Who can cancel meeting

[Guest Lanelle]

Our Alumni bylaws states our board must meet the second Wed of every other month. Our next meeting should be on the 12th of this month and our annual dinner is on Sept 22. One member of the exec. board suggested at a non board meeting where the president and I (VP) were present that we cancel this meeting because we have never had a meeting in the same month as the annual dinner. Our president indicated he was somewhat in favor of cancelling it.

Does our president have the authority to cancel the meeting without a vote by the full board? Nothing in our bylaws addresses cancellation of meetings.

I might add we are in the process of selecting a new Director and have two new faculty members. One, the VP of External Relations, will be directly over our new Alumni director and was in the meetinng. We will be working closely with the other one on fundraising. The VP has said she was looking forward to coming to this meeting to meet the board and introducing the other faculty member.

[David A Foulkes]

Does our president have the authority to cancel the meeting without a vote by the full board? Nothing in our bylaws addresses cancellation of meetings.

Nothing in RONR gives the authority to any person or body to cancel a properly scheduled meeting (regular per the bylaws, or called [special] meeting). That authority would need to come from your bylaws or other governing rules. Your bylaws apparently don't, so perhaps any higher rules (national organization, statute, etc) might. But not RONR.

[Guest Edgar]

Our Alumni bylaws states our board must meet the second Wed of every other month.

Then, unless the bylaws are amended, that's what the board must do. (Of course no one has to actually show up but that's another issue.)

[Gary Novosielski]

Our Alumni bylaws states our board must meet the second Wed of every other month. ..

Does our president have the authority to cancel the meeting without a vote by the full board? Nothing in our bylaws addresses cancellation of meetings.

I might add ...[other immaterial stuff]

Apparently, your president does not have the authority to cancel the meeting even WITH a vote by the full board, if your bylaws are as you describe them. If your bylaws are silent on canceling meetings, then there is no way to cancel a meeting.

[Guest Lanelle]

Thanks, that is what I thought. Even if we wanted to postpone the meeting, we would still have to meet to open the meeting, motion to postpone it to another date with a majority vote.

This brings me to another question. Can we vote to postpone it by email? I know this is what they are going to want to do. Do you recommend adding the original issue to our bylaws. The people we have now want to do everything electronically if they can, so I am afraid to add cancelling meetings to our bylaws.

[Trina]

Thanks, that is what I thought. Even if we wanted to postpone the meeting, we would still have to meet to open the meeting, motion to postpone it to another date with a majority vote.

This brings me to another question. Can we vote to postpone it by email? I know this is what they are going to want to do. Do you recommend adding the original issue to our bylaws. The people we have now want to do everything electronically if they can, so I am afraid to add cancelling meetings to our bylaws.

Absentee voting (such as by e-mail) is prohibited under the rules in RONR (no ifs, ands, or buts). If your organization wishes to conduct votes by e-mail, that must be specifically authorized in the bylaws. See RONR (11th ed.) p. 423 ll. 17-23.

[Guest Lanelle]

I just got an e-mail which indicates we will not be having our scheduled meeting this month. Can you give me page numbers in Roberts Rule that refers to not cancelling a scheduled meeting, so I can quote it to them.

Thanks

[David A Foulkes]

Can you give me page numbers [?]

Nope. It's an "unwritten rule." RONR contains nothing about the possibility of canceling a meeting, the assumption being a regularly scheduled or properly called meeting must be held. The bylaws, on the other hand, may empower some person/body to change the date and/or time of a meeting, or possibly cancel one. It is there (the bylaws, or other governing rules) you will find reference to canceling meetings, and who can do it if at all.

[Guest Edgar]

I just got an e-mail which indicates we will not be having our scheduled meeting this month.

Get as many board members as you can to show up. If you have a quorum you can go ahead and conduct business as usual (such as adopting a motion censuring the president for attempting to "cancel" a meeting). Even if you don't have a quorum you can (and should) hold the meeting (although it may be brief with correspondingly brief minutes). You certainly don't want the president to think he's established some sort of precedent.

And even if you're the only board member who shows up (though at least one more would be nice), you'll have followed your bylaws and that's always a good thing to do.

b77tQW

[jstackpo]

I just got an e-mail which indicates we will not be having our scheduled meeting this month. Can you give me page numbers in Roberts Rule that refers to not cancelling a scheduled meeting, so I can quote it to them.

Thanks

This is pretty close (from p. 76):

>>>>

2) If it is desired to cancel or countermand an entire main motion, resolution, order, or rule that has been adopted and that has continuing force and effect, such action can be proposed by means of the motion to Rescind (or Repeal, or Annul, 35); and by another form of the same parliamentary motion—that is, the motion to Amend Something Previously Adopted (35)—it can be proposed to modify the wording or text previously adopted, or to substitute a different version.

Robert, Henry M. III (2011-09-27). Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition (Kindle Locations 2471-2475). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition.

>>>>

Clearly the act of scheduling a meeting is something that has been previously adopted (somehow, earlier, else how would you know there was a meeting coming up?). The only way to cancel it would be to then adopt "Amend Something Previously Adopted" -- but that requires the assembly to be in a meeting to do so. Catch 22.

To avoid the conundrum, your would need a special rule (previously adopted) giving the president, the board, or someone the authority to cancel a meeting.

[David A Foulkes]

And if you don't have a quorum, but at least a majority of those in attendance feel this whole meeting-canceling business is not right, you can adopt a motion to Fix the Time to Which to Adjourn To (Section 22, RONR 11th), creating an "adjourned meeting" (which actually would be a continuation of this meeting), at which you might have a quorum (if you can get the needed number of members there) and can get down to business.

(edited to add and delete text above

[Guest Edgar]

To avoid the conundrum, your would need a special rule (previously adopted) giving the president, the board, or someone the authority to cancel a meeting.

Well, it's the board that's having the meeting so the board would still have to meet to cancel it. The only way to avoid the conundrum is to invest the canceling authority in one person.

BZ38yD

[jstackpo]

Quite so -- I was thinking of the Board as "the assembly" in question.

[Dan Honemann]

And if you don't have a quorum, but at least a majority of those in attendance feel this whole meeting-canceling business is not right, you can adopt a motion to Fix the Time to Adjourn To (Section 22, RONR 11th), creating an "adjourned meeting" (which actually would be a continuation of this meeting), at which you might have a quorum (if you can get the needed number of members there) and can get down to business.

That motion is called something else in the Deluxe Edition.

[David A Foulkes]

That motion is called something else in the Deluxe Edition.

It's what I get for being a cheap SOB and buying the Standard Edition (at a yard sale, no less!).

[Guest Guest]

Thanks for all your replies. However, it still leaves me in a conundrum, since I believe I would be the only one to show up since most of the board don't know or care what the bylaws say; they just follow. I may still show up and see if our new VP of External Relations shows since she said she was coming.

Here is a part of an email I received last night from our dinner chair. "If anyone is available to meet next Wednesday let me know and we can meet briefly to go over the evening once more. If not, I can email the schedule and planned events. If you would like to speak at the dinner, please let me know and we can make that happen also". In my reply, I raised asked if we were not going to have our regular meeting on Wed.

Here is our presidents's reply: Lanelle, I believe we are scheduled for a meeting tomorrow but since the dinner was this month we discussed not meeting unless the Dinner Committee needed to".

Thanks,

Ben

Nothing was discussed at our last full board meeting in July and we have not met as a board since. At another meeting where she, Ben and I were present she suggested not having it . By no means was it discussed, nor even voted on. So if enough people show up the next week, we will still meet, but we can't go ahead with our regular meeting?

[Gary c Tesser]

How does your dinner chair type so damn small??!?

[Gary c Tesser]

I just blew it up. O Great Steaming Cobnuts.

[Gary c Tesser]

An hour and a half and a clonazepam and a couple listens to Air on G (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_FfAi68aW8 , with the ethereal Sarah Chang), and let's hope Guest Lanelle has joined the Calm Down Gary club, and that Guest Lanelle is also the current Guest Guest (Post 16) this time.

So now here we are, the official day of the board meeting, it's 3 AM and only Guest Lanelle and I are still up (EDT). Guest Lanelle figures maybe only she and the new VP of External Relations will show up. (I might come to offer support, but I infer from Lanelle's hints that she's in Nome or Sydney, and I don't think my bus can get there in time.) So some thoughts.

1. Can she phone a few board members and maybe accumulate a quorum? -- they could then do any business that a board meeting can do, since they will indeed be having one, and the dinner chair and Ben can stew in their own juices (I think that's a cooking metaphor, and probably disgusting).

2: Guest Lanelle, please explain how the third paragraph of your Original Post ("I might add ...") is germane: right now, I don't see how it might influence the discussion.

3.

I believe I would be the only one to show up since most of the board don't know or care what the bylaws say; they just follow.

Guest Lanelle, might not this be a more important problem?

Your dinner chair and Ben sound awfully gracious and accommodating, I would nominate them for President (write them in and vote next month! -- at least you-all in the USA) or Pope (vote you Cardinals, or at least hit the ball once in a while) if they weren't so genially disdainful of the bylaws. Here on the Robert's Rules Website Forum (RONR MB), that's kinda a deal-breaker.

4. The bylaws mandate a monthly meeting. What happened to the August meeting?

5.

So if enough people show up the next week, we will still meet, but we can't go ahead with our regular meeting?

Yes of course. Why not? Because Ben doesn't want to come?

[Gary c Tesser]

(Wow, I didn't think that would happen! What an Internet we have these days!)

[Guest Lanelle]

Thanks everyone. I have just learned our new VP is not happy about all of this, so will wait to see what she does. Gary, just to clarify our bylaws states meetings are held every other month, starting with July, which is the beginning of our year.

The End!!!

[Gary c Tesser]

Come to think of it, that's probably what "every other month," in the first sentence of the original post, means.

[Guest Judy B Butler]

We have a situation where a small group of members is hijacking our monthly meeting. The second month this group id this this it escalated to violence after the meeting. Our members are not well versed on Robert's Rules of Order and are now fearful of these people and feel our meetings are no longer a safe place. Doe anyone have experience with this or suggestions?

 

[Weldon Merritt]

Guest Judy B Butler, please post your question as a new topic. The forum works best that way, even though your question may seem similar to the one discussed in this thread.