IAPT (fwd)

[robert fogel]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 09:39:01 -0400
From: "William R. Anderson" <wra at umich.edu>
To: Herbarium at umich.edu, dulcesh at cib.uaem.mx, peberry at facstaff.wisc.edu,
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Subject: IAPT

Dear friends and colleagues:
The letter that follows is self-explanatory. Please read it and, if you
agree that there is a serious problem in IAPT, do two things:
1. Send Vicki Funk a message saying that you are willing to have your name
associated with our protest to Greuter.
2. Forward this message to other plant taxonomists who should see it.
If you are going to do anything, please do it *today*, because time is very
short. If we are to have any hope of persuading Greuter to allow meaningful
choice in the imminent IAPT elections, we must show him in the next few
days that a large number of the members of IAPT are opposed to his
entrenched and self-perpetuating autocracy. If you have already received
this letter from another source, I apologize for the duplication.
With best regards, Bill Anderson
*******************************************************

IAPT ALTERNATIVE WEBSITE
Update 10 August 1998
URGENT REQUEST FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Dear Colleague:
You may have received a mailing a few weeks ago notifying you of an IAPT
Alternative Website and asking for nominations for Officers and Council
members for IAPT.  The response to this request was gratifying and this
letter is written to accomplish three things.  First, to thank you for your
input, second, to bring you up to date on what has transpired, and third,
to make an URGENT REQUEST FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

I.  The Nominations for IAPT Officers and Council.
One nomination was received for each of the Officer positions and it was
felt that these individuals constituted a group that has the interest and
the institutional support necessary to carry IAPT into the next century.
Also, many nominations were received for the Council positions.  Several
drafts of the proposed council nominations have been circulated, and you
may have seen another longer version.  Perhaps some explanation of how the
list below came about is in order.  There are only 10 positions on the
Council and if many individuals are nominated, there is the possibility
that it would split the vote.  As it is there are 13 people and it was felt
that the number could go no higher.  Since nearly everyone nominated was
experienced and willing to run for Council, the final list was a delicate
balance between the country of residence of those nominated and their
institution.  It is regrettable that it was not possible to include
everyone on the ballot.  It seems likely that all nominated individuals
will be asked to serve in some capacity at a future date. Your interest and
support are appreciated.  It is hoped that you will be able to vote for the
nominees listed below.

Nominated for:  Name    Country of Residence
President       Sir Ghillean Prance     (UK)
Vice-President  Teuvo Ahti      (Finland)
Secretary       Patricia Holmgren       (USA)
Treasurer       Marshall Crosby         (USA)
Admin. of Finances      Judy West       (Australia)
Council         Fred Barrie     (USA)
Council         Steve Blackmore         (UK)
Council         Herve Burdet    (Switzerland)
Council         Vincent Desmoulins      (Belgium)
Council         Enrique Forero  (Colombia)
Council         Peter Linder    (South Africa)
Council         David Mabberley         (Australia)
Council         Anthony Orchard         (Australia)
Council         Sebsebe D.      (Ethiopia)
Council         Sy Sohmer       (USA)
Council         Peter Stevens   (USA)
Council         Tod Stuessy     (Austria)
Council         Warren Wagner   (USA)

II.  The Ballot
The above list was submitted on the 29th of July (nomination of Treasurer
was on the 31st).  No acknowledgment of the list was received from Berlin,
but a few days later Dr. Patricia Holmgren received a phone call from the
Secretary, Dr. Werner Greuter.  He informed her that the Officers would not
allow anyone to run against him for Secretary nor would they allow anyone
else to be nominated for Treasurer other than his colleague Dr. B. Zimmer,
the current Treasurer.  As an historical point, while it is true that in
the past candidates for the offices of the Secretary and Treasurer have
often run unopposed, it is also true that there have been instances where
more than one candidate was nominated (Dr. Greuter was an unsuccessfully
candidate for Secretary in 1975).  Dr. Greuter then asked Dr. Holmgren to
run for President instead, and suggested that he would put three people on
the ballot for President (not including Prance).  Dr. Holmgren has told us
that she has no interest in running for President, and she has reconfirmed
her willingness to be nominated for Secretary.  Dr. Greuter also mentioned
that he was trying to finalize the ballot form as soon as this week, which
would apparently give us minimal time to convince him to accept the above
nominations for Officer.  It seems likely that, unless he changes his mind,
the ballots will not include the names of Prance for President, Holmgren
for Secretary, and Crosby for Treasurer.  Further, it appears Dr. Greuter
may try to nominate several people for the other Officers and Council
positions, which may result in a divided vote and so reduce the chance of
the individuals on the above list being elected.

III.  URGENT REQUEST FOR YOUR SUPPORT
We believe that this reported refusal to nominate Prance, Holmgren, and
Crosby is unfortunate and indicative of the fact that IAPT is operating
with no accountability to the membership.  It is this lack of due process
and democracy that has so irritated many of the members of IAPT and has
likely led to the decrease in membership.  The website was established to
increase membership participation in IAPT, and in the process it has
exposed yet another instance of disregard for the wishes of the membership
and the lack of any type of checks and balances in IAPT (e.g., no
nominating committee for officers and council members).  All of the power
is in the hands of a few individuals.  Indeed, Dr. Greuter alone holds
nearly all positions of power (Secretary of IAPT, Chairman of the General
Committee, Editor of the Association*s journal Taxon, Editor of Regnum
Vegetabile, Rapporteur General, Secretary of the Bureau of Nomenclature,
member of the Nominating Committee which appoints all other committees and
the Rapporteur General, and Chairman of the Editorial Committee for the
Code), and there is little recourse except revolt.

We Ask That You Do Several Things:
1.  Send a message to V. Funk (contact information below) and ask that your
name be listed on the website indicating your support for competiton for
all offices in the upcoming IAPT elections.  Even better would be to write
a short note to be posted on the website.  You can also write or email Dr.
Greuter directly (wg at zedat.fu-berlin.de).  [Participation by non-IAPT
members is welcome since these issues affect the whole of taxonomy]
2.  Pass this letter along to everyone you think may be interested.
3.  Make sure that your dues are paid for 1998 so that you can vote in this
election.
4.  Vote for the individuals listed above if they are on the ballot form.
If their names are not on the ballot form you should request a new ballot.

We ignore this situation at our own peril.  At stake is the future of IAPT
and international cooperation on nomenclature issues.  Time is very
important because decisions on the content of the ballot form may very well
be made in the next few days.  Please take a few minutes to register your
opinion on this most recent example of flagrant disregard for the wishes of
the membership of IAPT.

Signed:  C. Anderson, W. Anderson, R. Brummitt, V. Funk, and L. Skog

email:  *funkv at nmnh.si.edu* or *hollowell.tom at nmnh.si.edu*
fax: 202-786-2563
address: Dept. of Botany MRC 166, Smithsonian Inst., Washington D.C. 20560 USA
website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ckelloff/vfunk

**********
William R. Anderson
University of Michigan Herbarium
North University Building
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1057
wra at umich.edu  Tel.: 734-764-2432   Fax: 734-647-5719