PROPOSE TO ME – Simplify to Utilize

Are there objects in your home that were bought as labor saving devices, but became useless tools because of the operational directions that came with them? Do they sit on a counter or hide in a closet collecting dust? Are you avoiding the brain-power it would take to decipher the written steps leading to their usefulness?

For many DKG members this describes areas of our governing documents, the Constitution and the International Standing Rules. Both include verbiage that sometimes makes it difficult to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Between now and October 1, 2017 every member, committee, board, jury, chapter, and state organization has the opportunity to propose amendments to clarify and simplify these documents.

What articles and/or sections would better serve you, your chapter, your state organization, if simplified? How can you make the DKG governing documents more user-friendly when seeking answers to questions? Be brave! Browse these documents now! Then propose simplifications that will make them more useful for all. “Propose to us!,” the Constitution Committee, by using Form 44–Constitution Proposed Amendment Form found on the DKG website. Your proposal could be one that simplifies an item and helps better utilize the Society’s governing documents for all members.

Timing Your Proposals

Proposals come in all forms from marriage to policy to a simple calendar entry for an event. Every two years DKG members have the opportunity to submit proposals that amend our International Standing Rules. Every four years we do the same, but with the added bonus of amending the Constitution. The 2018 DKG International Convention in Austin falls in that four-year cycle where both governing documents can be amended.

International committees and boards are scanning the documents and proposing amendments that will enhance their effectiveness and streamline their work. In fact, the DKG Editorial Board was the first to submit proposals to amend sections chiefly centered on The DKG Bulletin: Collegial Journal.

Are you aware that state organizations, chapters, and every member of the Society has the same right to propose amendments? What’s bugging you about DKG that you’d like to see changed, simplified, or clarified? Why are you putting off sharing your thoughts? Yes, the deadline is October 1, 2017, but now is the time to contemplate what needs to be addressed. It’s definitely OK to submit your proposals well before that date.  Often when we put something off, we don’t complete the task or become frustrated trying to meet the deadline with other “unexpected” tasks cropping up at the same time.

What better time than now to contemplate those parts of the DKG governing documents that you’ve long considered hard to understand or simply find obsolete for a viable 21^st Century organization!  What better time than now when many of us find ourselves staying inside more and less active to consider proposing an amendment!

We admit that reading these documents is not as stimulating or sexy as reading a top ten fiction or non-fiction, but it’s reading that will make a difference in a Society that makes a difference in the lives of educators and children worldwide. Give it a try.  Find ways to make it a better document. What’s stopping you?

PROPOSE TO ME – Welcome to the Constitution Committee’s Blog!

Have you wondered what tasks the DKG Constitution Committee addresses beyond soliciting proposed amendments? Do you want to learn more about our governing documents and how they relate to your state organization bylaws and chapter rules?  Are you interested in learning about the newly revised process to review state organization bylaws? If any of these topics spark your interest, this is the blog for you.

Members of the DKG International Constitution Committee will address those topics and more to help you better understand the Constitution & International Standing Rules (ISR) and the process for proposing amendments to both. Even though the deadline for proposed amendments is October 1, 2017, careful thought dictates starting the process NOW.  

The Constitution Committee’s blog will also highlight key Articles/Sections of our governing documents and issues/questions that you share with us. Look for new blogs to be posted by the 2^nd Tuesday of each month.

We welcome your comments and look forward to hearing from you as we all prepare for the constitutional international convention in Austin, July 16-20, 2018.  Join us as we embrace “moving forward ever” through the documents that govern our Society.