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From the President:
By Jeff Kreider, Consultant |
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June 11, 2002
The Future of AMUS
To the AMUS membership:
AMUS has served the community, continuously, since 1978; nearly a quarter of a
century. We have provided an avenue of support, which, on occasion rivaled that
of Alpha Micro. The AMUS newsletter is the longest running publication of any
kind within the AMUS/AMOS Community. We have hosted conventions 19 of the 24
years of our existence. At its peak, AMUS had over 3000 members world wide and
still has an international membership. We have done a good job and have much
with which to be proud. The praise doesn't belong with just the organizers nor
the past and present board and executors, but with the whole community. We all
did it. That is what AMUS is; a community: The Alpha Micro Users Society.
But, I do believe it's about over.
There are currently 125 members listed as active. Another 32 have "expired", but
have not been dropped (these memberships lapsed and were sent a letter to renew,
but, so far, have not). Of those still active, 27 are gratis or lifetime
members. Of the remaining 98, there are 58 actually past their renewal date.
Financially, we are not in great shape, but it is manageable with some
adjustment. What we need to do is stop doing business in California. That is
costing us $800 per year and, as I've just discovered, we are two years behind
and owe $1600. AMUS has not paid rent for four months nor paid my fee since some
time last year. I have paid a few of their other expenses off and on when cash
flow was tight. At the current membership level, annual revenue is just short of
$8000. Not counting my fees, expenses are just over $6200 (in California). The
financial situation is dim, but not destitute. The tax burden is not significant
either, but it is an unnecessary and inconvenient expense. The financial
situation needs to be addressed and that solution should include getting out of
California. That is a significant step and it can go in different directions.
Which direction it goes should also take into consideration the rest of the
story:
More significantly, the participatory faction of the society is all but gone.
AMUS can't function without contributions and participation from the community.
I don't just mean money. I am also talking about voicing interest, sharing
problems and solutions. People still send praise to AMUS for keeping it going
and appreciations for being here, but we need more than that. So even if we
handled the current financial problem, we need to ask, "Who and what are we
handling it for?"
The letter being sent to the board of directors will ask we consider closing
AMUS and invite alternatives. One alternative is to relocate back to Colorado (AMUS
is still a Colorado corporation). Board member Jim Hoffmeister has said he may
be interested in "hosting" the AMUS corporate offices, but, again, that depends
on the interest level. Moving out of California will relieve the tax burden and
some incidental expenses. But it doesn't really solve the problem of
participation and/or interest. Since the relocation has a cost associated with
it, we need to assess the interest of continuing AMUS by those within the
community.
What the AMUS board will do depends, largely, on what you do in response to this
letter. Tell us what you want. Has AMUS out lived its usefulness? Can you
contribute to the organization with ideas, questions, donations? Will you? What
do you want from AMUS? What can AMUS expect from you? If you believe it is time
to shut down, are you willing to make a contribution to handle the costs and
debt? Please address your thoughts to AMUS at the above address or e-mail or on
the internet Usenet group, alt.sys.alpha-micro.
Sincerely,
Jeff Kreider, Consultant
President, Alpha Micro Users Society
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