Jan. President’s Message – New Year; New Section Website

Our new TexASCE website has been undergoing some final testing but is now up and running! Be sure to check it out. Also plan to attend the ASCE Texas Legislative Drive-In on February 26th. We have a full day of activities planned. It takes about a minute to register on the website, and we need each branch to participate, so we have the entire state covered. Visit TexASCE.org/legislative-drive-in to register today. Looking ahead, the Student Symposium in South Padre Island in early April is just around the corner, and you can sign up to participate and/or sponsor now at TexASCE.org/student-symposium.

I made it two days into the new year before I came across a set of plans with some major errors (in my opinion) that are out for bids. The plans contradicted their drawings and callouts between the plan and profile views. They also called out a product to use, and I could not find any evidence of the product or company existing (no valid website for the company). I continue to stress, as I travel across the state, that now is the time for firms to evaluate their standards called out and ensure they are up to date!

On December 28th in Oregon, a judge ruled in favor of a gentleman who described himself as an “engineer”. Apparently, the State of Oregon’s Professional Engineering Board has laws similar to Texas about who may call themselves an engineer, and they fined him and also put a gag order on him which prevented him from continuing his case. The court ruled that the board violated his right to “free speech”! While I believe the gentleman had a great argument, could properly back his engineering case, and others desired to hear his study comments, he should have probably stated a disclaimer on his credentials to avoid conflict with the board. This is just a reminder about how we present ourselves in public. Folks tend to hold us to a higher level of standards, and we need to be sure that we identify ourselves correctly and ensure that we practice within the areas we are competent.

Invest in yourself and participate in your local branch’s activities.
Art Clendenin, PE
Texas Section President (105th) 2018-2019