[GSA Council] Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair

[Yasser Jaber]

Thank you Bhargav,

Thanks for contributing to this conversation, and it is great that you referenced Roberts Rules.

This is actually quite complicated…but here we go:

The definition of a special meeting in part IV chapter 16 of Robert's Rules is as follows: a meeting ‘held at a time different from the regular meeting’. Therefore if our meeting on Friday is a ‘special meeting’ it would not be because on the agenda we have the selection of the chair as a special item, but instead because it is held at a time different from the regular meeting.

Our Bylaws don’t make room for special meetings because the schedule of meetings is supposed to have been set on June 10, which it hasn't been. In Article V, chapter 8, it says ‘Council meetings shall be called at least once per month… . new council will establish summer meeting dates ten days after assuming office’.
So here any meeting is a special meeting if it is not part of the schedule already set.
Then: In Robert's Rules Part IV, chapter 16, it says that “If an organisation’s governing documents do not provide for the calling of special meetings, the organization can’t hold them’.
So: This means Rouzbeh is right, and the entire meeting would not be possible and we can`t even appoint a chair!!!  That is, if we look at it this way.

Alternatively, we can observe that since the meeting schedule is not set for the semester, then there is no reason this meeting should be called a special meeting; it is just an ad hoc meeting like all the others since we haven’t set the semester’s schedule yet.

if we examine the GSA bylaws, they say the following:
- in Article V, item 6: all directors shall be given individual notice at least seven (7) calendar days before each Council meeting, unless waived by every Director . All GSA members shall also be informed of the Council meetings’. (it doesn’t say when GSA members are informed).

So: As long as members are informed before Friday, then transparency is adhered to.

Basically, the only way for this meeting to appoint a chair will be according to the rules, is if it is announced to members sometime before Friday. If the meeting isn’t announced, then its not possible to appoint a chair, and if it the meeting is announced and made possible, then we can also get other work done at the meeting.

We have no choice but to announce it to members before Friday, and at that point, we can appoint a chair and talk about new business.

Yasser Jaber, Arts & Science

________________________________
From: Bhargav Bhavsar <bhargavbhavsar at hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2019 1:51 AM
To: meeting facilitator; Yasser Jaber
Cc: Timir Baran Roy; bayan abu safieh; karanpande100 at gmail.com; GSA all contacts; arshbhatia170 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [GSA Council] Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair

Greetings of the day Everyone,

We got an email from respected one of the director stating that we can discuss any other agenda apart from the Main agenda of "Special Meeting-For Selction of the Coucil of Chair".Hereby I would like to highlight that we cannot discuss any other agenda in a special meeting, which is only intended for the election of the council of the chair. To support this argument I would like to point out rule mentioned in Robert's Rule of Order part 4, Chapter-16 which states that nothing can be discussed in special meeting apart from the main agenda of the meeting.

Thanking you, have a good day.


Bhargav Bhavsar

GSA-ENCS Director

________________________________
From: Gsaconcordia <gsaconcordia-bounces at lists.resist.ca> on behalf of meeting facilitator <meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2019 3:49 AM
To: Yasser Jaber
Cc: Timir Baran Roy; bayan abu safieh; karanpande100 at gmail.com; GSA all contacts; arshbhatia170 at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [GSA Council] Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair

Hello all,

I do not have access to the minutes yet, but from my understanding, the directors have the power to add anything to the agenda at their meetings.

There is also another issue: I am not sure if the special council meeting is in bylaws, I could not find it. So it seems it could be problematic if you pass any motion in this meeting since it is not a council meeting. For example: Someone can show up later and say I was not aware of this meeting and it is not transparent.

Specially because it is not following any of the council meeting rules.

Please let me know if you have different opinion.

Maybe if I can see the minutes, I can give more precise opinion.


Regards,
Rouzbeh Ghouchani

On Tue, 25 Jun 2019, 17:53 Yasser Jaber, <yasser.jaber at hotmail.com<mailto:yasser.jaber at hotmail.com>> wrote:
Hi everyone


Although the agenda for Friday’s meeting only has the selection of chair as an item. Council can always bring up new business to discuss. Directors can always bring up new business when council members convene.


Regards,


Yasser Jaber, A&S




________________________________
From: Gsaconcordia <gsaconcordia-bounces at lists.resist.ca<mailto:gsaconcordia-bounces at lists.resist.ca>> on behalf of meeting facilitator <meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com<mailto:meetingfacilitator.gsa at gmail.com>>
Sent: Monday, June 24, 2019 11:50 PM
To: GSA all contacts; Timir Baran Roy; arshbhatia170 at gmail.com<mailto:arshbhatia170 at gmail.com>; bayan abu safieh; karanpande100 at gmail.com<mailto:karanpande100 at gmail.com>
Subject: [GSA Council] Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair

Hello all,


As per the decision of the council, the 'Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair' will be scheduled on 28 June, 6:00 p.m. The venue will be GSA house.

This is a 'Special Council Meeting for the Appointment of GSA Council Chair' and  there will be no other agenda for the meeting.

Regards,
Rouzbeh Ghouchani

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