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Procedures for Meetings
The following
procedures were
established by the Board
of Trustees on April 21,
1997, in FIT Resolution
345.2:
In order to comply
with the Open Meetings
Law and carry out its
legally prescribed
governance and
policymaking
responsibilities, the
Board of Trustees of the
Fashion Institute of
Technology herewith
establishes additional
procedures for the
conduct of its meetings.
THE OPEN MEETINGS
LAW
The Open Meetings or
“Sunshine” law which
went into effect in New
York in 1977, gives the
public the right to
attend meetings of
public bodies, listen to
the debates and watch
the decision making
process in action.
Although it is not
required to do so, a
public body may permit
members of the public to
speak at open meetings.
PUBLIC SESSION OF
THE BOARD MEETING
The Board of Trustees
will allocate ten (10)
minutes (the “public”
session) before the
official beginning of
each meeting (the
“business” session) for
public comments on any
subject relevant to the
work of the board. The
public session is not be
used as a vehicle for
immediate resolution of
problems. It is a device
to bring important
issues to the board’s
attention and, in some
cases, to be taken up by
the administration or at
subsequent meetings.
Individuals who wish to
speak at the public
session may do so under
the following
conditions:
- they must
register their
desire to speak and
the subject matter,
in writing, with the
Secretary of the
College by the end
of the last working
day prior to the
board meeting at
which they wish to
speak;
- they must limit
their remarks to two
(2) minutes, which
permits a maximum of
five (5) individuals
to speak;
- those scheduled
to speak will do so
in the order in
which they
registered with the
Secretary of the
College;
- registered
speakers will be
recognized by the
Chairman of the
Board and move to
the podium where
they will identify
themselves and
deliver their
remarks; and
- the Secretary of
the College will
keep track of the
time and notify each
speaker when his/her
time has expired.
BUSINESS SESSION
OF THE BOARD MEETING
Following the “public”
session of the meeting,
the board will then
enter into its
“business” session which
is that portion of the
meeting where only
members of the board may
debate the issues and
vote on such issues. Of
course, the public is
invited to be present as
observers of the board’s
proceedings. The board
chair may call upon
non-board members to
respond to questions or
present information
during the business
session.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
OF THE BOARD MEETING
The law provides for
closed or “executive”
sessions under
circumstances prescribed
in the law. Executive
sessions are attended
only by members of the
board and any other
persons authorized by
the board. |
