My IS department decided to light my mail server on fire yesterday so this
response to Lowell's post has already been iterated. But in any discussion,
the more the merrier.
Here's my two cents:
In short I agree with both of his arguments.
In long: Changing the name of ABRF to ABRT. What is this about? The reason the
ABRF is the most valuable group I am connected with is because it is a bunch
of people who do what I do. Work in a core facility. When I need answers to
problems concerning the running of a resource facility there is one place I
turn to. Only one place I can turn to. The ABRF. I just reread the mission
statement at abrf.org.. It mentions core or resource facilities four times in
one sentence. So unless we want to change the mission of the ABRF I would keep
the two words that best describe us in the title. There has been past
discussion about certain words we use in a facility to describe what we do.
They have been described as if they are George Carlin's seven words you can't
say on TV. They are Core, Facility, customer, pricing, price list, order,
requisition. OK I had to stretch to get seven. I have tried to get my group to
stop calling the researchers customers (as well as other things) but the rest
of them I still use. I post a price list so I can take requisitions or orders
and then I bill them. I don't think any of those words belittle the work done.
I also agree that the ABRF has built a great reputation and why confuse
people by changing the name. I will vote no so I can continue to meet new
people through ABRF who populate resource facilities or in some way support
those facilities.
Question 2: Four years seems like a long time but if we can find dedicated
people who will toil at a hard job without getting enough credit then we
should sign them up. The organization has become much larger and spreading the
load on more people would certainly be an additional benefit.
I will vote yes to extend the EB term to four years.
I also agree with Lowell's encouragement of more discussion. Who out there
wants us to sound like a misspelled Bay Area Rapid Transit?
-Paul
Paul Morrison D830
Molecular Biology Core Facilities
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street
Boston, MA 02115
p_morrison@dfci.harvard.edu
http://mbcf.dfci.harvard.edu
phone 617-632-3082
fax 617-632-4814