WSFS Preliminary Business Meeting Report (Saturday)

Saturday’s First Main WSFS Business Meeting started by considering the unfinished material from yesterday’s Preliminary meeting before taking up constitutional amendments. The meeting adopted resolutions D.5 and D.6 regarding the war in Ukraine and about one of the Chengdu’s Worldcon guests of honor. The meeting referred both of the standing rule amendments C.1 and C.2 to committees with instructions to report improved versions at next year’s Worldcon. The meeting then finally was able to take up the ratification of constitutional amendments passed on from past Worldcons, re-ratifying item E.1, “E Pluribus Hugo,” referring item E.2 to a committee to clarify wording and report back to Sunday’s meeting, and ratifying all of the other constitutional amendments pending ratification (E.3 through E.5). All references to item numbers are to the WSFS Business Meeting agenda, which is available on the Chicon website at /home/whats-happening/business-meeting/

Kevin Standlee, Ben Yalow, and Nicholas Whyte were elected to three-year terms on the WSFS Mark Protection Committee, the body that manages the intellectual property of Worldcon such as the name “Hugo Award.” The WSFS MPC will meet on Monday at 1 PM in Dusable in the West Tower.

Sunday’s second Main Business Meeting will start with Site Selection business, including the announcement of the results of the 2024 Worldcon and 2023 NASFiC elections and potentially Question Time for future seated Worldcons and bids for the 2024 NASFiC and 2025 Worldcon. After Site Selection business, the meeting will receive the report regarding constitutional amendment E.2 and act on its ratifications. Once all site selection and ratification business concludes, the meeting will  start considering the newly proposed Constitutional amendments starting with F.2, the consideration of which was rescheduled to be handled before F.1 by the Preliminary Business Meeting. After that, the meeting will consider the remaining newly proposed constitutional amendments F.3 through F.8.

The Sunday Business Meeting will start at 10 AM sharp in Crystal Ballroom B on the ground floor of the West Tower, following the rescheduled Worldcon Chairs Photo at 9:30 AM. If, as seems likely, the meeting is unable to complete the consideration of all newly-proposed constitutional amendments by the end of Sunday’s meeting, there will be a final “overflow” WSFS Business Meeting starting at 10 AM Monday, also in Crystal Ballroom B.

Special thanks to Kevin Standlee for contributing the WSFS report.