[nabs-l] Funding rural-state student divisions

[Angela fowler]

I just have a couple of questions. In what ways does NABS actually govern
the state divisions? From what little I've seen it would seem that the
states are pretty autonomous so long as they advocate NFB philosophy.
Second, does NABS offer the affiliates grants for specific activities, such
as seminars? 
Thanks
Angela 

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of sarah baebler
Sent: Sunday, May 24, 2009 12:59 PM
To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Funding rural-state student divisions


Jim,
I read the majority of you email but I am SUPER busy with our student
seminar/rock climbing event coming up.  I do not agree with you,  Wisconsin
if rural too.  We are spread all over the place.  I think that 30 is a good
number and remember that more than totally blind students can participate
and they are not normally counted as being blind or asked to be a part of
nfb.  Wi is very rural.  If I wanted to go from the south to the north it
would take me 13 hours on greyhound. We are a strong division that is spread
out and we do fine with fundraisers you just have to find the oppurtunity
and communicate, and most importantly devote effort to the group.  I do not
think NABS should be responsible for supporting us finacially, I think that
if you are struggling that NABS should have someone get involved with your
group and help them grow and strengthen.  
Sarah B


> Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 12:20:09 -0700
> From: jim275_2 at yahoo.com
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Funding rural-state student divisions
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> NABS Officers, Board Members, and State Presidents.
> 
>  
> 
> I am writing to discuss the lack of stable NABS funding for 
> rural-state student divisions. I am also writing to ask NABS Officers, 
> Board Members, and State Presidents to begin considering and 
> discussing how NABS can best provide adequate, stable, and annual 
> financial assistance to its rural-state student divisions.
> 
>  
> 
> First, using the Montana Association of Blind Students
> (MABS) as an example, I will discuss the unique challenges of 
> presiding over a rural-state student division. Then, I will 
> demonstrate how and why rural-state student divisions are inherently 
> financially disadvantaged when compared to urban divisions. Then, I 
> will further explain and justify the need for NABS to provide special 
> consideration and financial support for its rural divisions. Last, I 
> will make a suggestion as to how to fund rural-state student divisions;
and, I will also explain how MABS would spend any special funding.
> 
>  
> 
> To be perfectly clear about my intentions, the purpose of this post is 
> to begin a dialogue regarding this issue prior to the National 
> Convention; that way, once we arrive at the National Convention, 
> debate will have already begun, and action can more easily be taken to fix
this problem.
> 
>  
> 
> Let me begin by
> detailing a few relevant statistics regarding The State of Montana: 
> 
> 1. In terms of land mass, Montana
> is the 4th largest state in the union.
> 
>  
> 
> 2. Montana
> has a state population of slightly less than one-million people.
> 
>   
> 
> 3. In terms of population density
> (persons per square mile), Montana
> ranks 48th in the union.
> 
>  
> 
> 4. In terms of population size, Montana ranks 44th in the union.
> 
>  
> 
> 5. Montana
> only has six cities with populations larger than 25,000 people; and 
> only three cities with populations larger than 50,000 people.
> 
>  
> 
> 6. Statewide, the Montana University
> System only has two major universities, four smaller universities, 
> five colleges of technology, three community colleges, and three 
> private institutions, for a statewide total of 17 higher-education
institutions.
> 
>  
> 
> 7. For fiscal year 2009, the entire
> Montana University System only has approximately 36,000 full-time 
> students. If you consider part-time enrollment, the two largest 
> universities combine for only 50,000 students.
> 
>  
> 
> 8. I have been told by the DSS
> Director for The University of Montana (the larger of the two major 
> universities), that the University only has 10 blind students; based 
> on this number, I estimate that there are less than 30 blind students 
> in the whole state.
> 
>  
> 
> 9. The annual Montana Association
> of the Blind (MAB) state convention averages only 80-120 attendees.
> 
>  
> 
> How do the above
> statistics influence the operations of MABS?
> 
>  
> 
> 1. Statewide, Montana's
> blind population is small. This means that MABS will also be small. 
> Our small membership leads to insignificant dues revenue. Furthermore, 
> our small membership also means a reduced labor supply for the 
> purposes of advocacy and fund-raising efforts.
> 
>  
> 
> 2. Currently, MABS is represented
> in three universities; there are 1-3 students per university, and 
> those universities are separated by 200-400 miles.  Our small, 
> dispersed membership reduces our ability to establish our division as 
> a presence within the state, within our state NFB affiliate, within 
> any given university, or within any given community. This hurts both
fund-raising and recruitment efforts.
> Additionally, this geographic dispersal and isolation prevents our 
> division from establishing a sense of community within itself, thus 
> reducing membership, recruitment, involvement, and motivation. As 
> president, I have yet to meet any of my division's members face-to-face.
> 
>  
> 
> 3. Due to our state's large
> geographic area, as well as its inadequate public transportation 
> systems, efforts to bring all MABS members together for purpose of a 
> social event, an advocacy effort, or a fund-raising campaign are 
> expensive, time-consuming, and impractical affairs. For example, it 
> can take eight hours by Greyhound bus to go from The University of 
> Montana (in Missoula) to Montana State University-Billings.
> 
>  
> 
> In general, how and
> why are rural-state student divisions inherently financially 
> disadvantaged when compared to urban-state student divisions?
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 1. Rural-state student divisions
> lack the membership to be able to generate any meaningful amount of 
> dues revenue. Furthermore, unlike urban-state student divisions, where 
> the blind student population is larger, thus more easily located and
recruited, there is not much a rural-state student division can do to expand
its membership.
> 
>  
> 
> 2. Due to insufficient dues revenue, all funding for a rural-state 
> student division must come from fund-raising and grants, this includes 
> the funds for basic operating costs, as well as all funding for any 
> special projects or events. This puts rural-state student divisions at 
> a financial disadvantage when compared to urban-state student 
> divisions because rural-state student divisions have to engage in 
> fund-raising simply to exist, whereas urban-state student divisions can
cover their basic operating cost with dues revenue.
> 
>  
> 
> 3. Rural-state student divisions lack the manpower to be able to 
> fund-raise effectively. When it comes to writing grants, rural-state 
> student divisions don't have the personnel to have multiple people 
> writing multiple grant applications; this limits the grants we can 
> apply for. Additionally, when it comes to other means of fund-raising 
> (such as selling candy), rural-state student divisions lack the 
> manpower to execute fund-raisers that will generate a noteworthy amount of
revenue.
> 
>  
> 
> Why should NABS provide
> special financial support for its rural-state student divisions?
> 
>  
> 
> 1. If state student divisions are
> to be governed by NABS, then NABS needs to provide adequate support 
> for its state divisions. In the case of urban-state student divisions, 
> NABS might not have to expend many resources to insure that those 
> divisions remain viable and sustainable. On the other hand, in the 
> case of rural-state student divisions, NABS may need to spend more of 
> its resources to insure the stability of those division.
> 
>  
> 
> Within the field of political
> science, it is widely accepted and recognized that the only reason 
> individuals (collectively forming society) agree to be governed is 
> because government provides services that they, the individuals, are 
> unable or unwilling to obtain on their own. If a government stops 
> providing services for the people, then the people no longer have a 
> reason to continue to consent to being governed; eventually that 
> government will lose legitimacy and will ultimately fail. So it goes 
> with NABS, if rural-state student divisions are not adequately funded 
> by NABS, then why should rural-state student divisions continue to consent
to being governed by NABS?
> 
>  
> 
> The relationship between government
> (NABS) and the governed (rural-state student divisions) is a two-way 
> street; rural-state student divisions can and will support the goals 
> and objectives of NABS, if NABS supports the rural-state student 
> divisions financially. Without financial support from NABS, 
> rural-state student divisions haven't the financial means to contribute to
the goals of NABS.
> 
>  
> 
> Last, I would like to clarify the relationship that exist between the 
> state student divisions and NABS. State student divisions can exist 
> under our state affiliate's recognition without NABS, however, NABS 
> can not exist without the state student divisions. Therefore, it is in 
> the best interest of NABS to make sure that all of its state student 
> divisions are successful and sustainable.
> 
>  
> 
> 2. MABS, like other rural-state
> student divisions, is small and dependent through no fault of its own; 
> NABS needs to recognize the fact that the plight of MABS is directly 
> linked to the fact that Montana ranks 44th in the Nation in terms of 
> population size, and NABS needs to act accordingly.
> 
>  
> 
> Additionally, I would like to point
> out that small, dependent divisions could exist in urban states, and I 
> would venture to guess that those divisions would be small and 
> dependent through some fault of their own. NABS should not reward 
> divisions that are failing due to lack of leadership or other 
> identifiable, avoidable, and correctable causes, but NABS should 
> recognize when divisions are struggling due to static, uncontrollable, 
> and unchangeable circumstance (such as state populations), and NABS should
adapt and respond accordingly.
> 
>  
> 
> 3. Without adequate and stable
> funding, rural-state student divisions are unable to contribute 
> towards the goals and objectives of the NFB and NABS. What it boils 
> down to is this: If we are a Federation, then we work together for a 
> common goal, and one element of working together is the financial 
> element. If the urban-state student divisions, the NFB, and NABS want 
> the rural-state student divisions to do more than simply exist on 
> paper, if they want the rural-state student divisions to thrive and 
> actively contribute towards the goals of the NABS and NFB, then we need a
different means of funding our rural-state student divisions.
> 
>  
> 
> How can NABS adequately
> fund rural-state student divisions?
> 
>             
> 
> 1. I propose that NABS provides
> rural-state student divisions with an annual $1,000 "subsistence 
> grant." Ideally, the dollar value of these grants should remain 
> constant from year-to-year, and these grants should be automatic and 
> guaranteed, as long as the rural-state student divisions comply with
established grant requirements.
> 
>  
> 
> How would MABS spend a $1,000 annual "subsistence grant?" 
> 
>  
> 
>             1. As MABS
> President, I see MABS as needing $4,000 annually; $2,000 is
> 
> needed to provide two scholarships
> to send two Division members to the National Convention; $1,000 is 
> needed to provide scholarships to get Division members to the state 
> convention; and $1,000 is needed to provide funding for an annual 
> student division summer gathering. MABS would use a $1,000 subsistence 
> grant from NABS to fund any of the above expenses.
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 2. As you can see, MABS is only
> asking NABS to fund 25% of MABS operating cost through an annual 
> subsistence grant; MABS must still come up with the rest of its 
> operating cost via other grants and fund-raisers. MABS is not asking 
> for a hand-out, we are asking for a hand-up.
> I thank you all for your time, and
> I look forward to working with you all on solving this problem
> 
>  
> 
> Jim Reed
> 
> President, Montana
> Association of Blind Students
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
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>  
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> 
>       
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