Resolutions - requirements for formality of text

[anon]

Is it permissible to drop the word such as "Whereas" when writing a resolution?

I keep finding example resolutions written in this formal style and it feels outdated and wordy.

Any good reason for using "Whereas?"

[Joshua Katz]

That is the format for resolutions, which just are motions put in that format. I would suggest dropping it and just not calling it a resolution. At least, that's my take.

[Richard Brown]

36 minutes ago, anon said:

Is it permissible to drop the word such as "Whereas" when writing a resolution?

I keep finding example resolutions written in this formal style and it feels outdated and wordy.

Any good reason for using "Whereas?"

Using the “whereas” clauses provides the rationale or reasons for the resolution. 

[Scott Fischer]

Of course you can drop the word, whereas. If you have a simple resolution, even if it has more than one clause, you can choose to just start each clause with, Resolved, That.....

See page 106-107 of RONR for a detailed explanation.

[Dan Honemann]

10 hours ago, anon said:

Is it permissible to drop the word such as "Whereas" when writing a resolution?

I keep finding example resolutions written in this formal style and it feels outdated and wordy.

Any good reason for using "Whereas?"

Okay, instead of "Whereas" use "Since". People may think it a bit weird, but it won't bother me any.  😀

[J. J.]

How about "Because?"

 

(Personally, I like the formality of "Whereas," if there is going to be a preamble.)

[Richard Brown]

I suspect Anon doesn’t really understand the purpose of a preamble and the subtle differences between resolutions and ordinary motions.

[Alex Meed]

The point of including Whereas clauses is for your resolution to have two parts: what you are doing and why you are doing it. The Whereas clauses (the preamble) provide reasons for the action you're taking, and the Resolved clauses are the actual action.

If you don't want to include reasons, you don't need Whereas clauses; you can just include the Resolved clauses. Or you can just make it a motion, not a resolution, which doesn't need Resolved clauses at all. If you want to include reasons, but don't like the look of the word Whereas, the suggestions above (like Since or Because) might be appropriate.

[Shmuel Gerber]

19 hours ago, anon said:

Is it permissible to drop the word such as "Whereas" when writing a resolution?

I keep finding example resolutions written in this formal style and it feels outdated and wordy.

Any good reason for using "Whereas?"

« USE OF A PREAMBLE. It is usually inadvisable to attempt to include reasons for a motion's adoption within the motion itself. To do so may encumber the motion and may weigh against its adoption—since some members who approve of the action it proposes may dislike voting for it if it states reasons with which they disagree. When special circumstances make it desirable to include a brief statement of background, the motion should be cast in the form of a resolution, with the background or reasons incorporated in a preamble that is placed before the resolving clauses. A preamble consists of one or more clauses beginning "Whereas, ...." It should be emphasized that neither rule nor custom requires a resolution to have a preamble, and one should not be used merely for the sake of form. In general, the use of a preamble should be limited to cases where it provides little-known information without which the point or the merits of a resolution are likely to be poorly understood, where unusual importance is attached to making certain reasons for an action a matter of record, or the like. »  [RONR (11th ed., pp. 106–7); italic emphasis in original; emphasized further for further emphasis]