Constitution of the Indiana Veterinary Technician Association
ARTICLE I – Title
Indiana Veterinary Technician Association
ARTICLE II – Purpose
1. To provide the professional and educational advancement of Registered
Veterinary Technicians (RVTs).
2. To promote and maintain communication and cooperation among Registered
Veterinary Technicians.
3. To maintain and improve professional standards of Registered Veterinary
Technicians.
4. To develop and maintain a code of ethics among Registered Veterinary
Technicians.
5. To support and inform all members of all subject matter dealing with Registered
Veterinary Technicians.
6. To promote and maintain communication and cooperation between Registered
Veterinary Technicians employed in all aspects of veterinary medicine.
ARTICLE III – Membership
Section I
1. Members shall not be discriminated against because of nationality, race, creed,
color, or sex.
Section II
1. REGISTERED VETERINARY TECHNICIAN (RVT) shall be defined as a person who
is currently registered as a veterinary technician with the Indiana Professional
Licensing Agency (IPLA).
Section III
1. ACTIVE IN-STATE membership shall be defined as any Registered Veterinary
Technician (Article III, Section I, #1) who resides in the state of Indiana. Active
members in good standing (Article IV, Section 1, #3) shall also have the right to
hold office providing criteria set by the Executive Board are met. This member
has the right to vote and pay dues.
Section IV
1. ACTIVE OUT-OF-STATE membership shall be defined as any Registered
Veterinary Technician (Article III, Section II. #1) who lives outside the state of
Indiana. This member has the right to vote and pay dues, but does not have the
right to hold office
Section V
1. ASSOCIATE members are graduates of veterinary technology programs who are
not Registered with the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA), veterinary
hospital/clinic employees, and veterinarians. Associate member cannot vote or
hold an office in the Association. They will be assessed lower dues than active
members.
Section VI
1. STUDENT members shall be defined as any student who is enrolled in an AVMA
accredited Veterinary Technology Program in the state of Indiana. Student
members shall not have the right to vote or hold office, but do have the right to be
involved in all other activities of the organization. Student members will be
assessed lower dues than associate members.
ARTICLE IV – Dues
Section I
1. Dues shall be assessed to members annually (Article V, Section II, #5).
2. Annual dues shall cover a membership period from January 1 through December
31 of any calendar year.
3. Any member who has paid dues for the current year is a member in good
standing.
4. Any member who fails to renew their membership by March 1 of a new
membership period shall be dropped from the membership.
5. Graduates from an Indiana AVMA Accredited Veterinary Technology Program
shall have no dues assessed for the balance of the calendar year following their
graduation.
ARTICLE V – Officers and Their Duties
Section I – Executive Board Authority
1. The Executive Board shall be the executive body of the IVTA and shall have the
responsibility for administering Association affairs.
Section II – Executive Board
1. The Executive Board shall be composed of the President, President-Elect,
Recorder, Executive Secretary (ex-officio, non-voting), /Financial Officer,
Treasurer, Past President, and the District Representatives.
2. Executive Board Members must be Active In State members of the IVTA.
3. The Executive Board members shall advise and assist the President.
4. The Executive Board shall determine annual dues.
5. The Executive Board shall meet a minimum of three (3) times per year. Executive
Board meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President or may be called at
the request of the Board members. Meetings will be held in person in conjunction
with the Annual IVMA conference in Indianapolis and the Annual Fall Conference
in West Lafayette. All other Executive Board meetings will be via conference
calls. A quorum (Article VII, Section I, #2) must be present at all meetings to
conduct business.
6. The Executive Board shall approve all expenditures and financial statements.
7. The Executive Board members shall submit a copy of any written and received
correspondence to the Executive Secretary for preservation.
8. The Executive Board Members with the exception of the District Representatives
shall keep a journal of yearly responsibilities and duties to be passed on to the
new Executive Board at the end of their term.
9. The Executive Board Members' term of office shall run from January 1 to
December 31.
10. The Executive Board members whose terms are expiring shall pass on all
previous responsibilities including journals, materials and books by the time
the Board meets at the Annual IVMA Conference in Indianapolis.
11. The Executive Board shall have the authority to hire and fire the Executive
Secretary.
12. The Executive Board Members shall have paid their dues prior to accepting
office (January 1).
13. The Executive Board shall appoint, oversee and determine compensation of the
newsletter editor(s).
14. The Executive Board shall provide guidelines for all committees.
Section III – President (one-year term)
1. The President shall preside over all meetings and shall enforce the constitution
and by-laws.
2. The President shall appoint committee heads or chairs who shall report directly
to the President at Board meetings.
3. The President has the power to call special meetings with the approval of the
Executive Board.
4. The President shall serve as the Indiana NAVTA representative.
5. The President shall assume the role of Past President at the end of the term.
Section IV – President-Elect (one-year term)
1. The President-Elect shall preside in the absence of the President.
2. The President-Elect shall interpret Robert's Rules of Order as parliamentarian.
3. The President-Elect shall audit or appoint an auditor for the financial records at
the end of the calendar year.
4. The President-Elect shall serve on the nominating committee.
5. The President-Elect shall assume the role of President at the end of the term.
Section V – Recorder (one-year term)
1. The Recorder shall keep the minutes at all meetings.
2. The Recorder shall preserve all minutes of the meetings and supply a copy to the
Newsletter Editor for distribution to the members.
Section VI – Executive Secretary (ES)
1. The Executive Secretary will be hired by the Executive Board on an Annual basis.
2. The Executive Secretary shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the
Executive Board.
3. The Executive Secretary must be an in-state, active member of the Indiana
Veterinary Technicians Association.
4. The Executive Secretary currently serving will have the option of continuing or
relinquishing the office at the discretion of the Executive Board.
5. The Executive Board has the authority to hire or fire the Executive Secretary.
6. The Executive Secretary will be compensated for performing the duties of the
office. Compensation will be determined by the voting members of the Executive
Board on an annual basis when the Board meets in conjunction with Purdue’s
Fall Conference.
7. The Executive Secretary shall assist the Nomination Committee.
8. The Executive Secretary may enlist the aid of any IVTA member to assist with
distribution of information to members.
9. The Executive Secretary shall forward all business correspondence to the
appropriate person(s).
10. The Executive Secretary shall give adequate notice in the event that he/she
wishes to leave the office. He/she shall assist a replacement in learning about
the duties.
11. The Executive Secretary shall keep a written journal of the tasks and
responsibilities of the position. This shall include standard operational
procedures for all required tasks and duties.
Section VII – District Representatives (two-year term)
1. The Representatives are elected to represent their district of the state. There
shall be one representative per district.
2. The Representative's home address shall determine the district that he/she
represents.
3. The Representatives shall promote the Veterinary Technology profession within
their district. This shall be done by presenting information to the public at
schools, community organizations, fairs, etc. through media made available by
the IVTA.
4. Each representative shall submit information to the IVTA Newsletter on a regular
basis while they are in office.
Section VIII – Past President (one-year term)
1. The Past-President shall be defined as the person holding the office of President
during the preceding year.
2. The Past-President shall be a voting member of the Executive Board.
3. The Past-President shall serve as the chair of the Nomination Committee.
Section IX – Treasurer (two-year term)
1. The Treasurer shall oversee the collection and distribution of all money of the
Association.
2. The Treasurer shall oversee all aspects of the yearly budget and audits, both
internal and external.
3. The Treasurer shall receive and deposit funds for the payment of bills and keep
itemized accounts of all transactions. The Treasurer shall give a financial report
at the beginning of each business meeting.
4. The Treasurer shall prepare a signed written financial report for all members for
publication in the newsletter following all business meetings.
5. The treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the association.
6. In the event that the current Treasurer wishes to leave the office prior to the
annual audit, the President-Elect (or appointee) will audit the records at that
time.
ARTICLE VI – Nomination and Election of Officers
Section I – Nominations
1. Nominations shall be open to any Active In State member in good standing.
2. The Nomination Committee shall oversee all aspects of the nomination and
election process following guidelines set forth by the Executive Board.
Section II – Elections
1. Each Active (in-state or out-of-state) member who paid his/her dues has one (1)
vote.
2. All elections shall be by secret ballot; the ballot (including biographical data) shall
be sent by mail no less than thirty (30) days before the fall meeting.
3. Ballots shall be returned and counted no later than ten (10) days before the fall
meeting.
4. The nominee in each Officer category with the most popular votes wins the
election.
5. If, in the opinion of the Executive Board, an officer is believed to be unable to
continue in an office due to poor health, nonattendance and/or mal-performance
of duties, said officer shall be notified by the Executive Board in writing of this
belief and invited to a hearing of his/her views or rebuttal. The hearing shall be
held by the Executive Board within two (2) weeks following written notification.
After such a hearing, a written poll will be taken of the Executive Board regarding
removal of the officer in question from the Executive Board. A majority vote of
those present is necessary to remove an Executive Board member from office.
6. Any member of the Executive Board who wishes to resign his/her position must
notify the Executive Board via the Executive Secretary, in writing, within 30 days
of his/her intention to resign.
7. In the event of a vacancy in the office of:
a. Past-President: The President may appoint a person to fill this office for
the remainder of the term as long as the appointed person was a previous
president of the Association.
b. President: The president-elect shall assume the duties and
responsibilities of this office in addition to the duties of the office of
President-Elect.
c. President-Elect: The Executive Board shall designate one (1) of the
District Representatives to assume the duties and responsibilities of this
office in addition to the duties of the District Representative until such a time
as the Nomination Committee makes arrangements for a special election for
the office of President-Elect.
d. Recorder, Treasurer, District Representative: The Executive Board
shall appoint a substitute for the vacant position until the next election.
ARTICLE VII – Association Meetings
Section I
1. General business meetings shall be held biannually. They shall be open to all IVTA
members.
2. Executive Board meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President or may
be called at the request of the Board members. Board members will be notified in
a reasonable amount of time prior to the meeting.
3. The members in good standing present at any general membership meeting shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business with a majority vote of the
members present required to approve any action. For Executive Board meetings,
a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the Executive Board members in
attendance at said meetings. The majority vote of the Board members present
shall be required to approve any action.
4. Meetings shall be run by Robert's Rules of Order.
ARTICLE VIII – Amendments
Section I
1. Amendments to the constitution must be approved at a general IVTA business
meeting. A two-thirds (2/3)-majority vote of those members present is required.
All proposed changes must have been sent to the membership sixty (60) days
prior to the scheduled meetings.
2. Appointees of the Executive Board shall review the Constitution at five (5) year
intervals. Any changes shall be reviewed by the Executive Board prior to
presentation to the membership.
3. The Executive Board has the authority to review the Constitution during the five
year interval if deemed necessary.
ARTICLE IX – Committees
Section I – Finance Committee
1. The Finance Committee shall consist of a chairperson, which shall be the
Treasurer and additional members.
2. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for creating a budget and presenting
financial reports.
3. The Finance Committee shall be responsible for auditing the treasury whenever
the Treasurer position is changed.
Section II – Membership Committee
1. The Membership Committee Shall consist of a Chairperson and additional
members.
2. The Committee shall be responsible for determining eligibility and approving
applications of candidates for membership in the various classifications as
established in Article III of this Constitution, and recommending membership
changes deemed necessary for the good of the Association.
3. Keep accurate the current record of the names and addresses of the members of
the Association.
4. Distinguish the District in which each member resides.
5. Provide each District Representative a list of members in their district.
Section III – Website/Social Media/Marketing Committee
1. The Website/Social Media/Marketing Committee shall consist of a chairperson
and additional members.
2. The Website/Social Media/Marketing Committee shall maintain any and all
contracts associated with maintaining the Association’s website.
3. The Website/Social Media/Marketing Committee shall be responsible for keeping
the website and other social media sites updated with current information.
Section IV– Nominating Committee
1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of a chairperson, which shall be the PastPresident, and additional members.
2. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for soliciting and receiving
nominations for all offices to be filled as specified in Article VI, Section I of the
Constitution.