I will be glad to help you with the Texas MG program. I served as VP and President for our local organization in 2001 and 2002. And this year, I served on the Rockport committee for the State Convention which was held in Corpus Christi in May which is just 30 miles from here.

Also I have lots of MG sites for Texas that you can check out if you want them.

Have the papers on my desk to sign up for the Maryland MG program. They ask some pretty intrusive Health questions, most of which seem aimed at kids in sleep-away programs. (I'm tempted to answer them, "none of your business") and conclude with a blanket permission to let them make health decisions for me, including permission for surgery! Good grief! Is this usual? (as a retired lawyer, you know what the chances are that I'll sign THAT!)
Pat

I had to laugh at Pats post. We in California are required to be fingerprinted and with the computer scanned prints all our prints are nationally available. When they started this about 3 years ago 25% dropped out rather than submit their prints. My amall town police chief who took my prints just thought it was funny. The state university which sponsors the master gardeners is paranoid about being sued, because of some degenerate,exposed through the program having contact with children. Al

Al. when did this finger printing start in CA.? I took the course last fall and did not have to be fingerprinted. Just went through regular college admissions, less most of the academic hassle because I already have a degree.

Paste592, I've never heard of asking such ?s! I suppose it's like everyone says, each state/area is different. Good luck.

Diana

The one we had to sign in Androscoggin County in Maine, was for racial awareness. But I can see why they would make you do all those other ones, because some of us are now volunteering around children. Also we took some heavy duty field trips out thru the woods to look at soil profiles, and then pruning workshops where the instructor let us try out all his cool Ginsu-type stuff... you never know who might lop off their own finger and then sue you over it. It's too bad it has gotten to that.

It was my understanding that all the Master Gardeners in California were required to have finger prints. Since I have always been involved with 4H I had to do it in 97 when I started. Our club had quite a protest but I had been doing it all along and thought they made much ado about nothing. I don't blame UC. Some of the protesters have returned to the program and now we have 118 people county wide.

Penny

These "questions", though a bit off-topic (FAQs), are worth more than a chuckle! I had no idea that "big brother" would bend so far as the garden! Here, in SC, you can pretty much get into the program if you can pay your money and fog a mirror. Fingerprints? DNA? Forget it!

Down here in Aransas County, Texas when I first took the class in 1998, we just filled out the form and submitted it, and we got into the program. Great! Loved it! Lots of fun and great friends! And I just loved our County Extension Agent. She was just wonderful!

Well how a few years can change things. All of our MG members and the new class now have to fill out a form for a criminal clearance check. No don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want any sex offenders down there working with children, 4-H clubs, but is it really necessary for a clearance check? And on the questionnaire, they ask very personal questions, i.e. SS#, DL#, how many names have you gone by, do you have liability insurance, and on and on.

Is it really important to have liability insurance to do volunteer gardening? We are not driving county vehicles. I'm not sure what to make of having finger printing done? Do you think that the plants mind if the gardener has had a finger printing? And what about the retired MG that have already raised their children and prefer not to have to work with children. Should they HAVE to get a clearance check too?

This has been really causing for some turmoil. And I know "Well, if you have nothing to hide, then you should not have to be worried about it." Well it is not a matter of hiding anything, but rather a matter of more government interference in our already complicated lives.

Sorry, I just had to spout off.

I hate that "well if you have nothing to hide..." attitude too. I think if a person doesn't want to do the background checks then that should just disqualify them from working one-on-one. There is plenty of other teaching-type volunteer work to do, for those who don't want to tell all to "Big Brother."

How about posting some info about the requirements for each state in the FAQ. That way, if someone is interested in volunteering, they can find out here.

I'm prolly gonna get in trouble, but here goes.

The Victoria County, Texas, MG has just gone through the most aggravatin' time over these background checks. It was presented to our board that it was mandated by the state, everyone had to do it, and that was that.

One member was not happy, and is very knowledgdable about getting what info she needs, and talked to the guy who runs the program in Texas. He told her where to get a copy of the mandate, which she did. Since she was not allowed to share this material, I had to get one of my own, but it was easy enough to do.

Long story short. The state does NOT mandate that all MG have a background check. It is voluntary, and you do not have to do it, unless you are going to work with children in certain settings. And this does not include a 2 hour tour through the Children's garden. Also, we were told the cost was $10.00. It is $6.00, and the remaining $4.00 was to be a "cushion" for the 4-H.

This is not going to be all that confidential, files will be kept in the Extension office, and we just had an email come in wanting to know who had the file of the last years applications, as someone wanted to look at it, and the Secretary didn't know who she had loaned it to last. I thought that info was 'confidential'.

I don't know about y'all, but donkeys will do the chicken dance before I will willingly give them my SS#, DL# etc.

As it turned out, the motion was made by Pres. that all MG had to do the checks, and the assn. would pay for all of them. A secret ballot was asked for, and the motion was defeated by an astounding number! We are old, don't want to work with kids, or just resent having to share my personal info. I am not going to do that.

WE did pass a motion that those who wished to do so could, and the assn. will pay for it. Did not make some people happy, but it is a lot better than watching membership drop to nothing because of it.

Down here, we are just trying to get through this year, hoping that the next will be better. This year has been the pits.

ItCollins, if you will email me, I will share where to get a copy of this mandate. You will be interested in it.

Janie

And another thing! If I was wanting to know about perverts and sex-offenders, I would go online and look it up. That info is there for all the world to see.

The people you need to be worried about are the ones that have not been caught.

It's none of anyone's business about my background. I don't have anything to hide- just a little old lady who has raised her kids, and likes to garden. But my business is my business.

Janie

It seems much more difficult to get fingerprints or personal information retroactive than in advance. All new applicants are asked before taking the course and seem to have no objections. When fingerprinting was first asked it was only for those in childrens programs,but this proved a problem to have two classes of MGs. Al

I have taken the liberty of breaking this topic out into its own thread so we can get back to the subject of FAQ here. See the thread titled "Background checks".

Cruser, I'm not sure what Spike allows on FAQ pages (other than what I've seen on ones I've visited), but noting how DIFFERENT various MG programs seem to be from one state to another, and even from one program to another within the same state, providing an area in the FAQ with a link to every MG program for which one has been provided by a forum member might be a good idea.

That way, anyone in that state or part of state can click on that particular link and find out more about their local program.

In case this is possible, I'll start the ball rolling by posting the link to the Master Gardener Association of the Piedmont below.

Thanks for taking on this responsibility.

Happy Gardening!
Jeff

Here is a link that might be useful: Master Gardeners Association of the Piedmont

Good idea, Jeff!

Attention MGs everywhere: please eMail directly to me (pawleysgrits@sc.rr.com) a link to a page in your state/county that describes - - succinctly, if you please - - the requirements (initial and on-going) for MG qualification. I will need to know, also, the identity of the location (state, or state & county, or other organization, if such imposes requirements).

If a link is not available for your area, a one-paragraph description will suffice, as long as it conforms to the parameters listed above. After review, here, these will be posted in the FAQ section of this forum, which is yet to be established.

Anyone have other suggestions for FAQ content?

Cruser

Definition of a "Master Gardner."

I have a suggestion. I am planning to take the course here in Michigan soon. I have been checking out the requirements online, and one is that you complete 40 hours of volunteer community work. Maybe you could give examples of what type of volunteer work is involved.

~GW

If you have a project you think would be accepted you present it to the MG advisory committee for their discusion and they will make the decision. Most counties have developed guide lines defineing possible projects. Al