[Ec-ncuc] Travel funding

[Tapani Tarvainen]

On Dec 19 00:31, Milton L Mueller (mueller at syr.edu) wrote:

> [Milton L Mueller] In my view, ICANN's decision to handle travel for
> a given number of NCUC and NCSG members should be taken as a
> first-order budget constraint regarding travel support. In other
> words, as a rule the Constituency and the SG should send to meetings
> only those people supported by ICANN; anything over and above that
> should be considered a highly exceptional circumstance.

Given the level of funds we currently have, I tend to agree.
Things might be different later, should we get more money,
like if our member base increases enough that membership
fees add up to a significant figure.
Which reminds me: do we actually collect membership fees?
I haven't seen a bill for myself, nor for Effi, yet.

> > How much money does NCUC have? Do we have a budget somewhere?

> [Milton L Mueller] We actually don't have the EC plan and approve a
> budget; maybe we should.

I would like that. But if our income is mostly unpredictable
donations for specific purposes, trying to make a proper budget
may not be all that useful.

Back to the subject topic:

I wanted to bring the issue up now, first because I was rather in 
the dark about this, not knowing even if EC members were actually
_expected_ to travel to ICANN meetings, and whether I'd have to
fund all travels myself; and then I was taken by surprise by the
no-time-to-think invitation to the intercessional in LA, and
the surprisingly large number of travel slots available for that.
And I need to plan my travel budget -- not only money but also
the time it takes -- for next year, at least roughly, about now.

(Side note: My apologies if I'm asking things everybody else knows.
If there is a document "What every new EC member should know"
somewhere, please point me to it and I'll promise to read it before
saying anything more.)

But about travel, and in particular, about Beijing:

Upon reflecting on the limited funds and travel slots, and that 
I'm a total newbie, having never even been at any ICANN meeting,
I realize I can't convince even myself, let alone anyone else,
that sending me to Beijing would be worth spending NCUC funds
(travel slots) on -- at least not soon enough, and I really need
to make a decision about it pretty soon.
And I'm sure there will be no shortage of more able and
experienced people to use our few travel slots.

That does not mean I don't want to go. Indeed I think
I _need_ to go, if only to judge for myself if participating
in ICANN meetings physically is worth the time and money.

So I'm going anyway, paying for it myself if need be.
I trust there's no problem in that -- in particular,
I assume I can still be there as NCUC EC representative,
regardless of who pays the bill.

I guess I've just ruined whatever small chance of getting
funding to Beijing I might've had. :-(

But I want to play with open cards here.

And Beijing should give myself as well as the EC some means to
evaluate the usefulness of my going to future meetings.
(So I'm not being unselfish here, but hoping to give myself
a head start when travel slots to future meetings are being
considered, assuming I could and would want to go.)

-- 
Tapani Tarvainen