Constitution
Article I - Name. The name of this organization shall be the University of Southern Indiana Administrative, Assistants and Associates.
Article II - Purpose. The purpose of this organization shall be an organized endeavor for personal and professional achievement, to raise funds for scholarship contributions, and for social enlightenment for all interested USI employees regardless of position.
Article III - Membership. The voting membership of this organization shall be composed of employees and retirees of USI who have paid their dues. Active retired members will receive a lifetime Honorary membership and shall be excluded from paying membership dues. Members who terminate employment with the University are eligible to remain organization members and shall pay the yearly dues.
Article IV - Officers. The officers of this organization shall consist of President/Co-Presidents, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, who shall be elected by vote before or at the fall quarterly meeting. The Treasurer shall be elected for a two-year term. The President/Co-Presidents, Vice-President, and Secretary shall be elected for a one-year term. Officers shall not be eligible for re-election for more than two consecutive terms. If an office becomes vacant a majority of the voting members may vote for a special election of replacement officers at a regular meeting with notice given prior to that meeting.
Article V - Meetings.The organization shall hold 4 meetings, one per quarter, over the calendar year. The quarters will be defined as follows: Quarter 1: July, August, and September, Quarter 2: October, November and December, Quarter 3; January, February and March, Quarter 4: April, May and June.
Article VI - Amendments. The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting members provided that the proposed amendment was previously submitted in writing to the entire membership.
AA&A ByLaws
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section l.The President/Co-Presidents shall preside at all meetings of the organization and shall have general supervision for the affairs of the organization. She/he/they shall be an ex-officio member of all standing committees, with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in her/his/their absence. The Vice-President shall also serve as the Program Chairperson.
Section 3. The Secretary shall take the minutes of all meetings, which shall be an accurate record of all business transacted and handle all organization correspondence.
Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive all organization funds and shall pay out funds as requested by valid receipts. The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting membership dues. The Treasurer shall prepare and present a report upon request.
DUES
Section 1. An eligible new employee who joins the organization anytime throughout the year shall pay $15 in dues to the Administrative Assistants and Associates of the University of Southern Indiana.
Section 2. Renewal dues shall be in one installment of $15 payable to the USI Administrative Assistants and Associates and shall be paid each year at or prior to the October business meeting.
Section 3. Only paid members shall be considered voting members.
COMMITTEES
Committees may be appointed by the President/Co-Presidents or elected by the organization members. The following committees have been adopted and in general shall be standing committees. Each committee will submit original archive information to the Historian be added to the organization scrapbook.
Section 1. Program and Supplies Committee. This committee shall consist of at least two members and shall be responsible to invite guest speakers or provide entertainment for each meeting. This committee shall be responsible for purchasing (to be reimbursed from organization funds) and storage of supplies used for organization events. The Vice-President is the Program Committee Chairperson.
Section 2. Special Projects Committee. This committee shall handle fund raising events and other special projects of the organization.
Section 3. Public Relations and Website Committee. This committee shall handle the advertising and publicity of the organization, and maintain the Administrative Assistants & Associates website. This committee shall send an email invitation informing members of meeting information.
Section 4. Gifts and Membership Committee. This committee shall be responsible for selecting a USI Logo gift or USI Campus Store gift certificate for paid members who are retiring or terminating employment after 10 years of service. Other organization contributions to recognize a retiring member will be voted upon as the situation presents itself. This committee shall be in charge of sending letters of welcome to all support staff to acquaint them with the organization and to invite them to attend a meeting as a guest. The committee shall also welcome new support staff who become employed with the University. Duties shall include keeping up-to-date rosters of organization members and prospective members. The Treasurer is a member of the Gifts and Membership Committee.
Section 5. Scholarship Committee. This committee shall advertise for candidates campus-wide in November and December and screen applications in January. The applicant must: 1) be a full time undergraduate student one semester prior to applying, 2) be a full-time undergraduate student when scholarship is taken, 3) maintain a 3.0 GPA, and 4) be in need of financial assistance; however, may be receiving other financial aid. The candidates are to be voted upon by paid organization members upon recommendation by the Scholarship Committee. Scholarship(s) is (are) to be awarded during the student’s particular Honors program.
Section 5a. In the event the USI Administrative Assistants and Associates cease to exist, the out-going organization president would notify the USI Foundation in writing of their decision to empower the USI Foundation to administer the USI Administrative Assistants and Associates Scholarship from that point on. The criteria to be used for the selection process shall be as follows: 1) recipient must be a full-time USI undergraduate student one semester prior to being awarded the scholarship, 2) must have filed the required Federal/State application for financial aid, 3) show exceptional need, 4) be a full-time degree seeking undergraduate student, and 5) must have a 3.0 GPA. The scholarship is not renewable but could be awarded a second year to the same student provided they are the best candidate.
The amount of the annual award would be determined by the current USI Foundation spending policy which would guarantee the endowment of $17,500 be maintained and the scholarship be awarded in perpetuity.
Section 6. Nominating Committee. This committee shall be appointed by the President. Duties shall be to handle secret ballot voting of new officers. In the event this committee cannot offer two candidates to run for each office, it shall be allowed to offer a slate.
Section 7. Photographer and Historian Committee. Photographer shall be in charge of all photography and shall keep a digital photo album of all organization events. Any expenses incurred by the Photographer shall be reimbursed by organization funds. The historian is the custodian of the organization’s past, gathering and recording the present to preserve it for the future. This committee shall maintain the organization scrapbook documenting important events in the life of its members, by adding names, dates and short descriptions to help future members to view the past. The scrapbook with the original archive information shall be stored in the Rice Library.
Section 8. Executive Committee. This committee is composed of the current organization officers. In addition to regular officer duties, this committee shall prepare an annual organization report of meetings and activities.
Section 9. By-Laws Committee. This committee shall be responsible for reviewing all proposed changes and preparing all motions for membership approval. In addition, this committee will monitor changes voted upon at meetings to ensure changes are incorporated into the Constitution or By-Laws.
revised and approved September 2016