How long before a meeting is notice required?

Parliamentary Procedure Q&A

Q: The chair of the senate changed the location of an emergency meeting by sending e-mail notices at two a.m. the day of the meeting. Several people didn't get the message and, while they were looking for the new site, the chair announced several key changes and appointments that had an adverse affect on the student senate.

Is this legal? First, whether or not the change in location on the same morning of the scheduled meeting; and,
second, the appointments that were made before the rest of the senate, treasurer and other concerned individuals could get there? - Michael Barreras, Nov. 22, 1998

A: Although RONR does not mention e-mail, it does say that previous notice (p.n.) must be delivered "a reasonable time in advance." Many organization's bylaws explicitly state the minimum (and maximum) time required for p.n. If your senate's bylaws do not, you may want to consider such an amendment. In the meantime, your senate must decide whether the p.n. was reasonable; if it is found lacking, the meeting was not properly called and action taken is null and void.

A couple of other questions occur to me. Was there a quorum at the meeting? If there was, did the senate ratify the chair's actions (if the bylaws require the senate's ratification)? A "no" to either question nullifies the actions taken.

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