July 2024

RVC Column -- July*, 2024

Michael Eager, RVC 8

Like every AG I’ve attended, and there have been quite a few, the Annual Gathering in Kansas City was much more about the people than the program. I had an opportunity to hang out with friends and catch up with people I know from around the country and overseas, including our new Chair of Mensa International, Therese Moody-Bloom. I made several new acquaintances, as well.

One big difference this year is that instead of watching the American Mensa Committee (AMC, our board of directors) meeting from the audience, I was one of the people at the table. This term’s AMC has eight new RVCs, out of 15 voting members (and 4 non-voting members) which significantly changes the dynamics. We’ve been having online discussions and onboarding sessions, but this was the first time for many of us to meet face-to-face, get to know each other and our personalities, and, yes, go out to have some Kansas City BBQ. I’ll come back to the AMC meeting in a moment.

I had many hallway conversations with members, past officers, current officers, and perhaps, future officers about American Mensa, where it is now and where it is going. I hosted a Region 8 Round Table where we identified several possible discussion topics and then talked about three. I took notes, attempting to summarize each topic or comment into a short line on a flip chart. (Remarkably, no one criticized either my penmanship or spelling.) We came up with a mix of problems and possible solutions, somewhat jumbled together. It was a very active and engaging hour or so, with a few ideas to pursue in the short term. Did we solve all of Mensa’s problems? In a bit more than an hour, no. What we did have was a productive conversation among 40 or so engaged and active members. You can find my notes at https://mensa.eagerm.tech.

Several friends were in the audience when I took my seat as RVC at the AMC meeting for the first time. Then we went into closed session for a long time to approve the appointed members of the AMC and to hold some other discussions. When we resumed open session, most of the audience had disappeared. Only motions adopted in a closed session are reported; other discussion, if any, remains private. Much of the AMC meeting is reports, with a few pro forma motions. This time there were two substantive motions on the table. We had had weeks to discuss these motions, ask for clarifications, express our opinions, and decide how we would vote. That means that there is little substantive discussion about the motions at the AMC meeting. Some members simply vote for or against, some feel that we need to “go on the record” about why we are voting as we do. Unfortunately, the minutes only record the vote taken, not the discussion, so the only record where you will find out what I said is to watch the video recording, available on the AML website. (I voted against a motion which would eliminate most input from the AMC into the budget process and against a motion to change how the bylaws are amended.) In summary, the AMC meeting is methodical and slow. Important, sure, but not exciting.

Some people believe that the small audience for an AMC meeting means that members are not interested in what happens in American Mensa. On the contrary, the action is elsewhere, in the discussions which happen away from the formal AMC meeting. There are several ways you can be involved. One is to volunteer to work on one of the several AMC committees, such as the membership, marketing, or communication committees. Another is to volunteer to support Region 8: we need mailing list moderators, website maintainers, gifted youth coordinators, and more. Or you can participate in a monthly online Region 8 discussion, a suggestion from the Round Table, where we will discuss one issue each month. Look for email on Mensa Connect for details.

I look forward to working with you for a better Mensa. Contact me at rvc8@us.mensa.org.

* This was originally published with "August, 2024" in the header, although it was written in July. Going forward, my columns will show the month in which it was written, not the month of publication.