[nabs-l] Thoughts?

Mary Fernandez trillian551 at gmail.com
Tue Jun 21 13:24:43 UTC 2011


did I not write P R O ceeding not P R E ceeding?
M

On 6/20/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Mary and all,
> Just to clarify: Anyone running for a NABS board position (including
> president or vice-president) must be a student during the year
> following election, not the year preceding election.
> Arielle
>
> On 6/20/11, Mary Fernandez <trillian551 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hello All,
>> Arielle thank you so much for your informative and clear post; it
>> really got to the heart of what I was trying to get at.
>> The Constitution of any organized body, if well written, allows for
>> clear specifications while being flexible enough for interpretation by
>> the body of that organization. If a Constitution is to specific and
>> constricting it might limit the potential of the organization, however
>> by allowing for interpretation, it insures a structure that can be
>> molded to fit the interests and needs of the organization. It is the
>> duty of the membership of that body to uphold the Constitution. As
>> elections draw closer I think that it is important for those who are
>> voting to be familiar with at least the very basic requirements that
>> we have written out in the NABS Constitution. And after doing so, that
>> those we elect fit those Constitutional requirements. This brief
>> excerpt for example, clearly states that anyone running for the
>> positions of President and vice President must be students for a year
>> proceeding their election. Personally, this is important to me. If we
>> are an organization of Blind Students, then it follows logically, that
>> I would want a Blind Student heading this organization. Well, what is
>> a student? How strictly or ambiguously should we interpret that
>> definition?
>> To me, a student is someone who is,  in some way furthering their
>> education. Whether it is in a training center, in graduate school, or
>> in a part time capacity, or even planning to go abroad to do research,
>> they are furthering their education. I have a harder time being
>> convinced that someone who has a full time job and isn't enrolled in
>> any academic classes, truly qualifies as a student. But there are many
>> who disagree and have valid arguments for doing so. The point of this
>> post for me, was to have all of us think about what we want in a
>> leader, and to encourage us to ask questions of those who have stepped
>> up and declared their intention to run for a NABS office.
>> The point of a constitution is to provide structure to a body. It is a
>> document that directly reflects what the majority of the membership
>> thinks is important in the governing of their organization. If we
>> consciously believe that there should be an amendment to a
>> Constitution, then we should speak up and make that conscious
>> decision. However, a Constitutional clause should not just be ignored
>> because we are not responsible in the upholding of that document. If
>> we begin to ignore what we at one point believed was important, we are
>> letting the structure of our organization collapse. And without a
>> structure what will be left?
>> I'm not saying that we should not change and grow as our needs,
>> thoughts and priorities change, but we should do so consciously and
>> not because we do not know and do not care about our Constitution.
>> Sincerely,
>> Mary Fernandez
>>
>> On 6/18/11, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 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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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
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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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>> --
>> 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
>
> _______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
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>


-- 
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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