The Chapter Administrative
Council is the governing body of the Northeast Ohio Chapter. The Administrative
Council consists of the following Chapter officers:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Immediate
Past President
Managers
of various chapter committees
Appointed
at-large members.
The Administrative Council
is accountable to the Chapter membership for the professional and financial
health of the Chapter. The Administrative Council is also accountable
to the Society’s Board of Directors in accordance with the Society’s Bylaws.
Each member of the Administrative Council has specific responsibilities,
both to the Chapter and to the Society.
In conducting the business
of the Chapter, each Council member has a single vote. If a Council member
also manages a Chapter committee in addition to other duties, that member
only has a single vote.
Chapter President oversees the Chapter operations and
helps individual committee managers to plan, organize, and conduct various
Chapter activities. Duties include:
Leading the Chapter and
Administrative Council in establishing and meeting identified Chapter
goals.
Presiding at Administrative
Council meetings.
Appointing Chapter committee
managers and overseeing their activities.
Helping committees plan
tasks and set deadlines.
Serving as an authorized
signer on all Chapter accounts and signing other documents as required.
Presiding at Chapter meetings.
Serving as liaison between
the Chapter and the Society.
Reporting to the Society
on Chapter activities as required by Society policy.
Chapter Vice President serves in the president’s stead when
the president is unable to attend a Chapter function or is otherwise unable
to fulfill his or her duties. Duties include:
Assumes the office of
President following the term as Vice President.
Attending Administrative
Council meetings.
Serving as an authorized
signer on all chapter accounts and signing other documents as required.
Serving in place of the
President as required.
Performing other duties
requested by the Chapter President.
Chapter Secretary maintains a record of Chapter activities. Duties include:
Attending Administrative
Council meetings.
Recording and distributing
minutes of Administrative Council meetings.
Maintaining a list of
all Council actions by category and date.
Maintaining a historical
record of all Chapter activities, including copies of all printed materials,
committee reports, meeting minutes, and newsletters.
Maintaining an inventory
of Chapter property.
Performing other tasks
requested by the Chapter President.
Chapter Treasurer controls and disburses Chapter funds
in accordance with the directives of the Administrative Council. Duties
include:
Attending Administrative
Council meetings.
Preparing and tracking
the Chapter’s operating budget.
Maintaining a record of
Chapter financial transactions.
Serving as an authorized
signer on all Chapter accounts and signing other documents as required.
Reporting to the Administrative
Council on the Chapter’s financial status.
Preparing and submitting
an annual financial report summarizing Chapter finances to the Society
office no later than August 1.
Performing other tasks
requested by the Chapter President.
Immediate Past President advises the Chapter President and
the Administrative Council on policy, practice, and provides a link to
the previous administration. Duties include:
Attending Administrative
Council meetings.
Planning and conducting
Chapter elections.
Performing other tasks
requested by the Chapter President.
Committee Managers are also
members of the Administrative Council. Each Committee Manager has a single
vote on the Council. If the manager is also an officer of the Chapter
or is managing more than one committee, the manager still has only a single
vote.
Each Committee can have only
one manager and only that manager represents the committee to the Administrative
Council. Other committee members may attend Council meetings, but cannot
vote on matters before the Council.
The following are the standing
committees of the Chapter:
Membership
Provides information to
prospective members.
Processes new members’
applications.
Keeps roster of Chapter
members current.
Distributes a membership
directory to Chapter members.
Newsletter
Publishes and distributes
the Chapter newsletter.
Program
Plans and conducts Chapter
functions.
Publicity
Publicizes Chapter programs
and activities.
Additional committees include:
Competition
Employment
Professional Development
Conference (TechniCom)
Other Committees can be established
by the Chapter President and/or the Administrative Council.
In addition to elected officers
and Committee Managers, the Chapter President can appoint up to two Members-at-large
to sit on the Administrative Council. These members serve to advise the
Council on matters relating to Chapter operations. Generally, they are
chosen in recognition of their past contributions to Chapter activities
and knowledge of the Chapter’s operation. Duties include:
Attending Administrative
Council meetings.
Performing other tasks
requested by the Chapter President.
In conducting business, the
Administrative Council can extend or withhold consent for various Chapter
activities.
Such consent or denial requires
the presentation of a resolution and a vote of those Administrative Council
members in attendance. Proxy votes are not allowed. A simple majority
of the members in attendance carries the resolution, provided that:
A quorum of one-half plus
one of the Administrative Council members is in attendance.
and
Three of those in attendance
are elected officers, including either the Chapter President or Chapter
Vice President.
Council votes not in accordance
with these conditions are not binding.
Elected officers hold office
for the fiscal year (July 1-June 30). All officers hold office for one
year.
The Nominations Committee,
consisting of three members, is appointed by the Administrative Council
in January. The Nominations Committee submits its list of candidates to
the membership for a vote by March 15.
There shall be two candidates
for each elected office, except President because the Vice President accedes
to the office of President following the term as Vice President.
Only officially recognized
members of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication
(as determined by the Society’s rolls) may be nominated for elective office.
Ballots are sent via first-class
mail to all Chapter members along with a pre-addressed return envelope.
Ballots must be sent at least 21 days prior to the close of elections.
In the case of a slate of
unopposed candidates, the names of the nominees shall be published in
the Chapter’s newsletter. If no opposition is filed within 21 days after
publication, the candidates shall be considered elected to their respective
offices by acclamation. There shall be no requirement for a mail ballot.
In the event of a tie vote
for any office, the Nominations Committee shall prepare ballots for a
run-off election, following the procedure for regular elections.
Elected officers can be removed
only by recall by the Chapter membership. A Chapter member can request
a recall vote upon presenting, to the Administrative Council, a petition
bearing the signatures of five percent of the Chapter membership collected
over a period of not longer than 30 days.
A recall election must be
held within 30 days of the presentation of the petition. Ballots are mailed
via first-class mail to all Chapter members along with a pre-addressed
return envelope. Ballots must be sent at least 21 days prior to the close
of the recall election.
The recall election is organized
by a committee appointed for that purpose by the Administrative Council.
Recall of an elected officer
requires a simple majority of the members voting
When an officer is recalled,
that officer is replaced according to the procedures in these Bylaws under
Article 8: Replacement of Officers. The individual removed from office
as a result of recall cannot be appointed to fill the vacancy.
If the Chapter President
leaves office, the Chapter Vice President assumes that office. The newly
installed President can appoint, with the consent of the Administrative
Council, a qualified Chapter member to serve as vice president. The new
vice president must be installed within 60 days of the date of the vacancy.
If the Chapter Vice President,
Secretary, or Treasurer leaves office, the Chapter President may appoint,
with the consent of the Administrative Council, a qualified Chapter member
to fill the position. The new officer must be installed within 60 days
of the date of the vacancy.
If a Committee Manager resigns
or is removed, the Chapter President, with the consent of the Administrative
Council, appoints a qualified Chapter member to serve as Committee Manager.
The President may appoint
an interim manager within 15 days. Such an interim appointment does not
require consent of the Council. The interim manager serves until the next
Administrative Council meeting when an appointee is presented for the
Council’s consent.
Each summer, the newly elected
Treasurer prepares a Chapter budget in consultation with the out-going
Treasurer and the other elected officers and Committee Managers.
A preliminary version of
this budget must be presented and considered by the Administrative Council
at a meeting no later than September 15 of that year.
A final budget must be approved
by the Administrative Council no later that October 31 of that year.
Amendments to these Bylaws
can be adopted either by action of the Chapter’s Administrative Council
or by a referendum of the Chapter’s members.
Should the Society amend
the STC Bylaws in a way that conflicts with these Chapter Bylaws, the
Administrative Council must revise the Chapter Bylaws to bring them into
agreement with the Society’s Bylaws.
Amendment by the Administrative
Council
Any Administrative Council
member can present a proposed amendment to the Bylaws at a regular meeting
of the Council.
Within 21 days of such presentation,
the Chapter President must forward the proposed amendment to the Society
Bylaws Committee for its consideration. Should the Society Bylaws Committee
reject the proposed bylaw as not in accordance with Society Bylaws, the
decision is announced, along with any rationale from the Society Bylaws
Committee, in the next issue of the Chapter newsletter. At this point,
the issue is closed.
Should the Society Bylaws
Committee not reject the proposed amendment, the Chapter’s Administrative
Council must hold open discussion of the proposed amendment at a regular
or special meeting to be held within 60 days of the presentation of the
proposed amendment.
The proposed amendment, along
with the time and place of the meeting at which it will be discussed,
will be published in the Chapter newsletter at least ten days before the
meeting.
At this meeting, the Administrative
Council will hear statements from Chapter members about the amendment.
The Council can set a time limit for each of the statements.
After full and open consideration
of the proposed amendment, it must be brought to a vote of the Administrative
Council.
Adoption requires approval
of three-fifths of the sitting Administrative Council. If the proposed
amendment is not adopted, it cannot be given further consideration for
a period of two years.
Chapter members may appeal
the adoption of an amendment by petitioning the Administrative Council.
Such a petition must bear the signatures of at least five percent of the
Chapter membership collected during a period of not longer than 30 days.
The petition must be presented
to the Administrative Council or the Chapter President within 45 days
of the adoption of an amendment. Within 30 days of receiving a petition,
the Council must hold a referendum to determine whether the adopted amendment
is to be repealed. Ballots describing the adopted amendment must be sent
to the Chapter membership along with a pre-addressed return envelope at
least 21 days prior to the close of the referendum.
A simple majority of the
Chapter members repeals the amendment adopted by the Administrative Council.
Upon amendment, the Bylaws
are revised by the Chapter Secretary. The revision record appearing at
the front of this publication is changed to reflect the date and reason
for the amendment:
Amended by the Northeast Ohio Chapter Administrative Council.
Amendment by Chapter Referendum
Any Chapter member can petition
the Administrative Council to consider a proposed amendment to the Bylaws
at a regular meeting of the Council. Such a petition must bear the signatures
of five percent of the Chapter membership collected over a period of not
longer than 30 days.
Within 21 days of such presentation,
the Chapter President must forward the proposed amendment to the Society
Bylaws Committee for its consideration. Should the Society Bylaws Committee
reject the proposed bylaw as not in accordance with Society Bylaws, the
decision is announced, along with any rationale from the Society Committee,
in the next issue of the Chapter newsletter. At this point, the issue
is closed.
Should the Society Bylaws
Committee not reject the proposed amendment, the Chapter’s Administrative
Council must hold open discussion of the proposed amendment at a meeting
to be held within 60 days of the presentation of the proposed amendment.
The proposed amendment, along
with the time and place of the meeting at which it will be discussed will
be published in the Chapter newsletter at least ten days before the meeting.
At this meeting, the Administrative
Council and the Chapter members will hear statements from Chapter members
about the amendment. The Council can set a time limit for each of the
statements.
An election must be held
within 30 days of this meeting.
Ballots describing the proposed
amendment must be sent to the Chapter membership along with a pre-addressed
return envelope at least 21 days prior to the close of the referendum.
If the proposed amendment
is not adopted, it cannot be given further consideration for a period
of two years.
A three-fifths majority of
the Chapter members is required to adopt an amendment.
Upon amendment, the Bylaws
are revised by the Chapter Secretary. The revision record appearing at
the front of this publication is changed to reflect the date and reason
for the amendment:
