Rose Festival/Seafair update

By Daren Lewis

Shipmates,

By now many of you have gotten the news that we'll have limited participation of Coast Guard assets at Rose Festival. Local USCG and USCG Auxiliary activities will continue based on the needs of those events still taking place, such as the safety zone for the Dragon Boat races. I wanted to share the District Commander's comments in this press release. 

SEATTLE — The Coast Guard announced the cancellation of cutter and air asset participation during the 2013 Portland Rose Festival’s and Seattle Seafair’s Fleet Week celebrations, Thursday. 

Recent fiscal reductions, due to the Budget Control Act of 2011, have resulted in reduced Coast Guard participation in community outreach programs in 2013. 

“We are reducing our participation in various community events to focus our funding on highest priority missions.” said Rear Adm. Keith A. Taylor, commander of the 13th Coast Guard District. “We will continue to maintain our valuable relationships with the Pacific Northwest communities and will remain ‘Always Ready’ to answer the call.” 

Cancelling cutter and air asset visits is one of many steps the Coast Guard is taking to preserve the Coast Guard’s ability to meet the highest-priority mission activities, including search and rescue, critical security operations, and emergency response. The Coast Guard will continue to provide safety zones and maritime enforcement during both events. The Coast Guard believes there is value in demonstrating the capabilities of our assets, and will assess participation in future events on a case-by-case basis as the Coast Guard’s budget permits.

We stand a taunt watch with the rest of our service as we navigate these challenging budgetary times for our Nation.

Wash & Wear Trousers - Stand by for Auxiliary use

By Daren Lewis

Shipmates,

Great clarification from the National HR Directorate on the new wash & wear trouser. Bottom line - these are being targeted to Active Duty & Reserve first and we will be authorized to wear at a future date. As some may recall these authorizations take some, but not too much, time.

V/r, Daren

Shipmates,
I received further clarification to the "Wash & Wear Trousers" Uniform update I distributed on 29MAR2013. At this time, the new Wash & Wear Trousers are ONLY authorized for wear by the USCG Active Duty & Reserve; they are not yet approved for use by the Auxiliary. If you have forwarded the previous information down the chain to the General Membership, please follow-up with this update. Sorry for any confusion.

Please see below for more specific details (source: H-Directorate Office):
"You may have [received notification] regarding Coast Guard Approval of a new Wash and Wear Male Trouser and Female Dress Slack for use with the Tropical Blue and Winter Dress Blue Uniforms (not the Service Dress Blue Uniform). This uniform part will be available in the Exchange System by the end of June 2013.
However, authorization is based on an interim guidance policy which has not yet been acted upon by the CHDIRAUX for use by the Auxiliary. As in the past, the UDC will issue bulletins about uniform changes that have been approved by the Coast Guard Uniform Board for active duty members, but not yet promulgated for use by the Auxiliary. That approval usually comes in the form of an ALAUX and an annotation to the on-line version of the AUXMAN.
Therefore, until the CHDIRAUX officially notifies the Auxiliary of the availability of these new garments and authorizes them for wear by our members, please do not send this information to the Deckplate, as it will only result in multiple inquires from District Commodore’s for answers that our Directorate does not have at this point."
v/r
Brett
--
Brett C. Bigelow, BC-HXP
Human Resources Directorate
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

National Public Affairs, Publications, Photo and Video Contest

Shipmates,
Get out your photos since June 2012 and take your cameras with you as you participate in Auxiliary activities -- the National Public Affairs, Publications, Photo and Video Contest closes in six weeks. Here are the details:

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2012 – 2013 National Public Affairs, Publications, Photo and Video Contest Guidelines

DEADLINE:   31 MAY 13 – NO EXCEPTIONS

TIMEFRAME:  01JUN12 - 31MAY13

AWARDS:  Each first place winner will be announced and presented with a 7X9 inch plaque at the Coast Guard Auxiliary National Meeting (NACON) in San Diego, California in August 2013. Winners may also be recognized in member communication vehicles from the national public affairs directorate.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTEST
This contest recognizes Coast Guard Auxiliary units who have successfully executed a robust public affairs program and or portfolio of a public affairs mission that attracted attention of the media and/or the general public. Each DSO-PA shall nominate no more than three (3) flotillas, two (2) divisions and their own district for this award.

Contest entries should be submitted electronically to pfritchie.uscgauxiliary@aol.com and should consist of no more than two pages summarizing the accomplishments of the unit during the  specified time frame. Submissions shall be received on or before 31-May-13 without exception. A judging panel of certified Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialists shall be convened to evaluate the entries and select the winners.

PUBLICATION CONTEST
This contest recognizes Coast Guard Auxiliary units who have successfully published three or more issues of a unit publication during the specified timeframe. Each DSO-PB shall nominate no more than one (1) flotilla, one (1) division and their own district for this award.

Nominations consisting of a copy of exactly three (3) separate issues of the unit publication should be submitted electronically to pfritchie.uscgauxiliary@aol.com using free Dropbox file sharing software (http://dropbox.com).  Each entry shall be identified with the name of the publication’s editor and the unit’s number.

Submission shall be received no later than 31-May-13 without exception.  A judging panel of certified Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialists shall be convened to evaluate the entries and select the winners. Entries will be evaluated on several categories including design, layout, writing quality, photojournalism, and use of Associated Press Style Book, Coast Guard Style Guide, and Coast Guard Auxiliary Public Affairs Publications Officers Guide and USCG Auxiliary Public Affairs Guide.


PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
This contest recognizes Coast Guard Auxiliary Photographers who have successfully captured interesting and compelling images of Auxiliary members and assets in action across specified program categories.  Each Coast Guard Auxiliary member may submit up to two photographs per category. Contest entries should be submitted electronically to joetasio@verizon.net using free Dropbox file sharing software.  (Free download via:http://dropbox.com)

Each photograph must be labeled using current Coast Guard file naming protocol and contain a proper photo caption and credit information as per the Coast Guard PA Stylebook.  In addition each photograph should clearly identify the category it is being entered into.

Photo Categories are:
•       Fellowship
•       Marine Safety
•       Member Services
•       Operations
•       Public Affairs
•       Public Education
•       Vessel Examination

Submissions shall be received no later than 31-May-13 without exception.  A judging panel of certified Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialists will be convened to evaluate the entries and select the winners.  It should also be noted that no photographs containing identifiable minors (persons under 18 years) may be submitted without being accompanied by a model release form signed by the minor’s parents.  Submit on U.S. Coast Guard form ANSC 7020 (01-13).

VIDEO CONTEST
This contest recognizes Coast Guard Auxiliary videographers who have successfully captured images of Auxiliary members and assets in action and/or edited them into an interesting and compelling video segment. Each Coast Guard Auxiliary member may submit one (1) video to this contest.

The video must contain a proper video slate as specified in the Coast Guard PA Stylebook.  Contest entries should be no longer than 5 minutes in length and submitted electronically to itsrusty@me.com using free Dropbox file sharing software (http://dropbox.com)

Submissions must be received no later than 31-May-13 without exception. A judging panel of certified Auxiliary Public Affairs Specialists will be convened to evaluate the entries and select the winners.  It should also be noted that no videos containing identifiable minors (persons under 18 years) may be submitted without being accompanied by a model release form signed by the minor’s parents.  Submit on U.S. Coast Guard form ANSC 7020 (01-13).


ADDITIONAL RULES FOR ALL NATIONAL CONTESTS
1.)  DIR-A and DIR-AD are not eligible to participate in these contests.

2.)  No public affairs national staff member may enter a contest for which their respective division and/or branch has contest oversight responsibility. (e.g. photo branch members may not enter national photo contest.)

3.)  The judging panel may, at their sole discretion, choose not to award a winner for any specific contest and/or category if it is their opinion that none of the entries for said contest/category meet the minimum Coast Guard Auxiliary standards for excellence.

4.)  Each national contest coordinator may prescribe an alternative method of transferring/receiving contest entries as needed within reason.

5.)  All DSO-PA’s, DSO-PBs and DCO’s have been advised of this contest via email prior to 15-APL-13. Contest notice and guidelines were also disseminated via AUXDIRECT email list to all subscribing members.

6.) No contest entries will be accepted for any contest/category after 23:59 PST on 31-May-13.



Patricia P Fritchie,
Deputy Director Public Affairs - A Directorate
U S Coast Guard Auxiliary
                
Life Jacket, Wear It, the name says it all!

Division Member Training: Operations Workshop

By Daren Lewis

We had a great Operations workshop on Saturday 13APR2013. The workshop included:

• A presentation by Randy Henry of the Oregon State Marine Board. He briefed us on the changing state of boating in Oregon, the OSMB strategic plan, and answered our questions. Mr. Henry serves as the Oregon Boating Law Administrator.
• A presentation by our own Kurt Torgerson on petroleum and oil spills. 
• The annual one-hour TCT refresher conducted by Ken Babick, DCDR7.
• The annual operations workshop presented by Ken Babick, DCDR7.
• Comments from MSU Portland Executive Officer, CDR Williamson.

The Importance of Diversity

By Toni Rosatti

What is diversity? Diversity simply means, something different. Why is diversity important? Diversity adds value, importance and enhances our experiences whether in a volunteer group, work environment, educational setting, etc. By allowing views and perspectives from a diverse group, we all can learn more due to various backgrounds, cultural differences, and a wide range of socioeconomic status of all people. Diversity enriches the educational experience for all involved. In addition to this, it also prepares people to be more aware of differences in a society that is becoming increasingly complex and more global.

In order to bring diversity to a group, recruitment of individuals needs to focus on new members from all backgrounds. Regardless of national origin, age, race, sex, education level, religion or socioeconomic status, everyone should be encouraged and welcomed to join an organization. For a diverse organization to be successful, all must respect difference and value people who bring different points of view. In order to respect difference, the organization must be willing to engage others who have different perspectives than one’s own. By recognizing that we all have individual views allows us to see the value of others’ unique contributions that they can bring to the group. Diversity is not narrow, it involves open-mindedness. Each of us has a different story to tell. By sharing our individual stories is how we find common ground and similarities that bring people closer together as a group.

We all must remember that our country was built by a diverse group of people. The strength, resilience and richness of our society are based on the diversity of its citizens. Each of us has our own unique background and talents that allows us to broaden our views and perspectives by listening and learning from others. In order for an organization to be successful, it must welcome and embrace diversity by recognizing and valuing talent. It must also eliminate barriers and ensure that everyone is treated fairly and with equality so all have the chance to reach their maximum potential. Along with this, an organization must encourage the exchange of ideas which not only broadens the scope of problem solving, but also improves the possibility that problems are solvable.

By encouraging and welcoming diversity into our group, we can make our organization strong by adding value and richness. With having a diverse group, we can accomplish more by having the different views and ideas needed to reach our goals.