THE RULES

Residence Staff Training 2012Tuesday, August 21

Vic Hall A011

General Assembly, Robert’s Rules, and Other Fun Stuff

We’ll cover…. Who is the Speaker? General Assembly Robert’s Rules The Constitution of the MCRS The Bylaws of the MCRS

Who am I? Feodor Snagovsky Call me Feo 4rd year Life Sci and

Politics Residence Don Likes Suits, polar

bears, and long-winded arguments

…but more importantly: Speaker of the House

It is his/her duty to:○ Enforce “decorum and order”○ Give rulings on matters concerning Assembly

procedure.○ Maintain a speaking list. ○ Eject a member for violating decorum or a

standing rule.Only after clear and repeated warnings.

The Speaker can also…. Call the General Assembly to

order. Enforce current standing

rules.Throw (light) stuff.

Manage discussion and debate.

Act as an advisor to the Executive and to anybody.

But the Speaker cannot….

Be the boss of anybody outside of Elections and GA

Vote on motions Participate in the debate

“While in the chair” Kill/hurt/maim anybody

Usually

So what is GA?

4.01 – “The Legislative power [of the MCRC] shall be vested in a General Assembly which shall consist of representatives elected by the members of the Society. Such representatives become trustees of the student interest…”

So what is GA?

4.02 – “The primary purpose of the General Assembly is legislation, oversight of the executive, and the provision of a public forum for initiation and discussion of policy.”

So what is GA? General Assembly:

Bi-weekly meeting○ Need to pick a day

4 Hour CapWhere anything and everything concerning

the MCRC as a whole is discussed and decided upon.

Open to the public.○ However, GA can be closed by majority

resolution.

Who makes up the GA? The Speaker of the House The Executive

President, VPD, VPRAVPF, Sustainability, Events and Services

YOU (The House Presidents) Advisory Committee Chairs (FYAC) Any guest speakers The public (as audience)

Why have GA? The single most important meeting in

the daily running of the MCRC.CommunicationAnnouncementsDirectives

Where decisions are made.MotionsLegislation

“Board of Directors” meeting

What is GA responsible for? Overseeing the work of the President Ratifying Presidential appointments Approving the MCRC budget Ensuring continuing fiscal responsibility Establishing residence rules and policies

necessary to ensure the accomplishment of the objectives of the Society

Generally ensuring that the objectives of the Society are fulfilled (we’re it folks)

What does GA usually do? Amend by-laws Adopt/Amend/Repeal policies Spend money Discuss important stuff Keep exec accountable

Flow of the Assembly Based on the

agenda.Has to be accepted

through a majority vote.

Can be opened afterwards through a vote.

Will be circulated before Assembly starts

The Agenda Preliminary Business

Approval of the AgendaChairperson’s BusinessGuest SpeakersPresident’s ReportExecutive Reports

Statements by MembersUsually used to give announcements/invitations

to events.

Agenda continued… Question Period

Where members can ask questions regarding Executive reports and member statements.

Reports of Committees Motions

Where any motions are put forth, discussed and voted upon.

Binding Discussion

Anything that needs to be discussedNon-binding

Committees of the GA To distribute workload of the MCRC Three standing committees:

Constitutional Affairs and Ethics CommitteeFinance and Audit CommitteeJudicial Advisory Board

Four other committees:Events, FYAC, Hiring, FRAC

Please note:It is a mandatory rule that all HPs must belong in at

least one committee plus the events committeeOr be the CRO or DEO

Committees continued Advisory Committees:

First Year Advisory CommitteeUpper Year Advisory CommitteeDon Advisory Committee

Plus any other committee deemed necessary.

Main committees will be struck during the first GA of the year:Thursday, August 30th, 1:00pm- 4:00pm

Standing Rules Dress code

Business casual/professional (more later) Cellphones, Laptops, iPads, etc.

NO. If you really need to use your phone, please

step outside.Violations will mean a verbal warning/stuff

thrown at you. Attendance

Very important!

Attendance! Three strike system:

1: Explain yourself to the Assembly2: You get to meet with the CEO and Dorothy.3: You get to meet with Tuba and Dorothy

Missing a GA is 5 demerit points Proxies work, only when the CEO is notified

before noon of the day GA is scheduled. Will be dealt with case-by-case

Dress Code

Dress Code Business

casual/professional Conveys seriousness of

purpose Consequences for

violations depend on degree of violationRange from a warning to

ejection

Robert’s Rules Who?

Henry Martyn Robert, Maj. US Army. 1876 Systemic rules of parliamentary

procedure that ensure that:Respect the right of all members.Ensure that consensus is reached.Allows the meeting to run efficiently and the

group to work together properly.

The Bare Bones: All meetings must meet “quorum” before

beginning.50% of voting members

○ ie: 8 members minimum Always address the chair.

ie: “Mr. Speaker” All votes are ruled by majority resolution.

Unless otherwise stated by the Constitution/Bylaws There is a speaker’s list for any discussion.

…More Bare Bones All business brought forth to the General

Assembly must be done through a motion, implied or not.Implied motion: An action or stance that is

proposed to the Assembly that comes from a form of communication, and does not involve the formal wording of a motion.

The chair specifies an action, and asks for objections. If none, implied motion is carried.

If there is objection, implied motion will need to be discussed as a formal motions.

Formal Motions Requires 2 individuals:

The moverA seconder.

○ Note that these individuals DO NOT have to vote in favour of the motion.

Formal wording:“Mr. Speaker, I would like to move that….“I second the motion.”Speaker then re-reads the motion, and opens

discussion. ○ Usually starts with the mover and seconder.

Amendments Amendments

A change to the wording of a motion, usually suggested during discussion.

2 flavors: Friendly, or not.○ Friendly: Amendment mover has to declare it, and if

the motion mover agrees, it is carried given no objections.

○ Not friendly, or the motion mover disagrees, or if there is any objection, then it is made into a formal motion.

And of course, the amendment can be amended, ad nauseum.

Once the amendment is taken care of, discussion on the main motion is resumed.

Voting Happens at the end of a debate, or if a

member moves to close a debate and it passes.Wording: “Mr. Speaker, I move that this motion be

put to the question.” and usual motion procedure follows.

During the vote, the motion is read again, and Speaker asks for yea, nays, and abstains.

All votes are open (ie: public).○ Exception: With motion to make vote secret.

Simple majority wins.

Customs and Formality To ensure impartiality and prevent any

infringement of rights.Only address the Speaker.Try not to use names/nicknames.Language

○ Any derogatory, foul and insulting language will be met with a very stern reprimand at best, and ejection from the Assembly at worst.

Members must be acknowledged by the Chair before they can speak.○ Exceptions: Points.

Points Statements that bypass normal speaking order. There are 4 types recognized:

Point of Information○ When a member has important information relevant to

the discussion that cannot wait for the speaking list.Point of Personal Privilege

○ When one’s rights are infringed.Point of Order

○ When there is a violation of a Rule of OrderPoint of (Parliamentary) Inquiry

○ To ask about a procedure or process of the Assembly.

Other stuff… Members may also limit the length of a

debate, or table it.Table = to discuss at a later time.Requires a motion, and the associated vote.

They may also refer it to a committee. The Speaker reserves the right to limit

speaking privileges, or to call recesses of the Assembly.

What should you do? It is now 1am, and debate on whether to

paint the outside of Vic Hall with a mural of Tuba’s life and times has taken at least an hour. You want to go home.

A motion regarding limousines in residence is being discussed, and you want to use Hybrid SUV’s instead.

You have to use the facilities in the middle of debate.

You have 3 exams the day after GA, and you can’t make it to today’s GA.

What should you do? Still on the limousine motion. A member

states that a fully-blinged out limousine will only cost $350,000. In fact, you know from experience that it costs $400,000, and you want to tell this to the Assembly.

A motion to give the Speaker $5,000 in unmarked bills has been put to the question, and you notice the CEO blatantly ignoring objections.

The Constitution The guiding document of the MCRS. States our name, goals, and where

responsibilities lie. Also states who has legislative,

executive, and judicial power. Can only be amended by a Society-wide

referendum. And ratified by the university when

necessary

The Bylaws The big one. The document that

lays out all procedures and processes upon which the MCRS will function.

Has a total of 11 By-Laws

Bylaw Amendment Three steps in total

STEP 1: Motion given to General Assembly (First Reading). Motion then goes to CAEC.

STEP 2: Second review of proposed amendment, after CAEC has met to discuss/amend it (Second Reading). Motion then goes to House Councils for approval.

STEP 3: Third and final review of amendment after House Councils have met to vote on it. HPs must vote with their House (Third Reading).

Questions?