Removal of an Officer

[Guest Gregory]

In my college's faculty organization, there is a general feeling that the newly elected chair is not up to the task of fulfilling his duties competently. There has been talk (only in the hypothetical) of working to remove him from office.

I've looked at Robert's Rules.  Our organization has the following language: The term of office for officers shall be two years.

I gather that since there is no "or" that means the paragraph regarding officers who serve "only a fixed term" is applicable, and that the officer can be removed only for cause.  We presume that the officer in question is "neglecting duty" since there has been a general lack of preparation (showing up late for meetings, incorrectly summarizing previous proceedings, and a lack of understanding of how procedure should be followed) that is making the body unhappy.  

We really don't want to remove him from office...  there are other avenues that we are exploring, including possibly asking him to voluntarily step down.  But if worst came to worst, and he did not wish to step down, how would we go about removing him?  Could it be as simple as a vote of the majority of the entire body?  (As academics of various departments, we are not really equipped to conduct an investigation or hold disciplinary hearings.)  

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,
Gregory

 

[Atul Kapur]

As a first step, maybe someone could speak with him and suggest that he get some training and/or assistance from a professional parliamentarian. Or even hire a meeting parliamentarian to assist him during the meetings.

[Guest Gregory]

Thank you,.That is currently being done.  Again, we're not in last resort territory yet but it's bad enough that we are worried we will get there.

[Richard Brown]

I agree with Dr. Kapur that your first step should be to talk with him with the hope that he will agree to get some kind of help to aid him in becoming a better presiding officer.  One alternative is some sort of arrangement to permit someone else to preside at meetings.  A second step, if that fails, would be to ask him to voluntarily step down in a way that would avoid embarrassment.  Removal from office should be a last resort.  The procedure for removal from office, as I believe you already know, is contained in chapter XX of RONR.  You might also look at FAQ # 20 on the main website as a starting point:  http://www.robertsrules.com/faq.html#20

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, Guest Gregory said:

But if worst came to worst, and he did not wish to step down, how would we go about removing him? 

Since the officer has a fixed term, this requires the formal disciplinary procedures in RONR, which involves an investigative committee and a trial.

1 hour ago, Guest Gregory said:

Could it be as simple as a vote of the majority of the entire body?

Nope.

1 hour ago, Guest Gregory said:

(As academics of various departments, we are not really equipped to conduct an investigation or hold disciplinary hearings.)  

Unfortunately, this is what is required.

In the long run, it seems that it would be prudent to amend the bylaws.

[Atul Kapur]

2 hours ago, Guest Gregory said:

(As academics of various departments, we are not really equipped to conduct an investigation or hold disciplinary hearings.) 

Agreeing with Mr. Martin, I will just add that this is the procedure for any voluntary association. While I understand that academics may very well be less competent than the general population in many domains, 😁 I think that your association will be  up to the task if required. Again, you should hire a professional parliamentarian to help you through that process.

[Richard Brown]

2 hours ago, Guest Gregory said:

(As academics of various departments, we are not really equipped to conduct an investigation or hold disciplinary hearings.) 

Agreeing with Mr. Martin and Dr. Kapur, your organization is free to create a disciplinary committee as suggested on page 669 of RONR to handle disciplinary matters.

[Joshua Katz]

I agree with the above answers. I would add that the organization could, by whatever means are provided in the bylaws, amend the bylaws to add the "or until" language. 

[Guest Gregory]

Thank you all for the input.  Appreciated.

Sincerely,

 

Gregory