Academic and Professional Women's Association of UCI Bylaws, 2001 Edition

NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Academic and Professional Women’s Association of UCI. It shall also be known as A&PW.

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PURPOSE

The purposes of this Association are:

1. To develop awareness by faculty, staff and other campus constituencies of the contributions of women to the mission of UCI;
2. To provide activities and to support other campus constituencies that contribute to the advancement of women at UCI;
3. To serve as a networking and communications channel among women employees at UCI;
4. To serve as an enabling body for women to input collectively to the decision-making process on campus and community issues affecting women at UCI.

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MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Membership in this Association shall be open to all interested persons affiliated with UCI. Voting membership shall become effective upon payment of the annual membership dues. The membership year shall be July 1 to June 30 inclusive. Members wishing their names to be dropped from the roster should indicate this in a memorandum directed to the Membership Chair. The membership roster shall be accessible to members only unless otherwise permitted by University policies regarding access to records.

Section 2. Lifetime membership will be conferred upon all Pacesetter awardees. A&PW members may be awarded lifetime memberships by the Steering Committee.

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DUES

The dues shall be set by the incoming Steering Committee annually in July. Dues are due and payable on August 1. Members not paying their dues by November 1 shall be dropped from the membership roster. Individuals may join the Association at any time; however, there shall be no partial-year dues.

Membership for each upcoming 7/1 - 6/30 year will be available 4/1 - 6/30 of the current year at the existing membership rate. All memberships are full memberships, regardless of the date of dues payment.

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OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be the President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2. The term of office for all officers shall be one (1) year, commencing July 1 of each year. No member shall hold the same office for more than two (2) consecutive terms.

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ELECTIONS

Section 1. At the regular Steering Committee meeting in January, the Committee shall appoint a Nominations and Elections Committee for the purpose of conducting the election of officers for the following year. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of at least two Association members, neither of whom shall run for an office.

Section 2. Two candidates should be nominated for each office. No officer may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 3. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall notify the membership of the nominations and solicit nominations from the membership; and shall complete the slate of nominations by March 30. The chair shall present to the Steering Committee at the April meeting a list of candidates who have agreed to run for each office; and shall prepare a ballot for presentation to the membership for the election of officers at the annual meeting. The Nominations and Election Committee will call upon the Secretary to assist in these duties, and may also call upon other members.

Section 4. Elections shall be by personal or absentee ballot at the annual meeting. Election shall be by plurality.

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DUTIES OF OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND STEERING COMMITTEE

Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings or designate an alternate; shall be a voting ex officio member of all standing committees; shall be the official spokesperson for the Association except that specific delegations of this function may be made to other members; shall represent the Association on all UCI committees and councils when asked to do so or shall appoint, with the approval of the Steering Committee, another appropriate member to serve instead; shall cosign with the Treasurer orders and checks for disbursement of funds as directed by the Steering Committee in amounts described in the Procedures manual.

Section 2. The Vice-president shall serve as President-elect; shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee, providing guidance and direction to the standing committee chairs; and shall, in the absence of the President, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President; and, upon resignation of the President, shall assume the office of President for the unexpired term.

Section 3. The Secretary shall prepare and distribute meeting announcements and agendas and keep minutes of all general membership and Steering Committee meetings. A copy of all minutes will be sent to each Steering Committee member and a copy shall be made available to members on request. In the absence of the Treasurer, the Secretary shall assume the duties of the Treasurer. In February, the Secretary shall notify the membership of the nomination process. The Secretary shall maintain confidential records of the Pacesetter nominees and nominators. These records shall only be released for use by the Pacesetter Award Committee. Initialization and maintenance of the A&PW List Serv is the responsibility of the Secretary.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive all monies belonging to the Association, pay all authorized bills as described in the Procedures manual, maintain accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements of funds, and report monthly to the Steering Committee on the financial status of the Association. The Treasurer shall coordinate with the Membership Chair concerning additions and deletions to the membership roster; in the absence of a Membership Chair shall assume the responsibilities of the Membership Chair; and, in the absence of the Secretary, shall assume the duties of the Secretary. An annual budget, including committee requests for support, shall be formulated by the President and the Treasurer to be presented for Steering Committee approval, no later than at their September meeting. The President and Treasurer may choose to include volunteers in budget preparation.

Section 5. Vacancies occurring in the offices of Vice-president, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be filled for the unexpired term by the person receiving the next highest number of votes cast for that office in the immediately preceding election. Should there be no eligible candidates for a vacancy, the Steering Committee shall by a vote of three-fourths of the Committee members, elect a new officer for the unexpired term of office.

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers and the UCI Medical Center liaison representative. It shall address organizational concerns which are not within the purview of the Steering Committee.

Section 7. The Steering Committee shall consist of the elected officers, immediate past President, the UCI Medical Center liaison representative, the Parliamentarian, the Newsletter Editor, appointed Association representatives to other UCI organizations, an Historian, activity chairs, ad hoc committee chairs, and standing committee chairs. It shall provide general direction of the affairs of the Association; shall appoint the chairs of the Standing Committees; shall set the date for the annual meeting which shall be in May or June; shall appoint representatives of the Association to other organizations; and shall be responsible for administering the policies and programs authorized by the Association. The Steering Committee shall maintain a Procedures manual to guide operational details. Changes shall be approved by a simple majority of Steering Committee members at a Steering Committee meeting. The Secretary shall record all changes and maintain a master copy. There shall be an annual audit of A&PW financial records, performed by a committee selected by the Steering Committee. The President and Treasurer who served during the period being audited may not serve on the audit committee, nor in the selection of the committee. There should be two or three auditors, from either the Steering Committee or the general membership, and the audit shall be performed between August 15, and September 15. Written audit findings shall be presented to the Steering Committee. The President, President-Elect, and Secretary may post messages directly to the General Membership A&PW List Serv.

Section 8. The Parliamentarian shall be appointed by the Steering Committee: shall serve as Parliamentarian at all meetings of the Steering Committee and the general membership; shall review the Bylaws annually and recommend changes for consideration by the membership; and shall review the Procedures manual annually and recommend changes for consideration by the Steering Committee.

Section 9. Activity Group Chairs shall lead A&PW Activity Groups, and they shall be Steering Committee members. The Steering Committee shall oversee Activity Group formation and dissolution.

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STANDING AND SPECIAL AD HOC COMMITTEES, AND ACTIVITY GROUPS

Section 1. The Standing Committees shall be: Membership, Publicity, Program, and Facilities. Chairs of the standing committees shall be appointed by the Steering Committee and shall serve for a term of one year. Each chair shall make a monthly report to the Steering Committee, and present a report of the committee’s activities for the year at the annual meeting.

Section 2. The Chair of the Membership Committee shall keep an up-to-date roster of the membership; shall notify members in July of dues for the year approved by the Steering Committee; and shall chair an annual membership drive.

Section 3. The Chair of the Publicity Committee shall produce notices and announcement to publicize Association events; shall work with campus publications to promote the Association; and shall lend writing and editing expertise to all other chairs and officers in the production of Association correspondence and documents.

Section 4. The Chair of the Program Committee shall research possible speakers; contact and make arrangements with speakers; escort and aid speakers through presentation; and shall officially thank the speaker on behalf of the Association.

Section 5. The Chair of the Facilities Committee shall make arrangement with facilities including food, room, audio and visual equipment, and costs for any scheduled event; and shall be the official representative to the facility on the day of the event to monitor arrangements and service.

Section 6. Ad Hoc Committees may be created as needed, to perform a particular task, as defined by the Steering Committee. These are temporary committees which shall cease to function when their duties are completed. Ad hoc committees meeting separately from the scheduled steering committee meetings must prepare minutes and provide a copy to the Secretary.

Section 7. A&PW shall have Activity Groups, such as the Noon Book Club, the Evening Book Club, and the Investment Group. Activity Group Chairs and regular attendees shall be A&PW members in good standing.

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LEADERSHIP CONDUCT

Section 1. Officers, committee chairs, and activity group chairs shall be accountable to the Steering Committee.

Section 2. At the direction of the Steering Committee and for the good of the organization, an officer, standing committee chair, or any ad hoc or activity chair may be requested to relinquish the position to which that person was elected or appointed for nonperformance of the responsibilities as set forth in these Bylaws or as established by the Steering Committee.

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MEETINGS

Section 1. An annual meeting shall be held in May or June for the purpose of electing Association officers for the next year and to conduct other such business as required by these Bylaws and as prescribed by the Steering Committee. The date, time and place for the annual membership meeting shall be set by the Steering Committee and the membership shall be notified at least twenty-one days prior to the meeting.

Section 2. Additional meetings of the membership may be scheduled. The date, time, and place of membership meetings shall be set by the Steering Committee and the membership shall be notified fifteen days prior to the meeting.

Section 3. The Steering Committee shall meet no less than monthly on days to be determined by the Committee at the initial meeting which shall be held no later than July 15.

Section 4. Emergency meetings of the Steering Committee shall be called by the President within forty-eight hours upon request of two or more members of the Committee.

Section 5. Any member of the Association may attend Steering Committee meetings, on a non-voting basis.

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REPRESENTATION ON UCI COMMITTEES AND DELEGATES TO OTHER BODIES

Section 1. In order to further the goals and objectives of the Association, members may serve on other UCI committees or as delegates to such organizations as further the purpose of the Association. Representatives shall be solicited from the membership and appointed by the Steering Committee. Appointed representatives shall members of the Steering Committee.

Section 2. No person shall represent herself/himself as a representative of the Association or as speaking for the Association unless authorized to do so in accordance with these Bylaws.

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QUORUM

Those members of the Association present at any scheduled meeting of the membership shall constitute a quorum of that body; seven members of the Steering Committee shall constitute a quorum of that body. A simple majority vote of those present at any meeting shall constitute approval, except for the election of officers at the annual meeting, when a plurality shall consist of both absentee ballots, and of votes cast by those present at the annual meeting. Voting by proxy shall not be allowed.

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FISCAL YEAR

The Association’s fiscal year shall be from July 1 to June 30 inclusive.

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PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

“Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the Academic and Professional Women’s Association of UCI, its Steering Committee, and other committees in all cases to which it is applicable and insofar as it is not inconsistent with these Bylaws.

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AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any scheduled membership meeting, provided a copy of the proposed amendment shall have been sent to every member at least fifteen days before it is voted upon.

Adopted August 26, 1987; Amended May 23, 1989; Amended February 25, 1991; Amended May 29, 1992; Amended May 25, 1995; Amended May 20, 1997; Amended June 20, 2001.

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