member discipline

[Guest Lee Johnston]

If the officers & board have given a 6 month suspension to a member, then decides to bring an expulsion of that member before the general membership , must the 6 month suspension be served before the expulsion can be brought before the membership for a vote?

[jstackpo]

RONR has a (large) chapter (#20) on discipline which doesn't speak to the kind of interaction of punishments you describe. So you are on your own - check your association bylaws.

Do the bylaws define the details of "suspension".

This might be relevant...

In Good Standing:

When RONR uses the term "member in good standing" (RONR, p. 6, l. 20-21, p. 279, l. 34-35, & p. 585, l. 7-8) it is referring to a member whose membership rights are not in suspension, either as a consequence of disciplinary proceedings (Chapter XX) or by operation of some specific provision in the bylaws of the organization.

Unfortunately, the current edition of the book doesn't actually state this definition (although it was written by a member of the RONR Authorship Team). So if you use the phrase "in good standing" in the bylaws be sure to define exactly what you mean: what causes a member not to be in good standing, what he has to do to get back into the good graces of the association, &c. Also, you should specify which membership rights, duties, privileges, &c. are lost (or retained) by a member as a consequence of his being in "bad standing" because of a suspension, as distinct from his being in good standing or ceasing to be a member at all.

[Josh Martin]

If the officers & board have given a 6 month suspension to a member, then decides to bring an expulsion of that member before the general membership , must the 6 month suspension be served before the expulsion can be brought before the membership for a vote?

No rule in RONR would prevent the society from expelling a member whose rights are currently under suspension.

[Tim Wynn]

If the officers & board have given a 6 month suspension to a member,

I find it odd that you say Officers AND Board. Usually the board consists of the officers (and sometimes more).

then decides to bring an expulsion of that member before the general membership ,

I find it odd that one... err, um... multiple entities suspended the member, then ANOTHER body is being asked to expel him.

Did the officers and/or/and board really have the authority to issue this suspension?

[Gary Novosielski]

I find it odd that you say Officers AND Board. Usually the board consists of the officers (and sometimes more).

I find it odd that one... err, um... multiple entities suspended the member, then ANOTHER body is being asked to expel him.

Did the officers and/or/and board really have the authority to issue this suspension?

It is somewhat odd. But I would not be shocked to discover bylaws that allow a board to suspend a member, yet provide that only the full membership had to power to expel him.

[Kim Goldsworthy]

If the officers & board have given a 6 month suspension to a member,

then decides to bring an expulsion of that member before the general membership ,

must the 6 month suspension be served before the expulsion can be brought before the membership for a vote?

Highly irregular:

1. A certain body ("officers and board"??), under unknown circumstances, suspends Member X.

2. Same body, later, brings business to the general membership, for the purpose of ESCALATING THE PENALTY, to expulsion.

Q. Why are multiple penalties being imposed, in separate processes?

Q. Why cannot the original body issue the expulsion?

Q. What is the relationship between the two bodies regarding the issuing of penalties?

Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR 10th ed.) in its chapter on "Discipline (ch. XX sec. 61) has no procedure whereby

• multiple penalties are imposed,

• months apart,

• by independent parties.

What is going on? Why the convoluted rigmarole?