All,
Good morning everyone. It has taken me a while to get around to sending my thoughts on current events to ARRL leadership, but I finally fired something into the fray last night. Honestly, I suspect the kind of activity a handful of ARRL board members are currently engaging in are the exact reason that so many hams hold ARRL in such low regard. You don’t need to question me on that statement, just look at the low license holder membership in ARRL. From Google “There are approximately 700,000 licensed U.S. ham operators” and ” with more than 160,000 members, ARRL is the largest organization of radio amateurs in the world” To me, having barely over 20% of license holders as members is not exactly something to crow about. And what does that low participation rate mean? Hams that are not members of ARRL are not for a number of reasons and they vote with their dollars and non-membership. It has been related to me by one non-member that he gets the sense that ARRL doesn’t really exist to represent him. His view, as related to me, was that ARRL concentrates on bureaucratic ambition rather than membership service as the goal. Unfortunately, I suspect that many hams regard ARRL like polls and surveys show the population regards the US Congress. Overall Congress is held in great disfavor, but individual congressional representatives continually get reelected by their supporters. I suspect apathy plays a large role in that. Imagine how effective ARRL could be if we had a 70-80% participation rate…but I digress.
In North Texas we are well represented by our ARRL West Gulf directors and Section Manager. They produce information that, in my view, really shines light on important issues for their members. When I was pointed to the “Motion To Replace Bylaw 46” I shook my head in disbelief. I wish the ARRL membership that gave us the makers of this motion would read it and realize who they have representing them and what they are attempting to do. The maker, Director Art Zygielbaum (K0AIZ) and the second, Director Kristen McIntyre (K6WX), appear to me to have way – WAY – too much time on their hands. Who are these two?
“Dr. Arthur Zygielbaum is an Emeritus Research Associate Professor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering-Computers from the University of Southern California.” (source)
“Kristen McIntyre is currently a senior software engineer at Apple working on operating systems. She recently came back from being an entrepreneur in Japan. Previously, she was a researcher at Sun Microsystems Laboratories where she was researching robustness and emergent properties of large distributed computer systems.” (source)
OK, so a pattern is coming together for me. Both long-time California academic types, both extremely smart and accomplished and both…apparently interested in participating in adding to the power of ARRL bureaucrats. They may be fantastic people. I sincerely mean that. But I do hope the ARRL members in Nebraska and California start scrutinizing how these two people represent them, because if their body of work for the League consists of stuff like the suggested replacement code of conduct, I really question their devotion to core membership interests. One man’s opinion.
I am inserting my email to the ARRL board below. If you want to pass along your own thoughts on the matter I suggest that you concentrate on three key points:
1) Your support for ensuring people that paid membership dues with the expectation of getting QST or On The Air continue getting it through the duration of their membership cycle.
2) Your opposition to the “Motion to Replace By-Law 46”. It should simply be withdrawn. Absent that, it should be voted down.
3) Your support for ensuring a reduced cost membership option for youth. They are the future of our great hobby.
To make it easier for you to write the ARRL board, including the president, please click here. That will spawn you an email that is preaddressed to their email addresses. I suggest keeping it polite, even if (as with me) you are highly annoyed by the political shenanigans that appear to be driving #2 above.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Email to ARRL Board
January 7, 2024
All,
My wife and I are both members of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). I am emailing this to the ARRL board of directors as a whole, as well as the president, so please let me start off by thanking each of you for serving and for the League making your contact information so easy to obtain. Some entities, for profit and non-profit alike, make it difficult to discern who their leadership is. You are to be commended for ARRL’s transparency in this regard. I am writing for several reasons, but in at least one regard I detect a drift away from transparency.
At the upcoming annual meeting I am in support of two of the three proposals, the Motion To Honor Membership Contracts and the Motion To Establish A Reduced Youth Dues Rate, but I am completely opposed to the Motion To Replace Bylaw 46 (New Code of Conduct) (contains 3 parts) – The Toe The Line or Be Removed Motion.[i]
My wife and I are both Life Members of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Texas State Rifle Association (TSRA) and I have been an officer with a nationally recognized entity and served on its board of directors. I tell you these things so that you will better understand that I am very familiar with the ARRL governance and leadership structure. The NRA has been upside down on our Life Memberships for a number of years, as the cost of publishing and mailing magazines has subsequently far outstripped what we paid for our Life Memberships. And while I always personally like a “good deal” like anyone else, I do recognize that NRA is having budget issues that can at least partly be tied to the Life Membership program. So, when I saw that ARRL had changed the annual program to where dues no longer covered QST or On The Air I had two reactions: 1) While I can personally afford to pay for both dues and QST separately, many members likely cannot. 2) I hoped that your change was not done in a manner that disenfranchised members that are currently receiving QST or On The Air. We support the Motion To Honor Membership Contracts as it appears to directly address that matter. I am concerned if this motion is not fully supported by the leadership you could run afoul of a number of legal issues related to your fiduciary responsibilities. Even if legal counsel told you that it was OK, I submit that if you support this motion and secure its passage you and everyone else will be well served.
My earlier reference to transparency is directly addressed by the Motion To Replace Bylaw 46 (New Code of Conduct). In my former board capacity I would personally have bristled at anyone even suggesting the language of that motion. Completely over the top and unnecessary. I can only imagine the palace intrigue that spawned that piece of work and what it might help to facilitate. Seriously? I cannot imagine anyone but the author, with pride of authorship bias, supporting that motion. When I read the League’s ARRL POLICY ON BOARD GOVERNANCE AND CONDUCT OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND VICE DIRECTORS[ii] I am of the mind that the current Bylaw 46 is perfectly sufficient. Anything can be tweaked, but “Duties of a Director Overview, Duty of Care, Duty of Loyalty and Duty of Obedience” – are you kidding me? Did the directors that are making that motion fully explain this to anyone prior to introducing it? I see this as some sort of heavy-handed power grab by someone somewhere. I am not completely sure what is motivating it, but I totally oppose the replacement of the ARRL By-Law’s[iii] current Bylaw 46 with the Motion To Replace Bylaw 46 (New Code of Conduct) and associated documents.
There have been many changes in ham radio over the last fifty years. The reduction from five licenses to three and the elimination of Morse Code requirements entirely was both contentious and for a reason – Ham radio as a hobby was moribund and dying. Those changes accomplished what we all wanted, a return of growth of the hobby, albeit slow and unsteady growth. For a fact we must attract youth to the hobby. Youth that get smartphones at a very early age and visually stimulating smartphone and video games are both an impediment to developing ham radio interest. As a result, I believe it is imperative that we continue with youth outreach in every regard. This is but one reason that I support the Motion To Establish A Reduced Youth Dues Rate. Economics are already a barrier to entry for many. ARRL must do everything possible to make sure that is not the case with regard to youth joining ARRL and getting a magazine to help retain their interest.
Folks, as I peruse ARRL governing documents I get a weird sense, not unlike a sense that I got at times when serving in my board capacity at the other entity. Using the League’s vernacular, it is my sense that the “CEO” David Minster, NA2AA is perhaps trying to insulate himself from responsibility to the owners of ARRL, the dues paying members. He is an employee, you set the policy and I hope, I sincerely hope, that none of you has lost site of the fact that both the By-Laws and policies say that all steps are to be taken in furtherance of the goals and of objectives of the ARRL and its members (emphasis added). I suggest each of you look in the mirror the next time that you are brushing your teeth and ask yourself this singular question “Is everything that I do in my capacity with ARRL in furtherance of the members wishes?” If you wince and think to yourself “Well, maybe not.”, then you need to make sure and get yourself lined up with the ability to say “Absolutely.” My method for sniffing out whether I should or should not support something or someone was to ask if it was a news story tomorrow, front page, above the fold, headline and article; if all my friends and family read it would I be proud of my depiction? I always forced myself to the position that the answer to that had to be a hard yes, even if it was in conflict with my own personal wishes. I served the members. You do too.
Best Regards,
Phillip S. Beall (W5EBC)
ARRL Member # 2000242363