Governance Tid Bit:
Quorum Quandary of Governance Committee Meetings

by Frankie Strong

Governance Office Coordinator

Ok so we understand that we need a quorum in order to conduct committee business.

According to Administrative Regulation 2511, the Governance Document, “quorum is the simple majority of voting members of the committee which is 50% + 1 of the total voting membership.  NOTE:  a vacant voting member seat is not counted when determining quorum.”

This means that one more than half of the voting members must be present in order to conduct business.  Duly noted is that vacant voting seats are not counted towards quorum.

What about the “resource” members of the committee, they’re part of the quorum count, right?

No, they are not included, only voting members are counted towards quorum.  “Resource” seats are non-voting members.  They participate in discussion, but have no vote.

Well, our committee convened but we didn’t have quorum, do we just leave?

Not necessarily.  Committees can still have discussion of agenda items, but no action can occur that requires a vote.

Can we approve the minutes from the previous meeting during this non-quorum meeting?

No.  Quorum must be met in order to conduct any vote.

So, do we record “minutes” for this meeting which only entailed discussion?

Certainly!  Recording information that was discussed during this non-quorum meeting is helpful for the committee members, and helpful for those who did not attend, such as non-members.  Some committees refer to these “minutes” as notes versus official minutes.  Nevertheless, it is appropriate to distribute such notes to the membership at the next meeting as an informational item.  No vote to “approve” such notes is necessary.  It may be noted in the present meeting’s minutes that notes from the previous meeting were reviewed.

What if NOT meeting quorum is a regular occurrence for our committee, what do we do?

It is recommended that the chairperson contact members who are absent and to alert the Governance Review Committee that there may be an attendance problem.

Lastly, if you are a voting member on a committee but cannot attend a meeting, please find a proxy.   Assigning proxy enables the committee to meet quorum to do its important business.  Instructions and criteria are included on the proxy form.  The form can be found on the governance webpage.

 For governance questions contact Frankie Strong fstrong@glendale.edu, ext. 5393.

References
Governance webpage www.glendale.edu/governance  
AR 2511, Governance Document

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