Help, a General Member Meeting!

A General Member Meeting is coming up! A what?

Do you also not have a clue what a GMM is or what you can do at a GMM? Read this article to find out more.

What the hell is a GMM?
A GMM is a General Member Meeting, that means it is organised for all members, whether you are very active or not. It is an official moment for you to voice your opinion, or just to listen in on the discussions.

So what exactly happens at a GMM?
We, as a board, will present some documents. For example, the half-yearly GMM is now coming up, where we will present our half-yearly report. In this, we have described what we have been doing the half past year and how we are doing on the goals we have set.
During the GMM, we will discuss these documents. This is also the time to ask questions or raise your concerns.

Why should I go to a GMM?
There are a few reasons to go to a GMM:

  • If you have an opinion about how we are doing in terms of committees, goals or just in general, you can start a discussion about it
  • If you are interested in seeing what we are working on, you can go to the GMM to get a better image
  • Critical thinking is a very useful skill for everyone and we really encourage you to come to GMMs because this will help developing this skill
  • If you are interested in becoming a board member at Proto, or any other association, it is very useful to see some GMMs

Sounds good! So can I just go there?
Yes, you can! All members are invited!
It is advised to read through the documents first, so that you know what we will be talking about. It might also help forming your own opinions about subjects we will discuss before we start the GMM.

You can find the documents on the DokuWiki. If you’re having trouble logging in on the DokuWiki, come up to any one of the board members and we’ll help you out!

How do I give input during the GMM?
When going through the documents, we’ll name the page number. If you have something to say, walk up to the front of the room, where a microphone is placed. Most of the time, the board will answer your questions, but a discussion between GMM-goers can also occur.
If you have no idea whether your question/suggestion is stupid or not: don’t worry, it’s probably a good question after all! But stupid questions are also welcome, so just ask them.

How do I vote?
Some documents need to be voted upon. When voting, there are four options:

  • In favour: Vote in favour when you are in favour of the vote (duh).
  • Against: Vote against when you are against it (duh).
  • Blank: Vote blank when you are against the way we are voting or if you are in favour of keeping it the way it was or if you would like to increase the voting threshold.
  • Refrain from voting: Refrain from voting if you don’t have an opinion in the matter.

The threshold mentioned is the voting threshold for when something gets accepted. For most votings, the threshold is half of the total amount of votes (not counting the people who refrained from voting).

I found some errors in the documents
Nice, thanks for reading so thoroughly! If they are spelling/grammar errors, please send them to secretary@proto.utwente.nl. If it is about the content, mention it at the GMM.

I don’t have any comments, should I still come to the GMM?
Yes! You might still have an opinion on the discussions that come up during the GMM, or you could still learn a lot from it!

I’ve got something to say, but I can’t be there :(
No worries, you can fill in an authorisation form, so that someone else can say this for you at the GMM. You can find the authorisation form in Proto or on the DokuWiki.

I have to leave earlier/come in later, is that possible?
Yes, just let one of the board members know in advance. This can be done through email or personally.

I tried looking at a financial plan/report, but there’s just too many numbers. What do they mean?
I can understand that. Financial plans can be quite hard to read and understand. The Audit committee will first look into the financials and will generally write a letter whether they approve of the presented plan/report. You can read through this letter to get an impression of how the treasurer has been doing.
However, understanding the financial plans and reports can also be really interesting. If you have looked into it, but can’t really figure out what everything means, go to the treasurer (Sanne Bouman). You can send her an email or just ask her personally.
There will also be a small guide released soon on how to read these financial documents, which should get you right on track!

I still have a question about GMMs, which wasn’t highlighted here.
That’s fine, just come up to one of the board members and we’re happy to help you out!

I’m interested in going to a GMM, what do I do now?
Awesome! We hope to see you at our half-yearly GMM, which is on the 5th of February, and other GMMs in the future. For the half-yearly GMM you can sign up here.