Letter from NPA Membership for Resignations

Dear Members of the Natural Philosophy Alliance Board of Directors including

Cynthia Whitney
Bill Lucas
Barry Springer
James Newburn
David Harrison
Martin Kokus
Sam Falaki

It is clear that the active membership of the Natural Philosophy Alliance (NPA) has no confidence in Barry Springer and James Newburn, as leaders of the NPA, and is calling upon them to resign as Board members and officers of the NPA. This is the position of the overwhelming majority of active members representing over 95% of the total who voted (181 out 190). This is in addition to the 150+ members, representing virtually every active member, who signed a petition calling for Barry Springer and James Newburn to resign last January. This means that for 7 months there has been near unanimous rejection of Barry Springer and James Newburn. The member survey, added on top of the January call for resignation, and the remarks which members made in the survey, corroborate the fact the membership overwhelmingly rejects the leadership of Barry Springer and James Newburn. The membership has spoken and to ignore our voices for 7 months is to lose the life-blood of the NPA.

We call upon Barry Springer and James Newburn to resign as members and officers of the NPA Board of Directors!

Assuming that Barry Springer and James Newburn will do the right thing and resign, we also call upon the remaining Board members to appoint Greg Volk, and someone of his choosing, to fill the Board member vacancies created by the resignation of Barry Springer and James Newburn. For your information, David de Hilster and Duncan Shaw are not candidates for NPA Board membership. We suggest that the newly constituted Board move quickly to develop a protocol for the election of members to the NPA Board of Directors. Following the election, we also suggest that the new Board of Directors amend the current By Laws of the NPA to provide for greater transparency and accountability on the part of the Board of Directors and to develop policies that plan ahead with general membership support. In summary, the NPA will be given the opportunity to survive with reasonably acceptable and balanced leadership.

Put simply, we want to co-operate so that the current NPA survives, but we cannot do so as long as Barry Springer and James Newburn remain as members and officers of the NPA Board of Directors. The alternative to the resignation of Barry Springer and James Newburn is the formation of a new NPA organization which we believe will attract the active members of the current organization. You will predictably be left with a hollow group and little income from membership fees.

We expect you will need time to consider the situation. We ask that you not respond precipitously. We ask that each Board member give the situation careful thought. To get a sense of the situation from the members’ perspective, take the time to read the Comments section of the survey. The future of the NPA is at stake.

We request your response or responses within two weeks.

Copies of this letter are being sent to the NPA members so that they will know what actions are being taken and proposed with respect to their organization.

Yours sincerely,

Gregory Volk
David de Hilster
Duncan Shaw
Nicholas Percival
Lou Ellen LaFollette