Article 4. Membership
4.1. General Provisions
Individuals who subscribes to the purposes of the Society and pay any appropriate, prescribed, applicable dues may become Society members.
Memberships are subject to review and cancellation by the Membership Committee. A member whose membership status is being reviewed shall have the right of audience with the Membership Committee.
Membership categories, privileges, and requirements may be reviewed as deemed necessary. Any changes shall be jointly formulated by the Executive Board and the Membership Committee, with effectuation to be decided by the Executive Board.
Material changes in membership categorization, privileges, or requirements shall not take effect until the next membership year following decision and notification of said changes as prescribed in Article 4.3. No member in good standing, once accorded a long-term membership status (e.g., Emeritus, Life), shall have that status truncated or revoked as a result of subsequent changes in membership categorization or requirements.
The Society’s voting members exercise control over the Society through service as officers, the election of officers, the exercise of the right to petition as stipulated herein, and exercise of voting rights as the final authority on matters such as by-laws revisions and Trustees’ veto actions.
The Executive Board shall convene a General Business Meeting (GBM) open to all voting members no less often than every other calendar year. Additionally, the membership may call a General Business Meeting via a petition signed by no less than one third of the current voting members.
The Executive Board shall determine and announce to the membership the General Business Meeting’s time and location at least one month in advance of the meeting. The General Business Meeting shall normally be conducted at the Society’s annual conference. As necessary, a General Business Meeting may be conducted separately from the annual conference.
The President of the Society shall normally preside over General Business Meetings. Should extraordinary circumstances render the President unavailable or unable to preside at an announced GBM, the Vice President or other elected officer selected by the Executive Board may chair the meeting.
The business to be transacted at such meetings shall include the president’s report, which should include announcements of any changes in officers and election results since the last GBM, a report on the activities of the Society; and the Treasurer’s report on the financial position of the Society. The GBM shall also serve as a venue for identifying, discussing, and pursuing consensus on Society policies, plans, and other issues.
The minutes of each GBM shall be compiled and disseminated to all members of the Executive Board for review and approval within two weeks of the meeting thus reported.
The minutes of each GBM should be approved by the Executive Board within a month after receipt. The approved minutes shall be made available to the Trustees and the Ombudsperson within one week, and to all voting members within three months following approval by the Executive Board.
4.2. Membership Criteria
An individual may obtain full Society membership in four ways:
(a) application for membership plus satisfaction of requirements (e.g., payment of dues) pertaining to the given membership category.
(b) formal nomination by the Nominations Committee for membership (exclusive of nominations for Fellow, honorary or other laudatory attributions), plus approval by the Executive Board (e.g., Emeritus members).
(c) as a component of a formal award bestowed by the Society with approval of the Nominations Committee and / or the Executive Board as prescribed by relevant protocol.
(d) in extraordinary cases (e.g., to resolve a membership dispute), formal recommendation by the Membership Committee or a prescribed arbiter plus approval by the Executive Board.
Only individuals holding full Society membership as defined above shall be accorded voting privileges as ‘voting members’.
The Society may embed membership per item (a) above within other offers or services (e.g., conference registration) so long as the subscription requirements (including dues amount) for any such embedded membership subscription are no less than those imposed for routine subscriptions to the same membership category.
The Nominations Committee may nominate a member for permanent non-paying Emeritus membership status once that member (a) attains age 60 and (b) has held full membership status (as defined above) in at least 10 membership years.
The Executive Board may extend limited non-voting membership status and privileges to specified individuals for the convenience of the Society (e.g., to facilitate liaisons with representatives of other organizations). Any such arrangements must be justified to, and approved by, the Executive Board. Such arrangements are subject to review in each successive membership year.
4.3. Membership: Effective Terms and Dues
The unit period for ascribing and assessing membership shall be one membership year as demarcated by the Executive Board and the Membership Committee. Longer-term membership periods may also be defined and ascribed (e.g., Life membership). Applications for membership received within a membership year are effective for the remainder of that same membership year. The Membership Committee and Executive Board may set a cutoff date late in the membership year beyond which newly-arriving memberships and / or membership dues are attributed to the next membership year.
The applicable dues for a given membership year shall be proposed by the Finance Committee and / or the Executive Board and decided by the Executive Board. A summary of dues and membership features (hereafter ‘fee schedule’) for all Society membership categories shall be publicly posted and distributed to the current members in advance of the annual membership renewal process. The fee schedule for a given membership year shall specify the following items:
(a) the available membership categories for the given membership year
(b) the requirements, benefits, and privileges for each membership category listed.
(c) the full dues required for standard membership
(d) reduced dues requirements for students, retirees, and people with limited income
(c) lump-sum dues requirements for multi-year membership categories (e.g., Life membership)
(d) any prorated dues requirements for subscription periods of less than one membership year, as applicable, based on Finance Committee proposal and Executive Board decision.
The revisions to Article 4 include the following:
- GBM minutes distribution timeframes have been shortened
- Allowance for membership privileges embedded with other actions has been added (to reflect honorary or guest membership arrangements that have been done over the years)
- The default term of membership has been defined
- The notification requirements for membership renewal / solicitation have been specified
- The specific citations for various and sometimes confusing membership categories in the 1979 by-laws have been removed. Some of the 1979 cited categories had never been implemented or employed.
- The requirements to be considered a ‘voting member’ have been clarified to resolve ambiguities in the 1979 edition.
- The means by which membership may be obtained have been enumerated to reflect known alternatives offered or employed in the last 30 years.
- Provision for a substitute GBM chair (should the President be unable to chair) has been added
- Protection for long-term membership categories (no subsequent revocation by Exec action) has been added
- The 1979 editions’ general requirement for ‘… demonstrates professional and scientific conduct’ has been removed in response to multiple comments
PROPOSAL Re. Article 4
This article of the new by-laws is wordy, redundant, includes undefined terms, and hides the crucial distinctions among member categories in various sections, including in other articles. I agree with omitting from the existing by-laws several unused membership categories (e.g., group, institutional, and Fellows), and regarding the organization of the paragraphs, I prefer to stay closer to the existing by-laws and propose to replace the existing and the new Article 4 with the following:
Individuals who subscribe to the purposes of the Society, pledge to abide by the by-laws of the Society, pay the applicable dues, and maintain working internet addresses (for participation in the Society’s proceedings) are invited to become members of the Society.
The Society distinguishes Voting and Non-voting Members. Voting Members are either Regular Members, Life Members, or Emeritus Members.
Individuals seeking to become Voting Members apply to the Executive Board or a committee designated by that Board to review, accept or reject applications. Voting Membership is renewable without application. An applicant or member whose membership is being reviewed shall have the right to audience with the designated committee of the Board.
Voting Members elect the officers of the Society, vote on amendments to these bylaws, and participate in all deliberations of importance to the Society, Generally, Voting Members vote electronically, giving all Voting Members the equal chance to cast their vote. At General Business Meetings, only the Voting Members who are present can vote.
Voting Members are entitled to all the benefits that the Executive Board has approved. They may include reduced conference registration fees, participation in internet discussion groups, subscriptions to publications, and access to electronic resources.
Regular Members have paid their annual dues, which are set and published by the Executive Board in advance of each membership year, including applicable discounts, for example for students, embedded in conference fees, or combined with other benefits. For any fraction of the membership year, full annual membership dues are required.
Live Members have paid a lump sum and thereafter are non-paying members for life. The amount required to obtain Life Membership is set by the Executive Board and published in advance of a Life Membership application.
Emeritus Members are over 60 years of age, have retired from professional life, and been a Voting Member of the Society for at least 25 years. Voting Members who qualify for Emeritus Membership may apply to the Executive Board or the committee designated to process such applications. If qualified, Emeritus Members are non-paying member for life.
Non-voting Members of the Society are appointed by the Executive Board for a variety of reasons, including to foment relationships with other organizations or to honor an individual who made major contributions to cybernetics and can contribute to the Society, Non-voting Members are entitled to the benefits that the Executive Board has approved.
All members are invited to participate in all activities that the Society organizes for its members: conferences, working groups, projects, whether conducted face-to-face or electronically – taking account of the voting privileges of participating members.
The General Business Meetings shall be convened as often as feasible but at least every two years. A General Business Meeting shall be convened by the Executive Board, either when it sees the need to report to the members or seek their advice, or when it is called for by petition of at least fifteen prevent of the Voting Members. The Executive Board shall determine a time and location that is convenient to most members, and inform all members at least 30 days in advance of such a meeting.
The President shall chair the General Business Meeting. In the President’s absence, any voting member of the Executive Board may chair the Meeting, and in their absence, any Voting Member present at that Meeting may chair it. The General Business Meeting can consider and decide on all matters of the Society. However, if fewer than two thirds of all Voting Members are present, the actions taken by the General Business Meeting must either be put to a vote by all Voting Members of the Society, or remain advisory to the Executive Board.
At the General Business Meeting, it is expected that all members of the Executive Board report on their activities. The Secretary shall present the minutes of the last Business Meeting for approval or amendment, report on decisions made by the Executive Board since the last General Business Meeting, and keep minutes of current actions. The President shall report on the state of the Society, the Treasurer shall give a financial report, the Functional Officers shall account for their activities, and the committee chairs shall report on their actions. All reports should be submitted in writing. In the absence of the officer responsible for a report, it should be presented by a designated person. Subsequent to the Business Meeting, the Secretary shall make these reports available to all members of the Society.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSAL Re. Article 4
My proposal says what needs to be said in less than 50% of the new by-laws.
It defines the membership categories clearly and from the start, leaving room for the Executive Board to make appointments that do not interfere with the democratic process.
It adds the requirement for members to be accessible by email. Today, most professional associations conduct their membership business electronically. We cannot afford sending mail ballots and newsletters by snail mail. In addition, not requiring e-presence slows down the operation of the Society. Nowadays, no potential member expects us to proceed as we did 30 years ago.
I am proposing that the Emeritus Membership category be more difficult to obtain. 10 years of membership is not enough. If a Voting Member is still professionally active he or she can afford paying the membership dues and should not apply for Emeritus status regardless of age. It would be financially irresponsible to accept the definition of Emeritus Membership as stated in the new by-laws, The Society would consist of a huge number of Emeritus Members, which costs the Society needed membership dues.
I have no idea why we should make it more difficult for members to petition for a General Business Meeting. The new by-laws say 1/3 of all members, which is not likely possible. The existing by-laws say 15% of the members. If anything, I would prefer it to be even lower than 15%, say 15 members, not higher. However, I suggest to stick with the existing by-laws.
The new by-laws do not specify a quorum for the General Business meeting. In my experiences, the number of members who come to Business Meetings is so small that it would be irresponsible to let such a meeting result in binding decisions.
The new by-laws allow the nominating committee and the membership committee to nominate members for approval by the Executive Board. I would be opposed to allow people to bypass membership applications and dues and become Voting Members. My proposal reserves this path to Non-voting Members in the Society. With the Executive Board in charge of defining the benefits of members, the costs of Non-voting Members can be kept in check. We are a small society and should not give the few benefits away for little in return.
Much of the sections 4.2 and 4.3 of the new by-laws have been incorporated in my proposal. The remainder is superfluous and overly detailed. For example, the specifications for the so-called fee schedule is more meaningfully embedded in the definitions of each membership category of my proposal – as if the Secretary or Treasurer needs to be told how to tabulate the fees. Such details are not normally part of by-laws and adding them gives the impression that (a) we are suspecting that our officers are not capable of doing this on their own, and (b) we want to prevent the Society from being flexible regarding what it can offer its membership.
About the General Business Meeting.
In parliamentary practices, the minutes of a meeting can be approved only by the next meeting of the same kind (ideally with the same participants). The proposed revision specifies another organ, the Executive Board to approve the minutes before they are transmitted to its supervisory organ, the Trustees. I think the approval of one General Business Meeting should be reserved to the following General Business Meeting. This does not prevent the Trustees and the Executive Board from seeing the unapproved minutes shortly after the General Business Meeting.
In practice, we have only a small fraction of Voting Members of the Society present at General Business Meetings. Therefore, instead of defining a quorum, i suggest that a General Business Meeting should be merely advisory to the Executive Board, unless 50% of all Voting Members happen to vote for whatever is on the table. The minutes of any General Business Meeting, including all reports from the officers of the Executive Board presented there, and the request for approval of these reports, should be communicated to all Voting Members for approval within 15 days. Also all votes suggested at a General Business Meeting should be put to a vote to the Voting Members of Society withing 15 days after the General Business Meeting.
In the age of information, the members of our Society do not need to be present at a General Business Meeting and should not be excluded therefore from being consulted and actively involved.
Finally, I think the General Business Meeting deserves its own article in the by-laws. It is a prescribed organ of the Society. I also know that a General Business Meeting is a requirement for the legal registration of non-profit organizations. We cannot abandon it, but need to give it an operationally meaningful role in today’s environment.
I want only to point to some problems.
In practice, the GBM is made up of people attending the conference, since the GBM is held as part of the conference. It’s the one time we might get a reasonable group of us, together.
However, each GBMs is made up of vary different groups of people. There is not much consistency between meetings. And each GBM is also distorted by the presence of those new members who have joined the society because it’s part of the registration package (in the case of the recent Evergreen meeting, this created a large body of newcomers who may not continue their membership. The notion of approval of minutes of one meeting being left to a group including many who were not present is difficult.
As to electronic communication: I’d like to see this much more specified. If Klaus is proposing more writing and briefing by the Exec Board, I would say that we already do an enormous amount of work (and I do a lot of briefing): adding tasks and obligations is impractical and unwise.
We have to be careful not to paralyse the Exec Board, and to leave room for proposals and actions that help the society develop. Board members need to feel they can act and be effective, that they can have some “ownership” of their posts. There is a danger that Board members will have little energy or willingness, if we go on adding administrative layers. Doing this will further reduce the pool of those willing to do the jobs.
i agree with your assessment of the GBM, it’s necessary openness and unrepresentativeness regarding the actual membership. this is the reason why a quorum of sorts is needed and in its absence any consensus be considered advisory, not decisive.
the associations i have registered in the past required by law a general business meeting. so, i believe it cannot be abandoned but made use of for what is realistically achievable: reporting, talking about the issues, and letting voices not otherwise be heard fill the meeting and communicating what transpired to the membership for getting consensus where needed.
i would not define the GBM as advisory, only when one cannot be sure that it reflects the majority of members, which is why i suggest to put that number to half of the membership being there and in favor of an issue. in practice, this is not likely to happen but by law this possibility should not be excluded.
about more work for the executive board. i am not so sure it is. the officers with specific portfolios should be obligated to report at least once a year about what they have done. the GBM is the customary moment. putting these reports and the minutes of the meeting on a website accessible to only voting members does not overburden the executive board once the wesite is set up — like this one.
ranulph asks to be more specific regarding electronic communication. well, in terms of by-laws changes i suggested that a condition for becoming a voting member of ASC, internet access ought to be required (see my above condensation and clarification of article 4). we are widely dispersed, cannot always meet, and this is hardly unique to cyberneticians.
in terms of the work needed, in my experiences to maintain a society with dispersed members, some communication is necessary or we lose them, for example in the form of a newsletter, the benefit of a regular publications at discount, etc. electronic communications are less labor intensive than traditional forms of keeping in touch. can you imagine writing, say, bimonthly reports of what you have done and would like to have feedback on and snail-mailing it to the members?
Let me see if I understand Klaus’ proposal correctly …
The GBM would be redefined as an advisory meeting from which any specific proposals would be forwarded to the general voting membership for review and voting. This would make the GBM a venue for presentation of news / reports; discussion of extant proposals / issues; and introduction of new proposals. Effective voting on proposals (including ones newly introduced at the GBM) would occur solely via the subsequent voting process, and never again within the GBM per se. Have I got that right?
I can see the sense in moving all text relating to the GBM elsewhere in the by-laws document. It’s always struck me as a somewhat anomalous ‘lump’ within the article on membership.
i don’t think you can REDEFINE the GBM as advisory. it ought to be possible to be decisive if 50% of the voting members affirm a decision.
i think even for legal reasons we need to specify both conditions, although a decisive GBM is not very likely, given past experiences.
yes, it is my suggestion to have an article of the by-laws devoted to the general business meeting. it is a proper organ of society, much as the standing committees or the trustees — see the table i provided for article 3.
PROPOSED Article 4 Membership
Individuals who subscribe to the purposes of the Society, pledge to abide by the by-laws of the Society, pay the applicable dues, and maintain working internet addresses for participation in the Society’s proceedings are invited to become members of the Society.
The Society distinguishes Voting and Non-voting Members. Voting Members are either Regular Members, Life Members, or Emeritus Members.
Individuals seeking to become Voting Members apply to the Membership Committee, which reviews all applications. Voting Membership is renewable by paying the applicable dues and providing updated internet addresses. An applicant or member whose membership is questioned shall have the right to audience with the Membership Committee or the Executive Board.
Voting Members elect the officers of the Society, vote on amendments to these bylaws, and participate in all deliberations of importance to the Society, Generally, Voting Members vote electronically, giving all Voting Members the equal chance to cast their vote. At General Business Meetings, only the Voting Members who are present can vote.
Voting Members are entitled to all the benefits that the Executive Board has approved. Benefits may include reduced conference registration fees, participation in internet discussion groups, subscriptions to publications, and access to electronic resources.
Regular Members have paid their annual dues, which are set and published by the Executive Board in advance of each membership year, including applicable discounts, for example for students, embedded in conference fees, or combined with other benefits. For any fraction of the membership year, full annual membership dues are required.
Live Members have paid a lump sum and thereafter are non-paying members for life. The amount required to obtain Life Membership is set by the Executive Board and published in advance of a Life Membership application.
Emeritus Members are over 60 years of age, have retired from professional life, and been a Voting Member of the Society for at least 25 years. Voting Members who qualify for Emeritus Membership may apply to the Executive Board or the committee designated to process such applications. If qualified, Emeritus Members are non-paying member for life.
Non-voting Members of the Society are appointed by the Executive Board for a variety of reasons, including to foment relationships with other organizations or to honor an individual who made major contributions to cybernetics and can contribute to the Society, Non-voting Members are entitled to the benefits that the Executive Board has approved.
All members are invited to participate in all activities that the Society organizes for its members: conferences, working groups, projects, whether conducted face-to-face or electronically – taking account of the voting privileges of participating members.
MOVE PARAGRAPHS PERTAINING TO THE GENERAL BUSINESS MEETING TO
Article 7 General Business Meeting
The General Business Meetings shall be convened as often as feasible but at least every two years. It shall be convened by the Executive Board, either when it sees the need to report to the members or seek their advice, or when it is called for by petition of at least fifteen prevent of the Voting Members. The Executive Board shall determine a time and location that is convenient to most members, and inform all members at least 30 days in advance of such a meeting.
The President shall chair the General Business Meeting. In the President’s absence, any Voting Member of the Executive Board may chair the Meeting, and in their absence, any Voting Member present at that Meeting may chair it. The General Business Meeting can consider and decide any and all policy matters of the Society. However, if fewer than 1/2 of all Voting Members are present and in favor of a motion, that motion must either be put to a subsequent vote by all Voting Members of the Society, or remain advisory to the Executive Board.
At the General Business Meeting, it is expected that members of the Executive Board report on their activities. The Secretary shall present the minutes of the last General Business Meeting for approval or amendments, report on decisions made by the Executive Board since the last General Business Meeting, and keep minutes of current actions. The President shall report on the state of the Society, the Treasurer shall give a financial report, the Functional Officers shall account for their activities, and the Chairs of working committees shall report on their actions. All reports should be prepared in writing. In the absence of the officer responsible for a report, it should be presented by a designated person.
Within 15 days after a General Business Meeting, the Secretary shall make the minutes and reports available to all members of the Society.