Regular Member Meeting 20160609

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This meeting will be held in MIBS SRC3 format.

Time, location

20:00, Dallas Makerspace

Approval of prior minutes

Prior minutes

Officer/Committee reports

Committee chairs are requested to provide their reports in writing. Reports can be short bullet-points.

President

Treasurer

Committee Chairs

  • 3d Fabrication Committee
    • we have fixed a lot of the computer issues.
    • We have set up the computers to your members log in profile.
    • We have given our old shelving units to RC. They don't look as if they are at hot topic anymore.
    • Oh and btw... WE GOT CARTS! thanks to Alex and Allen, who probably pulled too many muscles, we have 3 carts, and a slicing table.
    • We have given our tables and extra parts to other committees
  • Automotive Committee
    • Continuing to invest in more tools
    • Weekly build nights, thursdays @ 7:30pm, working on repairing and improving our 240sx race car, everyone is welcome to attend and lend a hand to learn more about the car.
  • Blacksmith Committee
  • Civic Hacking
  • Classroom Committee
    • We had an informal meeting with Harold Asbridge to discuss converting the interactive storage area into a new room for RC. It is under consideration.
    • The committee continues to grow. Members now include Gus, Stan, Julio, Bill Mc, and guest starring John Fields as remote support.
    • The new Calendar Maker software is eagerly awaited by both the Calendar staff and members. Too many things break in the current labor intensive process. Thank you all that do it.
    • I apologize to all the members that have lost classes or dealt with errors. Please hang with us. It will get better.
    • We will be hanging real white boards
    • We wish to put mylar film on the purple classroom windows to better manage temperature.
  • Creative Arts Committee
  • Digital Media Committee
  • Electronics Robotics Committee
    • Electronics had a committee mtng and nominated Art Givens for chair. Submitted to BoD for approval.
    • Progress on rebuilding PCB mill - Thanks to Ken's son Jack.
    • Progress on lockers outside E lab - Thanks to Gus R. and Lance P. Thanks to Stan for moving lockers from the shop area to hallway outside the E lab.
    • Health check on E lab pc - possible re-image/rebuild.
    • E lab lost aprox $1800.00 due to theft.
    • Will have a series of committee mtngs at different times to accommodate different schedules to see what interests and needs are.
  • Financial Committee
    • Approximately $10,000 will be available to allocate at the board of directors meeting this month
    • A treasurer has not been appointed yet
    • Meetings every Sunday morning at 10:00 AM (ish) if you'd like to help please come
    • Thank you to volunteers that have been doing our bookkeeping and all finance related things
    • Looking at outsourcing some or most of the bookkeeping for the makerspace
  • Foundry Committee
  • Infrastructure Committee
    • The DMS Phone system is back up and running.
  • Jewelry and Small Metals Committee
  • Laser Committee
  • Logistics Committee
    • Logistics will begin enforcing storage rules with increased vigilance
    • Note that the monthly project storage purge can start as early as 6/11/2016, 16:00
    • Thanks to Nick Sainz for taking the initiative to notify members with expired projects that they have 7 days to remove them
  • Machine Shop Committee
  • Metal Shop Committee
  • Public Relations Committee
  • Reloading and Gunsmithing Committee
  • Remote Control Committee
  • Science Committee
    • Raman Build will soon be able to make noodles
    • New CO2 Incubator just came from outerspace. Future Testing will becoming into affect (or is it effect?)
    • Fume Hood build is in the stages of design and looking for ones to buy.
    • Installing an automated system for Aquaponics. First class will be on bringing your own herbs(no mary jane please)
    • Thanks to Chuck for fixing the Autoclave. Currently working on timer.
    • Locking down the mini fridge for beer storage
  • VECTOR Committee
    • VECTOR will be sponsored at the Let's Play Gaming Expo at the Plano Centre, Saturday and Sunday June 18-19 from 10am-6pm. We will be promoting DMS, showcasing our projects, and mixing it up with an estimated 2500 people in attendance.
  • Wood Shop Committee

Agenda

Note: The normal cut-off time for agenda items is the Sunday prior at 11:59pm.

Old business

New business

Clarification of the Banning/Expulsion process

Problem (Frank Lima): The current rules governing the banning and expelling of members are at the very least confusing and poorly communicated and at the very worst actively abused.

Solution (Frank Lima):

- Communications between the Board that is pertinent to a temporary expulsion must made available to the member in question.

- Any communications between the Board pertinent to a permanent expulsion be made available to the Membership.

- Delete item three form the Code of Conduct from the Rules.

- Change the language of Bylaw Section 4.13 to read:

Section 4.13 Expulsion

Any two Directors or President may temporarily expel anyone who violates the Code of Conduct or Bylaws from the premises or online systems. Temporary expulsions may be reversed by any single member of the Board of Directors. A temporary expulsion may only last two weeks or until the next Board Meeting, whichever is shorter. A member must be given formal written notice of their temporary expulsion, including the reason for the expulsion, with 24 hours of the start date of the expulsion. A member shall be expelled from the membership of the corporation for a period set by resolution of the Board of Directors after providing the member with reasonable written notice and an opportunity to be heard by the Board of Directors either orally during a public meeting or in writing, and upon a determination by the Board of Directors that the member engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the interests or purposes of the corporation. Any person expelled from the corporation shall forfeit any and all dues already paid. All rights of a member in the corporation shall cease on termination of membership as herein provided.

Relevance (Frank Lima): Having a clear banning/expulsion process is critical to maintaining the long term stability of the Dallas Makerspace.

Problem (Erik Smith)

Some background: At the last board meeting, I indicated that I would deliver a proposal to address the issue of member discipline records. Since a similar agenda item is being presented at the members' meeting, I will introduce it early. I welcome suggestions prior to the deadline for the members' meeting.

I will not be addressing the issue of Director bans and have removed my previous proposal. There are procedural issues with Frank's proposal as written; namely I do not believe that the process in our Bylaws' Article 13 - Amendments to Bylaws - has been followed.

I believe that DMS needs a dispute resolution process that encourages mediation and defusing tensions rather than going immediately to the Board of Directors.

Solution (Erik Smith)

I propose that we alter the Formal Complaints process to read as follows:

Formal Complaints

The formal complaint process exists for members to attempt to resolve conflicts around the actions of a specific member or members. Throughout this process, members are expected to discuss the situation in a calm and polite fashion.

  1. Informal Mediation
    1. Members involved in a dispute are expected to try to resolve it via Informal Mediation
    2. Informal mediation should involve the aggrieved parties and a neutral third party
    3. If informal mediation resolves the issue to the satisfaction of the aggrieved parties, the issue is settled and no records of the event are retained
    4. If informal mediation fails to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of the aggrieved parties, it will be noted that informal mediation was attempted when a formal complaint is filed
  2. Formal Complaint
    1. Must be submitted in writing to the Board of Directors or any individual Director; if a single Director is the recipient of the Formal Complaint, they shall ensure that the complaint is communicated to the entire Board of Directors in a timely fashion
    2. The complaint must have the following:
      1. Identifying information: Names of involved parties, approximate time of incident
      2. Complaint: Description of the event, perceived wrong(s)
      3. Recommended Solution: Proposed solution to the complaint
    3. Note that there is no requirement to act in accordance with the “recommended solution” section in a Formal Mediation or a Board Meeting
    4. The board may choose to combine multiple Formal Complaints around a single incident into a single Formal Complaint
    5. The individual(s) filing the Formal Complaint may withdraw it prior to subsequent proceedings, which will halt the process
  3. Formal Mediation
    1. A quorum of the the board may - at its option - assign the issue to formal mediation
    2. Formal mediation will involve the aggrieved parties, a mediator specified by the board of directors, and any other parties whose participation that the board of directors or the mediator feel will help resolve the situation
    3. The mediator will attempt to devise a solution that remedies the dispute
    4. If the solution is acceptable to both parties:
      1. Minutes of the meeting will be kept, complete with identifying information
      2. Any conditions imposed on involved parties as part of the resolution will be clearly noted
    5. If no mutually-acceptable solution can be found, the issue will be referred to the Board of Directors
  4. Board Meeting
    1. The board of directors may opt to hold a special meeting on a Formal Complaint either as a special session or as an agenda item on the next regularly-scheduled board meeting
    2. Complaints will be added to the meeting agenda, with only Identifying Information
    3. Records from a Formal Mediation – if attempted – will be made available to the Board of Directors prior to the meeting and will likely be discussed during the board meeting
    4. Minutes for the board of directors meeting will contain identifying information for involved parties
  5. Handling of Records
    1. "Identifying Information" will be public
    2. All other information in these records will be kept under seal, only to be revealed in the event a party is credibly alleged to have breached any imposed conditions, the issue is referred to the board of directors, or if required by law
    3. Information in these records
      1. Will be available to all participants in a Formal Mediation
      2. Will be the subject of public discussion should the issue be referred to a Board Meeting
      3. May be unsealed (and examined by the board, a mediator, or other designated participants) should any of the named individuals in the "Identifying Information" section be the subject of a subsequent formal complaint; which may cite these records
    4. Records are to be disposed of 12 months after the conclusion of proceedings, at which point they will be immaterial to further proceedings

The intent of this process is to encourage mediation, maintain records for issues that cannot be worked out by the parties informally, keep issues confidential when appropriate, and ultimately discourage board involvement in formal complaints.

Relevance (Erik Smith) Changing the Formal Complaint Process should channel most complaints through mediation processes, reduce Board involvement in disputes, and maintain records for a set time - after which they will be expired and irrelevant to future proceedings.

Preventing abuse and mismanagement of DMS records and communications (Frank Lima)

Problem: Official DMS communications have not been managed in such a way as to minimize the risk of mismanagement and obfuscations of the truth.

Solution: -All written communications with DMS officers and DMS contractors be conducted using official DMS email accounts or snail mail.

-Any DMS email account and the messages within them can be reviewed by any officer of the Dallas Makerspace.

-Any one member of the Board can release any DMS communication or record to Members. This disclosure can be overruled by any two other Board members.

Relevance: Preventing small lies and both deliberate and non-deliberate obfuscations of the truth by the Board of Directors is critical to long term decision making at the DMS.

Alcohol Policy (Walter Anderson)

Problem: A proposal has been added to the board agenda to ban the storage of alcohol in the space. This is a highly controversial issue and should be decided by the members and not the board

Solution: All members are expected to comply with all Local, State, and Federal laws relating to alcohol. Our members who are under the legal drinking age in Texas, 21, are expected to respect other's private property and leave any unattended bottles of alcohol alone. Any members over the legal drinking age are expected to refrain from providing alcohol to anyone not legally able to possess it. Any member who takes another's private property or breaks any law is subject to permanent expulsion.

Relevance: Preventing the proliferation of unneeded rules improves the moral of the organization

Minutes

20:14 Meeting called to order

https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/File:Voting_Members_6-9-16.pdf

31 of 50 voting members present (or accounted for via proxy): Quorum is met
In attendance:
1. Luke Olsen
2. Stan Simmons (2 proxies)
 3. John Gorman
 4. Erin Roberson
5. Jayson Woods (2 proxies)
 6. Romeo Espana
 7. Mary Mathias
8. Shawn Christian
9. Richard Bauman
10 Ross Dusenbury
11. Harold Asbridge
12. Nick McCarthy
13. Ebony Jackson
14. Patrick Thompsen
15. Jay Phelps
16. Michael Stovenour
17. Raymond Jett
18. David Kessinger (1 proxy)
 19. Bill Gee
20. Frank Lima
21. Thomas Tansey
22. Art Givens (1 proxy)
 23. Dave Guill
24. Nick Sainz
25. Alex Rhodes (1 proxy)
 26. Kent Bowling
27. Robert Savidson
28. Ken Purcell
29. Erik Smith
30. Pearce Dunlap
31. Walter Anderson


ITEM: "Clarification of the Banning/Expulsion process (Frank Lima)"
 - Frank Lima moves to define “ban” as “temporary expulsion” in the rules, seconded by Nick Sainz
 - 20 in favor, 4 opposed, 4 abstained
 - Motion passes

ITEM: "Clarification of the Banning/Expulsion process (Erik Smith)"
 - Motion summarily dismissed by near-unanimous consent

ITEM: "Preventing abuse and mismanagement of DMS records and communications (Frank Lima)"
 - Richard Bauman moved to dimiss, Luke Olseon seconded
 - 23 in favor, 2 opposed
 - Motion dismissed

ITEM: "Alcohol Policy (Walter Anderson)"
 - Walter Anderson has moved to dismiss the issue, Pearce Dunlap seconded
 - Passed by near unanimous consent
 - Motion dismissed

 - NOTE by Walter Anderson
   Before I moved to dismiss the agenda item, I requested that we hold an informal vote 
   among members concerning their opposition to any potential ban of alcohol.  A near 
   unanimous show of hands were raised in opposition to such a proposed ban.  Discussion 
   of this can be found on this 
   https://talk.dallasmakerspace.org/t/minutes-for-regular-member-meeting-20160609/10141 
   talk thread.

21:41 Meeting Adjourned
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