March 30, 2006, 12:12 p.m. (Message 44918, in reply to message 44893)
This is what the draft constitution states with regard to alterations to the constitiution (item 49a): "An alteration to the Constitution of the Society shall be effected only by a motion passed by the Society in General Meeting which shall have received the vote of not fewer than two thirds of the delegates present." Changing the rules is a different matter (item 23d): "The Management Board shall have the following powers: (...) to make or amend Rules within the terms of the Constitution for the administration and management of the affairs of the Society." Several postings so far have referred to concerns about changing the constitution without member vote. There is currently no provision for individual RSCDS members to vote at the AGM; voting at the AGM is done by Branch delegates, who may, or may not, depending on the way a Branch conducts its business, have been instructed to vote in accordance with the members' wishes. If you are a RSCDS member but not a member of a Branch (= a HQ member), you have no vote at the Society AGM. You do, however, (draft constitution item 6a) have the right to stand for election to the Management Board and Management Committees and to offer yourself as a candidate for appointed posts (and get involved in decision-making from within the RSCDS management structure). The consultation process for the draft constitution and rules is scheduled to run until 25 May, which is the closing date for submissions to HQ. The more feedback the better! Susi Susi Mayr Vienna, Austria (& RSCDS Management Board) xxxx@xxxxxxx.xx.xx