[ARIN-consult] Reminder: Consultation on Increasing the size of the ARIN Board of Trustees

Brian Jones bjones at vt.edu
Wed Jun 7 14:46:17 EDT 2017 

Thanks for the references Jason. It looks like RIPE has gone with a first
step of focused effort on gender diversity. They have also created a
Diversity Task Force to formalize their discovery process.

You can subscribe to their Diversity emailing list here:
https://lists.ripe.net/mailman/listinfo/diversity


Brian

On Wed, Jun 7, 2017 at 1:49 PM Jason Schiller <jschiller at google.com> wrote:

> I think Mike brings questions worth considering
> (either in the positive, or negative as Lee suggests)
>
> I will not address any of these questions here and now, but
> rather add another facet of complexity for consideration.
>
> Currently the ARIN numbers community exists a larger
> Global numbers community, which in turn exists in a
> larger Internet community that converges in ICANN.
>
> RIPE NCC has been looking into diversity:
> https://labs.ripe.net/Members/agowland/diversity-discussions-at-ripe-74
>
>
> Likewise ICANN is considering community accountability, transparency,
> and diversity requirements of ACs (Advisory Committees) and
> SOs (Supporting Organizations):
>
> https://community.icann.org/display/WEIA/Diversity
>
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JatGDDEJdNrJb08OAH8at5ZaH7fUbBDNqc9EDxfXT0w/edit
>
>
> In ICANN terms, an SO is where a community comes together to make
> policy.
>
> In the case of Global numbers policy the majority of this policy work
> occurs within the 5 region RIRs, and the ASO shepherds the policy
> proposal through the ICANN portion where the ICANN board
> considers, questions and ratifies (or not) the proposed global policy.
>
> Likewise the community meets within the 5 RIR systems, and
> accountability and transparency mechanisms are those within the RIR
> system (regional and Global PDP, RIR bylaws, RIR Policy development
> meetings, and RIR policy mailing lists).
>
> So if there is a need to meet some standard for community support,
> community inclusiveness, transparency, diversity, etc, for the larger
> Internet community, it might put some pressure on the standards that
> the RIRs have in these areas.
>
> At the very least, we should keep abreast of developments in these areas
> in other RIRs and in ICANN, and see if there is anything of value worth
> considering here.
>
> __Jason
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 4:01 PM, Mike Burns <mike at iptrading.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>>
>>
>> Can we talk about the problem this change is designed to address?
>>
>>
>>
>> Have there been decisions taken in the past by the ARIN board which could
>> be said to be a result of lack of diversity on the board?
>>
>> For example, has the board corrected a mistake because a prior decision
>> failed to include the input of a small business owner, or a resident of the
>> Caribbean, or a lawyer?
>>
>>
>>
>> Do issues like gender or race even impact the decision-making ability of
>> a board whose job revolves around number policy?
>>
>>
>>
>> Or are we to assume that lack of diversity is itself the problem?
>>
>> That even if the non-diverse board and a hypothetical diverse board
>> reached the same conclusions, there is still a problem with the former?
>>
>>
>>
>> Is this an optics problem?  That is, are we addressing not a problem
>> related to number policy, but a self-esteem problem of some community
>> members?
>>
>> Or are we saying the ARIN board doesn’t understand Caribbean legal issues
>> or network peculiarities, resulting in bad decisions?
>>
>> The second case is much more interesting to me.
>>
>>
>>
>> The problems which will inevitably arise out of this effort should be
>> considered, and I haven’t really heard them all addressed.
>>
>>
>>
>> First, who decides what groups should be included in the sought-after
>> diversity? We have suggestions for gender and regional membership already.
>>
>> What about LBTQ, black, Hispanic, physically-challenged or poor community
>> members?
>>
>> Can those groups be left out of consideration? What is the process of
>> review and revision of these selections? A free-for-all on the ARIN-consult
>> list? I am not looking forward to the debate over the last reserved seat-
>> does it go to the poor or the Caribbean?  What if a gay, poor Caribbean
>> runs for that seat, does he/she check three boxes or only one? Are these
>> appropriate discussions for numbers-stewards?  It’s a quagmire.
>>
>>
>>
>> Second, once the groups are defined, then what is the mechanism to ensure
>> actual membership in the group? How are we sure who is a woman, who is
>> poor, who is physically handicapped, or who is gay?  Do we have surplus
>> Election committee members itching to verify this information?
>>
>>
>>
>> Third, this would further the implicit assumption that even members of a
>> small group whose aegis extends only to regional number policy vote
>> tribally, and the only solution is to ensure participation of every tribe
>> on the board. I think we should instead be focusing on the open-ness of the
>> stakeholder model, with open and meritocratic elections being a
>> foundational principle.
>>
>>
>>
>> Fourth, restricting qualified members from running from some board seats
>> due to immutable characteristics like skin color or gender or ethnicity
>> could potentially reduce the overall quality of the board.
>>
>>
>>
>> Fifth, intra-ARIN tribalism will naturally drive discourse in ways that
>> tend to exacerbate differences so as to justify current diversity
>> preferences, in my opinion, and that includes introducing
>> non-numbers-related issues where we should only care about the numbers.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sixth, a larger board makes meetings and communications among board
>> members more difficult.
>>
>>
>>
>> Seventh, quota-seat members could feel (and be perceived as) inferior or
>> junior members.
>>
>>
>>
>> I don’t support any change to the number of seats on the board, and I
>> don’t think the language that existed which allowed for the appointment of
>> an additional member was designed for increasing bland and generic
>> diversity. I think it was put there to address any particular unusual
>> eventuality which required missing expertise. Maybe expertise in large
>> public accounting, or expertise in law enforcement, or in private
>> investigation or legislative compliance. The use of the seat to address a
>> lack of representation of any particular GROUP removes the intended ability
>> of use for a particular EXPERTISE should that be needed.
>>
>>
>>
>> As it stands today, the community is free to nominate and vote for any
>> member who is qualified. Before that right is removed from the community,
>> can we please understand the severity of the problem?
>>
>>
>>
>> Can somebody provide an example of a Board decision which would have
>> benefitted from more diversity?
>>
>>
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Mike Burns
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* ARIN-consult [mailto:arin-consult-bounces at arin.net] *On Behalf
>> Of *David Farmer
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, June 06, 2017 3:54 PM
>> *To:* John Comfort <john at comfortconsulting.com>
>> *Cc:* <arin-consult at arin.net> <arin-consult at arin.net>
>> *Subject:* Re: [ARIN-consult] Reminder: Consultation on Increasing the
>> size of the ARIN Board of Trustees
>>
>>
>>
>> I debated using the word "underrepresented", I couldn't find a better
>> word, the english language is lacking, or at least my vocabulary is.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 2:17 PM, John Comfort <john at comfortconsulting.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> To state that women are underrepresented because the board currently has
>> no women is a misnomer and only perpetuates the political propaganda
>> without any substantive data to confirm the situation even exists.  If a
>> particular woman has the appropriate credentials and experience necessary
>> to become a member of the board, then there is no reason why she wouldn't
>> be elected except that a male or another female candidate has better
>> credentials and/or more relevant experience.
>>
>> The election requirements should be based on merit only.  Do not give
>> prejudicial treatment to any person whether male or female to further
>> external, irrelevant agendas.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 11:58 AM, David Farmer <farmer at umn.edu> wrote:
>>
>> I agree with Jason and Rob, simply expanding the number of board seats
>> without some mechanism to ensure that the new seats actually expand
>> diversity is not helpful, and I can not support such a change.  I will note
>> it is theoretically possible that, the membership will fill the new Board
>> seats with a more diverse set of board members, but it is equally, if not
>> more, likely that they will not, and the board will look much as it does
>> today but slightly larger.  A slightly larger board that has more diversity
>> is a fair trade-off and I support such a change if it includes a mechanism
>> to ensure that the new seats actually expand diversity.
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't think a regional representation system would be helpful over all,
>> it wouldn't necessarily help increasing the number of women on the board,
>> and it would formalize a constituency for some board members that isn't the
>> whole membership, and I'm not sure that would be a healthy change either.
>>
>>
>>
>> As an alternative, I would propose that the board earmark the additional
>> seat in each class for candidates with particular divers properties that
>> are underrepresented on the board.  Currently, I see the most pressing lack
>> of diversity being women in general and anyone from the Caribbean.  So I
>> would propose that the extra seat for the 1st and 3rd class of broad
>> members be earmarked for women, and the extra seat in the 2nd class be
>> earmarked for someone from the Caribbean.  Overtime if the make up of the
>> board changes the earmarks could be changed to select candidates with other
>> divers properties or if in the future it is felt that sufficient diversity
>> can be maintained without earmarks, the earmarks could be eliminated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Under this proposal, there would be two(2) general seats with the current
>> qualifications, and one special diversity seat per class with the current
>> qualifications plus additional diversity qualifications specified by the
>> board, maybe with input from the community and/or the nomcom.
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> ===============================================
>> David Farmer               Email:farmer at umn.edu
>> Networking & Telecommunication Services
>> Office of Information Technology
>> University of Minnesota
>> 2218 University Ave SE        Phone: 612-626-0815 <(612)%20626-0815>
>> Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029   Cell: 612-812-9952 <(612)%20812-9952>
>> ===============================================
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> ARIN-Consult
>> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the ARIN
>> Consult Mailing
>> List (ARIN-consult at arin.net).
>> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:
>> http://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-consult Please contact the
>> ARIN Member Services
>> Help Desk at info at arin.net if you experience any issues.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> ===============================================
>> David Farmer               Email:farmer at umn.edu
>> Networking & Telecommunication Services
>> Office of Information Technology
>> University of Minnesota
>> 2218 University Ave SE        Phone: 612-626-0815 <(612)%20626-0815>
>> Minneapolis, MN 55414-3029   Cell: 612-812-9952 <(612)%20812-9952>
>> ===============================================
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> ARIN-Consult
>> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the ARIN
>> Consult Mailing
>> List (ARIN-consult at arin.net).
>> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:
>> http://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-consult Please contact the
>> ARIN Member Services
>> Help Desk at info at arin.net if you experience any issues.
>>
>
>
>
> --
> _______________________________________________________
> Jason Schiller|NetOps|jschiller at google.com|571-266-0006 <(571)%20266-0006>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ARIN-Consult
> You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to the ARIN
> Consult Mailing
> List (ARIN-consult at arin.net).
> Unsubscribe or manage your mailing list subscription at:
> http://lists.arin.net/mailman/listinfo/arin-consult Please contact the
> ARIN Member Services
> Help Desk at info at arin.net if you experience any issues.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.arin.net/pipermail/arin-consult/attachments/20170607/92c97c6a/attachment.html>

More information about the ARIN-consult mailing list