It is my belief that the bylaws need to be looked at as a whole, not in the piecemeal manner of perennial amendment we've seen all too much in the past several years. I believe they need to be re-examined to see how they can be made more accessible to the members, and how they can better fit alongside American Mensa's other governing documents, particularly the Constitution of Mensa and our own ASIEs.
To that end, about a year ago I took the existing bylaws, rearranging sections to provide a better fit and a better flow. To this I added changes that incorporated several proposals that have been circulating among the membership, including some about the size and structure of the AMC, the election process, and the Mensa justice system. This draft set of bylaws was shown to several close friends both in and out of Mensa, with a request for their comments. Many of their suggestions were incorporated into a fresh draft. It is now time to show this draft to you, the readers of Going Forward, in the hope that it will not only stimulate discussion but also encourage you to point out areas where clarifications and further changes could be made.
It may be asked why I have not submitted my ideas to the AMC before now. There were two main reasons: First, I wanted the focus to be on the bylaws as a whole and not on proposals that would merely become more piecemeal changes (a point noted in the previous issue of Going Forward). Second, I wanted the draft that would eventually be presented to AMC to be the best it could be, incorporating not just my own views on where changes should occur but those of the larger group of Mensans who share my love and concern for our organization.
I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the staff of Going Forward for providing this means of presenting these draft bylaws, and my gratitude for their opinion that this draft is deserving of a wider audience within Mensa.
I invite the readers of Going Forward to look with a critical and perceptive eye at these draft bylaws. Please send your opinions about and suggestions for improvement of this draft either to me or to the editor of GF. Any opinions sent to me will be forwarded to GF for possible publication, without exceptions.