"Public opinion is the thermometer a monarch should constantly consult," said Napoleon Bonaparte. While USA Table Tennis (USATT) CEO Virginia Sung has thus far exhibited no monarchic tendencies, she is nonetheless following the little emperor's advice and monitoring the meteorology of her members' morale. Sung, who took the helm last year after a successful business career in the private sector, inherited a mess at USATT. Not long after she took over, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) demanded that she clean house and replace the entire USATT Board of Directors, lest table tennis be stripped of its Olympic charter. In order to eliminate such embarrassing levels of dysfunction, the USATT is proposing several amendments to its bylaws. The amendments address previous problem areas such as avoiding conflicts of interest and establishing fair procedures for the airing of grievances. The USATT initially proposed the amendments on June 15th, inviting public commentary until June 22nd. This window has now been extended until July 19th, so you now have until Sunday to make your voice heard on these matters. Now, USATT High Performance Director Sean O'Neill has asked for input regarding the selection process for the US national table tennis team. This has been a matter of controversy in the past. In particular, the USATT's so-called "discretionary criteria" gave them the power to hand-pick team members, a secretive process which ruffled many feathers. Under the new proposed process, the team will self-select through world ranking and tournament performance. While current captains Lily Zhang and Kanak Jha would each enjoy the double guarantee of top-50 world ranking and reigning national championship status, other aspiring members will have two opportunities each year to earn the remaining team spots through qualifying tournaments. This proposed process would be, as O'Neill writes, "Transparent, objective, fair, and simple." Opinions, however, are invariably very variable. They are also welcomed by the USATT on the matter until August 15th. "Public opinion is held in reverence," wrote Mark Twain. "It settles everything. Some think it is the voice of God." Under the leadership of Virginia Sung, the USATT is refreshingly receptive to feedback from its constituents. One hopes that such input is given the attention it merits, neither politically pandered to, nor dictatorially dismissed.

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