2000 Group Conscience Decisions
This is a summary of the group conscience decisions made in 2000.
January 2000
- Due to an emergency change in our list service provider from Esosoft to World during the preceeding quarter, our list cost has increased. As there is no annual discount with the new service, we will pay on a monthly basis. The refund due us for advance payment on our previous account will be applied to the GROW website. The GROW website will remain at Esosoft, at least until these funds are spent.
- The Secretary and the Business Meeting Chair service responsibility descriptions are revised to include:
- must be able to commit to reading email on a daily basis;
- must participate in all steering committee meetings;
- must be able to reply to business and steering committee email within 48 hours. If unable to do so, should inform the steering committee in advance, or in the case of a computer related problem, telephone another member of the Steering Committee.
- Lack of response to business, steering committee, or direct personal email for a period of seven consecutive days will be reason for a temporary replacement chosen by the steering committee.
- Lack of response to business, steering committee, or direct personal email for a period of fourteen consecutive days will be reason for temporary replacement by steering committee until a permanent replacement can be chosen by the next business meeting.
- GROW will host a special women’s chat session during the OIAA Suite hosting at 2000 International Convention. GROW “business cards” will be made available, the content of which will be decided by our OIAA representatives.
- The OIAA representative will make at least quarterly reports to the group, relying on the steering committee as a sounding board to help sort out which issues affect A.A. as a whole and thus require a group conscience.
- Adopted the following Archives Proposal:
* The Archives are established to maintain a history of Grateful Recovering Online Women (GROW) in order to provide for an accurate rendering of the experience of GROW from its inception for the benefit of future GROW members and A.A. as a whole.
* Archives may include: Pertinent correspondence on founding of the group Listing of TS’s Terms, who/when, service responsibilities (when, why and if changed) Quarterly reports from each TS Group Conscience decisions Form letters (Greeter, Welcomer, Listkeeper, majordomo, meeting format, 12 Step Chair, Topic Leader Chair, Sponsor Listkeeper, FYI, E-Mail Etiquette, etc.) Changes within the group structure (ex, listserver change) Steering Committee Actions (summary)
* Business meeting minutes and agenda’s Copies of the digest for a period of 2 years to be reviewed periodically to insure pertinent group history be preserved.
* A representative sampling of the archives will be publicly displayed as suggested by the GSO Guidelines. These publicly presented archives will contain historical documents that may be of the greatest interest to the largest number its members. All other archives may be made available in a timely manner to current members upon request.
* The current Archivist will serve as a nonrotating historian so that there will be a focal person for the collection.
- The Archivist will receive copies of Steering Committee mail and be non-voice receiver of correspondence.
- The Steering Committee will select a recording secretary among its members to provide a summary of Steering Committee discussions and actions.
- The Archivist shall ensure that any publicly presented material appropriately protect the anonymity of anyone mentioned. i.e., the standard of first name-last initial shall apply.
* A rotating Co-Archivist will assist the non-rotating Archivist. The Co-Archivist is a one year term (suggested length of sobriety – 3 years; suggested length of GROW membership – 3 months)
April 2000
GROW will support a mail list being formed for the duration of the OIAA International Convention where convention visitors could share on the chosen topic, demonstrating how e-mail meetings work. GROW will ask for volunteers from the group to participate. We will not open the GROW mail list up to convention visitors.
July 2000
- By consensus, adopted the Archives Committee report and recommendations for the archives Storage and Display.
- By consensus, approved the Archivist position as a trusted servant.
We have found nothing in A.A. literature stating that a non-rotating position cannot be considered a trusted servant. We believe that the person assuming the responsibility of archivist is being trusted to perform a considerable service for the group, and that in keeping with group autonomy, we can choose to define this non-rotating position as a trusted servant.
- By consensus, approved procedure for replacing non-rotating Archivist if necessary.
In the event that the permanent archivist must be replaced, the co-archivist will be offered the position of permanent Archivist. If the co-archivist declines, she will serve as temporary archivist until a permanent archivist is selected following our guidelines and normal procedures for selecting trusted servants.
- By consensus, agreed to post the call for trusted servants at least 3 days before the start of a business meeting to maintain a 7-day window and stay in sync with the business meeting schedule.
- By consensus, agreed that the relapse of a trusted servant is a matter to be handled privately by the Secretary, with support and advice from the Steering Committee as necessary. A trusted servant who relapses would be asked to resign and encouraged to return, when sober, to any open trusted servant position for which she is qualified.
- By consensus, adopted a Co-Archivist job description
October 2000
By consensus, approved the following clarification to be added to the co-archivist job description: “Each new co-archivist is provided with an up-to-date archive file by the previous co-archivist, which she maintains and adds to during her term, then passes on to the next co-archivist.”