Theos-Talk Archives (February 2012 Message tt00055)

Not until theosophists admit that mistakes were made in the past.
Cass



>________________________________
> From: MKR <mkr777@YiqNzfLPte2eM1kdD2RvleAGScvFdbjtcA1zBFyaVHlxUsVjrmf2QWzWGOg41IAqrlDrJ6kHMQ.yahoo.invalid>
>To: theos-talk <Theos-talk@yahoogroups.com> 
>Sent: Wednesday, 8 February 2012 11:13 AM
>Subject: theos-talk Can TS learn from past mistakes?
> 
>
>Â 
>Can TS learn from past mistakes?
>
>I was surprised to learn that Olcott Campus has leased part of the HQ
>building for a school. Running a school is not part of the mission of TS.
>Recently we saw the issue of K School (which caters to the super rich kids)
>located in Adyar campus in leased Damodar Gardens (leased for a pittance)
>trying their level best not to leave the prime space occupied by the
>school. It looks like they are going to keep trying to find a way not to
>vacate the space. (Mind you the parents of students and alumni have
>formidable money and influence in Chennai) With this background, I just
>learnt that Olcott Campus is leasing a wing of the HQ for the School.
>
>Here is the announcement:
>
>âWhat they were looking for was a new location for the school. It turned
>out that they needed to vacate their current premises by January 1 and
>wanted to know if there was a possibility for them to do something on our
>campus. The more they talked about their process and dreams the more it
>became apparent to me that there was a potential fit that could be
>extremely beneficial to all of us. A good deal of our building is
>underutilized and my sense was that with a little thought on our part we
>could find a way to make it work. Over the next couple of days we developed
>a plan to lease them the west wing of our headquarters building. It has the
>advantage of being a self contained space where the kids and teachers could
>conduct classes without affecting the daily rhythms of our TS operations.
>So, the bottom line is that as of January 9, 2012 the Prairie School began
>a new life at our national headquarters.â
>
>While this may bring in some money for the TS, several things are unclear.
>Firstly, is it to cater to the needs of the poor kids from the under
>privileged segment in Wheaton (like the Olcott Memorial School in Adyar) or
>is it catering to the kids of fatcats? Is this the best use of the valuable
>TS property for the furtherance of the mission of TS which is to spread
>theosophy.
>
>We also know how the membership continues to shrink with a blip here and
>there, and is not increasing membership should be one of the important
>goals of TS. Is it because of the disconnect that the elected officials
>have with the lodges and centers around the country? It is the grass roots
>activity in lodges that bring in new members and puts life into TS. In my
>city, which is the seventh largest in the US, we have not seen any of the
>elected officials for a long time and of course the last visit was before
>the building owned by TS was sold and money deposited in TS accounts. No
>one knows if this is result of some unwritten policy of the elected
>officials not to concern about lodges unless the lodges have valuable money
>or property.
>
>The above should be of concern to any dues paying member of TS and
>hopefully concerned members should take the time and call the elected
>officials and convey their concerns. Olcott has a toll free number and the
>call can be at TS cost.
>
>MKR
>
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