I was making my regular tour through Aux District web sites (yes, I do have that much free time) and saw this on the 8WR site: If you look down where they have the slate of candidates for higher office you might notice that it has Commodore and the next level down is "District Captain" rather than "Rear Commodore" which is what everyplace else I've looked has.

Anyone know what is going on with that? Are they still having Division Captains?

Remember this thread?

http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7501922942/m/6860020071001

Obviously the part about having "District Captains" didn't stick in my brain.....

So, let me provide a different angle on this topic not covered by the other thread....
How do you actually go about changing the titles associated with these positions in just one District?

I know that "Your Milage May Vary" is the unofficial motto of the Aux, but this would seem to go far beyond just a slight variance in policy, would it not?

My understanding is that the changes will be Auxiliary wide. The speed of implementing the changes may vary from District to District -- with a deadline unknown to me where all will comply...

Also mentioned in the other thread -- is the publication and release fo a newly revised AUXMAN (with 1000 changes). I expect the changes are reflected in the new manual. When released - it will be the new policy.

This subject was discussed at our last flotilla meeting. Division captains will exist under another name. As I see it, we grunts will not be affected only the brass.

This new "title" will begin along with some
others in 2009. The auxiliary is being more closely integrated into the "Gold Side". One way to do that and eliminate some confusion on the "gold side" is to have our offices and insignias
correspond to their rank and insignia structure.

In doing so, along with some other changes, the
hopes are that the auxiliary and the Gold Side will begin to speak the same language.

For example in 2009 in D7 our VCO will become
District Chief of Staff. RCO's will change too,
along with division Capt's.

It appears that the RCO will become an area or district capt and the division Capt will become a division commander.

It will still be the same position just with a new name.

11 north and 11 south will merge into one district. Now if only they would eliminate all the "paper" flotillas and divisions.

Well, not entirely unexpectedly, the Aux is failing to take advantage of multiple potential techniques to inform members of any of these changes that are apparently a done deal, despite there being no approved changes in regulations that would back them up.

Now, I'll admit that very few Auxies care what the Aux org chart looks like above the flotilla level, but still there is no reason that such things couldn't be rolled out in some sort of orderly fashion to all members.

Announcements at District meetings attended by a minority of Auxies are ok, but this is the 21st century after all and getting the word out shouldn't be a probem.

quote:

Originally posted by RiverAux:
Well, not entirely unexpectedly, the Aux is failing to take advantage of multiple potential techniques to inform members of any of these changes that are apparently a done deal, despite there being no approved changes in regulations that would back them up.

Now, I'll admit that very few Auxies care what the Aux org chart looks like above the flotilla level, but still there is no reason that such things couldn't be rolled out in some sort of orderly fashion to all members.

Announcements at District meetings attended by a minority of Auxies are ok, but this is the 21st century after all and getting the word out shouldn't be a probem.

This sorta reminds me of how we found out about the PSI stuff. The 'changes' in PSI have never been advertised either. Now, is it the national staff and EXCOM or the district's fault?? If they can pass the word at conference, the district EXCOM has all the data. Seems it never flows downhill despite all the preaching about the chain

quote:

11 north and 11 south will merge into one district

The last vestige of the old 12th CG district finally goes away... <snif>

11 north and 11 south will merge into one district. Now if only they would ...

Merge the two 1s, two 5s, three 8s and three 9s.

If the Aux is serious about saving money eliminating 6 District Poobahs and their upper level minions - saves a huge chunk of money just on eliminated junketing.

After WWII, the old 6th, 7th and 10th CG districts were merged into one 7th - both CG and Aux.

I have never heard any explanation (even a bad one) for why the other districts did not follow suit when the CG merged the districts. The only back channel reason is it was to keep open as many opportunities to award stars, bars, chickens and leaves (especially stars and chickens) as possible.

quote:

I have never heard any explanation (even a bad one) for why the other districts did not follow suit when the CG merged the districts.

If they all merged, then should they keep the same number of RCOs? I would think they should. Im in 9WR and our Division is actually seeing the RCO. He is making the time to see what we are doing, communicate concerns via the chain, and offer suggestions and support. Adding divisions to his AOR would make his job much harder.

D8 is a pretty large territory, so I'm not sure if it could be merged into one just b/c of the amount of area it would cover. I could definitely see it being split into 2 parts (D8WR/D8CR) instead of three though.

The only problem inherent in these mergers is the requirement for various elected leaders to travel all over the district for interminable and usually pointless meetings. In 11N we have folks from Utah flying down for the weekend as well as DCPs and DSOs driving from all over. Last year the "face time" meetings were alternated with phone conferences, much more palatable.
My first pronouncement as DCP was that if s FC or SO had a report on file they could stay home, we'd call if anything really important arose during the month at the normal meeting time. Likewise we explored on-line capability for "chat-room" style meetings.
As it worked out, everyone drove to the meeting at the normal time, habits and tradition held sway. Go figure.
My main reason for trying alternative venues was safety. There's no reason to require members to get off work early or take the day off and drive through dense fog, rain, snow, plague or pestilence just to sit around in a uniform and listen to one another impart information that could be e-mailed. Being killed in a plane crash or car wreck isn't going to do a darned thing to advance the goals of the Auxiliary.
Of course, that's just my opinion...

^^ Makes sense. Most meetings I attend in and out of the Aux could be conducted in 1/2 the time if they are needed at all.

Send the meeting agenda and related reports etc. in advance of the meeting by fax or e-mail. At the appointed time have a phone conference. It works great when I have used it.

This method saves people time and money. But you are right, old habits die hard.

I like NM11AZ's approach.

Makes sense.

It seems that the only change is in calling the rear commodore a Division Captain - am I correct in this assumption?

Thanks

D8 is a pretty large territory, so I'm not sure if it could be merged into one just b/c of the amount of area it would cover.

That is the standard objection to merger. The standard reply being then how does the CG manage to have one district coverring the same area and unlike the Aux, the CG operates 24/7/365.

Many of the Aux missions, all the RBS ones for example, don't need any face-to-face meetings above the flotilla level.

What this does change is political and/or regional power within the Aux. By merging the 11s, PACAREA just lost one vote. If all the multiple numbered districts were merged, like they should be, then they would be more evenly matched in membership numbers to the 7th which is the largest district in terms of membership.

A full merger would see LANTAREA West lose 4 votes (2 each from the 8s and 9s) and LANTAREA East would lose 2 votes (one each from the 1s and 5s). Within LANTAREA East, the 7th would go from having 1 of 5 votes to having one of 3 votes - and (based on the last time I checked) still be the largest district in terms of membership.

the only change is in calling the rear commodore a Division Captain

There are 2 other changes.

The VCO loses his Viceness and just goes by his other title - Chief of Staff. That itself is a reversal since National was trying to get the Districts to appoint a District equivalent to the NACOS (National Chief of Staff) position that was created about 4 years ago.

DCPs and VCPs lose their "Captain" title and have some really stupid "Team Leader" title.

Negative. DCP/VCP will be renamed "Division Commander/Vice-Commander. More in line with the insignia. District Rear Commodore will be renamed District Chief of Staff. More in line with the office.

It doesn't seem to me that there is a cogent plan. If you are going to redo things, why not redo them all? Just gather input, define a plan, and pull the trigger. (hopefully it makes some sense.)

I never did understand the need to confuse things by calling a "LT" a flotilla COMMANDER and "CDR" a division CAPTAIN. I could go on.

Well. They'll do what they want to do.

--M

The 2009 Elected Officer titles are as follows, some are unchanged:

District Commodore
District Chief of Staff (former Vice Commodore)
District Captain (former Rear Commodore)

Division Commander (former Division Captain)
Vice Division Commander

Flotilla Commander
Vice Flotilla Commander