Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Aloha, Y'all!

Just a brief note to inform you of the results of Tuesday's elections...

The turnout at the October 13 meeting was extremely encouraging.  There
were enough dues-paying members to constitute a quorum, and VICUG NYC is
pleased to welcome two new members-in-good-standing: Lucia Marett and
Joe Bruno.

Nominations were fielded for all Executive Committee offices.

Gregory J. Rosmaita was the sole nominee for President.  He was elected by
acclamation, with only one opposing vote (his own!)

Vita Zavoli and Viven Yacu were nominated for the office of
Vice-President.  Vita Zavoli was elected.

Jay Leventhal was the sole nominee for the office of Secretary.  He
was elected by acclamation, with no opposing votes or abstentions.

Ruth-Ellen Simmonds and Elizabeth Aldworth were nominated for the office
of Treasurer.  Ruth-Ellen was re-elected.

Elizabeth Aldworth, David Brandt, Mike Mandel and Janina Sajka were
nominated to fill the 3 Members-at-Large seats.  David, Mike, and Janina
were elected.

In recognition of her assiduous efforts to collate a definitive membership
list, Jay Leventhal proposed that Elizabeth Aldworth be appointed Chair of
the Membership Committee.  His proposal was seconded by Gregory J.
Rosmaita.  Elizabeth accepted the position, and asked that everyone who
has ever attended a VICUG NYC meeting or Special Interest Group meeting
send her his or her contact information, including:

        * full name
        * email address
        * postal address
        * phone number
        * URL of homepage (if applicable)

You can either email Elizabeth directly with your contact information
        <[log in to unmask]>
or you can leave a message on the VICUG NYC HotLine: (212) 539-3514

Elizabeth will continue to compile a definitive membership list and work
closely with the Executive Committee to develop strategies on how
VICUG NYC can most effectively recruit new members and communicate with
those individuals who have expressed an interest in a peer-mentoring and
support group aimed at visually impaired computer users.

Vita and Jay also gave their final report as co-chairs of the Permanent
Committee on Programs and Planning (PCPP) [Note: the PCPP is chaired by
the Members-at-Large, and includes individuals drawn from the General
Membership. -- end of note]  They reported that there is currently no
presentation scheduled for the November meeting.  They also reported that
there has been a very disappointing response to the survey that Jay and
Vita circulated to the VIC-NYC list on August 7, 1998, and which can also
be filled out online at VICUG NYC's web site, using the following URL:

        http://www.njin.net/caldwell/vicug/survey.html

He asked all present to please respond to the survey, if they had not
already, and to re-circulate it to other visually impaired computer users
of their acquaintance in the New York Metropolitan area.

Gregory then proposed that VICUG NYC sponsor at least 4 "beginners'
workshops" a year.  One should be dedicated to picking a computer, one to
evaluating screen readers and magnification/large print software, one to
getting online, and one to scanning and OCR.  This proposal met with
general approval.

VICUG NYC's next General Membership Meeting will be held in the Auditorium
of The Associated Blind (TAB) building on Tuesday, November Tenth, from 6
to 7:30pm. The November 10th meeting will feature a presentation entitled
"Getting Online: The Very Basics" which will describe what the internet
is, how blind and visually impaired individuals use it, why you should be
online, and how a blind/VI individual can get online. The focus will be on
the basics, so if you have been waiting to learn how to get online and
what to do once you get there, you shouldn't miss the November Tenth
meeting! If you are an experienced cybernaut who has blind or visually
impaired friends, relatives, or co-workers in the New York City
metropolitan area, please let them know about the November Tenth meeting.
And remember: anyone and everyone is encouraged to attend--even (or,
rather, especially) if you have never attended a VICUG NYC meeting!

In conclusion, VICUG NYC extends its hearty and heartfelt thanks to our
founder and first president, Tom Dekker, who is moving to Houston at the
end of the week.  What more needs to be said then without Tom, there would
be no VICUG NYC.  Thanks Tom, and good luck in Texas!

Gregory
        President/WebMaster/Minister of Propaganda, VICUG NYC

PS: Those of you who have read this far may be wondering why this emessage
is dated Wednesday, October 14, 1998.  The reason is quite simple: it was
composed on the fourteenth, but--due to the fact that there are only 24
hours in the day--I didn't get a chance to spell-check it until this
morning.



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