Lisa Maxwell August 2015
Region 1 Roundup

As I write this it is Sunday morning, day five at the Annual Gathering (AG) in Louisville. There has been so much to do and see that sleep was an afterthought. Feeling utterly exhausted and completely fulfilled, I must pack and say goodbye to many good friends until next year. If you have never experienced an AG, you are missing out on one of Mensa's greatest benefits.

During the AG, the newly elected and appointed officers of the national board of directors, known as the American Mensa Committee or AMC, met for the first time. Several issues and items of business were discussed - here are the highlights:
Assistant Regional Vice Chair (RVC) Region 1 - Bill Zigo of Mid-Hudson Mensa was appointed Assistant RVC for our region; the two of us will be working together to support all of our Region 1 local groups.
Editors - please note that a motion was passed affecting local group mailings:
For mailings, all groups must use the membership data provided by the National Office to ensure that they are using the most up-to-date information for our members. Effective no later than 10/1/2015, Local Groups may use a local address for their return address, but must stop requesting the change notification if they use the National Office's return address.
The Weapons Policy was changed. The motion as passed reads as follows:
Effective 7/6/2015, at all national events sponsored by American Mensa Ltd., deference to the rules of the venue itself and all applicable laws of the local municipality, state, and federal government will be controlling on the question of any firearms or other weapons to be brought onto the property.
Phoenix, Arizona has been selected as the site of the 2019 Annual Gathering, subject to the receipt of an acceptable final hotel contract.

The Mensa Education and Research Foundation (MERF) offers a college scholarship program with awards based on essays written by the applicants. This year's program will begin on September 15th with scholarships given at the Local Group, Regional, National and International levels. Contact your local group's Scholarship Chair if you would like to get involved in this wonderful program. Don't have a local scholarship chair? Speak with your group's president to find out how you can help! For more info: http://www.mensafoundation.org/what-we-do/scholarships/

Here is a question for each of you - please email me your thoughts and I will share your answers in future publications: Why did you join Mensa?

Lisa Maxwell
617-335-1484