[6098] in APO-L
APO-L: meetings and Robert's and such
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (STU_MLOGILVI@JMUVAX.BITNET)
Tue Apr 27 16:44:10 1993
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1993 14:57:55 -0500
Reply-To: STU_MLOGILVI@JMUVAX.BITNET
From: STU_MLOGILVI@JMUVAX.BITNET
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@PURCCVM.BITNET>
During our meetings, the format is for the officer reports first,
then old business, new business, open forum, announcements, and
closing minutes.
Open Forum is a chance for the brotherhood to talk about anything
that they feel is necessary to talk about with everyone. There is a
time limit of 15 minutes places on the entire thing, but several
topics can be talked about during that fifteen minutes.
Closing minutes is the wrap-up of the meeting and is always done
just prior to the singing of the Toast Song. At one point, it seemed
to us (exec.) that perhaps some of the ideals of the fraternity should
be stressed a little more. In general, it is a ceremony or short
"speech" or guest speaker about APO, and is intended to let everyone
leave the meeting with a good feeling about who we are and what we are
doing as a fraternity. (This often would not normally happen due to
some rather hot issues of discussion that can come down the pike, as
I'm sure you're all aware of). For instance, this week, I will be
reading the twelve points of the Scout Law and their explanations as
taken from the Boy Scout Handbook to help everyone get an
understanding of the foundations of Frank Horton's "standard of
manhood."
As far as Parliamentary Procedure goes, at the start of my term of
office, we have started to follow it just about as strictly as you
can get. (Most of the optional stuff I have left out, such as standing
when you are speaking, etc.) Some people may disagree with me on
this, but I feel that it is necessary to uphold the rules strictly.
The way I see it is the rules are there and established. There are
even rules for getting around the rules. If during a meeting, we
were to do something to get around the rules or to make things less
of a hassle, it would open up too dangerous of a situation. The rules
have a purpose. I see them as three things...
1. To keep order and provide an efficient way of conducting business.
2. Protecting the rights and opinions of the minority.
3. Ensures that the minority opinion does not block the will of the
majority.
If one were to "go around" some of the rules or to sort of pretend
that certain rules didn't exist, it opens up the hole for it to happen
in the future. If the President of a chapter thought that some issue
should go a certain way, it is possible for them to "overlook" the
right rules and get what they want, discouting the rights of the
minority opinion.
I know this seems kind of nit-picky, but I know it can happen
because I have seen it happen.
If we were to start throwing those rules out, which
are included in the bylaws, we might as well discount the bylaws, and
if we discount the bylaws, we might as well discount our chapter,
because they define our purpose, our methods, our membership, and
encompass the basic meaning behind Alpha Phi Omega. [I do realize that
at heart this is not necessary. APO is within every brother out
there, not on a piece of paper, but in our paper-driven society, it
is a necessary evil.]
So anyway, yes, we do follow Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised
to the T.
No, no one has ever been kicked out of the meeting because they
were unruly (at leat not while I've been here). But I have asked
people to make sure there language was clean before.
;)
-Ogey
President
Chi Gamma Chapter
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
stu_mlogilvi@vax1.acs.jmu.edu
