American Legion Auxiliary - East Palo Alto Unit #472

Information Governing the Use of the Emblem — The possession of this emblem in this format does not constitute permission to reproduce it. Permission to reproduce the emblems of The American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of the American Legion is confined to those activities as stated below.

"The American Legion emblem is fully copyrighted and patented in the name of the National Organization. The emblem is also protected by federal legislation which makes it a criminal offense to use, without formal approval of the National Organization, the patented insignia of any veterans' group chartered by Congress, one of which is The American Legion."

The above restrictions apply equally to the emblems of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of the American Legion.

The use of the emblem by an individual Auxiliary member is limited to the wearing of the official insignia and to the possession of authorized jewelry of merchandise bearing the insignia. Units are confined to using the emblem or reproduction of the emblem on stationery, Unit publications, notices, posters or place cards, or matters of similar character used in the ordinary routine and conduct of legitimate Unit business. Departments are similarly limited. Any other use of the name "The American Legion Auxiliary" or the emblem shall be subject to approval of the National Secretary.

Chairmen are Leaders, Too! — The following was taken from the January-February 2000 National News, page 26.
The definition of a leader is one who guides or gives a directing hand. A true leader depends on knowledge, innovation, and direction. They simply show us the way by getting there first and by setting an example for us to emulate. They demonstrate through action and achieve results.

As chairmen, you should do all of the above. You guide, give direction on your program, set examples, demonstrate through action and achieve results. Your Present has selected you because you have the following qualities and characteristics: a positive attitude and enthusiasm; good communication skills; willingness to learn; reliable; dependable and trustworthy.
SUCCESS AS A CHAIRMAN
Established goals?
When you receive your plan of work, you should sit down with the President, Executive Committee and your committee and establish goals for your program. Outline a plan of what, why, who, when, and where. What and why are your promoting? Who needs to be involved, When is this function happening and where will it be held? You need to set dates, decide a budget, develop fundraiser activities with a dollar goal in mind and resolve the number of volunteers needed.
Involve your members?
As a chairman, you need to ask members to participate as a committee member or a volunteer. Explain the importance of the function you have planned. Will it aid the veterans, youth or your community? Be honest about the time and energy that will be involved. They need to know what is expected of them and what they are to accomplish. Keep in mind this volunteer may be a future chairman for this committee or another. Pique their interest.
Involve your Juniors?
Remember that Juniors are members too and we as Senior members, set the example. These young ladies are willing and able to help and are very cheerful volunteers. Let's use them for something other than cleanup duties. Remember participating is an excellent way of learning.
Planning a Special program?
Have you asked the President for project time at your meeting to present a special program? We have many new and seasoned members who could learn about your project by having a short program. You could have a guest speaker or just read a short dissertation of what the program is about and your plans as the Chairman. If you have a guest speaker , be prepared to provide her with the correct time and location, greet her on her arrival, have special needs ready (audiovisual, podium, microphone, etc.). Have and introduction ready which includes her biographical information.
Prepare a Lessons Learned database?
This is an important piece for a future Chairman's resource. This information can be passed on to future chairmen. This informs them of what worked, what did not work, what the budget entailed, expenses and profits, dates of the activities, how many volunteers were used, how many hours er needed and any other helpful information. This helps with the end of year reports.
Attend meetings and make reports?
When you attend your meetings, you give concise, to the point and clear reports. These is nothing wrong in saying, " I have nothing to report." But DON'T use that phrase consistently. Many chairmanships will only have activities to report at certain times of the year. Reporting is important in that it lets new members understand and learn about our programs and jogs the memories of your seasoned members to reflect on past activities and provide some of their wisdom and experiences.
Remember to use your tools
(Plan of Work, Constitution & Bylaws, Leadership Correspondence Course, Leadership Workshops, Manual of Ceremonies, parliamentary Points and Protocol, etc.) Be knowledgeable not only about your program, but read about other programs; many activities overlap and you can work as a team. It does not hurt to know what our Legionnaire counterparts are doing as well. Listen to the needs of your President, Committee and Unit. (Mar 08)

Department of California Organization
Department Convention :: The annual convention shall be composed of regularly elected and appointed Department Officers, District Presidents, Past Department Presidents in good standing in their respective Units, chairmen of Department committees, members of the Department Finance Committee, Girls State Director, Junior Conference Director, Hospital Representatives, and regularly elected delegates and alternates from each Unit. Each Unit shall be entitled to two (2) delegates and two (2) alternates for charter and one (1) additional delegate and one (1) alternate for each seventy-five (75) members or major fraction thereof, paid up in Department Headquarters forty-five (45) days prior to the opening of Department Convention.
Department Executive Committee :: Department President, Department Vice President, Junior Past President, Past National President, District Presidents, Department Chairmen, Members of the Department Finance Committee, Parliamentarian, and Girls State Director. (Department Constitution, Article VII, Section 1.)
Department President ::
It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Department Convention assembled and the Department Executive Committee; to enforce strict observance of the Constitution and Bylaws, except as hereinafter provided in (D), and with the exception of the National Security Chairman to appoint chairmen of standing committees, Hospital Representatives and their Deputies, Hospital Chairmen and their Deputies in non-VA hospitals; when requested by the District or Districts involved and the Poppy Production Managers; and create such other special committees and appoint members thereof as she deems advisable, and perform such other duties as custom and parliamentary usage requires.
A. She shall be a member ex-officio of all committees.
B. The Department President shall sign Bylaws of all Units after approval of Department Constitution and Bylaws Chairman.
C. The Department President shall call regular meetings of the Executive Committee and special meeting of Executive Committee upon written consent, or request, of not less than five (5) members of said committee.
D. She shall be vested with authority to grant special dispensation to individual Units or Districts in extreme cases of emergency. Emergency shall be defined to mean epidemics, disaster or unusual climatic conditions when it shall become impossible to function according to Bylaws.
E. She shall appoint the following Department Officers: Chaplain, Historian, Parliamentarian, Sergeant-at-Arms, Marshal, and Musician.
F. She shall annually appoint the Girls State Director from nominees recommended by the Girls State Board of Directors or Girls State Committee.
G. She shall appoint the chairman of the Girls State Committee.
H. She shall appoint the chairman of the Convention Commission.
I. She shall appoint the Junior Conference Director.
Department Vice President :: The Department Vice President shall act as a representative of the Department President on all matters referred to her by the Department President and shall perform such other duties as are usually incident to the office. The Vice President shall be chairman of a required standing committee, to which she shall be appointed by the Department President.
Department Finance Committee :: One (1) member shall, at each convention, be elected to serve for three (3) years on the Finance Committee. She shall serve with the two (2) members now on the committee. The chairman shall automatically be dropped upon the election of the new member and the senior member then becomes the new chairman.
Department Secretary/Treasurer :: Works directly with the Department Officers and Chairmen – Manages Department Office
Department Officers/Program Chairmen :: Work directly with Department President - Administer annual programs according to Department Code
District Presidents :: Direct Questions to Department President
District Officers/Program Chairmen :: Direct Questions to District President and /or Department Counterpart
Unit Presidents :: Direct Questions to District President
Unit Officers/Program Chairmen :: Direct Questions to Unit President and /or District Counterpart (Feb 08)

DEC :: The Department Executive Committee is made up of the Department President, Department Vice President, Junior Past President, Past National President, District Presidents, Department Chairmen,Members of the Department Finance Committee, Parliamentarian, and Girls State Director. (Department Constitution, Article VII, Section 1.) The number of members is approximately 75.

Department Executive Committee Meeting is also referred to as Interim Board Meeting, Mid-Year Meeting, and DEC. It is an annual meeting of the Executive Committee held in January on a Friday through Sunday. The dates are usually set one year in advance. All ALA members are invited to attend.

During this meeting the chairmen, officers, and District Presidents report on the progress to date. The Hospital Representatives meet on Friday to review the annual program, report on activity, and plan for the remainder of the year. There is a membership rally on Friday night. On Saturday, announcements are made by those running for president, vice president, and finance junior member for the next ALA year. Saturday evening there is a banquet with entertainment. (Jan 08)

Auxiliary Emergency Fund :: The Auxiliary Emergency Fund is an excellent example of the Auxiliary's dedication to "Women Helping Women." The fund, established in 1969, is supported by contributions from Auxiliary Units and members.

The Auxiliary Emergency Fund was created to provide:
• Temporary assistance to eligible members during a time of financial crisis when no other source of aid is readily available to pay for shelter, food and utilities.
• Temporary assistance for food and shelter to eligible members related to weather-related emergencies and natural disasters
• Temporary assistance for educational training for eligible members who, because of changes in their life, become the main means of support for their family. This education assistance is meant to help members obtain necessary skills and training needed to enter or re-enter the workforce or needed to upgrade skills and training to obtain a better-paying position. (This facet of the AEF was formerly known as the Displaced Homemakers Fund.)

Eligibility applies to members of the ALA who have maintained membership for the immediate past two years and who have paid their dues for the current year (three consecutive years). The amount of support may be as much as $2,400 as determined by the National Grant Committee. Payments may be awarded directly to the applicant or to the mortgage or utility company. In the case of educational support, the award is made directly to the learning institution. Application (Dec 07)

What is the California Disaster Fund? :: In 1989, the Department of California established the California Disaster Fund to assist members who sustain damage to their homes or great personal loss due to earthquakes and other natural disasters or any unfortunate event causing wide-spread damage.

The Department budget for the California Disaster Fund is dependent upon voluntary contributions. It maintains the Fund and make distributions of monies to American Legion Auxiliary members when notified by the Department Chairman. The amount of assistance requested on the application form is at the discretion of the Department Chairman.

Any member in good standing is eligible for assistance. The amount of assistance granted depends upon the need. Applications for disaster relief are responsibility of the local Unit with two signatures required: The first by either the member or the Unit Community Service Chairman; and the second by either the Unit President or the Unit Secretary. All applications are forwarded to the Department Chairman for action. (Nov 07)

National Scholarships :: The National President’s Scholarships are awarded to children of veterans who served in the Armed Forces during the eligibility dates for The American Legion. One $2,500 scholarship, one $2,000 scholarship, and one $1,000 in scholarship money will be awarded in each division. Ten outstanding students will be awarded a total of $27,500 to further their higher education. The applicant must complete fifty (50) hours of community service during his/her high school years to be eligible for one of these scholarships. Scholarship deadline to the Unit is March 1.

The Non-Traditional Student Scholarship includes five scholarships, each in the amount of $1000, awarded in the 2007-2008 administrative year. One $1000 scholarship will be awarded in each division of the American Legion Auxiliary. Applicant must be a member of The American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of The American Legion and shall have paid dues for the two preceding years and for the calendar year in which application is made. The applicant also must be a student who has had at least one year of college and is in need of financial assistance to pursue an undergraduate degree. Scholarship deadline to the Unit is March 1.

The Spirit of Youth Scholarship for Junior Members is granted to one Junior member in each division will receive a scholarship valued at $1,000 per year for four years (total $4,000). The applicant must have held membership in the American Legion Auxiliary for the immediate past three years, currently hold a 2008 membership card, and continue to maintain her membership throughout the four-year scholarship period. Scholarship deadline is March 1.

Department Scholarships ::

Department General Scholarship Application $2,000— One 2-year scholarship each year payable at $1,000 per year. $1,000— Four scholarships per year payable at $1,000 each $500— Three scholarships per year payable at $500 each Fields of Endeavor : Not specified	Pre-requisites : Senior in high school or graduate of an accredited high school who has not been able to begin college due to circumstances of illness or finance; must need financial assistance to continue educational pursuits; must attend a California college or university Deadline: Applications must be submitted to the local Unit on or before March 16
Lucille Ganey Memorial Scholarship Application $500— One scholarship at $500 Fields of Endeavor : Not specified	Pre-requisites : Must be a senior in a California high school at time of application and will be attending Stephens College in Missouri or a student already attending Stephens College Deadline: Applications must be submitted to the local Unit on or before March 15
Continuing or Re-entry Student Scholarship Application $1,000— Three scholarships each year payable at $1,000 each $500— Two scholarships each year payable at $500 each Fields of Endeavor : Not specified	Pre-requisites : Must be a continuing or re-entry college student; must attend a California college or university Deadline: Applications must be submitted to the local Unit on or before March 15
Past Presidents Parley Nurses Scholarship Application $500 to $1,500— Various Scholarships offered each year Fields of Endeavor : Nursing	Pre-requisites : Must be entering into or a continuing student in a nursing program. You are the wife, husband, widow, widower or child of a veteran or you are a veteran Deadline: Applications must be submitted to the local Unit on or before April 6
Past Department Presidents' Junior Scholarship Application $300 to $1,000— One scholarship each year — Amount depends upon donations Fields of Endeavor : Not specified	Pre-requisites : Must have consecutive membership as a Junior for three years and be current with membership in the American Legion Auxiliary. Must be a child, grandchild, or great grandchild of a veteran. Must currently be in high school and attending college in the next academic year; California resident (see form for details) Deadline: Applications must be submitted to the Unit in which the Junior holds membership by April 13
	(Oct 07)

Responsibilities of a Chairman :: Taken from the January-February 1999 National News, page 26.
Chairmen are a vital part of the American Legion Auxiliary: They have the responsibility of making sure that the programs for that specific committee are carried out for the year. If you are a new Chairman or maybe you have been a Chairman for several years, it is important that you include these steps in making sure that your Unit, or on whatever level you are a Chairman, has another successful year.

1. Ask questions about the committee you are going to chair. Check with the previous year's Chairman for any input that she can give you. Talk to your President and ask her what her goals are for the year an how she sees this program supporting it.

2. Read as much as you can about the program. There are many tools available that will provide you with the information, that you need. Your Unit guide, The National News, or the Department news-paper, are just a few of the resources available to you.

3. Talk to the Chairman that is above you. For example, if you are a Unit Chairman you should talk to your District or County Chairman. She should have information from the Department and National level that she can provide you, and also give you input as to what she has planned for the year.

4. After you have gathered all the information that you need, sit down and plan out your years activities. At your next meeting, present them to your fellow members and ask them for suggestions. Also, ask at that time if there are any member that would be willing to help you with the planning of these activities. Just because you are the Chairman of the program, it doesn't mean you have to do the whole thing. It's always a lot more fun if you have others members to work with you on a project. Be sure and include these people when you get ready to do the project. When members are involved in the projects, and they see first hand what you have planned, they will tell others and soon you will have a larger participation which leads to a very successful project

7. When the day of the activity arrives, make sure all your members know the time and place that they are to be. Also give them instructions, ahead of time, as to what you expect them to do for the activity. Above all be flexible, have a plan ready in case of weather problems or someone canceling at the last minute, etc.

8. Take lots of notes and keep track of hours spent, money spent and profits made so that when it comes time for you to do your reports, you have everything you need to make your report.

9. Good luck in whatever committee you are working on and above all have fun doing it. (Sep 07)

What is Installation? :: to place in an office, rank, etc., with formality or ceremony. The American Legion Auxiliary is one of the few organizations that continues to use ceremony. For some it may feel uncomfortable and somewhat old-fashioned. However, the formality of the Installation Ceremony brings with it distinction within the membership, the publicly verbal agreement to accept certain responsibilities, and the integrity of those being installed to act in the best interest of the Unit. Although, the National organization does not mandate installations of Unit Officers, it does encourage the use of this ceremony.

Usually, Units install the new officers sometime between the date they are elected and before the first business meeting for the new year. Installation does not necessarily constitute the possession of the new office by the elected officer. Unless otherwise stated in Unit Bylaws and/or Standing Rules, officers take possession of the new office immediately following elections. (Jul 07)

Delegates and Alternates to Convention :: The annual convention is composed of regularly elected and appointed Department Officers, District Presidents, Past Department Presidents in good standing in their respective Units, chairmen of Department committees, members of the Department Finance Committee, Girls State Director, Junior Conference Director, Hospital Representatives, and regularly elected delegates and alternates from each Unit. Each Unit shall be entitled to two (2) delegates and two (2) alternates for charter and one (1) additional delegate and one (1) alternate for each seventy-five (75) members or major fraction thereof, paid up in Department Headquarters forty-five (45) days prior to the opening of Department Convention.

Delegates and alternates have several responsibilities and opportunities as working members of the Department Convention.

1.	To represent the Unit at the District Caucus.
2.	To attend the Department Convention and attend all sessions during the four (4) days of proceedings.
3.	To serve on a Convention Committee as a District representative when appointed by the District President, answering roll call when the District number is called.
4.	To report to the District President the action(s) of the committee that will be considered for a vote by the convention body.
5.	To elect Department Officers, vote on Code and Bylaws changes.
6.	To elect delegates and alternates to National Convention.
7.	To report to the Unit, the proceedings and changes voted by convention action.

(Apr 07)

End-of-Year Reporting :: In order for the National organization to report to The American Legion and to Congress about the activity of the American Legion Auxiliary, it must rely on the reporting of all the 10,000+ Units throughout the world. The work we do as members of East Palo Alto Unit 472 must be reported in order to be included in the final results. Reports are due to the respective District chairman by April 27 for the ALA year 2006-2007.

An important part of reporting is the Supplemental Report. This is our Unit’s opportunity to expand on the work we’ve accomplished during the current Auxiliary Year (July-June). On each program Web site page for all the programs required to report, is a link to a sample supplemental report. It is in Word format to make any necessary changes.

In some cases, the District, Department and National program chairmen offer awards to Units. The minimum requirement for qualifying for an award is filing the Year-End Report with a Supplemental Report. (Mar 07)

Membership Transfers :: Sometimes a member wants to transfer from one Unit into another. First, the new Unit must know if the member is current with her dues by either seeing her membership card for the current year or by the Unit contacting the Department Office to verify the member is current with her dues. Once this is determined, the Unit decides to accept the transfer by a vote of the membership or by other means as agreed upon by the membership. Upon acceptance, there are two ways to transfer into a Unit: transfer with dues or transfer without dues.

Transfer with Dues :: Prior to December 31 of the current card year, a member may transfer with dues to the new Unit. She pays her dues (the new Unit's rate) and provides a completed Member Data Form to the Unit. The Unit transmits the dues and data form to the Department Office in the usual manner. The transferring member is counted toward the Unit's membership goal.

Transfer without Dues :: If the transferring member requests to join the new Unit after December 31, the Unit verifies that her dues are current with her current Unit. If they are not current, the member must pay the current year's dues to that Unit. Once it is verified that the transferring member's dues are current with that Unit, she may transfer into the new Unit without dues. She becomes a member of the new Unit immediately; however, she is not counted toward the membership goal. (Feb 07)

Four Chaplains :: The Four Chaplains were four Army chaplains who gave their lives when the USAT Dorchester was hit by a torpedo and sank on February 3, 1943. They helped other soldiers board lifeboats and gave up their life jackets when the supply ran out. 230 men of the 902 aboard survived the attack.

The chaplains were Lieutenants Rev. George L. Fox (Methodist); Rabbi Alexander D. Goode (Jewish); Fr. John P. Washington (Roman Catholic); and Rev. Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed). The four chaplains were all sailing on the USAT Dorchester troop transport ship on 3 February 1943 when the vessel was torpedoed by the German U-Boat U-223. As the vessel sank, the four chaplains calmed the frightened soldiers and sailors, aided in the evacuation of the ship, and helped guide wounded men to safety. The chaplains also gave up their own life vests. A survivor of the sinking, Engineer Grady Clark later recalled,

On 19 December 1944, all four chaplains were posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Service Cross.[2] The Chaplain's Medal for Heroism was authorized in 1961 and posthumously presented by the President of the United States to the families of the chaplains. The chaplains were also honored with a stamp, issued in 1948 and by an act of the United States Congress, designating 3 February as "Four Chaplains Day."

Duties of the Unit Committees :: “Many Unit activities are conducted by committee chairmen and their committee members. Varying conditions and circumstances will, of course, control the committees necessary in different Units and Departments.

The National Organization has the following National Committees: Americanism, Auxiliary Emergency Fund, Cavalcade of Memories, Children and Youth, Community Service, Constitution & Bylaws, Education, Finance, Girls State, Junior Activities, Leadership, Legislative, Liaison with Child Welfare Foundation, Membership, National Security, Past Presidents Parley, Poppy, Public Relations, and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation.

The Departments follow this plan of committee organization in major respects, and it should also be followed by Units to facilitate the coordination of their programs with Department and National programs.” (From the Unit Handbook, pp 55-56) (Dec 06)

Wording a Motion :: A motion is a proposal that asks the assembly take certain action, or that it express itself as holding certain action, or that it express itself as holding certain views.

Most motions must be seconded in order to be considered by the assembly. If there is no second, the chair may ask, "Is the motion seconded." If the motion fails to be seconded, the motion is lost and business continues. (Dec 06)

Major Programs Overview :: The six major programs of the Department of California are:

Poppy
Legislative
Americanism
Children & Youth
Education
Rehab (VA&R)

It is reasonable to assume that the motivations for forming a Unit have to do with the work of the American Legion Auxiliary - support of veterans and their families, children and youth, our communities. The Department of California specifies six major programs which all Units are expected to support. Units are required to show participation in these six major programs, as well as Membership. Participation includes Department donations and/or reporting of activity in each program on the year-end reports. (Nov 06)

Take a Look at the Membership Card :: There is a star in the upper right corner of the card. The number inside the star represents the number of years of paid membership. Although the small words above the star say continuous years, that number really only represents the number of paid years. (Note:: If there is ever a break in paid years, even if those years are caught up, the member may temporarily lose certain rights. More about this in another workshop.) The Department, Unit number, membership number and name of the member appear in the upper half of the card. New members joining after March may not have a printed membership number until the following membership year. This doesn't mean they do not have an assigned number; it means that they joined after National printed the cards for the current year. In the lower portion is the city and state in which the Post and Unit reside. To clarify this, take a look at our charter. Finally, there are lines for the Unit member to sign her name and for the signature of an authorized Unit officer. On the back of the card is the Preamble to the Constitution of the American Legion Auxiliary. Each year the graphic on the card changes. The National organization encourages members to give suggestions for future graphics. (Oct 06)

What is the Child Welfare Foundation? :: The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation was created in 1954 to 1. Contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children and youth through the dissemination of knowledge about new and innovative organizations and their programs designed to benefit youth; and 2. Contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children and youth through the dissemination of knowledge already possessed by well-established organizations, to the end that such information can be more adequately used by society.

Every year, in mid-October, the Foundation Board of Directors meets in Indianapolis, Indiana, to consider the grant requests. The Board is authorized to expend whatever funds are available toward achieving its purposes. The Foundation makes grants to nonprofit institutions, organizations, and agencies that are tax exempt and, in the opinion of the Board, have the ability to accomplish the two primary purposes.

The primary sources of Foundation funds are from Legion Family contributions. (Sep 06)

How does VIM membership work? :: The acronym VIM stands for Very Important Member. Those who are VIMs have paid their dues for life. There is a special application which must be used and members can get it by clicking here. Any member whose dues are current may apply. The applicant fills out the application Section 1. She includes payment and send both to the Unit Secretary. She in turn fills out Section 2 and forwards the application and payment directly to National using the address on the form. The determine how much the payment should be, the member uses the chart on the back of the application. Two pieces of information are needed: The age of the member at the time she is applying and the amount of the Unit's dues. For example, if the member is 30 years old and the Unit's dues are $25, the VIM payment is $809.

Note :: If the Unit's dues are $25 the Unit sends $12.25 for per capita to the District/Department/National. The remaining $12.75 remains with the Unit and is used as described in the Unit's budget. So, what happens to that $12.75 extra sent to National? Using current numbers, annually, National will return $13 to the Unit. The Unit will pay the .25 cents per capita to the District and retain the remaining $12.75 for the Unit's budgeted expenses.

The Unit may vote to waive its portion of the $25 ($13). In doing so, the VIM fee will be calculated on the minimum amount required to send to Department as per capita. Currently, this amount is $12. Although this helps the member who is applying for VIM, it does reduce the amount of income for the Unit. (Jul 06)

What does Close of Books mean? :: When the delegates to Department Convention register, they are given a booklet titled Book of Reports which is published by the Department Office. In that booklet are the statistics for the year. They include the information gathered by each Department Program Chairman through the Unit and District Year-End Reporting and certain information relating to every Unit in the Department of California by District. The District page includes the following information: Unit #, name of Unit, membership goal, total number of members as of the Close of Books, number of allowed delegates, and the donations made by the Unit for Americanism, Children & Youth, Education (including Poppy Seals), Past Presidents Parley Nurse's Scholarship, Gift Shop and Patient Remembrance, and Veteran Affairs & Rehabilitation. In order for the Department Office to have enough time to completely gather this information, publish the booklet, and get it to the convention site, a forty-five period is set aside. So, 45 days prior to the opening day of convention, all the raw data must be in the Department Office - Close of Books. (Apr 06)

What is the Department Code? :: The Department Code is a set of guidelines for all the ALA programs, Chaplain, Historian, Finance, and Department Policies. Think of it as the Standing Rules to the Department Constitution and Bylaws. The codes clearly describe how the work of each program is to be conducted, what are the responsibilities of the Department program chairmen, rules for various contests, and Department supported awards. For each program code, go to the program page. For a complete set of the code, go to the Business page. (Mar 06)

Why is there a difference between how many members we have in our Unit and what the Department reports? :: Currently we have 27 members in our Unit; however, Department is reporting that we have 20 members. When you pay your annual dues to the ALA, the Department counts you as a member in the Unit you belong to at the time of payment. Our Unit is comprised of 17 new ALA members who paid their dues to Unit 472. It also has 10 members who transferred from their previous Units to join Unit 472. 7 of those 10 had already paid their 2006 dues to their previous Unit and are counted as members of those Units by Department. 3 of those 10 had not paid their 2006 dues and transferred into Unit 472 paying dues to the new Unit. So those 3 added to the 17 new members adds up to 20 members Department is reporting as paying 2006 dues to Unit 472. After Department Convention in June, the Department will begin to prepare for the 2007 Membership Card Year, the slates will be wiped clean, and all our 27 members will be counted by Department in our Unit 472 as they pay their 2007 dues. For more information refer to the Unit Handbook, Transfer of Membership. (Feb 06)


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