Frequently Asked Questions regarding membership into NEARPS.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Membership in the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society

Why would someone want to join the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society?

Membership in NEARPS is extremely rewarding and offers a unique opportunity to participate in ongoing research activities which contribute to expanding scientific knowledge of paranormal phenomena.

Are you looking for certain qualities in your members and, if so, what are they?

NEARPS strives to provide the highest quality in all of our endeavors. Integral to that goal is the requirement that our membership roster consist of individuals who are of the highest caliber. We welcome individuals with a strong commitment and dedication to expanding their knowledge of the field while furthering the organizational mission and goals.

Do you require dues to be paid and, if so, how much are they?

Yes, membership in the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society does require the payment of dues. Dues are currently $5 a month and are set by the Board of Directors.

Why do you require dues and what do they get used for?

NEARPS is supported by funds made available through member dues, donations, and Board approved fundraising activities. Any funds made available to NEARPS are used to pay expenses incurred by the organization. The expenses incurred are, but not limited to, fees related to maintaining the NEARPS website, purchase of new equipment, travel expenses for investigations that require lengthy travel, purchasing batteries to power equipment on investigations, any other expenses related to carrying out NEARPS business.

Are members required to attend investigations and other activities?

Yes, active members are required to attend all scheduled functions unless they are working at the time of the event. If an active member misses six events in any rolling 12 month time period, they will be subject to immediate termination of his or her membership.

What if I don't have the time to attend all the required NEARPS events but would still like to be involved, do you have a membership for me?

You bet! What you would need is a reserve membership. Reserve members are kept in the know on what the group is currently doing and will be doing in the future. They are invited to go on investigations just like the active members. The difference is that the active members are required to attend and the reserve members are not. The downside to this is that reserve members are not guaranteed the right to attend every investigation and active members are.

What if I don't want to attend any investigations? Do you have a way for me to contribute to the group?

Yep, the reserve membership is perfect for anyone who does not want to dedicate a lot of time to the group. You can always do research and/or analyze evidence. Investigations are only the start of what we do, there is much more to be done once the investigation is over.

Can you give me a little more information on these different membership types?

Sure! It is not real complicated. Basically we have active members who are guaranteed a spot on every investigation team, but they are penalized if they don't show up for meetings, investigations, or any other public event that is deemed mandatory. Due to the fact that many investigations are done at private residences where space is limited, the number of active memberships is capped at ten. Meanwhile, we also have reserve memberships where these members are not required to attend every event and are not penalized when they don't show up. On the other hand, they usually are only allowed to go on an investigation when there are open spots that are not filled by active members such as when an active member is working on the night of the investigation or anytime when we have more space to cover at a location than we have active investigators for. Reserve members are subject to the same training requirements as active members before they are allowed to attend an investigation at a private residence. There is no limit to the number of reserve memberships NEARPS can have.

What if you had 2 empty spots on a team for an upcoming investigation, but had ten reserve members who wanted to go, who would decide who gets to go then?

Here is where the real brilliance comes in! While reserve members are not required to attend meetings, investigations, training exercises, and so on, each event that a reserve member does attend earns him or her a "participation point" and in this case, the 2 reserve members who has the most participation points gets the empty spots that are available. This way, even though reserve members don't have to attend, they are rewarded for their level of dedication when they attend anyway.

Do applicants have to have his or her own equipment?

You do not have to own any equipment to apply. However, we do ask that investigators acquire a few pieces of equipment for his or her own in time. These include a digital voice recorder, a good quality digital camera, and an EMF detector with digital readout. Members are asked to purchase these as it becomes financially possible. In the meantime, NEARPS has equipment available to be shared by all.

What else do I need to know before I decide whether I want to apply or not?

First of all, you need to read through our Bylaws, our Code of Conduct, and this page has other Membership Information. You need to be aware that these guidelines are all put in place to insure the continuing integrity, creditability, and professionalism of the NEARPS organization. Many hours of work have gone into building NEARPS into the reputable organization that it is today and the Board of Directors will NOT allow an irresponsible member to discredit the organization. For this reason, the guidelines set out at the links above will be STRICTLY enforced. The good news is that if a person enters into the NEARPS organization for the right reasons and has the desired level of dedication, there will never be any need to enforce these rules. Abiding by these rules would be second nature.

You seem VERY serious about the field of paranormal research. Do you have any fun at NEARPS events?

Yes, we are very serious about what we do. Of course we have fun at NEARPS events, if we could not enjoy them, there would be no need to have them! There is a fine line between a member enjoying him or her self and a member becoming giddy, childish, and unprofessional. Sometimes our events require us to be in view of the public and these actions reflect poorly upon the NEARPS organization and the member (s) engaging in such actions can expect to have his or her membership involuntarily terminated. The Board of Directors has a zero tolerance policy for such shenanigans and will ask the offending member to leave the premises immediately.

How often does the NEARPS organization have meetings and/or investigations?

We try to hold a meeting of all members on the first Friday or Saturday of the month. At meetings we share any personal experiences we had at recent investigations, discuss any upcoming investigations and/or vote on any elective investigations we may want to get scheduled, collect dues, and go over any other business that involves the entire membership. All members who are in attendance have a vote on anything that is put up for a vote. As far as investigations go, we schedule them as we get calls for help, so there really is no set schedule other than the fact that they will be held on Friday or Saturday of any given week. We also schedule elective investigations that usually involve a historic location of some type and many of these require a participation fee to be paid by persons attending. We also schedule training meetings and exercises that are usually held in a local cemetery if weather permits.

Who presides over these meetings?

Whether a meeting consists of the Board of Directors or the entire membership, the meetings will be presided over by the Director of Operations. The Director of Operations is the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

What is this Board of Directors you keep mentioning?

The Board of Directors is the governing body for the Northeast Arkansas Paranormal Society. It currently consists of three members and includes the Director of Operations, the Director of Information, and the Director of Investigations.

Ok, I think I want to become a member. What do I need to do next?

If you have read and agree to all of the Bylaws, Code of Conduct, and this page, then you are ready to fill out the online membership application which may be found here.