[6036] in APO-L
about Sgt at Arms...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jeff Bartel)
Wed Apr 21 17:37:39 1993
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1993 17:00:48 -0400
Reply-To: Jeff Bartel <jbartel@VTSSI.VT.EDU>
From: Jeff Bartel <jbartel@VTSSI.VT.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@PURCCVM.BITNET>
Brothers,
I have been on the list for about two weeks now and decided that it is about
time that I introduce myself. I'm a brother at ZB (Virginia Tech--winner of
the Most Significant service Program in the Nation 1990 and 1992), and I
pledged in the Spring of 1992. More recently I was elected to the position
of Sgt at Arms for the next year. It is this that brings me to post.
One of the biggest problems our 100 brother chapter has is long meetings
(sometimes up to 2 - 2 1/2 hours). Since the (weekly) meetings are mandatory,
some brothers show up in the beginning and then leave after an hour or so,
causing us to lose quorum so we cannot conduct business--especially the Sgt at
Arms part which comes last :( . I have heard that some chapters run their
meetings "in reverse" with the Sgt at Arms first and President last to avoid
the latter problem, but this still wouldn't prevent brothers from leaving.
How many of you out there do this (run meetings backwards), and is it
successful? Any other suggestions for keeping people from leaving?
Another problem ZB has had in the past is keeping people quiet. This is
partially because the past Sgt at Arms is a "nice guy" who doesn't want to
yell at anyone and partially because he didn't crack down early so no one
listened when he tried yelling/banging the gavel. I'm more worried about
the opposite problem--how do you make brothers quiet down without becoming an
evil tyrant? (not that being a tyrant is ALL bad, mind you, but... :) )
Suggestions here would be appreciated too.
Finally, I have a couple of things about which I am just curious. First, how
many of you out there have Rules Committees and what exactly do they do?
Second, are there a lot of chapters with seperated Sgt at Arms and Parliamen-
tarian? ZB has both of these functions performed by the same office, but I
know that some chapters do it the other way.
Thanks in advance to all who respond.
Remember,
"Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from
some farcical aquatic ceremony!"
-Monty Python and the Holy Grail
YiLFS,
Jeff
Jeff Bartel
Sgt at Arms
Zeta Beta (Va Tech)
jbartel@vtssi.vt.edu
