This important message is for everyone interested in the Chicago
Chapter of the ACM. Please read to learn about how you can help
the chapter by becoming a member and reap some benefits from ACM
as well. As you may know, last year we did not hold an election for chapter officers as we were unable to fill all the officer slots on the ballot. Our officers from last year agreed to continue operating the chapter as they were able. It is election time again, and this year we need to get back on track. The Chicago Chapter of the ACM is a professional chapter of International ACM (http://www.acm.org) and as such there are requirements to maintain. There must be at least three officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, and Treasurer/Secretary) who are also members of ACM. There must be chapter members who attend meetings, help plan and organize the meetings, and work on other projects for the benefit of chapter members and Chicago's computing community. Joining the chapter and working on chapter committees can provide valuable experience and networking opportunities to those who take part. The Program Committee, headed by the vice chair of the chapter, looks for topics that will be of interest to our audiences, finds the right speakers to present the talk, and handles meeting arrangements. The Publicity and Membership Committee identifies ways to increase membership and provides chapter communications through e-mail announcements, developing the chapter website, and other means such as use of social media. (The chapter now has Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.) To build up membership we are announcing a membership drive. In addition to receiving e-mails about additional activities that will be part of this drive, we will be sending out paper notices if we have your address. Additionally, with the assistance of ACM, we will be reaching out to the nearly 2000 Chicago-area ACM members. Our current agreement with Loyola University for free meeting space (a very valuable commodity in downtown Chicago) requires us to hold no-cost, open meetings. When we charged a fee for each meeting in the past, it was largely to support a provided meal during the social hour, and chapter members received a discount. Our dues at the time were designed to cover the member discount in addition to supporting chapter activities. As part of the membership drive, we are rolling back to 1969 rates and offering a catch-up rate of $4 for a professional membership and $2 for a student membership. This will make your membership current until the end of our Chapter year, June 30, 2011. After that, the new officers will assess what the annual membership dues should be for the 2011-12 Chapter year. Two primary benefits of being a chapter member are the right to vote in elections, and the free resources that become available to you from International ACM - delivered to you through the e-mail address you report when you join the Chicago Chapter.
You may join the Chicago Chapter ACM at any of our meetings, or by mail. You can find a PDF of the Chapter Membership form on our website at http://www.chicagoacm.org Thank you for your continued support of the Chicago Chapter ACM. Greg Neumarke Richard Lee |
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