8 September, 2000

Councilor Report

Kenneth J. Wynne, Councilor and Roger Clough, Alternate Councilor

Attendance at the Membership Affairs Committee (MAC) meetings and the 
Council meeting at the Washington ACS Meeting was shared by Wynne / 
Clough.  MAC meetings occurred on Friday evening, Saturday (8-5), and Sunday 
(9-2), while Council was on Wednesday morning. 

Saturday morning, MAC considered the issue of increase of size of ACS 
Committees (such as MAC). The proposal sought approval to fast track doubling 
committee size. This proposal found considerable support on MAC. Wynne 
brought to the Committees attention the likelihood that doubling the size of 
committees would greatly decrease the representation of Divisions on 
committees. This did not sway most MAC Committee members and most voted 
for the fast-tracking proposal, and even more voted for the proposal itself.

Wynne raised an important issue concerning recruiting and retention: the ability 
to simultaneously pay annual dues with national meeting registration.  Other 
competing societies have long allowed this arrangement, and many ACS 
members (and prospective members) want this arrangement. Unfortunately, 
members are lost to societies such as the Materials Research Society, because 
of this issue. Wynne brought this point to the attention of the full committee on 
Saturday morning and to the Subcommittee on Recruiting and Retention on 
Saturday afternoon.  Clough supported this issue Sunday morning in the 
presentation of Dorothy Phillips, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Recruiting 
and Retention. Subsequently, MAC Committee Chairman Eric Bigham 
prominently mentioned the issue of combining meeting registration and dues 
payment during his oral report, and said that the committee would be bringing 
more info to the council in the future.

The proposal to ³fast track² the doubling of the size of committees was defeated 
by Council on Wednesday.