The member-proposed amendment to allow student voting was approved by an overwhelming majority at the STC Annual Business Meeting last night, 16 May, at the Summit in Sacramento, CA.
STC member Bill Swallow introduced the amendment through a petition earlier in the year, and after 20 minutes of debate the matter was put to a vote. A two-thirds majority of the 100-plus voting members was necessary to amend the bylaws, but the vote was so one-sided that an exact count was unnecessary.
“I penned the amendment in response to last year's Board vote” on student voting, explained Swallow. “The membership reaction to that vote and the feedback I saw prompted me to move forward.”
He continued, “I'm very pleased that it passed with a near unanimous vote as well. More importantly, I'm pleased that the students now have an equal say in where STC is going.”
The vote officially amends Article III, Section 3, Paragraph A of the Society for Technical Communication Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws to say:
A. Voting rights. Each and every member in good standing is entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to the membership for a vote. No class of membership will have any restrictions on its voting eligibility. The term “voting members” or “voting membership,” when used in these Bylaws, shall refer to all membership classifications.
In new business, Bernard Aschwanden followed up on the momentum of the students by introducing a motion that the Board be requested to put an emphasis on growing student membership and increasing its offerings to student members. The pro and con comments were evenly split, with most of the “con” comments stating that the Board was already very active in working for student members. In the final vote, the motion passed by a slim 60-59 margin.
Aschwanden commented on both votes after the meeting. “This is a great day for membership as we now recognize student members fully,” he enthused. “STC, hold your head high. The resounding vote supporting the motion sends a loud, clear, and positive message for the future of our community. The board has been given a mandate to see students as full members in STC, and will, I am sure, work hard to consider ways to increase our student membership and increase student member value. Students—welcome aboard!
In other news from the Annual Business Meeting, Hillary Hart was officially installed as the 2011-2012 President, with Alan Houser taking her side as Vice President. Aiessa Moyna was officially reinstalled as Treasurer, while Rich Maggiani an Tricia Spayer were reinstalled as Directors and Leah Guren and Jack Molisani were installed as members of the Nominating Committee.
Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible!