From: macknik@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Elizabeth A. Macknik)
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa
Subject: Re: student membership
Keywords: membership, students
Date: 23 Jul 92 11:42:11 GMT
Organization: University of Hawaii

VG: I would like to be a member of mensa. I know that I would qualify for it. 
VG: My question is,"Is there any special rates for students' membership ?".
 
NDM:   There is a 50% discount for students under 25.  By the by, I've had
NDM: a problem with the "under 25 limitation" from before I hit 25.  It seems
NDM: to me that this necessarily means graduate students are not offered a
NDM: discount.  Most schools offer annual salaries to (science at least) 
NDM: graduates of less than $12,000.  If anyone needs that discount it's
NDM: starving graduate students!  I vote for a removal of that age limit!
 
EAM: There is an implied bias here--that undergraduates are not over 25. However
EAM: in the U.S., over 40% of undergraduate students are non-traditional.  
EAM: While non-traditional includes many designations, the primary criteria is
EAM: being a student over 25 years of age.  (It also includes veterans, etc.)
 
MS: The following are my perceptions and may not be what Mensa's policies or
MS: thoughts on the matter actually are.
MS: The implication is that a student who is over 25 probably has an income--or 
MS: is a "professional student."  Mensa doesn't want to be stuck with getting
MS: 50% dues from someone who is able to pay, or who is avoiding the workplace
MS: by "hiding" in school for longer than is necessary to get a degree.

The number of "professional students" these days is incredibly small.  It was
very common during the Vietnam war and during the days when student financial
aid would continue as long as you were in school.  Draft deferments are no
longer a reason to continue in school, and financial aid is discontinued after
5 years (undergraduate) whether a student has finished a degree or not.  In
addition, many schools have undertaken steps to cut off students who do not
finish their degrees within a reasonable time frame.  So, being a 
"professional student" does not seem to be reasonable reason to exclude a 
student in today's society.

If you believe that students are attempting to avoid the "real world" by 
staying in school, you have not taken a look at current tuition charges.
Before I entered school, I never had the financial stress that I now face
every day.  Most of us are looking to get out as fast as we can!  Tuition
has been increasing at 4 to 5 times the inflation rate, while financial
aid and other forms of assistance have been decreasing.

SS: If by "professional students" you mean teaching/research assistants, then
SS: that income is very little, indeed. Most graduate students (at the Masters
SS: level) receive much less than $12,000 per year. Over here, PhD students
SS: get around $12,000 (in the engineering and sciences). I think doctoral
SS: candidates in the liberal arts get considerable less. Does Mensa define
SS: a "minimum income" by which members will be charged the regular dues? 
SS: I do not think an age cut-off is a reliable indicator. How about a letter
SS: from the school, instead? That way, all students will be students, and all
SS: regular members will be regular members.

I agree that a certification from the school would be appropriate.  All schools
that handle federal financial aid--which includes almost every college in the
nation--has a relatively painless way to provide proof of attendance and the
course load taken (Full-time, part-time, or less).  

I would also submit that a student be full-time to automatically qualify for a
discount.  Most part-time students are in the work-force and are probably
more able to pay a full regular membership.  (There will, of course, be 
exceptions.)

In closing, many kind and generous members have sent me email with instructions
on how do apply for a reduced/waived membership fee for Mensa.  So I will
soon join your ranks and see if the membership is as interesting as the
members' discussions on USENET.  

Sorry for the long post, and

Aloha,

--
Elizabeth A. Macknik                             macknik@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu 
Electronics Technician, College of Education     Voice (808) 956-6855           
University of Hawaii                             FAX:  (808) 956-4114           
Newsgroups: rec.org.mensa