Speaker’s Code

Speaker’s Code of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society

Article I — Speaker Nominations

§ 101 Nominations to the Directory

All Speakers invited by the Society shall be placed in the Directory of Invited Speakers (Directory). Speakers invited by the Society shall be defined as those speakers that are (a) speaking at an event organized by the Central Office of the Society, an event co-sponsored by the Central Office of the Society, and/or an event funded by the Society, and (b) approved according to the provisions in this Code. Speakers invited by Subsidiaries of the Society shall not be subject to this Code unless they meet both the criteria above.

  1. DIRECTORY MAINTENANCE. — The Directory shall be maintained by the Director of Program of the Society (Director), who shall add a speaker to the Directory after said Speaker is approved by the Governing Council according to the procedures in §102.

Speakers on the Directory shall be approved for the current term of the Governing Council. Each Governing Council may choose to renew placement on the Directory at the beginning of their term according to the procedures set forth in this Code. The Director shall provide the Governing Council a list of previously approved speakers, if any, for consideration at the beginning of each term.

  1. SPEAKER CONSIDERATION. — The Director of Program shall bring forward a Speaker for consideration by the Governing Council upon meeting any of the following conditions:
    1. The Director of Program nominated the Speaker.
    2. The American Whig or Cliosophic Leaders nominated the Speaker.
    3. A Voting Member of the Governing Council nominated the Speaker.

The Director of Program may, at their discretion, maintain means for nominations of speakers by Society members, and shall exercise discretion over which nominations from Society members are brought forward for consideration.

  1. SPEAKER’S COUNCIL. — The Director of Program may maintain a Speaker’s Council to facilitate the selection of Speakers, and shall nominate no more than three Members in Good Standing, who may be concurrently serving as Deputies to the Director, to staff said Council. Membership in said Council shall not independently confer membership in the Governing Council. The Director shall determine the scope of responsibilities of the Council within the confines of the Speaker’s Code and the Constitution.
  2. LIMITATIONS ON NUMBER OF SPEAKERS. — In the event that the Director of Program feels that the Society cannot feasibly host the number of speakers nominated at any meeting, the Director may limit the number of speakers nominated at that meeting to a number not less than five, in which case the speakers shall be considered in the order in §101 (B).

This section shall only be operable in case more than five speakers are validly brought forth for consideration. In case the Director exercises their power under this section, the American Whig and Cliosophic Leaders shall each reserve the right to have at least one of their speaker nominations be voted on by the Governing Council.

The Governing Council may overturn a limitation on the number of speakers considered by majority vote. Speakers not voted on at a meeting due to exclusion under this clause shall continue to be open for consideration at subsequent meetings of the Governing Council.

  1. DIRECTOR’S VETO. — The Director may veto the nomination of any Speaker to the Directory, and such speakers shall not be voted on by the Governing Council unless three Voting Members of the Governing Council move that the Speaker be considered. The Director shall notify the Governing Council of any vetoed Speakers along with their list of proposed Speakers.

The Director of Program shall not exercise their veto on the basis of the Speaker’s political, religious, or ideological beliefs, statements, or affiliation alone.

  1. TIME LIMIT. — Except through an emergency vote on a speaker, the Director shall not entertain nominations made within one month of the end of the term of the current Governing Council.

§ 102 Consideration of Speakers

The Director of Program shall prepare a list of Speakers nominated for addition to the Directory no less than 48 hours before each regular Governing Council meeting. The Secretary shall preside over votes on additions to the Directory.

  1. SPEAKER INFORMATION. — Along with each Speaker, the Director shall provide a brief biography of the Speaker and a brief proposal for the event at which the Speaker may be speaking.
    1. The American Whig and Cliosophic Leaders and the Voting Members of the Governing Council who have provided nominations shall provide a biography and brief proposal of the event at which the Speaker may be speaking to the Director no less than 72 hours before each regular Governing Council meeting.
  2. DEFERRAL OF SPEAKERS. — Any Voting Member of the Governing Council may make a motion to defer consideration of a speaker to the next Governing Council meeting, and said motion shall carry with a majority vote of the Governing Council. In no case shall a speaker vote be deferred more than once.
  3. STANDARDS FOR CONSIDERATION. — Speakers put forward for consideration by the Governing Council shall not be rejected on the basis of political, religious, or ideological beliefs, statements, or affiliation alone. Speaker proposals put forward for consideration by the Governing Council also shall not be rejected on the basis of concerns regarding protest or dissent against the speaker’s views alone. The role of the Governing Council is to determine whether or not the proposed speaker meets the following requirements:
    1. The speaker is notable.
    2. The speaker is not substantially likely to engage in defamation, genuine threat or harassment, or unjustifiably invade substantial privacy or confidentiality interests, and the invitation would not otherwise violate the law.
    3. The speaker is coming in good faith, and the speaker event would advance the Society’s mission of providing a forum for civic discourse.
    4. For the purposes of inviting speakers who are political candidates as political candidates for a specific election, the Governing Council may elect to invite all eligible candidates for that election, based on candidate registration or any rule that the Office of the General Counsel of the University determines to be admissible, as a single bloc. For such votes, subsection (a) of this clause shall be disregarded. For the purposes of voting procedures, the bloc of eligible candidates shall be considered to be one speaker.
  4. BLOC VOTE ON SPEAKERS. — The Governing Council shall consider addition of all nominated Speakers to the Directory in a single vote, unless any Voting Member of the Governing Council moves that any proposed Speaker or Speakers be considered individually. Such bloc approval shall require unanimity among Voting Members of the Governing Council from the Central Office. In case there exist objections to individual speakers, those Speakers shall be considered individually.
  5. INDIVIDUAL VOTE ON SPEAKERS. — If, for any reason, the Governing Council considers a Speaker individually, the following procedure shall apply:
    1. The Secretary of the Society shall ask if there are any motions to enter the procedure for an Opposed Speaker Debate. Said motion shall carry with one third majority vote. If said motion carries, the procedure in §103 shall be executed before returning to the procedure outlined in §102 (E) (b).
    2. The Secretary shall conduct a secret ballot on the Speaker, and the Speaker shall be approved with a three quarters majority vote. The Governing Council may remove the requirement for a secret ballot by majority vote.
  6. EMERGENCY CONSIDERATION OF SPEAKERS. — If, for any reason, the Director finds it necessary for the Governing Council to consider a Speaker outside of a regular meeting, they may, with the approval of the President, call for an emergency vote on a speaker.
    1. Such emergency vote shall be conducted asynchronously by the Secretary, and under a secret ballot. 
    2. Should the President oppose consideration of the Speaker in an emergency vote, consideration shall be deferred until the next regular meeting of the Governing Council.
  7. DEFINITION OF QUORUM. — A Quorum of the Governing Council in this Code, which shall be required before a vote can be taken, shall consist of three quarters of the Voting Members of the Governing Council. For a Quorum to be valid, the President or Vice President and the Director of Program, or their duly designated representative(s), who must be non-voting members of the Governing Council, shall be present for the vote. Speakers brought forward for consideration without a Quorum shall be deferred.
  8. DEFINITION OF MAJORITY. — A Majority of the Governing Council in this Code, or any other fractional definition, shall consist of that fraction of the total number of voting members of the Governing Council. Any valid Majority shall include the President and Vice-President of the Society.

§ 103 Opposed Speaker Debates

Upon being triggered under §102 (E) (a), the Secretary shall organize an Opposed Speaker Debate.

  1. SPEAKER’S LIST. — The Secretary shall organize a Speaker’s List with alternating speeches for and against the proposed speaker. The Secretary shall recognize speakers to be added to the Speaker’s List, provided that an equal number of speeches is given in favor and in opposition to the proposed speaker.
    1. The Secretary shall determine the time and number of speakers, provided that the speeches are no shorter than 45 seconds.
    2. The Secretary shall allow the Member who nominated a speaker, or their designated representative, to speak first or last, and order speeches accordingly.
    3. The President, Vice President, and Director of Program shall be permitted to give speeches at their discretion, and such speeches shall not be considered part of the Speaker’s List.
  2. EXTENSIONS AND AMENDMENTS. — The Secretary shall consider the motion to limit or extend limits of debate according to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Article II — Procedures for Invited Speakers

§ 201 Execution in Current Term

The Society shall, to the extent possible, schedule and execute events for invited speakers during the current term of the Governing Council.

§ 202 Obligation to Execute

  1. NO RESCINDING INVITATIONS. — The Society shall not under any circumstances rescind invitations once they have been approved by the Governing Council and sent to the approved speaker.
    1. As a corollary to this provision, invitation of a speaker by the Governing Council shall not be considered an endorsement of that speaker’s views by the Society.
  2. NO PLANNED CHANGES TO EVENTS WITHOUT CONSENT. — Once a speaker event has been scheduled by the Society, the Society shall make its best effort to ensure that the scheduled event occurs as planned.
    1. Planned changes to the timing of scheduled events, or the planned cancellation of events, must have the consent of all speakers invited to such events.
    2. If the Society is unable to execute an event due to any force majeure, the Society shall not be liable for such failure. In such an event, the Society shall promptly notify the invited speaker(s) and submit to the speaker(s) and the Trustees a sufficient and valid proof of force majeure within a reasonable period after the end of force majeure, and make a best-effort attempt to reschedule the event within a reasonable timeframe.
  3. REMOVAL FROM LIST UNDER EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES. — If a speaker has been approved and added to the Directory, but the invitation has not yet been sent to the approved speaker, and the sending of the invitation is (1) infeasible for logistical reasons, (2) infeasible due to timing, or (3) would otherwise directly, clearly, substantially, and unavoidably impede the proper functioning of the Society, the Governing Council may remove the speaker from the directory by fulfilling the following requirements:
    1. The Governing Council votes unanimously to remove the speaker from the Directory.
    2. The Constitutional Compliance Committee unanimously approves the removal within one week of the removal vote.

Said removal shall take effect once the weeklong review process by the Constitutional Compliance Committee is completed. Invitations to speakers indicated in the removal process shall not be sent until the process is completed and has indicated that the speaker will remain on the Directory.

  1. Speakers shall not be removed from the Directory on account of political, religious, or ideological beliefs, statements, or affiliation alone. Speakers also shall not be removed on the basis of concerns regarding protest or dissent against the speaker’s views alone. 

§ 203 Sending of Invitations

  1. EXECUTION OF EVENT. — Upon the approval of a Speaker, the Director shall, in conjunction with any Deputies, the event proposer, and other necessary persons, send an invitation to the speaker and plan the speaker event.
    1. If the event proposer is a Voting Member of the Governing Council, they shall reserve the right to send the invitation to the Speaker instead of the Director.

Article III — Enforcement

§ 301 Enforcement Actions

Because of the importance of maintaining the Society’s reputation to inviting speakers, the Society shall take affirmative action to enforce this code in the event that it is violated. Any Voting Member of the Governing Council who witnesses a violation of this Code shall have standing to bring a complaint to the Constitutional Compliance Committee.

  1. MAJOR VIOLATIONS. — Violation of §102(C) and §202 of this Code by an Officer of the Society, may, upon a finding of responsibility by the Constitutional Compliance Committee or by the Board of Trustees, constitute Gross Misconduct and therefore may serve as grounds for removal from Society positions or loss of Society privileges.
    1. Violations of this policy by Voting Members of the Governing Council may serve as grounds for impeachment by the Assembly for Gross Misconduct in accordance with the relevant provisions in the Constitution of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society.
    2. Violations of this policy by non-voting members of the Governing Council may serve as grounds for removal by the Governing Council in accordance with the relevant provisions in the Constitution of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society.
  2. OTHER VIOLATIONS. — Violations of other provisions of this Code may, if severe and pervasive, constitute Gross Misconduct and be governed by §301(A). Otherwise, violations of other provisions of this Code shall be referred to the Constitutional Compliance Committee for alternative sanctions.
  3. ALTERNATIVE SANCTIONS. — For major violations of this Code, the Constitutional Compliance Committee, with the consent of the Governing Council or the Trustees, may impose one or more of the following sanctions on Officers instead of referral to the Assembly or Governing Council for removal or loss of Good Standing. The Constitutional Compliance Committee may also issue one or more of the following sanctions in accordance with § 301 (B).
  1. Temporary suspension of voting privileges, not to exceed two months.
  2. Temporary delegation of duties to a deputy or other officer selected by the Governing Council, not to exceed two months.
  3. Society service, such as cleaning up after or setting up events.
  4. Written apology for the violation of this Code, and a pledge not to violate it in the future.

In addition, if the violation of the Code occurred due to the action of an external group or Subsidiary Organization, the Constitutional Compliance Committee may, with the consent of the Governing Council or the Trustees, impose one or more of the following sanctions on that group or organization:

  1. Direct that the Secretary deny that group or organization access to a room or rooms under the control of the Society for a given period of time, not to extend past the current term.
  2. Direct that the Treasurer deny that group or organization access to some or all Society funds under the control of the Central Office for a given period of time, not to extend past the current term.

Article IV — Amendment and Ratification

§ 401 Ratification

This Code shall come into force upon approval of three quarters majority vote of the Governing Council and approval by the Trustees of the Society. Said majority vote shall include the President, Vice-President, and Director of Program to be considered valid.

§ 402 Amendments

Amendments to this Code shall be governed by the amendment process in the Constitution of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, with the additional provision that this Code may be amended by unanimous vote of the Trustees.

§ 403 Supersession and Severability

This Code is part of the fundamental law of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society.

  1. SUPERSESSION. — This Code may only be superseded by the Constitution of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, ODUS policies, Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities, and applicable state, local, or federal laws.
  2. SEVERABILITY. — In the event any provision or part of this Code is found to be invalid or unenforceable, only that particular provision or part so found, and not the entire Code, will be inoperative.

    Adopted as Bylaw January 14th 2024