Troy wrote -
But, I am serious about the SPOC and SLAS stuff. I don't feel welcome. I know SPOC is open to the public, but the times I've gone I didn't feel like I was part of the group.
Troy, Just to confirm your experience, IMHO it is a problem that IMHO the club should work on. This also was my experience when first showing up to SLAS urban and SPOC star parties - club newbies will set up scopes and club members will not engage them. Although due to other personal commitments during 2009, I only went to one urban star party, in 2008 I went to several, specifically leaving my scope at home to do "newbie rounds" at star parties - that is figuring out who was new, saying hello, seeing if they needed help getting their scope going. At the one 2009 party that I went to - I saw exactly the same thing happened. There was an older couple who had setup an old Tasco manual EQ backwards and a lot of club members around them just staring at them. I found our president - Dave Bernson - who pointing a couple of members in the newbie's direction. After a few minutes several people were helping them out. IMHO, the club does need to do a better job on "newbie patrol" at club star parties and your point is well taken. Hopefully, your post here will encourage the club to address the matter. This public venue may not be the best place to air the matter. I suggest you call the SLAS club president and talk with him by phone. As to what you can do to make your social experience better, I found it useful when starting out to go to some of the club "advanced training" sessions at Denny's either after the star party or after the club's monthly meetings. Although like many clubs, these after star party sessions involve alot of testosterone laden "boys and their toys" new gear talk, its a good group that is easy to get to know. Taking telescope training at SPOC next spring is another good way to integrate socially into the club. Longer term social bonds typically grow from your "training buddies" during those sessions. This occurs in part because there is a learning curve in this hobby and your "training buddy" tends to be on the same point on the curve and is interested in the same things. Many of the club members have an ongoing astronomy relationship that covers 15 to 25 years. The effectiveness of this group of long-term friends is evidenced by all the club scopes out at SPOC. If you look at them closely, it's pretty amazing that it was all done with volunteer labor and shoestring donations. That can be a bit daunting when you are first entering the group, but is doable and little different from entering, for example, a new workplace. My closing question for you is what could the club do that would make new members' experience better? What you would like to have seen beyond the current practice of the club's roll call and introduction for new members at the monthly meetings? As to the content of this listserv and the SLAS, they are both "big tent" places catering to all experience levels. The only requirements are that 1) you are well-meaning, and 2) you have an interest in amateur astronomy. The etymology of the word "amateur" is from the French and Latin, from French and Latin: "am tor", lover, and from "am re", to love. If you love looking up, you are an amateur - but you already knew that - and you are welcome here. Clear Skies - Kurt P.S. - Utah Astro is not a SLAS newsgroup, although many SLAS members communicate here.