Division By-Laws
BY-LAWS OF THE
GROUP COMMUNICATION DIVISION
OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
Drafted 11/12/98
Revised by the By-laws Committee 7/29/99
Approved by the Division 11/4/99
Revisions Proposed September 9, 2005
Article I. Name, Authority and Purpose
Section 1. The name of this division shall be the Group Communication Division of the National Communication Association.
Section 2. The basic purpose of the Group Communication Division is to promote the scholarship, pedagogy and practice of communication in group settings. The Division’s primary goals are to: (1) encourage the scholarly inquiry into group communication across a wide variety of groups and contexts, (2) promote effective pedagogy on communication in groups, and (3) develop practical applications on the basis of group communication research. The Division seeks to foster the building of group communication theory and supports the use of all methodologies in the study of group communication.
Article II. Membership
Section 1. General membership in the Division is open to any member of the National Communication Association who is interested in promoting the Division’s purposes.
Section 2. The full membership of the Division shall be those persons who identify themselves as members of the Group Communication Division with their NCA membership.
Article III Meetings
Section 1. A business meeting shall be held at the time and place of the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Additional meetings may be scheduled by the Executive Committee of the Division.
Section 2. The Secretary shall be responsible for circulating/publishing the minutes of all meetings on the Division’s web page and/or newsletter as practical and possible.
Article IV. Officers, Committees, Duties, and Terms
Section 1. The officers of the Division shall be the Chair, Vice-Chair, Vice-Chair-elect, Secretary, and Immediate Past-Chair. These officers constitute the Division’s Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall serve as chief administrative authority of the Division between annual business meetings of the Association and the Division. ALL DIVISION OFFICERS SHALL BE MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION AND ASSOCIATION.
Section 2. The Chair shall preside at business meetings of the Division, and shall work with the Vice-Chair-elect in membership recruitment for the Division. The Chair shall serve as a representative of the Division on the Association’s Legislative ASSEMBLY Council. The Chair is responsible for presenting the annual report of Division activities to and as directed by the Legislative ASSEMBLY Council. The Chair shall serve a one-year term and will succeed to the office of Immediate Past-Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 3. The Vice-Chair shall, in cooperation and consultation with appropriate officers of the Division and the Association, plan the program of the Group Communication Division for the annual NCA convention. The Vice-Chair shall be responsible for administering the evaluation process for papers and panels submitted for competitive evaluation. The Vice-Chair shall serve a one-year term and succeed to the office of the Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 4. The Vice-Chair-elect shall serve as a convention submission evaluator. The Vice-Chair-elect shall work with the Chair in membership recruitment for the Division. The Vice-Chair-elect shall serve a one-year term beginning immediately after the close of the convention at which he/she is elected. The Vice-Chair-elect shall succeed to the office of the Vice-Chair in the subsequent year.
Section 5. The Secretary shall serve as the recorder and historian for the Division. The Secretary will prepare and distribute minutes of all Division business meetings and of Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for writing and distributing the Division’s annual newsletter. The Secretary shall serve a two-year term year beginning immediately after the close of the convention at which he/she is elected. The Secretary shall also serve as the Division’s representative to the Association’s Resolutions Committee.
Section 6. The Immediate Past-Chair shall serve as a representative of the Division on the Association’s Legislative ASSEMBLY Council and the Association’s Nominating Committee, convene and chair the Division’s Nominating Committee, and assist other officers of the Division as directed by the Chair.
Section 7. A minimum of five convention submission evaluators shall be elected by the Division membership. The evaluators shall be elected at the annual business meeting to serve a one-year term during which they work under the direction of the Vice-Chair to evaluate papers and panels submitted for the following year’s convention program.
Section 8: Special committees with tenure ordinarily limited to one year and with specific duties appropriate to the needs of the Division shall be appointed by the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee.
Article V. Elections
Section 1. The Nominating Committee of the Division shall be chaired by the Immediate Past-Chair. Two other committee members shall be elected by the Division membership. The Immediate Past-Chair shall serve as a non-voting convener. No officer, other than the Immediate Past-Chair, shall serve on the Nominating Committee, and no member shall serve on this committee in two consecutive years.
Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of at least two names for each vacancy to be filled in that calendar year. Five or more names will be nominated for convention submission evaluators. Additional nominations for all offices can be made from the floor at the annual business meeting.
Section 3. Voting shall be conducted at the annual business meeting. All persons holding membership in the Division may vote. A majority shall be required for election on the first ballot. In case of a tie, the Chair shall withhold his/her ballot.
Section 4. In case of a vacancy in any office of the Executive Committee, it shall be filled by the automatic succession process, if appropriate. Vacancies in other offices shall be filled by the Executive Committee until the next business meeting at which time a new election shall take place. A person so elected shall serve the remaining and successive full term for that office.
Article VI. Programs Proposals and Convention Papers
Section 1. Individuals may submit both convention program proposals and competitive papers to the Vice-Chair. Competitive papers shall be selected through a blind review process. The Vice-Chair shall administer the evaluation process. Convention program evaluators shall read the submissions and assign ratings and rankings according to a format as directed by the Vice-Chair. The Division supports standardized evaluation procedures across all submissions to determine the top-ranked papers and proposals. The Vice-Chair shall distribute a copy of evaluation outcomes and other information on the evaluation process to each person who submitted a paper or program proposal.
Section 2. Competitive papers and program proposals shall be rated separately. Overall quality and interest to Division members shall guide the evaluation of the papers and proposals.
Section 3. On the basis of the evaluations received, the Vice-Chair shall select the Division’s convention programming and work with the first Vice-President of the Association to schedule Division programs.
Article VII. Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. All meetings of the Division, its committees, and other subsidiary bodies, shall be governed by the parliamentary rules and usages contained in the current edition of Roberts’ Rules of Order (Revised).
Article VIII. Amendments
Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be initiated by a majority of the Executive Committee, by a majority of the Division membership at a business meeting, or by a petition addressed to the Chair and signed by 25 members of the Division.
Section 2. Proposed amendments to the By-Laws are to be published/distributed in/on the Division’s newsletter/web page at least 60 days prior to the annual business meeting.
Section 3. The adoption of a proposed amendment requires a two-thirds majority vote of those present at the annual business meting of the Division.
Article IX. Ratification of By-Laws
Section 1. These By-Laws shall become effective after ratification by a majority vote of voting members present at the annual Division business meeting. (Ratified in Chicago on November 4, 1999.)