[15716] in APO-L
Rules-of-Non-Parliamentary-Procedure (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Deb Radziewicz)
Fri Nov 29 22:15:32 1996
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 1996 22:13:51 -0500
Reply-To: Deb Radziewicz <radziewi@acm.cps.msu.edu>
From: Deb Radziewicz <radziewi@acm.cps.msu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
I thought this might be something useful to those who are attending
Nationals. Thanks to Howard Wolf from Case Western Reserve University
for his original post on this amusement. Enjoy!
-- Deb Radziewicz
Beta Beta, MSU
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Rules of Non-Parliamentary Procedure
Specifically for the Orderly Conduct of Alpha Phi Omega Meetings
So that all Alpha Phi Omega meetings may be conducted in an orderly
manner, with due respect for propriety and dignity, the following
rules are hereby established by universal consent (with the
majority dissenting):
1. POINT OF PERSONAL OUTRAGE: At any time during a meeting when a
participant becomes extremely upset, they shall have the right to
interrupt any other speaker, will not be required to wait for
recognition from the Chair, and has the obligation to speak at a
volume considerably higher than required for normal conversation.
2. POINT OF IRRELEVANT INTERJECTION: Irrespective of the motion on
the floor, the participant shall have the right to monopolize the
meeting for not more than five minutes as they discourse on a point
the relevance of which escapes all other participants.
3. POINT OF PERSONAL ATTACK: In response to a point raised by
another speaker, the participant shall have the right to reply by
launching a personal attack. At no time shall the point itself be
addressed.
4. POINT OF ASSOCIATIVE GUILT: The participant shall have the
right to impugn the brotherhood of any other brother by alleging
that they are, were, might be, has a third cousin who is, or may
have great-grandchildren who will belong to any and all
organizations designated by the participant as dedicated to the
destruction of the chapter.
5. POINT OF CONTEMPT: The participant shall have the right to
grunt, throw papers down on the table, shake his or her head
vigorously, or otherwise demonstrate contempt for the proceedings.
6. POINT OF HARASSMENT: The participant shall have the right to
introduce irrelevant motions for the sole purpose of delaying the
meeting. It is only permissible to resort to a point of harassment
when the outcome of an imminent vote is obvious.
7. POINT OF REDUNDANT INFORMATION: This is not to be confused with
the more familiar "point of information." Whereas a point of
information is a request for information from the Chair, a point of
redundant information entitles the participant to tell those in the
meeting something they already know.
8. POINT OF REDUNDANCY: This is a motion that entitles the
participant to make a point made by another participant no more
than five speakers earlier.
9. POINT OF PIOUS POSTURING: This motion entitles the participant
to make reference to any Alpha Phi Omega Local or National By-law
that allegedly supports their point of view. A correct quotation,
however, immediately disqualifies the point.
10. POINT OF GRUDGE: Entitles the participant to raise an issue
debated by the organization not less than five years earlier, for
which the participant has not yet forgiven those involved.
It is hoped that prompt and wide distribution of these rules will
serve to bring order out of chaos that on occasion characterizes
Alpha Phi Omega meetings.
