Explaining the Proposed Amendment to Include Collegiate Members

 

This is the second in a series of blogs related to proposed amendments to the DKG Constitution and the International Standing Rules recommended by the International Membership Committee. This post will explain the proposed amendment to create a new membership classification for women preparing to become educators.

Article III Section B. Classification

4. Collegiate members shall be undergraduate or graduate students who meet the following criteria:

a. Undergraduate student collegiate members shall (1) be enrolled in an institution offering an education degree and have the intent to continue academically and professionally in the field of education; and (2) be enrolled within the last two years of their undergraduate education degree.

b. Graduate student collegiate members shall have graduate standing in an institution offering an education degree and have the intent to continue academically and professionally in the field of education. When a collegiate member starts her career as a paid educator, she will pay active member dues and become an active member. If a collegiate member does not pursue a career as an educator, her membership will expire upon graduation or withdrawal from the education degree program. 

• The Society’s Purpose 2 states, “To honor women who have given or who evidence a potential for distinctive service in any field of education.” Over the years, the emphasis seems to have been on women who have given distinctive service in a field of education and overlooked the phrase “who evidence a potential for distinctive service.” If we truly believe in our Society’s statement of purpose, we must search out women who show the potential for outstanding service and nurture them in order that they can achieve that distinctive service. How many times have you worked with a pre-service teacher and recognized that the young woman truly had the makings of a great teacher and could take advantage of the benefits of membership? Would you have loved to invite her to membership but realized you couldn’t under the current membership rules?
• This amendment would also support the DKG project, SEE – Support for Early Career Educators. According to a National Center for Education Statistics Study, “Among beginning public school teachers who were assigned a mentor in 2007– 08, about 8 percent were not teaching in 2008–09 and 10 percent were not teaching in 2009–10. In contrast, among the beginning public school teachers who were not assigned a mentor in 2007–08, about 16 percent were not teaching in 2008–09 and 23 percent were not teaching in 2009–10” (https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011318.pdf) Just think what type of impact on education worldwide DKG could make if these young women had this organization as a mentoring, supportive network as they journeyed through their pre-service training and beyond?
• By bringing these women into membership before they graduate and other opportunities and obligations arise we may be more likely to keep them after they have experienced what DKG can offer them.
• This amendment would expand the options chapters have when considering women for membership. It would be up to each chapter to decide if they wanted to include collegiate level members in their chapter.
• Wording is included in the amendment to include instances where a student might change her career goals and her membership would expire.

ISR 3.0 Membership–General

3.4 Collegiate Membership

3.41 A collegiate member may participate in the activities of the Society except holding office.

3.42 A collegiate member may serve as parliamentarian since the position of parliamentarian is not an elected office

ISR 4.0 Finance–General

4.1 Dues

4.11 International active dues shall be U.S. Forty and No/100 Dollars ($40.00), and international reserve and collegiate dues shall be U.S. Twenty and No/100—Dollars ($20.00). Beginning in 2012 international active and international reserve and collegiate dues may be adjusted each biennium based on the United States of America Social Security Administration’s Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) average for the previous two (2) years, rounded up to the nearest whole dollar

• These two proposed changes to the standing rules would give collegiate members the same membership standing as a reserve member.

For more information on this and other proposed amendments to the Constitution and International Standing Rules go to https://tinyurl.com/yd5do2mk where you will find videos and narratives explaining them.