BYLAWS OF THE SOMERSET HUNTERDON WARREN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Article I – Name: The name of the Association shall be the Somerset Hunterdon Warren Psychological Association. The name shall be abbreviated as SHWPA.
Article II – Mission: The mission of the SHWPA shall be to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare. We are also dedicated to promoting a professional and social network of relationships among psychologists, as well as between psychologists and other professional groups.
Article III – Membership: SHWPA shall have four classes of members: full member, associate member, student member, and retired member. The membership year shall begin on January 1st of each year. Applications for all categories of membership shall be reviewed by the membership committee chair. All officers and members of the executive board must be full members of NJPA.
A. Full Member: Any licensed doctoral level psychologist who lives or works in Somerset, Hunterdon or Warren County and is also a member of NJPA is eligible for full membership. Those non-doctoral psychologists who are licensed under the grandfather clause and are members of NJPA are also eligible for full membership. Only full members of SHPA may be listed in the public Membership Directory, which is posted on the SHPA website.
B. Associate Member: Anyone holding a Masters level degree or higher who is not licensed, or any licensed psychologist who is not a member of NJPA is eligible for associate membership. Associate membership also includes any psychologist who fulfills the requirements for full membership but does not live or work in Somerset, Hunterdon or Warren counties. Associate members can vote and be members of committees, but cannot be members of the Executive Board. They will be listed in the member’s only directory on the website, but not in any publicly listed directory.
C. Student Member: Psychology graduate students who reside or attend school in Somerset, Hunterdon or Warren County and are eligible for student membership in the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA) are also eligible for student membership in SHPA. Student members can vote and be members of committees but cannot be members of the Executive Board. They will be listed in the members only directory on the website, but not in any publicly listed directory.
D. Retired Member: Any psychologist who has retired from the field of psychology is eligible for retired membership status. Retired members can vote and be members of committees but cannot be members of the Executive Board. They will be listed in the members only directory on the website, but not in any publicly listed directory.
Membership status may be adjusted at any time of year through application to the membership committee. Dues will be adjusted accordingly. This change in membership status will be immediately reflected in the online directory and will be added to the printed directory upon the next publication.
Members shall be dropped from membership and all related services for non-payment of dues for three months. Members so dropped for non-payment shall be readmitted to membership upon re-application and payment of the current year’s dues.
A member may be dropped from membership for conduct which is in any way injurious to the Association, which adversely affects the reputation of the Association, or is contrary or destructive to its objectives. Charges of injurious conduct shall be submitted in writing to the chair of the membership committee. The membership committee shall investigate the charges and counsel the accused concerning the charges. Unless the charges have been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the committee and the accused member, the charges shall be referred to the New Jersey Psychological Association, (NJPA), for further adjudication. In the event that the charges are sustained by NJPA, or are considered to be irreconcilable, then the accused may be dropped from the membership of SHPA by a vote of three fourths of the Executive Board members present at an official Executive Board meeting.
Article IV – Officers: The officers of SHWPA shall be president, president-elect, secretary, and treasurer. The duties of the officers are as follows:
A. President: The president shall preside over all SHWPA meetings, prepare the meeting agenda, and execute all contracts or other documents authorized by the Executive Board. In Board voting matters, the president will also make the final decision in the case of a tie. The president shall appoint the chair of all committees and the webmaster (upon consultation with the Executive Board). The President will be part of a caucus of NJPA affiliates and will attend caucus meetings.
B. President-elect: The President-elect shall succeed to the office of President upon completion of the President’s term. The President-elect shall act as vice-president, assuming the role of President should the President become unable to function in his/her official capacity for any reason. The President-elect will be part of a caucus of NJPA affiliates and will attend caucus meetings.
C. Secretary: The Secretary will keep minutes of all meetings of the SHPA and will handle correspondence. The Secretary will maintain the official records of the Association, including the by-laws. The Secretary will be responsible for submitting meeting minutes to NJPA.
D. Treasurer: The Treasurer will collect dues, make disbursements, and maintain the budget and financial records of the Association. The Treasurer will be responsible for reporting on the financial status of the Association to the Executive Board at least once per year.
Article V – Terms of Appointment: The terms of President and President-elect shall be for one year. The terms of Secretary and Treasurer shall be for two years. Terms of all officers shall commence January 1st. Officers can be re-elected for additional terms.
Article VI – Executive Board: The Executive Board shall consist of the President, President-elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Chair, Program Chair, Elections Chair, and Webmaster. The Executive Board shall meet at the discretion of the President to discuss issues relevant to the operation of the Association, but at least twice during each calendar year. The Executive Board shall make decisions by a simple majority of the total number of current Board members. All motions, other than Amendments to the by-laws, shall carry by a simple majority of those present. Amendments to the Association by-laws require an affirmative vote by a minimum of six board members prior to presentation to the general membership for a vote. The Executive Board shall recommend matters for vote by the full membership of the Association as necessary. All officers, committee chairs and members of the Executive Board must be members of the New Jersey Psychological Association.
Article VII – Committees: There shall be three standing committees. The Committee Chairs of these committees shall serve as members of the Executive Board. The three standing committees are Membership, Program, and Elections. Other committees may be formed as deemed necessary by the President and approved by a majority vote of the Executive Board. Chairs of those additional committees shall be appointed by the President and will be non-voting members of the Executive Board.
A. Membership Committee: The Membership Committee shall be responsible for recruiting new members, screening membership applications, maintaining a list of all classes of members, monitoring the collection of dues, and notifying the Executive Board of any members in arrears for dues who are eligible for suspension from the Association. The Chair of the Membership committee is appointed by the President. The Chair is responsible for submitting a current list of our members to NJPA within 30 days of the end of our fiscal year.
B. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall plan for, and coordinate, all educational and social programs for the SHWPA. The Chair of the Program Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Chair will seek co-sponsorship with NJPA of appropriate programs to obtain APA approved continuing education (CE) credits for participating members.
C. Elections Committee: The Elections Committee will prepare a slate of proposed candidates from nominations submitted by the membership. The format for presenting information about the candidates to the membership will be developed by the committee, subject to the approval of the Executive Board. The committee will coordinate all elections and be responsible for tallying votes. The Chair will be responsible for providing NJPA a list of current Officers and Board members within 30 days of their appointment. The Past President serves as the Chair of this committee. If the position of Past President is vacant, then the Chair is appointed by the President. The Chair and committee members cannot nominate themselves for office.
D. Webmaster: The Webmaster shall be responsible for the maintenance of the SHWPA website and keeping the information provided on the website current. The Webmaster shall also be responsible for maintaining and ensuring proper use of the SHWPA listserv.
Article VIII – Nominations: Officers may be nominated by any voting member of SHWPA. Nominations will be solicited by notice to the membership from the Elections Committee at least 30 days prior to the close of nominations. Nominations must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Elections Committee by the designated close of nominations, which will be no later than September 15th.. No name shall appear on the ballot for more than one office. No person can hold more than one office simultaneously.
Article IX – Elections: Ballots for election of officers shall be mailed to the voting membership no later than October 15th. The polling will be closed 30 days after the initial mailing, which will be no later than November 14th. The postmark on ballots shall determine compliance with the time deadline. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot. A majority of votes cast will be necessary to elect an officer to the SHWPA. The Chair of the Elections Committee will report the results to the Executive Board which shall declare the winners. In the case of a tie, a majority vote by the Executive Board (by secret ballot) will determine the winner.
Article X – Meetings: The SHWPA shall hold at least four meetings each year. At least one meeting shall include a general business meeting. The Executive Board shall be responsible for scheduling membership meetings and notifying members of the dates of these meetings in a timely fashion. The President shall be responsible for preparing the agenda for the business meeting, with input from the Executive Board. The Program Committee shall prepare and/or organize the programs presented at the meetings, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
The voting members present at a regular business meeting of the general membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. If those present represent less than one fourth of the voting membership, any action taken at such meeting may be presented for reconsideration by mail ballot to the voting membership provided there is a written request to the President by at least five percent of the voting membership within thirty days following the posting of the meeting minutes.
Article XI – Dues: Dues and/or special assessments will be proposed by the Treasurer, and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the full Executive Board.
Article XII – Amendments: These by-laws may be amended (a) at a regular business meeting by a favorable two-thirds vote of the voting members present, provided written notice of such amendments were mailed to all members at least ten days prior to the meeting, or (b) by mail ballot upon receipt of a favorable vote by two-thirds of the respondents within thirty days of the date of mailing to the voting members.
Article XIII – Affiliation: The Somerset Hunterdon Warren Psychological Association shall be affiliated with the New Jersey Psychological Association. The Executive Board shall execute an affiliation agreement with NJPA. The terms and conditions of the affiliation agreement shall be presented to the membership at the first business meeting of the SHWPA following execution of the agreement.
Revised May 18, 2012