A number of organizational topics were discussed at the meeting.
1. Executive Committee and Volunteers
There have been a number of resignations from key positions in the TLUG executive committee over the past few months. People have moved, become more busy at work, or moved on to other interests. Our thanks to past Presidents Craig Oda and Joe Marchak, Japanese Liaison Ken Harada, and all of the directors, including John Little and Rex Walters. These guys have contributed a LOT of effort to the group. Joe in particular put an incredible amount of work into organizing the equipment for each meeting.
The sense of the meeting was that we need to fill some important positions to ensure a sense of continuity and purpose, as well as to have some accountability for TLUG assets.
| President: | Alberto Tomita agreed to serve as President, which was enthusiastically approved by those present. |
| Treasurer: | Tim Meggs agreed to continue serving as treasurer. |
Alberto suggested that we confirm these positions on the mailing list no later than January 10th, either by discussion or perhaps using eVote. (Please use the tlug-admin mailing list if you would like to discuss this, or volunteer to help the club in any capacity.)
Another key position that needs to be filled is Japanese Liaison. The ideal person for the job is one who is fluent in Japanese and English, so that he can easily provide translation of the meeting announcements and summaries, serve as a Japanese point of contact for the group, and perhaps help out with interpretation during a meeting on occasion. Volunteers are eagerly sought to help out with these tasks.
There are also a number of other volunteers that contribute their time and effort to making TLUG go:
| Librarian: | Jonathan Byrne |
| Webmaster: | Jim Schweizer |
| Listmaster: | Alberto Tomita (although he will be looking for a replacement as he assumes the presidency) |
| Snackmaster: | Shigeo Honda |
| Server Administration: | Chris Sekiya and Scott Stone |
| (Sorry if I missed any of the other appointed or "titled" volunteers.) | |
And there are still more people that contribute to the club without having an official title. <Unabashed editorializing>Everyone is encouraged to volunteer and do something to make the group better. Join the tlug-admin mailing list and offer any suggestions or help that you can. TLUG always needs a steady stream of new volunteers.</editorial>
2. Inventory
The president, treasurer, and librarian will conduct a rough inventory of TLUG's assets. We have acquired a number of machines, books, and miscellany, as well as using some equipment that belonged to HSBC, and so need to identify what is what. We also need to find a good place to store our equipment and library, ideally at or near our meeting site.
3. Meeting Venue(s)
We've been very fortunate to be able to meet at the HSBC offices for
the past year and a half. TLUG owes them, and particularly Joe
Marchak, a BIG thanks.
A. Steve Carter was able to step forward and find a place at Temple University where we can meet for a nominal fee. The university administration seems flexible, and is even interested in Linux. In addition to our regular meetings, Steve suggested that it might be possible to use one of the rooms to conduct classes or seminars for the group, for things like a step-by-step installation clinic or detailed technical presentations. The only drawback to the site is that it is a little inconvenient by train, being about a 15 minute walk from the Tamachi JR or Mita subway stations, or 20 minutes from Hiroo.
B. Alternative venues are also an option. If you know of a better place to meet, please let the group know.
C. Stephen Turnbull proposed holding a meeting at Tsukuba, an idea which garnered some interest. He will investigate further and the topic will be discussed on the mailing lists. (See, you really should participate in tlug-admin. :-)
D. The Tokyo Station Tengu is still the group’s choice for the Nomikai.
Report by Jim Tittsler, Tokyo ICQ: 5981586