Business Meeting

Chicon 7 is administered under the rules and auspices of the World Science Fiction Society (referred to by the abbreviation "WSFS"), which has governed Worldcons for the past seventy years. WSFS will have a business meeting at Chicon to consider changes to its constitution, and to announce the results of the site selection vote for the 2014 Worldcon.

WSFS also has a number of standing committees to perform tasks assigned from the business meeting. Among these is the Mark Protection Committee, which protects the service marks of the World Science Fiction Society (including the name "Worldcon") used by Worldcon each year.

Business Meeting Overview

The World Science Fiction Society (WSFS) consists of every member of the current Worldcon. The WSFS rules, published in the Souvenir Book, consist of a Constitution containing the rules for the Hugo Awards and for the selection of future Worldcons, as well as The Standing Rules for the conduct of the Business Meeting. Every attending member of Chicon 7 can attend the meeting, propose changes, debate those changes, and vote on them.

Changes to the WSFS Constitution, including any changes to the rules for the Hugo Awards, must be approved by votes at two consecutive Worldcons. In addition, there may be new proposals introduced this year. This meeting may defeat and amend new proposals. Meetings are conducted under a relatively formal structure, codified in 'Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised,' and the WSFS Standing Rules.

The deadline for submitting new proposals to the Business Meeting is fourteen (14) days before the first Preliminary Meeting. The Presiding Officer may accept otherwise qualified motions submitted after the deadline, but all such motions shall be placed at the end of the agenda. See the Standing Rules and email

if you have questions.

Business Meeting Times

The Business Meeting is always held on the second, third, and fourth mornings of the Worldcon (rarely, a meeting on the fifth day is required).

For Chicon 7, the Business Meetings will be as follows. All of these meetings will be held in Columbus CD.

• Friday: 10:00-12:30 (Preliminary)
• Saturday: 10:30-1:30 (Main 1)
• Sunday: 10:00-12:30 (Main 2 including Site Selection)
• Monday (if required) 10:30-1200

Note: the Pocket Program lists different timings with later starts on Friday and Sunday. The times above are the correct ones.

WSFS Constitution and Standing Rules

WSFS has its own website, which you can find at www.wsfs.org.

WSFS is governed by a Constitution and Standing Rules, which ensures that the organisation continues effectively from year to year even though the WSFS membership is changing all the time.

• The WSFS Constitution (as of August 2011)
• The WSFS Standing Rules (as of August 2011)
• Resolutions of Continuing Effect (up to 2009)
• Resolutions of Continuing Effect (2010 updates only).

Note: there were no new Resolutions of Continuing Effect from the 2011 Business Meeting at Renovation.

Renovation Business Meeting

Documents passed on from Renovation are as follows.

• The Minutes of the 2011 Business Meeting
• The updated Constitution and Standing Rules, including changes ratified at Renovation - see links above.
• Business which received initial approval at Renovation, and is passed on for ratification at Chicon 7 - see section 3 of the Agenda below.

Agenda

The agenda for the 2012 WSFS business meeting is posted below, with links to reports and submitted business where available.

To request new business or contact the Chairman of the Business meeting please contact Donald Eastlake III at

.

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Agenda Section 1 - WSFS Committee Reports

WSFS has a number of committees which are obliged to report to the Business Meeting. Their 2012 reports will be published here as they become available.

• 1.1 - Mark Protection Committee (including Nominations for MPC) (added Aug 23)
• 1.2 - Nitpicking and Flyspecking Committee (added Aug 23)
• 1.3 - Worldcon Runners Guide Editorial Committee (added Aug 23)
• 1.4 - Hugo Eligibility Rest of the World (HEROW) Committee (See note below)
• 1.5 - Formalization of Long List Entries (FOLLE) Committee (added Aug 23)

Notes:

• These are standing committees which report back annually.
• Resolutions 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 (see below) represent the entirety of the HEROW Committee report.

Agenda Section 2 - Worldcon Financial Reports

All Worldcons are required to present annual financial reports to the Business Meeting from the time they are elected until they close their accounts. A number of Worldcons are due to present reports at Chicon 7; we will publish them here as they become available.

• 2.1 Past Worldcons and NASFiC
  • 2.1.1 2001 Worldcon - Millennium Philcon
  • 2.1.2 2006 Worldcon - L.A.Con IV (added Aug 23)
  • 2.1.3 2009 Worldcon - Anticipation (added Aug 23)
  • 2.1.4 2010 Worldcon - Aussiecon 4 (added Aug 23)
  • 2.1.5 2010 NASFiC - ReConstruction, the 10th NASFiC (added Aug 23)
  • 2.1.6 2011 Worldcon - Renovation (added Aug 23)
• 2.2 Seated Worldcons
  • 2.2.1 2012 Worldcon - Chicon 7 (added Aug 23)
  • 2.2.2 2013 Worldcon - LoneStarCon 3

Agenda Section 3 - Business Passed On from Renovation

The following items are included in Business Passed On from the Renovation Business Meeting to the Chicon 7 Business Meeting.

• 3.1 - Short Title: Best Fancast (added Aug 23)
• 3.2 - Short Title: SemiProzine (added Aug 23)

Agenda Section 4 - New Business

WSFS members may submit new business for consideration by the Business Meeting. Motions submitted prior to the convention will be published here as they become available.

• 4.1 - Short Title: Graphic Story Hugo (added Aug 23)
• 4.2 - Short Title: Hugo Category Young Adult Fiction (added Aug 24)
• 4.3 - Short Title: Yngvi is not a Louse (added Aug 23)
• 4.4 - HEROW Motions (added Aug 23)
  • 4.3.1 - Short Title: We Need Another HEROW
  • 4.3.2 - Short Title: Another Year, Another HEROW