[ubl-csc] TC attendance and quorums

[Jon Bosak <Jon.Bosak@sun.com>]

UBL Chairs,

At the end of June I proposed changes to our meeting structure
that would deal with the problem of achieving a quorum at
face-to-face meetings of the UBL TC and allow participation in TC
plenary sessions by phone.  See

   http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl/200206/msg00007.html

That proposal received one public comment:

   http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/ubl/200206/msg00010.html

I also received a couple of queries and helpful suggestions off
the list.

I'm now picking this back up for formal consideration because (a)
we're all back from vacation and (b) we're preparing for our next
face-to-face 1-4 October in Burlington and need to sew this up
before then.

I've worked up some language that I hope is ready to present to
the TC, but I want to fly this past the CSC first because it has
implications for our workflow with regard to adding members.  The
basic idea here is as follows:

 - No more SC members who aren't TC members or prospective
   members.  Under the new rules, everyone who is now a voting
   member of a UBL SC but not a voting member of the UBL TC
   becomes a voting member of the TC.

 - You can appoint people to your SC on your own authority (you
   don't need approval by the TC), but you can't remove them on
   your own authority unless they resign or they stop responding
   to email.

 - When anyone eligible to participate in the UBL work (i.e., any
   OASIS member) applies to join your subcommittee, you do the
   following:

   a. Put them on your SC mail list.

   b. Send an announcement to the ubl list that a new member has
      joined your SC.

   c. If the person you've just appointed is not already a voting
      member of the TC, note in your announcement that they are
      also now prospective members of the TC.  This will signal me
      to add them as observers to the ubl list and signal Lisa to
      start the 60-day clock running on their formal membership.

The intent here is to minimize the amount of stuff we have to
track after the original request.  People get put on the relevant
mailing lists immediately, they become voting members of SCs
immediately, and we sort out their voting status in the TC later.
You can also add people to your list as observers, but you don't
have to announce that.

Does this make sense?

Does the proposed language suit this plan?

Jon

==================================================================

1. TC and subcommittee membership

   a. This resolution replaces the relevant provisions of previous
      resolutions concerning UBL TC and subcommittee membership.

   b. Persons eligible to participate in the UBL TC who apply for
      membership in a UBL subcommittee shall be assumed to have
      also applied at that time for membership in the TC.

   c. Persons who have been members of a UBL subcommittee for 60
      days or more when this resolution is approved but are not at
      that time members of the UBL TC shall be added to the TC
      membership immediately upon approval of this resolution.

   d. Nonvoting observers can be added to the UBL TC mailing list
      at the discretion of the TC chair or vice chair.  Nonvoting
      observers can be added to any UBL subcommittee mailing list
      at the discretion of the chair of that subcommittee.

   e. Prospective members of the TC shall be added to the TC
      mailing list as observers until their voting membership in
      the TC becomes effective.

   f. Voting members of the UBL TC can become voting members of a
      UBL subcommittee at any time by applying to the chair of the
      subcommittee.  Subcommittee appointments made by
      subcommittee chairs become effective when the chair
      announces the addition of the new member to the TC.
      Subcommittee members can also be appointed by resolution of
      the TC.

   g. Voting members of a subcommittee can be removed from that
      subcommittee only by resignation or by resolution of the TC.
      Extended failure to respond to email queries from the
      subcommittee chair or TC chair shall be considered
      equivalent to resignation.

2. UBL TC meetings

   a. Whenever physically possible, a portion of each face-to-face
      UBL TC plenary opening session and closing session shall be
      conducted in a manner that allows distant voting members to
      participate by phone.  The presence of a voting member
      during the dial-in portion of a TC meeting shall be
      considered to satisfy the requirements of the OASIS TC
      process regarding meeting attendance.  A TC meeting that is
      quorate during the dial-in period shall be considered
      quorate for the duration of the call.  Observers shall be
      allowed to call in to TC meetings only by invitation of the
      TC chair or vice chair.

   b. When subcommittees are meeting between plenary sessions of a
      UBL TC meeting, and in any regularly scheduled and noticed
      UBL TC meeting that fails to achieve a quorum, the UBL
      Chairs Subcommittee shall be authorized to decide issues
      relating to meeting logistics.  If the Chairs Subcommittee
      fails to achieve a quorum, logistical decisions shall be
      made by the UBL TC chair or vice chair.

   c. The voting members assembled at a regularly scheduled and
      noticed but inquorate TC meeting shall be authorized to
      operate as an ad hoc subcommittee of the whole, chaired by
      the chair of the TC or, in his absence, the vice chair of
      the TC, and shall be authorized to formulate proposed
      resolutions for the chair's consideration in issuing email
      ballots.