Guest Dee Wheeler Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:14 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:14 AM Our club rules and by-laws have many references to "member of good standing" but no where that it is described. I thought that the following applied:Q: What is a “member in good standing”?A: A member in good standing is someone who has completed the membership process which is as follows:1.Submitted an application2.Paid their annual fee and all other club fees3.Completed an orientation4.Been approved by the membership committee.5.Has not had their membership revoked for any reason. Now we have been put on Probation and I am told I can not vote or run for a Board position because I am not a member of good standing. I did not understand that Probation made me not a good member! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:23 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:23 AM And your question concerning Robert's Rules is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:52 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:52 AM RONR doesn't define "a member of good standing" and the implied definition supplied by members of the authorship team (stay tuned for the exact wording) isn't close to what your thinking is. Why don't you ask someone who would (or at least should) be in the know of the definition what it means? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Mervosh Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:57 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 12:57 AM I sure hope that definition shows up in the 11th.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted September 18, 2010 at 01:04 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 01:04 AM I sure hope that definition shows up in the 11th....Me too. What I don't get is why so many organizations puts terms in their bylaws when there is no definition in them (or the parliamentary authority) and no one has a clue what it means. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Oh well, it allows us to earn our virtual paychecks (which are worth less than the electrons they are not made out of) telling them that RONR doesn't define it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dee Wheeler Posted September 18, 2010 at 01:35 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 01:35 AM Me too. What I don't get is why so many organizations puts terms in their bylaws when there is no definition in them (or the parliamentary authority) and no one has a clue what it means. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Oh well, it allows us to earn our virtual paychecks (which are worth less than the electrons they are not made out of) telling them that RONR doesn't define it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstackpo Posted September 18, 2010 at 02:05 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 02:05 AM In Good Standing:When RONR uses the term "member in good standing" (RONR, p. 6, l. 20-21, p. 279, l. 34-35, & p. 585, l. 7-8) it is referring to a member whose membership rights are not in suspension, either as a consequence of disciplinary proceedings (Chapter XX) or by operation of some specific provision in the bylaws of the organization. Unfortunately, the current edition of the book doesn't actually state this definition (although it was written by a member of the RONR Authorship Team). So if you use the phrase "in good standing" in the bylaws be sure to define exactly what you mean: what causes a member not to be in good standing, what he has to do to get back into the good graces of the association, &c. Also, you should specify which membership rights, duties, privileges, &c. are lost (or retained) by a member as a consequence of his being in "bad standing" because of a suspension, as distinct from his being in good standing or ceasing to be a member at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nancy N. Posted September 18, 2010 at 05:56 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 05:56 AM "When RONR uses the term "member in good standing" ..."Which means, then, that the bylaws should specify what "probation" entails. Such as, prohibited from running for office, or voting. Or even, does being on probation really take away a member's good standing?And if the bylaws don't say, then we can't tell. More importantly, Dee Wheeler's organization can't tell. Indeed, when Dee says that "I am told" -- in the passive voice -- one wonders who told her, and what authority that person has to make the claim. I would say that that person is talking through his hat, unless he's actually quoting from or referring to some act of the organization that nails down what probation does, and doesn't, do.So, if the organization really has defined for itself what the effects of probation actually are, then Dee needs to find out what the organization decided. And if the organization hasn't decided at all, it needs to. Certainly someone, anyone, can't just declare ab initio (or a priori, or ad absurdum, or something) that Dee or anyone else on probation can't run for office, or vote, or smoke in the gazebo, or wear a party hat in September, or whatever comes off the top of their little head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmtcastle Posted September 18, 2010 at 10:30 AM Report Share Posted September 18, 2010 at 10:30 AM "When RONR uses the term "member in good standing" ..."I suspect most people, and, by extension, many organizations, think they have an intuitive sense of what it means to be a member in good standing and that, further, one ought to be one of those (a member in good standing) in order to fully participate in the affairs of the organization. And so, with no malice aforethught, and with the best of prophylactic intentions, the phrase is inserted into the bylaws. If a member were asked what it meant they might (unknowingly) reprise Justice Potter Stewart's 1964 comment on pornography, "I know it when I see it". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gary D Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:19 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:19 PM Last week a majority of our board members voted to declare our Board President "not in good standing", which removed him from office. First, it was a hastily called meetings. Second, one board member accused the president of a poor decision (depending on your point of view) and third, the President wasn't at the meeting to defend himself by giving his side of the story. Nowhere in our Bylaws does it define what a member in Good Standing is. Any thoughts on how I as a board member should approach this? I'm thinking of calling a special board meeting on a day & time where I know the president can be available to make a statement and answer any questions any board member may have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Who's Coming to Dinner Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:33 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:33 PM The President can be removed only by following the procedure in your bylaws, or, if none, by the full disciplinary process defined in RONR, which is much more involved than simply declaring him "not in good standing." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:33 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:33 PM (edited) When this thread was started in 2010 the 10th Edition didn't have a definition for a "member in good standing". However, 8 years later the 11th Edition now does define it. See the asterisk on RONR p. 6 for the definition. As for the President being removed from office check the bylaws to see what procedures are necessary to remove him from office and if they were not followed then raise a Point of Order pointing it out. Edited October 27, 2018 at 10:36 PM by Chris Harrison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Brown Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:55 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 at 10:55 PM Guest Gary should really post his question by starting a new topic per the instructions for use of the Forum. This Thread is 8 years old. Even though the question may seem related to the other posts in this thread, the practice in this foreign is to post a new question as a new topic and not piggyback on to an existing thread. https://robertsrules.forumflash.com/topic/25416-important-read-this-first-faq-and-information-for-new-members-and-guests/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Katz Posted October 27, 2018 at 11:14 PM Report Share Posted October 27, 2018 at 11:14 PM I have to admit, I read this without checking the dates, and was confused to the hopes for what would be included in the 11th. Then I saw our old dear friend and realized it was an old thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Posted August 18, 2020 at 11:57 PM Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 at 11:57 PM What happen if only one of seven board members is in good standing, does the one member appoint new board members? Per the bylaws if dues aren't paid by x date then you become a member not in good standing, In our case , our president, vice president and 4 other board members paid their due late, making them members not in good standing. What's should happen now??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Elsman Posted August 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 at 12:00 AM It's your bylaw, you tell us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atul Kapur Posted August 19, 2020 at 12:41 AM Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 at 12:41 AM (edited) And if you are going to do so, please start a new thread. As Richard Brown explains four posts (and over 21 months ago) above this one. Edited August 19, 2020 at 12:42 AM by Atul Kapur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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