Hello dear readers.
I'm looking over the brochure for the Central Midwest District annual meeting and can't help but think about how, in many ways, hypocritical we are.
Registration for the meeting is $155 for a full-time adult. This doesn't count dinner on Saturday evening, which is $35. So, before adding in the price of the hotel room, the price is $190 per adult. Now let's add in the hotel room. The special price for our meeting is $105/night. If you are going to stay both nights (since our meeting runs Fri-Sun), that comes to $210+taxes (which are 14.83%). That total is $241.14. Let's imagine that a couple wants to come to the meeting. Let's add it up, shall we. $155x2=$310. Add in the price of a room which will be $241.14. Add in the banquet at $35/person for a total of $70. The grand total for 3 days at a UU meeting will be $621.14.
$621.14?!?!?!?!?!?
This total, my friends, doesn't even include the cost of getting to St. Louis for those of us who are not locals.
$621.14
And yet we seem to talk a lot about trying to include as many UUs in the process as possible. Why don't we quit telling that tall tale. If we wanted more people involved, we would find a way to do this less expensively.
I know......if you volunteer for two hours the registration gets reduced to $115. Even if both people in my scenario above volunteer, the price is STILL $541.14+expense of getting to St. Louis.
As much as we don't want to talk about it, we don't want you if you can't afford to be one of us.
(and yes, dear readers, I have the same complaint about GA)
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5 comments:
tsk tsk. That also doesn't include meals beyond the banquet.
Our AGM in the PWND is not cheaper. It's $135 (for $200 you can get all meals included) plus $129 hotel per night. Fortunately, it's only a two hour drive from my house.
Why don't U*Us quit telling this tall tale while they are at it. . .
"Unitarians believe first of all in truth in its supremacy and its authority. It does not need to be embalmed to be preserved for posterity. We jealously guard the right to know, to speak, and to argue freely, according to conscience, within our own church and in society at large. We are opposed to censorship, by church, state, or any other institution. We believe that truth stands the best chance of emerging under conditions of freedom."
I guess that last line goes a long way to explaining why Montreal Unitarian U*Us, UUA U*Us, and no shortage of individual U*Us go to such great lengths to censor and suppress my freedom of expression. . . Thanks for being one of the few exceptions that proves the rule.
Thanks for reminding me of the other food HS. In the $155, lunch on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday are included. But nothing on Friday as far as I can see.
So I guess I need to do some refiguring and do another post.
For what it's worth, the costs for the district conference seem high. The 2008 Southwest District Spring Conference and Business Meeting has an $85.00 conference fee.
I would like to see us go to the youth conference approach for these events. Instead of spending $100.00++ per night for a motel room, could we look at sleeping bags on the floor of a UU church that is hosting the conference as an option for adults and youth who want to save money.
Lock-ins are great bonding experiences and it's a shame that adults don't do them.
I'm all for that, Steve. It should at least be an option! I'm sure plenty of adults would not want to go that route - they need a bed, privacy, a shower, etc. but hey - I have a blow up mattress that I can easily toss in the trunk of my car, so I'd actually go that route if I could.
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