This may not be the correct place for this item, but I posted the original here and didn't see any objections, so,

About June 18th I started a thread about this issue. Here are some parts of some emails we have been exchanging.
Email to Libby Grimes
“Libby,
Can I cancel my membership and get a full refund of the unused months for which I have paid.
I believe in some of the things SCI stands for and spends money on, however I feel they have changed the "rules of engagement" with this wife thing. I joined or renewed when the rules were XYZ now they are ABC and I just don't feel I should be forced to accept the changes.

Somehow, I deleted her response to the above. It dealt with IRS rules, abuses and etc.
I then responded to her:
Thank you for your response, but you didn't answer my question.
I take this quote from your response:
"For spouses that are just accompanying their husbands to the show and not participating in any other way do not have to purchase a membership as for convention only participation the spouse can enter through purchase of the badge fees only."
This is not the way previous information was presented, or at least not the way I read it. I don't think I any longer have it. The above quote is the way we have been operating. We paid the daily fees for the wife and she came along with me. The new information as I read it said CHANGE and they would be need to be members hence forth. Now there is a difference, I think. I will look for the old correspondence tomorrow night. I know for a fact that many people understood it the same way I understood it.
Now, did I misunderstand the new rules for attendance at the convention or has the policy been changed again?

Dear L…,
I am sorry if I didn’t answer your questions. As for spouses attending the show, again, the policy change was meant to more effectively insure that members are attending the show. It is not meant to inhibit spouses from attending with their member husbands (or vise versa) of put undue pressure on the family. …. If your spouse is attending the convention and not participating in other membership required benefits of the organization then for those purposes we have included it as part of the badge fee so as not to “ding†the family with more expenses. Youths 17 and under remain free. We do want for all other attendees to carry some type of membership. Does that seem too unfair? We have been listening to our membership.



I responded:
Times change. I understand that. I understand the IRS situation. I am sure you have abuses. However, I have trouble understanding how wives got involved in the information that got distributed indicating they would be required to be members,â€

I also received a phone call from Marge in the Membership Dept. about the issue. I asked if they intended to notify the membership that the wife membership rule had been reversed. It would appear that no firm decision of how and when that might happen. I was assured the daily fees for wives to attend would not be increased.

I did not cancel. It appears they can be responsive to the membership.

AH,

Any idea what libby meant by,

quote:

[...]not participating in any other way[...]

Are auctions and dinners off limits? I got a letter from my chapter tellig me that if my wife want to attend local functions, she needs to join. Maybe I should give both my chapter staff and HQ a holler and see what they say.

Thanks for the update!!

-Steve

quote:

Originally posted by Steve:
AH,

Any idea what libby meant by,

quote:

[...]not participating in any other way[...]

Are auctions and dinners off limits? I got a letter from my chapter tellig me that if my wife want to attend local functions, she needs to join. Maybe I should give both my chapter staff and HQ a holler and see what they say.

Thanks for the update!!

-Steve

No I really don't know the answer to your question. From the "answers" I would think she could attend an evening function or an auction, but if she bought anything at auction, maybe it has to be in your name. Don't know. Good question. I tried to convey only what I now know.

At the risk of sounding ignorant (which I am of this "policy") what are the "new" rules. I am planning on attending the SCI Convention in Reno this year and have never heard of new rules for wives. What about girlfriends????? Just curious if someone could post them. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum Hunter1:
At the risk of sounding ignorant (which I am of this "policy") what are the "new" rules. I am planning on attending the SCI Convention in Reno this year and have never heard of new rules for wives. What about girlfriends????? Just curious if someone could post them. Thanks.

The new rule WAS TO BE that we could no longer bring our wives to the SCI Convention unless they joined SCI and paid the duly set fees. This was a big change compared to just paying the daily entrance fee for them. As per the emails I posted that has been reversed and we are back to just paying the daily fee for them
I cannot comment on girl friends, nieces and other types as that was not part of the issues I addressed in my emails.
Furthermore, I should have said spouses as it could be the wife hunts and belongs to SCI and the husband doesn't.
Nor can I address the issue of local chapters as that was not part of out correspondence and I would think that is a local matter and decision, but maybe not.

From SCI

I will try and explain the change which has been made concerning the spouses needing a membership to attend the 2007 SCI Convention.



Spousal Membership for the 2007 Convention:



The Spousal Membership will be included in the purchase of the spouse’s badge, at no additional cost.

There will be NO increases in the cost for the 2007 Convention badges.



To receive the Spousal Membership –

- The spouse must attend the convention with the primary member.

- The spousal must have the same address and last name as the primary member, in the member record. (The name on the badge can read a different last name if needed).

- The Spousal Membership does not include publications or mailings.



The positive side of this is SCI needs numbers to help support the Rights of the Hunters. This will help increase the membership counts for the SCI membership.



I am not sure when the change will be printed and mailed to the members. I may be published in the August Times and probably announced at the August Board Meeting.

Another tempest in a teapot.


Please be aware that the Convention is a Private Event. It is not open to the Public. This solves a number of issues relating to Gambling (raffles) and who is to be allowed in.

A Public Event cannot keep out people with opposing views in Nevada and probably not in many other States.

Thanks Kathi!!

Mickey,

You're proabably right. It is a tempest in a teapot. However, as I mentioned my chapter also said that my wife would have to join to attend local events. They might have just been trying to follow the national lead, though. I plan on calling them when I get a chance.

-Steve

While some local chapters might try to ban non-members, I don't think our local chapters will. I usually bring a enough people with me to fill a table of ten, and sometimes more. They buy things and spend money. I really don't think our local chapters will want to lose that income.

Gentleman and ladies,

So am I to assume that my spousal equivalent (of 25 years) or a woman who has not taken the man's name when they got married will be required to buy a full membership to attend????? I know it's a club and all that shit but someone has their head up their butt on this one.

Mark

I agree Mark. The whole rigamaroe of registering just to get in the exposition hall is bogus. They have fifty people with fifty computers just to help you get in the door? Why not just show your sci card pay twenty five bucks and go in the door. Hell I can write my own damm name on the badge. DSC has a successful show that way. Let the clubbie types dress up and give each other trophys in a seperate hall and let us do the exibition hall the easy way.