Provisional to Full Membership - East Wind

[Excerpts from East Wind's Membership Policies]

III. PM Period and Evaluations
[revised 30 May 2004]

The provisional member period is 365 days. At 3 months and 6 months, evaluation forms will be given by Membership to all full members to elicit feedback on PMs. PMs will then meet with the Membership Team to discuss evaluations. The evaluation is intended to help the PM adjust to the community, identifying strengths, problems and potential problems, suggestions, and other information so steps can be taken to INCREASE the PM’s prospects for acceptance.

The Membership Manager will post a notice that an evaluation for a particular PM is in progress. Full members will have one week to give the Membership Manager their evaluations. After the evaluation, a summary of comments, discussions, and next steps (should there be anticipated problems with acceptance) will be compiled and posted by the Membership Manager. How evaluations and full member concerns about PMs, visitors, and associates are dealt with beyond what is stipulated here will be membership policy.

IV. Voting on PMs to Become Full Members
[revised by petition 2006]
There will be a vote on all PMs before they become full members. Ballots will be given to every full member two weeks before the PM’s anniversary date by the Membership Team. The voting period will last one week.
The ballot will read:
1) Do you want _________________________ to become a Full Member now?
? yes ? no
2) If the result of question #1 is no, would you allow a 6 months PM extention?
? ? yes ? no
Be sure to vote on BOTH questions for your vote to be valid

The option with the most YES votes will pass, as long as at least 25% of the full members vote YES. If no option receives at least 25% yeses, the vote will be extended by two days, and if necessary two more days, until an option passes. A person’s provisional membership can only be extended two times. On the third vote, the options will be limited to “Full Member” and “Drop membership.”

0.1 - Provisional Member Evaluation
Board Policy, 31 May 1995
Revised, Membership Manager, 15 Sep 1995
[This policy replaces Board Straw Polls Policy of 22 Aug 1993]
Full and provisional members are invited to give feedback to provisional members whenever they have concerns or suggestions for change. This can be done directly, or through the membership manager or other community channel.
At the 4th and 8th months of provisional membership, there will be a formal call for evaluative comments on provisional members. The membership manager will post a note indicating that evaluation of the provisional member is being solicited. Generic forms will be available for members to fill out.
The membership manager may meet with members who express concerns to clarify their concerns. The membership manager will offer mediation of any concerns expressed where appropriate.
Evaluations will be relayed verbatim to the provisional member with this exception: the membership manager will not be the conduit for rude or hateful remarks (those will be paraphrased). A paraphrased summary of the evaluations will be posted by the membership manager. The names of the members who turn in evaluation forms will be confidential, unless they choose not to be. Evaluation forms will ask for the following information from members:
1) Do you have any constructive feedback or suggestions for improvement for this person?
Do you have concerns that might cause you not to want to live with this per-son?
[if #2 is true] Are you willing to discuss concerns face-to-face with this per-son (with or without facilitation)?
Do you want your name revealed?

10.2 - Responding To Membership Concerns
Board Policy, May 1995
Revised, Membership Manager, 15 Sep 1995
[This policy replaced automatic concerns meetings]
If the membership manager receives any calls for a vote on or concerns about a provisional mem­ber, the PM will be offered the following choices by way of response:

In person if the concerned member and the provisional member are willing to meet together (with or without the membership manager or someone else facilitating). Other members may be invited to meet with them if the concerned member and the provisional member are agreeable.

In a note written by the provisional member and delivered to the concerned member by the membership manager.

In notes taken by the membership manager when meeting with the provisional mem­ber, which will be posted.

In writing on the backboard.

In a community forum facilitated by the membership manager or another person ac­ceptable to the provisional member. The provisional member may choose to just speak or may offer to answer questions from the group. Members will never-the-less have a chance to express their concerns.

The provisional member may choose one or more of the preceding avenues of communication or may choose not to respond to concerns; the choice may be mentioned, if appropriate, in notes by the membership manager.