DSP Working Group Ground Rules

DSP Working Group Ground Rules

Designated Suppliers Program Working Group

Decision Making Process Ground Rules

1. Each college/university or college/university system that is a member of the DSP Working Group shall have one vote. The six representatives of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) shall have one vote each. Matters to be determined by voting shall be decided by a majority of the WG members participating in such votes, whether in person, via telephone or e-mail. Working group members shall not vote by proxy.

1.A. At all times the WG will attempt to reach agreement on issues through a consensus of the members.

2. Any WRC and/or FLA affiliated college/university, and FLA staff, may attend DSP WG meetings as observers and may send one representative to each meeting. In addition, 15 students from WRC affiliated colleges/universities, including USAS staff, may attend DSP WG meetings as observers. All observers must indicate their plans to attend to the chair of the WG at least 2 weeks in advance of the meetings. The WG will decide by majority vote on other interested parties who may attend as observers.

3. Participation as a discussant and voting member of the WG requires that a CEO or senior officer of a college/university issue a written, public and formal statement which expresses support for the principles of the DSP, and a commitment to work seriously towards implementation of the DSP.

Note: This requirement is designed to ensure that the discussion in WG meetings is aimed at the development of a plan of action to implement the DSP, as opposed to a debate over whether the DSP has relative value.

3.A. If there is uncertainty on the part of any WG member as to whether the statement or other action by a college/university meets the membership criteria above, then such WG member may request the chair to call for a vote on the matter, the result of which shall be determined by a majority.

4. As with the initial DSP Draft Implementation Plan, the public issuance of any document under the auspices of the Working Group will be done only with agreement of the Working Group members, expressed by a consensus of the group or a majority vote if there is no consensus. Approval and issuance of the Final DSP Implementation Plan shall be approved by consensus, or, if needed, a 3/5^th’s vote of the Working Group.

5. Whatever Final DSP Implementation Plan is approved and issued will not be binding on any university in the Working Group. Rather, the Plan will be a recommendation that is made available to all interested colleges and universities, inside or outside the Working Group, who can then decide whether to make the modifications to their licensing agreements that will be necessary to implement the DSP along the recommended lines. In addition, the WRC will decide whether to make the changes in its organizational policies and operations necessary to carry out whatever role is called for in the Plan. The Working Group’s role is to enable universities to work together informally to come up with the best possible implementation plan for the DSP; whether to adopt that plan will be a decision for each individual university to make.

6. The location, date, and time for subsequent meetings of the Working Group shall be considered and determined, by consensus if possible, at each meeting of the Working Group.

Updated 1-2-07