[nabs-l] Thoughts?

Sat Jun 18 15:59:27 UTC 2011

Hi all,
I agree that  this constitutional clause is a bit ambiguous and could
be made more concrete in its application. The way I have seen it
interpreted is that candidates may run for the board if they intend to
be a student in either the fall term, spring term, or both in the year
following their election. So, someone who is not enrolled in fall, but
who is enrolled in spring is technically eligible under this
interpretation. The constitution also allows for people to finish out
their elected terms if they graduate mid-term, which happens
frequently. However, after graduation, the candidate is not eligible
to run for a second term, unless they plan to enroll in a different
educational program at that time.
The phrase "in school" has been interpreted quite loosely so that
part-time students or students at NFB training centers are eligible
for election.
I would support a discussion of how the membership wants to define
student status, and what they feel is necessary to be an appropriate
elected representative for the student division. For instance, I might
be willing to entertain the argument that people who have recently
graduated can still be appropriate representatives for NABS, since
much of the material we cover in NABS is relevant to young
professionals as well.
The other problem, though, is that this constitutional clause has not
been strictly enforced, and more than once, individuals have been
elected to the board despite having no intention to be in school
during the year following election. It is up to the membership to
challenge the eligibility of candidates they believe do not meet the
criteria, either because  they are not blind or because they are not
students. If someone is nominated for a position and a NABS member
challenges that candidate's eligibility, the membership can discuss
and vote on whether or not that particular candidate is eligible to
run. As far as I know, this is the only way to enforce constitutional
rules on eligibility, since the NABS president, as a non-voting chair
of the election, cannot do so. If we as an organization believe it is
important to have our leadership be made up only of students, then it
is our responsibility to ensure this happens-by not seeking election
to the board unless we will be students and by challenging  the
eligibility of those who attempt to run despite not being students.
If, on the other hand, we as a membership are not particularly
concerned about the student status of our board, then we can always
amend the constitution to drop that clause.
Arielle

On 6/17/11, Chris Nusbaum <dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Elizabeth,
>
> By her subject line, I think Mary was trying to ask our opinions
> on this part of the NABS constitution.  Hope this helps!
>
>  Chris
>
> "A loss of sight, never a loss of vision!" (Camp Abilities motto)
> To learn more about Camp Abilities and find a local camp near
> you, just click on this link to their national Web site:
> www.campabilities.org.
>
> The I C.A.N.  Foundation helps visually impaired youth in
> Maryland have the ability to confidently say "I can!" How? Click
> on this link to learn more and to contribute:
> www.icanfoundation.info.
>
>  Sent from my BrailleNote
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Elizabeth" <lizmohnke at hotmail.com
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date sent: Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:00:47 -0400
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Thoughts?
>
> Hello Marry,
>
> Thanks for reminding all of us the duties associated with being
> elected to
> the NABS board.  Since the subject line of your message seems to
> imply a
> question of some kind, do you have any particular questions about
> this
> specific section of the constitution? I am simply asking because
> I am not
> quite sure what your purpose was for posting this to the list.
> Was it simply
> a reminder for those who may be seeking election this year, or
> did you have
> some questions about it?
>
> Thanks,
> Elizabeth
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Mary Fernandez" <trillian551 at gmail.com
> Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:20 AM
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Subject: [nabs-l] Thoughts?
>
>  ARTICLE IV--Officers and Their Duties
>  "The President and Vice Presidents of this organization must be
> blind.
>  ...  All officers and board members must be in school for one
> year
>  following
>  their election.  "
>  for the complete NABS Constitution visit www.nabslink.org
>  -- Sincerely,
>  Mary Fernandez
>  President: Georgia Association of Blind Students
>  Emory University 2012
>  P.O.  Box 123056
>  Atlanta Ga.
>  30322
>  Phone: 732-857-7004
>
>  "It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would
> much
>  rather you weren't doing it."
>  Terry Pratchett
>
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-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org