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Constructivist Chronicle
NAPCN Drafts Bylaws
By Jonathan D. Raskin, NAPCN President
Vol. 6, Issue 2 (Fall 2002)
Bylaws Draft The NAPCN Steering Committee has been
hard at work drafting a set of governing bylaws designed to help keep
the network running smoothly and effectively. These bylaws, developed
carefully over the course of two years and the result of ongoing
discussions about the future of NAPCN, mark an effort to insure that
NAPCN continues to operate long term.
With many of the organization's
initial founders retiring or turning over the reigns to the "next
generation," it seems important to lay out some basic governing rules so
that those who inherit the organization have a framework from which to
build and operate.
At this summer's Vancouver conference,
the Steering Committee decided to solicit feedback from the entire NAPCN
membership regarding the draft bylaws, which are included as an insert
with this newsletter issue.
Please take a few minutes to read the
draft and then feel free to email any suggestions or comments to
Jonathan Raskin at raskinj@newpaltz.edu. Deadline for submission of
comments is December 31. Comments and suggestions will be considered by
the Steering Committee and incorporated into a final draft of the
bylaws.
This draft will then be published in
an upcoming issue of the newsletter and voted on by the entire NAPCN
membership. The Steering Committee really values member feedback, so we
hope to hear from you.
NORTH AMERICAN PERSONAL CONSTRUCT NETWORK
BYLAWS
Draft March, 2002
[REVISED JULY, 2002]
[REVISED OCTOBER, 2002]
Article I
NAME
The name of this organization shall
be: North American Personal Construct Network (NAPCN).
Article II
PURPOSE
The purpose of this organization shall
be to encourage the development of research and practice broadly defined
as “constructivist” within psychology and related human sciences. This
includes, but is not limited to, areas such as personal construct
psychology, social constructionism, radical constructivism, cognitive
constructivism, narrative psychology, and phenomenological psychology.
Constructivist approaches are defined as those that emphasize the role
of human meaning making and the centrality of these invented meanings in
understanding human functioning.
Article III
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1:
The organization shall have two types
of membership: Members and Students.
Section 2:
a. Individuals can join NAPCN by
submitting a membership application form and fee to the organization’s
treasurer.
b. Individuals who are presently enrolled as students in an academic
program can join as Student Members and pay a lower fee than Members.
Section 3:
Members and Student Members of NAPCN
can vote in NAPCN elections. Members can hold all positions except
Student Member-at-Large. Student Members can serve only as Student
Members-at-Large or as Newsletter Editor.
Article IV
OFFICERS AND STEERING COMMITTEE
Section 1:
The Steering Committee shall consist
of both elected NAPCN officers (President, President-elect, immediate
Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, 3 Members-At-Large), and appointed
NAPCN officers (Newsletter Editor, Conference Organizer, and 2 Student
Members-at-Large).
Section 2:
The President of NAPCN shall preside
at all NAPCN meetings. This person shall serve as NAPCN’s governing
executive officer. In the event of the President’s death, resignation,
absence or inability to serve, the President’s duties shall pass
successively to the President-elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer.
Section 3:
a. The election of officers and other
members of the Steering Committee shall be conducted by mailed ballot.
b. Nominations will be solicited by mail in the spring (May) issue of
the NAPCN newsletter.
c. Only self-nominations will be accepted. Those self-nominating will
mail their nominations to the Secretary. The Secretary must receive all
nominations by the last day of June.
d. The official ballot shall be mailed to all dues paying members in
February and must be returned by April 1. The winter (January) issue of
the NAPCN newsletter will include candidate statements.
Article V
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND STEERING COMMITTEE
Section 1 (President):
a. The President shall have all duties
usually ascribed to a presiding officer by a standard manual of
parliamentary procedure.
b. The President shall be empowered to appoint appropriate
representatives and liaisons to committees conducting NAPCN business.
c. The President shall be empowered to establish and appoint committees
of a temporary nature that are important to the President’s functions as
executive officer.
Section 2 (President-elect):
The President-elect shall act in place
of the President whenever the latter is unable to carry out his or her
assigned duties.
Section 3 (Immediate Past President):
The immediate Past President shall
oversee elections, coordinating the selection of candidates for the
upcoming election.
Section 4 (Secretary):
a. The Secretary shall keep
appropriate records of NAPCN business, including the taking of minutes
at official meetings and maintaining a permanent file of business
transacted. The Secretary shall distribute preliminary drafts of such
minutes to members of the Steering Committee and make sure that such
minutes are published in the organization’s newsletter.
b. The Secretary shall arrange for the preparation of NAPCN stationary.
c. The Secretary shall annually obtain a copy of the most recent NAPCN
membership data from the Treasurer.
d. The Secretary shall receive and tally election ballots.
Section 5 (Treasurer):
a. The Treasurer shall be in charge of
all financial matters and shall receive membership dues. The Treasurer
shall disperse funds at the discretion of the Steering Committee.
b. The Treasurer shall report at regular intervals to the Steering
Committee on the financial status of NAPCN.
c. The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report for the Steering
Committee, to be reviewed at the business meeting held at each NAPCN
conference.
d. The Treasurer shall maintain a complete list of NAPCN member names,
addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses; this shall be turned over
to the Secretary and maintained as a NAPCN Directory.
e. The Treasurer shall mail out election ballots.
Section 6:
a. The Steering Committee shall act as
a deliberative body on all issues involving the governance of NAPCN and
shall conduct the business of the organization between biennial
meetings. When major issues of policy arise, the Steering Committee
shall make necessary interim decisions in the periods between biennial
meetings.
b. Exceptions to the responsibilities of the Steering Committee shall
be where power is delegated otherwise in these Bylaws either to an
officer, a committee, or to the membership.
Article VI
NOMINATIONS, ELECTIONS, AND TERMS OF OFFICE
Section 1:
a. The President, Secretary,
Treasurer, and Members-at-Large will be elected. The terms of office
shall be as follows:
President: two years
President-elect: two years
Immediate Past President: two years
Secretary: four years, not to be elected the same year as Treasurer
Treasurer: four years, not to be elected the same year as Secretary
Members-at-Large: two years
Student Members-at-Large: two years
b. Members of the Steering Committee shall make nominations for Student
Members-at-Large, the Conference Organizer, and the Newsletter Editor.
The President shall choose from among these nominees and appoint holders
of these positions to two-year terms.
Section 2:
a. The immediate Past President shall
solicit a slate of candidates for each office.
b. The immediate Past President shall send out a request for nominations
for all offices in which vacancies will occur by way of a direct letter
to all NAPCN members in the Spring issue of the Newsletter.
c. Any NAPCN member in good standing who self-nominates for a position
will be placed on the ballot; to be in good-standing, the member must be
current in his or her dues.
d. If two nominees do not self-nominate for each position, then the
Steering Committee will be charged with recruiting additional nominees.
Only after a substantial effort to recruit additional candidates fails
shall the final ballot include uncontested candidates.
Section 3:
Both members and student-members can
vote in elections.
Section 4:
Election to office shall be by
plurality of the votes cast.
Section 5:
a. The Steering Committee is empowered
to fill a vacancy caused by resignation, failure to assume office, or
death. The member so elected by the Steering Committee shall complete
the term of office of the individual whose place this person was
selected to fill. Missing two consecutive meetings of the Steering
Committee or failing to be involved in ongoing Steering Committee email
deliberations may be taken as a failure to assume the duties of office.
b. The special procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of
President is outlined in Article IV, Section 2 of these Bylaws. Power
may be vested in the highest-ranking officer to fill an existing vacancy
by appointment if filling the vacancy is deemed urgent, pending approval
of the Steering Committee, by mail, telephone, or electronic ballot.
Article VII
BIENNIAL CONFERENCE
Section 1:
a. NAPCN shall hold a biennial
conference meeting.
b. The Steering Committee shall meet at the biennial conference, as well
as communicate regularly at other times.
c. A business meeting shall be scheduled during the biennial conference,
which shall be open to the entire membership.
Section 2:
a. The biennial conference shall
include a program of scientific, philosophic, and professional papers,
symposia, invited addresses, continuing education workshops, and other
features to be arranged by the Conference Organizer, assisted by the
Steering Committee.
b. In addition to the biennial conference, NAPCN may maintain a
Hospitality Suite at annual American Psychological Association
Conventions in which small thematic meetings, colloquy, conversation
hours, discussion hours, and social events shall be scheduled.
Article VIII
QUORUM
Section 1:
Half of the members of the Steering
Committee, convened, shall constitute a quorum. No proxy votes shall be
accepted.
Section 2:
Five percent of the voting members of
NAPCN shall constitute a quorum at any meeting in which business is
transacted. No proxy shall be acceptable at such meetings.
Article IX
FINANCES
Section 1:
Dues of Members and Student Members
shall be determined by the Steering Committee.
Section 2:
The Treasurer shall present a
financial report at the biennial member’s business meeting. The
President may appoint an Auditing Committee to audit the financial
records of the organization.
Article X
STEERING COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 1
The Steering Committee shall be
responsible for the following areas:
a. Membership: The Steering Committee
is charged with launching membership drives, recruiting new members, and
maintaining accurate records of the membership.
b. NAPCN Conference: The Steering Committee will assist the Conference
Organizer in planning the Biennial Conference.
c. Election: The Steering Committee shall insure that nominations for
offices are completed in a timely fashion. The immediate Past-President
shall be charged with overseeing the nominations process.
d. Awards:The Steering Committee shall select the winner of the Lifetime
Achievement Award and the Student Paper Award at each biennial
conference.
Section 2:
All members of NAPCN shall be eligible
to serve on the Steering Committee. Student members can only serve as
Student Members-at-Large.
Article XI
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
The Parliamentary Authority for the
Division shall be Roberts’ Rules of Order (Latest Revision), unless
specifically superseded in some areas by provisions of these Bylaws.
Article XII
AMENDMENTS
Section 1:
Five NAPCN members in good standing
may propose amendments to these Bylaws. If approved by the Steering
Committee, such amendment proposals and revisions shall be distributed
via the newsletter with a due date for returning ballots clearly
indicated.
Section 2:
The Steering Committee may propose
amendments to and/or revisions of these Bylaws to the membership at any
time such revisions or amendments become necessary. Such amendment
proposals and revisions shall be distributed via the newsletter with a
due date for returning ballots clearly indicated.
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