By-Laws | PACRAO

Article I - Regional Area
The geographical boundary lines of the Association shall include the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, the countries under the Compact of Freely Associated States, Guam, and the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.

Article II - Dues
Section 1. Dues
The annual membership dues shall be $125.00 for each Member Institution and for each Associate Member. Each Institution and Associate Members may list all eligible Active Members. Payment of the dues shall entitle the member to the voting status specified in Article III, Section 6 of the Constitution, to the member rate for conference fees, member access to the PACRAO website, and Association publications.

Section 2. Waivers
There shall be no annual dues charged to honorary membership. Honorary Members shall be given complimentary copies of the Association publications, and their registration fee will be waived for the annual conference.

Section 3. Deadlines
Member Institutions and Associate Members will be billed for annual dues in April of each year. Payment is expected upon receipt of billing. If payment is not received from a Member Institution or Associate Member by July 1, that membership will be considered inactive until payment is received. Any Member Institution or Associate Member resuming an active membership by bringing the payment of dues up to date must be eligible under the provision of Article III in the constitution at the time of payment.

Article III - Meetings
Section 1. Date and Location
The Association shall hold an annual meeting in November of each year, the location and date to be chosen, with due regard to geographical rotation, by the Executive Board which shall also have the power to advance, postpone, or omit an annual meeting in case of emergency.

Site Selection. PACRAO Conference sites are selected approximately three years in advance based on a territory planning model, that rotates with the PACRAO regions. Qualifications for possible site l ocations are selected by using the PACRAO Conference Site Selection Guidelines.

Section 2. Business
Association business shall be conducted at the annual meeting by the active members present and shall include at least the (1) election of officers; (2) reports from officers and committees, with provision for the adoption of Association resolutions; (3) action on proposed amendments to the constitution and bylaws; and (4) new business, which must be submitted to the President for inclusion in the agenda at least 24 hours before the business meeting. Except for amendments to the constitution and bylaws, action may be taken by a majority of those present and voting.

Section 3. Executive Board
Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President as needed. Four members of the Board constitute a quorum with a majority of those present required to take action.

Article IV - Terms of Offices
Section 1. Terms
The terms of office for all elected officers of the Association, with the exception of the President-Elect shall be for two years. The President-Elect serves three consecutive years on the Executive Board. A President-Elect is elected annually, with the Treasurer and Vice-President for Publications and Information Technology being elected on alternate years from the Secretary, Vice-President for Membership and Vice-President for Professional Development. The elected members of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall serve for one year. Should any annual meeting be omitted (or the time for it changed), the interval between two consecutive meetings shall be counted as one year in the administration of the provisions of this section.

Section 2. Calendar
All officers, except the Treasurer, shall hold office from the adjournment of the meeting in which they were selected until adjournment of the meeting in which their successors are elected. The Treasurer shall hold office for two calendar years, beginning March 1.

Section 3. Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the President-elect will succeed to the presidency. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-elect, the current Vice-President for Professional Development will succeed to that position and then to the presidency. In the event of a vacancy in the offices of the Vice-President for Professional Development, the Vice-President for Publications and Information Technology, the Vice-President for Membership, the Treasurer or the Secretary, the Executive Board may appoint a current Executive Board member to assume those responsibilities, or may appoint another person from the eligible membership, to serve the remainder of the term. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Past President, the next most recent and willing Past President will be appointed by the President. In the event that the Past-Past President is unable to perform the duties associated with that status, the immediate Past President will assume those responsibilities. In the event of a vacancy on the Nominations and Elections Committee, after utilizing the two alternates, the President may appoint a person from the eligible membership. In the event that a situation arises which is not covered by the succession process outlined above, the Executive Board may appoint an eligible active member to fill the vacancy.

Article V - Duties of Officers

Section 1. President
The President shall assume full responsibility for all general activities of the Association, conduct all necessary correspondence with the members in regard to the program for the annual meeting, approve all Association bills before payment by the Treasurer and, with the assistance of the Executive Board, arrange the program. The President in conjunction with the Executive Board and the Program Chair shall assume responsibility for EEO activities. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Board and shall be a member ex officio of all committees of the Association except the Nominating Committee.

Section 2. President-elect
The President-elect shall act as the chief assistant to the President and shall succeed to the presidency at the end of the term of the President. The President-elect shall be responsible for strengthening the Association's relationship with leadership from state and province associations, the membership and with vendors. Works with the Vice-President for Membership and Treasurer to foster greater Association membership throughout the Pacific region. When elected as President-Elect, immediately appoint a Local Arrangements Chair, Program Chair, and Diversity Development Advocate to serve on the current committees to shadow their predecessors; appointees assume responsibilities for the committees when the President-Elect succeeds to the presidency.

Section 3. Immediate Past President
The Past President shall serve as adviser to the President, the Executive Board, and to the membership, and serves as a member of the Nominations and Elections Committee. The Past President is responsible for site selection for a future annual conference; for the Association archives; for review of the constitution and bylaws; coordinating awards, certificates, and honorary membership nominations; and chairing the Nominations and Elections Committee.

Section 4. Vice President for Professional Development
The Vice President for Professional Development shall be responsible for developing and promoting professional development opportunities across the region outside of the annual conference; includes developing partnerships with state and provincial leadership to bring Association sponsored workshops to members unable to attend the annual conference; as appropriate, work with the annual conference Program Committee Chair to suggest potential speakers and session presenters; be responsible for new member orientation session at the annual conference. Chairs the Professional Development Committee

Section 5. Vice President for Membership
The Vice President for Membership, with the assistance of the President-Elect and Treasurer, shall be responsible for developing and implementing plans for building Association membership, collect annual dues and baseline data used to create the Association's Directory; work with the data-base coordinator, in accordance with the provisions of Article III of the Constitution, to maintain an active list of all members of the Association with their mailing addresses; and providing the Vice President for Publications and Information Technology and Secretary with an annual membership listing for distribution and for the Association's records. Chairs the Membership Development Committee.

Section 6. Vice President for Publications and Information Technology
The Vice President for Publications and Information Technology shall be responsible for disseminating information to members of the Association, via print and electronic communication, which includes the Association's newsletter, directory (with support from the Vice President of Membership), and web site; provides leadership to the development and maintenance of the Association's web page. Chairs the Publication and Information Technology Committee.

Section 7. Secretary
The Secretary shall be the custodian of the records of the Association; keep the minutes of the annual meeting and of the meetings of Executive Board; and is responsible for the production and distribution of the Annual Proceedings under the general directions of the Executive Board.

Section 8. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall ensure that invoices are mailed by March 1 to collect membership dues for the year. The Treasurer shall also be responsible for maintaining the financial database of paid members; shall obtain the approval of the President on all bills before payment; and shall make an informal report to the members of the Association at the annual meeting. The Treasurer shall enforce all fiscal policies and procedures for the Association and shall report any discrepancies to the Executive Board. The Treasurer will secure debit cards for the President and President-elect and shall reconcile each account. At the end of each two calendar years, the Treasurer shall prepare a complete formal report, including an accountant's review of financial statements, for distribution to the Executive Board and for submission to the next succeeding treasurer. The Executive Board at its discretion may require an audited financial statement. The expense of the accountant's review or the audit shall be borne by the Association.

Article VI - Standing Committees
Section I. Standing Committees
Standing or ad hoc committees may be appointed or dissolved by the President as deemed necessary for the work of the Association, and all members must be active members of the Association.

Section 2. Nominations and Elections Committee
There will be a seven-member Nominations and Elections Committee composed of the two most immediate past presidents who remain active in the association and five elected members. The person with most seniority as past president will serve as chair.

Section 3: General Conference Committees – Local Arrangements and Program
The chairs of the Local Arrangements Committee and Program Committee are appointed by the President to plan and manage all components of the annual conference. The chairs report to the President and serve as ex officio members of the Executive Board (non-voting members). It is recommended that the chairs serve on the proceeding annual conference committee and shadow their predecessors, prior to assuming the responsibilities as chair of their respective committee. Each chair shall develop a budget for their committee and shall monthly send electronic bank statements to the Treasurer in addition to providing quarterly updates to the Executive Board.

Section 4: Diversity Development Committee
The Diversity Development Advocate is appointed by and responsible to the President and serves as a voting member of the Executive Board and chairs the Diversity Development Committee. This committee strives to keep the Association current on EEO activities. It meets during the annual conference and is open to any interested member of the Association willing to commit their time and energy to achieving committee goals during the year. The Diversity Development Advocate serves on the program committee and ensures that there are diversity sessions across the conference program while developing such sessions with the committee's help as well as securing the diversity lunch speaker. Attends the January board meeting with the program committee and reports on the plans and the progress of the diversity development committee. DDA does not attend the summer board meeting but submits a board report (progress) to be presented by the president at the meeting.

Section 5. Professional Development Committee
The Vice-President for Professional Development chairs this committee. This committee develops and promotes professional development opportunities across the Pacific region, outside of the annual conference. This may include co-sponsoring workshops with state, provincial or national associations; creating an Association sponsored workshop or summer seminar, writing articles and publishing such articles on the PACRAO web, etc. This committee meets during the annual conference and is open to any interested member of the Association willing to commit their time and energy to achieving committee goals during the year.

Section 6: Membership Development Committee
The Vice-President for Membership chairs this committee. This committee develops and implements strategies to invite institutional colleagues to join the Association, to promote stronger ties between the Association and vendors, and to assist in keeping member data accurate and up-to-date. This committee meets during the annual conference and is open to any interested member of the Association willing to commit their time and energy to achieving committee goals during the year.

Section 7: Publications and Information Technology Committee
The Vice-President for Publications and Information Technology chairs this committee. The committee strives to keep the Association current on new uses of technology in serving students and/or advancing the profession through suggesting sessions to the Program Committee for the annual conference, collaborating with the Professional Development Committee on a needed workshop to be delivered to members across the region; provides oversight for the maintenance and future development of the Association's web site as a strategic communication tool; and assists the Vice President as an editorial board for the Association's newsletter. This committee meets during the annual conference and is open to any interested member of the Association willing to commit their time and energy to achieving committee goals during the year.

Section 8: Business Partner Coordinator
The Business Partner Coordinator is appointed by and responsible to the President and serves as an ex-officio member of the Executive Board. The Coordinator is responsible for promoting stronger ties between the Association and vendors. The Coordinator develops a list of potential/current partners and conference exhibitors and solicits financial support for the PACRAO organization. In exchange for the additional funding, the Business Partners Coordinator provides an enhanced level of support to the vendors.

Section 9: Writers Team Coordinator
The Writers Team Coordinator is appointed by the President, reports to the Vice President for Professional Development, and chairs the Writers Team. The Coordinator does not participate as an official member of the Executive Committee. The Coordinator is responsible for promoting articles of general interest for the membership.

Article VII - Nominations and Elections
Section 1. Procedures for Election of the Nominations and Elections Committee
The current Nominations and Elections Committee is responsible for soliciting nominations and developing a slate of ten (10) nominees for the next year's Nominations and Elections Committee, and meets annually in conjunction with the Association conference to prepare the slate of nominees. The ballot for the election of members to the Nominations and Elections committee will be emailed to active paid members. Active members will be eligible to vote for up to six (6) candidates. Ballots will be returned by the published deadline to the Nominations and Elections Committee chair for tabulating. The six nominees receiving the most votes will serve on the committee for the following year. Two (2) alternates shall be designated in descending order according to the vote received. The term of service will begin at the close of the next annual Association conference.

Section 2. Procedures for election of officers
The current Nominations and Elections Committee is responsible for developing a slate of nominations for officers of the Association. The slate will be published on the PACRAO Web site and announced again at the opening session of the conference. Additional nominations from the floor will be accepted at the opening session, and then the nominations will be closed. Voting and election occurs at the formal business meeting of the Association, held later during the conference.

Section 3. Representation
The Nominations and Elections Committee will prepare the slates with due respect for the membership of the Association in regard to geographical distributions, ethnicity, gender, public and private four-year and two-year institutions, and professional schools.

Section 4. Eligibility
Any person holding paid membership in the Association is eligible to serve on the Nominations and Elections committee. Members elected to the Nominations and Elections Committee are not eligible to serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee in successive years or to be a candidate for office during their term on the Nominations and Elections Committee. Only Active Members representing paid Member Institutions may be nominated and elected to office.

Article VIII - Calendar Year
The calendar year of the Association shall extend from February 1 to January 31.

Article IX - Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the Member Institutions present and voting, providing that notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to the members at least one month in advance of the meeting. A bylaws amendment not thus proposed in advance may be adopted by four-fifths vote of the Member Institutions present and voting.

Previous (recent) revisions to the Constitution and Bylaws, based on Business Meeting minutes reported in the PACRAO Proceedings:

2008: Revision to Bylaws Article III: Added Section 1.A regarding site selection. Revision to Bylaws Article V: Deleted Section 9 and added duties to Section 3; removed "immediate" from all instances in Section 3. Revisions to Bylaws Article VI: modified language to require active Association membership to serve on committees. Revised Bylaws Article VII: Changed "mailed" to "emailed" and updated number of committee members to six (6).
2005: Revision to Bylaws Article II: The annual membership dues were increased for $75.00 to $125.00.
2002: Revision to Article II: eliminating limit on active members covered by annual membership dues, redefining deadlines and status of active and inactive membership, and adding section on extended and retired members.
1999: Revision to Executive Board and Standing Committees
1996: Revision to change membership dues from $50 to $75. Revision also limits member institutions, organizations, and agencies to 4 (four) active members. Additional members may be listed upon payment of $15 per additional member.
1995: Line by line review and revision. (by Christine Kerlin)
1993: Add EEO responsibilities to President.
1994: Corporations may be non-voting members.
1987: Change some duties of Executive Board.
1985: Revisions to Nominations and Elections process.
1983: Change membership dues from $35 to $50.
1980: Change membership dues from $25 to $50.
1979: Add a second vice-president and non-voting member section.
1978: Clarified that individual members must be from an institution that meets membership criteria; deleted student membership; added Trust Territories.

as amended November 6, 2005
Sacramento, CA

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