By-Laws – CASP

Organization By-Laws

Bylaws of the Texas Chapter of the College Reading and Learning Association

Article I: Name The name of this organization will be the Texas Chapter of the College Reading and Learning Association, hereinafter referred to as TxCRLA.

Article II: Objective
In accordance with the policies and programs of the College Reading and Learning Association (hereinafter referred to as CRLA), the objective of this Chapter is to advance the knowledge and interest of post-secondary educators working in learning assistance, developmental education, tutorial services, and other programs of academic support and assistance.

Article III: Membership & Dues
Section 1. Payment of annual chapter dues of $10.00 per year is required to be a member in good standing. Members will be strongly encouraged to maintain membership in CRLA.

Section 2. Dues become payable annually during the fall College Academic Skills Programs (CASP) conference and become delinquent after January 1. Any member whose dues have not been paid will be dropped from membership.

Section 3. The Membership Coordinator will contact members prior to the expiration date to encourage them to pay dues. Reinstatement within the fiscal year may be granted upon payment of annual TxCRLA dues.

Article IV: Leadership
Section 1. The officers of TxCRLA are the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Coordinator, and Past President. These officers comprise the Executive Board.

Section 2. Only members in good standing with TxCRLA and CRLA are eligible to serve on the Executive Board.

Section 3. Two members of the Executive Board, by priority of offices held and availability, will represent TxCRLA at the annual CRLA conference and Leadership Workshop with basic registration and conference expenses reimbursed by TxCRLA.

Section 4. The duties of the members of the Executive Board are as follows:

A. President

chairs the Executive Board meetings and general membership meetings;
appoints ad hoc committees as needed;
serves as ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee;
appoints auditor of the financial records of TxCRLA and reports audit results to the general membership at the annual conference;
appoints a member in good standing to serve as Membership Chair;
provides annual reports of TxCRLA news and business to the CRLA newsletter editor;
serves as liaison between CRLA and TxCRLA; and
breaks tie votes in Executive Board meetings as needed.

B. President-Elect

serves as Program Chair for the annual CASP conference;
chairs the Executive Board and general membership meetings in the absence of the President; and
assists the President in administration of Chapter business.

C. Secretary

records and reports minutes of the Executive Board meetings and all general membership meetings; and
keeps records of minutes and TxCRLA correspondence.

D. Treasurer

pays all bills substantiated by a receipt;
keeps accurate financial records of TxCRLA funds;
provides detailed financial reports at the annual general membership meeting; and
prepares books for audit each fiscal year (January 1 thru December 31).

E. Past President

chairs the Nominating Committee; and
assists the President in administration of Chapter business.

F. Membership Coordinator

maintains a database of members in good standing of TxCRLA;
serves as liaison between CRLA Membership Coordinator and TxCRLA;
distributes membership cards and brochures;
supplies mailing labels as requested by other members of the Executive Committee and/or CRLA; and
reports on membership to the Executive Board and general membership.

Section 5. The President, President-elect, and Past President serve terms of one administrative year, while the Secretary and Treasurer serve a term of two administrative years, elected in different years. The Membership Coordinator is appointed by the President. The officers’ terms of office begin after induction at the conclusion of the annual CASP conference.

Section 6. No elected officer is eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office but may return to a previously held office after two years.

Section 7. Vacancies

A. A vacancy in the office of President will be filled by the President-elect.

B. A vacancy in the office of President-elect, Secretary, or Treasurer will be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the Executive Board. Such appointed officers will serve until their successors are elected in the next scheduled election.

C. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Membership Coordinator, the replacement will be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board. The appointee will serve at the discretion of the Executive Board or until the office is resigned.

Section 8. These officers will perform the duties as described by these bylaws, by the parliamentary authority adopted by TxCRLA, and by the directives of CRLA.

Section 9. Appointed Officers. The president shall appoint, subject to approval by the Executive Board, a grant specialist(s) and a historian as non-voting members of the Executive Board.

Section 10. The duties of appointed members of the Executive Board are as follows:

A. Grant Specialist

Serves as a source of information for grant and funding opportunities relevant to annual conferences and other organization needs, as well as cooperative ventures with other organizations;
be in charge of managing grant and funding applications;
engage with organizations or leaders of grant and funding opportunities.

B. Historian

Serve as a source of historical information;
be in charge of archiving all historical information;
and collecting artifacts and documents related to TxCRLA ventures and professional development.
Examples include but are not limited to:
1. awards and scholarship winners;
2. constitution and name changes;
3. as well as programs and information regarding annual conference proceedings, session titles, presenters, and keynote speakers

Section 11. All appointed officers of the board are non-voting members and thus may continue to serve so long as they are willing, and provided the Executive Board deems their work as satisfactory.

Article V: Meetings
Section 1. Executive Board Meetings

A. The Executive Board can be convened at the request of any officer.

B. Conference calls or email may be utilized for Executive Board meetings when time and distance necessitate such actions.

C. A majority of the Executive Board constitutes a quorum.

Section 2. General Membership Meetings

A. The general membership of TxCRLA will convene at the annual CASP conference.

B. A quorum consists of 10 percent of the TxCRLA membership.

C. The President or Executive Board, by a majority vote, may cancel or postpone any meeting when such action is deemed necessary.

Section 3. In general, rational minds and common courtesy will govern the meeting and administration of TxCRLA. When requested or deemed necessary by more than one member present, Robert’s Rules of Order will serve as the parliamentary authority.

Article VI: Nominations & Elections
Section 1. The Nominating Committee is chaired by the Past President and includes two members in good standing appointed by the President.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee reports its nominations for officers in the spring and/or fall newsletter of CASP. All nominees will be considered for office only with their consent.

Section 3. The officers will be elected by written and/or electronic ballot. Mode of balloting will be determined annually by the Executive Committee.

Section 4. Officers will be elected by simple majority vote. If there is only one candidate for an office, the President will declare the nominee elected.

Section 5. Election results will be published in the spring newsletter of CASP.

Article VII: Administration
Section 1. The administration of the affairs of TxCRLA is vested in the Executive Board, which is responsible for carrying out the directives of the membership with regard to any duties prescribed in these bylaws.

Section 2. The administrative year of TxCRLA begins at the conclusion of the annual CASP conference.

Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1. These bylaws may be amended at the general membership meeting of TxCRLA by a two-thirds vote of members present, provided those present constitute a quorum of the TxCRLA membership.

Section 2. When amendments to CRLA bylaws affect the bylaws of TxCRLA, such amendments will automatically become effective for TxCRLA. Notice of such automatic amendment, written and electronic, will be sent to the membership.

Article IX: Dissolution
Section 1. TxCRLA will be dissolved if its active membership drops below 25 members. It can also be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at the annual CASP conference general membership meeting and a majority vote of the Executive Committee at the same meeting. Notice of such a vote must be submitted to each TxCRLA member in writing at least thirty days in advance.

Section 2. Within thirty days from the date TxCRLA is declared inactive by its members and Executive Committee, the President will notify CRLA.

Section 3. In the event of dissolution of this TxCRLA, any remaining funds will be surrendered to CRLA within 30 days of dissolution.

Proposed June 2007; Amended September 2022

National Organization for Student Success-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) Constitution

The purpose of NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) is to improve:

the practices and effectiveness of student success services,
the professional capabilities of student success services and faculty; and
the program and resources designed to prepare and support access and completion in post-secondary settings.

How will NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) accomplish its purpose?

Engaging in the development and expansion of a communications networking among those interested in developmental education in Texas;
Promoting and sponsoring professional development, curriculum design, research, and evaluation efforts among its membership and other interested parties;
Engaging in the specific and general coordination of efforts with other organizations and persons having purpose supportive or in harmony with NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) concerns; and
Providing for an annual conference for its membership and prospective membership in conjunction with other organizations when possible and providing for such other regional and local conferences as resources permit.

Organizational Structure

			NOSS
			NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS)
			President
President Elect	Treasurer	Secretary	Scholarship Committee	Membership Chair	Political Liaison	Immediate Past President

Terms of Office:

President	One Year
President-Elect	One Year
Past-President	One Year
Treasurer	Two Years
Secretary	Two Years
Membership Chair	Two Years
Chair of Scholarship	Appointed Committee
Political Liaison	Appointed

Standing committees:

Scholarship Committee: This committee has the responsibility of disseminating information on available scholarships, reviewing all applications, and determining the recipient(s) of the scholarship. A scholarship may be awarded for purposes such as, but not limited to, research, attending training seminars and professional development.

The amount of the award may vary but can be as much as five hundred ($500) dollars depending on the availability of funds. The chair will be appointed by the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) President.

Nominations Committee: This committee is composed of the current President, the immediate past president, and a NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) member at large appointed by the President. The committee’s main responsibilities are to call for nominations for the available offices, assemble a slate for election, verify eligible voting members, and present the nominations to the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) membership for voting. For more details of the Nomination committee see Article VI, Section III of the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) constitution. The immediate Past President will serve as Chair of this committee.

Ad hoc Committees: These committees are appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. These committees are charged with specific assignments/duties.

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this organization shall be changed to National Organization for Student Success-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS), formerly known as the Texas Association for Developmental Education (TADE) effective ________ (hereinafter referred to as NOSS-Texas Chapter or TX-NOSS or “This organization”).

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES

NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

The purpose of NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) shall be to improve the practices and effectiveness of student success services such as but not limited to: learning supports such as but not limited to tutoring, writing and math tutoring centers, learning assistance centers; developmental education; corequisites; multiple measures; student placement using Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA); entry level math and English faculty; and services the professional capabilities of student success services, and the program and resources designed to prepare and support students gain access and completion in post-secondary education. NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) will seek to accomplish these purposes by:

Engaging in the development and expansion of a communications network among those interested in student success services in Texas;
Promoting and sponsoring professional development, curriculum design, research, and evaluation efforts among its membership and other interested parties;
Engaging in the specific and general coordination of efforts with other organizations and persons having purposes supportive of or in harmony with NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) concerns; and
Providing for an annual conference for its membership and prospective membership, in conjunction with other organizations when possible, and providing for such other regional and local conferences permit.

ARTICLE III: CHARACTER OF THE ORGANIZATION

This association is to be considered a legally constituted state affiliate of the National Organization of Student Success (NOSS) formerly known as National Association for Developmental Education (NADE), and as such may not be organized or operated in violation of the constitution and by-laws of NOSS.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Membership Qualifications. Any individual or institution that is engaged or actively involved in student success services and faculty in developmental studies, including corequisite models or who is otherwise interested in the purposes of NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) is eligible for membership. Such individuals or institutions do not have to be members of NOSS in order to qualify for membership in NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS).
Membership Due Structure. Membership categories and rates shall be determined each year by the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) Executive Committee.
Membership Voting Rights and Representation. Each individual member of NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS). regardless of membership category, shall have one delegate vote in all association elections or other voting activities (e.g., constitutional amendments). Each institution member of NOSS-Texas Chapter shall identify in writing to the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) membership chair one institutional representative who will have the authority and responsibility of casting the institutional member’s single delegate vote in all association elections and other voting activities. In case two votes, reflecting the dual membership capacities.
Annual Dues Cycle. Membership dues may be paid at any time during each year of membership during NOSS-Texas Chapter’s fiscal year which is based on a calendar year (Jan-Dec).
Membership Applications. Individuals and institutions interested in membership shall file an application with the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) membership chair. Membership applications from institutions shall include a list of all eligible institutional staff who are to be included in the membership. Applicants must send membership applications forms to the treasurer who will send the application form to the membership chair. The membership chair will issue the membership notification.
Membership Voting Restrictions. Individuals and institutions joining NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) after distribution of the ballots for elections of officers will not be authorized to cast a vote in the election.
Membership Voting Platform. Ballots / Voting may be obtained through electronic formats such as, but not limited to, emails; Zoom video conferences; MS Teams; Google docs; Conference platforms: (ex. Whova); and Webpage platform.

ARTICLE V: GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

Executive Committee Composition. The NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) Executive Committee will consist of five (5) elected officers, the political liaison chair, and the immediate past president. The elected members will be the president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, and membership chair.
Executive Committee Powers. The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility and authority for interpreting and implementing policy actions adopted by the general NOSS-Texas Chapter’s membership at annual conferences and elsewhere. The committee shall have the responsibility and authority for generating, interpreting, and implementing policies deemed necessary between annual conferences, providing that such interim actions shall not abrogate the constitution of the association.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS

Compositions and Duties. The elected NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) officials shall consist of five office president, president-elect, secretary, treasurer, and membership chair. Their primary duties a powers shall be as follows:
1. President: Shall call and preside at all meetings of the executive committee; prepare the agenda for these meetings; serve as liaison with other organizations having similar interests; serve as NOSS-Texas Chapter’s official representative to NOSS; constitute committees as needed; serve as ex-official member of all committees; collaborate with the secretary, who serves as a liaison with the editor of the College Academic Support Programs (CASP) newsletter, on the preparation of the newsletter, and appoint, with the approval of the executive committee, the at-large members of the executive committee and the chairpersons of the various designated committees. The President shall prepare an annual report for presentation at the annual conference.
2. President-elect: Shall be president-elect, serve as program chair of the state annual conference, assume the chair of the executive committee in the absence of the president, and carry out all duties assigned by the president. The President-elect shall prepare an annual report for presentation at the annual conference.
3. Secretary: Shall record the minutes of all executive and membership meetings, submit copies of the minutes for the approval of the executive committee, and carry on all general correspondence as needed, serve as liaison with the CASP newsletter editor who will be jointly appointed by the President of the Texas Chapter of the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) and the president of NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) and arrange for the printing and distribution of paper supplies for the other officers such as stationery, membership cards, and brochures. The Secretary, in collaboration with the President, shall prepare an annual report for presentation at the state conference which consists of the minutes of the year’s Executive Committee meetings and the minutes of the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) state caucus at NOSS.
4. Treasurer: Shall prepare an annual budget for Executive Committee approval, monitor the approved budget, provide a report on income and expenditures to the Executive committee at each Executive Board meeting, maintain all financial records, issue all checks and purchase orders, prepare regular financial statements for the newsletter and an annual financial statement for the membership at the yearly state conference and conduct all the necessary financial activities of the organization. Treasurer will ensure that bank account has three executive committee members with signatory permissions for checks and balances. The three executive committee members shall consist of the Treasurer, current President, and pas President.
5. Membership Chair: Shall keep the Executive Committee and the CASP newsletter editor informed of changes in membership in a timely manner, issue membership cards, recruit new members, serve as liaison with up to four at-large representatives during annual membership drives, and prepare an annual report on changes in membership for the year at the annual conference. As many as four regional representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and should provide geographic, institutional, and philosophical balance to the membership committee.
6. Political Liaison: Shall serve as a source of information on developmental education issues; be clearing house on political issues affecting developmental education and related programs; and engage in appropriate proactive activities of dialogue and education by maintaining contact with legislative bodies at the state and national level.
Election and Term of Office. All officer elections will be conducted by regular and/or electronic mail with the results of the election being announced at the CASP conference. The new officers will assume their duties at the conclusion of the annual CASP conference.
Nomination of Officers. The nominations committee shall consist of the president, the past president and one at large member chosen by the president. This committee shall issue a call for nominations to all members no later than May 15 and shall submit a written ballot to all members in good standing at least one month prior to the annual conference.
Restrictions on Officers.
1. The president may not serve as an elected officer during the next calendar year.
2. All Elected officers must be residents of Texas and members of both NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) and NOSS.
3. The treasurer, secretary, and membership chair shall hold two-year terms to promote continuity in the organization.
Replacement of Officers. Officers who resign or are unable to serve adequately shall be replaced for the remainder of their term of office by appointment of the president, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VII: CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the constitution may be made at any conference by two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the Business Meeting with proposed amendments sent at least one month in advance to all members.

ARTICLE VIII: CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW:

This constitution should be reviewed by the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) Executive Committee every two years with recommended changes submitted to the membership at the annual conference.

ARTICLE IX: DISSOLUTION:

Upon the dissolution of the NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by a Court of

Competent 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.

ARTICLE X: CONFLICT OF INTEREST

NOSS-Texas Chapter (TX-NOSS) funds may not be used to compensate NOSS-Texas Chapter Board members, their family members, or organizations in which they or their family members have a financial interest.