Posts from Tommy

http://thomasfq.blogspot.com/2017/12/types-of-voting.html

http://thomasfq.blogspot.com/2017/12/quorum.html

http://thomasfq.blogspot.com/2017/12/recess.html

Accredited Parliamentarian--- SAY WHAT?!

Background:

First semester at University Park campus. 

First class with Dr. Foster as the professor. 

Anxiety level-- at an all time high. 

I have never encountered parliamentary procedure in a formal sense until AEE 216 was introduced to me. My FFA chapter used parliamentary procedure, as well as my volunteer fire company; however, I had no idea what this whole concept of parliamentary procedure was coming from in relation to my degree in Agricultural and Extension Education or in relation to FFA. 

Dr. Foster is slightly intimidating on certain days, and intimidating professors paired with an intimidating topic is not exactly the ideal combination to enter one of the most intimidating semesters during your college career (aside from student teaching--YIKES). 

One quote kept me going throughout this semester, this quote kept me going and prevented me from giving up and not reaching my full potential.

My entire life, there have been people doubting me, and for the longest time I chose to let those individuals get to me and allowed myself to give up on my dreams. There have been times where my self confidence has diminished due to the people that want to see me fail getting inside my head and I began to make those comments and discussions true for my life. The quote, "There will be haters, there will be doubters, there will be non-believers, and then there will be you, PROVING THEM WRONG," has kept me humble and confident throughout this semester of my college career.

Enough about me... let's talk Parli!

Parliamentary procedure at the beginning of this semester, was the most boring class that I had ever heard of. I was preparing myself for the worst semester of my college career. However, from the moment that I walked into Ferguson 214 on day 1 of fall semester, my entire attitude towards parliamentary procedure changed. I realized that I know a lot more about parliamentary procedure than I could ever imagine. I also learned not only the basic facts about parliamentary procedure but how the concepts relate to real life and just how valuable the lessons and concepts are. 

What I've Learned About Parli:

1) Historical Development of Parliamentary Procedure

2) Deliberative Assemblies & Rules

3) Proper Conduct of Meetings

4) 25 Different Motions

5) 4 Classifications of Motions (and Main Motions), and their precedence (rank or order)

6) Parliamentary Procedure in Societies (FFA- National FFA Convention)

7) Nominations

8) Officer Duties and Elections

9) Committees

10) So much more!

What I've Learned About Myself:

1) Challenge yourself!

2) You are capable of doing anything that you put your mind to!

3) There will always be someone that is better than you- learn from it. 

4) You are not as unintelligent as you make yourself out to be. 

5) Application is everything. 

I am pleased to announce:

Although the class is intimidating and may be a step outside of your comfort zone, the course load is very manageable; and Dr. Foster is not as intimidating as you may think! 

I declare this blog post- Adjourned!

-Kayla R. Stauffer

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

Agricultural and Extension Education-- Class of 2019 

Accredited Parliamentarian

Officers- The President!

Presidential Duties!

There are four constitutional officer positions that are typical for organizations. The four officers include the president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. The Chairman is also the President of an organization and has multiple duties, which is why a vice president is necessary in order to assist the president in maintaining order!

The duties of the President include:
1) To open the meeting at the appointed time by taking the chair and calling the meeting to order, having ascertained that a quorum is present. [RONR 11th ed. pg. 449, l. 24-26]
2) To announce in proper sequence the business that comes before the assembly or becomes in order in accordance with the prescribed order of business, agenda, or program, and with existing orders of the day. [RONR 11th ed. pg. 449, l.27-30]
3) To recognize members who are entitled to the floor. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 449, l. 31-32]
4) To state and to put to vote all questions that legitimately come before the assembly as motions or that otherwise arise in the course of proceedings (except questions that relate to the presiding officer himself in the manner noted below, and to announce the result of each vote; or if a motion that is not in order is made, to rule it out of order. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 449-450, l.33-4]
5)  To protect the assembly from annoyance from evidently frivolous or dilatory motions by refusing to recognize them. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 7-8]
6) To enforce the rules relating to debate and those relating to order and decorum within the assembly. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 9-11]
7) To expedite business in every way compatible with the rights of members. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 12-13]
8) To decide all questions of order, subject to appeal- unless, when in doubt, the presiding officer prefers initially to submit such a question to the assembly for decision. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 14-17]
9) To respond to inquiries of members relating to parliamentary procedure or factual information bearing on the business of the assembly. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 18-21]
10)  To authenticate by his or her signature, when necessary, all acts, orders, and proceedings of the assembly. [RONR 11th ed. pg. 450, l. 22-23]
11) To declare the meeting adjourned when the assembly so votes or- where applicable- at the time prescribed in the program, or at any time in the event of a sudden emergency affecting the safety of those present. [RONR 11th. ed. pg. 450, l. 24-27]

WOAH! That's a LOT of responsibility! 

But wait... there's more!

Additional Responsibilities include:

1) providing a copy of the bylaws and other rules of the organization

2) providing a copy of the organizations parliamentary authority

3) providing a list of all standing and special committees as well as the members of each

4) providing a memorandum of the complete order of business listing all known matters that are expected to come up throughout the meeting, provided in the proper sequence and under the proper headings.  

[RONR 11th. ed. pg.450-451, l.33-6]

Fun Fact/ Question:

Q1:
Is it true that the president can vote only to break a tie?

Answer:
No!  If the president is a member of the voting body, he or she has exactly the same rights and privileges as all other members have, including the right to make motions, to speak in debate, and to vote on all questions. (Example- small boards)

Tie Votes and Cases in Which the Chair's Vote Affects the Result:
[RONR (11th ed.), pp. 405 l. 19- pg. 406, l. 20]

Resources:
http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html
Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised (11th. edition)

Two Very Common Misconceptions about Motions

1. All motions require a second
1. Listed below are just some of the motions that do not require a second
1. Proposals for filling blanks [RONR (11th ed.), p.164 ll. 13-15]
2. Division of the Assembly [RONR (11th ed.), p.280-282]
3. Call for a separate vote on a resolution which is one of a series on different subjects offered by a single motion [RONR (11th ed.), p.110, 274-275]
4. Request for information and parliamentary inquiry[RONR (11th ed.), p.292-295]
5. To make nominations [RONR (11th ed.), p. 430-438]
6. Objection to consideration of a question [RONR (11th ed.), p.267-270]
7. Call for the orders of the day [RONR (11th ed.), p.219-224]
8. Point of order [RONR (11th ed.), p. 247-254]
9. Reconsider [RONR (11th ed.), p. 315- 335]
2. All motions require a majority vote to be adopted
1. The vote that is required for the motion to be adopted depends on the motion. The motion will either require a majority vote or a ⅔ vote in order for it to pass. For example a majority vote is required to adopt the bylaws or constitution of a new society whereas a two-thirds vote is required in order for “previous question” to pass. Refer to table #2 in the back of RONR (11th edition) for the voting requirements of each motion.

National Convention Parliamentary Procedure

This year and last, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to assist with the Parliamentary Procedure Leadership Development Event. I assisted at both the novice and high school levels of the competition. For this blog post, I would like to explain what I did at both of those events!

The first event that I was exposed to was the novice event at the 2016 National FFA Convention. There, I waited with the teams in the holding room. We talked, played games, and practiced Parliamentary Procedure!

My favorite thing about this competition was talking with members from other states and getting to know them. A conversation that I remember to this day was with the members of the Texas FFA Association because they told me all about their state and they asked about Pennsylvania! It was incredible.

The next event was the high school competition at National Convention in 2017. This time, I was asked to help the judges with comment cards for the semi-final round of the competition. Helping out with comment cards meant that I would be taking notes on the teams who were competing, just like the judges were, so that we could ensure that nothing was missed.

This was an incredible opportunity because I got to put my Parliamentary Procedure knowledge to a very rapid test. The teams compete quickly, even more quickly than we held our debates in class. We had to ensure that they were using, making, and seconding all of their motions correctly, that they were using Parliamentary Procedure as outlined in Robert's Rules of Order, and that they looked good while doing so.

Once the teams were finished competing, I filled out a final comment card, which stated the pros and cons of each team and what the members could do to improve their debate.

Both of these opportunities were incredible, and I am very grateful for each of them! I learned so much, and I would urge anybody in the future to pursue them as well! Parliamentary Procedure is a skill that you have to exercise to keep it healthy! Opportunities like these are excellent ways to keep Parliamentary Procedure fresh in your mind, as well as give back to the community. You can help raise the next generation of parliamentarians. Watching a member from Puerto Rico receive their accreditation was more fulfilling than receiving my own.

Second!

Why should you second a motion? 

Every time we held a debate in class, I noticed that most people were very hesitant to second motions. I am not sure if this was because people were unsure as to whether or not motions should be seconded, or if people were just unsure of what seconding a motion means. 

Either way, fear no longer, because I am here to explain all of the above! 

The motions that require seconds are not too hard to remember. The motions that are seconded are 

Fix Time - 

Adjourn - 

Recess -  

*Question of Privilege - 

*Call for Orders - 

*Point of Order - 

*Object to the Consideration -

*Withdraw - 

*Parliamentary Inquiry - 

Appeal -

*Request for Information -

*Division of the Assembly -

Division of the Question -

Suspend the Rules -

Lay on the Table

Call for Previous Question

Limit/Extend Debate

Postpone Definitely

Refer

Amend

Postpone Indefinitely

Take From Table

Reconsider 

Rescind

Main Motion

All of the Subsidiary Motions, the Main Motion, and Motions that Bring Matter Back Before the Assembly are seconded. The only motions that are seconded in the Privileged and Incidental motion classes are the ones that require a majority vote to pass in most situations. 

Now, why second a motion? 

According to Robert's Rules of Order (11th Ed.), on page 35, a member who wishes to see a motion be considered seconds the motion. That is all there is to it. A member does not have to be in favor of the motion to second it, they simply must want to see the motion be considered. If no member wishes to see the motion be considered, the motion will die due to lack of second. 

Four Common Misconceptions: Quorum

Just in case you forgot; a quorum is defined as “the minimum number of members who must be present at the meetings of a deliberative assembly for business to be validly transacted….” [RONR (11th ed.), p. 21, ll. 2-5].

1. The number of members needed to have a quorum is the same for every organization
1. The size of a quorum is unique to every organization. The number of members required in order to have a quorum should be defined in the bylaws of the organization. Members can refer to “Article V: Meetings” in their organization's bylaws to find out what the quorum is for their organization.
2. The quorum should always be defined as a majority of all the members in the organization
1. The quorum should be defined in your organization's bylaws and is different from organization to organization.Typically the quorum of an organization (especially a voluntary organization) should be less than the majority of the membership. This is because, if you make the quorum too large then you will have issues with getting that many members to show up and productivity within the organization would be reduced.
3. We checked our bylaws and the quorum is not defined. So, that means it doesn’t matter how many member show up we can always conduct business.
1. “In any other deliberative assembly with enrolled membership whose bylaws do not specify a quorum, the quorum is a majority of all the members” [RONR (11th ed.), p.346, ll. 11-13].
4. When we fail to obtain a quorum for a regularly or properly called meeting we cannot conduct any business at all.
1. “Even in the absence of a quorum, the assembly may fix the time to which to adjourn, adjourn, recess, or take measures to obtain a quorum” [RONR (11th ed.), p. 347, ll. 30-32].

Here's one last cartoon! You might have to think about this one a little more to understand it!

My Favorite Quote

My whole life I have had one favorite quote. Just one. I am not the type of person to change my favorite quote like I change my favorite song every other day (it is currently my girl Whitney Houston!). If you look in all of my yearbooks in middle school, high school, and in the coming PSU Ag Ed Student Showcase, you will find it. My favorite quote is by someone I believe to be a legend who left a lasting impact on the sport of baseball. My quote is from the great Babe Ruth, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." This quote has been a mantra, mission, and vision for my life for quite some time. I simply refuse to let fear dictate what I can and cannot do. 

So you might now ask, how does this relate to Parliamentary Procedure or Robert's Rules of Order? Well, its simple. Parli Pro used to terrify me, and still sometimes does. There is this giant 700 page book that goes as in depth as possible into the intricacies of how an organization should be structured and how meetings should be run. You mean to tell me that Robert needed 700 pages for that? I guess so, because I spent the past three months of my fall semester at Penn State studying that thick, spiral-bound book. 

When I was first approached about taking the course I am pretty sure I was laughing on the inside and thinking "you want me to take Parli Pro and try to understand the foreign language coming out of that book?" Long story short, I signed up for the course because I absolutely believe Parli Pro and Robert's Rules of Order to be valuable knowledge to have. Have I struggled sometimes? Absolutely. The biggest struggle is most likely being able to dissect and comprehend the academic language of Robert's Rules of Order. Once the lingo becomes more familiar, connections start to form and it begins to make sense. But I didn't let the challenges keep me from taking the class or tackling this new learning experience. 

Here is just a sampling of what I have learned:

1. Types of assemblies

2. How to form an organization

3. Types of business meetings

4. Rights of members

5. Subsidiary Motions

6. Incidental Motions

7. Privileged Motions

8. Motions that bring back a question before an assembly

9. Types of voting and what votes are needed

10. How to run a meeting

That is just a short list of some knowledge I have gained from this course. 

Moral of the story. "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game."

 

Allyson Balmer

The Pennsylvania State University

Agricultural and Extension Education

2018 Student-Teaching Cohort

@allyson_balmer

Committees

Remember in high school, FFA, or 4-H when everyone told you to get involved in committees because it would look good on a resume? Yeah, me too. So I'm pretty sure I got involved in nearly EVERY committee I could, which may or may not have been a great idea. Nonetheless, now that I am taking a Parli Pro class, I have a lot more knowledge about different types of committees and what they are actually designed to do.

Types of Committees:

Standing Committee: a permanent committee that performs a continuing function and remains in existence for the life of the assembly which established it. It it usually created by a specific provision in the bylaws.

Some examples of standing committees are: fundraising, social, and professional development. These are very common to see in collegiate organizations around Penn State!


Special Committee (Ad Hoc): a committee created to serve a particular purpose and which automatically ceases to exist when work is done and its report has been given.

An example of a special committee could be when a member at a meeting of the assembly makes a motion to refer a main motion to a committee. Thus, a smaller group of people have been assembled with a specified purpose and should report back. Some special committees you may see formed in some organizations could be planning a specific event, such as a party, or creating a special committee to do research about a topic to report back to the assembly.

Allyson Balmer
The Pennsylvania State University
Agricultural and Extension Education
2018 Student Teaching Cohort
@allyson_balmer

Committees - Appointment and Composition

If you read Angela's previous post Committees! she discusses the two types of ordinary committees there are. Now that we know there are standing and special committees and what their purpose is, let's talk about how you can go about appointing a committee and the proper composition of committees!

Methods of Appointment [RONR (11th ed.), pg. 492 - 497]

If an assembly has not stated in its bylaws how the members of its committees shall be selected, the method can be decided by vote at the time the committee is appointed, or the method can be specified in the motion to establish the committee. It also depends on what type of committee is being established. Here are the methods by which committees can be appointed:

1. Election by ballot. This method is principally applicable to important standing committees having extensive powers.

2. Nomination from the floor with viva-voce election. This method is common for appointing members to a committee when the assembly wishes to reserve the selection to itself without requiring secrecy in the voting.

3. Nominations by the chair with confirmation by voice vote. This method is used when the assembly wished to take advantage of the chair's knowledge and judgement as to suitable appointees, yet wishes to have veto power.

4. Appointment by the chair. This is usually the best method in large assemblies. The president cannot assume such power, however, unless it is in the bylaws or by action of the assembly.

5. Appointment by adoption of a motion naming members of a committee. This is commonly used when appointing special committees. We have practiced this in class and is what I am most familiar with.

Proper Composition of Committees [RONR (11th ed.), pg. 497 - 498]

Standing Committees: The only thing stated about standing committees is that members should be chosen to make the strongest possible group so that they can handle any task that may arise.

Special Committees:

• When appointed to implement an order of the assembly, it should be small and should consist of only those in favor of the action to be carried out.
• When appointed for deliberation or investigation, it should be larger and represent all points of view in the organization so that its recommendations reflect the will of the assembly.

Committees!

In Robert's Rules of Order a committee is defined as follows... "A committee, as understood in parliamentary law, is a body of one or more persons, elected or appointed by (or by direction of) an assembly or society, to consider, investigate, or take action on certain matters or subjects, or to do all of these things" (RONR, page 489, lines 20-24).

Two Types of Ordinary Committees: 

Special Committee - Also known as a "select" or "ad hoc" committee. This is a committee as a need arises, to perform a certain task. The committee comes to an end when the matter that they are taking care of is addressed in full.

Standing Committee - This is a committee put together to perform a continuing function and always exists. A standing committee will have its name and description of what it does within an organization's bylaws.

Fun Fact: When referring any business to a committee, if the motion maker does not mention who the committee chair will be then the first name said aloud by the chair automatically becomes the chair of the committee.

Many of us have been on a committee at least once before and we have worked with others. Thinking about the descriptions of the two ordinary committees above, which type of committee were you in and what did you do?

Angela Becker
#PSUAgEd18
Student Teacher at Manheim Central High School

Advice from Wayne Gretzky

"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take."

Wayne Gretzky 

A quote from one of the most well known hockey players who played against my main man Mario Lemieux. This exact quote is relatable to my #AgEdParli journey. Last semester the time came to schedule classes for the current semester. I spoke to Dr. Ewing and Dr. Foster about what classes to take. A little bird put the idea of taking #AEE216 Practical Parliamentary Procedure in my ear. I thought, "Why not? Seems like a useful class that I will probably utilize in my time teaching and in other organizations that I participate in." So right then and there, I scheduled the class.

Fast forward to the beginning of this semester and the class is up and running. We did have some hiccups at the beginning but we utilized an authentic problem (PSU Collegiate FFA and Teach Ag Society consolidating to become The L.E.A.D. Society next semester). Suddenly the ins and outs of Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, otherwise known as RONR, became a real thing! We've learned precedence, types of motions, bylaws, and even how to put our experience to use after this class.

In a few short weeks the class will be taking the accreditation exam where we can put our knowledge gained from the entire semester to the test. Wish us luck as we hope to all conclude the class as accredited parliamentarians.

We are almost to the end y'all! We're at the end of the 3rd period skating down the ice and staring the goal tender in the face through his mask. Will we take the shot? I'm sure glad I took the shot to take the class now all that's left to do is take one more to win the game!







Angela Becker
#PSUAgEd18
Student Teacher at Manheim Central High School

Parliamentary Procedure: #Superbowl LDE

Nerves and excitement filled the air. Yet the competitors were confident in what they knew and what their team could do. Tap, tap, tap! The meeting had come to order, and a whirlwind of motions began. Welcome to the Parliamentary Procedure LDE at the National FFA Convention.

Congrats to Liberty Ranch FFA Chapter - 2017 Parliamentary Procedure National Champions!

The mission of FFA is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. With that mission in mind, it makes perfect sense that parliamentary procedure is one of the many events that FFA members can participate. The purpose of the Parliamentary Procedure LDE is "to encourage students to learn to effectively participate in a business meeting and to assist in the development of their leadership, research, problem solving skills and critical thinking skills."

Last year was my first experience with Parli Pro at National FFA Convention, and let me tell you, it is INTENSE. This multi-day event has five phases that teams of 6 complete:

1. Written examination 
2. An 11 minute team presentation of parliamentary procedure 
3. Oral questions following the presentation 
4. Team problem solving practicum 
5. Individual practicum focused on minutes and other records.

Now that I have some parliamentary procedure knowledge from class, I am even more impressed with how much those students know and how much time/effort they put in to preparing and practicing. Here is a video from the 2016 Parliamentary Procedure Finals at the National FFA Convention (There are multiple teams competing in this video) :

Check out the 2017 Parliamentary Procedure LDE to see how this event is structured and everything that the students learn to compete!

Charting Knowledge of Subsidiary Motions

 Is it Tuesday already?

Wow! We are already six weeks into developing our parliamentary procedure knowledge. Just last Tuesday we started to skim the surface of motions, and began to dive deep into subsidiary motions on Thursday.

Today we just applied our knowledge of subsidiary motions to our first chart quiz, and mock meeting. I am amazed with how fast we are grasping concepts and implementing them into practices.

Since we survived our first chart quiz and mock meeting, I believe this calls for a moment of review.

Question 1: What is a subsidiary motion?

Answer 1: Subsidiary motions are motions that "assist the assembly in treating or disposing of a man motion (and sometimes other motions) (RONR p.62, ln. 34-35). The SEVEN subsidiary motions allow for business to proceed once a main motion has been stated. 

Question 2: What are the seven subsidiary motions?

Answer 2: LCLPRAP:

MOTION	2nd ?	Debate?	Amend?	Vote?
(L)ay On the Table	Yes	NO	NO	Majority
(C)all Previous Question	Yes	NO	NO	2/3
(L)imit/Extend Debate	Yes	NO	Yes	2/3
(P)ostpone Definitely	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
(R)efer to Committee	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
(A)mend	Yes	Yes	Yes	Majority
(P)ostpone Indefinitely	Yes	Yes	NO	Majority

This chart is identical to the quiz form we were provided. Basically, we had to identify all seven subsidiary motions. In addition,we noted that all seven subsidiary motions required a Second. However, not all of seven subsidiary motions allowed debate and/or amendments. Lastly, we noted that the motions to Call Previous Question and Limit/Extend Debate required a 2/3rds vote because it is taking away the right for members to debate; therefore, requires more than just the majority! 

Although we acted out a mock meeting with subsidiary motions, it is beneficial to check out other resources that provide an example in action. Watch subsidiary motions in action preform by Girls Scouts of Green and White Mountains.

We are charting our knowledge one quiz at a time! With the first chart quiz knocked-out, we are anxious for the next one.  

Also last week we began discussion on the notion of precedence. It is important to note that motions have several layers. Therefore, precedence makes it essential to focus and vote on the top priority motion first. The main motion is lower in precedence than all of the subsidiary motions.

Continue to follow us as we knockout more chart quizzes and mock meetings!

Halee Wasson

Agricultural and Extension Education

2018 Student Teacher Candidate 

Twitter Handle: @wasson_halee