we will post the comments we receive, where appropriate. Thank you for your continued interest in the SEGS, and we hope to see many of you in November at our Fall Field Trip!