Bylaws
Bylaws of the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association
(Revised June 2005)
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
Section 1. The purpose of this Association shall be:
A. To promote speech and hearing as a science and as a profession.
B. To encourage basic scientific study of the processes of communication and promote investigation of communicative disorders.
C. To stimulate the exchange and dissemination of information pertaining to the normal aspects of speech, hearing, and language; speech pathology; audiology; and language therapy.
D. To encourage and foster the growth of professional services for individuals with speech, hearing, and language disorders in the State of South Dakota.
E. To promote understanding and cooperation among the educational, medical, and other related professions, as well as the general public, in the area of Speech Pathology and Audiology.
F. To establish and maintain a close relationship with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
G. To promote the prevention of disorders of human communication.
Section 2. Nondiscriminatory Policy
A. The Association shall not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, or handicapping condition. All programs and activities of the Association shall be conducted in furtherance of this policy.”
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. Classes of Membership
The membership of this Association shall consist of four classes: Active Members, Associate Members, Affiliate Members and Life Members.
Section 2. Eligibility
A. Active Member. Active members must hold: (1) a graduate degree with major emphasis in speech-language pathology, audiology, or speech, language, or hearing science; or (2) a graduate degree and present evidence of active research, interest, and performance in the field of human communication. Those persons who were active members as of August 31, 1968 may retain continuous membership without satisfying the graduate degree requirement.
B. Associate Member. Persons who hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology and/or Audiology and who are interested in promoting the purposes, objectives, and activities of the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association are eligible for Affiliate Membership.
C. Affiliate Member. All students in the areas of Speech Pathology and/or Audiology as well as other persons who are interested in promoting the purposes, objectives, and activities of the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association are eligible for Affiliate Membership.
D. Life Member. Permanent life membership shall be automatically granted to those who have been both an Active Member in good standing for ten years and have reached the age of 65.
Section 3. Membership Privileges
A. Active Members shall have full membership rights and responsibilities, which include voting and holding office.
B. Associative Members may serve on Association committees, attend all Association meetings and may speak from the floor upon any matter being discussed, but they shall not be privileged to vote or hold office.
C. Affiliate members may attend all Association meetings and may speak from the floor. They may serve as membership chair, but may not be privileged to serve as chair on other committees, vote, or hold office.
D. Life Members shall have full active membership rights and responsibilities.
E. All members of the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association shall agree to be governed by the Code of Ethics of the Association.
Section 4. Application for Membership
The Executive Council and/or Membership Chairperson shall receive and act on all applications for membership. Applicants for membership shall submit a completed application and such evidence as is required to establish membership classification.
ARTICLE IV
Dues
A. The annual dues of the Association shall be recommended by the Executive Council and submitted to the voting membership. Approval shall require a majority of the votes cast.
B. The membership year shall be from 1 January to 31 December.
C. Life members will not be required to pay dues.
ARTICLE V
Officers
Section 1. Officers of the Association
A. There shall be the following officers elected by the Association: President, President-Elect, Past-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President for Speech Pathology , Vice President for Audiology and Editor.
B. Officers shall be elected for two-year terms, with the exception of one-year terms for President and President-Elect, by mail-ballot following the Annual Meeting of the Association.
C. Officers shall be active members of the Association.
Section 2. Power and Duties of Officers
A. The President shall:
1. be the chief executive officer of the Association;
2. preside over all regular business meetings of the Association and the Executive Council
3. call emergency meetings of the Association and the Executive Council or any of its committees;
4. appoint members to standing committees at the recommendation of the Executive Council, and to appoint special committees as the need arises;
5. appoint a parliamentarian to rule on the order of each business meeting;
6. promote the interests of the Association in all ways.
B. The President-Elect shall:
1. preside over all meetings of the Association and the Executive Council in the absence or disability of the President;
2. serve as chairperson of the publicity committee;
3. succeed to the Presidency in the event of resignation or incapacity of the President;
4. succeed to the Presidency upon completion of his/her term as President-Elect;
5. coordinate conventions.
C. The Past-President shall:
1. serve as the chairperson of the committee on nominations;
2. serve as the chairperson of the committee on awards;
3. promote the interests of the association in all ways.
D. The Secretary shall:
1. record and file the minutes of all official business meetings of the meetings of the Association, both of the Executive Council and of the general business meetings;
2. oversee membership applications, membership lists, and correspondence of the association;
3. receive and file copies of reports of officers and committee chairpersons;
4. keep a record of action taken on applications for membership;
5. maintain a current membership list;
6. conduct the correspondence of the Association as directed by the President or the Executive Council or both;
7. serve as a member of the Committee on Membership;
8. make election ballots available;
9. receive ballots and tabulate election results.
E. The Treasurer shall:
1. collect and safeguard the Association’s lawful funds subject to the expressed wishes of the Association in official meetings;
2. serve as a chairperson of the Budget Committee;
3. maintain accurate, up-to-date records of receipts and payments.
F. The Editor shall:
1. have general supervision of all publications of the Association;
2. serve as chairperson of the Committee on Publications.
G. The Vice President for Speech Pathology shall:
1. serve as a member of the committee on scholarship & recruitment;
2. assist with convention duties assigned by the President-elect;
3. promote the interests of the association in all ways.
H. The Vice President for Audiology shall:
1. serve as a member of the Continuing Education Committee;
2. assist with convention duties assigned by the President-elect;
3. promote the interests of the association in all ways.
ARTICLE VI
Executive Council
Section 1. Designation
The Executive Council of the Association shall consist of all present officers who will retain active membership in the Association.
Section 2. Meetings
Regular meetings of the Executive Council shall be held each year at the time and place of the annual meeting. Special meetings may be held at any other time when necessary and called by the President.
Section 3. Quorum
A quorum of the Executive Council shall consist of five of the eight members. If it is impossible to assemble quorum, business of the Executive Council may be conducted by mail or phone. The ninth member of the council is the Membership chairperson who sits on Executive Council by courtesy and does not vote.)
Section 4. Powers and Duties
The Executive Council shall exercise management of the affairs of the Association and shall be the financial and business instrument of the Association. It is the body of which all officers and committees of the Association report and are immediately responsible. Its duties shall be executive and it is empowered to perform all such duties as are set forth elsewhere in the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws. Its actions in matters of business shall be referred to the membership for final approval, either at the annual meeting or by mail ballot. Executive
Council decisions may be reached only by majority vote of the Council.
ARTICLE VII
Elections
Section 1. Terms of Office
The term of office shall be from 1 January to 31 December and shall be as designated below or until successor can be elected:
President ……………..one year
President-Elect ……….one year
Past-President ………..one year
Vice-President of SLP..two years
Vice-President of Aud..two years
Secretary …………… .two years
Treasurer …………… .two years
Editor ………………..two years
Section 2. Election Procedures
A. The Committee on Nominations shall submit a slate of nominees for Association office to the voting membership at the annual business meeting.
B. Further nominations may be made from the floor.
C. Election shall be by mail ballot made available by the Secretary to the entire active membership within seven days following the annual business meeting.
D. Requirement for election shall be a plurality of the votes cast by the Active Members returned to the Secretary postmarked within twenty-one days from the date of the annual business meeting.
E The position of President-elect will be open for nominations and election every year. Elections for the position of Treasurer, Vice President of Audiology and Membership Chair shall be held in odd numbered years and elections for the position of Secretary, Vice President of Speech-Language Pathology and Editor shall be held in even numbered years.
ARTICLE VIII
Committees & Representatives
Section 1. General Duties
The regular, continuing business of the Association shall be carried by the committees listed in the following sections. The Chairpersons of each committee shall be responsible to the Executive Council and shall make a report at the annual business meeting. The President, subject to ratification by the Executive Council, may appoint temporary committees to carry out specific duties not provided for in the Standing Committees, and these committees shall be responsible to the Executive Council.
Section 2. Committee on Nominations
The Committee on Nominations shall consist of the Past President and two appointive members who shall prepare nominations for all officers to be elected and submit these nominations to the membership.
Section 3. Committee on Awards
The Committee on Awards shall consist of the Past President and two appointive members who shall solicit nominations for Association and ASHA awards from the membership each year. Award recipients will be selected by the Executive Council from the nominations.
Section 4. Committee on Membership
The Committee on Membership shall consist of the Chairperson who shall serve for a two-year term, The Secretary, the Treasurer, and additional members as shall be required to discharge the duties of the Committee. The Committee shall maintain a current membership list and exercise general supervision over matters relating to membership.
Section 5. Committee on Scholarship & Recruitment
The Scholarship and Recruitment Committee shall consist of at least one member of each state-approved training institution and other members deemed necessary by the Executive Council. Responsibilities shall be:
A. to provide career information upon which students can make appropriate career decisions;
B. to provide public education and general information about the field;
C. to solicit and recommend nominations for student scholarships awarded by the association.
Section 6. Committee on Publicity
The Committee on Publicity shall consist of a chairperson who shall be the President-Elect and other members deemed necessary by the Executive Council. The Committee shall provide necessary and appropriate publicity in the best interest of the Association.
Section 7. As an ASHA affiliated organization, SDSLHA members (as well as all ASHA members in the state) are represented by various appointed or elected individuals. It shall be the responsibility of these individuals to communicate relevant information between both associations. If SDSLHA provides financial assistance for attendance at these meetings or other incurred costs, the individuals shall be active members of SDSLHA. These representatives may include, but are not limited to the following:
Legislative Councilor
Council of State Association Presidents (C-SAP) Representative
State Education Advocacy Leaders (SEAL) Representative.
State Advocate for Reimbursement (STAR) Representative.
ASHA Continuing Education (CE) Coordinator
ARTICLE IX
Publications
The Association shall publish on-going newsletters, a directory of the membership roll, and such other publications as are recommended by the Publications Committee and approved by the Executive Council. All members in good standing shall receive the Association’s publications without additional charge. The association shall use electronic communication and other means of technology to encourage memberships and participation in the association, and disseminate professional information as the need arises throughout the year.
ARTICLE X
Association Honors
Section 1. Honors of the Association
A. The Honors of the Association may be conferred on a member by a three-fourths vote of the Executive Council.
B. Honors of the Association shall be conferred in recognition of distinguished contributions to the Association or to the field of Speech Pathology or Audiology, or speech and hearing science, and is the highest honor the Association can give.
ARTICLE XI
Meetings
The meetings of the Association shall be held annually at the time and place designated by the Executive Council. The program of each annual meeting shall consist of at least one business meeting of the Association.
ARTICLE XII
Code of Ethics
The Code of Ethics of the South Dakota Speech-Language-Hearing Association shall be the Code of Ethics of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The Code of Ethics shall contain principles of professional and scientific responsibilities by which Members shall be bound. Any violations shall be brought to the Code of Ethics Committee for action.
Charges of violations shall be presented in writing to the Code of Ethics Committee. After proper investigation, if the Code of Ethics Committee finds the charges warranted, it may issue warning to the member in question. If the warning is disregarded, or if the nature of the violation is such as to render warning inappropriate, the Code of Ethics Committee may take disciplinary action. The accused Member may present a statement in his behalf to the Code of Ethics Committee; but, if no statement is offered, the Code of Ethics Committee may act without it.
ARTICLE XIII
Amendments
Section 1.
Proposed amendments to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Council. Each proposal shall have the signatures of five Active Members and shall be submitted to all Active Members of the Association. Proposed amendments to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation shall be presented to the membership at least thirty (30) days before they are to be voted upon.
Section 2.
A three-fourths vote of the Active Members present at the Annual meetings or a three-fourths response vote by the Active Members through mail ballot shall be necessary to adopt an amendment to the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.
