2021 Proposed Changes to IASNR Governance Documents
After considerable thought and discussion, the IASNR Council recently passed several potential changes to our IASNR Constitution and Bylaws which will be voted on by the membership after the IASNR All Members Meeting (also known as the General Assembly or Business Meeting) held during the 2021 Virtual IASNR Conference.
In accordance with our Constitution, these proposed changes have been posted on the IASNR website for your review and comment between now and the meeting in June. We will consider any suggestions and offer the amended changes for the aforementioned vote in June.
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or comments. Please submit any comments by June 1st.
2021 Proposed Changes to IASNR Governance Documents
Proposed Changes to Constitution
Below is a brief summary of the changes:
- Change the name of the General Assembly (also known as IASNR Business Meeting) to the All Member’s Meeting. The name change reduces ambiguity with the overall goal of increasing member attendance.
- The IASNR Council is proposing to replace two standing committees with “teams” that will not be listed in the Constitution:
- The Audit Committee (also known as Finance Committee) will become a team effort between the Executive Officers, a Council Member, and or an IASNR member at large. The Treasurer will continue to present a quarterly report to Council members. Details of the finance report are available in the Council meeting minutes.
- The Communications Committee will also become a team effort between the Executive Officers, a Council Member, and or an IASNR member at large.
The Site Selection Committee has been renamed Conference Support Committee. The committee will now be more involved with the planning efforts of the IASNR Conference in addition to reviewing proposals for future meetings. In effect, the Site Selection Committee and Annual Meeting Committee have been combined.
- The IASNR Council proposes to formally add four committees to the list of standing committees. The new committees added to the Constitution are the Diversity Committee, Membership Committee, Professional Development Committee, and Publications Committee.
Proposed Changes to Bylaws
Below is a brief summary of the changes:
- Change the name of the General Assembly (also known as IASNR Business Meeting) to the All Member’s Meeting. The name change reduces ambiguity with the overall goal of increasing member attendance.
- Added clarifying language to Article 3 regarding membership termination.
- The IASNR Council is proposing to allow Executive Officers to vote on issues in front of the Council, although the Executive Council members will not be counted as part of quorum. The Executive Council members are the Executive Director, Treasurer, and Secretary and actively engaged in the goals and operations of IASNR to warrant their voice in the vote count.
- The IASNR Council is proposing to allow for self-nominations to Council and for Executive Officer positions. Currently nominations require another IASNR member to do so. The ability to nominate oneself is expected to enhance the diversity of nominees to represent our membership.
Voting Process
There are three substantive changes pulled-out for a separate vote, with the other changes to the documents considered minor and will be voted on as a collective. The ballot will be sent through Survey Monkey on June 25th and close on July 2nd. Only current 2021 IASNR Members can vote. Please be sure to renew your membership to participate in the vote! Below are the changes to be voted on in June after the All Member’s Meeting (also known as General Assembly).
- Proposed changes to IASNR standing committee structure (see Article 8: Standing and Ad Hoc Committees in Constitution).
- Allow Executive Officers (Executive Director, Treasurer, and Secretary) to vote in Council meetings, but not count in quorum (see Article 6: Council in By-Laws).
- Ability to self-nominate (see Article 6: Council and Article 7: Executive Officers in By-Laws).
- Correct formatting, copy edits, and minor changes.
Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or comments. Please submit any comments by June 1st.