CENSURE

[Guest TWG]

POINT OF ORDER! Perhaps my post on censure of 6/20 was phrased badly or incorrectly. The three responses did not make the matter of the specific censure any clearer to me.

Let me try again. An ORGANIZATION of 400+ members, under Robert's, elected Robert's as the rule of the organization

regarding parlimentary procedures and usage. It provided for the election of a nine member BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Its by laws are mute on the matter of censure by the BOARD OF DIRECTORS of a member of the ORGANIZATION.

Roberts provides quite clearly provisions for the BOARD OF DIRECTORS of the ORGANIZATION to censure a member

of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS up to and including the chair or president. It provides with some clarity for the Censure of the Organizations members by the Organizations Membership.

In my reading I find Robert's to be unclear on the BOARD OF DIRECTORS authority and responsibility to censure Members

of the Organization.

To compound the problem for this BOARD OF DIRECTORS they held a meeting in executive session, they intentionally excluded the persons to be censured from this meeting, they composed the letter of censure which was then signed by the eight members present and mailed it to the censured persons.

QUESTION: Are these actions as described acceptable under Robert's? Your advice and comments will be appreciated.

[Chris Harrison]

I don't see why under RONR a body couldn't adopt a motion to censure someone who isn't a member of that body (unless the bylaws say otherwise an adopted motion to censure has no effect beyond the body's disapproval of something that the censured person did or did not do).

[George Mervosh]

To compound the problem for this BOARD OF DIRECTORS they held a meeting in executive session, they intentionally excluded the persons to be censured from this meeting, they composed the letter of censure which was then signed by the eight members present and mailed it to the censured persons.

Why is it a problem for the BOARD OF DIRECTORS to exclude a non-BOARD member or all non-BOARD members from their meetings and why are we typing this stuff in all caps?

[tctheatc]

TWG: Far as I know, your board of directors could decide to censure me. They could draft a letter, send it to me, and decide all this at meetings to which I am not invited.

I don't remember your 1st post, but I'm not sure I understand the problem you're trying to convey in this one.

[J. J.]

I don't see why under RONR a body couldn't adopt a motion to censure someone who isn't a member of that body (unless the bylaws say otherwise an adopted motion to censure has no effect beyond the body's disapproval of something that the censured person did or did not do).

There is some precedent. Andrew Jackson, while president, was censured by the US Senate (it was later rescinded and expunged). Further, the example on p. 137, ll. 20-30, would indicate that a body might censure a non-member.

[David A Foulkes]

I don't remember your 1st post, but I'm not sure I understand the problem you're trying to convey in this one.

In case you want to take a look.