It's a hello from me

[Ohforf]

Hi All,

Just joined the forum and thought I should say hello.

Not a Freemason but have had my curiosity sparked when I saw there is going to be an Open University Masonic Society. I am waiting for that web page to be launched with further information and have been having a look around the UGLE website in the meantime.

Thanks for accepting me into the forum.

Martin

[Mike Martin]

Welcome aboard.

That's an interesting snippet, where did you hear that?

[Richard George]

Interesting ...!

https://www.facebook.com/Open-Universit ... 373347945/

[eckywan2]

Proff Google has all the answers except those that matter

[Peter Taylor]

A warm welcome to LRUK!

[Ohforf]

Yes it was that Facebook page referenced and there is a similar reference within the Open University’s own forums.

Not sure how it will work location wise, I guess it will depend on how much interest there is.

[Lloyd Wiebe]

Welcome. You will find the members here to be very helpful.

[Trouillogan]

As a member of a Universities Scheme lodge which has gone through an arduous qualification process over at least a year of assessment, I find this somewhat concerning. Selection of suitable 18+ candidates is onerous enough, even with the training we have, trying to ensure we initiate only those where a two way benefit is likely to ensue. And bearing in mind that we are fishing in an already pre-selective pool where some degree of intellect is likely. Opening this to lodges without that qualifying assessment and training, fishing in the open sea, as it were, I have grave misgivings that the high fallout of unsuitable initiates could well tend to bring Freemasonry into disrepute.

[Richard George]

Whilst I don't know for sure, I don't think this is looking to be something in the University Scheme; more a 'club' for (ex)OU students who are already freemasons, or to provide a starting point for OU students who might be interested. I could be wrong, and we'll probably have to wait for the website to appear to learn a bit more.

[Ohforf]

I don’t have any inner knowledge of becoming a Freemason or this new Open University Masonic Club, but I did make the personal assumption that it was more of a starting point for people like myself that are interested in finding out more and potentially joining.

Even if this new “club” doesn’t take off I will probably make enquiries via the traditional route of contacting UGLE and expressing my interest.

Bit of personal background I am the wrong side of 40s living in Leeds and studying at the Open University to keep my mind active.

[Trouillogan]

Whilst I don't know for sure, I don't think this is looking to be something in the University Scheme; more a 'club' for (ex)OU students who are already freemasons, or to provide a starting point for OU students who might be interested. I could be wrong, and we'll probably have to wait for the website to appear to learn a bit more.

I have in the last few days been informed that our Provincial Grand Master would provide a dispensation to any lodge in his province to initiate any candidate from 18 years, regardless if he had any family connection or full time education status. This is what I and others find scary.

The Club mentioned in the above link may well not be part of the Universities Scheme but since this information enables general lodges to take in 18+ initiates, it sidesteps all the qualification and careful assessments which the Scheme lodges use in order to ensure only suitable people are initiated at that young age. It would appear that whoever thought that up does not know what is involved in dealing with immature students. That's not a derogatory remark; at that tender age a large proportion are found not to have comprehended what is meant by commitment, what financial responsibility entails and so on. With those, our suggestion is that they wait a year or two. It takes quite a lot of probing before you can be reasonably sure an applicant really understands what he is being told. They are just out of secondary school for heavens sake and not yet 'people'.

[Ohforf]

I don’t know the statistics but there are a lot of students at the Open University that are well beyond 18. I do know someone that got their degree this year who is 90.

Having said that there are also a lot of students that are and have just turned 18 and do not yet have life experience (although I imagine some do)