last day for Triangle InfoSeCon early bird discount

[Joseph Mack NA3T]

On Fri, 14 Oct 2005 ncsa-announce at ncsysadmin.org wrote:

>
> hi folks,
>
> today is the last day to get the early bird discount on registration for
> triangle infosecon on 11/1 in cary.  we've got a great speaker lineup -
.
.
> regards,
> lisa

this recent posting on ncsa-announce appears to be from the 
NCSA steering committee. It was not authorised by the 
steering committee (ie by passing a resolution at a properly 
convened SC meeting) and is not from the steering committee. 
Several of the SC discussed the matter apparently and agreed 
that NCSA should endorse the conference.

This posting was by a member of the SC using their passwd 
priviledges without authority from the SC. Postings to 
ncsa-announce are propagated through other lists, eg SAGE.

It is quite reasonable for anyone in NCSA to post to 
ncsa-discussion personally endorsing an event or 
organisation, after declaring their relationship/interest to 
it, and that is exactly the sort of thing that should be on 
ncsa-discussion. Despite the "we" in the posting to 
ncsa-announce, NCSA is not involved in InfoSecon (although 
members as individuals apparently are).

NCSA's charter, modelled on a 501(c)(3) organisation is 
limited to Education in a non-profit context. NCSA is not in 
the business of endorsing or not-endorsing events and 
organisations not under our control. To do so would mean 
that NCSA has thoroughly investigated InfoSecon, and in the 
case that an attendee has a bad experience there, NCSA is 
happy to go to court and spend all its money and possibly 
all of the money of the SC members, defending against the 
suit. In the case of a commercial event like InfoSeCon, as 
well an endorsement would invalidate our tax free status.

I have been engaged in discussion with the SC members 
involved and asked for a retraction of the posting and 
suggested that they repost to ncsa-discussion as 
individuals. The person who thinks he can authorize this 
posting is adamant that the posting stand.

Consequently I've decided to alert the NCSA members that the 
posting was not by the SC and if it were, the posting would 
jeopardize NCSA's status as an educational organisation.

Joe Mack
SC member, Treasurer

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) wm7d (dot) net - azimuthal equidistant map
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