APA Governance

Update on democratization of Pacific APA

Because the effort to bring elections to the Pacific APA only partially succeeded last year, a group of Pacific APA members plan to introduce new amendments to the By-Laws at the 2008 business meeting.  If you would like to sign a petition (at the end of this message, by Oct. 31, 2007) so that these amendments can be introduced at the next meeting, see the contact info provided below.  The reason there are several proposals here is so that the issues which seemed to divide members at the last business meeting can be voted on separately. 
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Description and Justification of Proposed Amendments to the By-laws

of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association

(amendments submitted November 2007)

 

Background

On April 2007, at the annual business meeting, amendments to the by-laws proposed by the Ad Hoc Committee on By-law Amendments for Nomination and Election Procedures were passed that now require that nominations for all offices be published in the January Proceedings, that nominations by petition (as distinct from the nominating committee) be submitted by a certain time, that election of officers occur by mail ballot instead of at the annual business meeting, and that amendments to the by-laws, though presented at the annual business meeting for discussion, are voted on by mail ballot.

Other changes proposed by the Ad Hoc Committee concerning the nominating committee, its duties, and the terms and term limits of the offices for which it makes nominations narrowly failed to pass. It is these changes that are now being proposed again. This time, given the amendments that were passed in April 2007, changes would be voted on my mail ballot in April 2008 after their discussion at the March 2008 annual business meeting.

 

Basic Description

The proposed amendments are in two segments: (1) The “primary amendments” focus on the nominating committee’s membership and selection, officers’ terms and term limits, and the duties of the nominating committee. (2) A “supplementary amendment” then addresses one very specific matter only: the number of candidates for division vice-president that the nominating committee has a duty to nominate. Here the “one or more” nominees language of the primary amendments is altered to a mandatory “two.”

Detailed Description of the Primary Amendments

In the proposed primary set of amendments, a key element is the Nominating Committee. The composition of the committee is addressed in a new section, 1-c. The committee, were it to be revised as proposed, would be like the nominating committee in the Eastern and Central divisions currently: comprised of five persons, four of whom would be elected and one of whom (the immediate past president of the division) would serve ex officio and as the committee’s chair.

The term limits of all offices and positions are addressed in the new section 1-d. Most are kept as stipulated in the current by-laws, but a change is that the Secretary-Treasurer would also be governed by term limit. Unlike most of the other officers and committee members, however, this office would not be limited to two consecutive terms, but to three consecutive terms.

The work and selection of the nominating committee are detailed in a new section 3 (with the current by-law sections 3, 4, and 5 then becoming 4, 5, and 6 respectively). Sub-section a of this section stipulates that the nominating committee nominate one or more persons for Vice-President. It also stipulates that the committee nominate two persons for each at-large position on the executive committee and for the representative to the national Board of Officers, and that the committee nominate one or more person(s) to be Secretary-Treasurer.

Sub-sections b, c, d, and e of the new section 3 treat other aspects of the nomination process, continuing. The current manner of nomination by petition is continued, and timelines and publication requirements are clarified.

 

Justification of the Primary Amendments

The changes involved in these amendments are significant. They would position the Pacific Division much closer to the Central and Eastern divisions in its approach to organizational governance, making office holding the outcome of elections (usually among multiple candidates) and moving the division much more in the direction of expressly democratic governance.

Election of four of the five members of the nominating committee instead of having the executive committee appoint a three-member committee reflects this basic shift toward more explicit democracy.

Term limits would become explicit and similar to the other divisions, generally two terms. The term limit proposed for secretary-treasurer is longer. This office is different than others. For a President and Executive Committee to best execute the work of the division, continuity in the Secretary-Treasurer’s office has distinct advantages. Only rarely has a Secretary-Treasurer served more than nine years in either of the other divisions, however. A limit of three elected three-year terms has the merit of combining considerable continuity with opportunity for choice by the division’s membership.

One of the most important changes included in these amendments is the requirement to nominate two candidates for the executive committee and the representative to the national Board of Officers. This would make the Pacific division similar to the current Eastern and Central divisions. Competitive candidacy, as compared to more honorific election by default because only one candidate is nominated, is appropriate because the positions being filled are governing positions. Officers lead the organization, and their interest in and positions on various issues facing the APA as an organization are fully germane to their selection.

It is proposed, however, that the nomination of “one or more persons” be allowed for the position of secretary-treasurer. This reflects the belief that secretary-treasurer carries out more administrative work for the division and its executive committee than any of the other offices do. The proposal on this score in these amendments is similar but not identical to the Central division, where “one” (though not “one or more”) nominee is stipulated, and it is unlike the Eastern division where the Secretary-Treasurer is not elected but appointed by the Executive Committee.  Although there are advantages in both of the other divisions’ models, the proposed amendment for the Pacific division follows more the Central than the Eastern Division model in having the Secretary-Treasurer be elected. It is also proposed, however, that while the nominating committee should have the option of submitting more than one nominee, it should not be required to nominate more than one.

 

Justification of the Supplementary Amendment

Both the Eastern and the Central divisions elect their vice president (who of course becomes the president in the following year). The current bylaws of the Pacific Division do not preclude an election, nor would the by-laws as amended by the previous (“primary”) amendments. They implicitly discourage it, however, inasmuch as the default option is the unelected appointment of a vice president by the nominating committee. Consequently, the Pacific Division has never held an election for the vice presidency.

Although no one could complain about the actual candidates selected by this procedure -- the list of past Pacific APA presidents is as distinguished as one could wish for -- the process itself is unfortunate. The motivation behind the proposed change to the bylaws is that both the symbolic and real importance of the APA presidency would be better served by a democratic election. The change in language ensures such an election by requiring the nominating committee to propose two candidates, which would then trigger a general election by mail ballot. Once an election becomes the norm, it is the hope that other members would be encouraged to nominate further candidates, yielding the sort of fully open, democratic process that the other divisions enjoy every year.

The election of a president is an opportunity for reflection on the intellectual and professional values of our community. Simply to be nominated is an honor, and there can be no embarrassment in losing such an election, in view of the lofty competition for the position. To win such an election is to know not just that one is favored by the deliberations of a committee, but that one has the highest possible standing in the minds of one's peers at large for the role of leading the governance of the organization. The proposed bylaw change would therefore have all the usual advantages of democracy, making the offices of vice-president and president a public expression of the membership's vision of the profession.

[Click on "Continue reading...." to see the proposed amendments]

Pacific APA governance reform

Here is my "unofficial" report on the actions taken at the Pacific Division Business meeting (April 5, 2007) regarding the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee on By-Law Amendments (for Nomination and Election Procedures of the Pacific Division of the APA). The report and proposals can be found in the Proceedings and Addresses of the APA (January 2007) pp. 211-220, or on the APA webpage.

The APA and Social Responsibility

At the Eastern APA meeting in December 1948, according to Bruce Kuklick, the philosopher William Fontaine was prohibited from using the convention hotel in Charlottesville, VA. Fontaine, who taught philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania from the 1940s to the 60s, was Black, and racial segregation was the social and legal norm at the time in Charlottesville. The following year, the APA resolved not to hold meetings in segregated cities. Looking back, I think most of us would say (and be proud) that the APA did the right thing.

Update on 2006 Petition

At the Pacific APA Annual Business Meeting (Portland 3/23/06), two motions were approved. The first motion was to direct the Executive Committee to create an ad hoc committee to formulate wording for amendments to the Pacific Division By-Laws. The second motion elaborated the charge of the committee as follows: "The ad hoc committee will consider amendments to the Pacific Division by-laws concerning procedures for nomination and election of all officers, the executive committee, and the nominating committee, and the terms of all such positions.  It may but need not propose more than one alternative to preserving the current by-laws unamended."

2006 petition

The Pacific Division members who signed the 2006 petition were informed on Feb. 17, by our Secretary-Treasurer, Anita Silvers, that our petition will be voted on at the annual business meeting in Portland (which is Thurs., March 23, 2006, noon-1:00, Pavillion).  The Executive Committee has decided that, because our petition proposes a mechanism and direction for revising the By-Laws, our petition does not need to be announced to the membership in advance of the meeting and, at the meeting, its approval will require a majority vote but not a 2/3 majority vote.  Also, we've been told that, if approved, the EC is committed to commissioning a professional parliamentarian to prepare the language for revising the by-laws, which will then be voted on at the 2007 annual business meeting.

Why Bother?

In discussing with colleagues the current efforts to initiate change in the Pacific APA, the question “why bother” inevitably surfaces.  What’s to be gained and what could be lost?  Well, even if there’s nothing to be gained, there are some principles involved worth defending.  Given that the APA is an organization that exists for and is funded by its members, its members have the right to participate in setting the policies and goals of the organization.  One way we do this is by having elections, through which members elect others whose views, interests, or philosophical approaches are compatible with their own.  As members of this organization, we have the right to participate in this way, and when this right has been taken away from us by other members, we should stand up for our rights.

call for nominations

I've been asked why the "Letter from the Secretary-Treasurer" in the Jan. "Proceedings and Addresses," with the information that members may email the Sec-Treas with nominations for the Nominating and Program committees, does not suffice as a public call for nominations.  My concern is that the nominating committee, once established, does not make an independent call for nominations for divisional officers and the Executive committee. How do they come up with names for these offices? Does the current Sec-Treas gather these too, and would this inhibit someone from nominating another person for this position?

Initiating Dialogue on APA Governance

I have been a member of the APA, mostly the Pacific Division, for over twenty years.  When I have had the opportunity to observe the governance practices in this division, I have frequently been surprised, if not disturbed.  For many years I have been asking myself, how can intellectuals who write about democratic theory and rights, equality and political justice, tolerate the violation of basic democratic principles and procedures in their own organization?

At first I began asking naïve questions.  Why do we not hold elections for our officers?  How are candidates nominated for office?  Why is there so little business conducted at the business meeting, where members have an opportunity to meet with their officers, and why is all the business conducted at the executive committee meeting?