Doc. #18
Volunteer Resources Committee Report
To The ARRL Board of Directors
July 20, 2001
The following summary report is submitted to the ARRL Board of Directors on behalf of the Volunteer Resources Committee.
1. Minute 67 of the 2001 Annual Meeting
The VRC has been unusually busy for the past six months, primarily as the result of Minute 67 of the 2001 Annual Meeting:
67. On motion of Mr. Race, seconded by Mr. Heyn, it was VOTED unanimously to ADOPT the following resolution:
WHEREAS, it has been 20 years since the Field Organization was reorganized; and
WHEREAS, the social and emergency uses of Amateur Radio have been affected by the advance of technology;
NOW THEREFORE, it is moved that the VRC study the Field Organization and its operation; and it is further
MOVED, a preliminary report shall be presented to the Board at the July 2001 Meeting; and it is further
MOVED, a final report and recommendations shall be presented at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the Board.
In order to satisfy this ambitious directive, the VRC has been meeting via teleconference twice monthly for several months and plans to continue such a schedule through late 2001. In-person meetings are scheduled prior to the Board meeting in July and again in November in St. Louis.
The first step has been to thoroughly review Rules and Regulations of the ARRL Field Organization, and make recommendations for change. This effort is approximately 80% complete. The review has led to a number of topics for discussion still underway, such as the organization and management of State and Local Government Liaison appointments, and the Affiliated Club Coordinator.
In order to achieve a high level of acceptance by field volunteers, the committee decided to bring all Section Managers into the rewrite process. One survey of SM opinion has already been completed, dealing with the purposes and objectives of the ARRL Field Organization. Numerous useful comments were received, including some very insightful comments related to the government liaison function. Additional surveys will be sent to SMs as our study progresses.
The committee is just now entering perhaps the most difficult phase, that of reviewing the management chain of command between Section Managers and their appointees, and both HQ and the Board. We solicit comments from all interested parties to help us with this thorny problem.
Following completion of the revision of the Rules and Regulations of the Field Organization the Committee plans to review the Terms of Reference of the various field appointments as well as other related documents.
2. Other Activities
Because of our concentration on Minute 64, a large backlog of items has been built. We expect to reduce the length of this list significantly during our in-person meeting in July. The most significant of those on the list is given below. Activities directly related to Minute 64 are not included on this list.
1. ARRL Standard Power Connector. For over a year there have been suggestions from several directions suggesting that ARRL support a new standard for power supply interconnection, the Anderson Powerpole.
2. Methods for providing amateur exams to persons in very remote areas. A suggestion has been received to establish a new system of testing by mail to accommodate those in very remote areas, such as Alaska.
3. Proposal to change SM budget cycles from Jan. 1 to the date of office. There have been instances of SMs overspending just before a midyear changeover of SMs, leaving the SM with inadequate budget for the rest of the year.
4. OO remailer. A nationwide OO remailer has been organized by the OOC of the Pacific Section. This activity is being followed very carefully. Thus far activity is very low, no more than perhaps 2 messages per week.
5. Field Organization Survey. A report based upon a Field Organization survey conducted last year is still under review.
6. The ARRL Monitoring Program. A briefing on the ARRL Monitoring program has been scheduled for the July 2001 VRC meeting.
Additional items will likely be added to the July 2001 VRC meeting as the date approaches.
Respectfully Submitted
Jim Maxwell, W6CF
Chair