Proposed by-law change

Here's the wording which, I anticipate, will be voted on in late December. It would require 2/3rds support from the voting members in order to pass:


Proposed new wording:

4.2) Membership is valid for one year, expiring on December 31st.

(TO REPLACE: Membership is valid for one year, from annual meeting to the next annual meeting.)

RATIONALE: Having memberships expire at the annual meeting (in March) leads to confusion. Having memberships expire on December 31st would simplify the situation and reduce confusion. Under this change, a 2009 membership would run for the calendar year 2009. Since CSCC has not held votes in January and February, the change will not deprive any current (2008) member of a voting privilege: it will simply allow more time to join for 2009. (The steering committee vote occurs sometime after the annual meeting in March.)


The steering committee discussed the by-laws at some length and decided that this was the only substantive change needed. We also decided not to take up valuable energy with this issue in the midst of the political season, which is why we are now tackling it at the end of the year.

I hope the change will prove uncontroversial since its only practical effect is to make it easier for everyone to remember whether or not they are currently a member. However, if you do have objections, feel free to voice them in the comments (anonymously if you prefer).