Macleay Grange recently hosted the board meeting of one of our community collaborators. Since we like to open our doors to other community organizations, this was a good chance to be of service and support an organization whose work we appreciate. At the board meeting, one of their board members shared a resolution he wanted to put before the membership at their annual meeting. However, the board decided not to make resolution adoption part of their annual meeting. While I’m not a member of the board and I wasn’t privy to the discussion, I figure it’s because resolutions are like potato chips, you can’t just stop at one. Matter of fact, from my participation at Oregon State Grange session, I know you can’t just stop at one.
If you’ve never gone to state session, I’d like to encourage you to attend and give you a little heads up about what to expect. Every Community Grange has the opportunity (and I think obligation) to send delegates to the Oregon State Grange session. This is where policy is set for our organization and the groundwork for our legislative lobbying efforts is laid. If there is something in grange or something in our state or national government you’d like to see changed, this is the place to be. The place to start is the resolution process, more on that later.
The first step for your Grange to take is to decide who your delegates are going to be. Section 8.2.3 of the Digest of Laws of the National Grange, appended here, will give you the scoop. For example, I’m a member of Macleay Grange but was an affiliate member of Union Hill. My hubby was the master of Union Hill at one time and as his spouse I was automatically the second delegate. Another member wanted to attend the session, as well. Since I like to encourage state session attendance, that was fine with me, the Grange took the vote and Rich went as an alternate delegate for two days of state session. At the same time, our master and his spouse at Macleay weren’t able to attend all of state session so during the days Rich was the alternate for Union Hill, I represented Macleay. Confused now? The bottom line is if your master and spouse, or if your master is single, can’t attend the whole session, send alternate delegates in their stead. You can only have two at a time but as long as you fill out the form and say who is the delegate when, you can alternate the task between several of your members. Make sure the form is signed and sealed and is presented to the credentials committee at state session when you arrive. Trust me, you’ll have so much fun you won’t want to share being the delegate with anyone after the first time.
You’ll also want to think about what committee you and your co-delegate(s) would like to serve on. Look at the proceedings book from last year’s state session (at the OSG website) to get an idea of the committees and the range of resolutions they heard. Of course, if you’ve written a resolution that you want to explain to the committee where it is likely to be heard, you’ll want to apply for a position on that committee.
When you first arrive at state session you’ll be greeted by a table full of cheerful grangers taking your forms and making sure you have a delegate badge and your delegate packet. I hope you arrive on Sunday night because the kickoff banquet is fun and informative. You get a little bit of the lay of the land and get to know some of the grangers from around the state you haven’t met before. Hint: don’t be shy. Last year Aaron and I were looking for new faces and ended up at a table with about 10 grangers who’d never been at state session before and it was fun to explain some of the process. We’re comparative newbies ourselves with only 10 years of grange membership under our belts.
Speaking of that delegate packet. As soon as the evening’s festivities are over you are going to want to go hunker down wherever you are staying with that packet. All of the resolutions adopted by the various granges are contained in the book. You’ll also get a sense of our current policies and where you’d like to see changes made. If you need some more information on writing and adopting resolutions you can find that at the Oregon State Grange website in the legislative section. You’ll want to try to digest these resolutions and if any of them really strike a chord with you, get your information together to either make your case in the committee it was assigned to or on the floor of the state session when the committees recommendations are presented. While its not necessary, and goodness knows our more experienced Grange brothers and sisters are patient, at least an aquaintance with Robert’s Rules is a good thing to bring with you. I am trying to learn more as I go along and appreciate the help I’m given. Kudos, Phil Van Buren, for teaching me the “table indefinitely” motion last year!
So, opening day of state session arrives. The Grange is opened in the 6th degree, so if you are not a 6th degree granger, you won’t be able to attend the opening and must wait until the Grange is opened and then lowered to the 4th degree. No worries, though, the 6th degree will be exemplified as part of the states session on Wednesday. If you’ve never seen our ritual done well, then you’ll want to be a part of this. After the credentials committee assures the master that a quorum is present, the real work begins. Committee work will be explained and then the committees get to work. Each committee has a chair and vice chair and several members who discuss the merits of each resolution and the Oregon State Grange current policy with regards to the matter at hand. The group either sends the resolution to the floor with a recommendation of “favorable” or rejects it with a recommendation of “unfavorable.” Even a resolution sent to the floor with a report of unfavorable can be heard by substituting the resolution for the committee’s report.
The work done on the floor of the state session is really interesting. Each person wanting to address the resolution being discussed stands and address the gathering at the microphone nearest them and speaks just once to the issue. (One again, Robert’s Rules)The debate and the thought that goes into each decision is revealing and so are the passions that occasionally arise. I just love knowing that grange is not a top down organization and its the folks who show up who make the decisions and some of those decisions are surprising, indeed.
In my mind, this exercise in democracy is the real heart of the state grange session. Yes, its time consuming but so important to setting the tone and policy of our organization. Don’t get me wrong, state session is not all hard work. State session is also a whole lot of fun. First of all, state session gives us the chance to visit places in Oregon where we might not ever think of spending a whole week and learning about that community. The really great part is meeting grangers from all over the state who love our organization as much as everyone else who is at the session does. We might not all agree on the everything, or practically anything, for that matter, but we all love Grange and we all want it to thrive.
Truly, our strength as a family organization shines during state session. Its great to see the youth who only get together once or twice a year reconnect and to see them develop into the kind of men and women we would like them to be. Our 1874 Declarations of Purpose gave “developing a better and higher manhood and womanhood among ourselves” as one of our reasons for gathering and its great to see this still happening some 140 years later. Its also great to see the Juniors, who along with a week of fun activities, practice so that they can open the Grange on Wednesday. Many of our Granges don’t do the great job that the Juniors do opening the the Grange in full form. We have a small, but mighty youth and kids program and I encourage you to bring the whole family.
There truly is something for everyone. Plan to eat at least some of your meals onsite. If you can afford it, eat them all there, its a good chance to get to know your brothers and sisters. Do you can or write or create another kind of art? Did you know that we have contests to show off those nearly forgotten skills? Do you have a skit or a song you’d like to share at the Talent Contest? There’s a public speaking contest for those who’d like to polish those skills. Take a look at the contests available to grangers in the Lecturer’section of the OSG website. Bring your canning, bring your artwork, bring a skit or a tune for the talent show, bring your resolutions, bring your kids or grandkids and bring yourself to the State Grange Session, you’ll want to go back year after year.
See you in Corvallis!
Fraternally,
Randi Embree
8.2.3 Unless otherwise provided in the By-Laws of
the State Grange:
(A) In the event a Master and spouse cannot attend
the meeting, a Subordinate or Pomona Grange has
the authority to elect an alternate.
(B) If the Master or the Master’s spouse is able
to attend part but not all of the annual meeting, a
Subordinate or Pomona Grange has the authority to
elect alternates and determine
(1) Whether the Master and spouse shall attend
part-time and the alternates shall attend parttime
or
(2) Whether the alternates shall attend and represent
said Grange on a full-time basis.
(C) If a Subordinate or Pomona Grange determines
to have alternates represent the Grange on a fulltime
basis, the Master and spouse have a right to
attend any portion of the State meeting as visitors
without impairing the alternate’s right to represent
said Grange.
(D) If a Subordinate or Pomona Grange has not
taken action, the Master and the alternate have the
right to apportion the time between them on any
basis which is mutually satisfactory, provided such
is in accordance with State Grange By-Laws.
(E) If the Master and spouse of a Subordinate or
Pomona Grange are able to attend a substantial part
of the State Grange meeting, the alternate will not
have authority to represent the Grange during the
time the Master is not able to attend without the
approval of said Master.
8.2.4 The spouse of a delegate in the State Grange,
if a Fourth Degree member in good standing, shall
be a voting member in that body.
8.2.3 Unless otherwise provided in the By-Laws of
the State Grange:
(A) In the event a Master and spouse cannot attend
the meeting, a Subordinate or Pomona Grange has
the authority to elect an alternate.
(B) If the Master or the Master’s spouse is able
to attend part but not all of the annual meeting, a
Subordinate or Pomona Grange has the authority to
elect alternates and determine
(1) Whether the Master and spouse shall attend
part-time and the alternates shall attend parttime
or
(2) Whether the alternates shall attend and represent
said Grange on a full-time basis.
(C) If a Subordinate or Pomona Grange determines
to have alternates represent the Grange on a fulltime
basis, the Master and spouse have a right to
attend any portion of the State meeting as visitors
without impairing the alternate’s right to represent
said Grange.
(D) If a Subordinate or Pomona Grange has not
taken action, the Master and the alternate have the
right to apportion the time between them on any
basis which is mutually satisfactory, provided such
is in accordance with State Grange By-Laws.
(E) If the Master and spouse of a Subordinate or
Pomona Grange are able to attend a substantial part
of the State Grange meeting, the alternate will not
have authority to represent the Grange during the
time the Master is not able to attend without the
approval of said Master.
8.2.4 The spouse of a delegate in the State Grange,
if a Fourth Degree member in good standing, shall
be a voting member in that body.
