COL Reports 1 to 3 - by PDG Douglas W. Vincent
.jpg)
COL Report 1, from Chicago, Sunday, April 21th
After several months of input and preparation the 2013 COL in Chicago started today with 532 District Representatives from across the world. For me it is like a reunion with many friends that have been made through 32 years of Rotary involvement. And of course it is an opportunity to make many new friends as well.
There was an aura of excitement in the air as everyone registered and went into the first session to be briefed and oriented on the COL process. It will be tomorrow when we start addressing the long list of resolutions and enactments, but this afternoon the training committee conducted a mock resolution discussion to demonstrate the procedure. The technology people demonstrated their equipment which will be used for electronic voting and language translation.
One of the requirements at each COL is for the Board to report on the progress of the Rotary International Strategic Plan. In addition the RI Treasurer presents the five year financial forecast. I think that both of these presentations will assist all of us to better understand the issues facing Rotary overall and be informed to make better COL decisions.
Report on Strategic Plan
As many already know, the RI Directors have been working hard to develop and introduce an effective plan for the future growth and success of Rotary. It is said that the Rotary plan needs to be both evolutionary and at times revolutionary if we are to keep attracting the next generation of members.
It was interesting to learn some of the feedback from a recent membership survey where 22,000 members were asked for feedback. The 9.2% return rate was encouraging and is a good result based on marketing measurements. The participants were a good mix of geographic area, age, gender and role in Rotary.
The survey purpose was to assess if the plan is alive and to determine the status of progress as well as identify any other items that need to be considered. Feedback indicated that we are headed in the right direction with the correct initiatives. But results indicated better communication between RI and the Clubs/Membership is needed.
Of the top percentage responses 97% agreed we are focusing on the proper priorities. 97% agreed with Rotary's activity to strengthen clubs and 96% felt that the renewal efforts on RI image and branding was the right thing to be doing. 95% of respondents also felt that the modernization and updating of Rotary terminologies was important.
Communications was measured as a week point with only 43% feeling it was adequate. Currently it is RI's plan and it has been determined there needs to be a more effective communications plan to share the importance and benefits of this strategic process with Clubs and Members.
Looking into the future and toward 2020, most feel that membership, service projects and public image will be the key items to focus on going forward. It will be important to simplify and modernize our processes and programs to change, attract next generation members and keep up with needs of the future.
The RI Board has committed to continue activities implementing the current strategic plan and trying to increase communication efforts. Some examples shared regarding Supporting Clubs included: the new Rotary Central website to help clubs develop plans and follow-up activities, development of regional Membership plans with 1.3 million members by 2015, and the new Project Showcase introduced last year.
As part of the service aspect, the Polio eradiation remains a top priority with an additional $10 million being transferred by the BOD from general funds to support our Polio budget. In addition it is anticipated that the future vision launch will enhance the TRF ability to have more effective and sustainable results, enhancing Rotary service overall. The new TRF future vision will kick off on July 1st and a new grants website is part of this initiative.
Our Rotary image and branding has been studied and a strategic process is being developed to be introduced during the 2013-14 Rotary year. A new "social business strategy" and web pages will also be introduced in August 2013 to modernize how we approach things in this area.
Following our first session everyone met for an informal reception where representatives could renew acquaintances, meet new friends and share time with the RI Presidents, Directors and Rotary Foundation Trustees. It is an energetic and positive spirit not only in the meeting rooms but also throughout the hallways and public areas of the hotel. With almost 600 bedrooms filled with Rotarians, it is almost like a mini RI Convention here.
More to enjoy over the next few days.
PS - I am often asked for permission to use these reports in newsletters or other publications. This freely is given provided the use is for the benefit of Rotary information, training or service.
COL Report 2, from Chicago, Monday, April 22nd
Today we started the official process of discussing and voting on the enactments which have been submitted by Clubs and Districts over the past several months. The Council of Legislation (COL) meets every three years with a representative selected to attend from each District. The purpose is to consider submitted proposals for revisions or additions to our RI Constitution and Bylaws, standard Club Bylaws including items contained in the Manual of Procedure (MOP). Below I will recap some of the more interesting decisions made today that will have an impact on our clubs.
Many of the proposed enactments this morning were about changes to the standard club bylaws regarding the appointment of officers and directors. While some regions of the world wanted to include Secretaries and/or Treasurers on the board, others wanted to leave this to each club to determine as the current bylaws state. After much discussion the vote was 285 to 211 in favour of including the Club Secretary as a member of the board. This will become effective July 1, 2013.
There was a lot of discussion on a variety of attendance recording criteria with many of them having an affect of relaxing or watering down the attendance requirements. Many felt that the downgrading of attendance expectations would potentially make a club weaker and was almost like admitting defeat, rather than selling Rotary benefits and conducting engaging meetings and activities that members would look forward to attending.
An interesting proposal was to include the words "engaging in a club's service project" as an additional option to earn credit for attendance. An amendment to add "and activities" to this clause was passed and then the main motion passed 340 in favour to 165 against. Previously a similar option was only available if each club passed a motion stating such activity was acceptable.
It was proposed that a member who is ill or physically unable to maintain regular attendance, be allowed to participate via electronic audio-visual means and thus receive attendance credit. Some felt this would be too costly, would limit fellowship or was not necessary with the leave of absence provisions. Others felt that if we have accepted eClubs with this same use of technology, then there is no reason we should not support this submission. Surprisingly it failed 204 to 309. This is the first example of where I think we lost our common sense.
A lot of the enactments were repetitive in intent but with different wording so we had to discuss each one, except for a few that were withdrawn for obvious reasons. It was frustrating for some with the duplication of speaker comments; however each proposer has the right to be heard during this process. Many feel that RI and COL should not mandate or limit clubs on attendance issues since they are generally autonomous. But others feel the need for consistent guidelines.
In one instance we got caught up in the wording of a termination clause when a member does not meet the required minimum standards of attendance. The current wording is "shall be subject to termination" and a proposal was made to change the word shall to "may". It was interesting to learn that "shall" is just a strong suggestion and is not compulsory in its meaning as I had thought. In the end, members felt there was a need to clarify so it was passed 381 to 128 that the wording be "the member's membership may be subject to termination unless the board consents to such non-attendance for good cause."
There was discussion on the leave of absence policy, especially as it relates to longer term medical situations. It was proposed and passed to allow extended LOAs for medical reasons, including the condition that this will not count against a club's attendance record. In another similar decision it was determined that a member's excused absence will not be included in the club reporting.
There was much controversy and debate on the rule of 85 for excused absences. At the last COL in 2010 the minimum age of 60 years was raised to 65 in order to qualify for the total of 85 (age and years in Rotary) to qualify for exemption from attendance requirements. That increase caused a lot of concern for those caught in the middle with no grandfathering clause. Today it was decided to eliminate the minimum age and so now one merely has to have their age and years of Rotary membership total 85 to be excused from attendance policies.
When considering proposals it is important for all of us to be tolerant and understanding of other languages, traditions and cultures. In some cases the wording in one part of the world may carry a different meaning than another, so we must try to accommodate these situations as much as possible. In one case regarding reference to an RI spouse, a proposal was amended to insert the word "Partner" instead of spouse. Most thought this made sense and it was passed before everyone realized that the term partner in some countries carries a homosexual connotation. Thus the complexity of what we are attempting to do in response to Club requests and needs of our growing and evolving organization.
Sometimes we spend a lot of time discussing an issue which on the surface seems unrealistic to implement. At least that is what sometimes passes through my mind sitting in the council chamber. An example of this was the proposal to declare that attendance would not be taken in July/August each year. Apparently some clubs struggle with poor attendance during this time of year with people on vacation.
However many regions of the world have their vacation time in other months so were concerned to mention specific months. An amendment to change the July/August months to "vacation time" failed and after several expressed concern of weakening attendance requirements the vote failed 60 to 445.
There was a lot of debate on proposals to allow Clubs to meet a minimum of twice per month or every other week, compared to the present policy of weekly. This would be up to each club to decide and many felt that inconsistency would be very confusing, especially for those wanting to do make-ups. It was felt that this would weaken the fellowship and weekly bond we share and go against what Rotary was founded on. Others suggested we need to keep pace with the changes in our society if we wish to attract younger professionals, many of whom seem to be too busy for a weekly commitment.
Comments were shared regarding the uniqueness of Rotary with weekly meetings and other service clubs like Lions and Kiwanis who meet twice a month. Results show that their approach does not attract membership and in fact, based on statistics, they are likely worse off than we are. Others felt that those who cannot make weekly meetings can still maintain their attendance requirement and accomplish the "every other week" concept through the 50% provision.
In the end, there was an emotional plea from one representative who motivated us to "not admit defeat" by lowering the attendance bar with the resultant weakening and eroding of clubs and member commitment. He got a resounding round of applause. In our own District we have evidence from a pilot club which indicates moving away from weekly meetings does not improve membership commitment or numbers. It seems to have a reverse affect.
A surprising decision was the defeat of a proposal to allow all Rotary alumnus be an acceptable status for member consideration in Rotary. Currently our constitution refers to Rotary Foundation alumnus, which excludes those from such programs as Youth Exchange and RYLA. To me it seemed like one that would have simply passed quickly but it consumed a lot of time and did not meet the required 2/3 majority for an RI Constitutional item.
So this is a recap of our discussions and decisions today. It was a long and tiring process, which is usual for the first day of any COL. In the remaining days, experience says that we will be more effective and efficient in our deliberations and work through the issues at a faster pace.
The COL committee have things well organized and have been allowing adequate time for breaks and meals. This helps provide time for fellowship and visits with both old and new friends from around the world. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.
COL Report 3, from Chicago, Tuesday, April 23th
Our session this morning started with a controversial debate on removal of the RI Travel Policy from our bylaws, which was added at the COL in 2010. Back then there was concern that the RI Directors had not adequately responded to resolutions from two prior COLs, so that third time it was included in the bylaws to elevate the importance and get more attention from our BOD.
In the meantime our RI board has developed a stand alone "Funded Travel Policy" to better address the needs of Rotary, so requested approval of an enactment to remove it from our bylaws. The board indicated that the current bylaw policy was restrictive for arranging speaker flights and handling evacuation flights in emergency situations. It was also stated that some RI leaders had declined assignments due to a lesser class of travel offered. That raised some eyebrows.
In my mind these were not major factors and could have been dealt with in amendments to the current policy. But many commented and realized that a travel policy is not normally in the bylaws of a corporation. I think most delegates felt the BOD had received the message and responded so after a long, heated and emotional discussion it was decided in a vote of 342 to 171 to approve the enactment. Thus the travel policy is withdraw from the bylaws and now defers to the BOD developed policy.
Another interesting proposal which caused surprising discussion was adding "homemaker" as an acceptable classification for Rotary membership. While the vote was in favour 325 to 181, it did not reach the necessary 2/3 majority to pass. For bylaws and standard club constitution votes a simple majority is required, but for RI constitution changes like this it needs to be a 2/3 majority.
A later similar motion took up a lot of time in the attempt to use gender neutral wording and include homemakers or those who have been home with children and/or assisting their partner with work. Again discussions took place on use of the word spouse vs partner, since the term partner has a different meaning in some parts of our world. In the end, a vote of 359 to 165 met the 2/3 majority and thus established that these individuals will have a recognized vocation as Rotary members.
More lengthy debate surrounded a proposal to ask transferring members to bring a letter of recommendation when coming to a new club. In some cases there have been instances of someone causing an upset or not paying dues on time and leaving these responsibilities behind when moving away. So some felt this policy would help control those situations. Others said that sometimes a member leaves due to personality conflicts or misunderstandings, so it might be hard for these people to obtain a letter.
In a close vote of 260 to 255 it was determined that members wishing to transfer should be asked to provide the recommendation letter. Comments afterward indicated that a person could merely apply for membership at another club in the normal fashion rather than the through transfer provision, to get around the letter requirement.
Similar to the above, a club can request the new member's prior club to provide a statement, within 30 days, of any funds that may be owing. In some areas of the world members have left their old club in arrears and moved to another club without respecting their financial responsibilities.
Moving from attendance and membership issues, the COL decided to eliminate the maximum limit of 2 eClubs per district. This restriction did not make sense to me three years ago when we proposed eClubs to be a permanent club option, equal in status to regular clubs. At that time I think it is was a compromise to get eClubs accepted.
So today we did not expect much challenge to approval of this enactment but there was surprising push back on the idea. Sometimes the attitude of people is frustrating and hard to understand, which taxes your tolerance level and patience. Currently there are 3000 eClub members in 114 eClubs with 45% being women and an average age of 47 years old.
I could not understand why we would choose to restrict and not embrace a vision of 30,000 members or 1000 eClubs in the future. And since we do not limit districts from chartering regular clubs, why should we confine them in developing eClubs? In the end I was pleased with the 295 to 220 vote in favour of this change.
In some Districts there is a well organized College of (Past)Governors (COG) and in others there is not. These are to serve as advisory forums for Governors but there was concern and discussion that we need to make these bodies more uniform and consistent across all districts to enhance advisory leadership. This group is meant to be a resource for the District and Governor, but some DGs do not use them to advantage. The final conclusion was that Districts should work to have their COG structured to fit their own needs and so the enactment failed to pass.
There was a lot of discussion on changing the name of the District Assembly to Club Leadership Training Seminar but one member felt the acronym would be inappropriate. So an amendment was made and passed to change the District Assembly name to District Training Assembly.
The next proposal was to change the weight of voting on RI issues and have clubs from 20 to 37 members get one vote with an additional vote for every additional 25 members. This would have the effect of eliminating voting rights for clubs under 20 members. Many felt that if we take the small club's membership money then they are entitled to vote, thus it was defeated 42 to 473.
A proposal was made to add a 5th Object of Rotary. That would have been "the involvement and development of youth in fellowship, service, exchanges and self-development". It was difficult near the end of the day to find a consensus in acceptable wording, so a motion was made and passed to refer it to the board.
In my view, this was not the wisest option since the board has no ability to add the 5th object. That enactment has to be voted on at a COL, so little can happen for three years until the 2016 COL. Many felt the 5th object would coincide nicely with the 5th Avenue of Service, however much discussion failed to determine acceptable wording.
Doug Vincent
D7080 COL Representative
RC Woodstock-Oxford, ON Canada
www.DougVincent.com
After several months of input and preparation the 2013 COL in Chicago started today with 532 District Representatives from across the world. For me it is like a reunion with many friends that have been made through 32 years of Rotary involvement. And of course it is an opportunity to make many new friends as well.
There was an aura of excitement in the air as everyone registered and went into the first session to be briefed and oriented on the COL process. It will be tomorrow when we start addressing the long list of resolutions and enactments, but this afternoon the training committee conducted a mock resolution discussion to demonstrate the procedure. The technology people demonstrated their equipment which will be used for electronic voting and language translation.
One of the requirements at each COL is for the Board to report on the progress of the Rotary International Strategic Plan. In addition the RI Treasurer presents the five year financial forecast. I think that both of these presentations will assist all of us to better understand the issues facing Rotary overall and be informed to make better COL decisions.
Report on Strategic Plan
As many already know, the RI Directors have been working hard to develop and introduce an effective plan for the future growth and success of Rotary. It is said that the Rotary plan needs to be both evolutionary and at times revolutionary if we are to keep attracting the next generation of members.
It was interesting to learn some of the feedback from a recent membership survey where 22,000 members were asked for feedback. The 9.2% return rate was encouraging and is a good result based on marketing measurements. The participants were a good mix of geographic area, age, gender and role in Rotary.
The survey purpose was to assess if the plan is alive and to determine the status of progress as well as identify any other items that need to be considered. Feedback indicated that we are headed in the right direction with the correct initiatives. But results indicated better communication between RI and the Clubs/Membership is needed.
Of the top percentage responses 97% agreed we are focusing on the proper priorities. 97% agreed with Rotary's activity to strengthen clubs and 96% felt that the renewal efforts on RI image and branding was the right thing to be doing. 95% of respondents also felt that the modernization and updating of Rotary terminologies was important.
Communications was measured as a week point with only 43% feeling it was adequate. Currently it is RI's plan and it has been determined there needs to be a more effective communications plan to share the importance and benefits of this strategic process with Clubs and Members.
Looking into the future and toward 2020, most feel that membership, service projects and public image will be the key items to focus on going forward. It will be important to simplify and modernize our processes and programs to change, attract next generation members and keep up with needs of the future.
The RI Board has committed to continue activities implementing the current strategic plan and trying to increase communication efforts. Some examples shared regarding Supporting Clubs included: the new Rotary Central website to help clubs develop plans and follow-up activities, development of regional Membership plans with 1.3 million members by 2015, and the new Project Showcase introduced last year.
As part of the service aspect, the Polio eradiation remains a top priority with an additional $10 million being transferred by the BOD from general funds to support our Polio budget. In addition it is anticipated that the future vision launch will enhance the TRF ability to have more effective and sustainable results, enhancing Rotary service overall. The new TRF future vision will kick off on July 1st and a new grants website is part of this initiative.
Our Rotary image and branding has been studied and a strategic process is being developed to be introduced during the 2013-14 Rotary year. A new "social business strategy" and web pages will also be introduced in August 2013 to modernize how we approach things in this area.
Following our first session everyone met for an informal reception where representatives could renew acquaintances, meet new friends and share time with the RI Presidents, Directors and Rotary Foundation Trustees. It is an energetic and positive spirit not only in the meeting rooms but also throughout the hallways and public areas of the hotel. With almost 600 bedrooms filled with Rotarians, it is almost like a mini RI Convention here.
More to enjoy over the next few days.
PS - I am often asked for permission to use these reports in newsletters or other publications. This freely is given provided the use is for the benefit of Rotary information, training or service.
COL Report 2, from Chicago, Monday, April 22nd
Today we started the official process of discussing and voting on the enactments which have been submitted by Clubs and Districts over the past several months. The Council of Legislation (COL) meets every three years with a representative selected to attend from each District. The purpose is to consider submitted proposals for revisions or additions to our RI Constitution and Bylaws, standard Club Bylaws including items contained in the Manual of Procedure (MOP). Below I will recap some of the more interesting decisions made today that will have an impact on our clubs.
Many of the proposed enactments this morning were about changes to the standard club bylaws regarding the appointment of officers and directors. While some regions of the world wanted to include Secretaries and/or Treasurers on the board, others wanted to leave this to each club to determine as the current bylaws state. After much discussion the vote was 285 to 211 in favour of including the Club Secretary as a member of the board. This will become effective July 1, 2013.
There was a lot of discussion on a variety of attendance recording criteria with many of them having an affect of relaxing or watering down the attendance requirements. Many felt that the downgrading of attendance expectations would potentially make a club weaker and was almost like admitting defeat, rather than selling Rotary benefits and conducting engaging meetings and activities that members would look forward to attending.
An interesting proposal was to include the words "engaging in a club's service project" as an additional option to earn credit for attendance. An amendment to add "and activities" to this clause was passed and then the main motion passed 340 in favour to 165 against. Previously a similar option was only available if each club passed a motion stating such activity was acceptable.
It was proposed that a member who is ill or physically unable to maintain regular attendance, be allowed to participate via electronic audio-visual means and thus receive attendance credit. Some felt this would be too costly, would limit fellowship or was not necessary with the leave of absence provisions. Others felt that if we have accepted eClubs with this same use of technology, then there is no reason we should not support this submission. Surprisingly it failed 204 to 309. This is the first example of where I think we lost our common sense.
A lot of the enactments were repetitive in intent but with different wording so we had to discuss each one, except for a few that were withdrawn for obvious reasons. It was frustrating for some with the duplication of speaker comments; however each proposer has the right to be heard during this process. Many feel that RI and COL should not mandate or limit clubs on attendance issues since they are generally autonomous. But others feel the need for consistent guidelines.
In one instance we got caught up in the wording of a termination clause when a member does not meet the required minimum standards of attendance. The current wording is "shall be subject to termination" and a proposal was made to change the word shall to "may". It was interesting to learn that "shall" is just a strong suggestion and is not compulsory in its meaning as I had thought. In the end, members felt there was a need to clarify so it was passed 381 to 128 that the wording be "the member's membership may be subject to termination unless the board consents to such non-attendance for good cause."
There was discussion on the leave of absence policy, especially as it relates to longer term medical situations. It was proposed and passed to allow extended LOAs for medical reasons, including the condition that this will not count against a club's attendance record. In another similar decision it was determined that a member's excused absence will not be included in the club reporting.
There was much controversy and debate on the rule of 85 for excused absences. At the last COL in 2010 the minimum age of 60 years was raised to 65 in order to qualify for the total of 85 (age and years in Rotary) to qualify for exemption from attendance requirements. That increase caused a lot of concern for those caught in the middle with no grandfathering clause. Today it was decided to eliminate the minimum age and so now one merely has to have their age and years of Rotary membership total 85 to be excused from attendance policies.
When considering proposals it is important for all of us to be tolerant and understanding of other languages, traditions and cultures. In some cases the wording in one part of the world may carry a different meaning than another, so we must try to accommodate these situations as much as possible. In one case regarding reference to an RI spouse, a proposal was amended to insert the word "Partner" instead of spouse. Most thought this made sense and it was passed before everyone realized that the term partner in some countries carries a homosexual connotation. Thus the complexity of what we are attempting to do in response to Club requests and needs of our growing and evolving organization.
Sometimes we spend a lot of time discussing an issue which on the surface seems unrealistic to implement. At least that is what sometimes passes through my mind sitting in the council chamber. An example of this was the proposal to declare that attendance would not be taken in July/August each year. Apparently some clubs struggle with poor attendance during this time of year with people on vacation.
However many regions of the world have their vacation time in other months so were concerned to mention specific months. An amendment to change the July/August months to "vacation time" failed and after several expressed concern of weakening attendance requirements the vote failed 60 to 445.
There was a lot of debate on proposals to allow Clubs to meet a minimum of twice per month or every other week, compared to the present policy of weekly. This would be up to each club to decide and many felt that inconsistency would be very confusing, especially for those wanting to do make-ups. It was felt that this would weaken the fellowship and weekly bond we share and go against what Rotary was founded on. Others suggested we need to keep pace with the changes in our society if we wish to attract younger professionals, many of whom seem to be too busy for a weekly commitment.
Comments were shared regarding the uniqueness of Rotary with weekly meetings and other service clubs like Lions and Kiwanis who meet twice a month. Results show that their approach does not attract membership and in fact, based on statistics, they are likely worse off than we are. Others felt that those who cannot make weekly meetings can still maintain their attendance requirement and accomplish the "every other week" concept through the 50% provision.
In the end, there was an emotional plea from one representative who motivated us to "not admit defeat" by lowering the attendance bar with the resultant weakening and eroding of clubs and member commitment. He got a resounding round of applause. In our own District we have evidence from a pilot club which indicates moving away from weekly meetings does not improve membership commitment or numbers. It seems to have a reverse affect.
A surprising decision was the defeat of a proposal to allow all Rotary alumnus be an acceptable status for member consideration in Rotary. Currently our constitution refers to Rotary Foundation alumnus, which excludes those from such programs as Youth Exchange and RYLA. To me it seemed like one that would have simply passed quickly but it consumed a lot of time and did not meet the required 2/3 majority for an RI Constitutional item.
So this is a recap of our discussions and decisions today. It was a long and tiring process, which is usual for the first day of any COL. In the remaining days, experience says that we will be more effective and efficient in our deliberations and work through the issues at a faster pace.
The COL committee have things well organized and have been allowing adequate time for breaks and meals. This helps provide time for fellowship and visits with both old and new friends from around the world. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.
COL Report 3, from Chicago, Tuesday, April 23th
Our session this morning started with a controversial debate on removal of the RI Travel Policy from our bylaws, which was added at the COL in 2010. Back then there was concern that the RI Directors had not adequately responded to resolutions from two prior COLs, so that third time it was included in the bylaws to elevate the importance and get more attention from our BOD.
In the meantime our RI board has developed a stand alone "Funded Travel Policy" to better address the needs of Rotary, so requested approval of an enactment to remove it from our bylaws. The board indicated that the current bylaw policy was restrictive for arranging speaker flights and handling evacuation flights in emergency situations. It was also stated that some RI leaders had declined assignments due to a lesser class of travel offered. That raised some eyebrows.
In my mind these were not major factors and could have been dealt with in amendments to the current policy. But many commented and realized that a travel policy is not normally in the bylaws of a corporation. I think most delegates felt the BOD had received the message and responded so after a long, heated and emotional discussion it was decided in a vote of 342 to 171 to approve the enactment. Thus the travel policy is withdraw from the bylaws and now defers to the BOD developed policy.
Another interesting proposal which caused surprising discussion was adding "homemaker" as an acceptable classification for Rotary membership. While the vote was in favour 325 to 181, it did not reach the necessary 2/3 majority to pass. For bylaws and standard club constitution votes a simple majority is required, but for RI constitution changes like this it needs to be a 2/3 majority.
A later similar motion took up a lot of time in the attempt to use gender neutral wording and include homemakers or those who have been home with children and/or assisting their partner with work. Again discussions took place on use of the word spouse vs partner, since the term partner has a different meaning in some parts of our world. In the end, a vote of 359 to 165 met the 2/3 majority and thus established that these individuals will have a recognized vocation as Rotary members.
More lengthy debate surrounded a proposal to ask transferring members to bring a letter of recommendation when coming to a new club. In some cases there have been instances of someone causing an upset or not paying dues on time and leaving these responsibilities behind when moving away. So some felt this policy would help control those situations. Others said that sometimes a member leaves due to personality conflicts or misunderstandings, so it might be hard for these people to obtain a letter.
In a close vote of 260 to 255 it was determined that members wishing to transfer should be asked to provide the recommendation letter. Comments afterward indicated that a person could merely apply for membership at another club in the normal fashion rather than the through transfer provision, to get around the letter requirement.
Similar to the above, a club can request the new member's prior club to provide a statement, within 30 days, of any funds that may be owing. In some areas of the world members have left their old club in arrears and moved to another club without respecting their financial responsibilities.
Moving from attendance and membership issues, the COL decided to eliminate the maximum limit of 2 eClubs per district. This restriction did not make sense to me three years ago when we proposed eClubs to be a permanent club option, equal in status to regular clubs. At that time I think it is was a compromise to get eClubs accepted.
So today we did not expect much challenge to approval of this enactment but there was surprising push back on the idea. Sometimes the attitude of people is frustrating and hard to understand, which taxes your tolerance level and patience. Currently there are 3000 eClub members in 114 eClubs with 45% being women and an average age of 47 years old.
I could not understand why we would choose to restrict and not embrace a vision of 30,000 members or 1000 eClubs in the future. And since we do not limit districts from chartering regular clubs, why should we confine them in developing eClubs? In the end I was pleased with the 295 to 220 vote in favour of this change.
In some Districts there is a well organized College of (Past)Governors (COG) and in others there is not. These are to serve as advisory forums for Governors but there was concern and discussion that we need to make these bodies more uniform and consistent across all districts to enhance advisory leadership. This group is meant to be a resource for the District and Governor, but some DGs do not use them to advantage. The final conclusion was that Districts should work to have their COG structured to fit their own needs and so the enactment failed to pass.
There was a lot of discussion on changing the name of the District Assembly to Club Leadership Training Seminar but one member felt the acronym would be inappropriate. So an amendment was made and passed to change the District Assembly name to District Training Assembly.
The next proposal was to change the weight of voting on RI issues and have clubs from 20 to 37 members get one vote with an additional vote for every additional 25 members. This would have the effect of eliminating voting rights for clubs under 20 members. Many felt that if we take the small club's membership money then they are entitled to vote, thus it was defeated 42 to 473.
A proposal was made to add a 5th Object of Rotary. That would have been "the involvement and development of youth in fellowship, service, exchanges and self-development". It was difficult near the end of the day to find a consensus in acceptable wording, so a motion was made and passed to refer it to the board.
In my view, this was not the wisest option since the board has no ability to add the 5th object. That enactment has to be voted on at a COL, so little can happen for three years until the 2016 COL. Many felt the 5th object would coincide nicely with the 5th Avenue of Service, however much discussion failed to determine acceptable wording.
Doug Vincent
D7080 COL Representative
RC Woodstock-Oxford, ON Canada
www.DougVincent.com