[NCUC-EC] Durban, South Africa Supported Travel

[Edward Morris]

Let me try to be a bit more useful here...


1. Tapani is a no brainer. Based upon his work and commitment he had a
greater call on travel support last time than all but Bill. He's earned it.

I wouldn't feel comfortable were I to be in Durban whilst our active
African EC member was participating by telephone. I don't think that would
be right and, of greater importance, I don't think that would be in the
interest of the NCUC. I criticized our movie for talking about diversity
and not showing it. Same idea.

In both cases I also expect our web site will be up, running, functional,
and thus a focus of the NCUC meeting. I also know and expect Wilson will
become a bit of a social butterfly in Durban  and will be feeding me new
African EC members throughout the week.

Bill, Wilson and Tapani should receive the three ICANN supported travel
slots.


2. Should we use NCUC money to bring an additional member to Durban? If so,
who?

In terms of who,  I likely have as strong a case as anybody. I have the
functional EC role. I'm currently in communication with Fadi and Sally on a
few matters that could be up for closure in Durban. Aspects of the recon
could be ongoing, I've just joined the new policy / implementation WG and
it would be good to make some headway there and I'd love to borrow some
brains and spend some nights locked away in the hotel producing a first
rate first draft of a revised Bylaws. I'm also available for Summer
Schools, outreach, receptions etc. :)

Flight costs: Helsinki $2046, Geneva $1475, Manchester $1703, Kampala $805.
A cheap hotel would run about $330. We'd also have to figure out how or
whether to split the per diem etc.

Is it worth raiding the NCUC budget for a little over $1300 to have another
body on the ground?

I vote no.

If this meeting were in Prague and Bill or myself could get there for $100
then, yes, do it. If the meeting were in London this summer rather than
next I'd propose having the NCUC fund Bill, myself and Tapani and bring in
three additional bodies. London is the home of cheap European flights and
I'm the king of London budget hotels.

Durban is a classic case of you can't get there from here. Few direct
flights, monopoly air fares...it's just too expensive. We can get more bang
for our buck in the future. I'm happy to use some of our funds to increase
the number of NCUC members at ICANN meetings. I think that is a good use of
our money.

Durban is simply not a good value. We should wait for a venue that is.


3. Longer term...

I want to give hope to non EC members who work hard that they too will be
able to attend a meeting regardless of financial ability to pay. It's good
policy, it's smart policy, it's the right thing to do.

It's also very difficult to do with our limited resources. Our Constituency
receives three travel slots. Two of those slots, absent a self funder, need
to go to members of the EC. The Chair needs to run the Constituency meeting
and we need someone to step in for the chair if he or she becomes ill, gets
arrested, locks his valuables in a hotel safe that won't open (it's been
known to happen)  or whatever - we can not take a chance of having no one
present to run Constituency Day. The remaining slot, more often than not,
will and should go to one of the remaining EC members.

I'm proposing that the NCUC, NPOC and NCSG agree to join forces and open
one slot per meeting for someone not on an EC or otherwise eligible for a
funded position. Formalize it, create a set of rules, three member
selection committee: every meeting every NCSG member will have an
opportunity to apply for a funded slot. That still leaves each
SO/Constituency with a full travel allotment 2/3 of the time and allows us
to expose more of our members to the ICANN Meeting experience than ever
before.

Comments welcome...


Ed
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