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Constitution
Article I
Name and Affiliation
Section I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the New York State Educational Media/Technology Association.
Section II: Affiliation
The New York State Educational Media/Technology Association may become affiliated with any other educational organization presented at any General Meeting or may become disaffiliated in the same manner.
Article II
Purpose
Section I: Purpose
The New York State Educational Media/Technology Association's primary purpose is to support educational media/technology objectives within a program of activities such as the following:
A. To foster educational improvement through the integration of media/technology in the teaching/learning process;
B. To provide leadership in the effective implementation of statewide projects;
C. To promote the flow of information, ideas, and services among administrators, teachers and students;
D. To provide an organized forum for experimentation, research and development;
E. To provide leadership in the development and use of educational media/technology;
F. To cooperate in the enhancement of regional educational services;
G. To sponsor professional conferences and workshops on behalf of the membership;
H. To work cooperatively with similar state and national organizations in support of media/technology.
Article III
Membership
Section I: Membership Qualification
A. BOCES/Non-Public/Big City Regional Media Center
BOCES/Non-Public/Big City Regional Media Center membership shall be limited to persons employed in New York State with media/technology responsibilities in a BOCES media program or a non-public or Big City regional media center. Big City = Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers, and New York City
B. Corporate Partner
Corporate Partner shall be open to representatives of commercial firms in the field of media/technology.
C. Honorary Membership
Honorary membership may be granted by majority vote of the Executive Committee to retired individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the field of media/technology and have had BOCES or Big City responsibilities during their tenure in the media/technology field. Honorary Membership may also be extended to BOCES District Superintendents.
D. Associate Member
Associate membership shall be limited to persons in a NYS institution/organization that provides educational media/technology services to patrons (e.g. K-12, colleges, museums, special libraries, PBS, etc). Such membership shall be approved by the executive committee.
Section II: Voting Organization Privileges
The right to vote and hold office shall be reserved for BOCES/Non-Public/Big City Regional Media Center and Corporate members. Each BOCES/Non-Public/Big City Regional Media Center and Corporate Partner in good standing shall be entitled to one vote.
Section III: Member Benefits
New York State Educational Media/Technology Projects (e.g. BOCES State Licensing Projects/Offers, NYS Media Cooperative) shall be offered only to BOCES/Non-Public Regional/Big City Media Center members.
Article IV
Dues and Participation
Section I: Dues
Validation of membership for all but Honorary members shall require payment of annual dues as set forth in the By-Laws.
Section II: Participation
Payment of dues shall provide memberships from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. Participation in the Association as a voting member shall be contingent upon payment of dues.
Article V
Officers and Executive Committee
Section I: Officers
The officers of the Association shall be a President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. Duties and methods of election of these officers by the membership shall be as given in ByLaws.
Section II: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, the Immediate Past President, whose institution is currently a member in good standing with the Association, one representative each from the Corporate Partner and Associate Memberships and eight (8) duly elected Members at Large. The Members at Large shall represent each of the eight recognized Regional Consortia (See Appendix I). The duties of the Executive Committee shall be to conduct the business of the organization in accord with the policies, principles and directions of the Association.
Section III: Term of Office
The term of office for all elected officers shall be designated in the By-Laws.
Article VI
Meeting and Elections
Section I: Meetings
A. There shall be a minimum of two statewide professional meetings per year called by the officers of the Association. There will be one meeting held in the Fall, one in the Spring, and others as needed. Standing Committee meetings may be called by the members of the Executive Committee as needed.
Section II: Nominations
A. A Nominating Committee, chaired by the Immediate Past President, shall make its report at the Spring Meeting. Nominations may be made from the floor at this session. All nominations shall require the consent of the nominee.
Section III: Elections
A. Voting ballots shall be distributed by the Association secretary in accordance with procedures set forth in the By-Laws.
B. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected.
Article VII
Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws
Section I: Constitution
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed to the Executive Committee by action of not less than three active members of the Association. Such proposed amendments shall be in writing and shall contain the exact wording of the proposed amendment with an exact notation of where this shall affect the Constitution. It shall be accompanied by a written statement explaining the need for the amendment. Each amendment shall then be distributed to the voting members at least one month prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. At the meeting, due discussion and/or explanation shall occur. Ballots will be distributed to the voting members as specified in the By-Laws. Results shall be tabulated and distributed to the membership no later than a date specified in the By-Laws. A simple majority of those voting shall be sufficient to place an amendment in effect.
Section II: By-Laws
Details of the operation of the Association shall be governed by the By-Laws. These By-Laws may be amended by a simple majority vote of the members present at any general meeting.
Article VIII
Financial Limitation of Members
Section I: Financial Limitations
No portion of the funds of the organization shall be used for the personal benefit of an individual member or group of members except for reasonable compensation for services rendered by the Association. All services must be approved by the Executive Committee.
Article IX
Rules of Order
Section I: Rules of Order
Robert's "Rules of Order-Revised" shall be the basis for the official proceedings of the Association.
Article X
Quorum
Section I: Quorum
Members present at a regularly scheduled Executive Committee Meeting shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.
Article XI
Dissolution
Section I: Dissolution
In the event that a majority of the membership determines to dissolve this Association, all assets, financial or otherwise, shall within sixty (60) days or whenever thereafter practical and after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Association, deliver or pay over all the Association assets to any successor organization approved by the membership. If no successor organization is so recommended, all assets, financial or otherwise, shall within sixty (60) days or whenever thereafter practical and after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the Association, be delivered or paid over to the voting membership on an equal basis.