IND

So typical—IND chose, as its restaurant for us to visit this year, Le Restaurant in Hackensack. A place I had vowed never to return to because of its sleazy practices. Coffee is included in the prix fixe, we were told. It wasn’t. $2.50 extra a person. And didn’t it recently get a one-star rating in the Record?
The president insults an absent trustee--in front of the other trustees. An all-around discourteous person.
He keeps sending me messages implying that I am going to be kicked out if I miss more meetings. (I’ve missed two because of conflicts.) Never gives me a helpful answer to questions I ask. Like: How do I get recompensed for my photocopying expenses? Will I get sued if I show copyrighted movies?
I’m never invited to join any committees. Not even the choose-a-restaurant committee. So I don’t get to know other trustees. Gert (who is great) tells me that she suggested, in my absence, that I be assigned to a committee—and her suggestion was rejected. I get the impression that these trustees are B and C people easily threatened by (seemingly, possibly) A people. Protecting their turfs.

Board meetings I’ve attended have been spent on trivia. How do we stop keeping people from fouling up the bathrooms at the church? Trustees seem intent on socializing. They talk and talk.

I have ideas. Eg, we should publicize the fact that we have a new president—send releases to local newspapers. A legitimate story. We need more publicity in general—the number of IND students is shrinking. I want posters in libraries. I’m ignored.

I want a policy statement. How does IND differ from continuing education programs in general? We certainly charge less. Is it also true that we don’t let stockbrokers and chiropractors eg give courses in order to get new clients? What is IND all about? I never get a chance to bring this up—we’re always talking about trivia.

I used to teach finance for IND—and bring in 4 other people to talk. Then that course was killed—attendance had dropped off--but right now it would be a fine idea to have a retirement course. No one suggests doing it. I would—except that I’m busy enough with other IND courses.

I LOVED the vocal music course I was teaching.
It occupied a great deal of my spare time.
I was extremely disappointed to learn that the course was cancelled—which I learned only when I said to Bob S that the course was scheduled, wasn’t it?

I had carefully planned the next program, asking the students for their recommendations--I had bought books, CDs--not been compensated for all the photocopies I had made--

Finding out, accidentally, that the course was cancelled was like being fired--shocking and hurtful--

I was doing the movie course just to help IND--it had been very popular and no one was doing it now--and there was/is the danger that showing the movies, even for a nonprofit organization, was against the law--$250,000 fine, up to 5 years in jail.

The Potpourri was just a matter of getting speakers--I wasn't going to be a speaker this time.

Now I’m told that the curriculum committee decided that I shouldn’t do three courses.

The CC doesn’t seem to realize that being told one is not giving a course again can be disappointing and hurtful.

I have a good many grievances against IND, and the cancellation of a course I had worked hard on and had enjoyed so much is only the most prominent.

I'm furious and I won't get over my anger for a long, long time.

I'm not going to the luncheon this Friday and I have resigned from the board--I want nothing more to do with IND.

When I told Bob S I WOULD do the movie course if I could also do the music course, he should have responded: OK.

I’m very busy. I run a movie group, an investors group, & a music group for the Hobbyists; I freelance for Consumer Reports.com and Gurufocus.com. I want to write a book, want to freelance for the AARP magazine.

To hell with IND.