The Hobson Unit is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) and the District of Columbia State Association (DCAP). We are a group of parliamentarians who practice and learn parliamentary procedure. In terms of parliamentary knowledge, our members range from those with little or no exposure to those with more experience in parliamentary law. Our members are active in and serve as parliamentarians in local, regional, and national organizations.
WHAT IS PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
According to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, 10th Edition (RONR), Parliamentary procedure (sometimes called parliamentary law) is a set of rules or procedures that defines how a democratic organization works –how its members make decisions, how its leaders run organizations to meet the needs of its members, and the rights of members and non-members. The purpose of these rules is to expedite business, to maintain order, to ensure justice, to provide equal treatment for all members, and to help an organization to accomplish the purpose for which it was formed.
The basic principles of Parliamentary law are:
• courtesy and justice for all,
• consideration of one subject at a time,
• the rights of the minority to be heard,
• the rights of absentees to be protected, and
• The will of the majority to prevail.
It is important because “The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to arrive at the general will on the maximum of questions of varying complexity in a minimum amount of time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion.”
RONR (10th ed.), Principles Underlying Parliamentary Law, p. XLVIII
WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER JOINING THE HOBSON UNIT?
Some of the benefits of joining us include:
• Learning the basics of parliamentary procedure (I’ve been elected…now what?),
• continuing educational lessons in parliamentary procedure,
• serving as leaders of and participating in community organizations,
• networking with other parliamentarians, and
• Improving your parliamentary skills.
If you have experienced the following:
• an abusive “Chair” or President as the head of your club or association,
• a power-hungry board in your organization, club or condo,
• afraid to speak up to make a point as a productive member at your meetings,
• members in your meetings that get out of control,
• being tired of wasting time in lengthy or unproductive meeting, or
• Operating under your organization’s by-laws that seem out of date and no longer functional, then you should consider becoming a member of our unit.
There are solutions to these problems through the use of parliamentary procedure. Attending our meetings will prepare you to be a better prepared officer, committee chair, and/or productive member of any organization, community meetings, condo associations or any deliberative assembly.
MEMBERSHIP
The Hobson Unit welcomes all who are interested in learning the basics of parliamentary procedure and in furthering your ability to reach the Registered and Professional Registered Parliamentarian status through continued study.
The three classes of membership are as follows:
• Provisional (Student) Member is an individual interested in learning the basics of parliamentary procedure. Provisional members are not members of NAP.
• Primary Member is an individual who has passed the NAP Membership Examination and becomes a member of NAP, DCAP, and the Unit.
• Affiliate Member is a primary member who has membership in another unit and wishes to affiliate with the Hobson Unit.
OFFICERS and COMMITTEE CHAIRS
President
Ferial S. Bishop
Vice-President
Charles VanGorder
Recording Secretary
Frances Bush
Corresponding Secretary
Renee Gaskin-Martin
Treasurer
Cora O. Dixon
Bylaws Committee Chair
Beverly Fields
Membership Committee Chair
Cora O. Dixon
Membership Survey Chair
Nata K. Brown
Webmaster
Chastity D. Johnson |
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Unit members enjoying NTC |
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Hobson Unit members networking with the Pennsylvania Association Members |
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Unit members enjoying NTC |
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Hobson Unit members (left to right), Rosalie Stroman, Ferial Bishop, President, and Gwendolyn Harlee along with Darlene Allen, President, DC Association of Parliamentarians attending the 2009 NAP Convention. |
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Attending the 2009 NAP Convention in San Francisco are (left to right) Michael Warner-Diggs, District Two Director, Ferial Bishop, President, Hobson Unit, DCAP, and Maurice Henderson, newly elected National Vice-President, NAP. |
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Peola McCaskill, PRP, conducts a Hobson Unit class in parliamentary procedure. |
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