Avery: In the view of our legal office, Texas state law is pretty specific on what tax-exempt/non-profit organizations can do. Conducting a sale on campus is definitely a for profit event. In her opinion we could sell our old pianos so we could buy new, but once they start bringing in other instruments to sell it is a commercial event that is outside of the Texas non-profit laws. The local dealer tried to push for an on campus sale, but eventually he admitted that he thought our legal officer was correct. dave *********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** On 3/5/2002 at 8:06 PM Avery Todd wrote: >Hi David, > >Hmm! I've never thought of this. The ****** dealership is having a sale >this weekend at the school. They have 4 of the "automatic" type of players >they furnish! Everything else, they bring in! > >The other sale we have because of our 9 lease pianos, happens later in the >year! > >Maybe I should mention this to the Director of our department! But one >question. Why exactly would it affect the tax exempt status? I admit, I >don't know much about this type of thing. > >Avery > >At 05:48 PM 03/05/02 -0600, you wrote: >>Wim: >> >>The university sale for SMU is always held at the dealership. Our legal >>department would not let this commercial event take place on campus for >>fear of losing our tax-exempt status. I'm a little surprised that this >>hasn't caught some other universities. >> >>dave >>*********** REPLY SEPARATOR *********** >> >>On 3/5/02 at 11:04 AM Wimblees@AOL.COM wrote: >>>List, et al >>> >>>The piano store that has been supplying the university (Alabama) for the >>>last 10 years has just informed us he is pulling out at the end of the >>>school year. We have 12 pianos in use now. I don't know what we are >going >>>to do to replace those 12, as all of them are in critical positions. We >>>do have some options, but it will no doubt cost us some money, money >that >>>should be used in other areas. >>> >>> From what I have been told, the university sale last year resulted in >>> only 11 pianos being sold. The dealer didn't even have the sale at the >>> university. It was held in his store. That kind of sale was also being >>> done in St. Louis, before I left. The store announced, "A sale so huge, >>> it can only happen at our store." Meaning, it was not worth it to the >>> store to move all those pianos to the school. >>> >>>University/symphony sales have been going on for almost 15 years now. >>>Although the store sponsoring these sales do sell more pianos in one or >>>two weekends than the store usually sells in a month or two, I think it >>>is getting to the saturation point. I also think the word has gotten out >>>that the "deals" at these sales aren't any better than what the consumer >>>can get at the store. It is ashamed that some of the sales tactics have >>>been less than desirable. It has given the entire industry a bad name. >As >>>far as servicing these pianos, again, if you have a problem with the >>>dealer, I believe that the dealers that sponsored the sales are no worse >>>or better in providing service than what you get for a piano that was >>>sold out of the store. >>> >>>Although, like some of you, I was against them at first, I have come to >>>realize that the impact these sales have on the community, in the way of >>>getting more pianos in homes, is worth the occasional bad apple, so to >>>speak. Therefore, as I said in my first post, as technicians I think we >>>should support these sales. It means more business for us in the long >>>run. If you have a complaint about a certain dealer, then report that to >>>the "proper authorities." >>> >>>Wim >>> >>> >> >>_____________________________ >>David M. Porritt >>dporritt@mail.smu.edu >>Meadows School of the Arts >>Southern Methodist University >>Dallas, TX 75275 >>_____________________________ _____________________________ David M. Porritt dporritt@mail.smu.edu Meadows School of the Arts Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 75275 _____________________________
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