TUESDAY, JULY 2ND, 2024 - INDEPENDENCE DAY PRELUDE

Happy Fourth of July - Happy American Independence Day

In reality (not that it matters), the final wording of the Declaration was approved on July 2nd. Then, the document went to the printer, and all the delegates returned on July 4th to sign their names and get their copies to take back home as the official proclamation.  

Most of us have been on committees.  There is an old saying:  “God so loved the world that he sent his son, not a committee!!!”.  

But, since we are not Jesus, we have committees.  Each committee member comes to the meeting with their own (quiet) agenda, knowing their decisions can significantly impact.  

Like many of you, I was at a committee meeting last week.  I didn’t say much (and left the meeting early as I had another appointment),  

FELLOW.APP has these suggestions:

Set a clear purpose.

Keep to the agenda.

Set a time for updates.

Assign meeting roles.

Have a voting process.

Follow rules of order.

Give fair notice.

Take detailed notes.

Close the meeting with the next steps.

Share the notes afterward.

I wasn’t a big fan of committees—especially ones with little purpose. I was on the parking committee at Quinnipiac University (and other committees). The committee met once a month. Generally, the director of Buildings and Grounds chaired the meeting. We got reports—the number of tickets for improper parking—and updates—we will restripe the north lot over spring break.  But we did get coffee and donuts.  

The Continental Congress was an active committee. The various colonies had charges against the King of England and other reasons for declaring independence.  

Sometimes, compromises are necessary. A representative from Virginia (for example) might prefer a different wording than a statement by a representative from Vermont. (I’ve also been at meetings with “violent agreement”—where both sides wanted the same thing, but the terminology was confusing.)

Having rules (normally Roberts's Rule of Order) helps control meetings. Eight or ten people all want to talk about a particular issue.  Taking each speaker in the order of hand raising keeps some order, although there can be chaos if all join in.  

Another old statement about committees is “to get along, go along.”  Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable.  What is essential?  What is not so important?  Pick your important values.

Remember, you are representing a group of people.  In the current government, representatives should focus on their state issues. A representative from Maine might not be interested in cotton growing, and listening to the representatives from cotton-growing states will be important when part of the discussion. 

*****

Let’s get along.

I do want to give a related story.

I was on the Student Senate at Winona State University (both as an undergraduate senator and as a Graduate Senator).  Our president went on to be a United States Congressman from Minnesota, but he wasn’t organized then and was a bit full of himself.   A group of us decided we would play havoc with the meeting.  We had our copies of Robert’s Rules ready, and we knew when we could interrupt and what we could do.  We could call for “The Orders of the Day” and introduce materials into our discussion (basically like a filibuster).  We went on for about two hours, and the Student Senate President got frustrated, yet we were within standard orders.

He later apologized to me for being such a pompous leader, and we became good friends. Our meetings went smoothly after that.

Yes, maybe I wasn’t so loving then.

But, even in committees - LOVE WINS

And

LOVE can TRANSFORM US - but we have to be willing to learn and grow.

Karen Anne White, July 2, 2024