Florida Communication Association

Constitution

CONSTITUTION
of the
FLORIDA COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION

ARTICLE I — NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Florida Communication Association, hereinafter referred to as this Association.

ARTICLE II —PURPOSE

Section 1. The purpose of this Association shall be to coordinate the efforts of teachers, students, and others interested in advancing the communication arts and sciences in the state of Florida toward

Developing a comprehensive philosophy of communication and communication education;
Raising the standards of communication instruction and activities in the schools, colleges, and communities;
Promoting the official and public recognition of communication as a valid, necessary, and fully accredited part of the curriculum in the elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities;
Encouraging students to prepare for professional careers in communication education;
Providing a means of mutual stimulation and encouragement through sharing of experiences, ideas and points of view.

Section 2. The purposes for which this Association is organized are exclusively scientific, literary, and educational within the meaning of Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law.

Section 3. Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, this Association shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law.

ARTICLE III — MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active membership shall be open to teachers of communication and to other persons interested in the field of communication upon payment of annual dues.

Section 2. Student membership shall be open to college and university students who are duly enrolled as full-time students at the time of paying their dues and who have elected any area of the communication field as their major or minor, upon payment of annual dues for student members. Student members shall be considered active members relative to full privileges and responsibilities of membership. Part-time students may be considered for student membership by the Executive Board on a case-by-case basis.

Section 3. Patron membership shall be open to all those eligible for active membership.

Section 4. Any institution or organization shall be eligible for an institutional membership. Institutional members shall receive the Journal and shall be listed in the convention program.

Section 5. The membership year will be from October 1 through September 30.

ARTICLE IV — OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers of this Association shall be a president, a first vice president, a membership coordinator, an executive treasurer, a recording secretary, a newsletter editor, a journal editor, and a Florida education liaison.

Section 2. Officers shall begin their duties immediately following the convention at which they are elected, except that the Executive Treasurer shall assume office on January 1 following his or her election.

The President, First Vice-President, and Membership Coordinator shall serve for one year, or until their successors are elected at the meeting specified in Article VIII, Section 6.
The Executive Treasurer shall serve for three years, or until a successor is elected.
The Newsletter Editor, the Florida Education Liaison, and the Recording Secretary shall serve for two years or until a successor is elected. The Newsletter Editor and the Recording Secretary will be elected in even years, and the Florida Educational Liaison will be elected in odd years.

The Journal Editor shall be appointed by the Executive Board after the Executive Board has received the report from a special Journal Editor search committee appointed by the President. This appointment shall be reported to the membership. The Journal Editor shall serve for three years. A Journal Editor-Elect shall be appointed by the Executive Board after the Board has received the report from a special search committee appointed by the President. This appointment shall be reported to the membership. A year later the Editor-Elect shall begin the Editor’s three-year term.

Any officer serving on the Executive Board may serve no longer than two consecutive terms in the same office. In the event of a vacancy in any of the offices, the President, with the approval of at least three of the elected officers, shall name a successor to fill the unexpired term.

Section 3. The President, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, may appoint an Archivist for a one-year term renewable indefinitely. The President may also appoint for each membership meeting a Parliamentarian to advise on procedural matters. While members of the Executive Board may be appointed to these offices, these offices by themselves do not carry right of membership on the Executive Board.

Section 4. A Florida Representative to the National Communication Association States Advisory Council shall be selected every three years by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. This office shall be ex-officio, no vote, on the Executive Board.

Section 5. A Web Editor and Marketing Coordinator shall be selected in odd years by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. These offices shall be ex-officio, no vote, on the Executive Board.

ARTICLE V — DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The President shall

Preside at all business meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board;
Approve policies, projects, and expenditures of the Association;
Perform any other duties prescribed by this Constitution and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the Association.
Coordinate all student awards for the annual convention.
Serve as coordinator of all committees formed in the Business meetings to ensure that they are meeting and submitting reports to the board.
Appoint positions as specified by this constitution.
Coordinate the President’s reception at the annual convention.
Encourage all board members to complete their responsibilities in a timely and professional manner.

Section 2. The First Vice-President shall

Serve as Coordinator for the fall convention;
Assume all duties of the President in case of the President’s absence or resignation.

Section 3. The Membership Coordinator shall

Be responsible for recruiting new members for the association;
Work with the Executive Treasurer on membership retention;
Coordinate new member activities at the annual convention;
Assume all duties of the President and the First Vice-President in the absense or incapacity of the President and First Vice-President.

Section 4. The Executive Treasurer shall

Keep a record of all financial transactions of this Association;
Prepare and submit a financial report to an auditing committee appointed by the President;
Keep an up-to-date membership roll;
Be responsible for negotiating convention site contract;
Manage all accounts receivable and payable.

Section 5. The Newsletter Editor shall

Publish a newsletter at least three times a year: January 1, April 1 and September 1.

Section 6. The FLORIDA COMMUNICA TION JOURNAL Editor shall

Publish two issues of the Journal per year;
Appoint an editorial board of at least six members, with at least two representing the university level, and with at least two representing the community college level.

Section 7. The Florida Education Liaison shall

Act as director of the campus contacts program;
Represent and promote the association to K-12 schools in the state;
Coordinate the poster session at the annual convention;
Represent the Association on other statewide education-related issues.

Section 8. The Recording Secretary shall

Keep the minutes of all business meetings of the Association and the Executive Board;
Assist the Web editor and archivist in the maintenance and upkeep of the Association’s records.

Section 9. The Past President shall

Coordinate all faculty member awards:

Service
Teaching
Scholarship

Communicate to all members and solicit input for faculty nominations
Coordinate presenters for awards at annual convention.
Purchase and prepare awards to be presented at annual convention.

Section 10. The Web Editor shall

Post information to website as sent by the Board officers.
Read and forward email as appropriate.
Resolve website problems or bring issues forward.

Section 11. The Marketing Coordinator shall

Work with the Executive Board to identify marketing needs and opportunities.
Assist with the development and distribution of marketing materials and communications to promote the association and its activities.
Procure sponsors and advertisers for the annual convention, newsletter, and/or journal.

ARTICLE VI- EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. The officers of the Association whose duties are discussed in Article V and the Immediate Past President shall constitute the Executive Board.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall

Have general supervision of the affairs of the Association between its regular business meetings;
Fix the time and place of the Association meetings;
Perform any other duties specified by the Constitution.

ARTICLE VII— MEETINGS

Section 1. This Association shall hold a fall convention on the third Friday and Saturday of October, or as near thereto as possible. The Executive Board may in addition plan a January and/or June meeting to meet a felt need at a time and place to be selected by them. Proposals for a January and/or June workshop/seminar are invited from any institution or Association member.

Section 2. Regular business sessions of this Association shall be held on each day of the fall convention.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet prior to each regular business session at the fall convention.

ARTICLE VIII - NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. At the first business meeting of the fall convention a nominating committee of five shall be chosen as follows: without nominations from the floor, tellers appointed by the President shall distribute ballots to the active members present; each voter shall write on his/her ballot one to no more than five eligible members s/he wishes to nominate to the committee. The five members receiving the highest number of votes shall constitute the Nominating Committee, with the one receiving the highest number of votes serving as chair.

Section 2. Persons serving on the Nominating Committee shall not be eligible to serve the following year, nor shall two persons from the same institution serve on the Nominating Committee. In the event two persons from the same institution are elected, the tellers shall eliminate the one with fewer votes.

Section 3. The Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one person for each of the offices to be voted upon at the fall convention the year following the election of the Nominating Committee.

Section 4. The Nominating Committee shall meet prior to the conclusion of the convention at which it is elected to consider nominees to be presented next year. The Committee shall also meet prior to the first business meeting of the convention at which they present their report to review their recommendation.

Section 5. Following the report of the Nominating Committee, the presiding officer shall call for additional nominations from the floor. In the event of two or more nominations for an office, the voting shall be by secret ballot; but if one person only is nominated for an office, a motion for unanimous election shall be in order and may be voted on by acclamation or by a show of hands.

Section 6. The officers of the Association shall be elected at the final business meeting held during the fall convention. The new Executive Board shall meet immediately after the close of the convention.

ARTICLE IX — DUES

Section 1. All annual dues shall be set by the second business meeting of the fall convention at the recommendation of the Executive Board. In the absence of any recommendation from the Executive Board, dues shall remain at levels previously established.

Section 2. As stated in Article III, Section 5: The membership year will be from October 1 through September 30.

ARTICLE X - COMMITTEES

Section 1. The President of the Association with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board will appoint at the first Executive Board meeting after his or her election the following Standing Committees which shall serve for one year:

The Auditing Committee composed of three active members from the same geographical proximity, will audit the accounts of the Executive Treasurer immediately following the end of the fiscal year. The Auditing Committee shall report in writing to the Executive Board. The report shall be provided to the membership in the next issue of the Newsletter following its submission to the Board.
The Site Selection Committee will be composed of three active members of this Association who will collect information and visit potential convention accommodations in accordance with guidelines established by this Association and the Executive Board.
The Local Arrangements Committee will be composed of at least three active members of this Association who reside in general proximity to the site for the following fall convention.
The Honors and Awards Committee will be composed of the Immediate Past President who shall chair the Committee and at least two other active members of this Association. The Honors and Awards Committee will collect information for and make recommendations to the Executive Board for the establishment of and presentation of honors and awards by this Association. The Executive Board shall make recommendations to the general membership for a vote of confirmation before any new awards or presentations are created.
The Fiduciary Committee shall consist of three members appointed by the President, with the Executive Treasurer as ex-officio chair. Members shall serve three-year staggered terms so that at least one new member is appointed each year. This committee shall take a long- range (five-year or more) view of the Association’s status, including but not limited to its membership, convention attendance, and finances. This committee works with the President and Executive Treasurer to propose an annual budget and assist those officers in monitoring expenses so that they stay in line with expected income. The Committee shall report its proposal to the Executive Board at its spring meeting and to the membership at a convention business meeting.
The Scholarship Committee shall be composed of five active members of this Association, appointed for rotating three-year terms so that one or two new members are added each year. Members shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board and senior members of the committee. The Chair will be appointed by the President for a term of two years. The Scholarship Committee will raise money to support the scholarship fund. The Scholarship Committee will also be responsible for the selection and awarding of each year’s scholarship(s), and for the selection and awarding of each year’s FCA Grant.

Section 2. With the advice and consent of the Executive Board, the President may appoint such special (ad hoc) committees as seem necessary and desirable.

ARTICLE XI- QUORUM

For the transactions of business at a regular meeting of this Association, the active members shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS

Proposed amendments to this Constitution must be submitted in writing at a regular business meeting of this Association prior to the meeting at which they will be voted upon. A two-thirds vote of those present and voting will be required to adopt an amendment to this Constitution.