Read all house documents – the TheContract, the House Rules, the House Bylaws, the CHEA Articles of Incorporation, the house budget, and the labor descriptions – and be familiar with all of them.
Be a source of information – educate members about house policies. Work to make all policies and important house documents easily accessible to all members. Carry out evictions on behalf of the house membership and/or CHEA Board of Directors (Section 4.3 of the House Rules). Oversee Membership Reviews. Ensure that house policies regarding eviction meetings are followed (Section 4.7 of House Rules). Inform the membership and the member being reviewed of all relevant policies. If a vote revokes membership for any reason other than non-performance of labor or non-payment of rent, notify the board as soon as possible before any possible legal proceedings could be initiated with the court. Notify the member that they have the right to appeal the decision to the board if they so choose. (Updated 5-5-2024.) As Pet Kaiser, communicate and enforce the house PetPolicy. Keep track of members' compliance with the Pet Policy. Ensure that the house pet limit is not exceeded.
Fill in when important officer positions are temporarily vacant, and assure smooth transitions of officer positions from one member to another. If an officer position is known to be unfilled or not performed for the next week, the Steward should be assigned those lumps in the following week’s labor schedule. (Voted on 4-2-2023.) Carry out elections in the absence of the Labor Czar. Pay attention to ensure Membership Coordinator duties are being completed. Check to ensure that the Membership Coordinator is posting ads on craigslist roughly once a week (whether we have any vacancies or not). Have read-only access to the MemCo email account. Check to ensure that the Membership Coordinator is answering emails in a reasonable amount of time. Check to ensure that the Membership Coordinator is adding accepted prospective members to the email list. (Voted 10-23-11.)
Pay attention to ensure Labor Czar duties are being completed. Communicate with the Labor Czar every month to ensure that make-up labor and labor fines are being assessed in a timely manner and emailed to the house (see LaborPolicies). Ensure that the Labor Czar is maintaining a publicly available format of each house member's no-shows, make-up labor hours owed, make-up labor hours completed, and labor fines owed. If these jobs are not being completed, no-show the Labor Czar. (Voted 1-27-13.)
Keep an eye on the books to ensure that they are updated. Ensure that the Treasurer gets members on payment plans when applicable. When necessary, deliver the Elliot Blanton Memorial Eviction notice. Ensure that taxes are filed on time. Be familiar with tax filing procedures. (See: TaxFilingInformation.)
Work to find solutions to problems that don't fall in the jurisdiction of any other house officers or members. Serve as a house mediator to assist in solving conflicts and mediating disputes. (See: MediationInfo)
Encourage and maintain a spirit of cooperation and democratic participation in the house. Steward must be a resident member of the house (not an associate) passed 5/29/16 by 8-0-1 Be made aware by Mastodon Overblower how to recover systems and passwords. Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Keep the house as close to full occupancy as humanly possible. Advertise! Update our ads on Craigslist every week — EVEN WHEN THE HOUSE IS FULL. Never stop advertising. (Tip: It's a good idea to post flyers at all of the campus coops once a semester. At the very least, all of the campus coops and ICC and College Houses offices should be heavily flyered every May, when students are about to graduate and move on. Flyers at 21st Street Coop should explain that Sasona was founded by four 21st St Motherfuckers.) Answer emails/questions from prospective members, and give them tours on Sundays before the meeting. Learn to recognize scam emails (bad grammar/punctuation, usually from a foreign country, says “advert,” claims to be a model or working for some altruistic cause, attaches a picture of a beautiful girl, weird email addresses, obviously didn't read the ad, immediately starts asking about how much rent and deposit to pay, etc). Don't be a sucker. If you aren't sure if an email is a scam, send it to the house for advice. Keep the Sasona FAQupdated. Email it out to all prospective members – it will save you a lot of time answering questions. Keep copies of all of the signed contracts. Make note of when people switch rooms so the Treasurer can figure out their prorated rent. Keep the Member Rents and Dates updated on the wiki. Be aware of whose contract is ending soon, and make sure they renew their contract. If, 6 weeks before their contract ends, they will not guarantee that they will renew their contract, start advertising that their room will open up soon. They can renew their contract at any time then, but if someone signs a contract for the room before they do, then they must either move out, or, if other rooms are available, switch rooms. If their contract is not renewed a month before the end of the contract period, then advertise their room and let someone else sign for their room (after first giving them a chance). (See: ContractSigningPolicies)
Jack's Law: Make sure that new members pay their deposit when they sign their contract. If they do not pay their deposit, then they cannot sign a contract. DO NOT let people move in if they haven't paid their deposit. Make sure that people with no money and no job don't move in. It is easier to stop them from moving in than it is to evict them once they're here. People without jobs should pay both the deposit and first month's rent before moving in. If they cannot do so, then that is firsthand knowledge of a reason that they would be evicted – and therefore a good reason to deny them membership. Keep track of who attended two meetings and when. Keep the Waiting List on the wiki updated. After a prospective member has been accepted, add them to the waiting list. Keep track of what prospective members have pets, and ensure that the house pet limit is not exceeded. If several people are interested in the same room, decide who gets it. Be very familiar with the Member Acceptance Policy, and follow it faithfully. Update the Member Acceptance Policy, with the house's help, if you encounter situations that the policy does not adequately handle. Keep extra copies of all of the room keys. Keep them organized. With the maintenance coordinator's help, make sure that everyone has a key and a functional lock on their door. Find hostelers to fill vacant rooms until a long-term member can be found. Ask prospective hostelers for more information about themselves (such as a Facebook page) and ask them to explain why they would be a good fit for the house. Accept or reject potential hostelers based on who can take the room when it is available, who will stay the longest (in order to bring in the most money with the least turnover), and who will be the best fit for the house. Do not accept hostelers who won't be a good fit for the house. If there is any question whether someone will be a good fit for the house, contact the house and ask the house's opinion. Hostelers should be civil, friendly, able to pay in advance, and able to move out when their hosteling stay is completed. (House vote, 12-6-09.) (See: HostelingPolicies.)
Determine how much a member's deposit will be charged upon move-out. (See: DepositReturnPolicies.)
Act as House Mediator to try to solve conflicts. Encourage everyone to play nice. (See: MediationInfo)
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When people sign contracts for the first time they need to sign the harassment policy, income disclosure, new member orientation, scavenger hunt, pay deposit and first month’s rent.
Memco has to send any new income disclosure forms to CHEA operations manager within the month.
You have to keep an updated list of potential members on the google sheet Make people aware of the associate membership scholarship (passed 8/25/20) When someone moves in they need to be added to the email and Slack, and a welcome email sent to the house Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
(For membership coordinator transitions, it might be helpful to read this list: MembershipCoordinatorTrainingChecklist)
Take a leading role in helping the house create an annual budget. Seek and encourage input from the membership. Create at least three options to propose to the house, by changing the amounts of the food budget, reserve fund, rent, or other variables as needed to provide some options to choose from. The budget should be based on comparisons of actual income and spending compared to the previous budget, and on the coop's income relative to the price of comparable housing. (See: TheBudget.)
Ensure the house follows that budget by keeping records of what spending occurs in what budget categories, and comparing the actual spending with the budgeted amounts at least twice a year. Keep track of deposits, credits, money owed to us, and money we owe. Ensure that deposits are made in time to pay all bills. Pay all our rent and bills in full and on time. Collect maintenance receipts from the Maintenance Coordinator. Send receipts to NASCO Properties as needed to ensure we have enough money in our accounts. Maintain an efficient and convenient bank account for the house. Ensure that the account is as resistant to embezzlement as possible. Answer financial questions from the membership. Encourage input from the membership and work with Food Shopper to report weekly purchases and budget adherence. Provide a public place for the filing of house financial documents. Ensure that all deposit slips and bank statements are filed in a public place within the house on at least a monthly basis. Along with the Bookkeeper, maintain the lockbox for rent payments, receipts, and other documents that need to be secured. When handing out checks, ensure that the person responsible for the check is named in the memo slot for accountability. Any checks that are lost or stolen can therefore be the responsibility of the person to whom the check was issued, so make sure that the carriers of checks are aware of this and take care of the checks they are issued. Ensure that the house Spending Policies are followed (See: SpendingPolicies).
Maintain needed publicly accessible calendars of financial deadlines. These should include a monthly calendar for the benefit of the members showing the incoming and outgoing house funds (rent due dates, and due dates of bills). These should also contain a yearly calendar containing information on IRS filing deadlines, the start and end of our Fiscal Year, annual reports due to lenders, the NASCO Properties Fiscal Year (and therefore maintenance expense deadlines) and any other annual information. (See: FinancialCalendar.)
Cash is never, ever to be accepted from any members. Ever. Cash has no paper trail and is far too easy to steal. Accept only checks and money orders. Ensure that the Bookkeeper sends out Bookkeeper reports twice a month. Get a copy of the books from the Bookkeeper every two weeks (shortly after the 3rd and 7th of the month) to ensure that everyone is up to date on their rent payments and payment plans. Examine the books to ensure that they are accurate and complete, checking accuracy of account balances and assuring that late fees and labor fines were assessed, before returning them to the Bookkeeper. If someone owes more than $100 after the 7th of the month, put them on a payment plan. Work with the member so that they have a workable payment plan that fits their budget. Follow the Payment Plan Policies. (See: PaymentPlans.) Email approved payment plans to the house.
As soon as someone falls off their payment plan—if their rent is late, or their payment plan installment is late—alert the Steward. The Steward will then deliver the Elliot Blanton Memorial Eviction Notice. Ensure that taxes are filed accurately and on time. Be familiar with tax filing procedures. (See: TaxFilingInformation.)
Uphold the Open Books Policy. (See: OpenBooksPolicy.) Upon request, show any current member the bookkeeping records, bank account statements, deposit slips, and any other financial information that is requested, including how money is spent and what members owe money, who is facing eviction, who is on a payment plan, etc. (House vote, 8-15-10.)
Report monthly on utilities expenses, including comparisons with previous year and with budgeted amount. Ensure that NASCO membership dues are paid on time. (See: NascoMemberDues.)
Write deposit return checks to members who are moving out, after being informed of the amount by the Membership Coordinator. (See: DepositReturnPolicies.)
Communicate with the Labor Czar every month to ensure that labor fines are being assessed in a timely manner (see LaborPolicies). If this job is not being completed, no-show the Labor Czar.
Make use of CHEA Staff to ask/answer questions about Quickbooks and Bookkeeping/Financial procedures and consult with paid bookkeeper if necessary. If a new Bookkeeper is elected during your term, help to train them. (See: BookkeeperTrainingChecklist.)
When stepping down from the position, train the new Treasurer. (See: TreasurerTrainingChecklist.) Do whatever needs to be done to assist in removing yourself as a signor on the bank account. If you are moving out, your deposit will not be returned until you have removed yourself as a signor.
You are not allowed to be bookkeeper while you are treasurer (house vote, 4-21-2013). For Quickbooks help, check out La Reunion's financial policy La Reunion's Official Financial Procedures (Current Quickbooks Reference)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Maintain Accounts Receivable for Sasona members in the electronic bookkeeping system, Quickbooks, tracking all balances. (See: QuickbooksQuickGuides)
Carefully enter and track all entries for members to ensure paid bookkeeper and Treasurer are able to access accurate information on member balances. If requested, provide a hard-copy or e-mail receipt to members and hostellers for payments. Together with the Treasurer, maintain the lockbox in which members place their payments, receipts, and other such documents. Help ensure the security and integrity of the lockbox. Send out a rent due reminder one week before rent is due and on the day that rent is due. Collect rent checks from the lock box on the 4th of the month, communicate with members who have not paid rent. Record late fees, set up payment plans, as needed. (See: PaymentPlans.)
Communicate member balances to the house. We have an open records policy requiring all balances be open to all members. Must send out the list of people who have not paid rent on the 4th of the month, and send another updated list on the 11th of each month. [Amended 2022-7-24] Deposit checks and keep record of all rent checks for Sasona. File copies of all checks, original deposit slips, balance sheets and payment plans. Maintain member balances in Quickbooks, including rent payments, late fees, and labor charges – noting the date and reason for charge. (See: QuickbooksQuickGuides)
Communicate with the Labor Czar every month to ensure that labor fines are being assessed in a timely manner. If this labor reports are not being completed, no-show the Labor Czar. (see LaborPolicies)
Update online accounting system, Quickbooks, as changes occur within the house. (See: QuickbooksQuickGuides)
Process pro-rated rent, payment plans and vacation credit through the bookkeeping system. (See: PaymentPlans.)
Process deposits in Quickbooks when a member moves in and refund it when a member moves out. Contact Treasurer and Membership Coordinator when deposit is approved for processing. Close out member account and recurring rent payment in Quickbooks. Create accounts for new house members and touch base with them about rent payments, late fees, labor charges and the eviction process. Send out reminder e-mails to the house, as accounts are updated, about twice a month, after rent has been paid. (See: OpenBooksPolicy).
Provide members financial data regarding balance, upon request. (see: OpenBooksPolicy).
Ensure that all member-requested information and reports are presented in a timely fashion. Work closely with CHEA’s professional bookkeeper to ensure member data is being maintained in the online system appropriately. Maintain updated accounts so that the CHEA Board may access financial data, when necessary. Meet with CHEA’s professional bookkeeper once a quarter to close out books and answer questions about house accounts. Notify Treasurer when deposits are taken to the bank and batched in Quickbooks. Assist in tax preparation in any way needed by the Board and the Treasurer. (See: TaxFilingInformation.)
When stepping down from the position, train the new Bookkeeper. (See: TreasurerTrainingChecklist)
You are not allowed to be Treasurer while you are Bookkeeper (house vote, 4-21-2013). Currently set at 3 lumps/week (house vote 1/7/18) For Quickbooks help, check out La Reunion's financial policy La Reunion's Official Financial Procedures (Current Quickbooks Reference)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Work with and coordinate grounds crew in weekly grounds maintenance work days.
Record a “no-show” for any grounds crew member who accumulates more than 4 overdue lumps. Crew members receive a no-show for each week that their accumulated lumps are greater than 4. [Passed 2022-7-24]
On Grounds Dry Erase Board and Grounds Binder (or equivalents) keep regular maintenance and project/improvement to-do lists up to date and available to house members.
Field suggestion for projects/improvements from house members and add them to running list.
Plan and manage landscape improvement projects.
Communicate with house to ensure that the grounds projects being performed are both wanted and needed. Request house-level input (e.g. emailing the entire house, discussing it at a meeting, or calling an informal meeting for discussion) for non-routine and/or aesthetic decisions.
Routine tasks include maintaining the compost pile, raking leaves, cutting firewood, picking up trash, and keeping clutter in the yard to a minimum. (Note: If something is potentially useful, it needs to have a place where it will neither be ruined by weather nor be an eyesore.) Examples of non-routine and/or aesthetic decisions include, but are not limited to, the removal and/or disassembly of existing structures and the assembly of new structures.
Request and encourage house input, and work to facilitate the needs and interests of the members.
Work with Labor Czar and Maintenance Coordinator to plan effective and efficient labor holidays. Communicate with the house to determine what the house wants to accomplish on the labor holiday.
Report weekly to house on what grounds crew is doing.
Remove sources of standing water – fight mosquitoes! (House vote, 2-20-11.)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Plan and post the labor schedule for each week. Maintain running no-show sheet with who was no-showed, what for, no-show-er, and action taken to resolve the situation. Maintain a running tally of each individual house members number of no-shows and make-up hours owed. Penalize no-shows according to The Machine (see LaborPolicies). Maintain a publicly available format of each house member's no-shows, make-up labor hours owed, make-up labor hours completed, and labor fines owed; update this spreadsheet every month when make-up labor is assessed and labor fines are assessed. Follow the Labor Fine Policy (see LaborPolicies). When assessing make-up labor hours, email them to the house. When assessing labor fines, email them to the house, the Treasurer, and the Bookkeeper. When a member exceeds the evictable limit for no-shows, inform the Steward. (house vote, 1/27/13)
Ensure that Archivist is appraised of changes in labor descriptions and that changes are made accordingly. (House vote, 6/18/17 10-0-1) Mediate between no-show-ers and the no-showed when possible. Communicate with house via meetings when no-shower/no-showed can’t come to a solution. Work with maintenance coordinator and grounds crew coordinator to plan labor holidays. Run house elections (house vote, 4-22-07). When running elections ensure that Sasona bookkeeper and Sasona treasurer are not the same member (house vote, 4-21-2013). Update the HouseOfficers wiki page within a week of any change in officers. For each position, list the name of the person holding the position, the date of their first election, the date of their most recent election, the date of the next election, and any other relevant information. (House vote, 10-28-12.)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Make sure the kitchen is in compliance with Health Code. Prepare the kitchen for the inevitable health inspection. Maintain detailed and updated kitchen labor descriptions. Keep them posted in a conspicuous place in the kitchen. Keep an eye on the kitchen to make sure that all of the labor is being done. No-show or nag people when labor is not completed. Go find people when they are late for labor.
Make sure you know what is required of each kitchen labor position.
Find kitchen-related projects for people who owe make-up labor.
Delegate responsibility and help out to make sure that kitchen repairs and improvements are completed as soon as possible.
Periodically check levels of chemicals for dish washing machine, replace jugs when empty, keep spare jugs of detergent and sanitizer ready so they can be quickly replaced.
Make sure that food does not sit out for any longer than two hours. If it sits out for four hours, make sure it is thrown away. Make sure that old food in the refrigerator and pantry is thrown away. Make sure that compost and dirty recycling cans/bottles do not sit in the kitchen more than a day. Keep an eye on unrefrigerated fruits and vegetables to make sure they're not rotting. If they are rotting, throw them in the compost.
Do your best to get rid of pests — flies, fruit fries, roaches, etc.
Bottom line — the state of the kitchen.
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
See also: The Kitchenomicon.
Make certain that the co-op does not run out of staples. [See: KitchenFoodStaplesList]
Supply the cooks/chefs with any food items they request for the coming week, as the food budget allows. Use house money from a monthly food budget determined by the Treasurer and Bookkeeper. When possible, buy in bulk to get better prices. If there is enough money after staples and meal menu requests are purchased, the Food Shopper should buy other cool stuff for the house, using their best judgement.
Put everything away in proper labeled containers.
Give receipts to treasurer/bookkeeper. Work with treasurer to inform the house of each shopping trip, including at least how much food money was spent and how much is remaining in the monthly food budget. Listing the items purchased would be cool, but is not required.
You are the steward of our food and are responsible for its condition from the time it is purchased until it is prepared. You can find useful tips and wisdom from past and current shoppers on the ShoppingTips page.
Reimburse Food Shopper for mileage $10 per month flat payment, $20 if Food Shopper does not have a Buddy and is making 2 or more trips/week (Reimbursements must be sought within 3 months of the mileage being accrued). (motion altered on 4/10/16 by 12-0-3)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Faithfully attend all three NP board meetings each year, and all monthly teleconferences.
Make reports to NP on the state of CHEA (membership, community, finance, and maintenance) and reports to CHEA on the state of NP (budgeting, events, organization, membership of coop groups).
Work as a bridge between the boards of CHEA and NP, to make sure that CHEA, as a member group, does not take a direction which would be harmful to either CHEA or NP, and that the two groups goals remain compatible.
In addition to providing feedback both ways in the relationship between CHEA and NP, you should solicit reports, emails, or information from the CHEA board in order to remain aware of developing issues. Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
[Note: The NP Board Rep can get reimbursements for paying others to do their labor while away at meetings. The NP Reps get travel costs to NASCO Institute paid for, but they still have to pay for Institute fees.]
Start the meeting at some point between 7:30pm and 8pm on Sunday. Wait until most people have finished eating dinner, and give prospective members time to show up. Walk around the house announcing that the meeting is about to start. In the absence of the Minutes Taker, make sure that someone takes minutes and emails them to the house. Give prospective members a chance to ask questions while everyone’s eating dinner. Call up prospective members who want to attend meetings by speakerphone. Ask each prospective member these questions: “Do you have any pets?” If so, the pets must also be accepted by the house. “Why do you want to live in this co-op?” (motion passed 8/11/13). “The cooperative nature of our house requires that we do our share of the labor without being told. Will you agree to be responsible for five lumps of labor every week?” (motion passed 2/1/15)
Ensure that policies regarding agenda items, quorum, and passing motions are followed. Be familiar with all meeting policies, and inform members about the policies. If a lot of people want to speak, they should raise their hand to get on the stack. Write their names down in the order that they raised their hands and call on them to speak. Let each person hold the floor until they are done speaking. (Tip: You can also do a Round, by going around the meeting in a circle and calling on each person. That is a good way to quickly get everyone’s point of view.) If “off stack” communications becomes a problem, it may be helpful to assign someone the task of immediately signaling (by ringing a bell, sounding a clicker, banging a gavel, etc.) whenever “off stack” communication has just been made. Don’t allow anyone to interrupt someone else.
Encourage an environment of constructive discussion. Be familiar with the Member Acceptance Policies, and ensure that they are followed. Post agenda sheet on the bulletin board. Assign nags weekly to those not present for the week's meeting (even heart meetings) Be familiar with the MeetingProcedures.
Each January, perform a survey (online or on paper) of members including associate members on their schedule availability for business meetings. Once the Meeting Chair has made a good faith effort to collect as many responses as possible, the Meeting Chair is to bring the results of the survey to the house by sharing it during their officer report at the next business meeting. [passed 2021-3-28] If meeting time expires and there are agenda items on the list that have not been covered, transfer them over to the next business meeting’s agenda.
This officer position receives 2 lumps credit and can be treated as buddy labor for two members to share the responsibilities. (passed 10-0-0 on 11/2/14)
Ensure that the minutes are sent to the house and posted in Google Docs linked in the wiki. When new potential members are accepted, a copy of that meeting's minutes should be emailed to
[email protected] (mem. coord. email) as well.
Follow the template below: Sasona House Meeting Minutes Template (voted 5/26/13) meeting minutes: [month name] [day number], [year number, [time meeting begins] (e.g. february 24, 4242, 7:35 PM CT) Times of any pauses and reconvening of meeting (for example due to a late dinner)
PRESENT
Current Members who were present for any part of the meeting (assist Meeting Chair in assessing Nags {One missed meeting = one nag}) First and last name of each prospective present, whether or not it’s their 1st or 2nd meeting, if they have any pets, if they were accepted, not accepted, or further action must be taken to accept OFFICER REPORTS [officer title] ([officer name])
Title of officer position (ie Steward), name of member holding position (Suzy Lynn) Basic info reported Any action items from report, who will do them, and by when they agreed to have them done AGENDA (please note that you are not required to capture every point, reason, concern or other words during discussion)
The main topic or idea of the agenda item The three members who officially called for discussion of the item (unless dispute of Labor Czar ruling) The final correct wording of any motion(s) made (if need be, interrupt the meeting to ensure wording is correct) o Name of member making motion o Name of member who seconds motion o Outcome of agenda item Vote Vote count Passed or not passed Tabled Any to do items, who will do them, and by when they agreed to have them done NEW BUSINESS ITEMS
Topic and info of item (if event date, time, place and contact person for questions) Member who brought up the item Any vote called to continue or end the meeting due to time constraints Persons who make and second any motions (such as to adjourn or Round Robin) ROUND ROBIN (do not take minutes of Round Robins)
Job Description Approved by vote of 11-1-1 on 3/13/16
Update Wiki weekly in accordance with motions passed at the previous house meeting
Correct or Remove outdated/irrelevant information in the wiki
Organize materials within wiki so that relevant information can easily be found In the absence of a motion to correct a wiki section bring concrete proposals to the house for a vote before severely altering the wiki Bring inconsistencies to the house for clarification as needed
Present weekly changes to the wiki in officer report to be ratified by the membership
If Archivist will not be present at house meeting, changes must be emailed or posted to the house by the house meeting agenda-item-inclusion deadline so that the meeting chair can present them during officer reports Changes will be considered ratified when changes are presented and no objections are voiced (no house vote required) Correct previous changes as dictated by the membership when objections are present, not frivolous, and do not oppose a house motion that the change was intended to address
Be a house authority on internal house rules and regulations answering questions from the membership as they arise
Be made aware by Mastodon Overblower how to recover systems and passwords.
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Proactively coordinate with mediators to address house conflicts and support the healthy communication between all members.
Ensure that mediators have access to training for conflict resolution techniques.
Organize two cultural meetings per year, including sending out availability, curating content, and surveying current state of members. (Ex. Do you feel your needs are being met? Do you feel comfortable approaching people in conflict/using the current mediation policies of the house? Do we serve diverse communities? Do you feel that you are developing healthy connections in the co-op?). Culture meetings are to be in place of business meetings twice per year. Use culture meetings to develop and reassess the house-determined community agreements.
Make a good faith effort to have a one-on-one conversation with each housemate that is interested within the officer's term with the intention of understanding their unique needs and perspectives.
Ensure that voices of people in commonly marginalized populations are heard and that needs are being met.
The culture coordinator coordinates new member orientation and ensures a new member from the start of their contract date receives the orientation material and completes the material in a timely fashion. [passed 2023-8-13]
Connect and proactively seek out trainings/resources for the house around needed topics such as nonviolent communication, mediation, diversity/equity/inclusion and cultural proficiency. Be responsive to the current needs and interests of membership. Look first at what is offered within NASCO, then look to grants and CHEA/NASCO for funding/sponsorship for outside trainings.
Push towards the house coming into a stronger relationship and understanding of each other through a variety of ways: community skill shares, book clubs, circling, game nights, etc.
Update policies that no longer reflect house values and propose policies to reinforce house values.
Support and motivate other electee roles in noticing and addressing values-related issues. (Examples: Communicating to Labor Czar if a member's accessibility needs are not being met, helping Memco with member outreach into a more diverse set of communities, encouraging ways for more active participation in democratic processes to Meeting Chair or Steward)
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]
Generally guide us in the direction of our community agreements and promote healthy house culture. The House votes that the Culture Coordinator run Heart Meetings if no one has said they will within 24 hours prior to the meeting.
Inform House of public health threats; research best practices for protection and mitigation and bring to the House for consideration.
Coordinate with other House officers (Kitchen Kaiser, Labor Czar, Food Shopper, Maintenance Coordinator, Meeting Chair, etc) to promote health of housemates.
Coordinate with house officers to complete health-related projects on Labor Holiday.
Develop outline for public health preparedness plan and bring to house.
Along with Steward, coordinate with local and state public health authorities as needed. Inform House of public health resources for vaccination, etc.
Check in with Sanitizer-in-Chief, dishes and other sanitation-related roles to ensure consistency and best practices.
Compassionately call out members that are not following agreed-upon practices.
Pro-actively bring up for house discussion potential adaptations to public health preparedness plans and house rules and policies as needed.
The Mastodon Overblower deals with computer and network stuff. Internets!
Maintain and improve house network, both wired and wireless, that best delivers high-speed internet access to all members harmoniously.
Support members in their use of shared house network resources.
Educate members in the best uses of house network.
Maintain a wiki or wiki-like (member-editable) system for building and sharing house knowledge, rules, and information.
Support the house and its members in the harmonious use of new network-related technologies. (computers, phones, wifi devices, smart lamps, computers, filesharing tools, social media, video, etc)
Seek out and obtain the name “Sasona” on social media sites. Hold these in reserve for future house use.
Security: Keep an eye on our networking resources, and maintain whatever security features are reasonable for an organization of our size and complexity.
Oversee (maintain and make sure bills get paid on): ISP (Google Fiber), sasona.org web hosting, sasona.org domain registration on slack.com account (if any), Google Apps for Nonprofits account (free) rent payment processor service (if any) When applicable, support CHEA board and staff in maintaining the chea.coop domain and website(s). Extras: Watch out for new internet-enabled services that the house could benefit from
Support systems with an abundance mindset rather than a restrictive one.
Find creative solutions. Be mindful of our nonprofit status and make sure our networking vendors are aware of it/have it on file.
Report regularly to the house about current projects, how much time and effort gets put in, and other relevant info.
Make the Steward and Archivist aware of how to recover systems and passwords.
Make a report at every business meeting. Reporting can be done in-person OR by email to “
[email protected] ”. (Emails will be read aloud by MinutesTaker at the meeting.) Reports have a 2-minute time limit, and saying “nothing to report” is totally acceptable. [passed 2020-12-6]