We have reached a watershed moment in the long history of the Western Australian Macintosh Users Group of WA.
For many years, WAMUG has enjoyed the use of the facilities provided by Curtin University, most particularly those we currently enjoy in the Geology Seminar Room, but also other rooms, lecture theatres, etc around the campus. For many years we have been able to do so simply by arranging with the Security Department to allow us access, adnd this has not involved a cost. As discussed at the May General Meeting, it seems that we have been living a charmed life for quite some time, and that unbeknown to us, a cost has in fact been due for the use of Curtin's facilities. Consequently, as of the next meeting (June 1) we will be required to pay a fee of $63.00 per hour for the use of the facility we currently enjoy. As our meetings generally run for 90 minutes or so, it won't take very long before our funds become severely depleted at this rate, given the current level of financial membership. It seems our options are limited to the following: 1. increase the Membership Fees to cover costs. Admittedly, the committee has not been vigorous in chasing members for fees, and we are extremely grateful to those who have been diligent and remained financial. This has allowed us to cover such costs as Web Site costs, domain registration, the Annual Barbecue, etc. The members' fees have been our only source of funding. Given that the current membership fee level has been sufficient to allow us to operate comfortably, and that our operating costs have been low for many years, we are reluctant to increase the fees to a level that would cover the future use of Curtin's facilities. 2. Introduce a system of paid membership for belonging to the WAMUG Mailing List WAMUG has never charged anyone for membership of the WAMUG Mailing List, and this is something we guard jealously. We are aware that the WAMUG list has a nation-wide, and even international, reputation for being a friendly, knowledgeable source of reference for all things related to the Macintosh, and more recently of course, Apple's many related products. The logistics of of trying to administer a fee of any sort for belonging to the Mailing List are simply too difficult for us to contemplate, and is a pathway of unnecessary complexity. 3. Introduce a door charge for attendance at the monthly General Meetings This would seem to be the most practical and most easily managed option available to us at the moment, and is the course of action we intend to adopt in the first instance. As from the next meeting on Tuesday, 1 June 2010, we will ask each member attending the meeting for an entrance fee of $5.00 each, and will allow us to continue to use the excellent facilities at Curtin, which I'm sure everyone who regularly attends the meetings will agree, are first class. 4. Find another venue. This is a much less desirable option, but is something will have to explore with some urgency if option 3 does not work, or results in markedly reduced attendance. Curtin University is relatively central, easily accessible with few parking problems, and we are familiar with the facilities it offers. We would have the same problems with admission fees as well, which may well be even higher if we want somewhere with facilities which match those of Curtin. 5. Reduce WAMUG to a Mailing List activity only, doing away with the Monthly Meetings. I sincerely doubt if anyone who is currently a member of WAMUG, either financial or not, would want to see this happen. The monthly meeting is an important WAMUG event both socially and functionally, and greatly looked forward to by those who attend regularly, if the personal feed back I get is anything to go by. This option is offered mainly in the interests of completion, rather than as a point of serious contemplation at this stage. The members of the committee feel that a $5.00 entrance fee would be bearable by everyone who attends, and is not out of proportion to that charged by many similar organisations who have to pay for the use of hired facilities, and is based on the attendance at the meeting of at least 12 people. Of course, if attendance were to increase to the level of, say, thirty people regularly, then we could actually consider a fee reduction, so please consider coming along to the Monthly Meetings if you don't do so already. The more the merrier, as they say! Peter Hinchliffe President Western Australian Macintosh Users Group -- The WA Macintosh User Group Mailing List -- Archives - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/archives.shtml> Guidelines - <http://www.wamug.org.au/mailinglist/guidelines.shtml> Unsubscribe - <mailto:wamug-unsubscr...@wamug.org.au>
