You can’t turn on a television these days without seeing political ads or a news report about the latest primary (and don’t get me started on how Colorado doesn’t have primaries and therefore I personally had no say at all in selection of presidential candidates). As I write this, the presumption is that it will be a Trump-Clinton race in November. If you look around you’ll also see that people are googling how to move to Canada if one or the other candidate wins. I also subscribe to a site promoting Irish tourism, which has been telling me that there are more than a few towns there actually advertising that they’ll welcome Americans who want to leave the country after the election. Really? They’d give up on a whole country, a whole way of life, because of who is occupying the White House? I’m not sure I’m quite ready to throw that baby out with that bath water.
We in CSI have a bylaws referendum this month, our chance to vote on what are mostly procedural clean-up issues. Maybe this doesn’t have quite the impact on the free world as the national election or even your local government elections, but it matters. You should have received the email about how to vote, and it’s very likely that even before that you saw emails and Social Media conversations about it, almost all in favor of the changes. Our own Daniel Hargreaves posted a commentary here worthy of consideration. I won’t say that I agree or disagree – that’s beyond the scope of this missive. But, there are pros and cons with this change, and you have to read about the changes and what’s being said about them, and then vote what you believe to be the best option. Check out Daniel’s article, look for the proposed bylaws changes at www.csinet.org, and be sure to vote.
Of course, by the time you read this message you may have already voted, or at least perhaps have already decided how you’ll vote. But, if the vote doesn’t go the way you’d like, what will your reaction be? I’m sure most of us would see it as radical to leave CSI because of this, but are we willing to work at improving the organization within the framework we’re given? It’s our Institute, and only we have the power to make it better. I could say that the purpose of the Institute is to serve the members – that’s what I believe, really, and if we aren’t providing the service to you and me as members then we have no function. If you’re not happy with the way things are going, in the chapter or at the Institute, we want to know how we can improve. It doesn’t have to be drastic. One of the most obvious things that your input can affect is our monthly meetings. The board members of CSINext believe that we provide a good variety of program topics. This year, we’ve had presentations on choosing glass, video walls, volume solids in paints, writing specifications, and the direction of the Institute, among others. Maybe we’ve hit one of your hot buttons; maybe we’ve filled a gap in your professional development, minor or major. Or have we missed the mark completely? And almost everybody has something to say. If you have a product or a system that would appeal to our membership, if you’re an expert at a project management software platform, or if you can share a case study on a landmark project, let us know. Participating in the chapter doesn’t have to mean volunteering for a board position (although maybe it’s something you’d consider next year or the next). Giving direction to our chapter isn’t limited to the people you’ve elected. Your opinions, your thoughts, your suggestions all matter, and help your elected board come up with the programs for you. So, members, what do you want to hear about?