Final tally of signatures on bylaws amendment proposals

I just received the notification that was sent to the Bylaws Committee and the Chair of the Election Committee the results of the attempt to get signatures on the various petitions:

138     Change Nominating Committee to Search Committee
130     New hearings procedure
135     Recall elections
137     Replacement of Regional Vice-Chairmen
138     Removal of past chairmen from the American Mensa Committee

As none of the above received the needed 250 signatures, none of them will appear on the ballot. Also, as Lee didn't formally submit his petitions to receive signatures on the website (and didn't send in any hardcopy petitions), none of the six that he had put on this group and had submitted for comment to the Bylaws Committee and the Interpretive Counsel will be on the ballot either.

Only the two amendment proposals passed earlier this term by the AMC will be on the referendum ballot.

Delay in future comments

Apologies to anyone else submitting comments in the next several days. I will not be available to make sure they get on in as timely a manner as I would like. Fear not, though, they will get on.

Brief explanations of bylaws amendment proposals

Here are brief explanations of the five bylaws amendment proposals I have put forward. Please ask any questions that you may have, as my trying to predict all of them would likely have overly-long descriptions no one would want to read through. :-)

Change Nominating Committee to Search Committee (http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=9)
This referendum would change the Nominating Committee into a Search Committee. All candidates for office would be required to submit petitions; there will be no candidates nominated by any committee (as is currently the case). There will be no candidates “recommended” or “endorsed” by any committee. The timeline is adjusted since there would no longer be an initial tier of nominated candidates and then an additional tier of petition candidates. 

New Hearings Committee Procedure (http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=7)
This referendum would overhaul the current procedure for a Hearings Committee. No member of the AMC would be a member of the Hearings Committee; it would now be composed of essentially-random members of American Mensa. Also, any sanction imposed by the Hearings Committee would require concurrence by the AMC. And if a member were to lapse membership or resign before the start of the hearing, the hearing process would stop, with the option to reinstate it if/when that member rejoins.

Recall Elections (http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=5)
This referendum would institute a provision allowing a recall election of elected officers. Most local groups have such a provision, but there is currently no provision for the members of American Mensa to recall elected officers on the AMC.

Removal of Past Chairman from AMC (http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=6)
This referendum would remove the Past Chair and the Past Past Chair of American Mensa from being members of the American Mensa Committee. The AMC would then comprise the five nationally elected officers, 10 regionally elected officers, and 4 appointed officers. (These positions are relics of a time when the institutional memory was not as easily accessible as it is nowadays. For them to also have a vote on the AMC, still, doesn't make much sense, as they are no longer elected, even though they are currently deemed as elective officers in the bylaws.)

RVC Replacement (http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=8)
This referendum would correct a long-standing problem with the bylaws which don't currently have a legitimate way of replacing a vacancy in the position of Regional Vice-Chairman. (The provision that currently exists has been deemed invalid for over 4 years.) This proposal would institute a special election process whereby the members of the region would be able to elect a replacement RVC if the vacancy occurs during the first 15 months of the term.

Bylaws amendment petitions online

The amendments are finally available for signature. We need to get 250 signatures on any bylaws amendment petition to get it to appear on this Spring's referendum ballot. Please sign ASAP. (The original Nov. 1 deadline has been extended to Nov. 15, but I would still like to meet the original deadline.)

The main page listing all amendments (both being put out via petition and by AMC) is
http://www.us.mensa.org/lead/amc/elections/referendum-petitions/referendum-petition-listing/

The individual URLs for each of my five petitions are:

Recall elections

http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=5

 

Removal of past chairmen

http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=6

 

New hearings procedure

http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=7

 

Replacement of RVCs (Special Elections)

http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=8

 

Changing the Nominating Committee to a Search Committee

http://www.us.mensa.org/referendum?ID=9

And while you're clicking on links to sign petitions, how about going to one more, my petition to run for AMC Secretary (so I can exceed the minimum by as many as possible): http://www.us.mensa.org/petition?id=46

Bylaws amendments sent in

I just sent in the five bylaws amendment proposals to go through the required vetting process and will hopefully have that finished and URLs for online petitions available in less than a week. Stay tuned for more info.

Change Nominating Committee (and duties) to Search Committee

Amend Article VI by deleting the text in strikethrough and adding the underlined text, retaining the text in black plaintext.

(1) No later than the August 1st preceding each election, the American Mensa Committee shall appoint a Nominating Search Committee consisting of at least seven members, none of whom shall be members of the American Mensa Committee. Members of the NominatingSearch Committee shall be chosen so as to represent a broad spectrum of the membership, with regard to both geography and general trends of viewsgroup size.

(2) No later than the AMC meeting following each Annual Gathering, the American Mensa Committee shall appoint an Election Committee consisting of three to seven members, none of whom shall be a member of the American Mensa Committee or the NominatingSearch Committee. The Election Committee shall be chosen from among members disinterested in the outcome of the election, and selected for their ability to assist in the conduct of elections. The Election Committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the election, including but not limited to the establishment, updating and publication of a detailed Code of Election Procedures, the preparation of ballots and written material, the distribution of ballots, and the selection of the independent agency to record and count the returned ballots, and the publication of election results. The Code of Election Procedures shall specify that the deadline for NominatingSearch Committee receipt of nominations by petition is February 1st preceding the election. The Code of Election Procedures shall not be changed or amended between submission for publication as stated herein and the day following the official announcement of the ballot election results. Each newly appointed Election Committee must affirmatively adopt a Code of Election Procedures for each election. No later than the deadline for the January issue of the journal preceding each election, the Election Committee shall submit the Code of Election Procedures to the journal for publication therein, or shall submit the Code to another national publication which is received by all members for publication therein, or shall send the same by mail to the membership. If the Code is submitted to the journal, it shall be published in the next available issue.

(3) Each candidate seeking office, whether contacted by the Search Committee or not, must submit a petition, accompanied by the signatures of at least 50 members in good standing as of the December 1^st preceding the election, in a format prescribed by the Election Committee, and by a signed acceptance of nomination by the candidate. Said petitions must reach the Search Committee not later than the February 1^st preceding the election. Electronic submission of petitions is also permitted. No later than the October 1st preceding each election, the Nominating Committee shall nominate one or more candidates for each of the elective offices of American Mensa Ltd., of whom the nominees for the position of Chairman shall (unless no individuals with the requisite qualifications are willing to run for that office) be member(s) of the American Mensa Committee then in office, or have served at least one year on a prior American Mensa Committee. The Nominatingthe Search Committee shall verify the accuracy of the information presented within the petitions received to date, endeavor to correct any factual inaccuracies which may appear therein, and shall submit a list of the nominated candidates to the American Mensa Committee and to the Election Committee a list of such candidates who have submitted petitions, the information provided in the petitions having been verified as reasonably accurate. No other criteria shall be used by the Search Committee to determine whether a candidate should be forwarded to the Election Committee for inclusion on the ballot nor shall there be any “recommendation” or “endorsement” of any candidate, or other similar differentiation between candidates for the same office, be made by the Search Committee. No later than the deadline for the December journal preceding each election, the NominatingSearch Committee shall submit thethis initial list of nominated candidates to the journal for publication therein, or shall send the same by mail to the membership. If the list is submitted to the journal, it shall be published in the next available issue.

(4) No later than the December 1st preceding each election, the Election Committee shall publish in the journal a notice to the effect that nominations by petition for the elective offices shall be directed to the ElectionSearch Committee at an address to be given in the notice, accompanied by the signatures of at least 50 members in good standing as of that December 1st, in a format prescribed by the Election Committee, and by a signed acceptance of nomination by the candidates, said petitions to reach the ElectionSearch Committee not later than the February 1st preceding the election. Electronic submission of petitions is also permitted. The Search Committee shall verify the accuracy of all the information presented within the petitions and endeavor to correct any factual inaccuracies which may appear and submit to the American Mensa Committee and to the Election Committee a final, fully-inclusive list of such candidates who have submitted petitions, the information provided in the petitions having been verified as reasonably accurate. No other criteria shall be used by the Search Committee to determine whether a candidate should be forwarded to the Election Committee for inclusion on the ballot nor shall there be any “recommendation” or “endorsement” of any candidate, or other similar differentiation between candidates for the same office, be made by the Search Committee.

(5) The Election Committee shall publish the names of theall nominees by petition in a similar manner immediately upon the close of the nominating period.

(6) Between February 1st andBy February 10th of election years, the ElectionSearch Committee shall review theany nominations additional petitions that have been received pursuant to Section (4) above, and notify the Election Committee of the final list of all validly nominated candidates. In order to be validly nominated, candidates must have renewed their membership by the last business day of January for the year in which the election falls. For offices for which there is only one valid nomination, the Election Committee shall declare the nominee elected and shall take office starting July 1st. All other valid nominations shall be placed on the ballot.

(7) The ballot shall contain the names of those nominated by the Nominating Committee as well as those nominated by petition, the order in which the namesThe names of candidates for each office shall appear on the ballot in an order being determined by lot. Candidates shall be designated on the ballot to indicate whether they have been nominated by the Nominating Committee, by petition, or both. If two or more candidates decide to run jointly, the ballot shall so indicate. A person's name may not appear in more than one race on the same ballot.

(8) With each ballot there shall be included:

(a) The necessary voting instruction.

(b) A brief biography of each candidate in a format approved by the Election Committee.

(c) The answers by each candidate to any question which may be propounded to all candidates, or to all candidates for a particular office, by the American Mensa Committee, the number of words permitted to be determined by the American Mensa Committee.

(d) A campaign statement, the maximum length of which shall be specified by the Election Committee. Candidates running jointly may pool their allocations. Materials submitted to the ElectionSearch Committee by candidates for publication in conformance with Election Committee regulations shall be published without editing.

(e) The job description for each contested office on the American Mensa Committee. Such job desription shall include any relevant duties and responsibilities of the respective jobs as mentioned within the bylaws as well as any Actions Still in Effect promulgated by the American Mensa Committee.

(9) No member of the NominatingSearch or Election Committee shall be eligible for any national or regional office at the election concerned. 

Hearing Process amendment proposal

Amend Article IX Sections 5-7 by deleting the current language and replacing it with the following Sections 5-8 (NB: current Section 7 is turning into Section 8 and current language that permits continuing a hearing after someone's resignation from AML would be deleted; the current text after "jurisdiction" would be deleted and replaced with the text that appears below in Section 8 after "jurisdiction"):

(5) A member may be suspended from specific activities, offices, positions or functions, for a specified time, or suspended from membership for a specified time, or expelled from membership, for acts inimical to the society. No member shall be suspended or expelled from American Mensa, Ltd. except following a fair and impartial hearing by the Hearings Committee at which hearing the member shall have the right to present his/her case. A decision by the Hearings Committee to impose sanctions upon a member of American Mensa, Ltd., shall require the concurrence of the American Mensa Committee.

(a) The Hearings Committee shall comprise three members of American Mensa, Ltd. who meet the following criteria:

i) they have indicated their willingness to serve on such hearings committees via the Personal Data Questionnaire or other similar mechanism available to the full membership,

ii) they are not members of the same Local Group as the accused or accuser(s) (the parties), nor family members of any of these parties in question, and

iii) they are not members of the American Mensa Committee.

(b) The following procedure will be undertaken to determine the composition of the Hearings Committee:

i) Within two weeks of the Advocate filing charges, or one or more members filing charges of act inimical, with the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee and sending a copy of those charges to the accused member(s), the Chairman will direct the National Office to generate a randomized list of members who meet the criteria laid out in (5)(a).

ii) Within two weeks after the National Office has been duly notified, the first fifty (50) members on that list will be contacted by the National Office to see if they are still willing to serve on a hearing committee and ask if they feel they need to recuse themselves from the upcoming hearing, providing only the name and cities of the parties in question to assist in their determination. If there are fewer than thirty (30) members from this list who remain eligible for the committee within two weeks after such contact from the National Office, additional members who meet the criteria laid out in (5)(a) will be contacted until there is a list of at least thirty (30) qualifying members.

iii) The list of qualifying members and their cities will be sent to the parties and the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee. The parties will have two weeks to then send to the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee and the other parties in question any objections they may have related to one or more individuals on the qualifying list of possible Hearings Committee members. The Chairman of the American Mensa Committee will then send a reduced list of qualifying members to the National Office and each of the parties in question.

iv) From this remaining list of qualifying members, the National Office will randomize them and send this list out to the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee, the parties in question, and each of the members on this list of qualifying members. The first three members on this list will make up the Hearings Committee, with the additional remaining qualifying members, in order, being alternates should a seated member of the Hearings Committee be unavailable or need to step down.

v) Within two weeks of the members of the Hearings Committee being determined, the Hearings Committee will select its chairman in a manner of its own choosing from among its number. The Hearings Committee Chairman will notify the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee and the parties in question about their selection as the chairman. Hereafter, all communications with the Hearings Committee for a particular hearing will go through the Hearings Committee Chairman.

c) Within two weeks of the parties in question being notified of who the Hearings Committee Chairman is, the complainant(s) need to send the full complaint to the Hearings Committee Chairman who will disseminate it to the other members of the committee. Within 60 days from receipt of the complaint, the Hearings Committee shall decide if the alleged acts inimical to the society warrant having a hearing, and establish the date and time of the hearing if so warranted. There shall be a minimum of 30 days and a maximum of 120 days between the receipt of the notification for a hearing and the date of the hearing.

(d) Summary reports of Hearing Committee actions shall be available to the membership.

(6) A member whose recurring conduct has been demonstrably harmful to a local group or to individual members, to the extent that it may be considered inimical to the society, may also be suspended from office in that group, or barred from its functions, or suspended from the group itself by the American Mensa Committee upon recommendation of a Regional Hearings Committee. Such recommendations shall be made only after the member has been given a fair and impartial hearing.

(a) If good-faith efforts to end the harmful conduct have failed, officers and/or members of the local group may request their Regional Vice-Chairman to convene a Regional Hearings Committee to consider charges against the member. The request shall be in writing, shall describe fully the conduct deemed harmful, and shall be signed by officers and/or members of the local group numbering no less than 150% of the number of elective officers of the local group.

(b) The Regional Vice-Chairman shall then initiate a process identical to that laid out in (5), above, with the following differences:

i) Members to be chosen for the Regional Hearings Committee must be members from the same region(s) as the parties but may not be members of the same Local Group as any of the parties in question.

ii) Initial communications will be through the Regional Vice-Chairman instead of the Chairman of the American Mensa Committee.

iii) Once the composition of the Regional Hearings Committee has been determined and if a determination that a hearing is warranted has been made, the chairman of the Regional Hearings Committee will notify the parties in question, the Regional Vice-Chairman, and the Local Secretary of the Local Group(s) of the accused member(s) of the date and location of the upcoming hearing.

(c) A member's violation of sanctions imposed by the American Mensa Committee following a regional hearing shall constitute an act inimical to Mensa for which further sanctions may be imposed by the national Hearings Committee.

(7) The accused member or the complainant may file a written protest with the National Ombudsman if either feels that a regional or national Hearings Committee hearing was conducted unfairly or with prejudice. The National Ombudsman shall investigate the protest and report to the American Mensa Committee, and send a copy of his report to the parties to the hearing.

(8) If national or regional charges have been filed against a member in accordance with section (5)

or (6) of this Article, and the member actively resigns or does not renew membership before the hearings process is completed, the body having jurisdiction at that point in time may complete the hearings process if it feels such action is appropriate, according the accused the same due process as if the resignation or non-renewal had not occurred. If the body chooses not to continue the hearings process upon the accused's resignation or failure to renew, and the accused rejoins, the accused shall face the same charges and hearings. shall cease consideration of the charges, with the option to reinstate the charges if/when the member rejoins. 

Recall Elections amendment proposal

Amend Article III by inserting the following language as the last-numbered section:

(a) Nationally and regionally elected members of the American Mensa Committee may be removed from office by recall election. A recall election may be called by a petition, originated by a member of the affected constituency, citing the reasons for such action and signed by at least five percent of the affected constituency, either national or regional. Such petition should be sent to the Election Committee Chair; electronic petitions may also be submitted. No recall elections will be entertained during the first six months or the last six months of the regular term of office.

(b) If a valid recall petition is submitted, the ballot for recall will be provided for the affected constituency, either by publication in the next possible issue of the national journal or by separate mail sent to all affected constituency. The ballot shall include:

1) the address to which ballots must be mailed

2) the deadline by which all ballots must be received; such deadline to be not less than 30 days, nor more than 60 days, from the initial date of publication or mailing of the ballots to the affected constituency

3) a brief statement by the proponent of the recall and a response by the affected officer(s), with a word limit to be provided by the Election Committee not to be less than 200 words.

(c) Counting of the recall election ballots shall be done at a time and location made known in advance to the affected constituency, no more than 15 days following the deadline for receipt of the ballots. The result of the recall election will be published in the next possible issue of the national journal. If the recall election is successful, and the recalled officer is a regionally elected officer (a Regional Vice-Chairman), then any Special Election procedures in place to replace regionally elected officers (Regional Vice-Chairmen) should begin in this issue of the national journal.

RVC Special Elections

Here's a draft of another bylaws amendment:

Amend Article III as follows:

a. In Article III, Section (10)(a), first sentence, insert “, other than Regional Vice-Chairmen,” after “Elective and appointive officers”. The resulting sentence would then be “Elective and appointive officers, other than Regional Vice-Chairmen, may be removed by resolution of the American Mensa Committee for any of the following reasons:”.

b. In Article III, delete the current language in Section (11) and its subsections, and replace them with the following:

(11) In the event of the resignation, removal, advancement, or death of an elective officer other than a Regional Vice-Chairman, or in the event of an office other than Regional Vice-Chairman not being filled by election, the remaining members of the American Mensa Committee shall elect a successor to fill the office for the remainder of the term of office; provided that, in the case of vacancy in the office of Chairman or First Vice-Chairman, the officer(s) next in line shall move up and the successor shall serve in the office of Second Vice-Chairman.

c. In Article III, add the following language as new Section (12):

(12) In the event of the resignation, removal, advancement, or death of a Regional Vice-Chairman, a special election will be held in the affected region, if such vacancy occurs within the first 15 months of the AMC term. Notice of such vacancy will be provided to the members of the affected region as quickly as possible, either by publication in the national journal or by separate mail sent to all members of the affected region. Candidates will have 30 days to submit petitions to the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall verify the accuracy of all the information presented within the petitions and endeavor to correct any factual inaccuracies which may appear. Each candidate's petition must be accompanied by the signatures of at least 50 members in good standing within the affected region, as of the end of the month preceding the notice of the vacancy of office. The Election Committee shall submit to the American Mensa Committee a final, fully-inclusive list of such candidates who have submitted valid petitions, the information provided in the petitions having been verified as reasonably accurate. For offices for which there is only one valid petition, the Election Committee shall declare the candidate elected. For offices for which there are at least two valid petitions, the names of the candidates shall be placed on the Special Election ballot. The Special Election ballot shall appear in the next possible issue of the national journal or by separate mail sent to all members of the affected region. The Special Election shall be conducted in accordance with Article V Section 2 and Article VI Sections 7-9.

(NOTE: Parts “a” and “b” of this amendment proposal are identical to the motion passed by the AMC at the September AMC meeting, which adjusts obsolete language that has been declared invalid. There is no conflict in this language. If both amendments pass, the effect will be to make the adjustment to the obsolete language dealt with in parts “a” and “b” and to implement the newly added procedure in part “c” to institute a Special Election for replacing Regional Vice-Chairmen.)

Eliminating Both Past Chairs from AMC

I am planning on putting forward an amendment to AML bylaws to remove the positions of Past Chair and Past Past Chair from the AMC.

Amend Article III Section (2) by deleting current subsection (b) (thereby removing the two most recent Chairmen of the Society as members of the American Mensa Committee), relabeling subsection (c) as subsection (b), and changing the final phrase from “Sections (2)(a) and (2)(b) above” to read “Section (2)(a)”.

Petitions for AML Election Now Available

Petitions for the upcoming AML election are now available. To get to the full list of petitions or the area where you can create your own petition, go to http://www.us.mensa.org/lead/amc/elections/candidate-petitions/

To sign my petition for Secretary, you should be able to go directly there via
http://www.us.mensa.org/petition?id=46

SMART goals

Below are my individual SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-limited) goals, both specific to the office I seek and what I would want for the AMC writ large. I expect that many of the items on the AMC-specific list will align with what the slate eventually puts out, but can only represent these goals, for now, as solely my own viewpoint.

Priority Tasks Specifically for Secretary

1. Compile and distribute mini-minutes of AMC meetings in under one week.

2. Compile and distribute the full minutes of AMC meetings in two weeks, subject to being able to have a unanimous online vote as required by law for such online votes.

3. Update the ASIEs as of July 2013 by July 31, 2013.

4. Ensure that the ASIEs are updated and available online within two weeks of AMC meeting minutes being approved.

5. Compile and distribute mini-minutes of the ABM in under one week.

6. Compile and distribute a draft version of minutes of the ABM in under one month. Accept attending-member input to the draft version as soon after the ABM concludes as possible. ABM minutes are approved at the subsequent ABM.

7. Cross-reference the bylaws, ASIEs, various handbooks, and local group charters. Provide SMART phrasing of this goal before the 2nd AMC meeting of the 2013-15 term to make more measurable and easier to evaluate.

8. Ensure the dates, times, and locations of all AMC meetings and committee meetings are readily available to the membership within one business day of them being set. (Such meetings should be open to the membership.)


Priority Tasks for AMC

1. Take all votes publicly in open session, even if related to discussions which were determined to be required to be held in executive session.

2. Make sure that reports created by the National Office or a contracted outside firm for the AMC with affect the whole of AML be readily accessible to the membership. Such reports should be made available in less than one month. Exceptions to this policy should be rare and well-explained.

3. Before the 2nd AMC meeting of the 2013-15 term, request, receive, and review all of the financial information that was used for the 2013-14 budget. Use this information to begin to review and prioritize the various programs being funded via dues in order to determine the effectiveness of those programs, which should be retained/eliminated, and whether dues should be changed (which includes the possibility of lowering them).

4. Ensure that all members of the AMC receive the full “binder” of materials used in preparation of the budget, even though the initial drafting of the budget is done by the Finance Committee. This material should be on-hand when starting to review the Finance Committee's proposed budget. Project mebership growth and retention more realistically, and budget accordingly.

5. Before the 3rd AMC meeting of the 2013-15 term, request, receive, and review the in-depth description of the duties of all staffers at the National Office and a cost-accounting of what each of the staffers actually does.

6. Before the 3rd AMC meeting of the 2013-15 term, investigate how to make the AMC meetings available to members remotely. Report the findings at the 3rd AMC meeting. Determine how any changes in this policy would affect records retention.

7. Before the 3rd AMC meeting of the 2013-15 term, enable members of “Isolated Ms” to become proctors, despite the lack of the current "key players" needed for such certification.

8. Reform the hearings process if no such amendment is passed via referendum during the 2013 election. Put forward such a bylaws amendment, if still needed, for the 2015 election. Update the ASIEs accordingly.

9. Put forward a bylaws amendment that removes the current Nominating Committee procedure if no such amendment is passed via referendum during the 2013 election; have it available for the ballot for the 2015 election. Update the ASIEs accordingly.

10. Put forward a bylaws amendment that fixes the current RVC replacement impasse if no such amendment is passed via referendum during the 2013 election; have it available for the ballot for the 2015 election.

11. Put forward a bylaws amendment that enables a recall of members of the AMC if no such amendment is passed via referendum during the 2013 election; have it available for the ballot for the 2015 election.

12. Review the long-standing policy of requiring that staffers not be members of Mensa. Determine what, if any, legal and tax-status ramifications would come from changing the policy to permitting members to be paid staff. (Note: Regardless of the determination, this would not necessitate the current staffers qualify for and become members of Mensa unless the policy changed that only current or former members be permitted to be staffers; such a reequirement, if desired, would also need to be studied from a legal and tax-status perspective.) Final determination should be made before the end of the first year of the 2013-15 term.

The Clean Slate

These are the candidates who are currently known to be on the Clean Slate.

Secretary: Jared Levine
Treasurer: Cary Chilson
RVC9: Desiree E. Sagray

Note 1: Some others are still considering signing on with the Clean Slate. In at least one case, multiple people for a single position.

Note 2: There have been several people who were previously associated with the slate that have decided against running at all, for various personal-life issues (typically job, school, or medical-related). or because the focus is different than they want. Others have decided to run solo, separate from any slate.

(Post last edited 9/17/12)

Clean Slate's working principles

The Clean Slate:
Working Principles for a 21st Century Mensa
Version 1.0

1. Make member services and "the Mensa experience" the primary focus of the entire organization. Make members not just satisfied in, but active contributors to, and advocates of, This Smart Thing of Ours.

2. Embrace that individual and local group activities are the primary interaction members have within Mensa. Actively fund local activities. Actively share successful activities across local groups. Actively document support information. Actively quantify critical success criteria to enable evaluation and doing more of what works, less of what doesn't.

3. Mimic what makes the internet the most successful invention in history. Experiment, learn, & enable tight/quick feedback loops. Let adoption, promulgation, & extension determine success.

4. Embrace social media & mobile culture. Make member interaction a 24/7/365 possibility. Use video to capture & share the joy of being a smartie. Integrate publications, events, & discussions via social media. Minimize lead times. Maximize coverage. Enable every member to customize their Mensa experience based on their tastes/preferences.

5. Quantify everything. Collect data obsessively. Use it to make data-based decisions. It's not science unless it can be measured.

6. Use SMARTER principles to enable objective, data-based creation & evaluation of goals & objectives: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely, Evaluated, & Re-evaluated. Actively compare objectives to results. Make course corrections as soon as a problem is evident.

7. Actively train local leaders in the nuts & bolts of running a successful local group. Update & futurize handbooks. Create FAQs. Hold regular training
workshops. Capture sessions on video for easy sharing & reference. Embrace remote & net-based education to expand reach while lowering costs.

8. Establish a sound financial base for Mensa now & into the future. Align expenditures with member services. Justify & control expenses. Budget revenue on data-based, realistic membership retention & growth. Establish transparency in budget & actual expenditures. Cut expenses & hold the line on dues.

9. Establish a culture of transparency, openness, & inclusiveness. Broadcast & capture AMC & budget meetings. Enable members to see how time, effort & money are spent representing them & governing the corporation. Explain decisions. Minimize/eliminate time spent in "executive session."

10. Embrace viral/word-of-mouth/recommendation marketing. Make every member's experience so good that they can't wait to share Mensa with their friends.

Desire for Change in AML

From what I have been told, there are already approximately 30 candidates for AMC who have submitted their paperwork to the Nominating Committee, and almost all (if not all) of the races already have at least two candidates. (I don't have a full list. It might be possible to get that directly from the NomComm.) There will surely be others, like myself (running for Secretary) and Alan Baltis (running for Chairman), who will only be using the petition process for various reasons.

Given how many people are running and contesting (nearly?) all of the positions on the AMC, it should be fairly obvious that there is a large desire for change. What the change is that each individual wants, and how compatible those various visions are with each other, is another story. And something that will hopefully play out meaningfully over the next several months.

To that end, there is a new yahoogroup (yep, ANOTHER list) that is dedicated solely to the current AMC election cycle: M-US-Elections. Any current AML members who want to subscribe to it, just send an e-mail to M-US-Elections-subscribe@yahoogroups.com -- the plan is for this to be an area where the candidates can both proactively describe their vision, background, etc., but also for members to ask questions of the candidates that go beyond the standardized questions that are part of the Candidate Information Forms. 

Growing AML

One of the members on M-Pol posed the following questions: How do you propose growing the organization? Mensa has about 50,000 members out of a potential pool of 7,000,000 - my numbers may be off, but as an order of magnitude there aren't many dues-paying members. Why do you think the numbers are so low, and what do you propose do do about it?

Here's how I answered:

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As a likely member of the slate [as candidate for AMC Secretary], I'll take a stab at this one. The best thing that we can do towards increasing our membership numbers is increase the pride that people feel for being members of Mensa. So much logically follows from such a simple premise:

--Increased positive word-of-mouth about the organization. If friends, family, and co-workers see just how much enjoyment one gets from Mensa, they are likelier to test/submit prior evidence and join themselves.

--Increased volunteerism. When people feel good about an organization and like what it is doing and what it is about, they are more likely to participate in ways that are beneficial. Not only will we get more hosts of local activities, but we will get more people willing to lend a hand for the officially sponsored activities, and even run for local group boards as well as AMC. We will also be able to recruit more proctors to hold more tests more frequently, increasing opportunities for candidates to test and join.

--Increased community awareness. There will be more people who are inspired to do their community-oriented volunteerism in the name of Mensa, such as those of us who judge for Odyssey of the Mind, local science fairs, Mathletes, school trivia bowls, or whatever.

--Increased donations to MERF and/or local scholarship funds. This feeds back in increased community awareness and positive word-of-mouth.

So, how do we go about fostering that increased sense of pride in Mensa?

--Increase transparency among the AMC, National Office, and the membership writ large.

--Increase regular, meaningful communication between the AMC and the local groups.

--Assist local groups develop additional leaders, enabling local groups to have a “deep bench” so as to avoid the burnout that so many suffer from.

--Share lessons learned among the local groups.

--Solicit ideas and volunteers from the membership before engaging an outside firm whenever possible.

--Modernize our communications efforts so that we can reach the members in the ways they want to be reached.

--Do a better job of recognizing achievement on a more regular basis.

--Correct problems and/or inequities within our bylaws and make sure that we, as an organization, live up to our bylaws.

--Make sure to have fun at AMC meetings and have attending members also enjoy themselves, making it obvious that it is possible to be light-hearted while doing serious work for the benefit of AML; this can then be translated to the local group level.

Numbers are low at least in part because of ineffective marketing efforts and our having more of a social stigma placed upon our name than a sense of pride. Adjusting our marketing will need to be something that the AMC takes an active role in guiding, having it be the new AMC's vision being the driving force and the marketing staff's experience in the business to implement that vision effectively. Shifting the social stigma will be a much more difficult hurdle, as we suffer from the confluence of a general anti-intellectualism in the country and a disregard for many groups that are branded as “elite.” These are long-held, ingrained social mores that take many years to break down, and likely would require more than just the resources that Mensa can bring to bear.

But with the results of the increased pride in AML, we will get more people willing to become proctors and hold test sessions. The more frequently we can test, the faster we can capitalize on the curiosity of inquiring test candidates. The more those proctors are involved and can talk up the local group in a fun way, the more likely the test candidates who pass will join and come out to their first event relatively quickly.

Granted, this is all a very tall order. And anyone who promises to actually get all of it done within the span of a single term is kidding you. However, what we can promise to do is to start adjusting the stilted culture by our very presence, words, and deeds in such a way as to make much of the above more readily accomplished in the medium-term.

MWM's RG: Superhero Edition

Marvel at the DC Regional Gathering, May 17-19, 2013, at the Hyatt Dulles in Herndon, VA!

Keep up with the latest happenings by subscribing to the RG's blog at
http://superheroedition.wordpress.com/
and link to us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SuperheroEdition

You can register online at http://superheroedition.wordpress.com/registration/
(It takes you to the same page that the registration link on mwmrg.org takes you to.)

You can also reserve your hotel room at http://superheroedition.wordpress.com/hotel/
(It takes you directly to our room block's page at
https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_ei_new&eventID=9661405)

Interested in giving a program? (It can be superhero-themed or not.) Drop us a line with a brief description of the talk. Willing to volunteer an hour or two of your time during the RG? (Many hands make light work.) Have any suggestions of what might make for a good program (especially if you have a connection)? Let us know.

Bylaws Amendments -- Comments

Amendment #1 (Do away w/ 2VC)

Generally speaking, I think this is a good amendment, as the duties of the 2VC really could be taken on by the rest of the AMC. A couple of items, though:

--I think better phrasing in IV(2) re: what happens when the VC is absent would be "In the absence or inability to serve of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman, their duties will be assumed by the senior-most elected directors of the AMC based on uninterrupted time served on the AMC."

--If this were to pass during this election, then the person who would have just been elected to the position would immediately be out of office, as the position will be simultaneously done away with. Perhaps a "date effective" (say, July 1, 2015 -- the beginning of the *subsequent* term) should be added to this?

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Amendment #2 (Change appointees to be non-voting; remove Past Past Chair & keep Past Chair for no more than 6 months)

Mixed bag. First of all, this should be split into two separate amendments, as the limitations on Past Chairs and the change of appointee voting rights are totally unrelated to each other.

I agree with the sentiment that only those people elected to the AMC should be the ones to have a vote on AMC motions. Why should these particular AMC appointees get a vote and not such others as the various counsel (Interpretive Counsel, Intellectual Property Counsel, General (?) Counsel)?

And while I would prefer to just outright get rid of both of the past chair positions (they can always be left on the AMC e-list for consultations, etc.; that's an administrative call that the AMC can make whenever it wishes to, IMO), this is a step in the right direction.

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Amendment #3 (RVC roles)

I understand the point behind this: define the duties of the office just like the other AMC offices have defined roles within the bylaws. I do wonder about a couple of items in here, though:


Are proxies on the Board of Directors permitted per NYS NFP law? (I've not gone and looked for myself yet. It's something which will need to get answered at some point.)


Also, is removal of the Asst. RVC by the majority of the AMC permitted per NYS NFP law? It would seem that this runs afoul of the same issue as we currently have with removal of RVCs. (The way this is otherwise written, surely the RVC can remove his own assistant, but I don't see how the AMC could do so.)

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Amendment #4 (Add a LocSec Representative to AMC's appointees)

This one I don't like:
--Why do LocSecs, specifically, require a special representative on the AMC, any moreso than the rest of the membership?
--Isn't this just an extra, and more cumbersome, layer of bureaucracy than the RVCs? RVCs communicate with about a dozen LocSecs currently, at least in theory, to represent the chapters in their region on the AMC. This position would have 1 person communicating with over 130 LocSecs to be able to represent them on the AMC, when they're already represented by their respective RVCs.
--The mechanism for appointing the LocSec Representative is extremely clunky.

I think this one could benefit from a rewrite to improve the clarity before the membership should be voting on it. (Granted, by improving the clarity and not changing the underlying amendment, I still would want the membership to vote this one down.)

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Amendment #5 (Reduce # of RVCs down to 3-5)

This one I very much don't like. And while it could benefit from slightly improved phrasing, it's clear enough to be put on the ballot, I think. (Well, once the date effective is also dealt with, as with Amendment #1.)

Why dislike this one? Well, doing the math with 3 RVCs, we get the "large" region with about 12 groups, then the "medium" region with over 20 groups, and finally the "small" region with over 90 groups. Really? *90* groups can be adequately represented by one RVC? And effective if Amendment #3 were to pass also? Even if you break the "small" region into 3 regions of 30 each (for ease here), that's still far too many for one RVC to handle.

Nevermind the fact that the various groups within any one region will be so far-flung that it's unlikely that the vast majority of members within the region will have the opportunity to even meet their RVC.

Governance Discussion -- Bylaws Amendment #5

Amendment Summary
Reduce the amount of RVCs from ten (10) to three (3). Divide the groups into large, medium and small classes in such a manner that approximately one third (1/3) of the membership falls into each. Each RVC can only be elected from local groups that fall into that class. The existing funds used by the other seven (7) RVCs would be added to the budgets of remaining three (3) to facilitate RG travels and awarding of discretionary funds for local use. Groups would be redrawn prior to each election cycle in order to continue to provide optimal representation.

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Affected Bylaws
Article III, Item 4
There shall be no fewer than five (5) and no more than ten (10) Regional Vice-Chairmen. The Regions represented by the Regional Vice-Chairmen shall be defined in terms of postal ZIP codes and shall be established by the American Mensa Committee after it has considered the membership distribution, membership growth trends, local group preferences, and administrative feasibility.

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Revised Bylaws
Article III, Item 4
There shall be no fewer than three (3) and no more than five (5) Regional Vice-Chairmen (RVCs). The Regions represented by the RVCs shall be divided into large, medium and small groupings based on local group size in such a manner that approximately one third (1/3) of the membership (or divided evenly if additional RVCs are added) falls into each. Final groupings will be completed and delivered to the American Mensa Committee by the National Office for approval at the AMC meeting at least four (4) months prior to the appointing of a Nominating Committee.

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Pro-Position Statements for Amendments
Many members see the RVC as our elected representative to the AMC, much in the way our House Members and our Senators represent our congressional districts in Washington. The reality is this is not the case. RVCs don't represent membership, and local groups actually report up to the RVC instead of the RVC reporting down to the members that elected them. This restructuring will allow a few things to start happening. By structuring regions based on size of the local group rather than geographic proximity, we can begin to select RVCs who have experience being successful at the local level with groups of a certain size. RVCs will then have an experience level and a focus on the needs of a specific size/type of local group. RVCs can identify local group needs and introduce best practices to other groups that face similar challenges and help integrate them in a more efficient manner. Local RVCs can begin to be identified and elected based on their track record at the local level and not just by their popularity at a national level or on their longevity as a member. The one third approach by general membership numbers also will accommodate those who may oppose such a change due to perceived equal representation. However, in reality that majority of Mensa members may never directly interact with their RVC or even meet that individual during the course of a RVC's elected term. RVCs would continue to interact directly with Local Secretaries, but if the actual number of local secretaries a RVC has to work with becomes too great to manage, a buffer of up to five RVCs has been worked into the amendment to allow for growth.

Governance Discussion -- Bylaws Amendment #4

Here's proposed bylaws amendment #4.

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Amendment Summary
Add an appointed position to the AMC, consisting of an active LocalSecretary who is appointed to the AMC by a vote of Local Secretaries. The term of this position shall be for a non-consecutive year. The individual filling this position must be unique to the AMC, and may not be filled by any other existing elective or appointed position serving on the AMC and as a Local Secretary.
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Affected Bylaws
Article 3, number 5
(5) The appointive members of the American Mensa Committee shall include the following: Membership Officer, Communications Officer, Director of Science and Education, Development Officer and such other officers as shall be required for the orderly administration of the business of the society.
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Revised Bylaws

Article 3, Number 5

(5) The appointive members of the American Mensa Committee appointed by the American Mensa Committee shall include the following: Membership Officer, Communications Officer, Director of Science and Education, Development Officer and such other officers as shall be required for the orderly administration of the business of the society. The appointive members of the American Mensa Committee appointed by the collective of Local Secretaries at the time of appointment shall include a 1 year, non-consecutive (not eligible for a second term for at least 12 months) term of a sitting Local Secretary who is not serving in any other capacity on the AMC.

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Conflict Mitigation

In the even that both amendment 2 and amendment 4 pass, the revision to Article 3, Number 5 that is present in amendment 4 shall override the revision present in Amendment 2.

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Pro-Position Statement on Proposed Amendment

By adding a sitting Local Secretary to the AMC, we can continue to encourage dialog between the local level and the national level, along with bringing a grass roots perspective to board members who may no longer be familiar to its challenges. Its non-voting status maintains the will of the elective in giving decision making power to those who can be held accountable at election time. The term limit of 1 year will maintain that a fresh local level perspective is constantly provided to the AMC.

Governance Discussion -- Amendment #3

Below is Shawn's 3rd amendment:

Amendment Summary
Regional Vice Chairs are to hold quarterly conference calls with their local group leaders (Local Secretary, Assistant Local Secretary or appointed representative of a local group), no more than 60 days after each AMC meeting.

1. The Regional Vice-Chair is to disseminate business conducted at the most recent AMC meeting, and is to gather feedback from local groups on that business.
2. The Regional Vice-Chair is to discuss issues of importance to the local groups for dissemination with the AMC at the next scheduled AMC meeting.
3. The Regional Vice-Chair is to share any best practices, or recommendations on feedback given by local groups for continued improvement of local group efficiency.
4. The Regional Vice-Chair is required to select an assistant RVC from a candidate in their region, to assist them with tasks between AMC meetings and to act as a proxy in the event the RVC is unable to attend an AMC meeting. The assistant RVC would assume RVC duties should a sitting RVC vacates their post until a vote can be conducted to elect a new RVC within that region.
5. Regional Vice-Chairs will be required to write a column to be printed in the official publication of local groups for the region represented, that at a minimum highlights recent AMC business and items of interest to the general membership from across the region represented.

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Affected Bylaws
Article IV, Item 6

6. The duties of the Regional Vice-Chairmen shall be to act as liaison between local groups in their respective Regions and the American Mensa Committee, and to carry out in their respective Regions the policies and programs formulated by the American Mensa Committee.

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Revised Bylaws
(6) The duties of the Regional Vice-Chair shall be to act as a liaison between local secretaries in their respective regions and the American Mensa Committee, and to assist Local Secretaries in executing the policies and programs formulated by the American Mensa Committee.
(a) The Regional Vice-Chair will disseminate business conducted from the most recent AMC meeting, and gather feedback from Local Secretaries through conference call or direct correspondence no greater than 60 days after the close of each meeting.
(b) The Regional Vice-Chair will discuss and capture issues of importance to the Local Secretaries of the RVC's region quarterly, and disseminate this feedback with the AMC in the form of a report for the subsequent AMC meeting.
(c) The Regional Vice-Chair will work in conjunction with the AMC to provide direction to the national office staff through the Chair of the AMC in supporting initiatives for the benefit of Local Secretaries/Local Groups.
(d) The Regional Vice-Chair will share any best practices, or recommendations on feedback given by local groups for continued improvement of local group efficiency.
(e) The Regional Vice-Chair is required to select an assistant RVC from a candidate in the RVC's region whose term runs concurrent with the RVC's, to assist the RVC with tasks between AMC meetings and to act as a proxy in the event the RVC is unable to attend an AMC meeting. The assistant RVC serves at the pleasure of the RVC, and may be asked to step down at any time by the RVC he/she reports to or by a collective vote of the AMC.
(f) Should an RVC step down from his/her position, the assistant RVC will temporarily assume the RVC's administrative duties until an election for a new RVC has been conducted. The assistant RVC is not permitted to vote on official business while attending an AMC meeting in this capacity.
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Pro-Position Statements on Proposed Measure
There is an existing condition where ambiguity in the role of an RVC allows the role of an RVC to be left up to interpretation. The byproduct of this is that conflicting philosophies causes confusion at the local level as to what to expect from an RVC, or resentment should an incoming RVC's interpretation be different from that of the outgoing RVC. Additionally, this ambiguity also can be interpreted in a way that leads to inaction by an RVC which can stifle growth and communication at the local level for periods of 2 years or more. Furthermore, the current structure lacks a formal process for grooming potential future RVC's. By mandating an assistant RVC, we provide a mechanism for grooming members and getting them exposure to the inner workings of Mensa at a national level early as opposed to throwing them in the fire upon election, while at the same time allowing RVC's to better manage their own responsibilities to the organization.

Governance Discussion -- Amendment #2

Here's the next amendment that was submitted for the ABM agenda.


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 Amendment Summary
Restrict voting rights on the American Mensa Committee (AMC) to elected positions only.  Appointed positions will be permitted to take part in business discussion as their role dictates, may be permitted to make motions but may not be permitted to cast vote on any business.  Past Chair(s) will also be prevented from casting votes.

Limit the role of past chairs to a single individual, with a 6 month (2 meetings) term with non-voting rights. Any remaining roles as it relates to the Hearings or Nominations Committee would remain unchanged.

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Affected Bylaws
Article III, Number 2, items a, b, and c

(2) The voting membership of the American Mensa Committee shall include:

(a)  The elective officers.
(b)  The two most recent Chairmen of the Society.
(c)  Such other officers as are specifically appointed by the American Mensa Committee to their respective positions and specifically granted the right to vote. The number of such officers shall not be greater than one-third the number of officers included in Sections (2)(a) and (2)(b) above.

Article III, Number 5
(5) The appointive members of the American Mensa Committee appointed by the American Mensa Committee shall include the following: Membership Officer, Communications Officer, Director of Science and Education, Development Officer and such other officers as shall be required for the orderly administration of the business of the society.

Article III, Number 8

(8) The American Mensa Committee may also appoint individuals to non-voting membership on the Committee.

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Revised Bylaws
Article III, Number 2, item a

(2) The voting membership of the American Mensa Committee shall be restricted to the elective officers as defined in Article III, Number 3.

(a) Such other officers as are specifically appointed by the American Mensa Committee to their respective positions are specifically prohibited from casting votes on official Mensa business, but are permitted to make motions and participate in discussion as their roles permit.

Article III, Number 5
(5) The appointive members of the American Mensa Committee shall include the following: Membership Officer, Communications Officer, Director of Science and Education, Development Officer, 1 most recent Past Chairman (Limited to 2 meetings or 6 months, whichever is less) and such other officers as shall be required for the orderly administration of the business of the society.

Article III, Number 8

To be removed from bylaws, with other sections and internal references adjusted accordingly.

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Conflict Mitigation

In the even that both amendment 2 and amendment 4 pass, the revision to Article 3, Number 5 that is present in amendment 4 shall override the revision present in Amendment 2.


Pro-Position Statement on Proposed Amendment
By limiting the voting positions on the AMC to those elected by the general membership, we can maintain a bond of accountability between those who are elected to make decisions, and those who actually make the decisions.  Additionally, we take an additional step towards reaching a more streamlined, and efficient AMC by removing the bloat of unaccountable voices.

The role of past chair in organizations is typically limited to 1 individual, for transition purposes.  The current ability for past presidents to remain on the AMC up to 4 years after their elected term expires is unnecessary, costly and and contributes to the inefficiency of our organization.