[UCLA-LUG] Fw: LUG futures

[Kent Wada]

It may not be obvious to everyone why the issue of finding a LUG sponsor has
come up (finding a new one, that is, not me), so I thought I would forward
to the list the message below. This is pretty crucial. Being an officially
registered group means that you have a sponsoring department who can agree
to take on responsibilities such as the domain linux.ucla.edu, financial
resopnsibilities for fundraising, and use of university resources (like
rooms and network connections). It also means you can use "UCLA" in the name
of the group.



----- Original Message -----
From: Kent Wada <kent@ucla.edu>
To: Dan Helfman <witten@torsion.org>; <phaethon@fire.csua.ucla.edu>; Glenn
Micah Glazer <gglazer@pic.ucla.edu>
Cc: <juziel@home.com>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 1999 3:54 PM
Subject: LUG futures


With the new academic year about to start, and opportunities for
collaboration (externally, and also with CSUA) popping up, it seems like a
good time to deal with the issues that touch on registration for 99-00. I'm
sending this to you three since it seems likely that your names would be on
this year's application...? There are a couple of things that I think are
important to consider very soon.

First, the LUG needs a strong sponsor, particularly as it expands its scope
to include activities involving fundraising (or money) and collaborations
with non-UCLA folks. Ideally the sponsor would be someone with a personal
interest in Linux. Kenn Heller at CSP tells me that frequently that kind of
personal commitment is what carries the day, in terms of having a department
agree to be responsible and accountable for bookkeeping and finances and the
mundane chores involved. ("Mundane chores": for example, I'm sure Ted
Kremenek has had to draw significantly on CS resources to arrange for the
Microsoft event, and for the hopefully upcoming VA Linux event. Even donated
equipment would have to be processed officially by the department.) Whether
or not it is obvious, it is a non-trivial burden. Thus my personal belief is
that both the group and the sponsor have to benefit - it's a partnership
that makes it work.

Second, LUG is growing up and needing new resources, including resources
from the sponsoring department. We don't currently have a framework in place
to support those needs. But it does it seem pretty obvious that there is an
opportunity for a substantial alignment with CSUA, which I think could only
benefit both groups. There is already shared infrastructure, after all:
although LUG is officially affiliated with OAC, it is supported implicitly
by CS because of shared physical space and network infrastructure with CSUA.

I would like to propose that we meet with the CSUA leadership and their CS
sponsor to discuss how the two groups move forward. I'd like to have Kenn
Heller there as well: he has in the past provided me with much sage and
practical advice on the sustainable operation of student groups, and knows
the ins and outs of how to make things happen appropriately. I know some of
you are still out of town, but perhaps it might be possible soon after you
return to campus? Once classes begin, I'm sure it will be even more
difficult to schedule a meeting. Kenn tells me that typically groups are
registered some time in October. This isn't very far away - say a month.

I'll close this email with what is probably a heads up: although nothing is
set in stone, it's probable that I'll be moving into a new position in a
different department on campus in the next couple of months. In this new
job, it's unlikely that I will be in a position to commit the time and
resources that the grown-up LUG will need - and fundamentally I will be even
futher away from the "Linux core" than I am now. That wouldn't be healthy
for either the group or myself. I have informally put out feelers to a few
people I know who may be interested on campus: obviously it's very important
to me that if a transition is needed, it be a smooth as possible. Professor
Stott Parker suggested a while ago to me that the group might undertake to
build a database of campus people interested in Linux - that sounds useful
regardless, but might also result in candidates for the role of sponsor.

I'd like to go ahead and set up a meeting with our CSUA counterparts, if you
can tell me your schedules. But if you'd like to talk before that, do let me
know.

-Kent