Residence Staff Training 2012 Tuesday, August 21 Vic Hall A011 General Assembly, Robert’s Rules, and Other Fun Stuff

We’ll cover….  Who is the Speaker?  General Assembly  Robert’s Rules  The Constitution of the MCRS  The Bylaws of the MCRS

Who am I?  Feodor Snagovsky  Call me Feo  4 rd year Life Sci and Politics  Residence Don  Likes Suits, polar bears, and long- winded arguments

…but more importantly:  Speaker of the House It is his/her duty to: ○ Enforce “decorum and order” ○ Give rulings on matters concerning Assembly procedure. ○ Maintain a speaking list. ○ Eject a member for violating decorum or a standing rule. Only after clear and repeated warnings.

The Speaker can also….  Call the General Assembly to order.  Enforce current standing rules. Throw (light) stuff.  Manage discussion and debate.  Act as an advisor to the Executive and to anybody.

But the Speaker cannot….  Be the boss of anybody outside of Elections and GA  Vote on motions  Participate in the debate “While in the chair”  Kill/hurt/maim anybody Usually

So what is GA?  4.01 – “The Legislative power [of the MCRC] shall be vested in a General Assembly which shall consist of representatives elected by the members of the Society. Such representatives become trustees of the student interest…”

So what is GA?  4.02 – “The primary purpose of the General Assembly is legislation, oversight of the executive, and the provision of a public forum for initiation and discussion of policy.”

So what is GA?  General Assembly: Bi-weekly meeting ○ Need to pick a day 4 Hour Cap Where anything and everything concerning the MCRC as a whole is discussed and decided upon. Open to the public. ○ However, GA can be closed by majority resolution.

Who makes up the GA?  The Speaker of the House  The Executive President, VPD, VPRA VPF, Sustainability, Events and Services  YOU (The House Presidents)  Advisory Committee Chairs (FYAC)  Any guest speakers  The public (as audience)

Why have GA?  The single most important meeting in the daily running of the MCRC. Communication Announcements Directives  Where decisions are made. Motions Legislation  “Board of Directors” meeting

What is GA responsible for?  Overseeing the work of the President  Ratifying Presidential appointments  Approving the MCRC budget  Ensuring continuing fiscal responsibility  Establishing residence rules and policies necessary to ensure the accomplishment of the objectives of the Society  Generally ensuring that the objectives of the Society are fulfilled (we’re it folks)

What does GA usually do?  Amend by-laws  Adopt/Amend/Repeal policies  Spend money  Discuss important stuff  Keep exec accountable

Flow of the Assembly  Based on the agenda. Has to be accepted through a majority vote. Can be opened afterwards through a vote. Will be circulated before Assembly starts

The Agenda  Preliminary Business Approval of the Agenda Chairperson’s Business Guest Speakers President’s Report Executive Reports  Statements by Members Usually used to give announcements/invitations to events.

Agenda continued…  Question Period Where members can ask questions regarding Executive reports and member statements.  Reports of Committees  Motions Where any motions are put forth, discussed and voted upon. Binding  Discussion Anything that needs to be discussed Non-binding

Committees of the GA  To distribute workload of the MCRC  Three standing committees: Constitutional Affairs and Ethics Committee Finance and Audit Committee Judicial Advisory Board  Four other committees: Events, FYAC, Hiring, FRAC  Please note: It is a mandatory rule that all HPs must belong in at least one committee plus the events committee Or be the CRO or DEO

Committees continued  Advisory Committees: First Year Advisory Committee Upper Year Advisory Committee Don Advisory Committee  Plus any other committee deemed necessary.  Main committees will be struck during the first GA of the year: Thursday, August 30 th, 1:00pm- 4:00pm

Standing Rules  Dress code Business casual/professional (more later)  Cellphones, Laptops, iPads, etc. NO. If you really need to use your phone, please step outside. Violations will mean a verbal warning/stuff thrown at you.  Attendance Very important!

Attendance!  Three strike system: 1: Explain yourself to the Assembly 2: You get to meet with the CEO and Dorothy. 3: You get to meet with Tuba and Dorothy  Missing a GA is 5 demerit points  Proxies work, only when the CEO is notified before noon of the day GA is scheduled.  Will be dealt with case-by-case

Dress Code

 Business casual/professional  Conveys seriousness of purpose  Consequences for violations depend on degree of violation Range from a warning to ejection

Robert’s Rules  Who? Henry Martyn Robert, Maj. US Army  Systemic rules of parliamentary procedure that ensure that: Respect the right of all members. Ensure that consensus is reached. Allows the meeting to run efficiently and the group to work together properly.

The Bare Bones:  All meetings must meet “quorum” before beginning. 50% of voting members ○ ie: 8 members minimum  Always address the chair. ie: “Mr. Speaker”  All votes are ruled by majority resolution. Unless otherwise stated by the Constitution/Bylaws  There is a speaker’s list for any discussion.

…More Bare Bones  All business brought forth to the General Assembly must be done through a motion, implied or not. Implied motion: An action or stance that is proposed to the Assembly that comes from a form of communication, and does not involve the formal wording of a motion. The chair specifies an action, and asks for objections. If none, implied motion is carried. If there is objection, implied motion will need to be discussed as a formal motions.

Formal Motions  Requires 2 individuals: The mover A seconder. ○ Note that these individuals DO NOT have to vote in favour of the motion.  Formal wording: “Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that…. “I second the motion.” Speaker then re-reads the motion, and opens discussion. ○ Usually starts with the mover and seconder.

Amendments  Amendments A change to the wording of a motion, usually suggested during discussion. 2 flavors: Friendly, or not. ○ Friendly: Amendment mover has to declare it, and if the motion mover agrees, it is carried given no objections. ○ Not friendly, or the motion mover disagrees, or if there is any objection, then it is made into a formal motion. And of course, the amendment can be amended, ad nauseum. Once the amendment is taken care of, discussion on the main motion is resumed.

Voting  Happens at the end of a debate, or if a member moves to close a debate and it passes. Wording: “Mr. Speaker, I move that this motion be put to the question.” and usual motion procedure follows. During the vote, the motion is read again, and Speaker asks for yea, nays, and abstains. All votes are open (ie: public). ○ Exception: With motion to make vote secret.  Simple majority wins.

Customs and Formality  To ensure impartiality and prevent any infringement of rights. Only address the Speaker. Try not to use names/nicknames. Language ○ Any derogatory, foul and insulting language will be met with a very stern reprimand at best, and ejection from the Assembly at worst. Members must be acknowledged by the Chair before they can speak. ○ Exceptions: Points.

Points  Statements that bypass normal speaking order.  There are 4 types recognized: Point of Information ○ When a member has important information relevant to the discussion that cannot wait for the speaking list. Point of Personal Privilege ○ When one’s rights are infringed. Point of Order ○ When there is a violation of a Rule of Order Point of (Parliamentary) Inquiry ○ To ask about a procedure or process of the Assembly.

Other stuff…  Members may also limit the length of a debate, or table it. Table = to discuss at a later time. Requires a motion, and the associated vote.  They may also refer it to a committee.  The Speaker reserves the right to limit speaking privileges, or to call recesses of the Assembly.

What should you do?  It is now 1am, and debate on whether to paint the outside of Vic Hall with a mural of Tuba’s life and times has taken at least an hour. You want to go home.  A motion regarding limousines in residence is being discussed, and you want to use Hybrid SUV’s instead.  You have to use the facilities in the middle of debate.  You have 3 exams the day after GA, and you can’t make it to today’s GA.

What should you do?  Still on the limousine motion. A member states that a fully-blinged out limousine will only cost $350,000. In fact, you know from experience that it costs $400,000, and you want to tell this to the Assembly.  A motion to give the Speaker $5,000 in unmarked bills has been put to the question, and you notice the CEO blatantly ignoring objections.

The Constitution  The guiding document of the MCRS.  States our name, goals, and where responsibilities lie.  Also states who has legislative, executive, and judicial power.  Can only be amended by a Society-wide referendum. And ratified by the university when necessary

The Bylaws  The big one.  The document that lays out all procedures and processes upon which the MCRS will function.  Has a total of 11 By- Laws

Bylaw Amendment  Three steps in total STEP 1: Motion given to General Assembly (First Reading). Motion then goes to CAEC. STEP 2: Second review of proposed amendment, after CAEC has met to discuss/amend it (Second Reading). Motion then goes to House Councils for approval. STEP 3: Third and final review of amendment after House Councils have met to vote on it. HPs must vote with their House (Third Reading).

Questions?