Dear LSMSA alums: The LSMSA Alumni Association (LSMSAAA) soon will hold elections to identify a new slate of officers interested in leading their fellow alums. The organization has varied in its level of activity over the years, but even during the times when it has been passive the very fact of its existence has been important. Keeping LSMSAAA alive means that current administrators of our school always have alumni leaders on whom they can call when the school needs help, and it means that in the future we would have an independent voice if negative developments at Louisiana School threaten to undermine the value of our own diplomas. If you still care about your alma mater and can devote a relatively minor amount of time toward community service, therefore, I hope you will consider putting your name forward as a potential officer. The deadline for declaring your candidacy is March 15. To nominate yourself, all you need to do is contact Acting Recording Secretary Steve Voss at dsvoss@uky.edu or at the mailing address listed at the end of this message. You also are welcome to contact me to discuss the LSMSAAA and its leadership positions, either by calling my cell (859-333-0423) or by emailing me to set up an IM-Message session if you do that sort of thing (I'm just learning it myself). But for now I'll give you the basic information that you need to make a decision. The LSMSAAA Executive Council consists of five offices (http://www.lsmsaaa.org/lsmsaaa/const98.htm), each of which must be filled by an active member of the LSMSAAA (although you can pay dues now if your membership has become inactive): PRESIDENT - The main public face of the Alumni Association. The only concrete, regular responsibilities are budgeting the LSMSAAA's general fund, communicating periodically with alumni, and serving on the LSMSA Board of directors (see Louisiana RS 17:1964, point (15) http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=80073). However, the office is extremely flexible and past presidents have found numerous ways to work with the school administration and with Louisiana's political bodies to help the school. Because of the board position, the president should have the ability to travel to Nachitoches to attend regular meetings (minutes from recent board meetings http://www.lsmsa.edu/content.cfm?id=278). VICE PRESIDENT - Other than being available to serve in the President's absence or incapacity, the VP is also the Alumni Association's elections officer. When an election is held, ballots go to the Vice President, who announces the results. The VP also considers charter applications if Louisiana School graduates wish to set up a special chapter of the Alumni Association. Very few duties indeed in a typical year. TREASURER - This individual holds the organization's purse strings. In addition to collecting dues and keeping track of people's membership status, the Treasurer must approve any spending decisions made by other LSMSAAA officers and provide a report on the LSMSAAA's finances twice per year. Not much more complicated than maintaining an active bank account. RECORDING SECRETARY - This officer collects information about the Louisiana School and about graduates of the school and communicates that information to active members of the organization, sometimes through electronic mail or websites and sometimes on paper, using a portion of the LSMSAAA budget specifically set aside for such purposes. The secretary's other main duty is to archive any LSMSAAA information that might be needed later. NATCHITOCHES LIAISON - Someone who resides within 75 miles of Natchitoches and is willing to contribute to the Alumni Association's efforts when they need help from someone who lives in the region. This officers tends not to have any responsibilities unless the members of the Executive Council wish to hold a meeting at the school, in which case having someone on the scene really helps. These offices have four-year terms, should you be able and willing to serve that long, but the LSMSAAA Constitution anticipated high officer turnover and so set up convenient ways to replace people between elections. If you're only certain that you could serve for a shorter time period, such as two years, you should not disqualify yourself as long as you're willing to do a good job and eventually seek a replacement. As I hope you can see, the LSMSAAA really does not ask much from its leaders, although we certainly hope to see the offices (and especially the presidency) taken by people who desire to do more than the bare minimum. If you can spare some time to contribute to the organization, please let me know of your interest and availability for one or more of these offices. Yours, steve voss LSMSAAA Acting Recording Secretary ________________________ Assoc. Prof. D. Stephen Voss 1639 Patterson Office Tower Dept. of Political Science Univ. of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506-0027 Office: (859)257-4313 FAX: (859)257-7034 http://www.uky.edu/~dsvoss