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Lyle Craver
04-01-2011, 01:06 AM
This section reserved for the committee status report

Bob Gillanders
04-01-2011, 03:50 PM
We currently do not have a functioning ethics committee. A suggestion has been made that instead of a standing permanent ethics committee, we appoint a committee when needed to deal with a specific issue. Is this preferable to the status quo?

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 04:54 PM
We currently do not have a functioning ethics committee. A suggestion has been made that instead of a standing permanent ethics committee, we appoint a committee when needed to deal with a specific issue. Is this preferable to the status quo?

This works for me.

We still have never resolved the conflict of interest problem from earlier in the year.

Michael von Keitz
04-01-2011, 04:56 PM
I am all for this being an ad hoc committee. That said, what is the general consensus on having the committee reinstituted to discuss the possible banishment of Kevin Spraggett from the CFC?

Bob Armstrong
04-01-2011, 05:07 PM
Hi Fred:

Some CFC members were quite concerned about apparent conflicts of interest over the CYCC and CO bidding process.

If we are not going to form a standing committee, and are not intending to form an ad hoc committee to look into these concerns, I think the executive should make some kind of final statement to the membership, to show it was dealt with by the CFC when raised and hotly debated on CMA ChessTalk at length. It also did come to a govenors' meeting, but no finality was brought to the issue that could be presented to the members.

Bob

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 05:31 PM
I think this could be a topic for the AGM.

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 06:02 PM
I am all for this being an ad ho committee. That said, what is the general consensus on having the committee reinstituted to discuss the possible banishment of Kevin Spraggett from the CFC?
Wow. Michael, I'm not sure what banishment in this case even means.

I would think a committee would have to first off establish an Ethical code for members, and have it apply from that point forward.

I think having a committee for a specific person is just wrong.

Bob Armstrong
04-01-2011, 06:18 PM
Hi Fred:

I was told that the CFC Exec. were so tired of KS that they ordered Tony Ficzere to remove the free advertising ( from the link page ) for KS in the CCN. True?

Bob

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 06:31 PM
Hi Fred:

I was told that the CFC Exec. were so tired of KS that they ordered Tony Ficzere to remove the free advertising ( from the link page ) for KS in the CCN. True?

Bob

The Executive felt his web site was inappropriate for junior members because of the adult content often posted.

However, I knew this was going to be reflected as some reaction on the CFC's part to his constant criticism of the Executive and Governors. I would have argued against that.

If you ever go to my website you will see that I still have links to Kevin's blog. Having said that, I think it's safe to say most of the Executive don't share my more lenient feelings.

Michael von Keitz
04-01-2011, 10:08 PM
398. Ethics Committee
{Motion Lambruschini/Dutton in 2005-06 GL7}

Be it resolved that the CFC create an Ethics Committee to address unsportsmanlike and unethical behavior by members. Members can appeal to the Ethics Committee when their good standing has been impugned or to draw attention to unethical behavior on the part of CFC members. The Ethics Committee shall operate as follows:

Composition
- The EC will be chaired by a member of the CFC Executive, to be appointed by the President during the Incoming AGM.
- The EC will include the CFC Masters Representative.
- The EC will include one other respected individual, to be elected at the same time as the other CFC Directors.
- The term of the two members other than the Masters Representative will last until the AGM of the following year.

Responsibility
- An appeal by a CFC member to the EC is to be made directly to the Chair, with a copy sent to the Business Office.
- The Chair will determine in consultation with the other members of the EC, as well as the persons involved, whether the appeal is justified, and if so, what level of rebuke is called for against the offending party.
- It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure an adequate public response is made to defend the good standing of the CFC member when unethical behavior has harmed an individual member. Official statements from the EC should be posted on the CFC website and Discussion Forum as well as be included in the Governors Letter.
- It is the responsibility of the EC to consider the degree to which unethical behavior in question has reflected poorly on the Canadian chess community. The EC must strive to take measures to protect the public integrity of the Canadian chess community.

Authority
- Depending on the severity of the ethical misconduct of a CFC member, the EC will have judicial authority ranging from the issuing of a written warning to expulsion from the CFC.

As a Life Member of the CFC, Kevin Spraggett must permanently preserve "the public integrity of the Canadian chess community," or risk incurring the wrath of the EC. Mark Dutton seconded this motion and is current Chair of the committee. Would he entertain a complaint raised in relation to Kevin's blog? Personally, I think his egregious commentary is worthy of the EC's time, even if only to issue a written warning.

Fred McKim
04-01-2011, 11:23 PM
As a Life Member of the CFC, Kevin Spraggett must permanently preserve "the public integrity of the Canadian chess community," or risk incurring the wrath of the EC. Mark Dutton seconded this motion and is current Chair of the committee. Would he entertain a complaint raised in relation to Kevin's blog? Personally, I think his egregious commentary is worthy of the EC's time, even if only to issue a written warning.

Michael. There is no committee. Mark refused/resigned the position.

However, I think you may feel justified in continuing with this. It would be up to Bob to form such a group.

Hal Bond
04-03-2011, 08:59 AM
FIDE does have an active Ethics Commission. Would the Governors like me to investigate the prospect of filing a complaint with them? They may or may not choose to hear it.

Fred McKim
04-03-2011, 10:47 AM
FIDE does have an active Ethics Commission. Would the Governors like me to investigate the prospect of filing a complaint with them? They may or may not choose to hear it.

I'm wondering if they would question why we wouldn't handle this internally, unless an argument was made that due to his residence being in Portugal we had need of a "world wide court"

Stuart Brammall
04-03-2011, 01:24 PM
Personally, I think his egregious commentary is worthy of the EC's time, even if only to issue a written warning.


I think this is a bad idea... any written warning will just appear on his blog the next day and make the cfc look more foolish/petty.

Just ignore the guy if you don't like what he has to say.

I don't think very many people in Canada harbour much respect for the opinions of Spraggett these days anyway.

Lyle Craver
04-03-2011, 01:48 PM
I'd be all for it if I thought there was a snowflake's chance in hell that it would induce a change in behaviour. Since I don't think that I don't see the point.

Hal Bond
04-04-2011, 09:40 AM
I wouldn't be so sure about that Lyle. The FIDE Ethics Commisson has teeth. Player bans are not uncommon.

Fred McKim
04-04-2011, 09:51 AM
I wouldn't be so sure about that Lyle. The FIDE Ethics Commisson has teeth. Player bans are not uncommon.

The following might be a reasonably close situation

http://www.fide.com/news/download/Judgement01-06.pdf

Michael von Keitz
04-04-2011, 12:12 PM
As a matter of course, I would like to see this pass through a domestic body first - even if only to approve passing it on to FIDE.

Ken Craft
04-04-2011, 12:43 PM
I can just see the blog post when KS learns of this discussion.

Garland Best
04-04-2011, 05:57 PM
It's comments like these that encourage me to vote against releasing the postings of the Governor's meeting to the public. It is difficult to see how we can demonstrate that the Governors are a responsible group, when we twist a thread as this one has. it just adds Grist to the mill.

Ken Craft
04-05-2011, 07:06 AM
Actually, this is an example of why meetings need to be open so that Governors think twice before having these kinds of discussions.

Lyle Craver
04-06-2011, 02:49 PM
While not opposed to the idea of opening these meetings after the fact (ie. not during) I do think that there is good reason for matters affecting a particular individual not be a matter of public discussion. Other organizations take these discussions 'in camera' all the time. With this in mind when the motion concerning making the online meeting public after the close, I e-mailed Bob and asked that he designate during the meeting any threads that he did not wish being seen by the public since I did not want to be seeking approvals after the meeting or risk having to do things retroactively.

Speaking personally, there's no question that while the Executive hasn't been wild about Kevin's regular denunciations of us it was the adult links that made us cut the link. It is my opinion we've been more patient with him than we might have been with a player of lesser stature but those links are what made it clear to us we had to act.

Garland Best
04-08-2011, 10:01 AM
Interestingly enough, today he commented on the CFC newsletter and overall, he likes it!

He also questioned pubicly why his site isn't linked on the CFC website.

Can I assume Kevin was told in the past that the issue with Kevin's "sense of humor" was the reason for removing the link?

Christopher Mallon
04-08-2011, 10:13 AM
Michael, if you feel that strongly about it, there is no need to go through any Ethics Committee.


By-law One, Article 16, CFC Handbook
16. Any member may withdraw from the Federation by delivering to the secretary a written resignation. Any member may be required to resign by a vote of three quarters of the voting members at the annual meeting.


Of course, without some kind of ethics committee report, it's highly unlikely you'll convince 75% of the voters.

Lyle Craver
04-08-2011, 08:08 PM
One other subject touching on ethics that bothers me are the suggestions of conflict of interest I keep hearing.

I personally would not be comfortable voting on an event I was on the organizing committee of - I would probably vote though. I would probably NOT vote on an event I was slated to be TD of.

In neither case do I think I would be gaining a personal benefit by taking part in the event. I can understand some might think there would be a benefit if a title qualification was involved but as an International Arbiter already, that would not apply to me.

I have heard several Governors make some very sketchy accusations about 'conflict of interest' where there is not really any conflict. If I were to take $50 from a tournament where I worked 14+ hours a day during an entire long weekend (which I have done without complaint) I generally figure I've covered my meal expenses though I usually spend it on chess books. I have worked many other tournaments without any payment at all. How any of these constitute a personal 'benefit' in the sense of the legal meaning of conflict of interest is beyond me.

All I know is that I've seen several good and decent people's integrity impugned on conflict of interest accusations where no real conflict exists and that burns me big time.

Anybody who is in doubt on the meaning of a conflict of interest should check outhttp://www.businessethics.ca/definitions/conflict-of-interest.html and be clear on what that means before directing that term at anyone else.

Yes I'm making a rant - but this phrase has been used entirely too loosely entirely too long and it needs to stop before we drive away even more hard-working volunteers than the ones we have already lost.