WSFS BUSINESS MEETING

Preliminary Business Meeting, Friday, August 30, 2002

The Chair called the meeting to order at 10:10. Attendance as recorded on the sign up sheets was 88. Kevin Standlee, in his twin roles as ConJosé Co-Chair and Business Meeting Chair apologized to Cheryl Morgan for the scheduling conflicts that prevented her acting as Secretary of the Business Meeting.

1. Committee Reports
1. Mark Protection Committee (Including Nominations for MPC)
   MPC Report will be available tomorrow.
   Rick Katze nominated Gary Feldbaum (Eastern).
   Johnny Carruthers nominated incumbent members -Gary Feldbaum (Eastern), Sue Francis (Central), Stephen Boucher (Rest of World).
   Doug Friauf nominated Lynn Anderson.
   In order to be on the printed ballot, acceptance deadline is one hour after close of meeting. The agenda had said 6PM that day, but the Chair ruled that the Standing Rules overrode the Agenda. [SR6.1 authorizes the Secretary to set the deadline for submitting a nomination acceptance.]
2. Nitpicking & Flyspecking Committee
   Report is attached: there was no submitted business. The Chair reappointed the Committee as previously constituted: Donald Eastlake III, Tim Illingworth and Kevin Standlee.
   Alexis Layton asked what to do about any apparent conflicts in Continuing Resolutions. Chair advised emailing the Nitpicking & Flyspecking Committee at nitpick@wsfs.org
   
3. Worldcon Runners' Guide Editorial Committee
   Sharon Sbarsky provided a verbal report.
   
   • Apologies from Saul Jaffe for this absence.
   • The 1998 / 1999 edition of the WRG has been reedited and htmlised and can be found at http://www.sflovers.org/wcrg/
   • Ben Yalow will be encouraging volunteers to provide reports and updates to crg@sflovers.org
   • Ben and Sharon want to stay on the committee, Saul wishes to resign.
   Without objection, Chair appointed Sharon Sbarsky as Chair and authorised her to supplement membership at her authority.
   
4. Hugo Eligibility Rest of the World (HEROW) Committee
   Ben Yalow presented the attached report.
   
   1. Short Title: Throw a Blanket Over It
      Andrew Adams: Has the committee had considered how the splitting of the BDP would affect HEROW?
      Ben: No.
      Winton Matthews: This is the second year in a row, could something be set up to do this automatically?
      Chair: That would require a constitutional amendment.
      Mark Olson: Business Meeting wants some more time to consider this matter.
      Perianne Lurie: How does 3.1 Perpetual Motions impact on this – we could make publications eligible.
      Chair: 3.1 doesn't take effect until end of this meeting.
      Alex von Thorn: Suggest we refer this back to committee.
      John Lorentz: Point of Information: 3 books on Hugo list this year – how do we define “generally available”?
      George Flynn: “Generally available” is not defined in constitution.
      Chair: It is the Chair's opinion we could refer this back to HEROW.
      [The secretary notes that in 1987, under CH-1982-7, the Chair ruled that "generally available" means you can get it if you want it, not that there have to be copies for everyone who might want it. Tim Illingworth notes that this ruling related to convention publications, not commercial publications available in the real world. ]
      Throw a Blanket Over It was passed without objection.
   2. Short Title: We Need Another HEROW
      Ben Yalow doesn't wish to continue as Chair of HEROW, but does want HEROW to continue.
   The resolution to continue the committee was passed without objection.
   The Chair will announce his decision on the committee later in the meeting.
5. Formalization of Long List Entries (FOLLE) Committee
   
   1. Extended Folly
      Mark Olson: FOLLE had been chaired by Bruce Pelz, who is very much missed. Because of his death we don't know who was on the committee.
      The resolution to continue the committee was passed without objection.
      Mark Olson was appointed as Chair of FOLLE, with George Flynn, Vince Docherty, Kevin Standlee, and Joe Siclari as members. The committee Chair was authorised to add members at his discretion.
2. Worldcon Reports
   
   1. Past Worldcons and NASFiCs
      
      1. ConAdian (1994)
         Linda-Ross Mansfield: Written report follows.
      2. L.A.con III (1996)
         Richard Russell: Pointed out Y2K problem on report.
         
      3. LoneStarCon 2 (1997)
         No report.
         Kent Bloom: Chair of next year's Business Meeting should contact them.
         Chair (in capacity as Chair of 2003 Business Meeting): OK.
         [At SmofDiego in December the Chair and Secretary discussed this with Bill Parker, a representative of LSC2's parent organization, ALAMO. Apparently they had not been aware they had not fully discharged their responsibilities, and will do so, now that this has been brought to their attention.]
      4. BucConeer (1998)
      5. Conucopia (1999 NASFiC)
         Conucopia are not obliged to report, and will not be asked to again.
      6. Aussiecon Three (1999)
         Report to follow.
      7. Chicon 2000
         Report to follow.
      8. The Millennium Philcon (2001)
         Report to follow.
   2. Seated Worldcons
      
      1. ConJosé (2002)
         Report to follow.
      2. TorCon III (2003)
         Attached.
         Ben Schilling: What is the currency on TorCon II report?
         Kent Bloom: Canadian dollars.
      3. Noreascon 4 (2004)
         Attached.
3. Business Passed On from The Millennium Philcon
   
   1. Short Title: Perpetual Motions
      Chair set ten minute debate time.
   2. Short Title: The Long and Short of It
      Chair set 30 minute debate time.
      Genny Dazzo: When is panel scheduled?
      [A panel discussion separate from the Business Meeting was scheduled on this item.]
      Chair: 1PM in this room
      Richard Russell: Are amendments in order at this point?
      Ben Yalow: Under rule 1.2, no.
      Richard Russell: Foreshadow motion to amend 90 minutes to 80.
      Johnny Carruthers: Is this a lesser change?
      Chair: Will decide tomorrow, but seems likely will be a greater change.
      Alex von Thorn: Can we change time limit tomorrow?
      Chair: Yes, by 2/3rds majority.
      Ben Yalow: Is it in order, at this time, to introduce a motion that it is the sense of this meeting that any change is a greater change?
      Chair: Yes, that is a resolution, not an amendment and could be passed here.
      Ben Yalow: Move the adoption of a resolution, “Resolved, That it is the sense of the meeting that any change in the motion The Long and the Short of It is a greater change.”
      Kent Bloom: The Chair's ruling is incorrect, this is a subsidiary motion and doesn't make sense without the main motion.
      Kent Bloom Appealed the Chair's ruling.
      [The Chair momentarily withheld action on the appeal to answer parliamentary inquiries.]
      Mark Olson: Would a resolution stating that it is the sense of the meeting that any change to the main motion is a greater change be binding on the chair?
      Chair: No, not legally, but maybe morally.
      Ken Katz: Is it binding on the main meeting?
      Chair: No.
      Motion: Should the Chair's ruling that Mr Yalow's motion is in order be sustained?
      Kent Bloom (A): No life without main motion.
      Seth Breidbart (F): It is in order for this session to pass any motion about what we believe.
      Glenn Glazer (A): Future communication between business sessions.
      Ben Yalow (F): Not phrased so as to be binding on future, just information.
      Motion passed many to few, chair's ruling sustained. Mr Yalow's motion is therefore in order and was considered.
      Resolution: Resolved, That it is the sense of the meeting that any change in the motion The Long and the Short of It is a greater change would not be a lesser change.
      Ben Yalow (F): Core changes such as time boundaries, other category-affecting matters will be a greater change. Only a really tiny technical change could be a lesser change.
      Winton Matthews: Explain greater / lesser changes.
      Leslie Turek: Could new amendments be passed after main motion passes, with new amendments ratified next year?
      Chair: Yes, there is precedent: Chair is likely to allow such subsequent new motions.
      Gary Feldbaum: Change is immediate, effect can be delayed. [Secretary: This means that a ratified constitutional amendment becomes part of the constitution the moment it is ratified, though it does not take effect until later.]
      Seth Breidbart: Amend motion to “not a lesser change”.
      Alex von Thorn: Parliamentary inquiry: Would it be in order to re-empanel BDP committee?
      Chair: Yes.
      Alex von Thorn: On Sunday?
      Chair: Yes.
      Richard Russell: Precognition of merits of debate.
      Resolution as amended passed.
      Mark Olson: Program Book page 117 shows incorrect Business Passed On.
      [Secretary: In the version of Perpetual Motions printed in the Program Book, it appeared as if the whole of Section 3.2.2 was to be deleted, rather than just the final sentence. The version printed in these minutes is correct.]
4. New Business
5. Site Selection Business
6. Adjournment
   
   Meeting adjourned at 11:30.

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