Request to be excused from a duty

Hello Everyone! As always Robert thought of every situation that might pop up! I am going to deep dive in this blog about the motion "Request to be excused from a duty."

Below is the use and characteristics of this motions:

Classification: Incidental

Purpose: To allow members to be excused from certain obligations.

Example: If a societies bylaws require members to attend a certain amount of meetings, hold officers, be on committees or even prepare work outside of a regular meeting this motion allows the member to be able to decline a part of their duties/demands as a member. This is a great way to be able to be flexible with members, but fair as well.



Precedence: Take precedence over any motion as long as the purpose is connected.

Applied to: This motion can be applied to all subsidiary motions except postpone indefinitely

In order when someone else has the floor and should be dealt with immediately

Does not require a second except when moved formally

Is debatable and amendable 

Requires a majority vote, but usually handled as a unanimous consent.

Only a NEGIVTIVE vote can be reconsidered




Why would you use it?

If you were assigned to a duty that you cannot complete or where not there when they assigned it to you.

It is a request, but is debatable and amendable and requires majority vote or unanimous consent.

Request must be made immediately

"All in favor? All Opposed?"- Reflecting my lesson

Preview of my lesson: 

I had the opportunity to work with a group of a group of freshman about one of my favorite topics, parliamentary procedure! Below is a quick overview of my lesson:

Do now: 

I decided to start off with having the students recall meetings they have attend to have them start thinking back on meetings they have attended and if how they felt in the meeting.

Anticipatory set:

I then had the students share their experiences at meetings with other students. As they were sharing I kept interrupting the whole group and throw out random facts about myself. This activity was to make the students feel like they weren't going to be heard in their mini meetings and to get them distracted from what they were talking about. The students got frustrated in their meetings. We all agreed that it was hard to focus one we got cut off and they did were not being heard.

I then introduced some main interests of mine to the group. I wanted them to know who I am and had a way for them to connect with me. 

Self Discovery Learning:

I love self discovery learning. I feel like a topic that kids might find less interesting this makes them want to learn about the topic. I placed the steps to creating and adopting a motion in sheet protectors and had the students place them in order. 

Once they discovered what a main motion was they found the flow of the order. Many students thought second was a "second opinion after a vote." When I was walking around to the small groups I had to ask some questions to get the group to place "obtain a second" in the right order.

Gaining attention from different learners:

The students then drew icons to these steps on the plastic sleeves to help them remember it. I then quickly lectured about main motion and the characteristics of it. 

We watched a great video of how a main motion is presented and passed in order to see the words and how it is played out. 

The students loved creating a dance to the steps of adopting a motion. The dance had to demonstrate what a main motion is, what a second is, what discussion looks like and a voice vote. The students presented their group dances and then I dismissed the class. 

Review:

I was overall very pleased with the engagement the class had in the lesson. I was surprised that the students wanted to learn about parliamentary procedure. These students had never heard of parliamentary procedure before that day. The students wanted to learn about voting and debating after the self discovery part. That activity helped my lecture component of the lesson! 

As an educator I need to plan my questions better. I tried asking students questions to make them think about why we would need parliamentary procedure and I struggled with that.

A Deep Dive into Week Five!

Welcome to a review of week five! This week we talked a lot about voting and motions! 

Beginning with a review, what are the five methods of voting that were discussed in the lecture and last week's blog?

🔹Precedence - refers to right of order and consideration of one motion over another, or the priority of a motion

Order of Precedence:                            

Privileged Motions:  

                           Fix Time to Which to Adjourn

Adjourn         

Recess           

            Question of Privilege

                          Call for the Orders of the Day

Subsidiary Motions:  

     Lay on the Table

                    Call for Previous Question

                            Limit/Extend Limits of Debate

          Postpone Definitely

             Refer to a Committee

Amend          

              Postpone Indefinitely 

Main Motion           

                                    Motions that Bring Matter Back Before the Assembly                

          Take from the Table

Reconsider   

Rescind        

Original and Incidental Main Motions:

🔹 Original Main Motion - Introduces a new subject of substantive matter

🔹Incidental Main Motion - Proposes action or a procedure incidental to, or related to the business of an assembly or its past or future actions     

      *Most closely correspond to secondary         motions 

Four Classes of Secondary Motions:

🐣  Privileged Motions 

🐣  Incidental Motions

🐣  Subsidiary Motions

🐣  Motions that Bring Matter Back Before the Assembly

8 Standard Characteristics of all Motions:

Second - is the motion secondable? 

Amend - is the motion amendable?

Debate - is the motion debatable?

Majority - is there a vote? if so is it a majority vote or 2/3?

Reconsider - can the motion be reconsidered? 

Interrupt - can this motion be made while somebody else has the floor?

Precedence - where does this motion rank?

Applicability - to what can this motion be applied to?

Presenting a Main Motion:

   🌵Step 1: Member Rises and Addresses the Chair

   🌵Step 2: Chair Recognizes the Member

   🍄Step 1: Member Makes a Motion

   🍄Step 2: Another Member Seconds the Motion

   🍄Step 3: Chair Restates the Motion

   🍄Step 4: Members Debate (if Debatable) 

    🍄Step 5: Chair Puts Questions & Members Vote

   🍄Step 6: Chair Announces Results of Vote

🌵 Two Steps to Obtaining the Floor 🌵

🍄 Six Steps to Making a Motion 🍄

Thank you for sticking with us! We did cover the subsidiary motions in class this week, but I wanted to do a separate blog for them! Check back in soon!! 

Four Score and Eleven Weeks to Go!

Welcome to week four where we are still discussing bylaws (😨), but we have also moved into another topic, voting and debate (😁). This is exciting news, because this means that we are one step closer to my all-time favorite topic, motions (😂)!!!!  Here's what happened this week!

Bylaws:

Amending Bylaws; A Surprisingly Simple Saga
1. Notice is Given
           ⤔ At any regular business meeting before the chairman declares the meeting adjourned
           ⤔ Typically under "New Business"
           ⤔ Bylaws committee can give notice under "Reports of Committees"
2. The Motion to Amend the Bylaws is Handled
           ⤔ This is an Incidental Main Motion
           ⤔ If presented under "New Business," requires a second, is debatable, and requires a 2/3 vote
           ⤔ If presented under "Reports of Committees," is debatable and requires a 2/3 vote
3. The Motion Goes Into Effect.....
           ⤔ Immediately
           ⤔ Unless specified in the motion to amend the bylaws
           ⤔ Or if the assembly specifies another time, votes upon it, and passes it with a majority vote

Revising the Bylaws: A Complicated Saga
          ⟿ This involves re-writing bylaws in their entirety
          ⟿ A committee is appointed to write these new bylaws
          ⟿ The revision is discussed, seriatim (Describe what this means in the comments for a prize!)
            ⟿ Each part is opened for debate and amendment
          ⟿ The entire document is then put forth to a vote
          ⟿ Adoption requires a 2/3 affirmative vote

Bylaws: The End

Debate:

Debate Decorum: 

         ⭃ Remarks must be germane to the question at hand

         ⭃ Remarks may not attack the motives of another member

         ⭃ All remarks must go through the chair - cannot call other members out 

         ⭃ Must avoid the use of member's names

         ⭃ Refrain from speaking adversely on a prior matter

         ⭃ Refrain from speaking against one's own motion

         ⭃ Refrain from disturbing the assembly

         ⭃ If the chair interrupts, be seated

Chair's Debate:

         ⭃ Should remain impartial

         ⭃ During debate, must relinquish position

         ⭃ Cannot return to chair until question has been disposed of

               *None of the above pertain to the motion to appeal*

Voting:

Types of Votes:

         ⤳ Majority 

         ⤳ Two-Thirds 

         ⤳ Plurality

         ⤳ Unanimity 

         ⤳ Absentee Voting ⤳ Prohibited unless Bylaws allow

Methods of Voting: 

         ⤿ Voice Vote - (Viva Voce Vote)

         ⤿ Show of Hands

         ⤿ Ballot - Requires Tellers

         ⤿ Rising

Voting Rights: 

        ⤨ Right of the chair to vote 

        ⤨ Right for a member to abstain

        ⤨ No right to explain the vote

        ⤨ Right for a member to change their vote

That's all folks! Thank you for sticking with us this far! This blog has a lot of dense material, so if there are questions or words you would like to see defined, drop them below ⬇! Stay tuned for motions next week! 

Wednesday Words of the Day!

Welcome back to this week's Wednesday Words of the Day! As a reminder, just about every Wednesday, I will post a list of words that students picked out throughout the week, including words that they had no idea about or words that they thought were important and would appear in the future. The definitions of these words are the definitions that students found in Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised (RONR), 11th Edition, or definitions that they derived from both RONR and their knowledge of the topic.

Majority - more than half of all members, members present, or votes cast. RONR (11th ed.) p. 5

Quorum - the number of members who must be present in order that business may be validly transacted. RONR (11th ed.) p. 345

Germane - closely related to or having bearing on the subject. RONR (11th ed.) p. 131

Hope you join next week! As always, if you have more words you would like to see defined, or words that you think are important, add them below!

Neat Article With Parli Involved

Parli News Article

Let's See Week Three!

Here's a peek at week three! This week, we really, really learned about bylaws!

Articles Generally Included in the Bylaws 

(NO MOME C PA):

*The Basics

I. Name
     1. Full, exact, properly punctuated name of the organization
II. Object
     1. Purpose of the organization, in one sentence if possible, with subparagraphs if needed
     2. Sets limitations on what can be discussed at business meetings
III. Members
     1. Classes of membership
     2. Qualifications for membership eligibility
     3. Fees, dues, and punishments regarding such
     4. Special requirements for good standing
     5. Honorary membership
IV. Officers
     1. Required officers
     2. Qualifications
     3. Election/appointment method
     4. Duties
     5. Nomination process
     6. Term
     7. Filling vacancies
V. Meeting
     1. Regular meeting schedule
     2. Designated annual meeting
     3. How to call special meetings
     4. Quorum
VI. Executive Board
     1. Composition
     2. Powers
     3. Rules regarding meeting conduct, schedule, quorum, call
VII. Committees
     1. Establishing standing committees
     2. Name, composition, selection of each standing committee
     3. How to establish additional standing committees
     4. Authorization of and how to appointment special committees
     5. Ex-oficio membership
VIII. Parliamentary Authority
     1. "The rules contained in the current edition of...(Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised)...shall             govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not                           inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order that the Society may adopt."
XI. Amendments
     1. Requirements and procedure
     2. Specification as to when amendments can be made

What are the four actions a member can take if a quorum does not exist?

The Orders and Unfinished Business:

Special Orders:

          ~ Items required by bylaws to be carried out at a specific meeting
          ~ Items postponed from the previous meeting by a 2/3 vote
          ~ May be considered at a specific time and may interrupt business

General Orders: 

          ~ Items postponed from the last meeting

Unfinished Business: 

          ~ Items pending when the last meeting adjourned
          ~ Items on the agenda from the last meeting but not completed 

Changes to the Bylaws:

Cannot be suspended except for clauses in the rules of order or as specified within the bylaws
Can be changed only through prescribed procedure (which typically involves previous notice and a 2/3 vote)

Qualities of the Bylaws:

Should:

1.  Be short and sweet
2.     Meet the needs of the society 
3.           Be clear and precise 
4.           Not  be  restrictive - "silence is still saying something" 
5.      Be separated into articles, sections, and paragraphs
6.  Utilize Roman Numerals, Arabic Numbers, and Alphabetic Letters (Upper and Lowercase)

Thank you for sticking with us this long! Next week will be discussing debating and voting (some of my personal favorite parts)!