Meeting Location. For our club’s entire history, we have met at noon on most Tuesdays in the LSU Faculty Club (renamed The Club at Union Square in 2013). On some special occasions or when The Club has been closed, we’ve met at other locations. At various times we have considered moving, but convenience and atmosphere (and sometimes price) have always won out.
Dues. Club dues, originally set at $25 per quarter, were increased in the early 1980’s to $26 per quarter, and to $27 per quarter in 1990. We were lax, however, in collecting dues in the early 1990s and our Administrative Fund “borrowed” from our Service Fund to pay International and District dues, which is a big “No-No” in Kiwanis. So in 1996, we had to “play catch-up,” increased dues to $35 per quarter, and paid back the “borrowing” to our Service Fund.
Unlike some other clubs, our dues have never included our meals, which have been paid individually by each member directly to the venue. Dues have, however, in addition to our club’s administrative costs always included what the club pays out to Kiwanis International for dues, the Kiwanis magazine, liability insurance, and new member fees and to the Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee District for dues and new member fees. With the increase in 1996, we also started including annual per-member contributions to the International and District Foundations.
After that, we held out as long as possible, but a major increase in International dues in 2003 forced a change to $40 per quarter in 2004. Then in 2006, we went up to $45 per quarter to better fund travel to conventions and to reflect reductions in the number of members in the club. Our last increase was to $55 per quarter in 2016 to cover a further loss in membership and some increases in District dues. While an increase of 120% in the 47 years since our chartering sounds like a lot, it is not bad when inflation has more than tripled in that span.
Social and Educational Activities. For a number of years, one of our fun times was recognition of an annual Farm-City week with field trips to such places as pecan shelling factories, sugar cane farms and refineries, crawfish farms, and power plants. For many years we had an annual crawfish boil hosted by Ross Willis at his home until he passed away and then by Chris Willis at the same location still occupied by Ross’ widow. We have also certainly enjoyed several other social and ceremonial events such as canoe trips in the Atchafalaya Basin, outdoor barbecues, golf tournaments, at least one Christmas party, our annual awards luncheon, an annual officer installation dinner, the local celebrations of Kiwanis 100th birthday in 2015 and 100th anniversary of Kiwanis in Baton Rouge in 2019, and other occasions.
History #07 – Miscellaneous
Kiwanis Club of Louisiana State University
Meeting Location. For our club’s entire history, we have met at noon on most Tuesdays in the LSU Faculty Club (renamed The Club at Union Square in 2013). On some special occasions or when The Club has been closed, we’ve met at other locations. At various times we have considered moving, but convenience and atmosphere (and sometimes price) have always won out.
Dues. Club dues, originally set at $25 per quarter, were increased in the early 1980’s to $26 per quarter, and to $27 per quarter in 1990. We were lax, however, in collecting dues in the early 1990s and our Administrative Fund “borrowed” from our Service Fund to pay International and District dues, which is a big “No-No” in Kiwanis. So in 1996, we had to “play catch-up,” increased dues to $35 per quarter, and paid back the “borrowing” to our Service Fund.
Unlike some other clubs, our dues have never included our meals, which have been paid individually by each member directly to the venue. Dues have, however, in addition to our club’s administrative costs always included what the club pays out to Kiwanis International for dues, the Kiwanis magazine, liability insurance, and new member fees and to the Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee District for dues and new member fees. With the increase in 1996, we also started including annual per-member contributions to the International and District Foundations.
After that, we held out as long as possible, but a major increase in International dues in 2003 forced a change to $40 per quarter in 2004. Then in 2006, we went up to $45 per quarter to better fund travel to conventions and to reflect reductions in the number of members in the club. Our last increase was to $55 per quarter in 2016 to cover a further loss in membership and some increases in District dues. While an increase of 120% in the 47 years since our chartering sounds like a lot, it is not bad when inflation has more than tripled in that span.
Social and Educational Activities. For a number of years, one of our fun times was recognition of an annual Farm-City week with field trips to such places as pecan shelling factories, sugar cane farms and refineries, crawfish farms, and power plants. For many years we had an annual crawfish boil hosted by Ross Willis at his home until he passed away and then by Chris Willis at the same location still occupied by Ross’ widow. We have also certainly enjoyed several other social and ceremonial events such as canoe trips in the Atchafalaya Basin, outdoor barbecues, golf tournaments, at least one Christmas party, our annual awards luncheon, an annual officer installation dinner, the local celebrations of Kiwanis 100th birthday in 2015 and 100th anniversary of Kiwanis in Baton Rouge in 2019, and other occasions.
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