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

Sun Jun 22 20:30:07 UTC 2014

Hello Arielle,

When was the last time the NABS board meeting minutes were sent out to the
membership at large? I remember this being done for a brief period of time,
but I have not seen NABS board meeting minutes for at least the past year. I
completely understand communication is a two way street, but as a general
member, I get tired of hounding down board members seeking information that
would only take a minute or two to explain. What really frustrates me is
having to repeatedly ask over and over again how something I personally
participated in turned out in the end. I feel like this kind of information
should be freely given to members on a regular basis without having to
contact board members all the time to receive this information.

Warm regards,
Elizabeth

-----Original Message-----
From: nabs-l [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Arielle
Silverman via nabs-l
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2014 4:18 PM
To: tyler at tysdomain.com; National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Transparency: the Value, the Quality, the Methods

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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