All SLUUG meetings and mailing lists are free and open to the public. However, we encourage our regular members to sign up as paying members. This helps our organization grow stronger, allowing us to hold special events and bring in guest speakers from outside the area. Membership levels come with several other benefits, as shown below.

Membership dues are billed annually.

This level is recommended for those of us who are still in school, those of us between jobs, and those of us who are retired.

The annual fee for Silver Membership is $35.

This level is suggested for most of our members.

The annual fee for Gold Membership is $70.

This level is suggested for professional members – those in high-level jobs, management, or those running their own consulting businesses.

The annual fee for Platinum Membership is $100.

Membership helps to ensure the vitality of our organization.

All paying members are entitled to a shell account, upon request. See the next section for details.

All paying members will get a name tag to wear to meetings, displaying their name, company and title (if desired), and their membership level. You may take your name tag home with you, or we can bring it to the next meeting for you.

In the future, we may have additional benefits granted to members of various levels. For example, we'd like to add a section to our web site to recognize the various levels of our members.

Shell accounts are available to our members at any level. We require proof of identity, to ensure that we know who has an account on our systems. Note that we no longer provide dial-up access, and we no longer allow access via Telnet; SSH (Secure Shell) is required.

Shell access also includes an email account (IMAP/POP) and a personal Web space.

We currently have one GNU/Linux system and 2 AIX systems available for our members to use. We are also working on a couple of Sun Solaris boxes, and have another GNU/Linux system to run system services (web and email). The systems are a sort of playground where you can try things out. The systems are supported on a best-effort basis. While we generally keep them in good working order, we do not guarantee a high level of service.

Accounts will be locked within approximately 30 days if you do not pay your annual membership dues.

If you are having financial difficulties or are unable to pay the normal membership dues, you may request (via email or in person) that the Steering Committee reduce or waive the fee.

Per our organization charter, a member is anyone who attends 2 meetings in a calendar year. Voting members may vote in the elections the February immediately following the calendar year.

• Our brochures show a $10 level. What should we do about that?
  • Treat it as a coupon?
• Billed all in 1 month, or staggered?
• Names for the levels.
• Tax issues? (Mention that the dues MAY be tax deductible?)
• Do we want to do mug shots?

• Membership drive - get out the word.
• Membership sign-up sheet/form.
  • Ask what they want on their name tag.
• Buying and printing the name tags.