News

To follow up on a few items from the member update letter sent in December:

Officer elections for GALA-ND/SMC are underway. Per the GALA-ND/SMC constitution (viewable via the "About Us" navigation link in the left column of this website):

"The officers are to be elected by a majority of votes submitted by the dues-paying members... The duties of the officers are to convene an preside over group meetings, oversee the organization's activities, collect annual dues, maintain the financial records, distribute funds, publish a newsletter, and appoint committee chairs."

Those who have paid membership dues to GALA-ND/SMC since January 1, 2007, are eligible to vote in the election for new officers for the organization. If you paid dues during this time and did NOT receive an email over the past weekend with ballot instructions, please send an email to webmaster AT galandsmc DOT org so we can verify your status and forward the details accordingly. Ballots are being processed online and are due by Monday February 18, 2008, so please contact us promptly at the aforementioned email address if you paid dues during the eligibility period but did not receive the ballot instructions.

The new officer line-up will be announced on the www.galandsmc.org website during the week following the election.

Additionally, the results of the member survey (which concluded on 1/31/08) have been compiled and will be given to the new officers upon completion of the election period. Results will also be made available to members soon thereafter.

The following was included in the member update letters sent over the past month by email (if we had your email address) and by snail mail (if we didn't have your email).

Due to the protracted period for contacting all members, we are extending the deadline for those interested in being involved with leadership positions in GALA-ND/SMC. The deadline for letting us know your interest/intention will now be 10 days later (i.e. January 17).

Please see the details below and contact Michael August (at the address provided below) if you are interested in contributing!

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OFFICER ELECTIONS

It is once again time for officer elections. Offices up for election are:

Chair
Vice-Chair
Treasurer
Secretary

All members are invited to consider running for one of these leadership positions. Qualifications are simple: You must have earned an ND or SMC degree, and you must have time and passion to contribute to the organization during a full two-year term.

If this interests you, send an email with subject GALA ELECTIONS to webmaster@galandsmc.org. Include a bio and specify the office you are interested in running for. To be considered, your email must be received by January 17, 2008.

Elections will be held online in early February, with new officers announced by mid-February.

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OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

GALA-ND/SMC now has nearly 900 people in its member list. We recognize that the needs and interests of our members are as numerous as they are diverse, so we would like to seek some assistance with outreach for certain subsets of our member population. Liaisons would assist GALA-ND/SMC's officers with communications and events targeted to specific populations within the group's membership.

If you would like to serve as a liaison for any of the following subgroups of GALA-ND/SMC members, please send an email (with the subject line "GALA LIAISON") to webmaster@galandsmc.org. Include the name of the group you are interested in spearheading, as well as what your ideas and motivations are for the position:

Recent Alumni
Women
New Members
Regional Rep
Older Alumni