posted
I'm a member of the Rotaract Club at Purdue. We're a young organization, with about 15 members, and we're very close to the area Rotary club.
We've been trying to think of things to do to get the word out about our club in order to get new members. Since our district's representative to the State Legislature is a Rotary Member, I thought it would be cool to invite him to speak and make it a campus wide event. I've talked to him, and he's excited about it, and I think it'll be a cool event.
Except...
Apparently since it's an election year it's in bad form invite our duly elected representative to speak without also inviting his opponent. This is crazy to me. Granted, I don't know all that much about local politics, so there might be stuff I'm missing, but he's our representative, there is a legitmate reason to invite him to speak with us. The only possible reason to invite his opponent is because she's his opponent. We're not a political organization, to also invite his opponent would be to get involved in local politics in ways I'm not at all comfortable with.
I'm also worried because when I asked him to speak it wasn't to make a reelection speech, it was to speak to us about his experiences as the director of a major charity orgaization in town contrasted with his experiences on the state legislature. So I feel like I'll have been inviting him under false pretenses.
Does this make me crazy? Am I missing some unwritten rule? Should I just give up this fight? I don't know what to do.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
Ok I actually read the post, and I really don't know either, but in 04 for State Fair leadership we had to invite Mitch if we wanted the Governor to speak to us. Of course not my man said he didn't understand 4-H so he wasn't coming, but it seems to be a pretty standard rule.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
Stick to your guns. And stick to your topic: the mechanics of operating a charity. There is undoubtedly gonna be a moderator there -- official or unofficial -- so make sure the audience's questions/statements also stay on topic.
If he were a wine expert, the oenology club wouldn't be forced to listen to a lecture on eg tax structure just because he was a legislator. Same applies in this case.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Well, he's already agreed to come. And I can't imagine someone challenging an incumbent would give up a chance to talk to the voting public...
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
If your club wants to talk politics, let your club invite the opposing politician separately. Turning a seminar on charity into a debate between political opponents is bait&switch cheating those whom you wish to attract as audience, and ambushing the person you recruited as guest speaker.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
It would be seperately, that's not up for debate. But it would also be a very obvious that we invited her because we invited him, effectively pitting them against each other, just never in the same vincinity of each other.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
In that case, I don't see anything wrong with the invitation.....as long as the opponent's topic concerns community service, or other area of personal expertise outside of electioneering&lawmaking which would be of interest to your group.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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