AUCCCO Bylaws

In January 2015, the AUCCCO Board created the first AUCCCO Bylaws.  These bylaws were presented to AUCCCO Membership in the 8th Annual Conference in Utah 2015. Membership voted and approved the bylaws shortly after the conference.

Downloadable copy of the AUCCCO Bylaws

Bylaws

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Outreach

Created: January 2015

Ratified: June 2017

Amended: January 2021

Article I. Name

A. The name of the Association shall be the Association for University and College Counseling Center Outreach (AUCCCO).

B. Counseling centers are defined as the units primarily responsible for providing counseling and mental health services within university or college settings.

C. Outreach services are defined as activities which extend the expertise of counseling centers to the larger campus community.

Article II. Purpose

A. AUCCCO Mission Statement. The mission of the Association is to assist professionals involved in the leadership of outreach, consultation, and campus community interventions. AUCCCO provides opportunities for networking, professional identity development, idea exchange and creating standards for quality outreach services. AUCCCO promotes a broad understanding of outreach, prevention and education services based on the assumption that outreach must extend the expertise of counseling centers to the larger campus community. AUCCCO recognizes that, as the campus climate has a profound influence on students’ lives, outreach services must be informed by perspectives that address the intersection of multiple social identities, promote social justice, and celebrate diversity in all its forms.

B. Purpose.

1. To facilitate information exchange and discussion of issues among college and university counseling center professionals of all disciplines including, outreach coordinators, counseling center directors, agencies and trainees.

2. To enhance the professional development of all interested counseling center professionals who are interested in counseling center outreach, prevention and education including individuals with diverse backgrounds.

3. To influence the establishment and maintenance of standards for quality outreach services and best practices.

4. To provide continued support and future advocacy for the understanding of outreach as one of the integral and integrated roles of counseling center professionals.

5. To promote the views of counseling center outreach to campus partners, organizations and administrators whose functions and objectives affect the mental health climate in our communities.

C. The association is designed to aid counseling centers in accomplishing their missions as mental health agencies.

D. The Association shall be to promote diversity and the understanding of the richness that a multicultural and multidisciplinary community brings to our organization and outreach activities. This purpose includes the intention to understand and recognize the impact of privilege and oppression across various diversity and identity variables; these include ability status, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, race, religion and spirituality, sexual orientation, size/physical appearance, social class, and education/discipline. By doing so, we work toward the elimination of such oppression and of any barrier to full social engagement experienced by anyone within our organization and profession.

E. Given that campus climate has a profound influence on students’ lives, the Association advocates for outreach services which must be informed by perspectives that address the intersection of multiple social identities, promote social justice, and celebrate diversity in all its forms.

F. This organization shall be for exclusively educational purposes including making 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. No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3)of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 179(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Article III. Membership

A. Membership. The membership shall be composed of university and college counseling center professionals and emeritus status members.

B. Membership Institutions. The membership institutions include university and college counseling centers. Each member institution possesses one vote in Association elections and business.

B.1. Institutional Representative. Each member institution will provide a Representative from their center as a contact/liaison to the Association and will be responsible for casting the ballot for their respective institution in association elections.

C. Emeritus Individual Member

a. Includes members who have contributed significant service to the AUCCCO organization (i.e., served as a board member, steering committee member or organizational committee chair or won the Trailblazer award)

b. Emeritus status members no longer need to be employed in higher education

c. Emeritus status members are unable to hold a leadership position including board of director or committee chair position

D. Dues. Each member institution or Emeritus Individual Member of the Association shall pay dues annually which are determined by the Board of Directors.

F. Fees. The Board of Directors is empowered by the membership to set fees and disperse monies by majority vote of the Board for the effective management of the organization.

G. Budget. The AUCCCO budget will be managed by the Executive Committee. (see Article IV.D). The budget shall be reviewed, modified (if needed) and approved by the Board of Directors at each semi-annual meeting. The budget will be presented at the AUCCCO business meeting during the annual conference.

Article IV. Procedures

A. Elections and Other Voting. Elections by the Association’s membership and other voting shall be conducted electronically or in person at the annual conference. Only the designated Representative of a Member Institution may cast a vote. A quorum shall consist of representatives from at least one-third of the dues-paying member institutions.

Elections. The Board of Directors will inform the membership about openings for the upcoming year. The solicitation for nominations to fill these openings must begin no earlier than eight weeks, and will close four weeks prior to, the conference. Nominations may be made in the AUCCCO members’ section. The Board will ensure that there is a diverse pool of nominees. Voting opens on the second day of the annual conference and closes 7 days following the conference. The nominees who receive the highest number of votes from the pool will fill available positions.

1. Identifying Issues to be discussed at Meetings. Any member may bring an issue to the business meetings at the annual conference to be discussed by the membership. Members should contact the President to place an issue on the conference agenda.

2. Voting Coordinator. The President will appoint a Board Member as Voting Coordinator of an election. The Voting Coordinator arranges for the opportunity for members to vote via the AUCCCO website and notifies the membership of the opportunity.

  a. Solicitation Rules. Ballots shall be made available electronically to all voting

  members on the AUCCCO website. All solicitations of ballots shall: (i) indicate the

  number of responses needed to meet the quorum requirements for the actions; (ii) the

  time by which the ballot must be received by the Association in order to be counted;

  and (iii) when relevant, the percentage of affirmative votes necessary to approve the

  matter submitted for membership approval.

  b. Notification of Results of Balloting Process. Upon tabulation of the ballots, or if the

  number of ballots cast is insufficient to constitute a quorum, the Voting Coordinator

  shall notify the members of the outcome electronically.

2. Prohibition on Revocation. Once cast, a ballot may not be revoked

B. Officers. The Officers of the Association shall be a President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and Parliamentarian who shall serve terms of two years. The Officers are elected by the members of the Board of Directors by consensus, or by a 2/3 majority vote if needed. A President may serve more than one term, but not consecutively. The Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian are elected at the mid-year meeting during the second year of the President’s term. This will allow for a six-month transition period. The Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian shall serve no more than two consecutive two-year terms of office. After one term out of office, the Secretary, Treasurer or Parliamentarian is eligible to be elected again. An officer may not hold two positions at the same time.

C. Executive Committee. The Executive committee of the Association consists of the Officers, and a Past-president or President-elect who shall serve a term of one year and a Parliamentarian. Executive Committee terms begin and end at the close of the annual conference. The President-elect shall succeed the President at the end of the President's term of office as President, at which time the latter becomes immediate Past-president. The President-elect shall be elected at the mid-year Board of Directors meeting during the first year of the President's term.

1. The President shall:

  a. Chair the meetings of the Board of Directors and the Association.

  b. Prepare an agenda for all Board of Directors and Association meetings, which

  shall be distributed among the board.

  c. Be responsible for the representation of the Association to other professional

  organizations that interface with that of the Association.

  d. Prepare an annual report for review by the members at the annual conference.

  e. Oversee the committees, task forces, and Liaisons of the Association.

2. The President-elect shall:

  a. Carry out the responsibilities of the President in the event the President is unable

  to discharge his/her duties.

  b. Chair the meetings in the absence of the President.

  c. Carry out responsibilities assigned by the President.

3. The Past-president shall:

  a. Serve as consultant to the President and Board of Directors.

  b. Carry out the responsibilities of the President and/or President-elect in the event

  that the President is unable to discharge her/his duties.

  c. Chair the meetings in the absence of the President or President-elect.

  d. Carry out responsibilities assigned by the President.

4. The Secretary shall:

  a. Be responsible for all correspondence of the Association as assigned by the

  President or Board of Directors.

  b. Prepare and distribute the minutes and proceedings of all of the Board of

  Directors and Association meetings.

  c. Keep notes of the Association’s list-serve activities and include a summary of

  those activities in an annual report to the Association.

  d. Prepare and maintain an archive and create annual historical summary of all

  proceedings of the Board of Director and Association meetings.

  e. Will track board terms, rotations and elections.

  f. Will serve as voting coordinator for elections involving the Association’s  

  membership, unless the President designates another member to function in the   

  role.

  g. Carry out the duties of the President in the event that the President, and the

  President-elect or Past-president, are unable to discharge the President’s duties.

5. The Treasurer shall:

  a. Be responsible for all financial transactions of the Association.

  b. Present a complete financial report at each annual conference.

  c. Prepare an annual budget for approval by the Association.

  d. Track annual Institutional memberships

  e. Carry out the duties of the President in the event that the President, and the

  President-elect or Past-president, and the Secretary are unable to discharge the

  President’s duties.

6. The Parliamentarian shall:

  a. Advise the President, Board and organization on the rules and procedures of      parliamentary law according to Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

  b. Advise the President, Board and organization on the rules and procedures of The AUCCCO, and the organization Bylaws.

D. Board of Directors

1. Responsibilities: The Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Committee and 4-6 elected Board Members. The Board shall establish policy and procedures for the Association in keeping with the stated objectives of the Association. The Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Association shall be responsible for conducting the business affairs of the Association and managing the Association's fiscal assets and expenditures.

2. Election to the Board. The members of the Board of Directors shall each be elected for two-year terms. Nominees for Board of Directors shall represent active member institutions, which are in good standing with the Association. Election to membership on the Board of Directors shall be held as needed at the annual conference. Terms begin July 1 in the election year. Nominees need to declare their candidacy with an electronic communication to one of the members of the Executive Committee by May 1 of the election year. A brief statement of interest including relevant biographical experience with outreach and thoughts about potential future directions for the Association should be included. The Executive Committee will verify that potential candidates meet the appropriate membership criteria and will include the candidates in the general election.. The nominees who acquire the highest number of votes in the election (according to rank-order) will be elected to the board (e.g., if there are two vacancies the top-two vote getters will be Board Members) The nomination process for the Board of Director positions will be conducted in a manner that reflects the diversity and multicultural values as outlined in our mission statement. (see Article II.A).

 a. Social Justice Slate.

   i. each year there is a general election, the Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) will solicit nominees to be ­­­considered for the social justice slate to be voted on by the membership as part of the regular Board of Directors elections. The social justice slate reflects the Association’s commitment to increasing multicultural perspectives and representations in the leadership positions.

ii. the Standing Committee on DEI will solicit nominations for interested candidates for the social justice slate via an emailed application. Nominees shall represent active member institutions, which are in good standing with the Association. The DEI Committee will then select by majority vote up to three candidates to be forwarded to the Board of Directors between 4 and 8 weeks (see Article IV.A) prior to the conference to be included in the general election. The forwarded candidates will be included in the general election process, without any designation of being a social justice slate candidate, to be voted upon by the membership.

iii. the social justice slate candidate with the highest number of votes will be elected to the Board of Directors. Additional social justice slate candidates who receive more votes than the other candidates will also be elected to the Board.

3. Board Meetings. The Board of Director meetings may be held in conjunction with the annual AUCCCO Conference and a mid-year meeting. Board Members are expected to make every reasonable effort to attend each semi-annual meeting. Board meetings will also be conducted periodically via telephone conference call or by other electronic means. Voting at Board meetings may be made by voice or ballot. Decisions of the Board are made by consensus, or by a 2/3 majority vote of the members voting when at least 7 members present (virtually or by proxy).

4. The Board of Directors may conduct business throughout the year via email.

E. Removal of Board and Executive Committee Members

1. Members of the AUCCCO Board of Directors or Executive Committee may resign at any time, provided they give notice to the President.

2. If a member of the Board of Directors or Executive Committee is no longer employed at an AUCCCO member institution or in a counseling center position they may be allowed at the discretion of a majority of the board to fulfill their assigned duties, or transfer them to another board member, for no longer than the time remaining until the next election.

3. Members of the Board of Directors or Executive Committee may be removed by a majority of the Board of Directors in the event of any of the following:

  a. Having been declared of unsound mind by a final order of a court.

  b. Having been convicted of a felony.

  c. Having been found in violation of any ethical standard of the Ethics Committees

  of the discipline or State/Provincial Licensing/Credentialing Board.

  d. Exhibiting personal or professional conduct unbecoming of the office.

4. Any AUCCCO member may bring a concern about any Executive Committee or Board Member to the attention of an Executive Committee member at any time.

F. Filling Vacancies on the Board and Executive Committee

1. In the case of a vacancy on the Board, the President, in consultation with the Board, has the discretion to appoint an Interim Board Member to serve until the next election. Alternatively, the President, in consultation with the Board, may decide to allow the position to remain vacant until the next election. If an unexpired position remains at the time of the next election, it will be filled as a one-year Board position by the Board nominee who receives the highest number of votes after all the two-year Board positions are filled.

2. In the case of a vacancy in the Secretary or Treasurer position, the President shall appoint an Interim Secretary or Interim Treasurer, with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors. The Interim Secretary or Interim Treasurer shall serve until the next annual election, at which time the membership shall elect a Secretary or Treasurer to complete the unexpired term of office.

3. In the case of a vacancy in the President position, the President-elect will become acting President and a new President-elect will be elected at the time of the next general election. If this results in an earlier election of the President-elect than is typical, the President-elect’s term shall be extended to two years.

4. In the case of a vacancy in both the offices of the President and the President-elect, the Past-president will act as President until a new President can be elected at the time of the next general election.

5. In the case of a vacancy in the offices of President and President-elect or Past-president, the Secretary will act as President until a new President can be elected at the time of the next general election.

6. In the case of a vacancy in the offices of President, President-elect or Past-president, and Secretary, the Treasurer will act as President until a new President can be elected at the time of the next general election.

G. Committees

1. Ad Hoc Committees shall be established by the President to complete specific tasks required by the Association.

  a. Standing Committees shall be established by a two-thirds majority vote of the

  Board of Directors. Once established, Standing Committees will function for a

  minimum of two years. After two years, the Executive Committee and the Board of

  Directors may review the function of the Standing Committee and make a

  recommendation for termination to be voted on by the membership.

  b. Standing Committees are established to serve the ongoing functions, goals, and

  mission statement of the organization, and are established to serve the Association

  in the following ways:

     (i) As consultant to the Executive Committee, the Board of

  Directors, and the membership in domains relevant to the Association’s goals;

     (ii) In developing and maintaining services for the Association.

  c. The Standing Committees of the Association are:

      i. The Standing Committee on Social Media

      ii. The Standing Committee on Mentoring

      iii. The Standing Committee on Membership

      iv. The Standing Committee on Research  

      v. The Standing Committee on Conference and Proposal Review

      vi. The Standing Committee on Website Management

      vii. The Standing Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

(1)   The DEI is responsible for nominating a social justice slate of three members to be voted on by the membership as part of the regular Board of Directors general election.

(2)   The social justice slate is identified using the following process:

·         Nominations for the social justice slate are made through self-nominations and by the DEI. Nominees shall represent active member institutions, which are in good standing with the Association.

·         Nominees will be asked to submit a Statement of Interest and current Curriculum Vitae (CV) to DEI co-chairs by the deadline set by DEI in the election year they wish to be considered.

The DEI sub-committee will vote on the nominees received and up to three nominees receiving the highest number of votes will be forwarded to the Board of Directors to be included as candidates in the general election. A member of the DEI who is also under consideration as a potential social justice slate nominee will not be permitted to vote during the Standing committee’s process.

2. Appointments to the Association's Committees

  a. The President will appoint a Board Member to serve as Chair or Liaison of the

  Standing Committees and the Board of Directors; each Committee Chair/Liaison

  will provide information about the activities of the committee to the Board of

  Directors at each meeting, which will be included in the annual historical summary.

  b. The Committee Chair/Liaison, with the help of the board, shall appoint or solicit members of the Association at large to participate on the Standing Committees. Standing Committee members will serve in these appointments (non-elected positions) after expressing interest and/or receiving an invitation from the Committee Chair/Liaison. Standing Committee members shall represent active member institutions, which are in good standing with the Association.

Article V. Appropriations Process

A. The Board of Directors will have the primary function to approve or disapprove the allocation of organizational funds, to sponsor and/or subsidize any organization committee needs (i.e., events, programs, honorariums, etc.) and to establish the criteria for the dispersal of such funds. Those receiving funds for activities must be official committees within the organization.

B. The Board of Directors will also serve to review the spending of allocated committee funds previously budgeted. In situation of possible mismanagement of, it shall be the power and duty of the executive committee to deny any financial request that the committee feels would be detrimental to AUCCCO or to its mission and values.

C. Budgetary decisions of the Board are made by consensus, or by a 2/3 majority vote of the members voting when at least 7 members present (virtually or by proxy).

Article VI. Amendments

Amendments or changes to these Bylaws may be proposed by a Representative of a Member Institution in good standing. Proposed changes are to be brought to the attention of the President. The determination to bring an amendment to the membership for a vote shall be made by the Board, by the President, or by 20 percent of the total voting potential of the membership who sign a written request and deliver it to the President. The signing of such requests may be electronic. Discussion of the proposed changes must occur at the annual business meeting held at the Association’s annual conference and/or may be placed on a conference business meeting agenda. Voting on the proposed amendment will then occur. Bylaws changes shall be established by a two-thirds majority vote of the members voting. To pass an amendment, members voting must constitute a quorum.

Article VII. Dissolution of Organization

In the event of the dissolution of AUCCCO, remaining assets will be distributed among the following, which must be in existence and exempt at the time of dissolution: Active Minds, Inc.; Jed Foundation; and BACCHUS Network. Decisions regarding the distribution of funds during the dissolution of the Association will be made by the Executive Committee. If these conditions are not met, assets will be distributed for section 501(c)(3) purposes. 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 the Court of Common Pleas 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.­