[Air-l] CFP: Graduate Student Research Group

[elw at stderr.org]

> I thought the rationale and potential topics were pretty clearly laid 
> out in the CFP. Could you be more specific?


My definition of "clear" and yours are apparently rather different.

As Jeremy asks - just what are these groups going to do?  Are they 
seperate, supplementary, or otherwise related to various working groups? 
How?  What's the constitutional relationship between them?


> I was handed the admin for the air-grad list and it appeared to have 
> very little activity on it. Actually, prior to being notified that I was 
> running the list I didn't even know it existed and I have been a member 
> for years. I personally have mixed feelings about a grad only list 
> separate from the general list, but that's not my call.


There have been several attempts to revive the grad list.  You might 
choose to make such an attempt rather than starting a new initiative.


> At any rate, it became apparent to me that the Exec could use some help 
> and I thought that some of the Graduate Student members may want to step 
> up. There was a need and I saw a potential to involve my constituency.


Your constituency - of which most of the respondents to this thread so far 
have been a part - tends to get a little irked when its representative 
goes off on a wild tangent and spins up new initiatives without at least 
consulting with said constituency.

That said - maybe you are trying to just gauge interest.  Your call for 
participation, however does NOT (emphatically *N-O-T*) give that 
impression.  I, at least, am perceiving this as an idea spring forth 
full-formed from the head of Zeus.


> As I stated below, this is a pilot project to gage interest in the idea, 
> I'm just sending it to the general list to make sure everyone hears 
> about it. So, in my view, I'm doing what you ask, which is putting it 
> out there to see if there is interest.


Announcing the formation of a new set of (perhaps elite, perhaps desirable 
to join) working groups is waaaaaaay different than gauging interest.  I 
suggest that perhaps you might want to write us a 5-8 page summary of your 
vision for this group, post it to the list, and let the list kick it 
around for a little while.

Exec folks - what is your stake in this?  And could you perhaps guide Ted 
a bit?

--elijah