In the entire history of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., the office of Executive Director (whether “National??? or “International???), has submitted to an interview only once to answer the many questions that members of the fraternity may have. I submitted to such an interview in 1982, after the near bankruptcy of the fraternity, following the excesses of the Charleston Conclave. The interview explained to the members the many mistakes that had been made and the deficiencies that needed to be corrected to prevent such mistakes in the future. The fact that I would boldly write the members of the fraternity without the expressed approval of the General Board did not make me the apple of the General Board’s eyes.
Regrettably, since then, most of the lack of structure in the Conclave has placed the membership of the fraternity in peril because the Conclave has put in place no real policies, practices and programs. Many of the members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. – who the Founders entrusted the fraternity with, through the Conclave – have done nothing else other than to sit on their behinds and allow themselves to be fast-talked by Past Presidents, the current President and the General Board who were elected to represent the members interests and desires (not to promote their individual agendas). Many of the members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. have come to Conclave after Conclave and been delegated to instead of actualizing their role as a delegate and delegating to the assembly of the Conclave what they want to be done. As a result, the office of Executive Director can be terminated two weeks prior to a Conclave and the General Board can sell your fraternity’s headquarters with no actual meaningful input from you; the membership who actually owns the building. The General Board can also determine what the Conclave agenda will be with no actual meaningful input from you; the membership who actually determines what the credentials, rules and agenda should be and can be during a Conclave.
The lack of proper structure places the only person hired to protect your rights as a member, and to run your organization in a situation that always ends badly. Our deceased fraternity brother and past national executive director, William E. Doar, Jr., resigned from serving the fraternity after 30 years of dedicated service because he was fed up with being mistreated. I also left because I was mistreated. I had to sue the fraternity for it to provide me with the monies that it owed and had promised to pay me. Past Executive Director, Lawrence Miller, was also mistreated, and died, as a partial result of the stressful activities and pressures under which he operated while serving. The immediate past executive director, Brother Donald Jemison, was terminated two weeks prior to a Conclave to prevent the Conclave (the supreme governing body of the fraternity) from having any say and erasing the policy that had been in place that made the office of Executive Director tenured one year beyond the term of the current president and I predict that the current executive director, Brother Marco McMillian, will suffer a similar fate of mistreatment, and further be used as a figurative scapegoat for any problems that arise at the Conclave.
BROTHERS, our Founders gave us a Conclave system so that our chapters could run the fraternity rather than the General Board and rather than any President. Over the years, the majority of the membership of our fraternity has completely abdicated its authority and the system now operates top-down rather than bottom-up. In other words, Brothers have been systemically conditioned by self-serving individuals to take orders and follow directions instead of operating in the manner in which our fraternity was designed. As chapters and members-at-large of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., WE DELEGATE what will be done in the fraternity. WE SET THE AGENDA in our fraternity. WE DO NOT SHOW UP TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO nor HOW IT WILL BE DONE. WE HAVE THE CONTROL WHEN THE CONCLAVE IS IN SESSION. AND WE MUST UTILIZE THE ONE WEEK THAT WE MEET IN CONCLAVE OUT OF 104 WEEKS IN OUR TWO YEARS CYCLE BECAUSE UNTIL WE UPDATE OUR STRUCTURE, AFTER THE CONCLAVE ADJOURNS, OUR BOARD IS IN CHARGE FOR THE REMAINING 103 WEEKS. The CHAIR of any plenary session serves in the capacity of a neutral facilitator and moderator. HE DOES NOT and SHOULD NOT serve in the capacity of a dictator. The presiding officer (president) when in the chair may express facts; but he is strictly prohibited from expressing any opinions or personal views and wishes. WE THE DELEGATES AT A CONCLAVE HAVE THE AUTHORITY vested in us by the International Constitution & By-laws of our fraternity and the Tenth Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised TO SET THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE FRATERNITY WILL GO IN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS. WE THE DELEGATES “DELEGATE??? TO EACH FUTURE ELECTED OFFICER WHAT WE WANT THEM TO DO, WHAT POLICIES WE WANT TO HAVE ADMINISTERED, and WHAT AGENDA WE WANT THEM TO FOLLOW, not the other way around.
If there are a dozen Sigma men with something between their legs other than an empty sack, twelve such Sigma men could set right the Conclave and the Fraternity in the first business session. From time to time brave Sigma men send you clear and factual information or stand up at the Conclave to protect your rights as members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. The naysayers and individuals who want to control you will refer to those Sigma men as troublemakers, out of control, mavericks, and renegades, among other choice words. When these brave Brothers stand up for your rights, you must stand with them rather than dismiss their efforts to protect the principles under which we were founded.
Please critically review the interview I participated in as Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and sent to every member in 1982. Select My Interview to view and download the interview I participated in as Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Note, I interviewed myself and answered the questions.
Then answer the following question: “In the 30 years since Conclave Charleston, has Sigma (in the eyes of the general public domestically or internationally) made any noteworthy progress in the areas of business, education or community service, or is our fraternity still, hopelessly, going around in circles????
Finally, decide what you will do to create the change you want to see in our fraternity.
Fraternally yours,
Gerald D. Smith
Past Executive Director of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Regular Member, National Association of Parliamentarians®
asagai@verizon.net
- CONCLAVE TIPS OF THE WEEK
- TIP #1
How can the Conclave reverse a decision made by the General Board of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., according to the Tenth Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised?
In the situation in which a society’s bylaws confer upon its executive board full power and authority over the affairs of the society between membership meetings, any motion adopted by the board pursuant to such authority may later be countermanded – that is, rescinded or amended – by the membership at a later membership meeting (RONR [10th ed.], p. 466, l. 11-14), but such rescission or amendment will require adoption by the membership of a motion to Rescind or Amend Something Previously Adopted in accordance with the rules in Section 35, just as if the motion had originally been adopted by the membership itself. The same is true whenever a board or committee takes action in behalf of the membership pursuant to authority conferred upon it (for example, when the board or a committee is authorized to approve the minutes of a membership meeting, as discussed on p. 457, l. 21-32).
- TIP #2
What are the actual responsibilities and rights of the chairman of a plenary session during Conclave, according to the Tenth Edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised?
58. Chairman or President. The presiding officer, when no special title has been assigned him, is ordinarily called the Chairman, or the President, or, especially in religious assemblies, the Moderator. In organized societies the constitution always prescribes his title, that of President being most common. In debate, he is referred to by his official title and is addressed by prefixing Mr. or Madam, as the case may be, to that title. In referring to himself, he should never use the personal pronoun; he generally says, “the chair,” which means the presiding officer of the assembly, regardless of whether his position is permanent or temporary. If his position is only temporary he is called the chairman.
His duties are generally as follows: To open the session at the time at which the assembly is to meet, by taking the chair and calling the members to order; to announce the business before the assembly in the order in which it is to be acted upon [65]; to recognize members entitled to the floor [3]; to state [6] and to put to vote [9] all questions which are regularly moved, or necessarily arise in the course of the proceedings, and to announce the result of the vote; to protect the assembly from annoyance from evidently frivolous or dilatory motions by refusing to recognize them [40]; to assist in the expediting of business in every way compatible with the rights of the members, as by allowing brief remarks when undebatable motions are pending, if he thinks it advisable; to restrain the members when engaged in debate, within the rules of order; to enforce on all occasions the observance of order and decorum among the members, deciding all questions of order (subject to an appeal to the assembly by any two members) unless when in doubt he prefers to submit the question for the decision of the assembly [21]; to inform the assembly, when necessary, or when referred to for the purpose, on a point of order or practice pertinent to pending business; to authenticate, by his signature, when necessary, all the acts, orders, and proceedings of the assembly declaring its will and in all things obeying its commands. In case of fire, riot, or very serious disorder, or other great emergency, the chair has the right and the duty to declare the assembly adjourned to some other time (and place if necessary), if it is impracticable to take a vote, or in his opinion, dangerous to delay for a vote.
The chairman should rise to put a question to vote, except in very small assemblies, such as boards or committees, but may state it sitting; he should also rise from his seat (without calling any one to the chair) when giving his reasons for his decision upon a point of order, or when speaking upon an appeal, which he can do in preference to other members. During debate he should be seated and pay attention to the speaker, who is required to address his remarks to the presiding officer. He should always refer to himself as “the chair,” thus, “The chair decides,” etc., not “I decide,” etc. When a member has the floor, the chairman cannot interrupt him excepting as provided in 3, so long as he does not transgress any of the rules of the assembly.
If a member of the assembly, he is entitled to vote when the vote is by ballot (but not after the tellers have commenced to count the ballots), and in all other cases where the vote would change the result. Thus, in a case where a two-thirds vote is necessary, and his vote thrown with the minority would prevent the adoption of the question, he can cast his vote; so, also, he can vote with the minority when it will produce a tie vote and thus cause the motion to fail; but he cannot vote twice, first to make a tie, and then to give the casting vote. Whenever a motion is made referring to the chairman only, or which compliments or condemns him with others, it should be put to vote by the Vice President if in the room, or by the Secretary, or on their failure to do so, by the maker of the motion. The chair should not hesitate to put the question on a motion to appoint delegates or a committee on account of his being included.
The chairman cannot close debate unless by order of the assembly, which requires a two-thirds vote; nor can he prevent the making of legitimate motions by hurrying through the proceedings. If members are reasonably prompt in exercising their right to speak or make motions, the chair cannot prevent their doing so. If he has hurriedly taken and announced a vote while a member is rising to address the chair, the vote is null and void, and the member must be recognized. On the other hand the chairman should not permit the object of a meeting to be defeated by a few factious persons using parliamentary forms with the evident object of obstructing business. In such a case he should refuse to entertain the dilatory or frivolous motion, and, if an appeal is taken, he should entertain it, and, if sustained by a large majority he may afterwards refuse to entertain even an appeal made by the faction when evidently made merely to obstruct business. But the chair should never adopt such a course merely to expedite business, when the opposition is not factious. It is only justifiable when it is perfectly clear that the opposition is trying to obstruct business. [See Dilatory Motions, 40].
If it is necessary for the chairman to vacate the chair the first Vice President, if there is one, should take the chair, and in his absence the next one in order should take it. If there is no vice president in the hall, then the chairman may, if it is necessary to vacate the chair, appoint a chairman pro tem., but the first adjournment puts an end to the appointment, which the assembly can terminate before, if it pleases, by electing another chairman. But the regular chairman, knowing that he will be absent from a future meeting, cannot authorize another member to act in his place at such meeting; the secretary, or, in his absence, some other member should in such case call the meeting to order, and a chairman pro tem. be elected who would hold office during that session, unless such office is terminated by the entrance of the president or a vice president, or by the election of another chairman pro tem., which may be done by a majority vote.
The chairman sometimes calls a member to the chair and takes part in the debate. This should rarely be done, and nothing can justify it in a case where much feeling is shown and there is a liability to difficulty in preserving order. If the chairman has even the appearance of being a partisan, he loses much of his ability to control those who are on the opposite side of the question. There is nothing to justify the unfortunate habit some chairmen have of constantly speaking on questions before the assembly, even interrupting the member who has the floor. One who expects to take an active part in debate should never accept the chair, or at least should not resume the chair, after having made his speech, until after the pending question is disposed of.1 The presiding officer of a large assembly should never be chosen for any reason except his ability to preside.
The chairman should not only be familiar with parliamentary usage, and set the example of strict conformity thereto, but he should be a man of executive ability, capable of controlling men. He should set an example of courtesy, and should never forget that to control others it is necessary to control one’s self. A nervous, excited chairman can scarcely fail to cause trouble in a meeting. No rules will take the place of tact and common sense on the part of the chairman. While usually he need not wait for motions of routine, or for a motion to be seconded when he knows it is favored by others, yet if this is objected to, it is safer instantly to require the forms of parliamentary law to be observed. By general consent many things can be done that will save much time [see 48], but where the assembly is very large, or is divided and contains members who are habitually raising points of order, the most expeditious and safe course is to enforce strictly all the rules and forms of parliamentary law. He should be specially careful after every motion is made and every vote is taken to announce the next business in order. Whenever an improper motion is made, instead of simply ruling it out of order, it is well for the chairman to suggest how the desired object can be accomplished. [See “Hints to Inexperienced Chairman” below.]
The by-laws sometimes state that the president shall appoint all committees. In such case the assembly may authorize committees, but cannot appoint or nominate them. The president, however, cannot appoint any committees except those authorized by the by-laws or by a vote of the assembly. Sometimes the by-laws make the president ex-officio a member of every committee. Where this is done he has the rights of other members of the committees but not the obligation to attend every committee meeting. [See 51.]
A chairman will often find himself perplexed with the difficulties attending his position, and in such cases he will do well to remember that parliamentary law was made for deliberative assemblies, and not the assemblies for parliamentary law. This is well expressed by a distinguished English writer on parliamentary law, thus: “The great purpose of all rules and forms is to serve the will of the assembly rather than to restrain it; to facilitate, and not to obstruct, the expression of their deliberative sense.”
Additional Duties of the President of a Society, and the Vice Presidents. In addition to his duties as presiding officer, in many societies the president has duties as an administrative or executive officer. Where this is desired, the by-laws should clearly set forth these duties, as they are outside of his duties as presiding officer of the assembly, and do not come within the scope of parliamentary law.
The same is true of vice presidents. Sometimes they have charge of different departments of work and they should be chosen with those duties in view as prescribed by the by-laws. It must not be forgotten that in the case of the absence of the president the first vice president must preside, and in case of the illness or resignation or death of the president that the first vice president becomes president for the unexpired term, unless the rules specify how vacancies shall be filled. In such case the second vice president becomes the first, and so on. It is a mistake to elect a vice president who is not competent to perform the duties of president.
Hints to Inexperienced Chairmen. While in the chair, have beside you your Constitution, By-laws, and Rules of Order, which should be studied until you are perfectly familiar with them. You cannot tell the moment you may need this knowledge. If a member asks what motion to make in order to attain a certain object, you should be able to tell him at once. [10.] You should memorize the list of ordinary motions arranged in their order of precedence, and should be able to refer to the Table of Rules so quickly that there will be no delay in deciding all points contained in it. Become familiar with the first ten sections of these Rules; they are simple, and will enable you more quickly to master parliamentary law. Read carefully sections 69-71, so as to become accustomed to the ordinary methods of conducting business in deliberative assemblies. Notice that there are different ways of doing the same thing, all of which are allowable.
You should know all the business to come regularly before the meeting, and call for it in its regular order. Have with you a list of members of all committees, to guide you in nominating new committees.
When a motion is made, do not recognize any member or allow any one to speak until the motion is seconded and you have stated the question; or, in case of there being no second and no response to your call for a second, until you have announced that fact; except in case of a main motion before it is seconded or stated some one rises and says he rises to move a reconsideration, or to call up the motion to reconsider, or to move to take a question from the table. In any of these cases you should recognize the interrupting member as entitled to the floor [3]. If you have made a mistake and assigned the floor to the wrong person, or recognized a motion that was not in order, correct the error as soon as your attention is called to it. So, when a vote is taken, announce the result and also what question, if any, is then pending, before recognizing any member that addresses the chair. Never wait for mere routine motions to be seconded, when you know no one objects to them. [See 8.]
If a member ignorantly makes an improper motion, do not rule it out of order, but courteously suggest the proper one. If it is moved “to lay the question on the table until 3 P.M.,” as the motion is improper, ask if the intention is “to postpone the question to 3 P.M.;” if the answer is yes, then state that the question is on the postponement to that time. If it is moved simply “to postpone the question,” without stating the time, do not rule it out of order, but ask the mover if he wishes “to postpone the question indefinitely” (which kills it), or “to lay it on the table” (which enables it to be taken up at any other time); then state the question in accordance with the motion he intended to make. So, if after a report has been presented and read, a member moves that “it be received,” ask him if he means to move “its adoption” (or “acceptance,” which is the same thing), as the report has been already received. No vote should be taken on receiving a report, which merely brings it before the assembly, and allows it to be read, unless some one objects to its reception.
The chairman of a committee usually has the most to say in reference to questions before the committee; but the chairman of an ordinary deliberative assembly, especially a large one, should, of all the members, have the least to say upon the merits of pending questions.
Never interrupt members while speaking, simply because you know more about the matter than they do; never get excited; never be unjust to the most troublesome member, or take advantage of his ignorance of parliamentary law, even though a temporary good is accomplished thereby.
Know all about parliamentary law, but do not try to show off your knowledge. Never be technical, or more strict than is absolutely necessary for the good of the meeting. Use your judgment; the assembly may be of such a nature through its ignorance of parliamentary usages and peaceable disposition, that a strict enforcement of the rules, instead of assisting, would greatly hinder business; but in large assemblies, where there is much work to be done, and especially where there is liability to trouble, the only safe course is to require a strict observance of the rules.
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1. “Though the Speaker (Chairman) may of right speak to matters of order and be first heard, he is restrained from speaking on any other subject except where the House have occasion for facts within his knowledge; then he may, with their leave, state the matter of fact.” [Jefferson’s Manual, sec. XVII.]
“It is a general rule in all deliberative assemblies, that the presiding officer shall not participate in the debate or other proceedings, in any other capacity than as such officer. He is only allowed, therefore, to state matters of fact within his knowledge; to inform the assembly on points of order or the course of proceeding when called upon for that purpose, or when he finds it necessary to do so; and, on appeals from his decision on questions of order, to address the assembly in debate. [Cushing’s Manual, §202.]