2011 Issue

44 it did exist its members would likely take full advantage of the funding provided by ASUU! Perhaps this group would still exist had it maintained its relevance by shifting its focus to whatever hot calculator was the flavor of the month. I am convinced that SEAU is a relevant organization for structural engineers. I hope you feel likewise about the organizations you participate in. Regarding SEAU, the benefits it provides to its members are direct and clear. Two weeks ago I received a notice fromDOPL (great, another acronym!) informing me of an audit of professional development hours. So, I opened the folder with all of my certificates from seminars and other events. I had no trouble demonstrating sufficient hours to maintain licensure. Without the hours afforded by educational opportunities through SEAU, I clearly would have struggled to demonstrate 24 hours of PDH units over the last two years. This is not all; my experiences with SEAU (programs, committee participation or even as a board member) have all been positive and have helpedme to be a better structural engineer. On the legislative front, SEAU has accom- plished a great deal, specifically with respect to the SE practice act. And there’s more that I will not even elaborate upon. For me, SEAU is extremely relevant and my interest is in ensuring that its relevance continues and improves because I havemuch to gain (or at least maintain) in that regard. To that end, it is important that all professionals regularly examine the organizations with which they are affiliated and make reasonable and prudent changes to ensure their member’s needs are effectively served. On that note, the boardmembers of SEAU are currently lending critical thought to SEAU’s core purposes, enumerated as ten ideas published in the association’s literature. Under such scrutiny, some of SEAU’s purposes are deemed by some as redundant or even irrelevant. Some within SEAU are encouraging a re-visitation of the ten published purposes and shortening them to as few as four. There seems to be something special about having ten core purposes. The concept of a ‘top ten list’ is foreign to none and even reaches into the depths of late night television. However, despite our affinity to the number 10, redundancy should be avoided in print and should be confined to load paths or critical systems. Personally, I am drawn to the idea of four purposes. Brevity and meaningful content are not mutu- ally exclusive concepts and I think such critical thought will be one of the keys to maintaining SEAU’s relevance to structural engineers in Utah. The SEAU Board of Directors and active members continually strive to help SEAU be a meaningful and relevant organization for structural engineers in the Utah region and neighboring areas. That having been stated, what are you doing to ensure that the non-profit organizations you support remain relevant to the needs of their members? Mr. Johnson, SE, LEED(AP) has been with Reaveley Engineers + Associates for 15 years and is now a principal with the firm. He was the project manager for the recent Utah State Capitol Base Isolation and Restoration and was the project’s principal computer modeler. Jerod is a Utah native and graduated from the University of Utah where he is currently involved in post-graduate research. Johnson When it comes to construction law Is a construction legal issue inching up on you? en call Utah’s preeminent construction legal team, Babcock, Scott & Babcock. With more than a hundred years of combined “in the trenches” experience with contractors and subcontractors as well as architects and engineers, we offer unrivaled and highly specialized expertise in all areas of construction law from contract negotiations to insurance claims and defense. And construction law is all we do. So no matter how big or small your construction legal issue is, call us and we’ll help you size it up. We Measure Up Washington Federal Plaza • 505 E. 200 S., Suite 300 • Salt Lake City, UT 84102 • (801) 531-7000 • www.babcockscott.com