re: PAC: CS 2 for your review

[Eduardo Gutentag <eduardo.gutentag@eng.sun.com>]

CS.2(1)

<<<
   Any OASIS TC
   that fails to conduct a legal session at least once during a
   calendar year shall cease to exist at the beginning of the
   calendar year immediately following.
>>>

So if an OASIS TC starts its life on Nov 25 '00 and has not
conducted a meeting by Dec 31 '00 it ceases to exist on Jan 1 '01?
That is what "calendar year" means to me.

I'm aware of the problems caused by using language that is calendar-year
neutral (keeping track of time, etc.) but the above sentence just
doesn't cut it with me. I am, however, at a loss trying to come
up with an alternative that does not imply tracking date of
inception of the TC.

<<<
   TC meetings carried out over a sequence of
   business days that follow one another in immediate succession
>>>

I have no problem with the language above.



CS.2(3) [Note]
<<<
   One
   important question will be whether loss of membership in a TC
   also ends membership in joint subcommittees to which that TC is
   a party.
>>>

I have no doubt in my mind that if this were to come to a vote today
I would vote affirmatively (i.e. it does end), and it would take some
very persuasive arguments to make me change my mind. Two points: 
membership in a joint subcommittee means representing the TC in
the joint sc, so how can you represent a TC of which you are not
part anymore? And also, loss of membership in the TC means you're
not committed to the work of the TC -- it is a fair assumption therefore
to think you're not committed to the work of the joint sc either.

CS.2(4)

<<<
Every member...is entitled to one leave of absence...A first leave of absence
...
A member...ay apply for a maximum of one additional leave of absence
>>>

I find the above confusing. May I suggest the following language?


****
   Every member of an OASIS TC is entitled to two leaves of absence    |
   per calendar year during which he or she is exempted from the
   participation criteria specified in the section titled
   "Termination of Membership."  
                                                                       | (moved)

   A first leave of absence in any                                     
   calendar year is obtained automatically upon application to the 
   chair of the TC no later than one week in advance of the
   beginning of the TC session or closure of a TC mail ballot for
   which the member wishes to be exempted.

   A second leave of absence                                           |
   in a calendar year shall be granted to an individual member         |
   only upon formal resolution of the TC.                              |

   As regards quorum requirements and voting criteria, a member of     | (moved here)
   a TC who has been granted a leave of absence ceases to be a
   member of the TC and all of its subcommittees for the duration
   of the leave.  However, membership in the TC and membership in
   any still-existing subcommittee of the TC of which the same
   person was a member at the beginning of the leave resumes when
   the leave ends.

   The length of a leave of absence must be specified in advance        |
   and cannot exceed 45 days.  A leave of absence ends on the date      |
   specified, unless the member attends a TC or subcommittee session    |
   or votes on a mail ballot before the date specified.                 |

   Time allocated for a leave of absence                                |
   but not used due to early resumption of membership as specified      |
   in the previous paragraph cannot be rolled over into another leave.  |

*****
-- 
Eduardo Gutentag               |         e-mail: eduardo@eng.Sun.COM
XML Technology Center          |         Phone:  (650) 786-5498
Sun Microsystems Inc.          |         fax:    (650) 786-5727