Standing Rules Draft First I want to apologize for the confusion - PDF document

Standing Rules Draft First I want to apologize for the confusion that occurred at last month’s board meeting surrounding the introduction of a draft document and the request for feedback. I take full responsibility for the communication snafu that occurred and am very sorry for the ensuing fallout …especially for my committee when the fault was mine. I am happy to say that has been resolved and all is well with the Standing Rules Committee (SRC). Let me address the process that the SRC is using to arrive at a document that will be presented to the Board for a vote.  The committee has been receiving recommendations for rule revisions and additions since before we first convened in January. That is because the previous committee had items for us to tackle that they didn’t get to. That’s where we began.  The document circulated at the May Board meeting was a draft and feedback was collected from that draft. Again, I apologize for the miscommunication that occurred around that draft because it was totally my fault. Nonetheless, that draft resulted in some good feedback.  The SRC listened to feedback from that initial draft and crafted a document they felt was ready for posting on the SSS website.  This is the document that is on the website and that we need additional feedback on over the next 21/2 weeks. At that time the SRC will review the feedback and determine next steps. Also, let me speak to some of the history and reasons for even having Standing Rules (SR) ’s in the first place.  Standing Rules have been a part of the Squadron for many years. They are written primarily for the benefit of the members so that we know how the club functions in every area from Dock Rules to Fees to Regatta Guidelines to Expected Conduct. They serve as a means of managing ourselves so that we don’t have to run to the office every time we have a question. 1

 Standing Rules can be absolute (Only Squadron employees are allowed to use the club’s debit card). Others are more subjective (The manager shall have discretion to determine if any boat is too large or other conditions preclude allowing dockage at the Squadron docks).  They are a particularly useful tool for managing the day-to-day operations of the Squadron from the of fice’s perspective as they are the ones who are on the front lines every day fielding questions, concerns, complaints and misinformation.  Standing Rules are the way of defining the sandbox within which we all play. They are a means of ensuring some semblance of order when a group of nearly 800 people are using the Squadron and you really want them to be able to manage themselves. Having some rules in place and expecting people to play by the rules is one way to accomplish that. One addition to the S R’s that has drawn the most feedback so far (positive and negative) is the section on Gross Misconduct.  Most of those in favor of this section endorse spelling out the specifics of what is acceptable behavior and what is not. They favor identifying out of bounds behavior and knowing that they have recourse when faced with a bad situation.  Some of those opposed worry that Gestapo rule has taken over and no one can swear, drink, tell a dirty joke or get angry without incurring some kind of punishment.  Actually, this is how it works - If someone has a complaint that actually makes it to the manager level… o First response is to ask if it can be resolved by the parties talking it out themselves o If not, people have the option of filling out an Incident Report that describes what happened – IR’s have been in place since Craig came on board 2

o Manager will generally contact the offending party and get their side of the story – the person filing the complaint can remain anonymous or not, their choice o It is at this point that the Manager decides what to do next. This is what we pay Craig the big bucks for…common sense, good judgment, negotiating skills and decisiveness. o Usually talking to the parties involved, whether to help settle a disagreement or actually reprimand someone, is as far as it ever goes – end of story o For really serious rule violations or repeated violations that keep happening despite being talked to, the by-laws provide a sliding scale of options - reprimand, suspension and revocation of membership as further ways to deal with serious problems.  One of the big driving forces behind member requests to include some rules to live by in our SR’s is the growing number of families who are members. The club is actively seeking to become and is actually becoming a more family based organization. Vanessa is working very hard to create family-friendly social activities. More families are sailing together – Race Around Lido, 4 th of July are examples. The SYSP is growing by leaps and bounds. The SSS is considering offering youth memberships. And since kids are an ever increasing part of the landscape, they are everywhere and in places they never were before…the bar, the living area, the docks, the BarBQ, the pavilion, etc. Like it or not, they’re here to stay. Hopefully, these kids will become lifelong sailors and maybe even lifelong Squadron members. That’s what their parents hope for and that’s one big reason why the request for a code of conduct in the first place.  You know, Moses could have just handed down one big commandment that said “ oh just behave”. Instead he handed down 10 commandments or rules to live by. He kn ew even back then if you want people to “just behave”, you need to be specific. He kn ew then as it has been shown today that in the absence of guidelines, bad behavior not only increases 3

in occurrence, but increases in severity. Adults need rules to remind us of what we already know. The kids do too.  As we move toward being a sailing club that is attractive to a more diverse membership in terms of age, gender, race etc., we need to be aware that that involves tightening the ship in some ways. The Squadron will always be a small sailing club that is a slice of old Florida and that is friendly and welcoming and teaches people how to sail .  There is no hidden agenda in these SR’s. They are not the first step down a slippery slope to becoming a yacht club. They are not designed to purge people from the ranks and replace them with blue blazzered stuffed shirts. The paranoia surrounding the revision of existing rules is way out of proportion to what should be a simple committee project that happens every couple of years.  I have to say, in response to some of the web comments so far, to those who see a sinister plot in these revisions to Get A Grip! If you have constructive feedback, we can use it. To accuse the committee of Un- American activities is completely over the top.  I ask the Board and the members to review the current draft, give the com mittee your feedback and know that once approved, these SR’s become background music only. They’re there to refer to when you need to know how to use the docks or launch your boat or what to do in case of trouble. They are a reference document, not a Big Brother club with which to brow beat people.  Please look them over. They are on the website for viewing and for commenting. The committee welcomes all input.  The SR committee is here tonight…Herb Larrabee, John Huber, John Proctor, and me with Craig Bridges as advisor. Please talk to us after the meeting tonight if you want to know more. Respectfully submitted, Linda Tiffan, Secretary 4

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