ARTICLE I.

NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. Name

This organization shall be known as THE NEW YORK STATE COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION (formerly, until 1997, the New York State Speech Communication Association).

Section 2. Purposes

The purposes of this organization shall be: to encourage communication education in New York State, to serve the interests of the members of the Association, to speak for the profession in matters of policy, to set goals and standards for the profession in the state, and to promote close relations with other educational organizations in the field of communication.

ARTICLE II.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Association shall be open to any person or organized group of persons interested in promoting its purposes.

ARTICLE III.

JOURNAL

The Association shall adopt as its official journal The Atlantic Journal of Communication, as a joint venture with said Journal.

Consequently, the Association shall suspend, with the possibility of continuation in the future, publication of The Speech Communication Annual.

ARTICLE IV.

OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

Section 1. Officers

The officers shall be: Immediate Past President, President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Executive Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Public Relations and Advertising, Director of New Media, Archivist, Editor-in-Chief, Editor of Reports, Editor of Proceedings, Chair of the Nominating Committee, Student Representative, and Members-at-Large (3).

Section 2. Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President shall serve as a member of the Executive Council.

Section 3. President

The President shall preside at meetings and other functions of the Association and of the Executive Council; administer the affairs of the Association and report annually on the Association’s status and the actions taken by the Executive Council; appoint a Resolutions Committee; fill vacancies on committees and appoint ad hoc committees when necessary; call special meetings of the Executive Council when necessary; serve as official liaison with the State Department of Education; maintain contact with other professional organizations within the state (e.g., English, NYSSHLA, etc.); serve as representative to the NCA and ECA State Advisory Councils, or appoint a designee; and perform such other duties as may be delegated to the office by the Council or by the Association.

Section 4. Vice President

The Vice President shall be responsible for the theme, site selection, and contractual arrangements for the annual convention, subject to the approval of the Executive Council. The Vice President may appoint a Convention Committee to advise and assist in the formulation of policy for the convention, in soliciting and choosing programs and panels, and in implementing local arrangements. In the absence or disability of the President, the Vice President shall also assume the duties of the President.

Section 5. Vice President-Elect

The Vice President-Elect shall assist the Vice President in his/her duties.

Section 6. Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary shall accurately record the membership and the subscribers to The Atlantic Journal of Communication; coordinate the annual membership drive; provide a membership directory available to Association members; be responsible for all mailing lists and mailing of the annual notices of dues to all members and subscribers to The Atlantic Journal of Communication; and be responsible for coordinating and presenting the Excellence Awards for undergraduate and graduate student research at the annual convention. The Executive Secretary shall also be responsible for the collection of dues and their transmission to the treasurer, and for registration at the annual convention.

Section 7. Recording Secretary

The Recording Secretary shall record and keep accurate minutes of all Executive Council and Association meetings and transmit copies of all minutes to the Executive Council, the Archivist, and the Editor of Reports. The Recording Secretary shall also keep an updated list of the Association officers.

Section 8. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipt of annual dues and of all other income of the Association; be custodian of the funds of the Association; make such disbursements as have been authorized in the budget and by the Executive Council; and prepare financial records and report on the finances of the Association at the meetings of the Executive Council. The financial books of the Association may be audited by vote of the Executive Council, either by the Council itself, or by hiring a professional auditor.

Section 9. Director of Public Relations and Advertising

The Director of Public Relations and Advertising shall solicit and arrange for advertising in publications of the Association and the program for the annual convention, and shall be in charge of paid exhibits at the convention and any other similar revenue-producing functions.

Section 10. Director of New Media

The Director of New Media shall be responsible for designing, maintaining, and regularly updating the Association’s website, shall advise and consult with the Executive Council on all matters regarding the Association’s web presence, and shall spearhead all discussion and initiatives with respect to the Association’s use of new media.

Section 11. Archivist

The Archivist shall serve as the historian and archivist for the Association. He/she shall be responsible for maintaining all of the printed records of the Association, and for providing such information to the Executive Council as requested.

Section 12. Editor of The Speech Communication Annual

The office of Editor of The Speech Communication Annual shall be presently suspended, with the possibility of continuation in the future.

Section 13. Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief shall serve as the Chair of the Publications Committee.

Section 14. Editor of Reports

The Editor of Reports shall serve as Editor of the NYSCA Reports newsletter and thus shall assume total responsibility for the bi-annual publication and distribution of the Reports, including selection of an editorial and managerial staff, solicitation of statements from officers, insurance that summaries of the minutes of all Executive Council and Association meetings be included in the first available of issue of Reports, desktopping, printing, and mailing. The Winter issue of Reports shall be published no later than two months after the annual convention; the Summer issue shall be published no later than two months after the Spring Executive Council meeting.

Section 15. Editor of Proceedings

The Editor of Proceedings shall assume total responsibility for the publication and distribution of the proceedings of the annual convention, including selection of an editorial and managerial staff, procedure for the refereeing of submissions, desktopping, printing, and mailing.

Section 16. Chair of the Nominating Committee

The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be charged with steering the duties of the Nominating Committee (as outlined in Article VI., Section 1.). The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall also assist in providing nominees for those offices appointed by Executive Council (as outlined in Article V., Section 3.) and present these at the Spring Executive Council meeting.

Section 17. Student Representative

The Student Representative shall serve as the voice of NYSCA’s student membership in all NYSCA affairs, by participating in the deliberations of the Executive Council at its meetings, by voting on all matters regarding policy and procedure, and by serving or filling vacancies on committees when necessary.

Section 18. Members-at-Large

Three Members-at-Large of the Executive Council shall participate in the deliberations of the Council at its meetings, shall vote on all matters regarding policy and procedure, and shall be asked to serve or to fill vacancies on committees when necessary.

ARTICLE V.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

Section 1. Membership

The Executive Council shall be comprised of the officers of the Association (see Article IV., Section 1.). All members of the Executive Council must be regular or life members in good standing in the Association.

Section 2. Meetings

Regular meetings of the Executive Council shall be held semi-annually: during the annual convention, and during the Spring, at the site of the upcoming convention when possible.

A special meeting of the Executive Council must be called by the President if a written request from five members of the Council is received at least one month in advance of the requested special meeting.

Section 3. Duties

The Executive Council shall be the legal representative of the Association; administer the affairs of the Association; receive reports from and act upon recommendations of all officers and committees; approve the time and place of the annual convention; approve the initiation of projects of the Association; consider liaison activities of the Association; and elect the Archivist, the Editor-in-Chief, the Editor of Reports, and the Editor of Proceedings.

Section 4. Removal from Office

The Executive Council shall, by majority vote, a quorum being present, remove from office any member of the Council who fails to perform his/her duties as outlined in Article IV. Such vote may be called at Council meetings, or by special meeting (as outlined in Article V., Section 2.) called expressly for this purpose. If the terminated officer is not present at the Council meeting at which the vote takes place, said officer will be informed of this decision to terminate within five business days. The Executive Council shall secure an interim officer to serve out the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE VI.

COMMITTEES

Section 1. Nominating Committee

A three-person Nominating Committee shall be nominated and elected by the membership at the initial Association meeting of each annual convention, with one person nominated and elected to serve as Chair of the Committee. The Nominating Committee shall then nominate candidates, and report on their nominations at the Spring meeting of the Executive Council, according to the following schedule: at least two candidates annually for Vice President-Elect, Recording Secretary, Student Representative, and one of the three Members-at-Large; and two candidates every third year for Treasurer, Executive Secretary, Director of Advertising and Public Relations, and Director of New Media.

The Nominating Committee shall also nominate members to serve on the Editorial Advisory Board of The Atlantic Journal of Communication in conjunction with the two-year terms of office for membership on said Journal’s Board, and ensuring that up to 25% of said Board is comprised of Association members. The slate must then be presented in writing to the membership at the annual convention.

Section 2. Publications Committee

The Editor-in-Chief shall appoint one member of the Executive Council and one non-officer member of the Association to serve on the Publications Committee, with at least two members of the Committee also serving in some official capacity for The Atlantic Journal of Communication. All members shall serve a three-year term. The Publication Committee shall serve as NYSCA liaison to The Atlantic Journal of Communication; monitor NYSCA membership on the journal’s Editorial Advisory Board; consult with the Executive Council on all matters pertaining to the Association and the journal’s publishing agreement with Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; help Council secure candidates for the offices of Editor of Proceedings and Editor of NYSCA Reports,; help the Nominating Committee secure candidates for the office of Director of New Media; and provide oversight for all of the Associations publications, including its website.

Section 3. Resolutions Committee

The Resolutions Committee shall be comprised of three members appointed annually by the President from among those present at the annual convention. At the final Association meeting of the convention, the Resolutions Committee shall present resolutions of gratitude or condemnation for work done or not done by members of, or those employed by, the Association.

Section 4. Wilson Scholar Committee

The Wilson Scholar Committee may, each year at the annual convention, award the Wilson Fellowship to a member of the Association who has established an exemplary record of scholarship and service to the Association. The committee, established by the Executive Council in 1991, and comprised each year of former prize recipients, awards the fellowship in honor of John Fletcher Wilson, renowned scholar and teacher, and longstanding active member of the Association. The fellowship carries the prize of life membership in the Association.

Section 5. Ad Hoc Committees

The President may appoint ad hoc committees to carry out specific projects of the Association; upon the request of any officer, the President shall appoint an ad hoc committee to assist the officer with Constitutionally-mandated duties.

Section 6. Constitution Committee

The Chair of the Constitution Committee shall be elected on an ad hoc basis at the Spring meeting of the Executive Council. The chair, in turn, shall select two members of the Executive Council and two non-officer members of the Association to serve on the Committee.

The Committee shall propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws as the need arises.

ARTICLE VIi.

AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Initiation

An amendment to the Constitution may be initiated by a majority of the Executive Council or by fifteen members of the Association.

Section 2. Procedure

The proposed amendment, approved by a majority of the Executive Council, or signed by fifteen members, must be submitted to the Archivist in writing prior to the Spring meeting of the Executive Council. It shall be published in NYSCA Reports and/or distributed by mail to the full membership at least three weeks prior to the annual convention of the Association. It shall be placed on the agenda of the first business meeting of the annual convention.

Section 3. Voting

Voting shall be by ballot, either by mail or at the first business meeting of the annual convention. A two-thirds majority of ballots cast shall be required for the adoption of an amendment. If the balloting is by mail, ballots must be received at the Executive Secretary’s office by the date specified on the ballot.

Section 4. Implementation

Any amendment adopted shall become effective immediately upon completion of the balloting.