Guidelines For Audience Participation

Guidelines For Audience Participation

Audience participation shall be permitted under Agenda Item 8.0 at regular meetings of the Board of Trustees.  This portion of the agenda shall serve to give any member of the audience an opportunity to speak to any item on the agenda, to express an opinion or to comment on any other matter that relates to the college.  Audience participation shall not be construed to be a debate or question and answer period.

The audience participation portion of the meeting shall generally be limited to twenty (20) minutes, and each person shall have up to three (3) minutes to speak.  Where there appears to be a large number of people interested in addressing the board, the Chairperson may reduce each person’s speaking time to two (2) minutes and will extend the total time for audience participation so that no one is denied the opportunity to speak.

Persons wishing to speak should raise their hands.  The Chairperson of the Board will recognize each person individually and ask that they stand, approach the microphone and state their name before proceeding with their comments.

Defamatory or abusive personal remarks are always out of order.  The Chairperson of the Board may terminate the speaker's privilege of address if, after being called to order, the speaker persists in improper conduct or remarks.

It is suggested that most matters can usually be handled faster and more efficiently if taken up directly with the appropriate member of the administration, rather than at Board meetings.

Approved by the Board of Trustees
Macomb Community College
September 21, 1971
Revised September 18, 2019
Updated pursuant to Board authorization, January 2023