Parliamentary procedure.

MUNSA generally follows Robert's Rules of Order; however, procedures vary between conferences, and MUNSA is no exception. The following points and motions are considered acceptable within MUNSA XVII:

Point/Motion	Purpose	Debate	Vote
Point of information	To question the speaker	none	none
Set agenda	To establish precedence of topics up for debate	none	Simple majority
Open (close) speakers' list	To open (close) the speakers' list on a specific topic. Must be approved by Chair. Speakers are added to the speakers' list by order of the Chair	none	Simple majority
Set (change) limit on speaker's time	To set (change) the amount of time a speaker may speak without further committee approval, as well as (optionally) the number of questions and/or follow-ups the speaker may receive	none	Simple majority
Allow the speaker to finish	To permit a speaker to continue speaking after the predetermined time limit has expired. Must be approved by Chair and speaker	none	Simple majority
Point of order	To correct an error in procedure	none	none
Point of parliamentary procedure	To inquire about procedures (cf. Point of inquiry)	none	none
Point of personal privilege	To point out a hindrance to debate	none	none
Decision of no action	To cause the committee to assume official positions that no action is to be taken at the time and that the topic should be removed from the agenda	2 pro and 2 con	Simple majority
Adopt by consent	To pass a resolution by consensus	none	none
Table debate	To postpone the debate for a period of time or indefinitely	1 pro and 1 con	Simple majority
Close debate	To end debate and go to a vote	2 pro and 2 con	Two-thirds majority
Moderated caucus	To break from speakers list, permitting delegates to speak individually in a Chair-moderated format	none	Simple majority
Unmoderated caucus	To temporarily suspend formal debate, permitting delegates to leave their seats and discuss matters without Chair oversight	none	Simple majority
Roll-call vote	To vote by roll-call and not by show of placards	none	none
Withdraw motion	To withdraw an active motion	none	none
Amend	To bring an amendment to the floor for debate. Must be proposed by a 10% quorum	none	Simple majority
Consideration of draft resolution	To bring a working paper to the floor for consideration as a draft resolution. Must be proposed by a 15% quorum listed as signatories on the working paper	none	Simple majority
Recess	To suspend debate and the session for a period of time	none	Simple majority
Adjourn	To end session	none	Simple majority

Delegate Code of Conduct

• All delegates are required to dress in professional Western business attire.
• All delegates are required to conduct themselves appropriately. This includes respecting staff decisions, recognition before addressing the committee, and refraining from the use of undiplomatic language.
• The official language of MUNSA is English, . All sessions must be carried out entirely within the confines of the English language, including conversation, debate, and note-passing.
• All North East Independent School District rules and regulations for the 2012–13 school year will apply, including but not limited to the following:
  • No pagers or beepers are permitted on the premises.
  • Possession of or acting under the influence of drugs is prohibited.
  • No NEISD-prohibited items (e.g., mace, metallic markers, laser pointers, graffiti implements) are permitted on the premises.
  • Theft is grounds for suspension.
  • Tobacco and paraphernalia are prohibited.
  • Vandalism is grounds for expulsion.
  • Verbal and confrontational disruption is not allowed.

Committee Chairs have the power to issue warnings for anything they find to be a disruption in their committee, or a violation of rules. Delegates receiving three warnings from a Chair are subject to suspension or expulsion from the conference.

Negotiation and debate skills

• Write down your opening and closing statements.
• Speak clearly and audibly.
• Make eye contact.
• Limit your fidgeting, pacing, and rocking back and forth.
• Maintain an upright, confident posture.
• Be assertive.
• Avoid repeating discussion unless necessary for emphasis.
• When your speaking time is up, do not continue speaking unless otherwise directed by the Chair.
• Be courteous, especially to the Chair.

Awards

Continuing the Awards policy implemented, at MUNSA XVII, delegates will be scored using a point system, with each delegate capable of earning 115 points. Chairs will observe delegates and use a detailed rubric to allot points based on participation, authenticity, diplomacy, public speaking, and completion of position paper. Additionally, there will be a limited number of “Bonus Points” used to distinguish truly exceptional delegates.

Individual awards will be given to the highest scoring delegates in each room.
While protocol in the past called for school awards to be given to those delegations with high numbers of individual awards, the MUNSA staff, in an effort to encourage participation and preparation, has formulated a new method for deciding school awards. After all delegates have been scored based on the aforementioned rubric, scores of each school’s delegates will be averaged to create an overall score for each school.

Schools will be divided into small and large delegations. Small schools will be defined as those with 34 or fewer delegates and large schools will be defined as those with 35 or more delegates. Small schools will compete with other small schools and large schools will compete with other large schools for awards. Schools with the highest average point values will win top awards at the conference.
While this new system is perhaps unusual and certainly a departure from convention, it should encourage every delegate to do their best. Before, an individual’s performance did not necessarily impact the overall achievement of a delegation. Now, every delegate will count. It is the expectation of the MUNSA XVII staff that this will increase the quality of debate in each room and improve the conference experience as a whole.