| New Material |
The body of this report is a list of proposed changes to the Standing Rules to implement motions that have already been made, all copied unchanged from the new material page as of noon on September 1st, except for last-minute changes to the motion defining Guests of Honor and the motion regarding memberships for volunteers (see "Discussion" in those entries). Most of these changes are confirmations of motions passed at the July meeting as part of the "Treasurer's Fiat" changes; a few of those have had minor changes made by the Rules Committee. Nothing in this report requires a vote by the Membership unless it wishes to modify some of the proposed changes. For some of these items, the "Proposed change" is "None". Our intention is to list everything which might require a change to the Standing Rules so that we (and everyone else who is interested) can consider whether or not each one should cause a change.
Ted visited Easy Mini Storage on Speen Street [where we used to store material
before we had the clubhouse]. The price was reasonable and the units could hold
our 10' shelves. The monthly rental was $52 for a 5' x 5' unit and $100 for a 5' x 15' unit.
MSP that the Clubhouse Committee proceed with renting a storage facility and, if
necessary, a truck to move material there.
None. [See 1.19(1).]
MS that it is the sense of the NESFA Membership that to encourage volunteers at Boskone, volunteers who work a sufficient amount of time will receive a free non-transferrable membership in the following Boskone.
The amount of time needed to qualify for the volunteer membership and the way that time is counted will be approved each year in the same manner as the Boskone budget.
Life Members who earn a volunteer membership may give it without charge to someone who would otherwise not have attended that Boskone.
Boskone shall budget for these volunteer memberships by taking the actual number of free volunteer memberships used at the previous Boskone and multiplying it by the lowest generally-available rate for the current Boskone. Boskone 43 shall base its budget on the number of free volunteer memberships given out by Boskone 42.
A friendly amendment to explicitly include committee and staff members was accepted.
The amended motion passed.
Dredging through people's memories reveals that both of the phrases "someone who would not otherwise have attended that Boskone" and "someone who has not normally attended Boskone" were used in the discussion of this motion, though only the former made it into the minutes. Add an annotation to this effect, so that the information is preserved for when we revisit this issue (as is already required by 1.9(19)).
Create new section 1.9(18):
1.9(18)M To encourage volunteering at Boskone, anyone (including Committee, Staff, people with non-paid memberships, and non-members) who works on the convention for a sufficent amount of time will be given a free non-transferrable membership in the following Boskone. [11/04.]
(a) For each Boskone, the definition of a sufficient amount of time will be proposed by the Boskone Chair and approved by the Membership. It may include multipliers for time worked during periods when it is especially difficult to attract volunteers.
(b) Notwithstanding that these memberships are generally not transferrable, a Life Member who earns a volunteer membership may give it to someone who would not otherwise have attended that Boskone. [Both of the phrases "someone who would not otherwise have attended that Boskone" and "someone who has not normally attended Boskone" were used in the discussion of this motion; remember this when revisiting this issue as required by 1.9(19).]
(c) Each Boskone shall budget for these memberships by multiplying the number of such memberships actually used at the previous Boskone by the lowest generally-available pre-registration rate for the current Boskone. (Boskone 43 shall use the number of volunteer memberships given out at Boskone 42, since there were not yet any available to be used there.)
MSP to add new Standing Rules section 3.2(6):
3.2(6)M Immediately before any vote is taken, and at other reasonable times when requested by a Member, the Clerk shall read the motion under consideration exactly as it is written in his or her notes. The text of the motion as reported in the minutes of the meeting shall exactly match those notes read immediately before the vote on that motion. [7/05. This is intended both to remind the Membership of precisely what they are debating and voting on, and to provide an opportunity to discover and correct any transcription errors in a timely manner.]
Experience with this rule at the July Business Meeting suggests that the Clerk may not always be the best choice for reading the motion. Since the important issue is that the text of the motion be read from the Clerk's notes, not who reads it, alter the motion to not specify who shall do the reading.
Add new section 3.2(6):
3.2(6)M Immediately before any vote is taken, and at other reasonable times when requested by a Member, the motion under consideration shall be read exactly as it is written in the Clerk's notes. The text of the motion as reported in the minutes of the meeting shall exactly match those notes read immediately before the vote on that motion. [7/05. This is intended to ensure that the Clerk is given adequate time to accurately transcribe each motion, to provide an opportunity to discover and correct any transcription errors in a timely manner, and to remind the Membership of precisely what they are debating and voting on.]
Modify SR 1.6(2) with insertions and
deletions as marked:
Append to the annotation 7/05: Distribute the Code via the website (at <http://www.nesfa.org/rules/>), in conformance with long-standing practice. See also BL 10.3.
As above.
Delete SR 1.6(3). Retain the annotation, appending "Deleted 7/05, since distribution is now via the NESFA website. Formerly required that new members of certain classes be provided a copy of the Code."
As above.
Clarify SR 1.9(4) by amending it with insertions as marked:
Append to the annotation 7/05: name the account (it's been referred to by name for years, but the name was never defined).
As above.
Amend SR 1.9(6) with deletions and
insertions as marked:
Append to the annotation 7/05: Make the internal cost of a Boskone Life Membership the same as the external price and state that all Guests of Honor of a Boskone will be given Boskone Life Memberships; both changes are to conform to long-standing practice. Quoted in /Treasury/BoskoneLifeMemberships.htm.
Use the singular for clarity and consistency with other sections (e.g., 1.9(7)).
Amend SR 1.9(6) with deletions and
insertions as marked:
Append to the annotation 7/05: Make the internal cost of a Boskone Life Membership the same as the external price and state that all Guests of Honor of a Boskone will be given Boskone Life Memberships; both changes are to conform to long-standing practice. Quoted in /Treasury/BoskoneLifeMemberships.htm.
Amend SR 1.9(7) with deletions and
insertions as marked:
Append to the annotation 7/05: State that all Guests of Honor of a Boskone will be given NESFA Honorary memberships; this change is to conform to long-standing practice. Quoted in /Treasury/BoskoneLifeMemberships.htm.
As above.
Add new section 1.9(20):
1.9(20)M The Guests of Honor for a Boskone are those few people who are being honored for their activities related to SF and/or fandom, usually an author, an artist, and a "Special Guest". The Featured Filker(s), Hal Clement Science Speaker, NESFA Press Guest(s), ordinary program participants, etc. are not Guests of Honor. [7/05: Documents long-standing practice. If more than one person is designated as one Guest of Honor, each of those people receives all of the benefits.]
Further thought says that just about everyone listed is being honored to one extent or another, so "who are being honored" is changed to "whom the convention gives special recognition".
Add new section 1.9(20):
1.9(20)M The Guests of Honor for a Boskone are those few people whom the convention gives special recognition for their activities related to SF and/or fandom, usually an author, an artist, and a "Special Guest". The Featured Filker(s), Hal Clement Science Speaker, NESFA Press Guest(s), ordinary program participants, etc. are not Guests of Honor. [7/05: Documents long-standing practice. If more than one person is designated as one Guest of Honor, each of those people receives all of the benefits.]
Add new section 2.1(8):
2.1(8)M Every year there shall be transferred from the NESFA Life Memberships liability account to the dues-income account the Subscribing Member dues rate times the number of NESFA Life Members, except that the transfer shall not exceed the interest accrued during the year on the NESFA Life Memberships liability account. [7/05: Added to conform to long-standing practice. Quoted in /Treasury/LifeMembershipsAnnual.htm.]
As above.
Move 2.5(5)(a) to new section 2.5(7), amending it
with insertions and deletions as marked (the table is also an
addition), and leaving only the note [7/05: Moved to
2.5(7), updated, and made an 'M' rule.] at 2.5(5)(a).
2.5(7)M The NESFA fiscal year begins on 1
May and ends on 30 April of the following calendar year. Reports are by calendar
month. NESFA Fiscal Years are numbered starting when NESFA was founded,
so the fiscal year number is the calendar year during which the fiscal year started minus
1966 (e.g., the The fiscal year beginning 1 May 1982 and ending 30 April
1983 is has been arbitrarily designated Fiscal Year 16).
Fiscal quarters are May-July, August-October, November-January, and February-April.
| FY | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0+ | - | 1967-68 | 1968-69 | 1969-70 | 1970-71 | 1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 |
| 10+ | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 |
| 20+ | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 |
| 30+ | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| 40+ | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
Annotate 2.5(7) with [11/83: Originally a Treasurer fiat as 2.5(5)(a). 7/05: Moved, updated, and made an 'M' rule.]
A review of the ByLaws revealed that the start and end of the fiscal year are already defined in ByLaws section 5.4(e), so the redundant definition has been removed from this section.
Move 2.5(5)(a) to new section 2.5(7), amending it
with insertions and deletions as marked (the table is also an
addition), and leaving only the note [7/05: Moved to
2.5(7), updated, and made an 'M' rule.] at 2.5(5)(a).
2.5(7)M The NESFA fiscal year begins on 1
May and ends on 30 April of the following calendar year. Reports are by calendar
month. NESFA Fiscal Years are numbered starting when NESFA was founded,
so the fiscal year number is the calendar year during which the fiscal year started minus
1966 (e.g., the The fiscal year beginning 1 May 1982 and ending 30 April
1983 is has been arbitrarily designated Fiscal Year 16).
Fiscal quarters are May-July, August-October, November-January, and February-April.
| FY | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0+ | - | 1967-68 | 1968-69 | 1969-70 | 1970-71 | 1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 |
| 10+ | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 |
| 20+ | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 |
| 30+ | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| 40+ | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 |
Annotate 2.5(7) with [11/83: Originally a Treasurer fiat as 2.5(5)(a). 7/05: Moved, updated, the redundant definition of the start and end removed, and made an 'M' rule.]
Move 2.5(5)(b) to new section 2.5(8), amending it
with insertions and deletions as marked, and leaving only the note
[7/05: Moved to 2.5(8), updated, and made an 'M'
rule.] at 2.5(5)(b).
2.5(8)M The Boskone which occurs
during FY fiscal year N is recorded in the
NESFA books when it produces its final report during FY
fiscal year N+1. A Boskone typically
reports during the period of September-December following the convention.
Annotate 2.5(8) with [11/83: Originally a Treasurer fiat as 2.5(5)(b). 7/05: Moved, updated, and made an 'M' rule. Quoted in /Treasury/BoskoneClosingBooks.htm.]
As above.
Move 2.5(5)(d) to new section 2.5(9), leaving only the note [7/05: Moved to 2.5(9) and made an 'M' rule.] at 2.5(5)(d).
2.5(9)M Interest on internal accounts (e.g., Boskone and NESFA Life; Boskone advances) will be paid at a fixed rate which will be determined from time to time by the NESFA Treasurer and which will roughly reflect the average interest earned by all of NESFA's interest-bearing accounts.
Annotate 2.5(9) with [9/90: Originally a Treasurer fiat as 2.5(5)(d). 7/05: Moved and made an 'M' rule. Quoted in /Treasury/LifeMembershipsAnnual.htm.]
As above.
Confirm the E-Board deletion of the first sentence of 2.5(4)(c), "Publications are expensed upon publication,".
Further examination of SR 2.5(4) shows that the remaining material is appropriate as an E-Board rule.
None.
Change SR 2.7(7)(a) from an 'E' rule to an 'M' rule.
Further examination of SR 2.7(7) shows that the entire content would be more appropriate as an 'M' rule.
Change all of SR 2.7(7) to an 'M' rule.
MSP to authorize the Computer Committee to dispose of any surplus software (license permitting) or hardware subject to the following guidelines. A majority of the committee members must agree that each item is surplus. The list of items, and when they will be allocated, will be announced at a Business Meeting and on the active-members mailing list, with each item described in sufficient detail to allow members to make informed decisions about whether they want it. All items will be available at the clubhouse for examination and testing until the next Business Meeting and thereafter until they are allocated, with each item clearly and uniquely marked for identification. For each item, there will be provision for active members to express their interest in acquiring it. If more than one list of items is to be allocated at the same time, those lists will be combined into a single list. When the time for allocation arrives the list of which people want which items will be frozen, items which no one wants will be thrown out or otherwise disposed of, items which exactly one person wants will be given to that person, and the remaining items will be allocated by repeatedly choosing one person and giving them one item. The person will be chosen randomly from among those who want one or more of the remaining items, excluding anyone who has already received more contested items from this list than some other person in that group. The item will be chosen by the selected person from among those in which he has expressed interest.
Replaced "Business Meeting" with "meeting" for consistency with the rest of the Standing Rules; it is clear from the linked definition that this does not change the meaning.
Create new section 1.33(4):
1.33(4)M The Computer Committee may dispose of any surplus software (license permitting) or hardware subject to the following guidelines. A majority of the committee members must agree that each item is surplus. The list of items, and when they will be allocated, will be announced at a meeting and on the active-members mailing list, with each item described in sufficient detail to allow members to make informed decisions about whether they want it. All items will be available at the clubhouse for examination and testing until the next meeting and thereafter until they are allocated, with each item clearly and uniquely marked for identification. For each item, there will be provision for active members to express their interest in acquiring it. If more than one list of items is to be allocated at the same time, those lists will be combined into a single list. When the time for allocation arrives the list of which people want which items will be frozen, items which no one wants will be thrown out or otherwise disposed of, items which exactly one person wants will be given to that person, and the remaining items will be allocated by repeatedly choosing one person and giving them one item. The person will be chosen randomly from among those who want one or more of the remaining items, excluding anyone who has already received more contested items from this list than some other person in that group. The item will be chosen by the selected person from among those in which he has expressed interest. [7/05. Provide permanent authorization on much the same terms as previous one-off events, and document those terms.]
MSP that the NESFA Treasurer be directed to determine a uniform rate for charging credit card fees to Boskone and that this charge be levied once after the end of the convention.
Add new section 2.7(14):
2.7(14)M The NESFA Treasurer shall, for each Boskone, determine a uniform percentage for charging credit card fees; after the convention, in lieu of any other charges for credit card fees, a single charge will be levied based on this rate and the total amount of credit card payments made to that convention. [7/05.]
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