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Ideas! Ideas! Ideas!

Freshman Orientation-Attend all freshman and transfer orientation sessions and speak briefly about the NEA-SP. Make arrangements to allow the NEA State Student local members to serve as campus guides. Members recruited as freshman can give four years of continued support to your local chapter.

Obtain a computer list of education majors and:

write a letter to each education major from the president and advisor of the chapter welcoming them to the campus and inviting them to join. (See sample letter in Appendix C.) telephone each one telling them you hope he/she will join. use the 'one-on-one" approach.

use a buddy system-each member is assigned a freshman to contact and encourage to join.

Contact each education faculty member and encourage help in recruiting membership. Ask if someone can speak to their classes about the NEA-SP Put meeting announcements on the blackboard.

It is important to let students know about the NEA Student Program as soon as possible. Some chapters have successfully tried the following:

During registration, set up information booths, show a slide presentation, distribute a frosh orientation help guide.

Big Brother/Big Sister for freshman.

Special parties for newcomers-ice cream socials, pizza, and the like.

Bulletin board displays or flyers. This may spark interest among members and non-members. Campus programs on hot topics-include membership promotion at closure.

Membership events, such as meetings featuring guest speakers. Have each member bring one potential member. A few days later contact each potential member about joining.

Invite all education students to the state convention; sell memberships to those who wish to attend.

Arrange for a local, state, or national association leader to visit education classes. During the visit, set up a membership table in the education building. Have a "bring a friend" meeting.

Set up displays in the student center, cafeteria or education department. Let everyone know what the NEA is about!

Take advantage of intra-campus mail. Put an eye-catching notice of the meeting in boxes. Send E-mail to education majors on campus, or post information on an electronic bulletin board.

Have student leaders stand at the doors of the education building during the first week of classes asking the question, 'Have you joined the NEA Student Program?"

Make a large banner that can be attached to the front of the education building that says, "Join the NEA Student Program Today!" This sign can be used each quarter or semester.

At any function for education majors, give out information and enrollment forms. Be sure to tell them about discounts and special services to members.

Stuff membership packets with "freebies." Contact local pizza parlors and fast food restaurants for discount coupons; collect pencils, key chains, and tablets from local banks, insurance agencies, and other businesses and then give them to members as they join.

• Target secondary and special education students. NEA State Student Programs are not just for elementary educators.
  
  
• Plan a public relations program to tell students about NEA Student Program educational issues.
  
  
• Invite prospective members to the first meeting and talk informally about the organization. Display the chapter scrapbook and serve refreshments at the close of the meeting.
  
  
• Saturate the campus with information-put notes in mailboxes, have officers visit classes to make announcements, target dorms, and have an exciting first meeting.
  
  
• Use both campus and department newsletters for NEA State Student information.

Send the prospective education major a letter before school begins in the name of the association.

Show the prospective member practical campus information they need to know, and work almost solely through personal contact. Some suggestions:

• List of area bookstores.
  
  
• Transportation information.
  
  
• Reminders of services available to members.
  
  
• Football and/or basketball schedules and dates of other athletic events. List of social events your association is planning. Information about your intramural sports teams.

TEACH ME

There is a child There is a man
And he says, 'Teach me." And he says 'Teach me."
The wondering, curious, discovering child. The seeking, searching, uncertain man.
Awed at the beauty, the rhythm, the process. Teach me to question, to probe, and to find. Teach me to know Teach me so that
How and where is my world, and why am I me, When a child comes forth
Where do I end and others begin? I will know what to do when he says, Teach me. 'Teach me."
There is a youth
And he says, 'Teach me."
The reaching, unfolding, surging youth. Teach me to understand.
What and why is the universe,
what is my part of the joy and the toil, How do I join with all others?
Teach me.

—Carol B. Epstein

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Conduct An Effective Meeting!

• Always start on time. Call the meeting to order officially at the scheduled starting time, and get right to the agenda.
  
  
• Keep oral reports brief. Ask that the treasurer, committee chairperson, etc., to prepare written reports which can be duplicated and distributed either by mail or as members arrive. Limit oral reports to any recommendations for action, the main reason(s) for the action, and questions and answers for clarification.
  
  
• Stick to the agenda, and keep the meeting on target. Speakers who wander from the current topic should be called to order by the Chair and reminded to limit their remarks to the subject under consideration.
  
  
• Make use of Unanimous Consent. Instead of calling for a vote on a routine or non-controversial motion, the Chair can frequently save time by declaring that unless there is objection, the action will be considered taken.

  Examples:

  A. Chair: "If there is no objection, the Treasurer's report will be received and filed for the auditor (pause). Hearing no objection, the Chair rules that the Treasurer's report has been received and will be filed."

  B. Chair: "Unless there is objection, the motion to thank the hospitality committee for today's refreshments will be deemed carried ... (pause). Since there is no objection, the Chair rules that the motion of thanks to the Hospitality Committee has been carried by Unanimous Consent."

  (Of course, if anyone does raise an objection, the question must be put to a vote.)

• Be fair and impartial. When a controversial issue is under debate, try to can upon proponents and opponents of the motion alternately. (If you don't know which side people are on, ask. "Our last speaker spoke in favor of the motion. Would anyone like to speak against it?") Give first opportunity to those who have not yet spoken on the issue.
  
  
• Never allow a debate to degenerate into a free-for-all. Insist that all speakers wait to be recognized by the Chair before speaking (unless someone is raising a privileged motion that may interrupt discussion) and require that they direct their remarks to the Chair, not to each other.
  
  
• Help members handle meeting business efficiency. If you must rule something out of order, tactfully explain why and, if possible, also explain how he/she can accomplish his purpose.
  
  
• Encourage brevity. If members insist on making long-winded speeches, appoint a timekeeper and announce that unless the group objects, the Chair will require that all speakers limit their remarks to three minutes. The group will usually accept the limits gratefully, and you'll be amazed at how succinct speakers will become.
  
  
• Remain impartial. As president, you are entitled to present recommendations during your report and on important issues. You may not make or second motions while you are presiding. If you feel that you must speak on a particular motion, hand the gavel to your vice-president, and don't resume the chair until the issue has been decided. In the interest of maintaining an image of impartiality you should vote only on those important questions (a) where your vote will either make a tie (thus defeating the motion) or break a tie (thus passing the motion) or (b) when you feel you must let your constituents know your position.
  
  
• Adjourn on time. If an adjournment time has been printed on the agenda, you should adjourn by the stated hour. No onelikes a meeting that seems to) drag on forever. As adjournment time draws near, it's perfectly legitimate for you to point out which items must be handled before adjournment, and ask if the group will vote to extend the meeting. Usually, if the remaining items really are important, the group will grant the extension. Finally, make it a lively meeting, one which those who attend get a 'tingle" at least twice.

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Committees

Committees should meet soon after their appointment to plan their work. The chairpersons of all committees should be allowed to call special meetings whenever they are needed. Whenever possible, the president of the chapter should meet with committees, preferably as an ex-officio member. In some associations the vice-president is assigned the responsibility of serving as committee coordinator, serving as an ex-officio member of all committees.

The committee chairperson, in cooperation with the president and/or vice president, should call the first meeting to:

1. Organize

2. Select a secretary

3. Decide upon a specific action program 4. Discuss assignments 5. Delegate duties

6. Set up a time schedule

7. Set tentative meeting dates for the quarter or semester

Each committee, after its first meeting, should submit a written report to the president and advisor about plans formulated, dates for action, and funds needed from the Association budget.

Suggestions for Strong, Effective Committees

1. Appoint members as soon as possible.

2. Parallel state and national committees where practical. 3. Build committees around a problem or job to be done.

4. Try to retain at least one person from the previous year's committee to insure continuity. 5. Be sure each committee has a chairperson and a secretary.

6. Get helpful materials from local, state, and national organizations.

7. Indicate dates for a preliminary and final report of committee chairpersons. 8. Provide for necessary committee expenses out of the Association treasury.

9. Present a report to the membership of the work done with recommendations for future action.

10. Allow the nature of work to be done to determine the size of the committee.

11. Solicit people on committees from all levels of education. (This includes elementary, early childhood, special education, junior-senior high school, and etc.)

12. Get materials and recommendations from the chairperson of last year's committee.

Chapter Communications

PERSONAL CONTACTS: Organizing members doesn't happen on paper. Your newsletters, bulletins, fliers, are all strictly one-way. The basic challenge is to reverse the flow of communications. Get it going from the membership to the chapter. Don't expect the members to come to you. Go to them. Listen to them. Answer their questions. Identify their needs. Then, get your members to help do something about them!

ON-CAMPUS VISITS: Send your elected leaders out before classes, at noon and after classes. Talk to the students, and listen to their concerns. Somebody is bound to ask "What has our NEA Student chapter done for me?" If you are there in person, you can justifiably turn that question around. "You are/or can be the NEA Student Program." Then ask him/her to volunteer. At most, you've identified a new leader. At the least, you've answered questions and received information.

TELEPHONE TREE: At its simplest level, a phone tree could work this way. You, as an Association Chairperson, and the strategy team have decided to activate the phone tree. "Special meeting for all students tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. at the Memorial Park Auditorium. The colleges' education department has lost its accreditation."

You call the designated "Telephone Tree Activator." In turn, the Tree Activator calls each cluster leader. Cluster leaders then call the student rep assigned to them. Student Reps can each "Branch Activator" for their students. Branch activators each call the first person on their branch.

Calls continue until all members are reached. Last person on each branch is the 'check back." His/her assignment is vital. He/she must "check back" by calling the initial "Branch Activator", who calls the Student Rep back - and of course, the Student Rep reports back to the Cluster Leader. In turn, the Cluster Leader reports to the Tree Activator.

LOCAL ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER:

• Keep it short and to the point.
  
  
• The longevity of any printed piece is from the point where the reader picks it up, only as far as the wastepaper basket.
  
  
• Keep the message alive to captivate, fascinate and intrigue.

Don't be neutral or objective. That's not why people joined your association. They expect an advocate. An internal newsletter is called a house organ. It's a high flying banner for your Association and specifically tied to membership aspirations. Every story which has an impact on membership commitment must have a definite, clear point of view, even if it has no byline. When you appoint an editor, give orders to be a propagandist first, and a journalist second. Propaganda is telling the truth, with zest, from the association's point of view. There's nothing wrong with propaganda, unless it's crude or dishonest; then you can expect a backlash.

If your association has a newspaper, try using your front page dramatically; design it as a poster which hits home with a succinct message, or a series of photographs with a short summary of what's inside. You might put your editorial on the back page. Quite often this is all the member reads: front page, back page, and maybe page three, so make that one count as well. Cartoons are a plus, and so are photos of members in action.

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Planning Chapter Programs

The NEA Student programs should be well planned and designed to meet specific needs. Chapter meetings can serve to bring students together to create new friendships and to educate your members.

Consider these five steps when planning a program: 1. Assess needs 2. Set a goal

3. Plan specific objectives to reach your goal 4. Publicize the program

5. Evaluate program to see if you have reached your goal

Assess Your Needs

Survey your members' needs. Listen to what they are saying and then provide workshops or programs to meet their needs. Have surveys available at meetings for new members to make suggestions and indicate interest in volunteering.

Set Your Goal

Once you have identified the needs of your membership, plan programs which will best meet their needs by providing information or resources. Assign a committee to plan the program, possibly chaired by the Vice-President. The committee will:

• find a presenter/presenters, if needed • prepare/obtain needed materials
• secure a place and time for the event
• Publicize the event (unless you have a publicity committee)
• obtain any necessary A/V equipment
• introduce the speaker/presenter

Plan

Well-planned meetings are essential for successful student chapters. Some things to consider are:

• reserved space
• adequate space for the number of participants
• arrange the chairs properly for the type of meeting

Publicize the meeting

• notify the speaker in advance of the meeting, time, location, number of people attending, length of program, and other details
  
  
• order audiovisual equipment well in advance and test it to be sure it works
  
  
• keep in mind the time, availability, and commitments of your members as you plan.

Publicity

For on-campus programs, put up posters and notices three to five days in advance. Off-campus meetings need at least five to seven days' prior notice. Be sure to remove posters the day after the event.

It's important to evaluate meetings and programs. Review details of the meeting to see if improvements can be made. Make notes to remind yourself of things to do for the next meeting. Did you meet your members' needs? Do a periodic program evaluation.

Suggested Programs or Workshops

Plan programs carefully so they are interesting and informative for an members of the organization. If you need help in planning programs, ask the faculty advisor for suggestions. Other sources for ideas are the state student organizer, the UniServ Director in your area, the NEA-SP State Chairperson, or NEA staff. All these members are willing to help your organization with topical, relevant programs. A list of workshops or programs which your chapter could present follows:

Chapter Projects

Bulletin Boards

1. American Education Week

2. Education Support Personnel Day

3. Job placement

4. Student Program Promotion

5. Local Chapter activities

6. National Teacher Appreciation Day

Activities Honoring Education Faculty

1. Give apples to the teachers-on small campuses this could include all faculty; on large campuses it could be just education faculty.

2. Teacher Appreciation Week-Each student in the Student NEA chapter draws a faculty name, which remains a secret until the end of the week. Monday is Apple Day; Tuesday, Letter Day; Wednesday, Gift Day; Thursday, Card Day; and Friday, hold a reception with the student revealing their "appreciated teacher."

3. Give Birthday cupcake, doughnut or flower to education faculty members. 4. Honor retiring faculty members at a reception.

Establish a Mailbox and/or Contact

 Having a mailbox for your local chapter greatly improves communications, because there's no need to constantly change addresses. On some campuses, it's just a matter of asking and of knowing whom to ask where a mailbox is available. Student government associations are a good place to start.

Many chapters have an office or a room on campus where officers and committees can work and where members can get answers to questions. The office provides stability for chapter files and gives the organization prestige on campus. Is there a place on your campus that your Student Program chapter can call home?

 Answering Machine

In the office that is designated for NEA-SP, install an answering machine. Members need access to officers at all times. The need may be simple or an emergency. Always make yourself reachable- your members are your priority.

Political Involvement Ideas

1. Promote voter registration (are you registered?)

2. Distribute information and political literature dealing with education, college loans, course requirements, state education mandates, etc.

3. Invite key politicians to speak on education issues

4. Work for a pro-education candidate

5. Plan fund raisers for state Political Action Committee for Education (PACE), the political action arm of the state.

6. Lobby

7. Testify

NEA-SP Activities

CLASS (Community Learning through America's SchooIs)

CLASS was started in 1989 in order to involve NEA Student members in productive and informative community projects. From tutoring to working with handicapped students, our members started getting involved.

The NEA Student Program will provide grants of up to $1000 to any student local that is involved in a project to better the community and which also involves the professional or retired local in their area. Members receive valuable experience working with others, a community need is fulfilled, and a sense of cooperation is established with the professional or retired local. Everyone wins!

For more information and a CLASS handbook, contact your state student organizer. (See Appendix F, p.36) Good luck with your CLASS Project!

SOAR (Student Organizing Assistance Resources)

A competitive grant program, S.O.A.R. provides monies to recognized NEA locals and/or state affiliates for the recruitment of student members. The grant monies are distributed to groups wishing to recruit in the following areas: urban institutions, minority populations, community colleges, and high school future teacher programs, and historically minority campuses.

Students Teach and Reach, and Students Talk About Racism

S.TA.R. is a program organized and administered by People For the American Way. The NEA- SP works cooperatively with PFAW by advertising, promoting, and forwarding names of school districts, locals, and individuals who are interested in bringing this program to their communities.

This project involves training a cadre of student members to go into the public schools (mostly secondary) to facilitate discussions on race relations, and human and civil rights. A large number of participants are undergraduates and undecided majors. This allows current education majors to encourage them to be involved with public schools and possibly choose teaching as a career. It also is a very positive role model situation for students because, generally, college students are within a 10-year (or less) age difference and can talk about teaching and college.

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National Conference Information

There are two annual nationwide meetings of students members:

1. Summer Leadership Conference (SLC)
   
   The SLC is held each year just before the NEA Annual Meeting (Convention) in the same city as the NEA Convention. It usually is a three-day affair designed to inform, train and orient the incoming state chairs and new leaders. In attendance also are student delegates elected from the states to attend the NEA Convention. The three student members to the NEA Board of Directors and three student members on the NEA Resolutions Committee are elected annually to serve one year terms. In alternate years, the NEA-SP chairperson is elected to serve a two-year term. S/he then has the right and responsibility to recommend to the NEA president names of persons to fill posts on several NEA standing committees, 

2. Fall Connection

   The purpose of the Fall Connection is to provide leaders from each state the opportunity to network with one another, to share ideas and information, and to improve their skills as leaders. This weekend meeting is usually held in the late October. Further information can be obtained from your student state organizer.

     

Awards

Once your chapter has been organized and up-and-running, one of your activities may include applying for one of the national awards or nominating someone else for an award. Every year at the Student Leadership Conference, the Student Program honors its state and local affiliates with the following awards:

Local Chapter Awards and Recognition

Outstanding Local Excellence Award
Outstanding Local Student Leader
Outstanding Newsletter
Outstanding Advisor Award Outstanding CLASS Project Award

State Awards and Recognition

Outstanding State Student Leader Award Outstanding Newsletter Award Outstanding Staff Award Outstanding CLASS Promotion Award Highest Increase in Number of Members Highest Percentage Membership Increase

Award applications are submitted via a self-nominating process. Anyone can apply and need not attend the Student Leadership Conference to win. Applications are available by writing or calling the Student Program chairperson at the Washington, D.C. office. I

BUILDING CATHEDRALS

Three men were laying bricks when a passer-by asked them, "What are you making?' "About $12.50 an hour, the first replied. "A wall, ' the second explained.

But the third declared: "I'm helping build the most beautiful cathedral in the world.'

What's the difference? Motivation. Same task, different goals. Professionals pursue large goals. They build cathedrals. AIM HIGH!!

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