Letter: Mensa’s diversity difficult to top

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Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006 | 7:22 a.m.

Thanks for Marshall Allen's even-handed article on July 27 about the local chapter of Mensa. Because it can be so easily dismissed and maligned as an elitist "genius club," Mensa is a challenging subject. I've been a member for a number of years, and I like to think of Mensa as the alumni organization of a university that doesn't exist.

Like a university, Mensa has selective admission requirements. Like alumni, members have shared experiences and enjoy the fellowship and support of community - as much or as little as they desire. At $52 a year, it's a little cheaper than an Ivy League degree. This makes the membership far more diverse than Harvard's - a veritable human Wikipedia.

I never met a monk, a fighter pilot, a farmer or an alchemist in my freshman humanities class! Still, Mensa remains a challenge to understand, and your article presented a balanced view of the Southern Nevada chapter.

Megan Edwards, Las Vegas