Meeting of the SIPB Executive Committee Sun Oct 14 14:10:35 EDT 1990 == meeting called to order those here: amgreene, qjb, bjaspan, web, leira | jik jtidwell jcbourne missing members: marc others: kkkken, dcctdw, lnp, shadow, | simsong, mlbarrow The proposed changes are changing. Meeting Time changes ==================== * several conflicts for sipb members. * mon 7:30 was originally 'cause there were few conflicts. * tradition not good enough. For: * everyone knows it's time Against: * Can't please everyone. People will ALWAYS have conflicts. Suggestions: ----------- * floating meeting day. - confuses people * floating meeting per month - works brain cells too much. * meeting 15 minutes later - helps those who have things that end at 7:30 - doesn't help voting bc. we defer the elections to when we have quorum anyways * poll everyone for good times. - need to do this each term? * miraculously find a better time --- all changes will confuse Mary's ----------------------------------------- Robots rules suggested and nuked. Motion to drop consideration of time changes because no time is gonna make everyone happy, and mon is as good as(if not better) than any other. passed and dropped Meeting Cruft ============= * too much fluff * analogy - Watchmaker meetings - were fluffy but fun - when dan left, they became -boring -business like -terse - sipb just wanna have fun.... * analogy - lsc gen com meetings - boring because there's just the agenda and flaming on it. * Suggest = void er jokes from meetings * Time spent to tell what one's doing (eg Backup) teaches others of us. So, it's good. - but meeting isn't place to go into gory details * by By-laws, meetings are for what the EC says its for. so there. * meeting is the best time to discuss things that need sipb group discussions * SUGGEST = those things pushed to "outside meeting" or "after meeting" should (maybe) go to the end of the meeting. - start a new topic "deferred discussion topic" * meetings have recently been short anyways - it's what the sipb's for anyways * SUGGEST = deferred meetings should be "deferred to (specific) time" - in our experience with SIPB, it don't work. * Those who don't like current meetings don't come regularly anyways. - exceptions: to make quorum ---------------------------------------------------------------------- push Foreshadow: - deactivation - voluntary deactivation - absentee ballots - sipb changes.. - software hackers (specifically athena) pop ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * SUGGEST = Nuke Telecommunications Report - Why have an Athena Report? * SUGGEST = Combine and mutate Telecommunications Report and Athena Report to MIT Computing Report ********************************************************************** Mutated by Chairman's Discretion ********************************************************************** * Solution: defer details to end of each meeting, but put them in the appropriate section of the minutes. * Part of the problem is a motivation problem leading to a "who wants to do... " Membership ========== * fxzane gonna break qjb's record * getting quorum is causing problem. * Lots of new members - causes problems because many are counted in quorum needed, but not there * This will (hopefully) be changed by the new definition of active. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- push Perl vs Awk. Less filling! Tastes Great! Turing Equiv! pop ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * SUGGEST = add to "THE QUESTION" - What are you going to do for the sipb? SIPB Evolution ============== * Problems - Sipb doesn't at present have a well defined purpose - We do lots of things now that are good, but not a big directive eg: - publication - mitvma - mac transfer - answering questions - net news - the things we are doing are pretty much static actions - we've changed since '82 - need to re-write the goals of sipb. - Athena has caught up and taking up the neato ideas that we started (dialup, scanner, latex, ... ) * We should have a moderated discussion - don't want to get into an "are we stagnating" flamage - should discuss what is the sipb. * SUGGEST: Change statement of purpose * Should this be discussed on a Monday meeting? - more fluff? * Mac abused * No longer advocacy - but will become more of an important role for us as the pc platform comes, and we get some to hack on and we get more familiar with it. * We've pretty much ignored the PC side of computing. * SUGGESTION = yearly reconsider of the state of the SIPB * SUGGESTION = we should (gag) follow the model of the CAC '90 - follow the 5 paragraph essay tell'em what you're gonna tell'em, tell'em tell'em what you told'em - ask'em what you're gonna ask'em ask'em tell'em what you asked'em * SUGGESTION = one member of ec will put together a working committee to find what sipb should be... new goal for sipb - SIPB the next generation .. - let's have the klingons.... - the ec member will be on the committee * Will announce committee formation @ tomorrow's meeting -bjaspan will do it -if he's no longer on the ec, jik will do it.. ********************************************************************** **************** MOTION ******************************************** The EC shall form a working committee to discuss the purpose and future direction of the SIPB. Barr3y Jaspan will select the membership of this committee subject to EC approval and he will serve as EC representative on this committee. -Moved by amgreene -Seconded by qjb Discussion: methods of investagation up to committee; should present a written report by the Monday after Thanksgiving Move to call the question Favor: 6 Against: 0 Motion passed ********************************************************************** Amendment to Article III ======================== Membership Abstaintion to not be counted as vote. Otherwise it's no different than a No. * SUGGEST = changing the name of the abstain vote to pass - blech.. why bother? * SUGGEST = changing definition of active member - Proposed new AIIIS2 ********************************************************************** *************** Amendment to By Laws ********************************* Article III, Section 2 "An active member of the SIPB is defined as a member in good standing who has, during the preceeding month, both performed some service for the SIPB and attended at least one meeting. Further elaboration of these requirements is at the Chairman's discretion. Any member not conforming to these minimum criteria shall be classified as inactive. The status of any member immediately following any academic vacation of duration of a week or more shall be defined to be the status of that member immediately upon beginning that vacation." Moved by amgreene Seconded by bjaspan Discussion: friendly amendments are made (reflected above) Move to call the question Favor: 6 Against: 0 ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** * Under proposed change, nominations are automatically withdrawn but can be reinstated * Change wording for quorum meeting scheduling ************** Article III, Section 3 ******************************** Absentee ballots * Problem is we aren't getting people to meetings. - Absentee ballots don't fix the problem. - There are some REAL cases where someone can't get to meetings but not going for political or lazy reason does not justify absentee * Need to also Inform the nominee that it's important to be at the quorum call meeting - cc the quorum call to them - somehow let them know that we are going to some sort of effort to get quorum * Reasons for not having quorum - Chairman not deactivating = harder to get quorum - Chairman hasn't deactivated people who are being useful to the SIPB because it's a bad precedent. * SUGGEST = chairman decides whether to allow specific absentee ballot * SUGGEST = absentee ballots don't count to quorum - amend : only a portion to count to quorum * Want absentee ballots only for cases when you can't make it. * Where do we define the line between a needed absentee ballot and not? * SUGGEST = chairman can reject absentee ballot. - dangerous! * SUGGEST = absentee ballots are divided to be 25% of the vote if we have enough for quorum * The Grilling scares some people * Should be prefaced with some sort of disclaimer in that membership doesn't depend on it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- push Digression: * SUGGEST = the one who nominates should also let the nominee know it's not intended to be a torture chamber. * SUGGEST = questions at grilling should be more pertinant with a few asides instead of vice versa pop ---------------------------------------------------------------------- * SUGGEST = absentee ballot doesn't count for attendance * SUGGEST = a vote can be postponed and rescheduled by a majority of those present * SUGGEST = a minimum percentage of votes must be absentee before a vote to postpone. ********************************************************************** Article III Section 3 Any person applying for full membership in the SIPB shall undergo a probationary period, in which that person may be familiarized with the operation of the Board. This probationary period shall last at least four (4) weeks, and the prospective member must attend at least four (4) meetings of the Board. After such probationary period has been served, that person shall become an active full member of the Board by the following procedure: a motion shall be entertained to consider that applicant for membership, and this motion shall be carried by a majority of the active full members of the Board present. The meeting at which the membership elections for those nominated by the above procedure shall be held may be scheduled to be no sooner than six (6) days following the meeting at which the motion to consider the applicant(s) for membership was entertained. The Board shall make every reasonable attempt to notify all active full members at least four (4) days preceeding this meeting. These conditions satisfied, new membership shall be obtained by garnering the floor of one half of the total active full membership and the floor of two thirds of the active full members voting (floor (total\_active\_full\_membership/2) \& floor (voting * 2/3)). For the purpose of this calculation, abstentions shall not count as votes. Absentee ballots shall be permitted to read ``yes'' or ``no,'' but not ``abstain,'' for each prospective. Quorum for the election shall be the number of votes needed to pass plus two; absentee ballots shall be counted towards quorum. If at least 25\% of the ballots are absentee, and a majority of those present and eligible to vote feel that there are too many absentee ballots to have a meaningful election, they may instruct the Chairman to reschedule it. If quorum is not acheived, or if the prospective member is not present, the election shall be rescheduled by the Chairman, and all absentee ballots shall be voided (and must be resubmitted for the rescheduled election). If, on two seperate occasions, quorum is acheived but the prospective member is not present, the nomination of that prospective member shall be automatically withdrawn. Moved by amgreene Seconded by bjaspan Move to call the question Favor: 8 Against: 0 Motion passed ********************************************************************** ********************************************************************** ********* Article III, Section IV:************************************ Revocation of membership status shall be accomplished by the procedure outlined in Section 3, subject to identical restrictions upon meeting schedules and approval required for the carry of the respective motions, except that the member in question need not be present. A member's membership status may be suspended, until the aforementioned procedure is complete, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the SIPBEC. Discussion: '() Moved by amgreene Seconded by qjb Move to call the question Favor: 8 Against: 0 Motion passed ********************************************************************** Meeting Adjourned at Sun Oct 14 16:51:19 EDT 1990 Minutes taken by web.