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Bylaws
of the
San
Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists
Article
1. Name
The name of the organization is the San
Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists. The principal office for
the transaction of business of the corporation is located in the State of
Texas, County of Bexar.
Article
2. Purpose.
The purpose of the San Antonio
Association of Hispanic Journalists is to:
1.
Provide networking opportunities for Hispanics in journalism and
communications careers
2.
Help develop Hispanic leaders in journalism
3.
Advance and be an advocate for Hispanics in journalism and communications
careers
4.
Encourage Hispanics to consider and pursue journalism and communications
professions.
Article
3. Membership
A. Journalists membership.
General membership is open to all professionals in electronic and print
media who support themselves principally from income earned in the
gathering, editing or presentation of news. All general members are
eligible to vote and hold office. Annual dues are twenty-five (25)
dollars.
B. Communications membership.
Communications membership is open to journalism educators, professionals in
advertising and public relations, freelancers. Communications members
are eligible to vote and can hold office except for that of President or
Vice President. Annual dues are twenty-five (25) dollars.
C. Student membership.
Student membership is open to high school and college students involved in
the study of communications. Student members may not vote or hold
office. Annual dues are ten (10) dollars.
D. Supporting membership.
Supporting membership is open to entities that support the goals of the
Association. There shall be two classes of supporting members:
1. Individual, whose annual dues shall
be one-hundred (100) dollars.
2. Corporate, whose annual dues shall be
five-hundred (500) dollars.
Article
4. Membership requirements.
1. Annual dues must be renewed by
date of officer elections in July.
2. Dues must be up-to-date for a member
to vote on Association issues or elections.
3. The membership fees may be modified
by a two-thirds vote of eligible members present at a meeting.
Article
5. Meetings and Elections.
A. Association meetings shall be held a
minimum of six times a year. Additional meetings may be called at the
discretion of the President and/or majority of the officers. All
meetings and an official agenda must be posted to the general membership at
least ten (10) days in advance.
B. Annual election of officers shall
take place in July. Nominations will be received at the June meeting.
Should an officer resign a post, a special election will be called within
thirty (30) days.
C. A quorum of at least five-eighths of
the elected officers is required to conduct association business at an officially
called meeting posted to the general membership.
Article
6. Organizational Structure
All officers may serve no more than two
consecutive terms per office. Officers may serve on any of the
association committees.
A. President:
The Association president must be a
working electronic or print journalist. He/She presides over meetings
and develops the working agenda. He/she is the organizations’
official spokesperson. The president appoints committee chairs and
members to assist with committee assignments.
B. Vice-President:
The vice-president must be a working
electronic or print journalist. He/She shall assume all duties of the
president in the event of the absence or disability of the president.
C. Secretary:
The secretary shall attend all meetings
and will keep a book of minutes of meetings of the members and the
directors. The secretary will keep a record of membership, showing
names of all members, their addresses, type of membership and a record
showing dues payments. The secretary shall be responsible for
ensuring the membership receives meeting notices by mail, email or
telephone.
D. Treasurer:
The treasurer shall keep a record of all
financial transactions by the association including:
a) making deposits of all money in the
name and to the credit of the Association;
b) disbursing funds at the order of the
officers and;
c) making available to the officers
whenever requested, an account of all transactions and the condition of the
financial condition of the Association.
E. At-Large Print.
F. At-Large Broadcast
G. At-Large Communications.
Article
7. Removal or Resignation of Officers:
A. Any elected
officer may resign his/her post by providing a letter of resignation to the
President and officers.
B. The President
may resign by submitting their resignation to the full board of Officers.
C. Any elected officer
may be removed by a majority vote of members present at the regular monthly
meeting.
D. Committee chairs may be removed
by the President without any vote.
E. Officers may be subject to removal
for missing three meetings per year. If an Officer is unable to
attend a scheduled meeting, he/she must inform any one of the other
officers with ample time for their responsibilities to be assumed/assigned
to someone else for the meeting.
E. Vacancies of any elected position can
only be filled by special election.
Article
8. Committees:
The Association will have several
standing committees:
- Writing Contest
- Publicity
- Scholarship/Banquet
- Website
- Membership
- Professional Development
- Student Activities
The President will appoint ad-hoc
committees as necessary. All committee chairs and members must be
current Association members.
Article
9. Amendments to the By-Laws:
A. The Association by-laws may be
amended by recommending changes at a regular monthly meeting.
Amendments will be voted on once a year during the officer elections.
Proxy votes and/or electronic voting are not permitted. A special
by-laws vote can be called at other times by the Board of Directors.
B. Proposed changes must be presented in
writing to the general membership through the secretary at least thirty
(30) days before an amendment vote.
C. Amendments may be approved by two-thirds
vote of the general membership present at the meeting.
These by-laws were approved by the
members of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalist at their
annual meeting on July 21, 2001 in San Antonio, Texas.
So certified:
______________________________
President
______________________________
Secretary
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