WSFS Business Meeting

PROPOSED AGENDA FOR NOREASCON 4

Including Business Passed On from Torcon 3

1. Committee Reports

Committee reports may include motions. Motions made by committees consisting of more than one person need not be seconded.

1.1. Mark Protection Committee (Including Nominations for MPC)

The Mark Protection Committee will meet at a time to be announced, probably on Thursday evening of the convention. A formal report is unlikely to be available until the Saturday Business Meeting at the earliest.

Nominations for the WSFS Mark Protection Committee are in order at the Preliminary Business Meeting. Nominees must accept nomination and indicate their current residence zone within one hour of the end of the Preliminary Business Meeting.

The members whose terms of office expire at this Worldcon are: Ben Yalow (East), Kevin Standlee (West), Tim Illingworth (RotW). Due to zone residency restrictions, we can elect at most two people from the Western zone, none from the Central zone, two people from the Eastern zone, and 3 people from the Rest of the World. Write-in votes are allowed, but write-in candidates must submit their consent to election by the close of balloting. (See the head table staff for a nomination acceptance form.)

1.2. Nitpicking & Flyspecking Committee

1.3. Worldcon Runners' Guide Editorial Committee

1.4. Hugo Eligibility Rest of the World (HEROW) Committee

1.5. Formalization of Long List Entries (FOLLE) Committee

2. Worldcon Reports

2.1 Past Worldcons

2.1.1. ConAdian (1994)

2.1.2. L.A.con III (1996)

2.1.3. LoneStarCon 2 (1997)

2.1.4. Aussiecon Three (1999)

2.1.5. Chicon 2000

2.1.6. The Millennium Philcon (2001)

2.1.7. ConJosé (2002)

2.1.8 Torcon 3

2.2. Seated Worldcons & NASFiC

2.2.1. Noreascon 4 (2004)

2.2.2. Interaction (2005)

2.2.3 L.A.con IV

2.2.4 CascadiAcon

NASFiC's are not required to report, but space is provided should they choose to do so.

3. Business Passed On from Torcon 3

The following Constitutional Amendment was approved at Torcon 3 and passed on to Noreascon 4 for ratification. If ratified, it will become part of the Constitution at the conclusion of Noreascon 4.

3.1 Short Title: Back to the Future

Moved, to amend the WSFS Constitution at Subsection 4.1.1 by striking and inserting text as follows:

WSFS shall choose the location and Committee of the Worldcon to be held three (3) two (2) years from the date of the current Worldcon.

Provided that there shall be no Worldcon site selection election at the 2005 Worldcon, Interaction; and that the 2006 Worldcon, L.A.con IV, shall select the site of the 2008 Worldcon. Provided further that Interaction members will be entitled to vote in the 2008 Worldcon site selection, whether or not they are members of L.A.con IV, to prevent the disenfranchisement of a group of voters. Persons may cast only a single vote in the 2008 site selection.

Moved by Pat McMurray and Stephen Boucher

Supported by Mike Glyer, Mark Olson, Joe Siclari, Vince Docherty, Deb Geisler, Todd Dashoff, Peggy Rae Sapienza

Rationale: When the original 'lead time' motion was introduced in 1983 only one argument was minuted in favour. This was that "more time would allow people to get proper facilities". The proposers of this new motion feel that this particular argument has no current validity, and that the current three year period may indeed make running a Worldcon more challenging for a less experienced committee.

3.2 Short Title: Extended Distribution

Moved, to amend Section 3.7.2 of the WSFS Constitution to require committees to inform members of eligibility extensions by adding " and any applicable extensions of eligibility under Sections 3.2.3 or 3.4" at the end.

3.7.2: The Committee shall include with each nomination ballot a copy of Article 3 of the WSFS Constitution and any applicable extensions of eligibility under Sections 3.2.3 or 3.4.

Moved by Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee

Discussion: This would enable voters to determine what's eligible.

3.3 Short Title: Moving Works

Moved, to amend Section 3.8.2 of the WSFS Constitution to restrict the movement of nominees between categories to specific works and to exclude the aggregation of nominations for people by striking out the second occurrence of "nominees" and inserting "works", as shown:

3.8.2: The Worldcon Committee shall determine the eligibility of nominees and assignment to the proper category of nominees works nominated in more than one category.

Moved by Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee

Discussion:This would restrict the movement of nominees between categories to works (subsections 1-7, 10, 11) and exclude aggregation of nominations for people (subsections 8, 9, 12, 13) across categories. This is, we believe, what was intended and what happens now. This would represent no change in powers.

3.4 Short Title: Default Rates

Moved, to amend Section 4.8.3 of the WSFS Constitution to make general the default supporting membership rate for all site selection elections conducted under WSFS sanction by inserting a new sentence at the end, as follows:

4.8.3: The proposed NASFiC supporting membership rate can be set by unanimous agreement of the administering Committee and all bidding committees who have filed before the ballot deadline. If agreement is not reached, the default fee shall be the median (middle value) of the US dollar fees used in the previous three (3) Worldcon site selections.

Moved by Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee

Discussion: This would explicitly make the default fee for a NASFiC election the same as the default fee for the Worldcon election held in the same year. The language is the same as that in Section 4.2.2

3.5 Short Title: Tied Races

Moved, to amend Section 4.5 and Section 2.6 of the WSFS Constitution to explicitly provide for procedures in case of a tied site selection election, as follows:

1. In Section 4.5.5, insert "or if two or more bids are tied for first place at the end of tallying," after "If 'None of the Above' wins,"

   4.5.5: If "None of the Above" wins, or if two or more bids are tied for first place at the end of tallying, the duty of site selection shall devolve on the Business Meeting of the current Worldcon. If the Business Meeting is unable to decide by the end of the Worldcon, the Committee for the following Worldcon shall make the selection without undue delay.

2. In Section 4.5.6, insert "following a win by 'None of the Above'" after "Worldcon Committee".

   4.5.6: Where a site and Committee are chosen by a Business Meeting or Worldcon Committee following a win by 'None of the Above', they are not restricted by exclusion zone or other qualifications.

3. Insert new section 4.5.7: "Where a site and Committee are chosen by a Business Meeting or Worldcon Committee following a tie in tallying, they must select one of the tied bids."

   4.5.7: Where a site and Committee are chosen by a Business Meeting or Worldcon Committee following a tie in tallying, they must select one of the tied bids.

4. Insert a new sentence at the end of Section 2.6, as follows:

   Section 2.6: Incapacity of Committees.

   With sites being selected three (3) years in advance, there are at least three selected current or future Worldcon Committees at all times. If one of these should be unable to perform its duties, the other selected current or future Worldcon Committee whose site is closer to the site of the one unable to perform its duties shall determine what action to take, by consulting the Business Meeting or by mail poll of WSFS if there is sufficient time, or by decision of the Committee if there is not sufficient time. Where a site and Committee are chosen by a Business Meeting or Worldcon Committee pursuant to this section, they are not restricted by exclusion zone or other qualifications.

Moved by Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee

4. New Business

4.1. Resolutions

Items under this heading may be voted upon and final action taken by the Preliminary Business Meeting.

4.2. Standing Rules Amendments

Items under this heading may be voted upon and final action taken by the Preliminary Business Meeting. Standing rules amendments take effect at the conclusion of the 2003 Business Meeting unless given earlier effect by specific provision and a two-thirds vote. In all amendments, new text is shown in underline type and stricken text is shown in strikethru type.

4.3. Constitutional Amendments

Items under this heading have not yet received first passage, and will become part of the constitution only if passed at Torcon 3 and ratified at Noreascon 4. The Preliminary Business Meeting may amend items under this heading, set debate time limits, refer them to committee, and take other action as permitted under the Standing Rules

5. Site Selection Business

5.1. Report of the 2007 Site Selection & Presentation by Winners

5.2. Reports by seated Worldcons & NASFiC

5.2.2. Interaction (2005)

5.2.3. L.A.con IV (2006)

5.2.4 CascadiAcon (2005 NASFiC)

NASFiC's are not required to report, but space is provided should they choose to do so.

5.3. Presentation by future Worldcon bids

5.3.1. Presentation by bidders for 2008

5.3.2. Presentation by bidders for years after 2008

6. Adjournment

6.1. Adjournment Sine Die