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

Sun Jun 22 20:45:22 UTC 2014

I remember seeing minutes from last fall, but I'm not sure if the new
bulletins coming out of the communications committee have included
minutes. If this is an oversight, I hope the next board will reinstate
the sharing of minutes. If this is an intentional change, it'd be
great to know the reasons for that change.
Arielle

On 6/22/14, Elizabeth Mohnke <lizmohnke at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 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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>
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