Kansas AHEAD Bylaws

Constitution and By-Laws of the
 Kansas Association on Higher Education and Disability

MISSION STATEMENT

We, the Disability Service Providers of postsecondary educational institutions of Kansas provide ongoing training and support for associated members. The purpose of the stated bylaws established by KAN-AHEAD is to provide training, education, and support for disability service providers whose authority serves students with disabilities in higher education.

KAN-AHEAD is an active affiliate of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). AHEAD is an international, multicultural organization of professionals, committed to the higher education of students with disabilities.

KAN-AHEAD works in collaboration with other state affiliates to promote professional education and training when appropriate and applicable.

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Kansas Association on Higher Education and Disability, aka KAN-AHEAD.

ARTICLE II – DEFINITION

For the purposes of this constitution, the term “student with a disability” shall be defined as any person who:

A.    has a physical or mental characteristic which in specific situations severely affects one or more life activities,

B.     has a medical verification of such characteristic, or

C.     is regarded as having such characteristic.

ARTICLE III – PURPOSE

The purpose of the Kansas Association on Higher Education and Disability (KAN-AHEAD) shall be to:

A.    provide a professional association which will strengthen the professionalism, expertise, and competency of personnel working with students with disabilities through:

1.      encouraging the development and expansion of a communications network for those persons professionally involved in programs for students with disabilities;

2.      developing the capability to make timely and meaningful responses to issues and concerns affecting the educational resources or environment of students with disabilities;

3.      serving as an intermediary to facilitate the collection, evaluation, and dissemination of information for persons professionally involved in programs for students with disabilities; and

4.      providing, promoting, and maintaining a list serve that associated members may use as an informational and educational resource.

B.     promote the equal rights and opportunities of post-secondary students with disabilities.

C.     promote coordination among agencies working with post-secondary students with disabilities.

D.    encourage and support legislation for the benefit of post-secondary students with disabilities.

E.     provided further, KAN-AHEAD is organized and operated exclusively for educational purposes.

ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Types of Memberships

Membership in KAN-AHEAD will be of three types:

A.    Active Professional - shall be any individual working in a Kansas post-secondary educational institution to enhance post-secondary educational opportunities for students with disabilities.

B.     Other Professional – shall be any individual working in Kansas in a setting other than a post-secondary educational institution to enhance educational opportunities for students with disabilities.

C.     Emeritus Member – shall be any person who formerly worked to enhance higher education opportunities for persons with disabilities who is currently retired and/or is not employed on a full-time basis.

Section 2. Voting

A.    Dues: Each active professional must pay annual dues (to be assessed by quorum) and is entitled to one vote. The quorum may upon their discretion activate or inactivate the annual dues policy.

B.     Manner of Action: A majority of votes by the active members present at a scheduled meeting shall be designated a quorum. A quorum shall be necessary for the adoption of the matter to be voted upon.

C.     Mail or Electronic Voting: Voting may be conducted by mail or electronic means in such a manner as the Executive Board shall determine. Election shall be a majority of votes. 

Section 3. Holding Office

A.    The privilege of holding office within the Executive Board is only available to active professional members.

B.     KAN-AHEAD is an equal opportunity organization and does not discriminate in its membership with regard to disability, race, ethnicity, national origin, relation, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or political affiliation.

ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1 - Officers and Terms of Office

A.    The Executive Board of KAN-AHEAD shall be the President, Vice President, Treasurer Secretary and Immediate Past President.

B.     All officers except for the Immediate Past President shall be elected at large from the active professional membership of KAN-AHEAD.

C.     The term of office of each elected officer of KAN-AHEAD shall be for a period of two (2) years. The term for Immediate Past President shall be the two years following the end of the elected term.

D.    Any officer can serve two (2) consecutive full terms, if elected.

E.     The President and Member at Large representative will be elected in odd-numbered years to begin office January 1st of even-numbered years. The Vice-President and Secretary will be elected in even-numbered years to begin office January 1st of odd-numbered years. The Immediate Past President’s term shall match the first term of the current President.

F.      In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the duties of President. All other vacancies shall be filled as they occur, in the method of original selection.

G.    Nominations, appointments and elections of officers shall take place annually at the fall meeting in accordance with procedures established and approved by the membership.

Section 2 - Duties of Officers

A.    The President

1.      The President shall preside at all meetings of KAN-AHEAD and perform such other duties as pertain to that office.

2.      The President shall be Chairperson of the Executive Council and shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

3.      The President shall appoint the Chairpersons of all standing committees.

4.      The President shall secure speakers for conferences or appoint the duty to members as necessary to carry out business.

5.      The President shall provide general leadership and perform and/or delegate tasks necessary to carry out and advance the mission of the association.

6.      The President shall serve as the Affiliate Representative to the national AHEAD organization. If the President cannot represent the organization at the national AHEAD conference, the Vice-President, or the immediate Past President shall serve as the representative.

7.      The KAN-AHEAD association will provide airfare and other associated transportation costs as well as a reasonable per diem.

8.      The KAN-AHEAD organization will participate in promotional opportunities as considered appropriate by the Executive Committee.

B.     The Vice President

1.      The Vice-President, in the absence of the President, shall have all the powers and shall perform all the duties of the President.

2.      The Vice President shall be the KAN-AHEAD standing committee coordinator, and in such capacity shall coordinate and direct as appropriate the functions of all standing committees as directed by the President.

C.     The Secretary

1.      The Secretary shall have both recording and correspondence responsibility and such additional duties as may be directed by the Executive Board.

2.      The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings and conference calls.

3.      The Secretary shall distribute minutes of the meetings to the Executive Board in a timely fashion.

4.      The Secretary shall be responsible for all official correspondence of the organization.

5.      The Secretary shall provide minutes to the membership at the spring and fall meetings as scheduled.

D.    Member at Large Representative

1.      The Member at Large representative shall be the voice of the general membership to the Executive Board.

2.      The Member at Large representative shall be responsible for participating in Executive Board meetings

3.      The Member at Large representative shall assist the President and Vice-President in achieving the goals of the organization

4.      The Member at Large representative shall support Kan-AHEAD committees as needed

 

E.     Immediate Past President

1.      The Immediate Past President shall serve as an advisor to the Executive Board

2.      The Immediate Past President shall provide historical reference for the Executive Board’s decision-making process.

3.      When necessary, the Immediate Past President shall serve as the affiliate liaison to National AHEAD and other organizations.

4.      The Immediate Past President shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Board except when there is a tie vote; in this case the Immediate Past President shall cast the deciding vote.

F.      The Treasurer

1.      The Treasurer position is an appointed position of the Executive Board and is a non-voting member. Treasurers are appointed by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

2.      The Treasurer can be replaced at any time by a majority vote of the Executive Board.

3.      The Treasurer shall be responsible for receiving and disbursing all monies of KAN- AHEAD under policies approved by KAN-AHEAD.

4.      The Treasurer shall keep adequate and appropriate records of such receipts and disbursements.

5.      The Treasurer shall perform the duties customary to the office and such additional duties as may be directed by the Executive Board.

6.      The Treasurer shall submit quarterly statements of account electronically to the Executive Board. These statements would include deposit of monies in bank, trust companies, or other depositories.

7.      The Treasurer shall present bi-annual reports to be distributed at the fall and spring meeting as scheduled and to the Executive Board as requested.

 

Section 3 - The Executive Board

A.    The Executive Board shall have full authority to conduct the affairs of KAN-AHEAD during the interim period between meetings. Such authority must remain within the provisions of this constitution and not conflict with decisions, actions, or policies established by KAN-AHEAD.

B.     The Executive Board shall be comprised of the elected officers and the Immediate Past President.

C.     Executive authority of KAN-AHEAD shall rest with the Executive Board. The Executive Board shall use the By-laws contained herein as the ultimate authority for the Association.

D.    There shall be a combined meeting of the out-going officers, the current officers, and the incoming officers to exchange books, notes and other official documents.

1.      When new officers are elected, the names on the financial accounts shall be transferred within thirty (30) days of the new officer taking office.

2.      The signature cards for all financial accounts shall be updated as necessary at this combined meeting.

Section 4 - Nomination and Election of Officers

A.    There shall be established a Nomination and Election Committee as a special committee consisting of no less than three (3) members appointed by the President, subject to confirmation by the Executive Board.

B.     The Nomination and Election Committee shall poll the membership for the names of possible candidates to be placed on the nomination ballot for positions and shall screen and select appropriate candidates from among these nominees. No person nominated and accepted, as a candidate shall be placed in nomination for another office during the current selection.

C.     The Nomination and Election Committee shall conduct the election of officers by secret ballot by electronic voting. A majority vote of those eligible members responding is required.

ARTICLE VI – FINANCE

Section 1 – Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of KAN-AHEAD shall be from January 1st to December 31st.

Section 2 – Income

Income shall be derived from membership dues and such other sources as the Executive Board may approve.

Section 3 – Dues

A.    Dues shall be assessed and collected in such amount and in such manner as may be prescribed by KAN-AHEAD.

B.     Any proposal to increase the dues of the Association shall be made available to the total membership by the Secretary at least thirty (30) days before expected action.

C.     No vote shall be taken until at least thirty (30) days have passed.

D.    The vote may be by:

1.      a duly called meeting of KAN-AHEAD or

2.      by electronic mail.

E.     In the first instance, a majority vote of those eligible members registered and physically present during the ballot is required. In the second instance, a majority vote of those eligible members responding is required.

F.      In no case will proxy voting be allowed.

Section 4 – Bank Account

A.    Both the President and Treasurer shall have their names on the signature cards for all KAN-AHEAD financial accounts.

B.     The President and Treasurer shall have bank cards for the financial accounts when available.

C.     Purchases more than two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00) shall require the approval of the President and Treasurer.

Section 5 -- Auditing of Books

A.    The books of KAN-AHEAD shall be audited at the conclusion of each fiscal year.

B.     Three members shall be selected by the Executive Board to a special committee to reconcile the books.

C.     The Treasurer shall prepare the books and submit them to the Audit Special Committee by February 1.

D.    The Audit Special Committee shall reconcile the books and submit a report to the Executive Board by March 1.

Section 6 – Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of KAN-AHEAD, all assets will be liquidated, all debts shall be paid, and any remaining proceeds shall be donated, by a majority vote of members, to other organizations or causes, either national or state-wide that advance the disability-related issues.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES

Section 1 - Appointment to the Committees

KAN-AHEAD shall establish such standing and special committees as may be needed to conduct its activities. The Chairperson of each committee will be selected by the President.

Section 2 - Standing Committees

The President with concurrence of the Executive Board shall establish, maintain or dissolve such standing committees as per the provisions of Article VII, Section 1.

Section 3 - Special Committees

The President and/or the Executive Board may establish special committees as necessary. Such committees will operate within the purposes and philosophy of KAN-AHEAD, shall be specifically charged, and automatically dismissed upon completion of their task.

Section 4 – Committee Reports

Each committee shall make a written report of its activities and status to the Executive Board on or before the date of the fall and spring meetings and shall report at other times as requested by the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VIII - RULES OF ORDER

Section 1 - Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised

This text (by Henry M. Robert III, William J. Evans, Daniel H. Honemann, Thomas J. Balch, 2000) shall be the parliamentary authority for all proceedings of the KAN-AHEAD unless otherwise specified in the constitution.

ARTICLE IX - CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Section 1 – Initiation

Proposals to amend this Constitution may be initiated by the Executive Board, unanimous recommendations of a standing committee, or any one member qualifying for Active Professional membership under Article IV.

Section 2 – Proposal by an Individual Member

A.    If a proposal to amend is initiated by an individual member, it shall be accompanied by a petition signed by at least ten (10) Active Professional members.

B.     The proposal to amend must be received by the Secretary at least fifty (50) days before action is expected.

C.     The Secretary shall make such proposed amendments available to the total membership at least thirty (30) days before expected action and no vote shall be taken until at least thirty (30) days has passed.

Section 3 – Approval

A.    The Constitution may be amended by:

1.      a duly called meeting of KAN-AHEAD, or

2.      by electronic voting.

B.     In the first instance, a majority vote of those eligible members registered and physically present during the ballot is required. In the second instance, a majority vote of the eligible members responding is required.

C.     In no case will proxy voting be allowed.

ARTICLE X – IMPLEMENTATION OF BY-LAWS

This constitution shall be implemented and go into effect immediately by two-thirds vote of the voting members. This election may be held via electronic voting.

 

Revised November 2023

Revised September 2022

Revised March 2018