Re: [ubl-csc] TC attendance and quorums

["Eve L. Maler" <eve.maler@sun.com>]

Some comments below...

Jon Bosak wrote:
> 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.

+1

>  - 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.

+1

(They have to be PEOTCPs, obviously.)

>  - 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.

Sigh, I've been particularly bad at this.

>    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?

Yes.

> Does the proposed language suit this plan?

Some comments/questions below.

> 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.

Not that this will be a big deal in practice, but doesn't this attempt 
to override a standing OASIS rule about how long prospective members 
must wait?

>    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.

s/can/may/g  (substitute throughout the whole wording; I won't comment 
on it again)

Shouldn't we restrict this to PEOTCPs (OASIS members)?

>    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.

This is a bit subjective, but probably fine in practice.

> 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.

I'm not sure I understand the part about the duration of quorate-ness 
(?).  Does this need to be here?  Is it attempting to override RROR when 
it comes to consdering the meeting quorate until someone does a quorum 
call and you discover you're not quorate anymore?

>    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

Why not use "inquorate" here as you do below?

>       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.

I actually don't think this provision is needed.  Since the chair is the 
final arbiter of email resolutions, can't anyone (even non-OASIS 
members) suggest ballot ideas to the chair?

	Eve
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Eve Maler                                        +1 781 442 3190
Sun Microsystems                            cell +1 781 883 5917
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