Page 4 - Voices! - october 2015

EDITORIAL Publisher

Changes are coming. . . Phyllis Harmon, DTM

by Phyllis A. Harmon, DTM Associate Publisher
Immediate Past District Governor
Brenda Parsons, ACB, ALS
The Toastmasters Board of Directors approved two changes, effective July 1,
2016, which will impact us in District 7. Senior Editor
In the first change, grace periods are abolished. In an effort to eliminate
confusion and inconsistency surrounding member or club status for speech Phyllis Harmon, DTM
contest eligibility, quorum requirements, or whether a member can run for
club or district office, the Board approved modifications to Policy 2.0: Club Associate Editors
and Membership Eligibility.
The new rules state “A paid member is one whose dues have been received by Leanna Lindquist, DTM
World Headquarters for the current dues period. An unpaid member is one whose Erik Bergman, DTM
dues have not been received by World Headquarters for the current dues period. Karen O’Keefe, DTM
Unpaid members are not considered to be in good standing by Toastmasters Alexis Mason, DTM
International.”
“A club is considered paid and is in good standing when its dues have been Layout/Design
received by World Headquarters for the current dues period for a minimum of
eight members—at least three of whom were members of the club during the Phyllis Harmon, DTM
previous renewal period.” Curtis Low
The change means that clubs who don’t meet the minimum requirements
for dues paid by October 1 and April 1 will find their members no longer 2015-16 Officers
eligible to participate in speech contests or receive DCP credit for dues paid
on time. Treasurers will need to submit member dues as soon as received to District Director
keep their members and clubs in good standing.
The second change involves virtual members. If you have members who Michelle Alba Lim, DTM
rarely make it to a meeting because of distance or intervening commitments,
they will now be able to join your weekly meetings online via audio and Program Quality Director
video conferencing. This change will be rolled out in two phases according
to the Board of Directors. Leanna Lindquist, DTM
In phase 1, people can attend club meetings virtually as long as the majority
of the members meet in person. The attendees must participate through Club Growth Director
the use of live audio and video conferencing tools at the club’s expense. In
phase 2, clubs that are 100% virtual will be allowed to charter. These clubs Erik Bergman, DTM
will meet solely online, be undistricted, allow members to participate in the
Taped Speech Contest, determine the technology platform and use it at the District Treasurer
club’s expense, and participate in online club officer training with the option
to attend district sponsored club officer training. Jill Ward, ACB, ALB
I’m pleased to see that the Board of Directors is finally embracing technology
and realizing that in today’s world, many companies conduct business quite District Secretary
successfully through virtual means. What this means to us is that we have the
opportunity to engage new members by using Skype, Google Hangouts, or Tom Knapp, ACG, ALB
other virtual meeting technologies. It might be time to explore venues with
Wi-Fi or set monies aside to fund a hotspot. In phase 2, online club officer Voices! is published monthly by
training was approved. I suspect that there will be plenty of discussion by the District 7 Toastmasters. First issue
Board. I anticipate they will develop strict guidelines in order to gain credit published August 2014.
towards Distinguished Club Program goals.
I think these changes are long overdue. We now have the means to engage
more people in the program through online conferencing, as well as tighten
up the requirements to participate in contests and remain a member or club
in good standing. What do you think?

4 Volume 2 Issue 4 - OCT 2015