Description

"Article IV. Section V. The Censor shall either commend or censor members of the Society at the conclusion of each general meeting."

The Censor is a member of the Executive Board, serving as the equivalent of the vice-president of the organization. Or, in Philo terms, the cranky old person. The Censor's primary role is to produce the ?Censor's Report at the conclusion of each meeting. The Censor also assumes the power of executive decision in cases where the Moderator has a conflict of interest.

Eligibility

There are no prerequisites for being Censor. Traditionally, the role has been given to the Moderator emeritus, but any member deemed worthy (and crotchety enough) of the position may be elected to it.

It should be noted that serving as Censor does not fulfill the executive board prerequisite for becoming Moderator.

Duties & How to Doot Them

Censor's Report

• The Censor's Report is taken down in the Censor's notebook, currently spiral-bound and in need of repair. A previous system was in place where there were forms with spaces for commentary and binders for easy organization. Reinstating such a system for the Censor's Report and all other documents of the weekly meetings is being looked into.
• The Censor's Report is taken throughout the entire meeting, and may pertain to anything matter relating to it.
• The format of the Censor's report is a list of commendations and censures of members, objects, acts, ideas, and whatever they damn well feel like, typically beginning "X is censored for..." or "X is commended for..."
• The reason for commendation or censure can also be for whatever they damn well feel like.
• It is a matter of controversy whether the Censor may, or is even capable of, censoring the Moderator.
• It is traditional for the prospective members to be commended on their first, second, and third speeches.
• An often used form in the Censor's Report is "X is censored for...but commended for..."

The Point

At the conclusion of the Censor's Report, the present members will become excited, under the unfortunately incorrect impression that they have, in fact, gotten the point just this one time. It is the sad duty of the Censor to inform them that they have missed the point, and seal that night's debate with a witty and concise remark on the resolution that somehow was not brought up in the course of the meeting.

Former Censors

• Samantha Kuperberg, Fall 2009
• Sophie Litschwartz, Spring 2009
• Schmonz, Fall 2008
• Josh Schwartz, Spring 2008
• Neil Flanagan, Fall 2007