Index

• Article I - Membership and Fees
• Article II - Officers of the Association
• Article III - The Executive Council
• Article IV - Quorum
• Article V - Committees
• Article VI - Standing Rules
• Article VII - Voting
• Article VIII - Budgets
• Article IX - Expenditures

ARTICLE I - Membership and Fees

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP

1. All institutions of post-secondary education actively engaged in the direction of student financial aid programs are eligible for active membership in the Association. In order to be considered as an active member, annual dues must be paid.
2. Application for associate membership in the Association shall be made to the Membership Committee for processing.
3. Approval of an application for new membership by an institution or post-secondary education or by an associate member, must have the approval of an affirmative vote of the majority of the Executive Council.

Section 2. FEES

1. The amount of annual fees for institutional membership as an active or individual associate member of the Association shall be determined by the Executive Council with approval of voting members.
2. The membership year shall begin May 1 and expire April 30
3. Institutional members and associate members of the Association who are arrears in the payment of their fees shall be considered to be not in good standing.

back to top

ARTICLE II - Officers of the Association

Section 1. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

1. The President shall be the chief elected officer of the Association, shall preside at all meetings of the Association, and shall be chairman of and preside at all meetings of the Executive Council. The President shall appoint the members of all committees, except as otherwise specified in the Constitution or By-Laws, and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall submit an annual report to the Association on all matters which may be of interest or concern to the members of the Association which have taken place during the term of office. The report shall be presented at the annual Business Meeting of the Association.
2. The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President in the event of absence or incapacity or removal of the President, and shall perform such duties as are assigned to the President or prescribed by the Executive Council.
3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping and maintaining the records of the Association and the Executive Council and for the mailing/posting of meeting notices and such other communications as provided for in the Constitution and By-Laws. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also be responsible for the receipt and expenditure of funds in accordance with the directives established by the Executive Council. The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain appropriate and adequate financial records and shall be ready whenever required to give an accounting to the Executive Council, and shall give same information/records to the successor. The Secretary-Treasurer shall submit an annual financial report to the Association and shall be under such bond as determined by the Executive Council. This report will be given at the annual Business Meeting of the Association.
4. The Associate Member Vice-President shall be responsible for representing the needs and desires of the associate members to the Executive Council. The Associate-Member Vice President shall work with the Training Committee in determining needs and providing training opportunities for associate members. The Associate Member Vice President shall also be the chair of the Corporate Development Committee.
5. The Special Representative Vice President shall be responsible for presenting the views of that category of school he/she represents to the Executive Council and to the membership, as well as providing support to the Association as called upon as an officer.

Section 2. COMPENSATION AND EXPENSES OF OFFICERS
None of the elected officers of the Association shall receive any compensation for their services as such to the Association. Any necessary travel expenses of the elected officer to represent the Association may be paid from the Association funds by prior approval of the Executive Council.

Section 3. VACANCIES IN OFFICES

1. A vacancy created by the death or resignation of the President shall be filled by the President-Elect.
2. A vacancy in any officer other than that of President shall be filled with an active member of the Association to be appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Council from nominations by the President. Such appointments shall be on a interim basis until the next general election of officers, and shall not prejudice the election of the incumbent to a regular term of office.

back to top

ARTICLE III - The Executive Council

Section 1. FUNCTIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

1. The Executive Council shall have full authority over the affairs of the Association and shall perform the functions of the Association during the interim between meetings of the Association. Such authority shall not include that of rescinding or modifying any official action taken by the Association.
2. The Executive Council shall meet immediately prior to meetings of the Association. Special meetings of the Executive Council may be called by the President or upon petition by two members of the Executive Council. The time and place of such meetings shall be designed by the President.
3. Three members present and voting shall constitute a quorum at any official meeting of the Executive Council. In the event of a deadlock vote, the vote of the President-Elect shall be nullified.
4. Minutes of special meetings of the Executive Council shall be distributed to all members of the Association when appropriate and/or necessary.

back to top

ARTICLE IV - Quorum

Section 1.
One-half of the eligible voting institutional members of the Association shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Association.

Section 2.
Proxy voter may be used at regularly scheduled meetings if the proxy has a valid authorization as determined by the Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 3.
Ballots by mail and/or electronic mail may be used on specific issues with approval of the President and Executive Council.

back to top

ARTICLE V - Committees

Standing and Special committees may be created to promote the purposes of the Association or to carry out necessary functions of the Association. Creation of such committees, their jurisdiction, the number, and the selection and tenure of their members shall be the responsibility of the President, subject to the approval of the Executive Council.

back to top

ARTICLE VI - Standing Rules

Section 1. ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER
Roberts Rules of Order-Revised shall be procedural rules followed by the Association.

Section 2. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENT
Standing rules may be adopted or amended by the Association or the Executive Council by a majority vote of those present and voting at any meeting of either body, provided a quorum is present at such meeting.

Section 3. RECORDING AND DISTRIBUTION
A record of the standing rules of the Association shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be made available to all Executive Council members and upon request to any member of the Association.

back to top

ARTICLE VII - Voting

Voting in all matters shall be by institutional vote by the designated person. Exceptions to allow for an individual vote may be allowed by the President with the concurrence of the Executive Council. At such time, vote will be by individuals and shall be limited to the particular issue.

back to top

ARTICLE VIII - Budgets

A budget will be established each year and distributed to the membership. The budget will be made by the Executive Council and distributed to the association during the first quarter of the year.

back to top

ARTICLE IX - Expenditures

Expenditures that are within the established budget may be paid by the Secretary/Treasurer without additional approval. Expenditures which are a variance from the budget must be approved by the Executive Council prior to the payment.

back to top