[nabs-l] Transparency: the Value, the Quality, the Methods

Arielle Silverman arielle71 at gmail.com
Sun Jun 22 20:18:00 UTC 2014


Hi Justin and all,

While my gut reaction to this post was admittedly similar to Joe and
Tyler's, I do think Justin brings up some valid questions that are
worth discussing. I also don't really see anything wrong with polling
the membership about these things before one runs for office, because
the discussion can help candidates think more clearly about their
vision and how they want to present their vision to the organization.
However, I agree that such issues need to be discussed year-round and
not just in the context of campaigning.

Of course everybody wants transparency. I think the question is how
can we increase transparency even more? Again I want to point out that
when I joined NABS there was very little transparency or communication
between the board and membership. For example, there were no NABS
updates or bulletins except a brief presidential note in the Student
Slate that was published less than once a year. NABS reps occasionally
came out to conventions, but there were no regional reps, no list for
state presidents, etc. And elections were completely hidden. I'm
thrilled to see people openly disclosing their candidacy on-list
because this is a stark contrast to the days when nobody knew who was
running unless you happened to be good friends with a candidate or on
the board.
Could we be better about transparency? Of course. We currently send
out board meeting minutes, which is excellent. Ideally this should
happen every month. We could also consider allowing members to attend
the board conference calls and having time at the end for members to
speak up. This has its pluses and minuses, but may be worth
considering. We should ensure the NABS website is up-to-date and the
NABS notes updates come out regularly. All these projects take time
and effort. We're all volunteers, and sometimes these things get
forgotten. I would also say that communication is a two-way street.
One shouldn't complain about lack of transparency if one has not
attempted to find out what's going on. The board can send out info,
but members also need to seek it out. The board discussion about
whether or not to let officer candidates speak on the agenda (which
started this whole discussion here) must have been documented in the
minutes and sent out at one time.

Arielle

On 6/22/14, Littlefield, Tyler via nabs-l <nabs-l at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Joe:
> Emails need a "like" button. This entire campaign on Justin's end has
> bothered me. He's firing out messages faster than anyone can read or
> respond, saying everything that people might want said but that
> should've already been said. This isn't just on NABS, I've seen this
> crap everywhere else. My question is pretty much the same as yours: why
> have these topics not been raised until now? As I said in my previous
> message to one of his announcements, I am not really involved with the
> NFB, which is as much my fault as anything. But I do watch this list and
> I honestly wasn't even aware Justin was on the board.
>
> 1) How important is transparency:
> Has there ever been an election where the voters said "You should be
> less transparent?" Why is transparency an issue now and not 2 years ago?
> I believe that's how long terms run for.
>
> The other two questions semes like questions that should be asked, but
> at the beginning of someone taking office.
>
> Please, please stop flinging this out across all lists, social networks
> and following announcements of candidacy up with pointed philosophical
> questions, designed to bolster one's credits and as was already said,
> trying to keep your name well known.
>
> Lets all move forward on the railroad of democracy; we all know who is
> going to be running and everyone's had their say.
> On 6/22/2014 1:54 PM, Joe via nabs-l wrote:
>> Two things bother me about this message. First, the timeliness is
>> awkward.
>> The concern for transparency should not come on the heels of an
>> announcement
>> to seek the presidency of an organization. Would it not make more sense
>> for
>> this overarching priority to have been a concern at the start of a
>> person's
>> stent in office? Second, the message is basically a truism. Do we
>> honestly
>> expect anyone to argue against transparency, or further, do we really
>> expect
>> the membership of any organization to suggest there could be such a thing
>> as
>> too much transparency? If so, we're not really embracing transparency in
>> its
>> true sense, are we?
>>
>> As a former NABS board member, I applaud the campaign messages. It speaks
>> to
>> my political nature; however, feeble attempts to keep one's name relevant
>> have got to go. It's disingenuous.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> --
>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>
>> Visit my blog:
>> http://joeorozco.com/blog
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Justin
>> Salisbury via nabs-l
>> Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 12:22 AM
>> To: 'nabs-l at nfbnet.org'
>> Subject: [nabs-l] Transparency: the Value, the Quality, the Methods
>>
>> Fellow Federationists:
>>
>> I like the response I got the last time I polled the membership, so I'm
>> here
>> to do it again. I am a big believer in targeted introspection. I like to
>> look within myself for my own thoughts on matters, and I hope to
>> stimulate
>> NABS to look within ourselves in a similar way.
>>
>> Before I joined the board, I knew some things about how the board
>> functioned, but I didn't know nearly as much as I do now. In working with
>> student divisions across the country, I have found that I have often been
>> the first one to bring information about the inner workings of the NABS
>> board and about national student initiatives. I have always been proud to
>> do
>> it, but I wonder if we could be a more powerful movement if more members
>> could know more about what was happening inside the board. If we are not
>> performing as well as we can, I accept as much responsibility for it as
>> anybody else. If we are doing it right, I'd also hope that we might
>> receive
>> the encouragement to continue.
>>
>> How important is transparency? What type of transparency do our members
>> want
>> from us?  How well have we been doing with it?
>>
>> Whether or not I am honored with the election to the presidency, I will
>> value this feedback and use it to the best of my ability to build the
>> Federation.
>>
>> Yours,
>>
>> Justin Salisbury
>> Board Member
>> National Association of Blind Students
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>
>
> --
> Take care,
> Ty
> http://tds-solutions.net
> He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool; he that
> dares not reason is a slave.
>
>
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