[ale] future of ALE NW

[Geoffrey]

Christopher Gilbert wrote:
> <rant style="bombastic">
> 
> It would have been nice for there to have been some advanced notice.  If
> this counts as an organizational meeting for KSU's student LUG then it
> does not bode well for student involvement.
> For example the Information Systems club papered Clendenin with notices
> about their organizational meeting.  I would have settled for a post to
> this list.  I was told student officers were appointed?

Advance notice regarding what?  The meeting?  The bottom line is, 
there's been virtually no student involvement in the meetings AT ALL. 
The lug, as far as I know was virtually non-existent at KSU and did 
nothing to promote the meetings. Dow Hurst has done more to promote the 
meetings at KSU then anyone else.  The last meeting there were 5 
attendees, three of which I know do not attend KSU.  Something has to be 
done in order to continue making the meetings worth attending.  Further, 
the only persons working on getting presenters have been Dow and me. 
It's become difficult to get presenters and with such a low showing, who 
wants to devote time and energy to a presentation for 5 people?

The bottom line is, if there is no student involvement in the ALE 
meetings at KSU, there will be no meetings.  Something has to be done.

> My apologies if this meeting was publicized and I have my head up my
> arse, or if the meeting was not as I have characterized it.

The attendees were primarily point people for various organizations. 
Myself and Dow as interested ALE members who were the primary 'creators' 
of the ALE meetings at KSU.  Matthew M. the new LUG president, Dr. 
Gaylor the LUG advisor and Emil Man, a KSU student who has been in 
attendance at various ALE NW meetings.  There was no intent in having a 
mass of people at the meeting as it was already quite difficult in 
getting schedules to mesh and have the meeting.

> But to respond to what Geoffrey wrote, my thinking is that because so
> many of the upper level CS classes are being taught at night now. It may
> be difficult to find a time that works for both students and those lucky
> enough to be employed.  I have a Thursday night class with no less that
> five students w/ linux notebooks.  Short of moving to weekends I don't
> see how to work it out with just one meeting. I don't know if ppl are so
> geeky as to show up for a friday night meeting or not.

The point is, the meetings are advertised on the ALE list, so I don't 
know of any other way to increase the non-student attendance.  If the 
LUG get's involved in promoting the meetings and the time is changed so 
that more students can attend, then that is a good thing.  The bottom 
line is, the only way to increase attendance is to focus on the student 
population.

> 
> Just my 2 cents as a KSU student... 

Just my 2 cents as the originator of the ALE NW meetings.

-- 
Until later, Geoffrey	esoteric at 3times25.net

Building secure systems inspite of Microsoft