




From: Thomas C Hull <tch@ABYSS.MERRIMACK.EDU>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 12:33:25 -0400
Subject: Re: OUSA ....

Hello origami-emailers!

OK, I'm going to speak up here.  I am a member of the Board of
Directors of OUSA, but what I write here are my own opinions,
written off the top of my own head without consultation or
permission of the rest of the Board.

Let me start off by saying that I do not live in New York City.
I was the elected to the Board back in 1994 as the first "out
of town" Board member.  It was an experiment to see if the Board
could function with members who could only attend meetings via
conference call.  At the time I was living in Rhode Island, and now
I'm in Boston.  Some may say that this is close enough to make me
a "New Yorker" in practice, but (1) my New England heritage shudders
at the thought and (2) the 4 1/2 hour drive keeps me at home, so
for all intents and purposes I cannot and do not participate in the
New York City origami activities, aside from the annual convention.

(For the record, two other non NYC residents have joined the Board
since then: V'Ann Cornelius from San Diego and Michael LaFosse from
Massachusetts.  There are ten Board members total.)

To the matter at hand, I found the Parry et al letter to be erroneous,
inflammatory, and childish.  Their plan seems to be to make wild
accusations in hopes of enraging the OUSA membership to take action
that is not warranted.  I find it sad, too, because the issue of
OUSA needing to become a more national organization is one that
needs to be discussed and is taken seriously by the Board.

First I will address specific points in the letter.

> Are you being told that you should not expect anything more than a
> newsletter?  We say, NO!  The truth is that each issue of "The Paper"
> costs a little over a dollar apiece to produce and postage is
> approximately 50 cents to mail.  So, then, who does benefit from your
> membership fees?=20

While I cannot comment on the exact cost of producing each issue of
The Paper, I believe "a dollar apiece" is an underestimate.  Remember
that we don't have the membership to make huge print runs (currently
OUSA has just under 2000 members).  Plus, the writers of the letter
are forgetting that we hire a part-time editor and graphic designer
to make each issue of the paper.

> As a non-New York member of OrigamiUSA ...
>
> -- You can't run for board elections (this year, it is only New York
> people who can run).=20

It is nice that they added their parenthetical remark - yes, next
year the current three "out of town" Board positions will be up
for election.

> -- You can't serve on committees.

This is absolutely not true.  Any member of OUSA can serve on committees.
Right now there are several non New Yorkers who serve on active OUSA
committees.  (For example, Mark Kennedy from Pennsylvania chairs the
Business Committee.)  Yes, it is EASIER to serve on committees if you live in
the New York tri-state area, but there's nothing saying that other
people can't.  I served on a few committees before I became a Board member.
But it does take an effort and commitment and willingness to do work.

> -- You can't volunteer.  (At the last Annual Meeting, someone asked about
> volunteering from outside the NY area and it was made clear that the board
> was only interested in NY volunteers.)=20

Absolutely not true.  Anyone can volunteer.  We have members in Atlanta
who help us every year by managing the housing registrations for the
Annual Convention.  Rob Hudson (from Pennsylvania, I think...) has
been helping us upgrade our membership database.  I remember the
question referred to in the above quote, and what was made "clear" was
that OUSA was in particular need of more volunteers from the New
York area.  Fact: there are things that need to get done in the
NYC home office every day, and without NYC volunteers we would not
be able to maintain our relationship with the Museum of Natural
History and would lose our rent-free office space.  But it was NOT
said that we were "only interested" in NY volunteers.  It is false
and manipulative for the writers of this letter to say otherwise.

> -- You get notices for Special Events and activities, that you can attend
> (if you're rich and can afford the airfare to fly across the country for
> the New York based events).=20

Many times the Board has discussed not sending announcements for our
NY Special Sessions to the entire membership, and every time other
non-NY members have told us that they like getting them, so that
if they happen to be in NYC they could attend.  Further, we have said
many times that, yes, NY Special Sessions are really activities of
the origamists of NYC, and if ANY other regional group wants to run
a Special Sessions in their home city, we'd be glad to help with
paper, diagrams, or funds to obtain a site to hold the event.
So far, no one has taken us up on this, and that is why NY has
been the only city to hold Special Sessions.
        Other events, like the origami holiday tree lighting in the
Museum of Natural History, are things we do to maintain our relationship
with the Museum and which are done through the help of volunteers
throughout the country.  We communicate these events to our members
because we're proud of them and, you know, we just thought that people
might like to see the results of their volunteer efforts.  I suppose
the authors of the letter would rather NY appear to be a black hole,
where no origami activities take place, so that people won't think they're
missing anything.

> -- There is a great collection of rare origami books, and you can view
> them if you are in New York.  The lending library is available for the
> more common books, but by the time you get them, its time to mail them
> back. Not mentioning the cost of the postage.

This, of all the comments made in the letter, is one with some
merit.  The OUSA lending library has had a history of complaints.
Tony Cheng is the chair of the library committee, and he has told me that
the bugs have been worked out - that if you borrow a book you will
not have to return it immediately.  However, OUSA does have rare
origami books that are not replaceable and that we can't afford to
risk loosing in the mail.  So they stay in the home office.  We
feel that we are serving the public by maintaining this archive,
so that at least *somewhere* there will be a good collection of
origami books throughout history.  And personally, I think keeping them
in NYC is a more efficient solution to the problem of making these
books readily available than, say, to house them in Lubbock, Texas.
But we'd love to hear any suggestions people might have about the use
and management of the OUSA library.

> -- If you volunteer, you can get a unlimited pass to the American Museum
> of Natural History.  The same pass, many times, also gets you into museums
> across the country for free.  Oh, I forgot, you can't volunteer.=20

Absolutely NOT TRUE!  Yes, in the old days of the Friends there were so
few volunteers that everyone who worked in the home office got a
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) pass, which really are worth
their weight in gold.  But that no longer happens.  Hell, I'm on the
Board and I don't have an AMNH pass!  The Museum cracked down on the number
of passes they give out, and we can no longer thank our hard-working
volunteers with this perk.  Some people who have been volunteering
in our office for the past 15 years got to keep their passes, and you
know what?  THEY DESERVE THEM!  They are the people that make the
Annual Convention happen.  They are the people that make the Annual
Collection happen every year.  They are the people who maintain
the membership files, answer the phone, send out mailings, take
care of correspondence, deal with AMNH bureaucracy, make sure that
the Origami by Children exhibit models don't get trampled on, and a
hundred other details I'm not even aware of.

> -- Sometimes you get a newsletter that tells you things about people that
> you have never met. Their names are bolded, but you have no idea who they
> are.  You don't know them, because you don't live in New York.=20

And sometimes I get "The Paper" and it tells me about things that happen
in California and has people's names in bold that I have never met.
And I read every word because I WANT to know who they are.  I WANT to be
linked to the national and international origami community.  I LIKE
reading about other origami people, even if they are from New York!
I LIKE reading about conventions that I couldn't afford to attend.  I
WANT to see the pictures and read the stories.
        Am I the only one who read this letter and saw how manipulative,
how whining, how silly it was in making its points?  These are not
people, apparently, who are willing to discuss the matter.  They have
made up their minds and they want to overthrow the OUSA Board.  But
I'm getting ahead of myself...

> We want OrigamiUSA to be a resource to the entire country, not just to one
> region. We want national representation on the OrigamiUSA's board. =20
> "No taxation without representation!", just like the Colonies cry of
> unfairness, back in 1776.=20

You do have representation.  The first Annual Meeting I attended as
a OUSA Board member I announced that I was on the Board to help
represent non-NY OUSA members.  And since then we've increased that
representation.  No one has ever contacted me to complain about the
issues of national representation of OUSA.  V'Ann Cornelius, I
believe, has been contacted in this regard, probably because she's
on the West Coast.
        But is there any doubt that OUSA is a resource for the entire
country?  Throughout my statement here I'm giving planty of examples.
(And there are more below.)  But think of the intangible ones.  I've
written two origami books, "Origami, Plain and Simple" with Robert Neale
and "Russian Origami" with Sergei Afonkin.  Neither of these books would
have been written if it weren't for OUSA.  They provided me with resources
and contacts and they made me WANT to get involved.  Without OUSA
would Robert Lang and John Montroll have ever met?  Would "Origami
Sea Life" have ever been written if they hadn't met at OUSA's
Annual Conventions?

> We are challenging the legality of OrigamiUSA restricting elections to
> only those residing in the New York area. We've asked a New York attorney
> (with 35 years experience in non-profit corporate law) to review
> OrigamiUSA's bylaws.  He says they can't do t hat.  So... =20
> Steve Buck of Washington D.C., Sandy Toivonen of Ann Arbor, Michigan,
> Carol Martinson of St. Paul, Minnesota and myself, Allen Parry of Seattle,
> Washington submitted our nominations to run for board positions.  We want
> you to vote for us.=20

> The board has thumbed their noses at us.

I'm not sure how the authors of this letter define "thumb their noses",
but if it means to contact our own attorney and take his advice that
we are not in violation of our By-Laws or of New York State non-profit
laws and should go ahead with our elections, then OK.  To delay
elections would actually be against our By-Laws.
        It seems clear to me that the authors of this letter had every
intent from the outset to take OUSA to court.  They all knew how our
elections run - they've been the same for the past 20 years.  Yet
they raised this issue and challenged us with legal action just as the
nominations were being taken and elections were about to be held.
If it does result in further legal action, it will certainly mean
the death of OUSA, since we have nowhere near the funds to carry on
extended legal expenses.

But the REAL issue is not whether the Parry et al letter is childish.
It's the issue of more national representation on the Board of
OUSA.  Despite what the letter would have you to believe, OUSA is
very open to the idea of having more "out of town" Board members.
In fact, a few months ago we were discussing the possibility of
having a specific seat on the Board whose area of responsibility
would be to represent and help organize regional and affiliate groups.
So it's not like we're a bunch of stick-in-the-mud whiners who
are myopically NY-centric.

The fact is that the bulk of the work that maintains OUSA is currently
done in the NY home office.  Without a substantial NY Board component
it would not be possible to manage, organize, and just plain DO this
work.  As just one example, putting together the Annual Collection every year
(which, by the way, is a TREMENDOUS service to the world-wide
origami community.  Who else puts together such a vast compendium each year
of unpublished origami diagrams for distribution?) is a big
project.  It needs to be done in the home office, since that is where
we have our diagram archive and where people send their diagrams.
It also needs to be done somewhere where there is a large volunteer
base.  The NY area volunteers have been doing this for over
10 years and they do a wiz-bang job.  These arduous soldiers,
affectionately known as the "Publications Committee", need to be
in close contact with the Board.  In fact, Marc Kirschenbaum,
who is a Board member, is one of the managing editors of the
Publications Committee.  Could this be done by a non-NY Board
member?  Probably, but it would have to be with ample time for
transition, perhaps in conjunction with someone not from NYC who is
willing to serve on the Publications Committee for a year or more
while they "learn the ropes".  Have ANY of the people trying to oust
the current OUSA Board tried to do this?  I don't think so.
They'd rather storm in, violently remove four of our dedicated
Board members from their seats, and stage a coup.  WHAT IS THIS?
Is such action in the best interests of OUSA?  Will our
various operations, like the Annual Convention, Origami by Children,
the Holiday Tree exhibit, and the Annual Collection survive such
a sudden upheaval?  And do we really want to slap people like
Marc Kirschenbaum in the face for all their hard years of time
and devotion - years that they gave to ALL OF US?

I'm not saying that OUSA will never change.  I strongly believe that
it needs to change.  The past 4 years have been full of growing
pains for OUSA, but very good things have come out of them.
We have helped fund and organize several regional conventions (PCOC and the
two Southeastern Origami Festivals).  We have added non NY-ers to the
Board.  We have begun to create an OUSA web page to make our mail-
order business easier.  (That's still under development and should
improve dramatically over the next year.)  We started the Michael Shall,
Alice Gray, and Lillian Oppenheimer Funds which have been providing
money for various educational and volunteer origami projects all
over the country.  Right now we're in the initial stages of planning
the 3rd Origami Science and Math Conference (hopefully for the spring
or summer of 2001!) which will NOT be held in NYC!   :)

So the question is this: do the aggressive tactics of Parry et al
really need to be taken?  I believe that OUSA has been sincere in
its attempts to grow into a more national presence, and we will
continue to do so.  There will be more non-NY-ers on the Board,
and we will see more active responsibilities being done by
our members outside of the tri-state area.  But the fact is that
this could already happen - anyone who wants to become more involved
with OUSA can.  All it takes is determination and perhaps some
creativity as we iron the bugs out.

I apologize for the length of this letter, and I'm sure my words cannot
do justice to the hurt and outrage that many of the OUSA Board
feel, I'm sure, about this issue.  To put so many years and
countless hours into an organization, to see it grow and flourish, only
to have people stick out their tongues and say "you all suck, we're
taking over!" has got to be one of the most exasperating ...
well, I'll stop.

----- Tom "word" Hull
      Merrimack College
      North Andover, MA
      thull@merrimack.edu





From: Cathy <cathypl@GENERATION.NET>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 13:14:26 -0400
Subject: national organization

National vs local organizations--that's something we Quebecers can talk
about for hours, but most people we talk to really don't want to hear about
it, for some reason........  :-)

The biggest national organization I belong to is RASC-the Royal
Astronomical Society of Canada.  We have Centres across the country--22, I
think.  The fees are 35$ a year, but there are other fund raising things
like book and calendar sales.  The national office is in Toronto, and
meetings are usually held there, but they can and do move around the
country.  All it takes is for a Centre to invite the board over.  There are
lots of committes, most of the business is conducted by phone & e-mail, I'm
sure some committee members have never actually had a meeting around a
table.  There is an anual GA which is held in a different city every year.
Lots of members plan their holidays around them, the hosting Centres
arrange tours of their cities and local sites of interest.  University
residences provide (usually) inexpensive rooms and facilities for meetings.

>From time to time, there is talk of Centres dropping out of RASC.  The
Montreal Centre went through such a crisis recently.  After a lot of
debate, and even a bit of downright nastiness, the majority of members
stuck by the national organization.  However, I don't think our arguments
in favour of the national organization would apply to OUSA.  Any member of
RASC can be elected to any office, there is no discrimination against
members who live in any part of the country, including areas where there is
no Centre, or members who for whatever strange reason choose not to belong
to the Centre in their area.  A national e-mail list exists for members who
wish to stay in touch electronically, so that also helps to keep us
together.

I've only been a member of OUSA for a very short time, so I really am in no
position to comment on how it is organized.  It does seem very strange to
me that an organization claiming to be national is based in one city and
openly discriminates against members outside that city, but maybe there is
more to the story.   Not having the credentials to even think about a board
positon, I hadn't realized that living in Montreal would disqualify me from
ever attaining one.  Also, I didn't realize that the convention was only
ever held in New York.  Why can't the convention be held elsewhere?  You
have a lot more big cities and far better transportaton networks in the US
than we have, and physically, the country is smaller than Canada, so why
can't the convention travel?

                                                        CAthy
******^^^^^*****^^^^^*****

Cathy Palmer-Lister
Ste. Julie, Quebec
Canada
cathypl@generation.net





From: Cathy <cathypl@GENERATION.NET>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 13:28:35 -0400
Subject: Re: OUSA ....

At 12:33 PM 99-04-05 -0400, you wrote:
>I'm not saying that OUSA will never change.  I strongly believe that
>it needs to change.  The past 4 years have been full of growing
>pains for OUSA, but very good things have come out of them.
>We have helped fund and organize several regional conventions (PCOC and the
>two Southeastern Origami Festivals).  We have added non NY-ers to the
>Board.  We have begun to create an OUSA web page to make our mail-
>order business easier.  (...................................>So the
question is this: do the aggressive tactics of Parry et al
>really need to be taken?  I believe that OUSA has been sincere in
>its attempts to grow into a more national presence, and we will
>continue to do so.  There will be more non-NY-ers on the Board,
>and we will see more active responsibilities being done by
>our members outside of the tri-state area.  But the fact is that
>this could already happen - anyone who wants to become more involved
>with OUSA can.  All it takes is determination and perhaps some
>creativity as we iron the bugs out.
>
>I apologize for the length of this letter, and I'm sure my words cannot
>do justice to the hurt and outrage that many of the OUSA Board
>feel, I'm sure, about this issue.

Thanks for presenting the other side of the story.  As someone who is well
out on the fringes of OUSA, I only know what I am told, so I appreciate
hearing more than one side's point of view.  Your letter sounds very
rational to me, no need to apologise for its length.

                        Cathy
******^^^^^*****^^^^^*****

Cathy Palmer-Lister
Ste. Julie, Quebec
Canada
cathypl@generation.net





From: Richard Kennedy <r.a.kennedy@BHAM.AC.UK>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 17:09:35 +0100
Subject: Re: I have no more a web site.

Daniela

> My web site is down. When I set up a new page I will let you know.

Thank you, and for your other two messages also. As you note I have visited
the CDO web site. It is a very good one, with some exciting diagrams. So far
I have folded two of the models from the CDO web site - the wrist watch by
Pasquale d'Auria (sorry if the spelling is wrong), and a modular dodecahedron
(from A size paper). For the dodecahedron I developed a way to modify the
units, so that they lock together to produce a stronger structure. I guess
I should prepare some diagrams of the modification, and send them to the
CDO to send on to the origianl creator. I'm afraid I have not yet folded any
of your models. English folders have a great repect for folders from Italy.
I have been to a class with Alredo Giunta at one of our conventions, to fold
some insects. At the last convention I was taught a model of 2 swans, one
white, the other coloured, the creator was D. Derudas (again I'm not sure of
the spelling). It is a very clever, interesting, and artistic model. Quite
romantic too!

I have some friends in Italy - one in Milan and another in Bologna. I have
sent my friend in Bologna a cookery book (Delia Smith) from England, and I
am hoping she will send me some Italian origami books (I have only one -
by Alfredo Giunta, divertiteeti in origami - more mistakes!!). I think she
has forgotten, and her email address no longer works. If she does reply, are
there any books you would recommend?

I have seen a few copies of the CDO magazine, it looks very good. Perhaps I
should join the CDO!? But I know so little Italian, I will not be able to read
any of the articles.

End of another marking break - what a way to spend the Easter holiday.

Are you working on the big engineering problem in Pisa (the tower?). I visited
this site about 15 years ago, when I was attending a conference between Pisa
and Firenze, at a little hill town called San Miniato. It was hard to see why
the tower did not fall over!

Bye

Richard K
(R.A.Kennedy@bham.ac.uk)





From: Joseph Wu <josephwu@ULTRANET.CA>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 14:19:55 -0700
Subject: Re: national organization

At 13:14 1999-04-05 -0400, you wrote:
>National vs local organizations--that's something we Quebecers can talk
>about for hours, but most people we talk to really don't want to hear about
>it, for some reason........  :-)

Yes. As a Westerner, I don't want to get into that, especially here!

>I've only been a member of OUSA for a very short time, so I really am in no
>position to comment on how it is organized.  It does seem very strange to
>me that an organization claiming to be national is based in one city and
>openly discriminates against members outside that city, but maybe there is
>more to the story.   Not having the credentials to even think about a board
>positon, I hadn't realized that living in Montreal would disqualify me from
>ever attaining one.  Also, I didn't realize that the convention was only
>ever held in New York.  Why can't the convention be held elsewhere?  You
>have a lot more big cities and far better transportaton networks in the US
>than we have, and physically, the country is smaller than Canada, so why
>can't the convention travel?

I think Tom answered that one quite well already. There are already 3 non-New
York-based board members, so the notion that not being a New Yorker
disqualifies someone from being a board member is ridiculous. Whether or not
the 5 people who are named in "the letter" have been discriminated against
personally is another matter altogether, and I don't know enough about the
situation to comment on that.

As for holding the convention outside of New York, the issue has come up
before. The main problem has always been one of resources. Since the
organizational core for OrigamiUSA has always resided in New York, along with
the best organized group of volunteers, it has always been easier to hold the
conventions in New York. As far as I know, no other city has been able to raise
the resources (mainly in terms of number of volunteers) to host it elsewhere.
OrigamiUSA's support of SEOF and of PCOC are both moves toward helping other
cities hold their own large-scale origami events, and I assume that a non-New
York convention will happen when it becomes feasible.

So...anyone want to discuss forming a Canadian origami association of some
sort? (No, I don't want to spearhead such an effort!)

For the record, I am currently not a member of OUSA. This is mainly because my
membership expired in January, and I've not had the time to renew it yet!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Wu, Origami Artist and Multimedia Producer
t: 604.730.0306 x 105   f: 604.732.7331  e: josephwu@ultranet.ca
w: http://www.origami.vancouver.bc.ca





From: John Sutter <sutterj@EARTHLINK.NET>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 17:06:18 -0700
Subject: Re: On the lighter side... New Website

At 07:10 PM 4/5/99 EDT, you wrote:
>Hey Fellow Folders,
>
>I will have the fortune of attending the Origami Convention in Paris next
>month....  I plan on introducing some new origami models I have come up with
>since the South East Origami Festival in Charlotte last year.
>
>Admittedly, the models lack supplementary text explaining proportions...
>etc... I will be updating them with that information.... I just couldn't wait
>to publish it.   : )
>
>WARNING:  I don't have a camera...digital or otherwise, so I built a light
>box for my scanner and scanned all the actual origami ...  I apologize in
>advance for the poor quality of some of the images.
>
>Any comments would be appreciated. (Did I just say that?)
>
>Here is the URL:
>
>http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/5668/
>
>Enjoy,
>
>Russell Sutherland  AKA: LoneFolder
>
>DARE TO FOLD!!!!!!!!!
>
>
Congratulations Russ.  You certainly have burst onto the international
origami scene since I met you in Charlotte.  I know some origami enthusiasts,
but none as enthusiastic as the LONE FOLDER!!  Have fun in Paris, you lucky guy.
Hope to see you in NYC in June.
Ria





From: Perry Bailey <pbailey@OPENCOMINC.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 17:42:59 -0500
Subject: Re: OUSA ....

Thomas C Hull wrote:

> Hello origami-emailers!
>
> OK, I'm going to speak up here.  I am a member of the Board of
> Directors of OUSA, but what I write here are my own opinions,
> written off the top of my own head without consultation or
> permission of the rest of the Board.

Snip

> I apologize for the length of this letter, and I'm sure my words cannot
> do justice to the hurt and outrage that many of the OUSA Board
> feel, I'm sure, about this issue.  To put so many years and
> countless hours into an organization, to see it grow and flourish, only
> to have people stick out their tongues and say "you all suck, we're
> taking over!" has got to be one of the most exasperating ...
> well, I'll stop.

Ah I see any one who feels diferently from you is an ingrate and doesn't deserve
the time and efforts the current board has expended.

Why thank you Tom I never realized I was such scum.  While I didn't write the
letter and didn't have anything to do with the letter, I do see the Nerk York
folks as being the resipients of the tasty end of the lollypop.  A lot of them
     do
more work than anyone not on the board is aware of, I think they deserve thanks.
On the other hand I think you might have spent a little longer on your reply,
especially as you are a board member and what you say reflects on the board.
     The
attitude you've
just demonstrated may have justified the letter if it is shared by all the board
members.  If  New York is to remain the center of the Origami mouvement here in
the US perhaps an attitude adjustment is in order.  The board is supposed to
represent the members, not resent them.  I don't know if there are any answers
for all of this, but it is a time that requires a cooler head than I have and
obviously a cooler head than you have.  reread your letter and then try to
imagine you were at the other end of it.

To quote Benjamin Franklin "if we don't hang together, we shall surely all hang
seperatley".

Before we tear any thing up, how about an idea of what you want to replace it
with???

Perry

--
pbailey@opencominc.com
http://www.afgsoft.com/perry/  <---- Origami Web Page with Diagrams!
ICQ 23622644





From: Joseph Wu <josephwu@ULTRANET.CA>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 18:17:10 -0700
Subject: Re: national organization

At 18:52 1999-04-05 -0400, D'gou wrote:
>Joseph Wu, in reply to Cathy Palmer-Lister, indited:
>
>> I think Tom answered that one quite well already. There are already 3
non-New
>> York-based board members, so the notion that not being a New Yorker
>> disqualifies someone from being a board member is ridiculous.
>
>Why the heck is there even a distinction?  Who are those other 7 members
>serving, if not OrigamiNY?  Why else restrict the nominees?

The distinction was made by those voicing dissatisfaction. I merely made
reference to it.

>The more folks around NY that do it, the better they get, the _harder_ it is
>to move the convention.  The Supply Center is based in NYC (a logical, at
>least short term logical, choice) and moving all that would be tough too, yet
>_another_ incentive to stay in NYC.  I don't know details about PCOC.  What I
>know of SEOF is that SEOF is result of Herculean effort by Jonathan Baxter and
>a group he's put together locally.  If OUSA has had a big hand it, they
>haven't said much.  The view from here is that SEOF was an independent
>effort.  If not, OUSA should toot its own horn.  Put together a report on
>doing a convention.  Here is who did what, what it took, etc. etc. etc.

Yes, the SEOF was definitely due mainly to Jonathan's work. OUSA helped, though
I don't know the extent of that help. I know that Jan Polish was there a week
early to man the phone (and to do various other tasks) last year. What else was
done, I don't know.

As for the argument that having the NY folks get better at running conventions
making it harder to move the convention, yes, that's true. But so what? Would
you prefer having no one able to run such an event? I AGREE with the contention
that what members get in return for their dues is a bit slim. What I object to
is the attitude that this is being presented under. "I don't like it, so I'm
gonna whine and complain about it. Do things my way, or else I'm gonna make you
suffer." Okay, so this is a bit harsh, but things have been said from the other
side that have been equally harsh. Change takes time, folks, and an awful lot
of work.

>I don't see Pittsburgh ever hosting a convention because the view from here is
>that the NYC convention takes dozens of volunteers killing themselves to get
>it done.  If the NYC office folks kill themselves to put on the convention,
>but take the rest of the year to recuperate, then the price is too high.  How
>can I enjoy myself there if that is the toll it takes from the core
>volunteers?  How many recent OUSA convention attendees have seen the core
>group actually folding?

Then why hold conventions? No matter where it is, or how it is set up, these
things take lots of work.

>Personally, I'd much rather see the core group spend most of their time
>training other volunteers.  But they don't ask me, and at the last two
>conventions I've been to, there seems to be a plethora of volunteers.  (Hmmm,
>nope, don't need you here, try <name>, see if they need any volunteers.  Nope,
>not here, did you try <name>?)

It's not so much the number of volunteers at the convention, you know. There
always seem to be enough during the event. But there's a need for volunteers
who take charge earlier on so that they know what's going on and can coordinate
the "hordes" of "extra" volunteers that show up on site. As your experience
showed, there were not enough of those, meaning that even the corps of
volunteers based in New York is not big enough to run the convention without
more help...help based in New York. The same problem would occur if the
convention were held in Pittsburgh, or Vancouver, or wherever. It happend at
the last SEOF, too, for that matter.

>As a volunteer based organization, the only perk is control.  But that is also
>the price.
>You know, its really weird for an organization centered around an activity
>with such a long tradition of sharing that the organizational structure is so
>different.    About the only thing not weird about conventions is the
>addicting nature of them, in part due to the chaos and stress induced
>adrenaline, etc.

As you say, control is a double-edged sword. Take Perry Bailey's situation, for
example. One volunteer was kind enough to cut him some slack. Another volunteer
was inflexible and gave him grief. How can this person be held accountable?
What sort of punishment could be meted out to someone who is a volunteer? Can
we even be sure who that particular volunteer was? Besides, if the second
volunteer is to be punished, shouldn't the first one also be punished for
arbitrarily making a decision that costs the organization money? These are
people problems, and the board is faced with the thankless task of ruling on
such situations while keeping everyone happy. How can you blame them for taking
a median stance?

Anyway, that's enough from me for now. I've been on too many boards of various
organizations to put up with whining and take over attempts for very long.
Apologies if anyone is offended by this.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph Wu, Origami Artist and Multimedia Producer
t: 604.730.0306 x 105   f: 604.732.7331  e: josephwu@ultranet.ca
w: http://www.origami.vancouver.bc.ca





From: Rosalind F Joyce <fold4wet@JUNO.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 18:27:43 -0400
Subject: Re: OUSA ....

Thank you Thomas, Joseph, and other voices of reason and FACT.  As an
active participant since well before the Friends or Ousa, I find it
difficult to verbalize how much I resent misinformation and sandbox bully
attitude spouted by someone with a private, personal agenda to destroy
this organization.  (Other comments are unprintable.)   As always, Ousa
is constanly evolving and open to dialogue.
Ros Joyce

___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]





From: Allen Parry <parry@ESKIMO.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 18:40:37 -0700
Subject: Re: ...OUSA

I have not yet been able to read to all the e-mail messages. , I've been
writing this one off line.  I did read Tom's letter... I think I need to
give you all some more background.

I want to begin by saying, that this movement is not against any
individuals.  I have the greatest respect for the hard work and effort put
in by the various people in New York.  Jean, Jan, Tony and the other board
members are very dedicated to origami and altruistically give up a lot of
their own personal lives to serve all of us.  Thousands of hours go into
running the organization and putting on the New York convention.  These
people deserve our commendation.  Many of you, who have met these people
at a convention, have probably experienced them as short with you, when
you only wanted to ask a simple question.  Its only because they have so
many things that they are trying to pull together...so many little details
that have fallen through the cracks, that it takes every thing they got
to hold it all together.  Their plates are full...very full.  And the
truth is, convention is not the exception.  It's like this the whole year.
That's why you don't see your newsletter. That is why they don't get back
to you on something.  They're over worked.

In order to get everything done and to keep things manageable, they feel
they need to keep a tight grip on everything.  We're asking them to loosen
up that grip and to share the burden with the rest of the country.  There
are many throughout the country who are willing to help shoulder the
burden...just as committed to origami as Jan, Jean and Tony.  The
convention illustrates the commitment of others faithfully coming along
side with their support. Sandy Toivonen and the Michigan group helping
with the Model Menu for the last 13 years, Doris Asano and the Arizona
group doing registration, Martha from Georgia orchestrates housing and
Mary Jane coordinates volunteers.  But does it need to stop with the
convention?

The day has come where OrigamiUSA needs to truly become a national
organization. This is our goal.

In Seattle, we are putting on a West Coast Convention. At the start of the
convention, I began calling origamist across the country; letting them
know about our upcoming convention and asking them spread the work.  In
our conversations, I discovered many with some very strong, deep feelings
toward OrigamiUSA.  Responses from some very surprising sources. Doug's
mention of people refusing to become members, has not been the exception.
In some cases, there were organized efforts to keep people signing up.
Hearing this prompted some of the other leaders of the origami community
and myself, to act.  Don't get the wrong impression; this is not just I.

The OrigamiUSA board asks us, "So, what do you want us to do?" "How are we
to bring change?"  We answer, "Let us be candidates for the board."  They
answer us with, "Sorry, we have rules.  You can't run."

So every year you are sent a ballot. You are presented with five. You are
to vote for five. Do you call that voting?  What's the point?

It all begins at the board.  The purpose of the board is to set direction
and policy of an organization.  This is a standard definition of the
function of a board of directors.  Bylaws are like the United State's
Constitution; they govern the operation of the organization.  New York
State laws requires OrigamiUSA to state their rules governing elections
within the bylaws. After reading the OUSA's bylaws, we discovered that
there were NO provisions supporting the exclusion of non-New York based
members.  Not being lawyers, we decided to ask an expert.  He agreed to
our assessment.

Should you like to make this evaluation yourself, I have posted the bylaws
and New York State Code governing Non-Profit Corporations up on web pages.
Note: bylaws are public information and are free for everyone's perusal.

For the bylaws:         http://www.eskimo.com/~parry/bylaws
For NY laws:            http://www.eskimo.com/~parry/nylaw

So, what is the point?

OrigamiUSA should not be exclusionary.  The time has come where we need to
experience the growth pains and allow the child of Alice Grey and Lillian
Oppenheimer to grow up and become an adult.

To have a national perspective, our board needs to be representative of
the membership.  Only 25% of the members live within 100 miles of New York
city.

If the organization was called OrigamiNY, that would be another thing.
But it's not.  It's OrigamiUSA and it needs to be represented by the
country, not by one region.

Allen Parry
parry@eskimo.com





From: Doug Philips <dwp@TRANSARC.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 18:52:18 -0400
Subject: Re: national organization

Joseph Wu, in reply to Cathy Palmer-Lister, indited:

> I think Tom answered that one quite well already. There are already 3 non-New
> York-based board members, so the notion that not being a New Yorker
> disqualifies someone from being a board member is ridiculous.

Why the heck is there even a distinction?  Who are those other 7 members
serving, if not OrigamiNY?  Why else restrict the nominees?

> As for holding the convention outside of New York, the issue has come up
> before. The main problem has always been one of resources. Since the
> organizational core for OrigamiUSA has always resided in New York, along with
> the best organized group of volunteers, it has always been easier to hold the
> conventions in New York.
...
> OrigamiUSA's support of SEOF and of PCOC are both moves toward helping other
> cities hold their own large-scale origami events, and I assume that a non-New
> York convention will happen when it becomes feasible.

The more folks around NY that do it, the better they get, the _harder_ it is
to move the convention.  The Supply Center is based in NYC (a logical, at
least short term logical, choice) and moving all that would be tough too, yet
_another_ incentive to stay in NYC.  I don't know details about PCOC.  What I
know of SEOF is that SEOF is result of Herculean effort by Jonathan Baxter and
a group he's put together locally.  If OUSA has had a big hand it, they
haven't said much.  The view from here is that SEOF was an independent
effort.  If not, OUSA should toot its own horn.  Put together a report on
doing a convention.  Here is who did what, what it took, etc. etc. etc.

I don't see Pittsburgh ever hosting a convention because the view from here is
that the NYC convention takes dozens of volunteers killing themselves to get
it done.  If the NYC office folks kill themselves to put on the convention,
but take the rest of the year to recuperate, then the price is too high.  How
can I enjoy myself there if that is the toll it takes from the core
volunteers?  How many recent OUSA convention attendees have seen the core
group actually folding?

Personally, I'd much rather see the core group spend most of their time
training other volunteers.  But they don't ask me, and at the last two
conventions I've been to, there seems to be a plethora of volunteers.  (Hmmm,
nope, don't need you here, try <name>, see if they need any volunteers.  Nope,
not here, did you try <name>?)

As a volunteer based organization, the only perk is control.  But that is also
the price.
You know, its really weird for an organization centered around an activity
with such a long tradition of sharing that the organizational structure is so
different.    About the only thing not weird about conventions is the
addicting nature of them, in part due to the chaos and stress induced
adrenaline, etc.

-D'gou





From: Doug Philips <dwp@TRANSARC.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 18:54:08 -0400
Subject: Re: On the lighter side... New Website

Russell Sutherland indited:

> Hey Fellow Folders,

> I will have the fortune of attending the Origami Convention in Paris next
> month....  I plan on introducing some new origami models I have come up with
> since the South East Origami Festival in Charlotte last year.

Cool!

> Any comments would be appreciated. (Did I just say that?)
>
> Here is the URL:
>
> http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/5668/

Nice gallery!  I wish I could see the models better.  Nice choices of paper
though, that much I could see.

-Doug





From: Russell Sutherland <RGS467@AOL.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 19:10:52 -0400 (
Subject: On the lighter side... New Website

Hey Fellow Folders,

I will have the fortune of attending the Origami Convention in Paris next
month....  I plan on introducing some new origami models I have come up with
since the South East Origami Festival in Charlotte last year.

Admittedly, the models lack supplementary text explaining proportions...
etc... I will be updating them with that information.... I just couldn't wait
to publish it.   : )

WARNING:  I don't have a camera...digital or otherwise, so I built a light
box for my scanner and scanned all the actual origami ...  I apologize in
advance for the poor quality of some of the images.

Any comments would be appreciated. (Did I just say that?)

Here is the URL:

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Salon/5668/

Enjoy,

Russell Sutherland  AKA: LoneFolder

DARE TO FOLD!!!!!!!!!





From: Allen Parry <parry@ESKIMO.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 19:14:46 -0700
Subject: Re: national organization

On Mon, 5 Apr 1999, Joseph Wu wrote:

> I think Tom answered that one quite well already. There are already 3 non-New
> York-based board members, so the notion that not being a New Yorker
> disqualifies someone from being a board member is ridiculous.

First, I find that two from Massechusetts (a 4 1/2 hour drive to New York)
and one from California is not diverse enough to represent the majority
(75%) of the membership (of close to 1,800, it has been declining in the
last few years).

Secondly, I don't understand why we should be satiated with three board
members representing us and one of them (Tom) quick to respond and slow to
listen to his constituiency.  I know that if we had the same percentage
representation in the United States government, there would be a lot of
people up in arms.

Third, it is a simple fact, we were disqualified from running this year. A
disqualification we don't believe OrigamiUSA is permitted by the
organization's bylaws nor from New York state law.  As members, we should
have the right to enjoy the same privileges as any other member; including
the right to run for office.

No, I don't find it ridiculous and I find it odd that you find it such.
Are things that different in Vancouver, Canada?

Allen Parry
parry@eskimo.com





From: Doug Philips <dwp@TRANSARC.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 19:29:18 -0400
Subject: Re: OUSA ....

Tom Hull indited:

> I apologize for the length of this letter, and I'm sure my words cannot
> do justice to the hurt and outrage that many of the OUSA Board
> feel, I'm sure, about this issue.  To put so many years and
> countless hours into an organization, to see it grow and flourish, only
> to have people stick out their tongues and say "you all suck, we're
> taking over!" has got to be one of the most exasperating ...
> well, I'll stop.

I was going to respond individually to the points that Tom made, but all my
responses ended up being the same.

Tom and all the boards members: no one questions the amount of work and effort
that you and _all_ the volunteers have put into the organization.  Frankly, I
expect that most of the board and core volunteers do a hell of a lot of
un(der)appreciated work.  Un(der)appreciated because few outside of the core
group knows who and what is involved, and because the core group doesn't (for
whatever reason) toot its own horn.  That just isn't the issue.

[As an aside, I'd like to thank Perry Bailey.  I agree with your post, and the
attitude expressed.  Your note came in while I was writing this, and I
substantially agree with you.  I hope this message adds more to the light than
the heat.]

Just because someone has done a double extra ton of work, doesn't mean that
everyone else _should_ be beholden to them.  The reason for this whole "flap"
coming up is that many non NY members aren't seeing worthwhile benefits to
membership.

The core issue is:  If all that work is not benefitting the members, _*why*_
is it being done?  How can I appreciate work that I neither know about, nor
for which I can see any result or benefit?  Did the Board ask the members
where the Board should spend the members' dollars, and the volunteer's time
and effort?  Hmmm, not that I can recall.  Should the Board be surprised if it
finds it has gone off in directions that the membership neither understands
nor appreciates?  (This isn't a trick question.)  I would give an example, but
it would be too easy to argue the example and miss the point.

There are more folders in the local Pittsburgh area who do not belong to OUSA
than there are who do belong.  We had a tough time coming up with the
necessary five to establish affiliate status.  I don't push membership,
because when I did, a few of them joined for a year or two, then quit.  **It
just wasn't worth it**.  And you know what, if we hadn't had the 5 members to
be an affiliate, it wouldn't have mattered.  I won't bother detailing all the
times we've been ignored, that would just invite a litany of excuses.  We
don't need excuses, we need communication.  I'm weary of complaining and being
ignored, but I haven't quite given up yet.

Heck, YOU, Tom, even emailed me asking what OUSA could do better.  I didn't
even bother saving the email, because when I replied, all you did was try to
argue me into thinking that there was nothing wrong.

If you think no one is talking, then you argue with those who do, what ELSE do
you think will happen?

I'm _glad_ that this has come up, because the alternative is an apathetic
downslide of membership.

What would you rather have, Tom?
        a)  Apathy, Membership decline, further NY-myopia?
        b)  Heated debate, discussion and yes, even conflict, over what the
organization is, should be, etc.? (i.e. involvement)

If this comes as a suprise to the Board, well, that's because they've been
ignoring all the "make nices" for so long, that many have stopped trying that
avenue (when it doesn't work, try something else).  Maybe The Board should ask
itself why?

I can hear it now:  we will fix it, just settle down, go back into your
country stupor.  Don't call us, we'll call you.

Your phone is ringing.  You could decide that if we don't agree with you,
we're just calling to say "You all suck,"

OR

you could be glad that we're calling at all.  Just maybe that organization
created through all those years of blood sweat and tears is worth something
after all, and despite being ignored over and over again, we're still
passionate enough about origami to want, no, to insist, on being involved.

-Doug





From: "Jerry D. Harris" <102354.2222@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 1999 19:42:02 -0400
Subject: ...the letter

Message text written by Origami List
>As a non-New York member of OrigamiUSA ...

-- You can't run for board elections (this year, it is only New York
people who can run). <

        This sounds like it's modeled more on many regional political
schemes (in which one must have been a resident of a set geographic region
in order to run for office) than it does anything else.  It is in peculiar
contrast to the fact that New York is one of the _easiest_ states to run
for political office (witness Hillary Clinton's bid for a NY senator
seat...)

>-- You can't serve on committees.<

        As I mentioned in my other letter, I don't see why a committee
can't convene via e-mail or even in an on-line chat room...

>-- You can't volunteer.  (At the last Annual Meeting, someone asked about
volunteering from outside the NY area and it was made clear that the board
was only interested in NY volunteers.) <

        Well, volunteering to perform office functions _does_ really
necessitate a local member.  What duties of OUSA require volunteers that
_could_ be doled out to non-NY members?

>-- You get notices for Special Events and activities, that you can attend
(if you're rich and can afford the airfare to fly across the country for
the New York based events). <

        What is the possibility that these functions could be video taped
and then have copies of the tape sent to distant members at slightly lower
cost than actually, physically attending the session?

>-- Sometimes you get a newsletter that tells you things about people that
you have never met. Their names are bolded, but you have no idea who they
are.  You don't know them, because you don't live in New York. <

        Well, this is a mixed bag...obviously, the people who create the
newsletter are most familiar with origami happenings and people in their
own backyards, but I have been fairly happy with external contributions to
the newsletter from non-NY members and with coverage of national and
international origami news in _The Paper_ overall.  (Supplemented, of
course, by this listserver!)  I'd also love to resubscribe to the BOS
newsletter and subscribe to NOA and Origami Tanteidan's letters, but the
BOS is too expensive for me right now, and I haven't gotten around to the
OT's subscription page yet...

>We are challenging the legality of OrigamiUSA restricting elections to
only those residing in the New York area. We've asked a New York attorney
(with 35 years experience in non-profit corporate law) to review
OrigamiUSA's bylaws.  He says they can't do t hat.  So...
Steve Buck of Washington D.C., Sandy Toivonen of Ann Arbor, Michigan,
Carol Martinson of St. Paul, Minnesota and myself, Allen Parry of Seattle,
Washington submitted our nominations to run for board positions.  We want
you to vote for us.

The board has thumbed their noses at us.<

        Does this constitute an "orivolution?"  ;-D

        Anyway, if/when I get the ballot, I'll be happy to voice my
oripinion.

 _,_
 ____/_\,) .. _
--____-===( _\/ \\/ \-----_---__
 /\ ' ^__/>/\____\--------
__________/__\_ ____________________________.//__.//_________

 Jerry D. Harris
 Fossil Preparation Lab
 New Mexico Museum of Natural History
 1801 Mountain Rd NW
 Albuquerque NM 87104-1375
 Phone: (505) 899-2809
 Fax: (505) 841-2866
 102354.2222@compuserve.com
