This is the document in circulation among Members of the Board of Trustees of Erskine College that is referred to in the story entitled: Massive changes to governance of Erskine College/Seminary being discussed

1. College and Seminary have separate Boards of Trustees. The Moderator of General Synod would be an ex-officio voting member of both Boards.

2. The Seminary Board would be elected wholly by the General Synod for 4 year terms, with responsibility for all seminary related activities, including budget and assets. The Seminary Board would have a membership of 12, of which 3 but no more than 4 must be ordained ARP pastors.

3. The College Board of Trustees would be a semi-perpetual Board composed of twenty-four members serving 4 year terms.

a. The Board of Trustees would elect three members, of which two must be alumni of the College.
b. The Board Nominating Committee would recommend names to the General Synod Nominating Committee.
c. General Synod would elect 3 members, one of which must be an alumnus/alumna. The General Synod Nominating Committee would consider names submitted by the Board, but may nominate to the General Synod whomever it wishes.
d. The Erskine College Alumni Association President would be an ex-officio, voting member of the College Board.
e. If there are vacancies on the Board, the body electing that member would replace that member.

At least 50% of the College Board elected members would be alumni of the College.

This Board would have responsibility for all College related activities, including budget and assets.

4. Board members completing their terms of service on either board would be ineligible for election to either board for three years.

5. The new Board structure would become effective July 1, 2010. Boards would meet separately subsequent to that date. Current Board members would be asked their preference for the Board on which they wish to serve, and assigned by seniority of service on the current Board of Trustees to the new Boards based on stated preference. Members newly elected to terms beginning July 1, 2010, would also be asked for preference, and assigned to Boards based on those preferences. Once one of the two Boards is filled, all other members are assigned to the remaining Board. Should the College Board be reduced to less than 24 by this process, half the vacancies are to be filled by the Board of Trustees and half by General Synod, with terms beginning July 1, 2011. Should the Seminary Board be reduced to less than 12 by this process, the vacancies are to be filled by the General Synod, with terms beginning July 1, 2011.

NOTE: Under this process the minimum number of the College Board would be 18 in the coming year, and thereafter 24. The minimum number of the Seminary Board would be 6 in the coming year, and thereafter 12. These numbers do not include the ex officio members.

6. Election of the President would be the responsibility of the 20 most senior members of the College Board of Trustees and the 6 most senior members of the Seminary Board of Trustees, along with the Moderator of General Synod and the Erskine College Alumni Association President, meeting together.

NOTE: This provides for proportionate voting for the President in the ratio more closely aligned with the historical weights assigned to the two parts of Erskine (85% College, 15% Seminary) which are used internally. Further, it allows only those who have served at least a year and have had the opportunity to become more familiar with Erskine issues to vote on the most critical decision that the Board makes.

7. The relationship between the General Synod and the two boards will be restructured so as to maintain the College’s accreditation by SACS and the Seminary’s accreditation by ATS and by SACS.

8. Any charter and by-law changes will be drafted to conform to this agreement by a Drafting Committee of four, two appointed by the Moderator of General Synod and two appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, or, alternatively, by a mutually agreed independent expert. Changes will be adopted by methods currently provided in the Charter and By-Laws.

NOTE: If it is legal to do so, the changes should not be amendable by either party but voted up or down.

9. Plaintiffs in the current lawsuit would be involved in the process of reviewing the charter and by-law changes and would agree legally that passage of the changes would be the end of their action against General Synod, and General Synod would provide them with legally binding commitments that they and lower courts of the church would not take any action against them in civil or church courts that are based on actions up to and including the effective date of changes in the charter and by-laws.

NOTE: The appropriate body that can act on behalf of General Synod needs to be clearly identified and their authority clearly specified. It would seem that the ultimate authority for General Synod is the General Synod itself.