At its Jan. 4 meeting, the DPS responded to the formation of the National Task Force on Mountaineering Insurance by taking an informal vote on several items discussed in a note sent out by John Cheslick, MTC Chair and Angeles Chapter member of the Task Force. Some 26 people were voting, and almost all favored working within the Sierra Club to reinstate mountaineering insurance, rather than leaving immediate1y to affiliate with some other mountaineering organization or form a new one (23 to 2). The voting on the different ways in which insurance could be reinstated was somewhat confused due to lack of full information about what some of the options meant, but the voters strongly favored changing insurance coverage, for example changing the deductible, less liability, etc. (22 to 1), forming an affiliated national corporation (19 to 1), charging insurance costs to the entire Club membership by increasing dues (17 to 4), and self-insuring (13 to 4). There was ambivalence about charging a per person per trip fee (12 for, 11 against) and charging outings section members extra for coverage (8 for, 13 against: the figure mentioned in discussion was $100 per year). Voters strongly opposed an honor system allowing those who wanted to support mountaineering activities to pay extra dues for coverage (2 for, 18 against), and unanimously opposed having leaders get their own insurance (26 against).
DPS WORKS TO ELECT GROPE CANDIDATES TO NATIONAL BOARD
At its Jan. 4 meeting, the DPS appointed a three-person committee to work with representatives of other mountaineering sections to elect the three candidates put forward by GROPE (Grass Roots Outings PeoplE). Randy Bernard, Dale Van Dalsem, and Karen Leonard will be coordinating the campaign to elect BRUCE KNUDTSON, BARBARA REBER, AND R.J. SECOR to the National Board in two months time. The candidates are pledged to work for the restoration of Sierra Club insurance coverage of mountaineering activities - 550 signatures were obtained to put them on the ballot, although only 253 were needed! All three candidates have fine qualifications for the Board and we urge people to support them all equally, in order to make the grass roots protest movement most effective. Rob Roy McDonald of the SPS is compiling a nation-wide list of mountaineering leaders and contacts in the Sierra Club so that this effort is not limited to California; it will take funds for the mailings we plan to put out, so the hat was passed at the meeting to collect money and about $65.00 was collected in ten minutes! Great support, members - those not at the meeting can help by volunteering their time stuffing envelopes, telephoning, or inputting data to Rob Roy's computer. Please call any of the three DPS committee members if you can help.
Desert Rats
| We are rats of a special breed and the desert fulfills our dreams Cholla, cactus and agave provide us with peak experiences far below the summits we seek to master. We are rats of a special breed Who nibble at the list while sipping champagne and spreading caviar and sitting in hot springs. |
We are rats of a special breed with spouses who don't understand our need (but still love us) and co-workers who envy our many excursions (but think it to dangerous). Yes, we are rats of a special breed We are Desert Rats. |
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