Guest Stacey Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:22 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:22 AM Hi everyone,Learning the basics of Roberts Rules.. there are 13 voting members on a committee in which I have been appointed Chair. What constitutes a quorum, 7 or 8? The 13 does not include an ex-officio [which I understand would only vote to break a tie]. The general rules for standing committees at this organization states "A quorum shall consist of a majority plus one of members on the committee". Thanks in advance to those who are able to provide insight!All the best!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Harrison Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:28 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:28 AM 13/2=6.5+1=7.5. Unless you have someone who is only half a person it would take 8 in order to get a quorum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:40 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 02:40 AM The 13 does not include an ex-officio [which I understand would only vote to break a tie]. This understanding is incorrect, unless your organization's rules so provide. Ex-officio members have the same rights as other members and are usually counted in the quorum. See FAQ #2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:06 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:06 AM Thank you Chris; wasn't sure if the 'rounding up' rule applied or if 7 would satisfy. Appreciate you firming that up for me! Thank you Josh; our ex-officio member is such due to her status as president and presiding officer of the FASN which governs all sub-committees. The by-laws state "The Presiding Officer of the F.A.S.N., or their designated representatives, shall be ex-officio members without vote on all committees, unless specifically allowed in these By-Laws". In addition to this, under the Officers of the FASN section the by-laws state "The Presiding Officer shall preside at the meetings of the F.A.S.N. and shall be ex-officio member of all F.A.S.N. committees, perform such duties as are appropriate to this office and vote to break ties." Reading through these by-laws it came to my attention that one member on the sub-committee serves within the School as Director of Student Resources; our by-laws state that this person shall serve as ex-officio and may vote to break ties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:36 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:36 AM Thank you Chris; wasn't sure if the 'rounding up' rule applied or if 7 would satisfy. Appreciate you firming that up for me!No rounding is required. The default value for a quorum is a majority, which means "more than half". Any number strictly greater than one half of the membership will suffice. In this case, any number of members strictly greater than 7.5 members is enough for a quorum. No need to round. Just count the members present and see if that number is greater than 7.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:44 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:44 AM Gary: if the default value for a quorum is a majority, or more than half.. why wouldn't 7 members be satisfactory on a committee of 13 voting members?? 1/2 of 13 = 6.5 therefore 7 is "more than half". I think I'm confusing myself more.. An earlier post stated 1/2 +1 which is different than what you posted. Appreciate everyone's efforts in aiding me to fully understand the basics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Martin Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:56 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:56 AM Thank you Josh; our ex-officio member is such due to her status as president and presiding officer of the FASN which governs all sub-committees. The by-laws state "The Presiding Officer of the F.A.S.N., or their designated representatives, shall be ex-officio members without vote on all committees, unless specifically allowed in these By-Laws". In addition to this, under the Officers of the FASN section the by-laws state "The Presiding Officer shall preside at the meetings of the F.A.S.N. and shall be ex-officio member of all F.A.S.N. committees, perform such duties as are appropriate to this office and vote to break ties." Reading through these by-laws it came to my attention that one member on the sub-committee serves within the School as Director of Student Resources; our by-laws state that this person shall serve as ex-officio and may vote to break ties. Based on these additional facts, yes, I'm inclined to agree that these members don't count in determining whether a quorum is present. Gary: if the default value for a quorum is a majority, or more than half.. why wouldn't 7 members be satisfactory on a committee of 13 voting members?? 1/2 of 13 = 6.5 therefore 7 is "more than half". I think I'm confusing myself more.. An earlier post stated 1/2 +1 which is different than what you posted. Appreciate everyone's efforts in aiding me to fully understand the basics. If the quorum was simply a majority of the committee's members, then seven would indeed be a quorum. As you have noted earlier, however, this committee's quorum is apparently "a majority plus one of members on the committee," which makes very little sense, but I suppose that's the rule the committee will need to follow until it gets changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Novosielski Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:58 AM Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 at 03:58 AM Quite right, 6.5, not 7.5. (It's been al long evening.) The 1/2 + 1, sometimes stated as "50% + 1", is a misstatement of what a majority is. In fact, a majority is any amount that is strictly greater than half, no matter how slightly greater than half it may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.