Association
for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education
ANTSHE
A. The name of this organization shall be the
Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education (ANTSHE).
B. The initial registered office of this
Association shall be Mesa State College, Grand Junction, Colorado, and may subsequently be
moved by approval of the Board of Directors.
C. The Association shall keep at its
registered office (or principle place of business), original or duplicate books in which
shall be recorded the number of membership certificates issued, the names of the members,
the membership certificates owned of record by them respectively, the transfer of said
certificates with the date of transfer, the amount of the Association's assets and
liabilities, and the names and places of residence of its Directors, and from time to time
such other or additional records, statements, lists, and information as may be required by
law.
Section 2. Background and
Purpose
A. The Association for Non-Traditional Students in
Higher Education was established in October, 1996 as a way to support and advocate for the
education of non-traditional students. The
first annual general meeting was held in Overland Park, Kansas, in October, 1997.
B. This organization is an international
educational partnership of students, academic professionals, institutions, and
organizations whose mission is to encourage and coordinate support, education, and
advocacy for the non-traditional adult learning community.
C. (New paragraph re: U.S. non-profit status
when acquired) This Association is organized for anyone interested in the advocacy and
support of non-traditional students in higher education.
The fiscal year of
the organization will be July 1 to June 30 annually.
ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP AND
DUES
Section 1. Membership
Membership in the
Association shall entitle those members to receive services as approved by the Board of
Directors. The membership and opportunities
for leadership shall be open to all individuals and there shall be no discrimination for
reasons of religion, age, race or color, gender, marital status, sexual orientation,
national origin, or disability.
Section 2. Membership
Categories and Fee Structure
The Association
will have the following membership fee structure (as of September, 1998):
| Student: | $10 |
| Alumni: | $20 |
| Professional: | $50 |
| Academic association: | $250 |
| Non-academic: | $200 |
| Friend: | $50 |
Section 3. Other
Categories
Other membership
categories shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Dues
The amount of dues
for each class of membership shall be established by the Board of Directors, from time to
time.
Section 5. Membership
Year
The membership
year will begin upon receipt of membership dues. Dues
will give the participant automatic regional membership.
Section 6. Meetings
of the Membership
A. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the
proceedings of all bodies of the Association.
B. An annual membership meeting shall be held
during the annual conference. Additional
meetings of the membership shall be held with the approval of the Board of Directors.
C. Members must submit written requests for
additional meetings. Upon approval by the
Board of Directors, members shall be given thirty (30) days notice of the time, date,
location, and purpose(s) of the meeting.
D. The agenda shall be determined by the
President with the advice of the Board of Directors.
Individual members shall submit to the President, in writing, items for agenda
consideration thirty days in advance of the meeting scheduled.
E. Any notice of a membership meeting sent by
mail shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail with postage
thereon prepaid addressed to the members at their address as it appears on the records of
the Association.
F. Whenever any notice is required to be
given under the provision of these bylaws, or of the articles on incorporation or of any
law, a waiver thereof in writing signed by the person or persons entitled to such notice,
whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed the equivalent to the
giving of such notice.
Attendance of a
member at any meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such meeting except where the
members attend a meeting for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any
business because the meeting is not lawfully called or convened.
Section 7. Presiding
Officials
Every membership
meeting for whatever object, shall be convened by the President, or by the Officer or any
persons who called the meeting by notice as above provided, but it shall be presided over
by the Officers specified in Article III of these bylaws.
A. At each annual membership meeting, the members may
transact such business as may be desired, whether or not the same was specified in the
notice of the meeting.
B. Business transacted at all special
membership meetings shall be confined to the purposes stated in the notice of such
meeting, unless the transaction of other business is consented to by a majority of the
members entitled to vote thereat.
C. The agenda of any membership meeting,
subject to the limitations relating to the purpose of a special meeting as described in
these bylaws, shall be determined by the President with the advice of the Board of
Directors. Individual members shall submit to
the President, in writing, items for agenda consideration thirty (30) days in advance of
the meeting scheduled.
Ten percent (10%)
of the members entitled to vote if present in person, shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business at all meetings of the members.
Every decision of a majority of such quorum shall be valid as a corporate act,
except in those specific instances in which a larger vote is required by law or by the
articles of incorporation.
A complete list of
the members entitled to vote at each meeting of the members, arranged in alphabetical
order, with the address of each, shall be prepared by the Officer of the Association
having charge of the membership records of the Association, and shall, for a period of ten
(10) days prior to the meeting, be kept on file at the registered office of the
Association in the State and shall at any time during the usual hours for business be
subject to inspection by any members. Such
list or a duplicate thereof shall also be produced and kept open at the time and place of
the meeting and shall be subject to the inspection of any member during the whole time of
the meeting. The original membership ledger
or transfer book, or a duplicate thereof kept in the State shall be a prima facie evidence
as to who are the members entitled to examine such list, membership ledger or transfer
book or to vote at any meeting of members. Failure
to comply with the foregoing shall not affect the validity of any action taken at any such
meeting.
The record date
for any membership meeting requiring notice shall be the close of business on the next day
preceding the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of
business on the day next preceding the day on which the meeting was held. The record date for determining the member
entitled to express written consent to a corporate action without a meeting shall be the
day on which the written consent is expressed.
Only members who
are entitled to vote and who are of record of this Association as of the record date shall
be eligible to vote at said meeting or any adjournment thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all members shall
be entitled to notice of any meeting.
The Board of
Directors shall be composed of the following positions:
A. President
B. Immediate Past President
C. Financial Officer
D. Membership/Recruiting Officer
E. Communications Officer
F. Fundraising Officer
G. Conference Officer
H. Research Officer
I. Bylaws Officer (remove from Board
after October 1999)
J. Student Officers (4)
Section 2. Powers of the Board
The property and
business of the Association shall be controlled and managed by the Directors, acting as a
Board. (Add more info about the powers when
we become a non-profit group/corporation)
The executive
committee of the Board shall be comprised of the President, Past President, Financial
Officer, Communications Officer, and the Membership/Recruiting Officer. The executive committee shall be responsible for
carrying out Board decisions. All actions by
the executive committee shall be reported to the Board of Directors immediately following
such action and shall be subject to revision and/or ratification by the Board.
A. The Board members most likely to function as
Committee Chairs are: Conference Chairperson,
the Communications Officer, Fundraising Officer, and the Membership/Recruiting Officer. These committees will be developed by the
Chairpersons. Committee Chairpersons will be
required to prepare and submit annual budgetary requests to the Treasurer. The Board expects Chairpersons to prepare timely
and complete written reports to the Board prior to Board meetings; to make recommendations
to the Board of policies, procedures, and programs related to committee concerns; to
comply with the ANTSHE by-laws; to undertake specific projects at the request of the
President, the Executive Committee, or the Board.
B. Any other committees may be struck as
required.
Section 5. Term of
Office
A. The term of office for practitioners shall
be for two years, from November 1 to October 31. Terms
for student members shall be one year, from November 1 - October 31. Board members may not succeed themselves in the
same Board position, and will be required to have at least one year between successions in
the same position on the Board. The members
who are entitled to vote shall elect the Board of Directors in accordance with the
procedures set forth in Article IV.
B. Elections will be held in spring of 1999,
preceding the third annual general meeting. Beginning
November 1, 1999, the following Directors will serve terms of two (2) years: President, Financial Officer, Communications
Officer, Conference Officer, and four Student Officers.
Beginning November 1, 1999, the following Directors will serve a term of one year
on a one-time basis only: Membership/Recruiting Officer, Fundraising Officer, Research
Officer, and four Student Officers. Following
this one time only term of one (1) year, the practitioner Board Members will serve terms
of two (2) years and student members will serve terms of one year.
The Board will
appoint, in October 1999, someone to the position of Past President should it be required.
Section 6. Vacancies
The President may
fill any vacancy on the Board of Directors by appointing an active member of the
Association to serve on the Board until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors. The appointed seat on the Board shall be declared
vacant prior to the next annual meeting of the Association and will be filled by electing
an active member of the Association to the position to serve the remainder of the original
term (if one year is remaining).
Section 7. Meetings
A. The annual meeting of the Board shall be held
without notice during and at the same place as the annual conference in each year, when
the Directors shall transact such business as may properly be brought before the meeting.
B. Special meetings of the Board may be called at any time by the President or by a
majority of the Directors. The place may be
within or without the State as designated in the notice.
Written or printed notice of each special meeting of the Board, stating the place,
day and hour of the meeting and the purpose or purposes thereof, shall be mailed to each
Director at least thirty (30) days before the day on which the meeting is to be held. The notice may be given by any Officer having
authority to call the meeting or by any Director.
C. Any action required to be taken or which
may be taken at a meeting of the Board, may be taken without a meeting if the consent in
writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by all members of the Board. The Secretary shall file such consents with the
minutes of the Board meetings.
D. Unless otherwise restricted by the
Articles of Incorporation or these bylaws or by law, members of the Board of Directors of
the Association, or any committee designated by such Board, may participate in a meeting
of such Board or committee by means of conference telephone or similar communications
equipment whereby all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other, and
participation in a meeting in such manner shall constitute presence in person at such
meeting.
E. Each member of the Board of Directors
shall have one vote. At all meetings of the
Board a majority of the full Board of Directors shall, unless a greater number as to any
particular matter is required by statute, the Articles of Incorporation or these bylaws,
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the act of a majority of the
Directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum, except as may be otherwise
specifically provided by statute, the Articles of Incorporation, or these bylaws, shall be
the act of the Board of Directors.
B. The Past President of the Association
shall assist the President in his/her absence and fill the position of President in
his/her absence.
C. The Communications Officer shall maintain
minutes of all annual membership meetings and the Board of Directors meetings, and assist
in other ways as determined by the President of the Association.
D. A vacancy in the office of President shall
be assumed by the Past President, followed by another member of the Board of Directors as
designated by a majority of the current Board until the next annual meeting. Vacancies in any other offices of the Board of
Directors shall be filled by appointment of the President until the next annual meeting.
E. If the office of any Director becomes
vacant by reason of death, resignation, removal or any other reason, the members of the
Board of Directors shall elect a successor at any meeting of the Board.
F. At any meeting of the Board, the members
of the Board of Directors may remove any Director for cause.
G. Directors must be members of ANTSHE.
Special committees
are those that dissolve after their specific short-term task is completed. Special committees may be appointed by the Board
as required to carry out the work of the Association.
ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS
Section 1. Annual
General Meeting
The Association
shall have a minimum of one annual meeting. The
date, time and location of an annual meeting shall be determined by the Board of
Directors. All active members of the
Association shall be notified of the annual meeting by mail or other appropriate means. A quorum for the annual meeting of the Association
shall be those active members in attendance.
Section 2. Nominations
A. The President, with advice and consent of the
Board of Directors, shall charge the Immediate Past President with the following
responsibilities.
(i) To
secure a slate of candidates from the membership for the election as members of the Board
of Directors, which slate is to be approved by the Board of Directors;
(ii) To
prepare and arrange dissemination of secret ballots to all members of the
Association
entitled to vote for the election of members of the Board of Directors;
(iii) To
oversee the general election procedures so that the results of the selection may be made
known at the annual conference; and
(iv) To
ensure a broad range of regional and institutional representation.
(v)
Nominations may be made by any current member.
B. The secret ballots shall be mailed to all
members entitled to vote who are on the membership list and who are members on the record
date for the election as determined by the Board of Directors.
Each candidate for
member of the Board of Directors shall be deemed to be elected if they receive a majority
of the votes cast; provided, however that at least ten percent (10%) of the membership
entitled to vote have returned their ballots.
Thirty days' prior
written notice shall be given to each member of the Association regarding any annual or
special general meeting of members. Each
active member present shall have one vote. Non-members
may attend the annual general meeting but shall not be permitted to speak or vote. Members may vote to exclude non-members from
certain portions of the meeting.
The Board of
Directors shall meet a minimum of four times per year as determined by the President of
the Association. One meeting will take place
in conjunction with the annual national conference of ANTSHE. Other meetings may take the form of on-site or
teleconference meetings. Special meetings of
the Board may be called as required by the President.
A quorum for the Board of Directors shall be those active members in attendance at
all regular or special meetings. Directors
are expected to attend the meeting held in conjunction with the annual conference whenever
possible.
A. These bylaws may be amended by vote of a majority
of the membership attending the annual meeting, or at a special meeting called for that
specific purpose. Board members may
make minor changes to the bylaws, leaving substantive changes for a vote of the
membership.
ARTICLE V. REGIONS
Eleven regions
have been proposed:
1. Quebec,
VT, NY, NH, MA, CT, RI, ME
2. PA,
NJ, DE, MD, DC, VA
3. WV,
KY, TN, NC, SC
4. MS,
AL, GA, FL
5. Ontario,
WI, MI, IL, IN, OH
6. Saskatchewan,
Manitoba, MN, IA, ND, SD, NE, Eastern Montana
7. KS,
MO, OK, AR, LA, TX
8. Alberta,
British Columbia, AK, WA, OR, ID, Western Montana
9. CA,
NV, HI
10. WY, UT, CO, NM, AZ
11. International
(other than Canada)
ARTICLE
VI. DIRECTORSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 1.
Duties and Responsibilities
The duties and
responsibilities of each elected Director are as follows:
B. Past President: The President, upon completion of his/her term of
office, automatically becomes Immediate Past President for a maximum of two years. Reports to the President and serves as a voting
member of the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee. Proposes and develops by-laws; parliamentarian;
nominations.
C. Financial Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term. Accounting, accounts receivable;
auditing; work with President; deposits; collect and disperse monies of the Association;
propose budget. Reports to the President,
serves as a voting member of the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee.
D. Membership/Recruiting Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term; reports to the President. Maintain
membership rolls; marketing; directory; alumni; membership application. Liaison to regions; recruits regional contacts;
works with regional contacts to locate and recruit members; gets regional contacts into
conference planning. Serves as a voting
member of the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee.
E. Communications Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term; reports to the President. Serves as a
voting member of the Board and as a member of the Executive Committee. Internal Communications: coordinates listserv;
newsletter; Web page; directory; assists Membership Officer with brochure; minutes. External communications; marketing; public
relations; publicity; perform correspondence on behalf of Association. Serves as a voting member of the Board and as a
member of the Executive Committee.
F. Fundraising Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term; reports to the President. Serves as a
voting member of the Board. Research and
grant writing; scholarship development.
G. Conference Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term. Serves as a voting member of the Board. Coordination of conference including keynote
speaker with national and international ties; connections to local universities for
support; location of conference; theme.
H. Research Officer: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for a two-year
term. Serves as a voting member of the Board. National issues; data; referral resource; promote
research; contributions to newsletter; clearinghouse; demographics; work with graduate
students for research possibilities; promotional materials.
I. Student Officers: Elected by the ANTSHE membership for one-year
term. Serve as voting members of the Board.
Duties may include newsletter contributions; student organizations; campus government;
conference; regional contacts and other activities and projects.
Approved by a vote
of membership/Board of Directors October 8, 1999.