Iowa Communication Association
Constitution and By-laws
(Revised Fall, 2007)
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Iowa Communication Association.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
1. The purpose of the Iowa Communication Association shall be to unite those
persons with an academic or professional interest in all disciplines of
Communication and the Performing Arts at all educational and professional levels
in Iowa, for the promotion of their mutual interests and the advancement of their
common field.
2. The Association, a not-for-profit corporation, exists for educational, scientific,
and literary purposes only. No part of the organization’s net revenue, if any, may
be used for the private benefit of any individual or group.
ARTICLE III: OFFICERS
1. The officers of the Association shall be the President; President-Elect;
Executive Secretary; Journal Editor; Journal Business Manager; and Newsletter
Editor(s).
2. The President-Elect shall serve for two years then succeed to the office of
President for two years. The Executive Secretary shall serve for three years.
3. The Journal Editor, Journal Business Manager and Newsletter Editor(s) shall be
appointed by the Executive Committee and shall serve for three years. Individuals
appointed to these positions may serve two or more consecutive terms. One
individual may be appointed to the positions of Journal Editor and Journal
Business Manager. Two people may act as Newsletter Co-editors.
4. The duties of the officers shall be as specified in the by-laws.
ARTICLE IV: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the President; President-Elect;
Immediate Past President; Executive Secretary; Journal Editor; Journal Business
Manager; Newsletter Editor(s); and four Committee Members-at-large. Two
Committee Members-at-large shall be elected each year and shall serve two-year
terms. Any Executive Committee member may be re-elected or reappointed. The
Executive Committee also includes two appointed positions as Webmaster and
Archivist/Historian.
2. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for carrying out the work of the
Association and shall exercise the authority allocated to it by the Articles of the
Constitution and the By-laws.
3. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for selecting a person to receive
the ICA Citation award to be presented each year at the annual convention.
4. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for selecting a person to receive
the Outstanding New Teacher Award to be presented each year at the annual
convention.
5. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for selecting a person to receive
the Outstanding Adjunct Teacher Award each year to be presented at the annual
convention.
ARTICLE V: ADVISORY COMMITTEES
1. The Executive Committee shall appoint two ICA members to the States Advisory
Committee of the Central States Speech Association and two ICA members to the
States Advisory Committee of the National Communication Association each year.
Any ICA member appointed to these committees may be reappointed.
ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES
1. Special committees, such as membership, public relations, auditing, strategic
planning, nominating, fund-raising, etc. may be appointed by the President in
consultation with the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VII: PUBLICATIONS
1. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to publish two or more issues
of the Iowa Journal of Communication annually.
2. The Editor, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee shall have
the authority to select such associate editors and assistants as deemed necessary.
3. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to publish two or more issues
of the ICA Newsletter annually.
4. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for all decisions pertaining to
financing the Iowa Journal of Communication and the ICA Newsletter.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS
1. Amendments may be initiated by the Executive Committee or upon the petition
of ten members to the Executive Secretary.
2. Amendments may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members of the
Association who vote on any proposed amendment.
3. Amendments may be adopted in the general meeting of the annual convention
provided the proposed amendment had been mailed to the members at least two
weeks in advance of the annual convention.
4. Amendments may be adopted by mail vote of the members on the basis of
those ballots which are received within twenty days after the ballots have been
mailed to the members by the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary shall
count the ballots and announce the results publicly in the next issues of the Iowa
Journal of Communication and the ICA Newsletter. All ballots shall be filed for
record until the close of the next annual convention of the Association.
5. Amendments shall take effect immediately following their adoption.
Iowa Communication Association
Constitution and By-laws
(Revised Fall, 2007)
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP
1. There shall be four types of membership: Basic Member; Patron; Student; and
Library.
2. Basic, Patron, and Student Members shall be considered members of the
Association for one year from September to September; shall have voting
privileges; shall be eligible to hold office; shall receive an annual subscription to
the Iowa Journal of Communication and the ICA Newsletter, and may exercise
other such privileges as may be provided by the Association.
3. Library members receive an annual subscription to the Iowa Journal of
Communication.
ARTICLE II: DUES AND FEES
1. Fees for various types of membership shall be established by the Executive
Committee.
2. The Executive Committee shall establish a convention fee to be paid by each
member or non-member who attends the annual convention.
ARTICLE III: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
1. Not later than four months preceding the annual convention of the Association,
the President, after consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint a
nominating committee.
2. The nominating committee shall prepare a slate of at least two candidates for
each office to be filled at the next election.
3. The slate of nominees for election shall be mailed with the notification of the
annual convention to each paid member of the Association at least two weeks prior
to the convention. Absentee votes must be returned to the Executive Secretary
before the scheduled election.
4. At the regular business meeting of the annual convention, members shall have
an opportunity to make nominations from the floor.
5. Should a candidate for President-Elect or Executive Secretary fail to receive a
simple majority, the President shall conduct a run-off election between the two
candidates receiving the largest number of votes.
6. Executive Committee members-at-large shall be elected by a plurality vote.
7. The results of the election shall be published in the next issues of the Iowa
Journal of Communication and the ICE Newsletter.
8. The President, President-Elect, Executive Secretary, and the elected Membersat-large of the Executive Committee shall take office immediately following their
election.
9. In the case of the resignation or the inability of the President to carry on the
functions of the office, the President-Elect shall assume the duties of the
President. Should the office of the President-Elect become vacant, it shall be filled
by the candidate for that office who received the second highest number of votes
in the preceding election. If no other candidates ran for that office in the previous
election, the Executive Committee shall appoint a President-Elect.
10. In the case of the resignation or the inability of a Member-at-large of the
Executive Committee to complete his or her term within the first year of the term,
an election will be held at the next annual meeting to fill the vacant slot for the
remainder of the term. In the case of the resignation or the inability of a Memberat-large of the Executive Committee to complete his or her term within the second
year of the term, that seat shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term until
the next election.
ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. The President shall plan the annual convention program during the first year of
his or her term with the advice of the Executive Committee; shall preside at the
meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee; appoint committees
with the approval of the Executive Committee; serve as the official representative
of the Association; and promote the best interests of the Association.
2. The President-Elect shall plan the annual convention program during the second
year of his or her term with the advice of the Executive Committee; chair the
Strategic Planning committee of the Association when formed; and perform such
other duties as assigned by the President. The President-Elect will chair the
adjunct teacher award committee.
3. The Executive Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings; receive and
disburse funds, prepare accounts for annual audit and have charge of the
Association’s business.
4. The Immediate Past-President shall facilitate the selection and presentation of
the ICA Outstanding New Teacher Award each year at the annual convention. The
Immediate Past-President will collect and forward materials of any appropriate ICA
award winners, or other nominations, to regional, national and international award
committees for consideration in their award selections as authorized by the Board.
5. A member of the ICA shall be appointed by the Executive Committee to
represent the Association in the Federation of Iowa Speech Organizations (FISO).
6. The President-Elect and the Executive Secretary will annually review the
Constitution and By-Laws. They will report any necessary changes to the
Executive Board. After Board approval, these changes will be recommended to the
membership at the fall conference.
ARTICLE V: MEETINGS
1. The President shall call at least three meetings of the Executive Committee
annually. One meeting shall take place before the annual convention begins; one
shall take place at the conclusion of the annual convention; and one shall take
place in January or February of each year. Other meetings of the Executive
Committee shall take place as necessary.
2. Except in periods of emergency, the Association shall hold an annual
convention at a time and place to be selected by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI: QUORUM
1. The quorum shall consist of those paid members present at the annual
convention.
ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS
1. Amendments to the by-laws may be adopted by a two thirds vote of the
Executive Committee.
2. Amendments to the by-laws may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the
members present at the annual business meeting.