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TSL DOCUMENTS 1. Mission Statement MISSION STATEMENT FOR "The mission of Thubten Shedrup Ling, Center for the Study of Buddhism and Tibetan Culture, is to bring Buddhist teachings to Colorado. We accomplish this by inviting highly regarded scholars and teachers here and by holding weekly discussion groups and meditations sessions. We work toward having a Buddhist monk or nun become a resident teacher and spiritual friend to our members and the greater community and to cultivate interest, study, practice and respect for Buddhist teachings."
Operating
Guidelines for the Steering Committee of THUBTEN SHEDRUP LING Center
for the Study of Buddhism and Tibetan Culture
The Steering Committee will strive to create a friendly, kind and
compassionate atmosphere in which all TSL members may express views and ideas
and contribute to the decision making and organizing activities of the Center.
The role of the TSL Steering Committee is to: 1.
Plan, organize and publicize
activities, programs and retreats, 2.
Elect
members to hold officer positions and be on the Board of Directors, 3.
Define the functions and responsibilities of officers, 4.
Determine how best to support a resident or visiting
teacher, 5.
Discuss issues, arrive at a consensus and provide advice to
a teacher, 6.
Determine what specific requests will be made to a teacher, 7.
Decide what invitations to be extended to guest teachers,
speakers or groups, 8.
Approve or disapprove individual expenditures exceeding
$100.00, 9.
Determine and specify functions, responsibilities or tasks
assigned to designated members or sub-committees The relationship between the Steering
Committee, the Director, Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen, and a resident or
visiting teacher shall be based on mutual friendship, trust, loyalty and
respect. The Steering Committee or any of the officers shall not attempt to
control or govern the decisions and activities of its Director, resident teacher
or visiting teachers. The Steering Committee may advise or make requests of the
Director, resident teacher or visiting teacher, only if such advice or request
is derived from the consensus or a majority vote of the committee’s members. Notice and Quorum for Meetings
A regularly scheduled Steering
Committee meeting will normally be held on the first Saturday or Sunday of
every month. Meetings may be postponed or cancelled if at least three of the elected
officers agree. Unscheduled Steering Committee meetings will be held following an
attempt to notify participating members on the most recently published phone
listing. A quorum of five qualified
Steering Committee members is necessary for every meeting. Qualifications for Participating on the Steering Committee
Steering Committee meetings are open to any person that attends the
center’s regular teachings, study groups, meditations or retreats. If the
legitimacy of any person’s attendance is questioned at a steering committee
meeting, the issue shall be resolved by a majority vote. Election of Officers and Members of the Board of Directors
The Steering Committee will meet in the month of January (or as soon as
possible thereafter) to elect members to the officer positions of Co-chairperson
(2), Secretary and Treasurer and the members of the Board of Directors (a
minimum of three), as necessary. Election to these positions will be by majority
vote of the members present. Tenure of the officer positions shall be one (1)
year. Tenure of the members of the Board of Directors shall be three (3) years. Special Considerations for a Co-chairperson.
The co-chairpersons often act as a spokesperson for TSL. That person must
always strive to clarify whether what he/she says is coming from the Steering
Committee or is personal. A co-chairperson must not assume what decisions or
policies the Steering Committee may implement. It is essential that the
co-chairpersons be known by and be acceptable to the resident teacher and the
Center’s Director, Venerable Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen. It is also essential that
a co-chairperson have a heart felt loyalty and dedication to Geshe Gyeltsen, our
resident teacher and to the mission of the Center. [This paragraph is not
intended to exclude a member from being elected as a TSL co-chairperson if they
are not currently known by Geshe Gyeltsen. It is intended to emphasize that such
a relationship must be fostered and maintained by the co-chairperson during
his/her term of office. If such a relationship is not developed, this may be
cause for the involuntary termination of a member from holding the office of
co-chairperson.] TSL Officers and Their
Responsibilities
The
following officer positions are necessary to manage the activities sponsored by
the Center. The primary responsibilities of each position are specified beneath
the title of the officer:
Co-Chairpersons
--perform as lead coordinator/organizer for all TSL functions and
activities
--ensure regular meetings are held
--act as spokespersons for TSL with a resident teacher, ---with
Geshe Gyeltsen and other visiting teachers or other organizations, ---with
TSL members and participants in the Center’s activities, ---with
Shove Chapel, Tutt Library and The Colorado College and ---with
the rest of the community
--maintain TSL’s non-profit incorporation status with the State of
Colorado and the 501(c)3 charitable organization status with the IRS
--meet, greet and introduces teachers and guests at public functions
--track all tasks and ensure timely completion
--maintain a list of other organizations and non-member individuals that
provide information, facilities and services to TSL Secretary
--keeper
and distributor of meeting minutes and other essential documents
--maintain the mailing list
--maintain a phone list and steering committee participant
list which will be reviewed annually by the steering committee
--coordinate and tracks publicity, flyers, mailings, newsletter,
newspaper-radio-TV
Treasurer
--maintain and reconciles bank account
--primary check writer and bill payer for the group
--receive, deposit or disperse donations
--submit monthly report to the Steering Committee categorizing income and
expenditures Board of Directors and Its Role The
Board of Directors exists primarily to fulfill the organization requirements of
the state and federal government and the filed TSL articles of incorporation and
bylaws. The only other function of the board is to provide recommendations or
proposals to the Steering Committee for consideration. Qualification and selection for membership on the Board of
Directors
Members of the Board of Directors are elected by a majority vote of the
members present at the Steering Committee meeting. Members of the Board shall
consist only of persons whom participate in the Center’s activities and
programs and are expected to be regular participants on the Steering Committee. Voluntary or Involuntary Termination of Officers or Members
of the Board of Directors
An officer or a Board member during their term may withdraw or resign
from their position or be involuntarily terminated by a majority vote of the
Steering Committee. Filling Vacancies
If
an officer or Board member position becomes vacant, then that vacancy will be
filled by another member receiving a majority vote of the Steering Committee.
The tenure of the new member shall be to the completion of the term of the
originally elected member being replaced. Procedure for Amending the Bylaws, Articles of
Incorporation, Mission Statement or Steering Committee Operating Guidelines
Proposals for amending the TSL
bylaws, articles of incorporation, mission statement or the Steering Committee
operating guidelines shall be considered by the Steering Committee and can only
be approved by a majority vote. Other Administrative and Fiscal Provisions
·
TSL officers are the only persons authorized to act for or in
behalf of TSL regarding financial matters or on others matters that have
substantial financial implications. ·
The names and telephone numbers of all Steering Committee members
will be kept by the Secretary and will be available at every Steering Committee
meeting ·
All TSL funds will be maintained in a bank account located in
Colorado Springs. Only the Treasurer (as the primary check writer) and TSL
officers will be authorized to sign checks and affect any transfer of funds. ·
The Steering Committee (or when time is critical, at least three
elected officers) must approve all individual expenditures in excess of $100.00.
·
The TSL Treasurer will render a complete accounting of year to date
and monthly income and expenditures at each regularly scheduled Steering
Committee meeting. ·
The fiscal year for TSL will be the same as the calendar year,
spanning January 1st through December 31st.
The
over-arching goal of the Steering Committee is to promote harmony and
loving-kindness within TSL and the community at large. It is the intent of this
committee to deal openly, honestly and in a caring way with disagreements or
misunderstandings among members. We must recognize that it is our individual
responsibility to foster within ourselves a sense of genuine equanimity and
compassion as we conduct the business of creating an opportunity for the Dharma
to be taught and practiced in Colorado Springs. Names
of Officers and Board Members Elected in 2001 Board Members - Vicky Manchester (2nd year), Matt Frum, Kathy Kardoc, Mark Slater (2nd year), Roger Bosse (3rd year)
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