Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Calumet Theatre Operations Director Ariele Kauppila, at the regular Monday Theatre Board meeting, expressed concerns over the structure of the Theatre membership program and said she feels it needs to be simplified and more easily explain what benefits paid members receive at what rate structure.

CALUMET — Ariele Kauppila, operations director of the Calumet Theatre, told the board at its regular meeting Monday evening that she had concerns about the theater’s membership program structure, and explained that she could not clearly define what members will receive for their paid membership.

“It’s very difficult right now as to what you get at what rate,” said Kauppila, “and I think we need to re-work that, and then we can give people an exact answer to what you get with membership.”

Theatre Co. Board Chairman Dan Jamison said that currently, it is a five-page novel on what benefits members will receive at various levels.

“I like the idea of just simplifying the membership,” Kauppila said, “bringing it down, then possibly for the larger amounts, bring them in as sponsors…as well.”

Kauppila said that those who come with larger amounts become voting members.

“I feel that a lot of them don’t want to make that commitment,” said Kauppila, “especially when we need to get changes with the bylaws. We’re seeing a lot of things get sent back and not getting as much feedback as we could.”

She felt that if the program was simplified to the point people really wanted to become involved, for those larger donations, those people could be considered sponsors. In that way, she said, they would not have the additional obligation as a member.

Paid members have the right to vote on issues, topics and on board elections, at the annual meeting, and also during special meetings in issues that, as Jamison said, the board cannot handle on its own, or is outside the board’s purview to make a decision.

In addition to other shortcomings with the membership program, Kauppila said it needs to be updated, using correspondence as an example.

“We’ve gotten some back where people have died,” she said, “and we’ve gotten a lot returned. So, I feel like just cleaning up the membership and stating what you get. That way, people can decide what sort of a relationship they want to have with the theater.”

Jamison said that he believed members, donors, sponsors driving some of the passive income, could assist in funding the other upcoming programs.