WCTCCA Bylaws

Revised April 2013

Article 1:

Name: This organization shall be known as the Washington Community and Technical College Counselors Association (WC&TC2A [or WCTCCA]).

Article II: Purposes
1. To identify and initiate solutions for issues and concerns arising out of the counseling functions at community and technical college campuses.
2. To provide an information channel for community and technical college counselors.
3. To be the spokes-group for community and technical college counselors on political issues directly affecting counseling.
4. To assess, clarify, and promote professional standards for community and technical college counseling, and to promote organizational support for community and technical college counseling.
5. To provide liaison with organizations and groups.
6. To provide a means for identification and interaction with other professionals in counseling.
7. To identify the learning needs of students and prospective students, and advocate appropriate responses.
8. To provide for the sharing of professional methods and techniques.
9. To provide an arena for the discussion of local campus issues, and to provide consultation and advocacy for community and technical college counselors.

Article III: Members
Full members are voting members who have paid the annual dues and who have been employed as a counseling faculty member by a Washington State community or technical college within the past two years and have either -earned at least a Master’s degree in a field which included a counseling practicum or - have worked for at least two years as a counseling faculty member.

a.      The annual membership cycle for renewing members will concur with the regular academic calendar, running from the beginning of Fall Quarter until the subsequent Fall Quarter.   New membership fees will be due upon joining WCTCCA.

b.      The annual membership fees will be due in Fall Quarter and announced on the list serve shortly after Fall Quarter begins.

c.      Student members are non-voting members and pay a reduced fee of $10.00 a year.  Student members must be enrolled in a graduate level counseling program at an accredited college or university.

d.      Membership will confer a discount on Spring Conference Registration fee.

Article IV: Officers
There shall be four officers:

a. The Chairperson - whose duties shall include: to act as the executive officer of the Association; to implement the actions of the Association and Steering Committee; to call meetings, prepare the agenda and preside at meetings of the Association and Steering Committee; to solicit communication from members and from campus contact persons; to ensure newsletter publication; to act as a spokesperson for WC&TC2A; to appoint all committee members except the Steering and Nominating Committees and be an ex-officio member of all committees, except the Nominating Committee; to serve as liaison with other appropriate college councils and organizations when possible.

b. The Vice Chairperson/ /Chairperson-elect - whose duties shall include those usually assumed by vice-chairperson and assist the chairperson.  The person accepting this position agrees to assume the duties of Chairperson the year immediately following their year as Vice Chairperson or when the standing Chairperson steps down.

c. Secretary - whose duties shall include those usually assumed by secretary and; to take meeting minutes and distribute to the officers, association members.

d. The Treasurer/Membership Chairperson - whose duties shall include those usually assumed by the treasurer and membership chairperson; to work with the other Officers and Steering Committee; to solicit memberships, collect dues and fees, disburse funds and plan budgets; report the financial status of the Association at each Association and Steering Committee meeting.

2. Terms shall be for one year for up to three consecutive terms.
3. Election and installations shall be at the regular Spring Quarter meeting.

Article V: Steering Committee
1. There shall be a Steering Committee consisting of the officers, plus:

·        two representatives from the seven community and technical colleges east of the Cascade Mountains (Eastern Region: Big Bend, Columbia Basin, Spokane, Spokane Falls, Walla Walla, Wenatchee Valley and Yakima Valley);

              ·        two from the eight community and technical colleges within the Seattle/Puget Sound- North Metropolitan area (North Puget Sound Region Bellevue, Edmonds, Everett, Lake Washington, Seattle Central, Shoreline, North Seattle, South Seattle);

 ·        two from the seven community and technical colleges within the Seattle South/Tacoma area (South Puget Sound Region: Renton, Green River, Highline, Tacoma, Pierce, Bates, Clover Park);

 ·        and two from the other ten western community and technical colleges (Western Region: Bellingham, Centralia, Clark, Grays Harbor, Lower Columbia, Olympic, Peninsula, Skagit Valley, South Puget Sound, and Whatcom). Representatives shall be voting members of WTCCA and only one may be selected from a given campus.

2.  Representatives to the Steering Committee, other than officers, shall be elected by voting members of the Association who work within each of the geographical areas defined in Section I. Where no representatives are elected by this process, representatives shall be nominated at regular WC&TC2A meetings and elected by those present. In the event that a member elected is unable to serve or to continue to serve, a new representative shall be appointed by the chairperson to serve until the next regular meeting.

3. The Steering Committee shall meet in early Fall and immediately following the Spring Association meeting and at other times as necessary. Regular telephone conference meetings may also be held.

4. The Steering Committee shall act for the Association between meetings, guide the officers in implementing the purposes and actions as delegated by the Association, and shall oversee the planning for regular meetings of the Association.

5. Steering Committee members shall regularly contact the campus contact persons named by local campus counseling faculty to communicate concerns.

6. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the officers which shall meet in person or by phone as needed. They will only implement those policies or actions decided by the Association and Steering Committee except in an emergency.

Article VI: The Legislative Committee
The Legislative Committee is established to monitor any and all legislation, laws, rules or procedures that may pertain to counseling or counselors, to investigate and/or recommend legislation to rule-making bodies, to report all findings and actions to the Association in a timely manner; and with the Association chair, to carry out directives from the Association relative to legislative matters.

Article VII: Other Committees
1.  There shall be a Nominating Committee of two members, one of whom shall be elected by the Steering Committee from its membership to serve as Committee chairperson and one elected from the body at large. Their duties shall be to nominate officers and subsequent Nominating committee members, to provide for distribution the names of nominees in advance of the spring meeting, and to carry out the election at each spring meeting. Terms shall be for one year for up to three consecutive terms.
2.  All other committees shall be ad hoc, appointed by the Chairperson, as directed by the Association or Steering Committee.

Article VIII: Meetings
1.  Regular meetings shall be at least two annually, during fall and spring quarters as set by the Steering Committee, and with at least one meeting per year east of the Cascade Mountains.
2.  Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee for unusual circumstances.
3.  A quorum shall be 20% of the voting members as long as each region is represented.
4.  The Association may take action on issues outside regular policies if the issues are announced on the published agenda or if 2/3 of the members attending agree to add the issue to the agenda at the time of the meeting. Invitations will be sent to the Washington State Student Service Commission (WSSSC) and to the Counseling and Student Development Administrators Council (Counseling Directors) inviting each to send a liaison person to attend all meetings of the Association.

Article IX: Parliamentary Authority
Roberts Rules of Order, Revised, shall guide the Association in all areas not in these by-laws.

Article X: Amendments
Amendments to the by-laws may be made at any regular meeting when accepted by a 2/3 majority vote of members present, with proposed amendments sent in advance to all members.