FBLA/DECA Student Reaction

We, the students of Monta Vista High School, have come together and determined
that the recent decrees put in place to restrict the members of MVDECA and MVFBLA are
unjust and therefore must be altered in the club constitution.

Former FBLA and DECA members were recently informed of new restrictions placed on
membership for the 2014-15 academic year. We do not believe that these restrictions are
fair or reasonable, and that some changes should be made.


Our Concerns:
- Why are these rules being established this year?
- Why does the two year qualification no longer apply?
- How were these qualifications established?
- How are these qualifications effective in accomplishing the goal for which the
restrictions were made in the first place?
- Why do JAVA and APCS not qualify as business courses?
- Who determined these qualifications?


Our goal is not to remove restrictions on eligibility, but rather to limit them. We believe
the following requirements would be more reasonable to implement:

Students who meet one of the following are eligible to join MVFBLA/MVDECA:
- Are 2 year members of FBLA/DECA
- Are currently enrolled in or have taken two of the following: Principles of Business,
Principles of Marketing, International Business, Law, Money & Banking, AP Computer
Science, Java
- Have taken one business class and qualified for ICDC or FBLA Nationals
- Have attended DECA Business Boot Camp in the last 2 years

These rules should apply to grant students membership for the duration of their high
school careers.




For the following reasons, we request that the new restrictions be modified.

A) Bylaws do not specifically exclude members.
The bylaw for both DECA and FBLA specifically states that members should be
students enrolled in business AND/OR business related courses. It does not, however,
define what courses qualify as business-related. AP Computer Science and Java should
be considered business related courses as technology plays a significant role in our
society. Additionally, FBLA has a separate collection of Technology competitions that do
not require business knowledge. APCS and JAVA are definitely business related and
should not be deemed irrelevant as the majority of careers in the Silicon Valley require
computing or technology skills. Mathematics courses should also be considered
business-related as every working individual requires a concrete mathematical
background in their careers. Arguably, any academic course can and should be
considered business related.

National FBLA Bylaw: Active Members shall be secondary students who become
members while enrolled in business and/or business-related fields, who accept the
purpose of FBLA, subscribe to its creed, demonstrate willingness to contribute to good
school-community relations, and possess qualities for employment.

National DECA Bylaw: Active member shall be students enrolled in high school
programs of Marketing Education The document later states that Marketing Education is
anything that may be helpful in DECA education and competition. Marketing Education is
in no way limited to Business Classes, so the suggestions we have given are more that
plausible.

Carl D Perkins Act: The act calls for new requirements for programs of study that link
academic and technical content across secondary and postsecondary education, and
strengthened local accountability provisions that will ensure continuous program
improvement. By linking academic and technical content, the clause states that the
education should be beneficial to the club. Also, the Carl Perkins act only extended
through 2012, and further modifications are being made to it.

CTSO: FBLA is defined as a Career Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that includes
course work such as Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management, Marketing, Computer
Applications, Networking, Programming, Communications, Web, Ethics, and basic
business
- Finance: Mathematics teaches finance.
- Communications: Any language course.
- Marketing, Ethics: Such skills are practiced in literature/writing classes.
- Networking, Computer Applications, Programming, Web: related to APCS, Java


B) FBLA/DECA pride themselves on being a family.
Both FBLA and DECA have always trumpeted the idea that their organizations are
constructed like families. However, these restrictions push several members out of the
supposed family and thus create a sense of abandonment in those negatively affected.

C) We were not told at an appropriate time.
We, as devoted members of FBLA and DECA, had not been informed about this
restriction prior to course selection in the preceding year. Therefore, we had no
opportunity to add an accepted business course. We only became aware of this
restriction last week and thus it is too late to transfer into business courses. Even if we
were willing to make alterations to our schedules, it is too late to do so as the desired
class may not work with our schedules and may no longer be available. Consequently, we
had no way to fulfill requirements and thus had no alternative but to be excluded from
the organizations..

D) Only MVFBLA/MVDECA are being negatively affected by this.
Other schools in the Fremont Union High School District do not abide by the same
rules for the same clubs. Throughout the years, Monta Vista, as well as all the other
schools, have not adhered to such restrictions and the reason for immediate change in the
membership laws is unprecedented and thus should not be put into effect this year. Due
notice of one year to allow for schedule changes would be acceptable for the student
body so students can choose classes that qualify them for membership to the clubs that
Monta Vista offers. Monta Vista should do its best to uphold its status by delaying change
in membership laws for at least one year. Members should also not be left stranded in the
middle of their high school careers, lost without their keystone organizations.

E) Everyone has a place at DECA and FBLA.
To many FBLA and DECA members, these clubs make up a significant part of their
high school careers: not just because of the success that competing would bring, but also
because of the number of close friends and teammates they have made throughout the
years. It is especially unfair for those who went to FBLA Nationals or DECA ICDC, as other
members of MVDECA and MVFBLA have become a family for them.

F) FBLA/DECA have a large impact on college admissions.
Many people joined these organizations as freshmen so they would have new
learning and business opportunities as well as to show dedication. Many such students
have worked diligently for 1-2 years in FBLA/DECA and, although this shows some
dedication, colleges would rather see students who are passionate enough to continue
throughout high school for 3-4 years.

G) The competitive success of MVFBLA/MVDECA relies on dedicated members.
Monta Vista is obviously one of the strongest schools in the nation when it comes
to business competitions. We have been ranked number 1 for both FBLA and DECA
because of the determination and hard work of its members. This is a result of how much
these members truly care about the well-being and success of not only themselves and
their teammates, but also of Monta Vistas establishment as such a prominent figure. Even
if all students taking business classes are automatically admitted as FBLA/DECA
members, this is completely inequivalent to students who join by their own choice, as
those students will dedicate everything they possibly can to ensure success.

H) COMPETITIVELY SUCCESSFUL MEMBERS (who are no longer eligible):
1. Gloria Zhao (2nd place FBLA Nationals, 7th place ICDC)
2. Lian Song (4th place FBLA Nationals)
3. Joseph Hsiung (7th place ICDC, FBLA Nationals qualifier)
4. Radhika Dhomse (1st place FBLA States, FBLA Nationals Qualifier)
5. Cassandra Lem (5th place ICDC, 4th place DECA States)
6. Richa Gadgil (4th place ICDC)
7. Aditya Kalari (ICDC Finalist, 2nd place DECA States)
8. Rohan Chitale (5th place FBLA Nationals)
9. Ruoyun Zheng (5th Place ICDC, 4th place States)
10. Roy Tsui (ICDC qualifier)
11. Alex Erf (ICDC qualifier, 3rd place DECA States)
12. Julianna Liu (4th place FBLA States, 4th place FBLA Bay)
13. Zarek Peris (ICDC qualifier, 2nd place DECA States)
14. Jeremy Chen (2nd place FBLA States)
15. Colin Ni (ICDC Finalist)
16. Jay Lee (5th place FBLA Nationals)
17. Atharva Rohatgi (10th place FBLA Nationals)
and more.

I) If this change was the result of a funding issue:
As members of FBLA and DECA, we pay our own fees for attending conferences.
Members of FBLA pay approximately $25 at the beginning of each year when we pledge
to be devoted competitors, and in DECA we pay additional fees for each conference. The
issue of funding should not apply in this case because all of the money put into FBLA is
paid by the competitors themselves. DECA also gets additional money from their
Business Boot Camp (approx. 250$ per student), which is hosted every August.


J) FBLA/DECA are meant to provide business exposure.
Students often join FBLA or DECA because they are passionate about business and
want more exposure to the business world. While business courses teach students the
basics, FBLA and DECA events really put this knowledge to use. As a result, many people
can learn the theory and basics on their own and still experience competitive success
without a business class - all they need is their own dedication and the willingness to
work hard and work smart.



For the reasons stated above, we believe that the restrictions on MVFBLA/MVDECA
membership should be open to negotiation. We have begun compiling a collection of
signatures of students who agree with our position on the subject and support our
movement to change the membership requirements for these organizations. We strongly
hope that our arguments and number of supporters show how truly dedicated we are to
these clubs and the extent to which we are willing to go in order to regain our positions
as members of the organizations that we hold in such a high position in our lives.



Thank you for your consideration.

We,thestudentsofMontaVistaHighSchool,petitionforreconsiderationandmodificationofthenew
restrictionsthathavebeenputonmembershiptoMVFBLAandMVDECA.

TherecentdecreesputinplacetorestrictthemembersofMVFBLAandMVDECAareunfairand
thereforemustbealtered.Theylimitmemberstoonlythosewhoarecurrentlyenrolledinabusiness
class,thosewhoarecurrentlyenrolledinJavaandhavetakenbusinessclassesinthepast,freshmenwho
attendedDECABBC,orseniorswhowerepreviouslyinFBLA/DECA.

IdemandthatthemembershiprestrictionsonMVFBLAandMVDECAbemodifiedinorderto
allowmorecommittedandhardworkingcompetitorstojointheseorganizations.