Co-President’s Message I have one word for you: bylaws. Are you snoozing yet? Bylaws are an essential part of an organization like RAPS but let’s face it, they’re not likely to top anyone’s reading list. Still, bylaws should be reviewed every few years to make sure they continue to accurately reflect an organization’s activities and current practice. An ad hoc bylaws committee was formed recently to take a look at the entire document. Priscilla Blumel, Eileen Brennan, Doug Swanson, and I served on that committee. Thanks to Sue Poulsen, who took the initiative to review the bylaws as her term as co-president was ending, we started with a list of items that needed attention. One of them caught us by surprise: the Scholarship Committee was created circa 2010 but has never been formally recognized in the bylaws as a standing committee. That has been rectified, along with a couple of significant modifications, such as changing terms of office for all Board members from three years to two. The committee also clarified ambiguous phrases and made other changes to bring the bylaws up to date with how RAPS operates. While some might consider a bylaws overhaul yawn-inducing, I must confess I enjoyed the process, and I’m happy to report the Board accepted all the changes the committee suggested. Now it’s your turn. RAPS members need to review the proposed changes and vote on whether to accept them. Full details and a ballot will be included in the January 2018 RAPS Sheet. My thanks to Priscilla, Eileen, and Doug for working on the bylaws revision with me. And thanks once again to Sue for being the catalyst for this project. —Dawn White, Co-President Winter Term 2018 Events—Save the Dates January 18 (333 Smith Memorial Center; lunch at noon, presentation at 12:45 pm) “The History and Ideology of North Korea’s Provocations” Danny Kim, visiting assistant professor of history, will talk about the history of North Korean provocation and “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-un’s cult of personality. February 15 (333 Smith Memorial Center; lunch at noon, presentation at 12:45pm) “An Extraordinary Pilgrimage: Camino Francés to Santiago de Compostela” Retired physician Jim Peck, who spoke to RAPS last year about working for Doctors without Borders in war-torn countries around the world, and his wife, Joan Peck, will give an illustrated talk of their experience walking “the camino” together in 2016. March 15 (333 Smith Center potluck at noon, opera presentation in 326 Lincoln Hall at 1:00 pm) Christine Meadows, director of PSU's Opera Program, will give a preview of PSU's spring opera, Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten, and students in the opera program will perform. The March meeting includes the annual spring potluck. Please come and bring your favorite salad or dessert. The potluck will be held in 333 SMSU and we will move to 326 LH for the opera presentation, which begins at 1:00 pm. 2
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