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| District Deputy Visit |
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| Q: Last month, our District Deputy paid a visit and conducted an audit. Who is the District Deputy and what is he auditing? |
A: The District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler (DDGER) is the Grand Exalted Ruler’s representative within the state to help oversee operations of the various lodges and ensure they adhere to the statutes, policies, procedures and by-laws as defined by the Grand Lodge and the respective local lodge. Minnesota is divided into four Districts: North, Central, Metro and South and thus there are four district deputies within the state of Minnesota. The Hopkins lodge is within the Metro District. In order for someone to become a district deputy, he/she must be a Past Exalted Ruler (PER), he/she must apply for the position, be nominated and elected, and then be approved by the State Sponsor.
Regarding the audit, the Grand Lodge mandates that each lodge undergo an operational audit once a year. The District Deputy, the Esquire to the District Deputy and several other individuals visit the lodge and conduct an audit ranging from review of the Lodge and other committees’ meeting minutes, analysis of the finances and associated accounts, physical inspection of the building and surrounding property (e.g. well lit stairwells, storage areas clean), verification that the lodge has the necessary committees (e.g. House, Audit, Investigative) in place and operating and that the lodge is observing the appropriate events and holidays (e.g. Elks Memorial Service, Hoop Shoot, Drug Awareness, Flag Day
Services).
The individuals also observe the Ritual of Initiation of new members as performed by the Lodge Officers. The District Deputy and his/her auditing team then completes an audit report that is sent to Grand Lodge. A letter from the Grand Exalted Ruler is sent to the Exalted Ruler regarding the findings of the audit and his comments and/or instructions. Depending on the infractions, the Grand Lodge could decide to put the lodge on probation with the ultimate penalty being revocation of the lodge charter and thus dissolution of the lodge.
Overall, the lodge did very well this year. A complete list of the items found in this year's audit can be obtained by contacting one of the Chair Officers (Exalted Ruler, Leading Knight, Loyal Knight, Lecturing Knight or the Lodge Secretary). The letter from the Grand Exalted Ruler regarding our audit can be found on the
bulletin board in the dining room.
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