Roberts Rules of Order
(in plain English and condensed!)

Parliamentary procedure came to America with our English ancestors. The term refers to the rules that have evolved over time to facilitate the democratic transaction of decision making in an organized group.

The rules of parliamentary procedure are based on common sense and logic. Parliamentary rules protect:
*the right of the majority to decide;
*the right of the minority to be heard;
*the rights of the individual members;
*the rights of absentees.

BASIC RULES OF PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

1.	The rights of the organization supercede the rights of the individual members.
2.	All members are equal and their rights are equal.
3..	A quorum must be present to do business.
4.	The majority rules.
5.	Silence is consent.
6.	Two-thirds vote rule.
7.	One question at a time and one speaker at a time.
8.	Debatable motions must receive full debate.
9.	Once a question is decided, it is not in order to bring up the same motion or one essentially like it at the same meeting.
10.	Personal remarks in debate are always out of order.

WHAT OFFICERS NEED TO KNOW

I.	RUNNING A MEETING EFFECTIVELY:

Duties of a Presiding Officer:

-be on time and start on time!
-be organized
-be prepared
-be a teacher
-be in control of the floor
-be impartial
-be composed
-be precise
-be focused
-be temperate

	II	PREPARING AN AGENDA

1.	An agenda is an outline of a meeting. (A list of things to be acted upon or information to be given)
2.	The use of an agenda form which lists the standard order of business is helpful.
3.	Officers and committees to report are listed in the order in which they should report.
4.	List only those officers whom you know to have reports.
5.	Check the minutes of the last meeting for any business that was postponed.

A Suggested Form for an Agenda:

I.	Call to order
II.	Opening
                    a.	welcoming remarks by presiding officer
                    b.	invocation (Chaplain y’you have one)
                    c.	Pledge ofAllegiance
	III. Approval of mimites of the previous meeting
IV.	Reports of Officers
                       a.	Report of Treasurer
                    V.	Other Reports (ex. special assignments) VT Unfinished business
                      a.	(do not use “old” business as heading)
                 VII. New business
                VIII. Announcements
                  IX. Adjournment

The Secretary and Minute Keeping:

It is the secretary who is responsible for recording the minutes of the SGA meetings. Minutes are a written record of the meetings. Accurate minutes are vital to your SGA because they are a permanent record of proposals, decisions, and reports of your meetings. Minutes are the legal record of your meeting and in order to spend any of your budgets, they must be written as precise as possible.

A Guide for Writing Minutes

DO RECORD:
•	Names of those in attendance and those who are absent
•	All adopted and “lost” defeated motions

•	Name of the maker of the motion;
•	Names of all members reporting
•	Number of votes on each side in a ballot or counted vote

DON’T RECORD:
•	Discussion or personal opinion;
•	Name of the seconder of a motion;
•	Motions withdrawn

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES:
•	Write the minutes as promptly as possible while the details are fresh in your mind
•	Promptly send a copy to the president of the SGA
•	Sign and date the minutes
•	Have a copy of the minutes for each member in the next meeting for approval
•	After minutes are approved, send a copy to the Vice President of Student Services

Each campus SGA will more than likely have it’s own style (appearance) of minutes. This is ok as long as each Secretary include the following contents: -

Kind of meeting (regular or special)
	Name of the organization
	Date and place of the meeting  
	Those present/absent
Presence of a quorum
Time the meeting was called to order and adjourned
Whether the minutes of the previous meeting were approved or corrected

The Treasurer and His Duties

The treasurer is responsible for keeping accurate reports of the balance in your SGA budget. Near the first of the semester, each SGA will meet with the Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services and the Vice President of Student Services in a special meeting to accept and discuss your budget for the upcoming academic year.

The best way to keep track of your spending is to convert your budget to a spreadsheet such as EXCEL. On the spreadsheet record the following information:
	
	  Beginning balance
	Requisition number
	Purchase order number
	Date of the purchase
	Name of the vendor
	Exact amount of the purchase

If your spreadsheet is set up correctly, you will always have a running balance of money on hand in your budget. At each meeting when the treasurer gives the report to the SGA, have a copy of your spreadsheet printout for all members to look at. Always sign and date the copy and a copy will be recorded as and Exhibit or attachment to the Minutes of the Meeting.

MOTIONS AND THEIR USE

In order to spend any of the SGA budget or to agree to hold special events or’ activities, there must be a motion made to do whatever business the person making the motion has suggested. This motion is made by an SGA officer (usually not the President).

How a Motion is Made and Acted Upon:

	1. A member requests the floor.
	2. The President recognizes him and announces that ____has the floor.
	3. The motion is made: “I move that the SGA sponsor a Fall Dance in September “.
	4. The motion is seconded by another member: (I second the motion).
	5. The President restates the motion: “It has been moved that the SGA sponsor a Fall Dance in September. Is there any discussion?”
	6. Discussion or debate is held as long as members wish to discuss the question and to finalize details.
	7. The President puts the question to a vote: “The question is on the motion that the SGA sponsor a Fall Dance in September. All in favor of the motion please say Aye    Those opposed say No.” This is an example of a voice vote.
	8. The President interprets the vote and makes an announcement to the group: “The Ayes have it and the SGA will sponsor a Fall Dance in September.” Notice that not all details (date, place, time) are mentioned in the motion. The minutes must reflect the exact details and how much was agreed to be spent if money is involved.

In the event during discussion a member feels that enough information on the main motion (dance) is not presented for discussion, that member may make a secondary motion while the main motion has yet to be decided upon to table the main motion until the next meeting at which time _______can present more definite details (price, fees, etc). Take note: It would be wise and definitely save time if the person who brings the main motion already has all details needed for discussion and subsequent vote.

VOTING:
A vote is the means by which an individual member expresses a choice in a group. The result of the vote determines the action a group will take.

Types of votes:
	•Majority vote: more than half of the votes cast.
	•Two-thirds vote: at least twice as many for than against.
	•Tie-vote: a lost vote because a majority was not obtained.
 The President is not compelled to break a tie! While the President has a right to vote as a member, Roberts Rules of Order states that he/she does not vote unless the vote is by ballot. The President should appear impartial.

Methods of voting:
	•Voice vote
	•Show of hands
	•Ballot vote

In all methods of voting, abstentions are not counted.