D17 NATIONAL DIRECTORS REPORT
SEPTEMBER 2020

Cindy Shoemaker
ACBL National Board Representative 
1-719-337-6258
During these unprecedented times, the ACBL Board of Directors, committees and task forces continue to meet regularly through conference calls, GoToMeeting and Zoom. In addition to meetings held in July, the ACBL Board of Directors met virtually in August.

Board Reorganization

The reorganization plan to reduce the size of the ACBL Board of Directors from 25 to 13 by 2024 is now official. After a failed attempt to pass the plan to reorganize in the fall of 2019, the ACBL Board of Governors requested a reconsideration of the vote and the motion. The plan was reworked and presented twice -- once in March of 2020 with a favorable vote of 20/4/1 and again in July 2020 where it passed 18/7. The Board of Governors approved the plan. I voted in favor to reorganize. 

It is important to note that all 25 districts will remain intact. District-related functions and events, district treasuries, and NAPs and GNTs will not be affected. However, for the purposes of electing members to the Board of Directors, several districts will be geographically aligned. Of the 25 districts, District 17 along with District 8 and District 6 will stand alone. District 17 will become Region 10. The election for the D17 Regional Director will be held in 2022.

Transition Task Force

Crucial to the reorganization was the creation of a transition task force which has been actively recommending what non-core functions of the ACBL Board of Directors can be moved to other ACBL decision-making bodies. Four motions were presented and were unanimously approved by the board, transferring the following duties to management:

  • Approving exceptions to eligibility in GNT and NAP.

  • Approving requests for transfers of fewer than 100 members between units and/or districts.

  • Responsibility for the honorary member selection process.

  • Responsibility for meeting minutes.

Masterpoint Committee

A new masterpoint calculation unanimously passed its first reading. This method takes the strength of field into account when determining the number of masterpoints to be awarded. Gold rush events will receive slightly more masterpoints while the difference in points in other events will change only by a small percentage. 

Appeals & Charges Committee

The ACBL Board of Directors approved a rewrite of the Code of Disciplinary Regulations that will simplify the code for the use of district disciplinary bodies.
AUGUST BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Concerns over online cheating continue to rise. "If you see something, say something," states Robb Gordon, ACBL National Recorder. "Do not say it in public or accuse somebody. Fill out a Player Memo with the BBO User ID of the suspected cheater, include a description of what concerns you and (ideally) full information about which game this occurred. I guarantee that we will investigate."
The first cases of online cheating were resolved in May and resulted in the suspension of six members for various terms. The Appeals & Charges Committee presented its report in August.
Protocols for Online Play

Item 20S3-01, Appendix O Conditions of Contest for Online Play, deferred from a special meeting held in June, was unanimously approved by the board.
Masterpoint Awards: Online versus face to face
A motion (Item 20S3-02) to reduce masterpoint awards to reflect non-face-to-face play has passed its first reading after being deferred from a special board meeting held in June. Motion carried: 24/1/0. I voted in favor of the motion.
Online Task Force Report

The Online Task Force, headed by Jay Whipple, presented its report. The report, along with recommendations from committees, will form the basis for a proposal which management will submit to the ACBL Board of Directors in September. Further discussions and refinements will occur.