Bylaws | Constitution

Constitution

Article I. Name:

The name of this association shall be the Southeastern Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, hereinafter referred to as the SAAHP.
 

Article II. Purposes:

The purposes of the Association shall be: to advance undergraduate education for all the health professions; to further the development of health science curricula; to facilitate continuing communication among advisors on a regional level; to support the advising programs of its members; and to further communications between advisors and the professional schools. To serve these purposes, the Association will: provide leadership in education for schools, colleges and universities by providing a medium for cooperation and communication among schools; encourage research and study of the development and evaluation of new needs and approaches in undergraduate education and advising; foster liaison with other health organizations, professional groups, educational and governmental institutions; and sponsor professional meetings.
 

Article III. Membership:

1. Membership:  As defined below there shall be several classes of membership. The means of election, privileges, and obligations of members are stated in the Bylaws.

     A. Institutional Membership:

          1) Any undergraduate institution in the Southeastern Region with significant numbers of 
              health science and/or preprofessional students may apply for Institutional Membership in
              the SAAHP by filing with the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
              (NAAHP) for joint membership in both organizations.

          2) Institutions in the Southeastern Region shall be considered to include all schools or
              institutions (junior colleges, colleges and universities) in Puerto Rico, and the states of 
              Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, 
              Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas; eligibility
              to be determined by the Executive Committee.

          3) Institutional representatives may be appointed by the President, Chancellor, or Dean of 
              the undergraduate institution having Institutional Membership in the SAAHP and the
              colleges they represent.

                  a. Only one institutional representative may be appointed by each member institution
                      to represent it.

                  b. Such members are exempt from paying "Individual Membership" dues.

     B. Individual Membership:

          1) Any interested individual who wishes to support the pursuits and purposes of the
              Association in an extraordinary manner may apply for Individual Membership by filing
              with the NAAHP for Joint Membership in both organizations.

          2) Individual members must reside in the states listed in Article III-1-A-2.

2. Termination or Withdrawal of Membership

The SAAHP shall determine in accordance with its Bylaws the amount of the annual dues for Institutional and Individual Membership.

Any members in arrears of dues shall, by reason thereof, stand suspended from the privileges of the SAAHP until such arrears of dues are paid; and if the same are not paid within six months thereafter, such members may be dropped from the membership roll by a majority vote of the Executive Council at its next annual meeting.
 

Article IV. Officers and Their Election:

1. The Officers of the SAAHP shall be the President, the Vice President, the Secretary, the
Treasurer, Historian, and such other officers as may be provided for by action of the Executive Council.

2. The above officers except the president shall be elected by a simple majority of the institutional members voting in accordance with the Bylaws.

3. Nominations for the above officers shall be made by a nominating committee appointed by the President and shall be publicized in advance to the membership.

4. The terms of office of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian of the SAAHP shall be for a period of two years, beginning with the closing session of the SAAHP annual meeting at which they assume office.

5. The Vice President of the preceding term shall, upon the expiration of his/her term, assume the office of President for the following term. Should the post of the President become vacant for any cause, the Vice President shall assume the post of President and serve the remainder of the term.

6. The Treasurer, Secretary, and Historian may be re-elected for any number of terms.

7.  The duties of the officers shall be those usually devolving upon such officers except as may be otherwise provided by the Executive Council.
 

Article V. The Executive Council:

1. The Executive Council shall consist of the President, the vice President, the Immediate Past President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Historian, and six other association members elected from the membership-at-large. The six council members from the membership-at-large shall be elected by the membership according to the method prescribed in the Bylaws. They shall serve for a term of three years; and no one may serve for two consecutive terms. The terms of office of the Council members-at-large shall extend from the closing session of the SAAHP annual meeting at which they assume office to the closing session of the SAAHP annual meeting three years hence.

2. The President of the SAAHP shall serve as the President of the Executive council, and the Executive Council shall meet at the call of the President.

3. The Executive Council shall be the managing board of the SAAHP and shall transact all the business of the SAAHP except as provided otherwise in the Bylaws. 

4. The Executive Council may elect ex-officio members from other related organizations.

5. It shall be the duty of the Executive Council to fix the time and place for the annual meeting of the SAAHP and to arrange the program for the meeting. 

6. The President shall also appoint an ad hoc committee to nominate officers.

7. The President shall have the power to appoint such other standing committees and assign duties thereto as may be necessary to effect policies and programs instituted by the Executive Council. The President shall seek the consent of the Executive Council on such appointments.

8. On request of a majority of the Executive Council at any authorized meeting, the entire membership-at-large shall be polled by mail on any issue of general policy.

9. A council member may appoint a substitute for a given meeting, and he/she shall so notify the President and Secretary.

10. The Executive Council shall meet at least once a year on a regular date as determined by the Bylaws. A majority of members of the Executive council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Substitutes shall not be counted in determining a quorum.
 

Article VI. Committees:

1. Standing SAAHP committees may be established on dissolved by vote of the SAAHP membership at its annual meeting.

2. Ad hoc SAAHP committees may be authorized by the Executive Council or by vote of the SAAHP membership at its annual meeting. An ad hoc SAAHP committee may also be established by the President of SAAHP.

3. An individual may be appointed to the same committee for no more than three consecutive years, with an effort made to stager memberships to ensure continuity on the committee.

4. The majority of members of all SAAHP committees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business for the respective committees.
 

Article VII. Meetings and Quorums:

1. Meetings of the SAAHP Membership-at-Large shall be held annually ( at least once a year) at such time and place as the Executive Council shall determine, with the promise that the Executive Committee shall give consideration to geographic balance in the distribution of such meetings. Additional meetings may be called by the Executive Council or by ten percent of the voting members.

2. Ten percent of the voting members shall constitute a quorum at the annual meeting for the transaction of business.

3. Formal actions may only be taken at meetings in which a quorum is present. At such meetings, decisions will be made by a majority vote of those present.

4. In the conduct of meetings, the order of business shall be under the direction of the President who shall make all parliamentary decisions. The President’s decisions may, however, be reversed by two-thirds majority of the voting members present.

5. The host institution, in the planning of National meetings, shall incorporate into the meeting as participants and planners, regional students both undergraduate and professional.
 

Article VIII. Finances and Dues:

1. The fiscal year of the SAAHP shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30.

2. The annual dues, liabilities, and obligations of each member and each class of members shall be fixed by the Bylaws.

3. The Executive Council shall draw up budgets and arrange for audits in accordance with the Bylaws. Budgets and audits shall be available and subject to approval of the President.
 

Article IX. Amendments to Constitution:

An amendment to this Constitution may be proposed and submitted to the secretary in writing by any voting member of the SAAHP or by petition signed by 25 members-at-large. The proposed amendment shall be mailed to each SAAHP member not less than one month nor more than two months prior to the annual meeting at which such amendment is to be proposed. The amendment shall be effective upon approval by a three-fifths majority vote of the voting members present at the annual meeting. By a unanimous vote of the voting members present, the necessity for prior written proposal may be waived and the amendment voted upon at the same or a subsequent meeting.
 

Article X. Procedure:

Procedures and other items, not specified in this Constitution or in the Bylaws or by action of the meeting, shall be in accordance with the latest edition of the Pocket Manual of Rules of Order by Henry M. Robert.