5012 How Open Should We Be?

Speakers: Openness Implementation Committee, UUA. Members: Brad Brown, the Rev. James Hobart, Evelyn Spurgin, Arthur Ungar (Chair), and John Blevins (Board Liaison)

Sponsor: Openness Implementation Committee, UUA

Prepared for UUA.org by: Dick Merritt, Reporter; Margy Levine Young, Editor

UUA's Openness Implementation Committee discussed what the UUA is doing to implement the new rule that the UUA Board and committees be open and transparent. The UUA's work on achieving openness, while also respecting privacy rights and working effectively, can also be a model for congregations.

Much of the discussion emphasized that the new rule G 2.1 requires that

"the UUA Board shall establish policies to allow for the maximum transparency of its proceedings and of the proceedings of all UUA committees, commissions and task forces, consistent with their effective functioning. These policies shall include:

1. providing advance notice of dates and locations of regular business meetings, and making agendas, reports and minutes available promptly;
2. providing avenues for comment on issues on the meetings' agendas
3. accommodating observers at regular business meetings, with the exception of executive sessions."

The committee has written Openness Guidelines to govern the functioning of UUA committees and taskforces. If you are interested in the continuing work of the committee, check out their website.

Below is the committee's report to the General Assembly.

OPENNESS IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE

Report to the 2005 General Assembly

Last year's GA approved Rule #G-2.1 on Democratic Process (see the Bylaws printed in the Agenda). There is a very brief history below. In response to the Rule, the UUA Board appointed an Openness Implementation Committee with three members. The charge is as follows:

"The Openness Implementation Committee is charged to clarify and implement the functional application of Rule G-2.1 to the UUA Board and all UUA committees, commissions and task forces. The Committee will:

1. In collaboration with committee, commission or task force leadership, create a clear, detailed process for each group to establish effective openness practices and policies
2. Provide a mechanism for congregations and individuals to submit comments about adherence to this policy
3. Report no less than annually to the Board of Trustees

Since being appointed in October, the Committee has met four times by phone. Our initial effort has been to encourage committees and task forces to implement the requirements of the Rule. They are asked to provide their charge, members, agendas, minutes and reports.

With the assistance of the Office of Electronic Communications, we have created a web page for committees and task forces to enter their data for the creation of their individual web page. We have written to each of the committees and are following up with them. If you would like to see some good examples, go to www.uua.org/administration/committees and look at Audit Committee and Ministerial Fellowship Committee. In the future we will be monitoring the compliance of committees and task forces with the requirements of the Rule.

At this General Assembly we are presenting a workshop and meeting with the District Presidents Association and with Ministers. We hope that we can provide a model of openness for districts and congregations to follow. It is unique that a religious denomination would make this effort to have information available to its members. We thank the General Assembly and the Board of Trustees for their willingness to be open in a society that is increasingly covert.

The Openness Implementation Committee (openness@uua.org )

Brad Brown
James Hobart
Evelyn Spurgin
Arthur Ungar, Chair
John Blevins (Board Liaison)

A brief history: Over two years ago a self-selected group of people began an online discussion about the needs and opportunities for openness on lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/openuua. At the instigation of this group, several churches placed a Rule on the agenda of the 2004 GA. The UUA Board, concerned about some of the specifics of this proposed Rule, initiated a task group composed of representatives of the Board and representatives selected by the informal group. The task group agreed on an alternative Rule that was placed on the GA agenda by the Board and subsequently passed by the GA.

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