Below, shown in [red], are December 2003 suggestions for revisions to the chapter bylaws, prepared by President, Gay Wiseman. At this time, more careful study of the new International constitution is still needed, in order to assure compliance. Once the chapter reviews and comments on these suggestions at this meeting, the executive board will finalize a proposed revision, consult International for compatiblity with the new constitution, and bring the resulting rewritten bylaws before the membership for a vote at a future meeting.
Jump to: 2004 Comments / 2007 Comments / 2007 Approved and Instituted Bylaws (pdf)
Article One: Name, Location, and Purpose
Section 101
This chapter, a unit of
the international fraternity of Phi
Delta Kappa International, shall be known as the Walden University Phi
Delta Kappa Cyberspace Chapter. It is located in District 7K and shall
have its headquarters in Bonita Springs, Florida.[Walden University no longer has offices in Florida, so this affiliation makes no real sense. We could be "located" in any geographical district. Perhaps an international region would be most appropriate] Its purpose shall be
to promote quality education, with particular emphasis on publicly supported
education, as essential to the development and maintenance of a democratic
way of life.
Article Two: Authority
Section 201
The Walden University Phi
Delta Kappa Cyberspace Chapter shall
be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of Phi Delta Kappa International.
All revisions and amendments thereto are automatically accepted
by this chapter and are to be incorporated in these bylaws as editorial
changes. Should this chapter's bylaws conflict with the Constitution
and Bylaws of Phi Delta Kappa International, the latter shall prevail,
and the chapter's bylaws shall be revised accordingly.
[This is the main reason we need to revise these bylaws now. The new International constitution has many areas of change we need to come into line with.]
Section 202
Upon the dissolution of
the organization, the Board of Directors
(Executive Board) shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment
of all the liabilities of the organization, dispose of all the assets of
the organization exclusively for the purposes of the organization
in such manner, or to such organizations organized and operated
exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes
as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations
under section 501 c3 of the Internal Revenue Code 1954 (or the corresponding
provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law),
as the Board of Directors Executive Board) shall determine. Any such assets
not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the court of jurisdiction
of the county in which the principal office of the organization
is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization
or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized and
operated exclusively for such purposes.
[We should be clearer about where this principal office is, or state this differently.]
Section 203
This organization is organized
and shall be operated exclusively
for charitable and educational purposes within the meaning of section 501c3
of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
Section 204
In accordance with the Phi
Delta Kappa International bylaws,
the following bylaws shall serve as guides for conducting the business
of the Walden University Phi Delta Kappa Cyberspace Chapter.
Section 205
Parliamentary procedure
shall follow the rules specified in
Robert's Rules of Order.
Article Three: Membership Eligibility Requirements
Section 301
Individuals shall be eligible
for membership in Phi Delta Kappa who are of good character; declare interest
in and commitment to the accomplishment
of Phi Delta Kappa's goals and objectives; and, meet criterion a, and either
b, c, or d below.
a) The scholastic and activity record for each candidate shall be sufficiently high for admittance to candidacy for an advanced degree.
b) Persons who have a baccalaureate degree and/or are credentialed for teaching and who are employed in education in the area normally served by a chapter may be elected to membership provided such candidates shall be active in a position requiring teacher certification, or in educational work in adult and continuing education, educational research, early childhood education, elementary education, school administration or supervision, secondary education, teacher education, higher education, or any other education-related fields as identified by the chapter.
c) Graduate students admitted to a graduate program in education, who are or have been in residence at any time during the fiscal year in which membership is proposed. The words "in residence" shall be interpreted in accordance with the regulations of the institution where the student is enrolled.
Section 302
The membership committee
shall assume the responsibility for
the following:
a. Accept
member-sponsored nominations for prospective members.
b. Accept
self self-nominations from prospects for membership.
c. Secure
documentation to substantiate that membership requirements havebeen met.
d. Examine
the credentials of all prospective members and vote to acceptor reject
them.
Section 303
To be accepted for membership,
a candidate must receive a majority
vote of the membership committee.
[In order to bring our bylaws in line with International's, we will need to study the membership rule changes. I do not believe that the signature of the VP Membership of a chapter is required any longer; folks can join our chapter by sending an application direct to International and designating our chapter for affiliation--I think. Also, I believe International now recognizes undergraduate student members as well as graduate students. So we need to do some checking on these things.]
Section 304
Procedures for implementing
decisions of the membership committee
are as follows:
a. Membership
committee notifies candidates of the committee's actions.
b. Membership
committee informs persons accepted for membership of the date for initiation
and provides necessary forms/materials.
c. Membership
committee receives fees and any materials required for membership.
d. Membership
committee prepares for an orientation of new members and prepares for initiation.
e. Candidate
is initiated.
f. The
name of the member is published and distributed to chapter members.
g. The
chapter sends initiation report and fees to international headquarters.
Article Four: Dues
Section 401
Annual dues for regular
chapter membership are $25.00 or the
equivalent in foreign currency. International headquarters bills the member
for total annual dues and returns $25.00 to Walden University Phi Delta
Kappa Cyberspace Chapter as local dues.
Section 402
Total annual dues are payable
in advance of the membership year
to which such dues are credited.
Article Five: Chapter Officers and Other Functionaries
Section 501
The officers of Walden University
Phi Delta Kappa Cyberspace
Chapter shall consist of a president, vice president of programs,
vice president of membership, vice president of communications (webmaster), treasurer, secretary-historian, foundation representative,
research representative, and advisors [how many?].chapter delegate
and alternates.
Section 502
All chapter officers, except
the chapter delegate, shall be
elected by a majority vote not later than the April, meeting unless approval
for a later election is granted by the Board of Directors. Officers
shall serve a one year term.
Section 503
Chapter officers except
the chapter delegate, shall hold office
during the succeeding fiscal year, July 1 to June 30.
Section 504
The chapter delegate shall
be elected at any regular meeting
not later than the April meeting. The term of office for the delegate is
two years.
Section 505
All chapter officers may
serve successive terms.
Section 506
If the office of the president
is vacated for any reason except
expiration of term, a special election called by the president [or acting president] will fill
the vacancy. If the vacancy occurs within three months of the next election,
the office may be left vacant or the executive committee may appoint one
of its members to carry out the duties of the office.
Section 507
Newly elected officers shall
be installed by the retiring president
at the last regular meeting of the Phi Delta Kappa year. No person may
be declared an officer until formally installed.
Article Six: Duties of Officers and Other Functionaries
Section 601
The president shall preside
at all meetings, supervise all activities,
and assume primary responsibilities for all fraternity activities.
Section 602
The vice president of membership
shall preside in the absence
of the president and perform duties as may be assigned by the president.
Section 603
The secretary-historian [ Secretary was erroneously omitted from the list of officers in Section 501 above. I suggest combining the position with that of historian, as some functions overlap.] shall keep
minutes of all executive and regular
chapter meetings, present these for approval at the next regular meeting
of the chapter, handle the general correspondence of the chapter, maintain
an accurate mailing list of all chapter members, notify candidates
of election to membership, supervise duplicating and mailing,and serve
as steward of all apparatus belonging to the chapter, and maintain an archive containing awards and memorobilia important to the chapter. The secretary-historian shall
perform other duties as may be assigned by the president.
Section 604
The treasurer shall collect
and have charge of all monies collected,
pay all approved bills, keep books, make a report at each meeting, prepare
a yearly financial statement for approval by the executive
committee, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the president.
Section 605
The historian shall keep
an accurate record of the various meetings,
the programs of such meetings, and the membership. The historian shall
present an annual report to the chapter secretary.
The vice president for programs will be responsible for proposing an annual calendar of programs, arranging details for hosting program presenters, and for fostering maximum member particpation during meetings and program events.
Section 606
The foundation representative
shall coordinate foundation activities
at the chapter level and review and act upon all foundation-related
mailings from international headquarters. The foundation representative shall also serve as a standing member of the membership committee, along with the VP for membership
Section 607
The research representative
shall coordinate research activities
carried out by the chapter and serve as the liaison between the chapter
and Phi Delta Kappa International's Center for Evaluation, Development,
and Research.
The vice president for communications will serve primarily as webmaster, and also will chair the standing communications committee in order to coordinate the content of the 3 main vehicles of communication for the chapter, the website, email lists and newsletters.
Section 608
The newsletter editor each
year shall publish at least 4 newsletters
annually on chapter activities and other subjects of interest to members,
including executive meeting actions, time and place of chapter meetings,
nominations, and proposed amendments to bylaws. The newsletter editor will be a standing member of the communications committee.
Section 609
The delegate shall represent
the chapter at the district conference
and at such other activities requiring representation from the chapter.
If the chapter delegate and alternates cannot represent the chapter, it
is the responsibility of the chapter president to inform the executive
director and/or district representative of the substitute orsubstitutes.
Section 609
The email list manager
will be a standing member of the communications committee, and will be responsible for keeping both the officers' email list and the general membership email lists as current as possible. The email list manager will setup waldenpdk.org email addresses for members, and will also monitor the queue of posts to the mailing list in order to eliminate spam or other inappropriate email that should not be distributed to list members. During joint chapter meetings and programs, this person will add/delete email addresses of visitors as required.
Section 610
The advisor shall advise
the chapter on matters relating to
policy, bylaws, and the PDK International bylaws and constitution. The
advisor shall serve as a liaison between the chapter executive committee
and its members. The advisor shall establish and maintain a relationship
between the chapter and the educational community. The advisor shall perform
other duties appropriate to the continuity of this chapter.
Section 611
The webmaster shall be responsible
for typing, editing, and
the overall design and maintenance of the chapter's web pages.
Section 612
Any officer who cannot devote
the necessary time and energy
to complete the requirements of the office shall be put on a one month
probationary period. An officer on probation should submit a letterof explanation
to the executive board. A judgment will be made to reinstate or remove
the officer from a leadership role in the chapter.
Section 613
Any vacancy of an officer position may be filled for the remainder of the current term by a presidential appointment if it is approved by a majority vote of the executive board. If no such vote is obtained, a special election must be held at the next general meeting of the chapter.
Article Seven: Standing Committees
Section 701
There shall be an executive
committee composed of all elected
officers of the chapter. The executive committee shall determine the time
and place of meetings; plan programs for the chapter; propose thebudget
for the fiscal year; recommend to the chapter members to fill offices vacated
by resignations, dismissals, or deaths; carry out routine business between
chapter meetings; and make recommendations to the chapter on other business
matters such as expending unbudgeted funds.
Section 702
The membership committee
will be chaired by the vice-president
for membership and include the foundation representative and any other members appointed by the president. The
committee has the right and duty of selecting as members those candidates
who meet the chapter's minimum requirements for membership.
Section 702
The communications committee
will be chaired by the vice-president
for communications, and include the webmaster, newsletter editor, email list manager, and any other members appointed by the president. The
committee has the duty of setting up and maintaining a chapter communications infrastructure that keeps all members informed, and keeps all relevant communications lines open and accessible to promote maximum member particpation.
Article Eight: Ad Hoc Committees
Section 801
The president may appoint
ad hoc committees to perform whatever
functions declared important by the executive committee, or the chapter
deem necessary or desirable.
Section 802
At least two months prior
to the election, the president shall
appoint a nominating committee representative of the educational communities
served by Walden University Phi Delta Kappa Cyberspace Chapter.
This nominating committee shall recommend a slate of officers and may recommend
a slate of additional members for the executive committee.This committee
may also serve as the election committee.
Section 803
The president shall appoint
an election committee to assist
in conducting the election, counting ballots, ruling on eligibility of
voters, and the like. This committee may include the nominatingcommittee
and as many additional members as necessary. No candidate for president
or vice president may serve on the election committee.
Article Nine: Election of Officers
Section 901
A nominating committe shall be appointed by the president. The slate proposed by the
nominating committee shall be announced
at the meeting prior to the election, and nominations also shall be open
during this meeting.
Section 902
To be eligible for election,
a candidate must accept the nomination
in writing or in person on the Internet.
Section 903
Elections shall be held
yearly no later than the April meeting
unless the Board of Directors gives approval for a later election.
Section 904
Election shall be by a simple
majority of those online and eligible
to vote. The vote shall be by secret ballot. [This is removed because it is not possible to ascertain that a voter is an eligible member, and also that each voter votes only once, without knowing the identities. If technology later permits a solution, we should incorporate a secret ballot again.
Section 905
Members of the executive
committee may be elected by a single
ballot. Those with the greatest numbers of votes are elected.
Section 906
In the event of a tie between
two leading candidates for an
office or between candidates, there shall be a run-off to decide the winner.
Article Ten: Amendments to Bylaws
Section 1001
These bylaws may be amended
at any regular meeting provided
the proposed amendments have been screened by the executivecommittee.
Section 1002
Proposed amendments to the
bylaws must be written and presented
to the executive committee at least 30 days prior to final action. The executive
committee shall screen them and present them online at
the next regular meeting following the 30 day period with the committee's
recommendations for accepting, rejecting, or altering them. The committee
may not alter or discard a proposed amendment without the consent of its
originator.
Section 1003
A majority of two-thirds
members online and eligible to vote
is required to amend the bylaw. Approved ammendments go into effect immediately, pending final approval by the international board of directors.
Article Eleven: Termination of Chapter
Section 1101
If the chapter, at some
future date, voluntarily surrenders
its charter or has it withdrawn by Phi Delta Kappa
International's Board of
Directors, all remaining funds, after obligations have
been met, will revert to Phi Delta Kappa International.
Article Twelve: Order of Business
Section 1201
The presiding officer shall
call the meeting to order.
Section 1202
The usual order of business
is as follows:
1. Approval of minutes of previous meeting
2. Treasurer's report
3. Reports of standing committees
4. Reports of special committees
5. Unfinished business
6. New business
7. Remarks of members and visitors and which are unrelated to business.
8. Closing
Section 1203
The usual order of business
may be altered by the presiding
officer to accommodate guest speakers, special programs, etc.
Section 1204
A quorum shall consist of
the members present at a chapter meeting.
Section 1205
A minimum of six [four] meetings
shall be held during the fiscal year.
Article Thirteen: Ratification
These bylaws shall become effective for the Walden University Phi Delta Kappa Cyberspace Chapter after acceptance by two-thirds of the members present at a regular meeting online, and after approval of these bylaws by the Board of Directors of Phi Delta Kappa International.
| Name | Comment |
|---|---|
| Theran | Wow, nice review, lots of things to be discussed and resolved! |
| Marion | Whew! This is going to be a big job to go through International's new constitution & ensure ours is in step! Some comments/thoughts on what is presented here: (1) Section 301A: Scholastic requirements: I sat in a meeting w/ Dr. George Kersey, Int'l. Pres., who stated we need to broaden our horizons on membership. EX: If there is a community playhouse person who helps the school, or a grandma who comes to read w/ students, they can be invited if they uphold the principles of PDK. (2) That would also wash out Section 301B, requiring certification. (3) Section 302C Requires we check out information to ensure all requirements are met. Seeing people can be self referred through Int'l., I'm not sure we can prove anything. (4) Section 501 Could the vice pres of communications also be secretary-historian, & if we have a sec'y., do we need a historian? (All history would be in the minutes). I know of no other organization who has a historian. (5) Section 603: The VP membership has all member addresses already; suggest rather than pass them on to the Sec'y. to manage them, the membership person do so. Membership person has already had a few emails by that time w/ the new inductee, & I believe the membership person should have the honors of notification, as there is probably a relationship which has already grown. (6) Good job, Gay! |
| John Craddock | I congratulate you for all the initial effort on this and appreciate the effort on our behalf, Gay. It's a big job as Theran noted. The "official" offices for Walden are now in Baltimore at Sylvan's HQ...Minneapolis is an operational office.We do need to get on this for the reasons stated. |
| Gay Wiseman | I just noticed an error in the current bylaws--in the first paragraph of Section 301 there is reference to items a, b, c, and d as criteria for membership; however there is no item d listed. I wonder what that was supposed to be? Anyone know? |
| Gay Wiseman | Re the Historian duties... yes, most of our "history" data is archived in emails and on the website, but there are also physical items that need to be dealt with somehow by someone. For instance, the certificates, awards, patches, etc. that the chapter receives. Of course we should be scanning these to place on the website, but then do we just toss the originals or keep them in a physical scrapbook? Right now they're just floating around--I have some, and I suspect each past president also has some of these items that came during their term of office. |
| Gay Wiseman | The four chapter officer positions required by the new PDK International bylaws are: President, Treasurer, Foundation Representative, Membership Representative--(we've labeled this position VP of Membership). The only further mandate is that the offices of President and Treasurer may not be filled at the same time by the same person. This implies that the other positions MAY be held by the same person. Beyond those core guidelines, WE define in our chapter bylaws what further officer positions our chapter requires, and how we will divide duties. |
| Theran | As for the "location" for our chapter, if we are "international" is it possible to declare Bloomington, PDK headquarters area, or can there be two chapters in one place? If not, maybe where Walden's main location is would be appropriate, if there isn't another chapter already in the area. |
| Doris | I noticed that the Literacy Project isn't mentioned -- didn't we have a Projects Committee? About where Walden's home base is -- since Bonita Springs is closed, wouldn't that be MN? I doubt if we could use Bloomington because of IU having a PDK chapter. |
| Gay | Doris, this is the original version of the bylaws written wa-a-a-ay back when the chapter was still in "club" status. Those bylaws have never been updated since they were first written--before we had any experience with what officer positions and committees we would really need--that's why it's so necessary to do an update now; to bring the bylaws into line with the directions in which the chapter has evolved, take advantage of what we've learned from our early, formative years of operation, and also come into alignment with the changes the international constitution has recently undergone. We could add in a section to article 7 instituting a formal, ongoing Program committee--good idea! About the home base--I learned from Andre that the selection of Florida at the time the chapter was installed was really rather arbitrary--SOME geographical home base had to be identified for affiliation under the then-extant governing system of PDK of representation within the international organization through districts, and Florida or Minnesota were the logical choices due to Walden's offices in both places. Now, the new international constitution labels these geographical units "regions" instead of districts, and they have been entirely re-aligned just this year. I personally think we might be best served by affiliation with the international (non-US) "region", rather than with a specific locality within the U.S. I think our broader membership, which includes every region of the U.S. as well as several other countries, and our focus on NON-geographic meeting style, would perhaps be best served by an international representation within the larger organization. |
| Dr. Andre Elliott | Gay, thanks for being the revolutionary leader needed during this transitional stage. I read all of your suggestions. Everything looks exceptional. I have a few ponderables. Item 201: We likely need to be located in a city, state in the USA, perhaps keeping our affiliation with Walden. This does not mean we can never be independent of Walden. Item 202: A location in a city, state of the USA is likely to ensure we meet IRS requirements should we dissolve. Item 603: Advisors may be 2. Immediate past president and a faculty member from Walden. Item 1003: A majority of participating members online, if acceptable by PDK constitution, may work best for us. Item 1205: I think four meetings per year are sufficient. Again,you continue to deliver superior results for Walden PDK. |
| Dr. Arthur Ogden | GAy: Although my comments are a bit late (you know why, though) I believe that we have a very good document here. I also believe we should have officers serve for a term of TWO years due to the uniqueness of our "cyber" chapter, and for continuity of program implementation. |
| Name | Comment |
|---|---|
| Marion Carpenter | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I have read through our constitution several times in the last couple of days looking for lines/sections which need to be changed, and am pleasantly surprised by the vision our chapter has had in creating & updating our constitution in the past. For example, concerning the "elect" people - though the term is new to us, it is provided for in our constitution. Section 701 states, "There shall be an executive committee composed of all elected officers of the chapter." Moving on to Section 802, it states, "...This nominating committee shall recommend a slate of officers and may recommend a slate of additional members for the executive committee..." So our elect members are provided for under section 802, the "...slate of additional members...". Now, this was surely visionary. I am now pondering whether we should (A) specify "elect" officers, or (B) allow this statement to stand as is, for the use of the chapter in the unknown future. It could also be (C) add the "elect" terminology and allow the rest of the statement to remain for use in the future. My fellow officers, what say you? Please try to reply quickly. I will be gone on the 9th but will try to check in regularly. Thanks so much for your diligence and interest in the chapter. I can't imagine working with a finer group of people! |
| Marilyn Simon | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I am for letting the information stand as is. This has served us well. Future officers can re-visit if need be. |
| Mary Morris | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I say we leave it as is. |
| Andre Elliott | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I think "elect positions" should be added to the constitution. Without it, the text is open to interpretation. Based on my experiences, elect people will not always be available. We know that sometimes it is difficult to simply get a full slate of officers. Therefore, elect people should be added to the ballot as available. It would be wise to specify "president-elect" as an example. We likely should specify elect positions for certain leaders: membership, foundation, treasurer, and president. We certainly can seek to have elect positions for all officers. Again, I recommend we leave nothing to interpretation. |
| David Kenneth Waldman | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I agree with Andre for the following reason. In following the constitution without exact language different people can reasonably intrepret the same langauage for opposite results we intend. By adding the langauage of as specified by Andre below we are allowing for it to be certain that it is in our constitution and there is no doubt to its meaning. If you add the phrase if deemed and voted by the officers elect not to implement for a term , or as needed to implement that will create uncertainity as well. This is a procedure that works has value to the chapter and unless we see that we want to strike this procedure then we should add the exact wording to make it clear that is is part of the running of the chapter. If the unknown future this becomes a unwise or unneeded practice they can admend the constitution at that time. When you talk Marion of visionary that is what we are doing now. Seeing something that is a benefit and adding the phrase to remove uncertainity for future boards as to what the intent was orginally meant. From there people can build on this experience as a foundation of best practice and procedures. |
| Andre Elliott | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I am willing to construct the language regarding the elect positions. Without any doubt, we need specific language. Our constitution does not contain any hint of "elect positions". Elect positions will serve the needs of our chapter very well. I am willing to add the language. Is there anyone opposed to me adding the language. If you read the constitution, you will see that there is no hint regarding "elect positions." I have been in a chapter that had elect positions. It was delineated in the constitution. I can tell you from experience, we will not always find people to serve in elect positions. We will sometimes find it difficult to fill primary positions. We are experiencing this now as we seek someone competent to be our web master. Again, the elect positions are great. I am willing to add the language. |
| David Kenneth Waldman | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I approve that you include the language if that is the decision of the board. I see some of my esteemed colleagues do not see the wisdom or need for adding in this language. If we agree so to do and include the elect position language then my vote is in favor of adding and having you writing the language. Thank you for stepping forward |
| Barbara A. Hopkins-Cox | [from email to officers, 1/6/07] I believe we should specify "elect officers" for clarification as well as for legal issues. |
| Mary | After hearing from others, I will agree to make the change. You all have more experience with this then myself. |
| Jennifer K. Pullman | The additions will surely smooth the way for future meetings. What a thorough, intelligent, and impressive job you do, Gay! You have raised the bar extremely high for the next webmaster. What a challenge it will be to maintain the caliber of excellence you have established. As for our location--I think that we need to associate closely with Walden, and as such should align with its MN headquarters. In this vein, I was also wondering if we need to add a little something about positive social change in education in the "purpose" section (101)...or do we need to stick strictly with Int'l "purposes"? |
| Dr. Charles Smith | All vacant positions after the election should be filled by the Executive Board with nominations coming from the floor. The vote should be ratified by majority vote of the general membership should a quorum be required. The President has the right to appoint standing committee chairs, but, not to appoint officers. Please keep in mind that the President is the presiding officer of the Executive Board and during all meetings. A member of the Executive Board can nominate someone from the floor and the president must carry the motion through parliamentary procedure. As I find time, other observations shall be so noted. |