AA GUTS Steering Committee Minutes from December 31st, 2023
- LNG Timer – Topic for the Business Meeting
Meeting Notes:
- Timing methods for the five-minute share limit were discussed.
- Group consensus was to use the Zoom App Timer.
SC Action: Recommended the Zoom App Timer be used for the five-minute share limit. Vote passed to send to the business meeting.
- 11/28/23 – “Cowboy Steve” – Topic for Business meeting
- 11/28/23 – “Mrs. Butterworth” – Topic for Business Meeting
Meeting Notes for Item 2 and 3:
- The Group decided the intent of this feedback was to limit all shares throughout the marathon meetings to five-minutes.
- It was noted by Kristin that this has come up many times throughout the history of GUTS and ultimately ends up having the larger group decide that unlimited share time is always preferable. She noted that this is unique to GUTS and is often a plus for people.
SC Action: Recommended (6-2) to send this to the Business Meeting to vote on keeping unlimited share time for all meetings (except for the last meeting that now has five-minute share limits) or to limit shares to five-minutes as we do in the last meeting of the marathon.
- 12/3/23 – Donna 2.0 – Topic for Business Meeting Agenda
Meeting Notes:
- It was noted that a group conscience on this already exists. BM shares are limited to two shares per person per topic. All shares are to be limited to two-minutes.
SC Action: Recommended to enforce the current group conscience. Christian and Mark will coordinate the enforcement of this group conscience for the 1/7 business meeting.
- 12/3/23 – Mona – Reporting Harassment or Inappropriate Behavior During a Meeting
Meeting Notes:
- It was noted by Christian, Mark and Kristin as it relates to the group remembering Tradition 12. It is easy to forget that personal behavior should never supersede AA principles.
- The group discussed different reasons for bans as it relates to harm or ill intent towards the group or individuals in the group.
- Bans are not in place as punishments or tit for tats against members due conflicts with personality or behavior. The guidelines for banning are to be used as a last resort.
- The GUTS history of banning has only been used in extreme cases when sexual harassment, stalking and law enforcement/police have been involved. These extreme cases facilitated the need for GUTS to take action for the safety of the overall group and for the safety of the targeted individuals within the group.
- It was agreed by the Steering Committee that a general discussion on the overall differences between personality and principles related to Maya’s actions as outlined by Mona in the feedback. This will need to be addressed by the BM.
SC Action: Steering Committee voted 7-1 to send this issue to the BM for discussion.
- Al’s Revote – Topic for Business Meeting
Meeting Notes:
- It was decided that the zpoll for Al’s return to service is invalid.
- We will give Al a fair vote at the BM to determine his return to service.
- Lauren’s Voting proposal was discussed as a viable alternative to zpolls and straw polls. This proposal in summary allows for a once a month zoom meeting with a host / co-host to conduct live votes for all issues needed to be voted on outside the BM.
- Clarification on Lauren’s proposal – This would not be a meeting where issues or voting items would be DEBATED. This is purely open as a voting station where people come in already educated on the issue and ready to vote their conscience.
- Mark P stated that whatever voting mechanism is employed we need to make sure that all threads provide notification so all members can vote. Mark expressed a thumbs up on the current proposal from Lauren so long as everyone gets a chance to vote.
- Kristin expressed concerns with creating another meeting. Her thoughts were to vote during the BM, but she expressed her support for Lauren’s proposal.
- Dennis commented that normal BM voting should take place as normal and the new proposal would only be used on an as needed or ad hoc basis. The group agreed with this statement.
- Mark P made the point that it may be easier to just consider having all votes at the BM.
- Jeremy agreed with Mark and made the point that the BM would be a more efficient way to handle votes.
- Barbara stated that service position votes should be handled at the BM and expressed that she believes that a return to service vote may not be necessary anymore.
SC Action: Vote to take Lauren’s voting proposal to the BM passed unanimously
- 12/12/23 – Kelly S – Feedback on Service Members needing to be voted back into service after resigning.
Meeting Notes:
- It was stated by Jeremy that someone leaving service should not need to be voted back into service. Only people who have been removed from service would need to be voted back into service.
- Kristin advised that the group conscience on voting members back into service was to prevent members from quitting service and then returning to service multiple times within short time frames. It was instituted as a preventative measure to quickly quitting and rejoining service as well as to hold members accountable to their commitments.
- Kristin stated we need to distinguish the difference between members taking a break from service as opposed to leaving service all together. Brief breaks arranged with the group are allowed and will not need return to service votes regardless of the vote outcome on this issue.
- Jeremy stated that when someone leaves service and is considered to return by a vote the results are based on personality and popularity. This is not an ideal way to conduct AA business.
- Kristin and Dennis expressed thoughts on employing the same process for voting people back in to service for people who are banned.
- Jeremy clarified that a ban to service members would not translate into that member being banned from the group as a whole.
SC Action: It was unanimous to take this to the BM for a vote on whether to keep the return to service vote or to do away with the return to service vote for members who have resigned their service positions.
- 12/14/23 – Al G – Feedback on Service Team – Allowing for public sharing all conversations on all threads.
Meeting Notes:
- Al is requesting that we lift the thread confidentiality GC on issues for members who are not included in the GUTS threads, ie: the SC Thread.
- Al believes he would not have known about the inconsistencies with his return to service vote if someone has not passed along SC thread conversations.
- Christian stated that it is not unreasonable to ask for confidentiality among the participants of the threads when discussing issues.
- Kristin reminded the group that this is a group conscience and can be changed anytime with a vote. These threads have been considered an extension of anonymity in order to prevent pieces or screen shots of the threads being shared out of context and thereby creating bigger issues within the group. A hundred percent transparency policy can be instituted by a new group conscience. Reminders of existing group consciences should not be deemed an attack on individuals, but rather seen as an opportunity to uphold existing GC, or as an opportunity to change / improve the GC.
- Mark M stated based on all of the commentary we are essentially allowing for Al to be back in service without a vote.
- A proposal can be brought to the BM on lifting the thread confidentiality.
- Christian stated again that he sees no reason as to why we should not have respectful anonymity on thread conversations and expressed concern with bringing this to the BM.
- A motion was not put forward to being this to the BM.
SC Action: At this time the SC is recommending that the lifting of the confidentially and anonymity among the threads NOT be lifted. This will not be sent to the BM.
- 12/26/23 – Danielle S – Reporting Harassment or Inappropriate Behavior During a Meeting – Thomas consistently quoting bible versus as well as sharing at people who disagree with his relgious views.
13. 12/30/2023 – Lauren S – Topic for Business Meeting Agenda – Respect for Tradition 10 – Addressing overly religious or dogmatic shares
Meeting Notes:
- Christian stated that a lot of us as newcomers come into AA holding pre-conceived biases or and difficulfies with overly religious points of view.
- Christian expressed agreement with Lauren and Danielle’s concerns that members hijacking the meeting with specific dogmatic views do not allow for a personal understanding of God. Boundaries need to be set within GUTS on this topic as it they have been set within groups since the beginning of AA.
- Dennis agreed that using bible quotes or different religious texts is ok as long as it doesn’t tip over into preaching Christianity as the only option for your higher power. This has no place in an AA meeting.
- Mark M had a conversation with Thomas concerning this issue. Thomas is aware of his shares on God. Thomas was concerned about being removed from the group and apologetic to anyone he has offended.
- Mark M believes that if a meeting is being jeopardized by preaching then a redirect is appropriate and should be up to the individual host along with help from the co-hosts.
- Mark P said as a touchy subject in AA we have to respect all beliefs as a broad highway (per Bill W). Everyone can belief what they want, as long as we respect all beliefs. We can’t tell people how to express their HP as long as it doesn’t tip into preaching.
- Barbara agreed with Mark’s P sentiments and thought the chat especially needs to be concerned. Barbara stated that from the bible or any other religious text is inappropriate. Hosts and co-hosts need to control this type of religious behavior by controlling the shares and the chat.
- All agreed that there is no call for a ban.
SC Action:
We will not refer this to the BM. Some of the men can reach out to Thomas and continue to talk with him.
- 12/27/23 – Suzie J (and others wishing to remain anonymous) – Reporting Harassment or Inappropriate Behavior During a Meeting
Meeting Notes:
- Christian stated that some of these things could just be personality and behavior and that we cannot attack members for this reason.
- Kristin advised that we can give reminders during the BM meeting to make sure people are aware as well as reminders during the live meetings.
- Suzie shared that the complainants are seeing this behavior as unsafe. She stated that it is not about personalities, its about a combination of behaviors and inputs that hijack the meeting. Hand gestures, reactions and multiple long shares. Suzie said there is a lot of good content and empowerment in these shares, but there has to be a dialing back of actions. It is having an effect on an entire group. There is a concern that people are leaving the group. Suzie wants to address individually these incidents without a ban or strike but rather with conversation.
SC Action: Motion to take to BM for further discussion passed 6-2.
- 12/29/23 – Sarah Sky – Topic for Business Meeting Agenda – Eliminating the 1:30am PST cutoff time for hands during the last meeting.
SC Action: The Steering Committee agreed the 1:30am PST cutoff is no longer necessary. SC recommendation is to send this item to the BM to be ratified.
- 12/30/23 – Jason W – Topic for Business Meeting Agenda – Shipping hardcover books
SC Action: The Steering Committee agreed that Hard Copy books could be sent if requested. It was voted to send to the BM so we can discuss additional costs and other logistics in offering hard copy big books as well as soft copy books.