Bylaws

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AOP BYLAWS

ARTICLE I 

The name of this organization shall be The University of Southern Mississippi Association of Office Professionals.

ARTICLE II 

The purposes and aims of the Association of Office Professionals are

• to elevate the standards of the group,
• to advance the general welfare of its members,
• to provide an organized means of communication among members and throughout all USM campuses,
• to foster better relationships and understanding among members, and
• to pool ideas and ideals, thereby promoting an overall better educational system at the University of Southern Mississippi.

ARTICLE III 
Membership

Section 1. Any person in a secretarial, clerical, or any other related support staff position, full- or permanent part-time employment at The University of Southern Mississippi is eligible for active membership in the organization upon payment of dues.

Section 2. Active membership entitles a member to vote, hold office, and attend meetings. Active members may be eligible to participate in the Professional Standards Program.

Section 3. Retired active members may not vote or hold office, but are entitled to honorary status and no dues.

Section 4. Associate membership in the association shall be open to persons who are interested in advancing the purposes of the organization but are not eligible for active membership. Associate members shall pay annual dues and shall have the rights and privileges of active members except that of voting, holding office, and participating in the Professional Standards Program.

Section 5.  The annual dues for all classes of members shall be established by the membership. The membership year shall extend from July 1 through June 30. Membership dues are renewable before October 31.

ARTICLE IV 
Meetings

Section 1. A regular meeting of association members will be held monthly. The schedule of meetings will be determined at the beginning of the year by the board of directors. 

ARTICLE V 
Officers

Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be the following: president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, treasurer and immediate past president.

Section 2. The president-elect shall succeed to the office of president upon the completion of the president's term of office.

Section 3.  All officers shall be elected in the manner provided in Article VI of these bylaws. The term of office for the president, president-elect, vice-president, secretary, and immediate past president shall be one year. The term of office for the treasurer shall be two years.

ARTICLE VI 
Election of Officers

Section 1. Officers shall be elected annually according to Article V.

Section 2. Nominees for all offices, as presented by the nominating and election committee or written in, must be consulted prior to their names being presented to ensure their willingness to serve.

Section 3. The nominating and elections committee shall be responsible for submitting an electronic ballot listing the complete slate of officers (president-elect, vice president, secretary, and treasurer every other year). Provision shall be made for write-in nominations. A biographical sketch of each nominee shall be provided. All ballots shall be e-mailed to the membership no later than fourteen (14) days prior to the April meeting and members will be given seven (7) days to vote.

Section 4. An election shall be by majority vote.

Section 5. Installation shall be conducted at the final June meeting of the year.

Section 6. In the event of the incapacity of any officer other than the president and president-elect, the board of directors may, at its discretion, appoint a replacement or hold a special election. In the event of a vacancy in the presidency and the president-elect is unable to fill the position, the vice president shall temporarily assume such duties. In the event the vice president is unable to fill the position, the secretary shall temporarily assume such duties.

ARTICLE VII 
Duties of the Officers

Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of the elected officers of the association, the immediate past president, and the chairpersons of all standing committees. The Board of Directors shall meet quarterly and shall perform such duties as prescribed in the bylaws.

Section 2. The president shall preside at all meetings of the organization and perform all the duties pertaining to the office. The president shall appoint committees as needed, be an ex officio member of all committees (with the exception of the nominating and elections committee), approve all communications of a special nature sent out in the name of the organization, appoint a historian, and appoint the chairpersons of the following committees: affiliations, community service, Gulf Coast, nominating and elections, PSP, publicity, and ways and means.

Section 3. The president-elect shall serve as president the succeeding year.  In the event the office of the president shall be vacated, the president-elect shall perform the duties of the president.  Also, in the event the president is absent for a meeting, the president-elect shall perform the duties of the president.  The president-elect shall serve as chairperson of the in-service committee and coordinator of in-service activities and shall, in this capacity, serve as liaison with the Office of Human Resources.  The president-elect shall also, in this capacity, coordinate transportation for all members who attend the MAEOP and NAEOP conferences if needed; it will be the responsibility of each member planning to attend these conferences to contact the president-elect.

Section 4.  The vice president shall serve as president in the absence of the president and the president-elect and perform the duties of the president. The vice president shall also serve as chairperson of the membership committee.

Section 5. The secretary shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the organization. The secretary shall present all correspondence to the association at regular meetings, shall serve as co-editor for the association's publication, The Voice, serve as correspondent with MAEOP and NAEOP publications, and appoint representatives of the different areas of campus to serve as a committee if needed. The secretary shall also serve as the chairperson of the hospitality committee.

Section 6. The treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds as may be necessary at the direction of the president and the budget committee, shall make a quarterly report to the membership, and shall serve as chairperson of the budget committee as directed in Article VIII, Section 3.

Section 7.  The immediate past president shall serve in an advisory position. The immediate past president shall also be responsible for reviewing the bylaws annually and serve as chairperson of the bylaws committee, should it be determined that changes may be needed.

Section 8. Each officer, upon retiring from office, shall deliver within 30 days to the successor all monies, accounts, record books, papers, or other property belonging to the organization. The president-elect shall coordinate this activity.

ARTICLE VIII 
Appointments and Committees

Section 1. Standing committees of the association shall be affiliations, budget, in-service, community service, hospitality, membership, nominating and elections, PSP advisory, publicity, ways and means, and Gulf Coast committees. Special committees may be appointed by the president. During service, all committee chairpersons and members shall remain current active members of the association.

Section 2. The affiliations committee shall be responsible for the paperwork process of affiliating with MAEOP and NAEOP, shall be responsible for the selection process for the USM AOP Educational Administrator and Office Professional of the Year, and shall work in conjunction with the president to ensure the presentation of the awards. The number of members shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The recipients of the USM AOP Administrator and Office Professional of the Year may be the USM AOP nominees for the MAEOP Administrator and Office Professional of the Year. If the local recipient does not meet the eligibility requirements for the state award, then nominations will be solicited from the membership at the August meeting of the association. The president and president-elect are not eligible for the Office Professional of the Year award during their terms of office. The recipients of the USM AOP Educational Administrator and Office Professional of the Year awards shall not be eligible for nomination for three years. This committee is also responsible for scholarship communications to members, screening applications, and selecting recipients of the AOP and nominees for MAEOP scholarships according to adopted guidelines. The committee shall also apprise the membership of other scholarships available through state and national associations and make recommendations regarding the USM AOP scholarship given through the USM Foundation.

Section 3. The budget committee shall be chaired by the treasurer. The number of members shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. However,  the immediate past president and the current Gulf Coast committee chairperson should be appointed as members each year. This committee shall be responsible for preparing the annual budget to be presented to the membership at the August meeting.

Section 4.  The community service committee shall consist of a chairperson, and the number of members on the committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. This committee shall coordinate two community service projects supported by the association.

Section 5. The hospitality committee shall be chaired by the secretary. The number of members on the committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The committee shall be responsible for hospitality functions extended to members and their immediate family. The committee shall also be responsible for providing door prizes as needed.

Section 6. The in-service committee shall be chaired by the president-elect and is responsible for planning all in-service and workshop activities. The number of members shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The in-service committee shall also work with the president to arrange for meeting speakers as necessary.

Section 7. The membership committee shall be chaired by the vice president. The number of members shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The committee shall verify credentials to determine the eligibility for membership voting. The committee shall have at least one function to build membership.  In October, members of the Membership Committee shall contact each member of AOP who has not renewed dues for the current year.

Section 8. A nominating and elections committee shall consist of three members elected by the membership. The president shall appoint the chairman from these three members. The committee shall function according to Article VI.

Section 9. The historian shall be appointed by the president. The historian shall serve as co-editor of The Voice and chairperson of the publicity committee. The number of members of the publicity committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The committee shall keep a history and pictorial record of the association's activities to be stored in the association's scrapbook or digital files and shall also publicize the activities of the association. The committee shall also be responsible for maintaining the AOP website and social media accounts.

Section 10. The PSP advisory committee shall function as an advisory group to answer questions concerning the PSP certificate, obtain information from the National Office as needed, check eligibility and certificates, and apprise the president of the University and the director of Human Resources as to when a member receives a PSP certificate. The number of members of the PSP committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee.  The president shall appoint a chairperson for this committee each year.  The chairperson of the committee must have received a PSP certificate.

Section 11. The ways and means committee chairperson shall be appointed by the president and the number of members on the committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee. The committee shall be responsible for coordinating no less than two fund-raising activities each year.

Section 12. The Gulf Coast committee chairperson shall be appointed by the president. The number of members on the committee shall be determined by the needs to carry out the functions of the committee.  The committee will work with the president to represent the interests of the Gulf Coast membership in AOP activities.

ARTICLE IX 
Parliamentary Authority

Section 1. Robert's Rules of Order, revised, shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the association, the board of directors, and all the committees unless otherwise dictated by the bylaws.

Section 2. Twenty-five percent of the total current membership shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE X 
Amendment

Section 1. These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the AOP by a vote of two-thirds of the active members present, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been submitted in writing to the membership for study at least three weeks before the vote.

 

Bylaws amended December 2024.