WSBC 2008

Here we go! The last business session of this WSBC. After the normal CSC introductions and the day’s ready from Voice of Recovery, Dodie, the Madame Chairman of the conference addressed the conference asking that we try hard to limit our questions and amendments so we can get all the way through the mornings business. By all means, ask questions if you really need to but if it’s not really important, please, sit on your butt.

Motion 1 removes the Central Illinois Intergroup from Region 4 and places it in Region 5. This was a request made by the Central Illinois Intergroup because it is geographically more convenient to attend Region 5 events. This pass. No con speakers.

Motion 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 all concerned the creation of the Virtual Groups service structure. You’ll recall that virtual groups are groups which do not meet face to face, like on-line and telephone meetings. All these motions passed. Here is an outline of what each does:

1. Motion 4 - Just adds some detail to the definition of a Virtual Group.
2. Motion 5 - Allows virtual groups to affiliate with any Intergroup or they may form their own IG.
3. Motion 6 - Makes clear that virtual service boards are not part of the region structure while other types of service boards are part of this structure.
4. Motion 7 - Normalizes language in this bylaw. Drops “National/Language Service Board” and replaces it with “service boards”. Makes clear the service board can and do cross boundaries.
5. Motion 8 - The virtual groups and service boards need a trustee to represent their interests and deal with their issues. Rather than incur the expense of another trustee, one year at a time, one of the 10 region trustees will rotate through representing the virtual groups/service boards.
6. Motion 9 - Normalizes language in this bylaw, which sets the guidelines for Intergroup and service board representation at WSBC. Drops “National/Language Service Board” and replaces it with “service boards”. I was concerned about virtual groups potentially being over represented. None the less, this did pass and I did vote for it. Last year I argued against this. This year, I’m just trusting all will be ok.

Motion 2 - This motion makes a change to trustee qualifications by changing the abstinence requirement from “five years of continuous abstinence” to “five years of current abstinence”. This passed easily.

Motion 10 - Changes the the paperwork requirement for service boards from requiring bylaws to requiring bylaws OR statement of purpose plus operating procedures. Which ever document they use, it must include a statement indicating it’s primary purpose is to aide those with the problem of compulsive eating through the 12 Step and 12 Traditions and 12 Concepts of OA service of Overeaters Anonymous. This motion passed.

Motion 11 - Same as 10 but for Intergroups.

Motion 12 - Same ass 10 but for Regions.

With all the bylaws changes dispatched, we return to the motions which had been referred to the reference sub-committee.

You may recall Motion F which proposed to create Compulsive Overeater Awareness Week (COAW) but that appreciation just didn’t fly. An amended version of the motion came back from committee suggesting the week be named “Overeaters Anonymous Awareness Week”. Pros suggested that a focus on the OA solution to the problem would make this a good week to get recognized. The Cons suggested that the focus on OA was not appropriate because it focused on the organization rather than the disease. Ultimately, this motion lost. I think it lost because it was not well formed to start and there was no ground swell to help it along. It may come back in another form in the future.

Motion G, amended came back and this time was passed. Motion G, amended will have us create recovery chips denominated for  years 1-20 plus 25, 30, 35 and 40.

Emergency Motion I was a request for $20,000 to fund translation services. We didn’t actually see the language so I’m not 100% certain what exactly it proposed. The motion was not discussed because we ran out of time. Ultimately though, the BOT through a process I’m not aware of, 20K was allocated to this activity. It was a good thing to do but I was never comfortable with how it happened. I’ll ask for an explanation.

With the last motion over, we had about 30 minutes of closing ceremonies including Dodie’s good by from the chair (she’s still on the board) and the wonderful Green Dot Ceremony which has first time delegates removing their green dots from their badges.

After lunch and a few hours off, our committees reconvened for a wrap up session to review goals and actions.

Another hour off before the evening gala event…

Steve