Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: Please Settle This Argument

Message

   We are revising our bylaws.  Sentence one is causing a bit of contention from one of our board members.  Please tell me what you think.  What is the difference between these two sentences:

SENTENCE ONE
?A quorum shall consist of seven of the members of the Board of Directors.?

SENTENCE TWO
?A quorum shall consist of at least seven of the members of the Board of Directors.?

Our board member in question seems to think that sentence one is vague.  They believe, ?It means seven of the members not 6 not 8 since a quorum is the number of participates needed to conduct business then seven and only seven members are required.?  In previous email correspondence they stated, ?I suggest at least seven because if we say a quorum is "seven"  then only seven can attend for a quorum if there is less no meeting if 9 directors show up do we send two home so we have a quorum??  This member believes that if we add, ?at least seven we set the minimum needed but can have more.?

I and others believe there is no significant difference between either sentence.  I believe that the words ?at least? are simply an overused idiom that adds nothing to the grammatical, syntactic, or structural characteristics of the sentence; its simply slang.

I could go on, but I won?t.  PLEASE RESPOND.  I would love to bring some of your responses to the next meeting.

Author	Message
JDHaller Walk-On Joined: 4/21/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: Please Settle This Argument Posted: 11/04/04 at 11:00pm
	We are revising our bylaws. Sentence one is causing a bit of contention from one of our board members. Please tell me what you think. What is the difference between these two sentences: SENTENCE ONE ?A quorum shall consist of seven of the members of the Board of Directors.? SENTENCE TWO ?A quorum shall consist of at least seven of the members of the Board of Directors.? Our board member in question seems to think that sentence one is vague. They believe, ?It means seven of the members not 6 not 8 since a quorum is the number of participates needed to conduct business then seven and only seven members are required.? In previous email correspondence they stated, ?I suggest at least seven because if we say a quorum is "seven" then only seven can attend for a quorum if there is less no meeting if 9 directors show up do we send two home so we have a quorum?? This member believes that if we add, ?at least seven we set the minimum needed but can have more.? I and others believe there is no significant difference between either sentence. I believe that the words ?at least? are simply an overused idiom that adds nothing to the grammatical, syntactic, or structural characteristics of the sentence; its simply slang. I could go on, but I won?t. PLEASE RESPOND. I would love to bring some of your responses to the next meeting.

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slicksister Celebrity Joined: 3/20/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 105	Posted: 11/05/04 at 12:35am
	How about ... shall consist of no less than seven...
	The Main Thing is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing
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Mark J. Guest	Posted: 11/06/04 at 5:08pm
	I don't like the word "is" in the sentence- no really. "A quorum exists when seven or more members of the Board of Directors call a meeting" sounds better. Mark.
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Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 11/07/04 at 8:40am
	Quorum & it?s meaning should be enough on it?s own;- n : a gathering of the minimal number of members of an organization to conduct business. The rest defines the actual number & type of members. thus an explanation of the word & the balance is mealy fruit!
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
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MPL Guest	Posted: 11/10/04 at 11:25pm
	If your board is arguing over one sentence it's amazing you'll get anything done! PS: One of the reasons you have a board is to be able to consult with people more learned than yourself. Your persnickety board member sounds like a lawyer by profession. And worse than that, I happen to agree with him, the wording is vague. I prefer the solution provided by "Slicksister" to be more accurate and concise.
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cpnc Walk-On Joined: 8/28/06 Location: Afghanistan Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 8/29/06 at 4:49pm
	A quorum means the number needed to make a meeting happen. In our organization there are 8 Board members. Our bylaws state a quaorum to be 5. If five show up we can proceed with a meeting if less show up we have to cancel the meeting. If more show up it does not affect anything because it is OVER the minimum Quorum number of 5...the meeting proceeds. I would alter your bylaws to less than seven if I were you...you may find yourself walking away from a lot of important meeting because 7 did not show up.
	Be theater...........breathe theater.
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castMe Celebrity Joined: 11/02/05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 206	Posted: 8/29/06 at 5:04pm
	LOL I know this post is ages old, but I must add my two cents. When stating a known number (i.e. seven members), you should use the word "fewer" in place of "less". "Less" is used for things you measure and "fewer" for things you count. "There were fewer board members in attendance this month and they spent less time arguing about the phrasing." Hope this muddies the waters. LOL
	Investigate. Imagine. Choose.
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EddyZ Star Joined: 8/21/06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 60	Posted: 8/30/06 at 7:16am
	The first sentence is sufficient.
	EddyZ http://webpages.atlanticbb.net/~ezahurak/ www.nailsouptheatre.com/
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Ken W Walk-On Joined: 3/22/06 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Posted: 12/06/06 at 4:29pm
	I like Mark J's sentence.
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