Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues Bylaws

The ACPA: College Student Educators International Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues By-Laws
Amended January 2014

I. Purpose
The purpose of the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues is to support the professional development of student conduct professionals in higher education in a progressive and visionary way. The Commission offers resources and opportunities, including collaboration, in conduct and legal issue education in an effort to support the development of socially just conflict resolution strategies that effectively resolve individual and group differences.

Guiding Principles:

• An awareness of current student development and conflict resolution theories and legal issues impacting students, professionals, and campus communities
• Support for the education and development of ethical principles, processes, and integrity
• A commitment to socially just conduct and conflict resolution practices which affirm both the rights and responsibilities of individuals engaged in our processes
• Support of a pluralistic approach to campus life issues and a commitment to increase the representation of diverse perspectives and backgrounds in its leadership positions

II. Organizational Structure
The Commission consists of an Executive Committee, a Directorate Body, and Commission Members.

A. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee includes: the Commission Chairperson, the Past Chairperson or Chairperson-Elect, the Vice Chairperson for Administration, Vice Chairperson for Education, Vice Chairperson for Publications, and Vice Chairperson for Membership.

1. Chairperson
   The Commission is lead by a Chairperson who is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all activities of the Commission, managing the budget and all financial transactions of the Commission, writing and submitting the start of year, mid-year, and end of year reports to ACPA, and representing the Commission to ACPA and other Commissions, Standing Committees and Task Forces with ACPA.  The Chairperson or their designee represents the Commission in all activities with other state, regional, national and international associations.  The Chairperson shall make interim appointments to fill vacant Executive Committee and Directorate positions with the consent of the Directorate.
2. Chairperson-Elect
   The Chairperson-Elect shall assume the responsibilities of the Chairperson should that position be vacated prior to the expiration of the regular term of office or should the Chairperson be unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the position.  The Chairperson-Elect is responsible for conducting the Commission’s self-study, reviewing and maintaining the Commission’s By-Laws, monitoring the Commission’s Equity and Inclusion Plans and Statement, and recommending changes in such documents to the Directorate Body as needed.  The Chairperson-Elect is also responsible for the orientation of new Directorate Body members.
3. Past Chairperson
   The Past Chairperson is responsible for advising and assisting the Chairperson as requested.  They are also responsible for conducting the Commission’s self-study, reviewing and maintaining the Commission’s By-Laws, monitoring the Commission’s Equity and Inclusion Plans and Statement, and recommending changes in such documents to the Directorate Body as needed.  The Past Chairperson is also responsible for the orientation of new Directorate Body members.
4. Vice Chairperson for Administration
   The Vice Chairperson for Administration is responsible to the Chairperson for the coordination of the “task” functions of the Commission, including: insuring that the minutes of meetings and records of decisions are kept; appointing liaisons to Standing Committees in consultation with the Chairperson; updating the Commission manual annually; coordinate and oversee the elections process, and coordinating the selection and presentation of Commission awards.  The Vice Chairperson may appoint members of the Commission to serve as Committee Chairs and/or committee members for any of the activities within these areas of responsibility.
5. Vice Chairperson for Education
   The Vice Chairperson for Education is responsible to the Chairperson for: the overall coordination of convention programs, including the solicitation of program proposals and the selection of programs to be sponsored and co-sponsored by the Commission at the annual convention; the outreach of the Commission to state and regional conventions and workshops, through either the presentation of a program or the provision of financial support for part of a workshop/convention; the solicitation and selection of research/program proposals, relevant to the purposes of the commission, for grant funding; and the coordination and support of research projects (i.e. literature reviews, monographs, investigative studies, etc.) in areas relevant to the purposes of the Commission. The Vice Chairperson may appoint members of the commission to serve as Committee Chairs and/or committee members for any of the activities within these areas of responsibility.
6. Vice Chairperson for Publications
   The Vice Chairperson for Publications is responsible to the Chairperson for the overall coordination of Commission publications including: editing, printing and distributing the Commission newsletters, the Commission website, the annual convention sponsored program schedule, annotated bibliographies and any additional documents approved by the Directorate Body.  The Vice Chairperson may appoint members of the Commission to serve as Committee Chair and/or committee members for any of the activities within these areas of responsibility.
7. Vice Chairperson for Membership      
   The Vice Chairperson for Membership is responsible to the chairperson for the following: planning and running the Commission’s participation in CelebrACPA at the annual convention recruit members who will contribute to the work of the Commission to run for Directorate Body positions; recommend interim appointments to the Directorate for consideration to the Chair and Directorate body, retain members by ensuring definitive purpose within the organization; create and maintain an accurate Directorate Body membership roster; and evaluate membership needs.

B. Directorate Body
The Commission is governed by the Directorate Body members.  They are responsible to Commission members for: actively contributing to the operation and leadership of the Commission; representing the Commission members to ACPA; providing resource information to colleagues on related student conduct and legal issues; participating in regular conference calls of the Directorate; and for attending the Commission For Student Conduct and Legal Issues annual meeting at the ACPA annual national convention.  In addition, they are encouraged to participate in one or more of the following ways: to submit articles to the newsletter; to coordinate round table discussions at the annual convention; to recruit new members; and to present programs at the annual convention.  Directorate Body members may be appointed by the Chairperson to serve in leadership roles for the Commission when necessary, with the approval of a majority of the Directorate.

C. Commission Members
Members may attend the Annual commission meetings, participate in any activity of the Commission, serve on committees and task forces, nominate and vote for candidates to offices in the Executive Committee, nominate and vote for candidates for the Directorate Body, and nominate individuals for various Commission awards.

III. Nominations, Elections, and Terms of Office
Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues is committed to the representations of diverse perspectives and backgrounds in its leadership positions.  The Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues strives to be representative of the entire ACPA membership.  As such, we encourage members of all identities to participate in this process.

A. Nominations and Elections Procedures

1. Between September 1 and October 15 of every other year, the Vice Chairperson for Administration or their designee shall request nominations from the Commission members for the Chairperson-Elect, the Vice Chairperson for Administration, Vice Chairperson for Membership and Directorate Body vacancies.  Between September 1 and October 15 of the alternate year, the Vice Chairperson for Administration or their designee shall request nominations for the Vice Chairperson for Education, the Vice Chairperson for Publications, and Directorate Body vacancies.

2. The Vice Chairperson for Administration or their designee shall ask persons receiving the highest number of nominations for each of the positions if they are willing to serve if elected.  Only those who are willing to serve will be placed on the ballot.

3. The Vice Chairperson for Administration or their designee shall collect the names of individuals, their position titles, their institutions (including cities and states), and a list of the contributions the individuals have made to ACPA and Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues.  This information will then be placed on the Commission website in coordination with the Vice Chairperson for Publications for all Commission members to view.  The candidate names and the URL for the candidate information will then be provided to the International Office to be included in the annual association elections.  Any current member of the Commission is eligible to vote.  The individuals with the highest number of votes shall be elected.

4. The Vice Chairperson for Administration shall inform all candidates, the Commission Chairperson, the Directorate Body and the Commission membership of the outcome of the election.  Elected individuals shall submit written letters of acceptance to the Vice Chairperson of Administration.

B. Eligibility for Office

1. Any member of ACPA may become a Commission member.  Any Commission member may be elected to the Directorate Body.  Only current or former Directorate Body members are eligible to serve as Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, or as a Vice Chairperson.
2. A past Chairperson must take a two-year hiatus before running for a Directorate body or Vice-Chair position again.
3. A Vice Chairperson may immediately run for their own or another Vice Chairperson office, as well as for Chair-Elect, or a Directorate Body member.  A Vice Chairperson may run for Chairperson-Elect at any time. A Vice-Chair(s) person may not serve for more than two consecutive terms in any Vice-Chair position.
4. A past Directorate Body member may be elected to immediately hold their position again.

C. Terms of Office

1. Chairperson
   The Chairperson serves the following consecutive terms of office; one year as Chairperson-Elect; two years as Chairperson; and one year as Past Chairperson.

2. Past Chairperson and Chairperson-Elect
   During the first year of the new Chairperson’s term, the outgoing Chairperson serves a one-year term as Past Chairperson and Directorate Body member.  During the second year of the Chairperson’s term, the Chairperson-Elect replaces the Past Chairperson as a member of the Directorate Body.  Upon completion of the one-year term as Chairperson-Elect, that person assumes the office of Chairperson.  The Chairperson-Elect's term takes effect at the next annual convention. 

3. Vice Chairperson
   The Vice Chairperson for Administration, the Vice Chairperson for Education, the Vice Chairperson for Membership, and the Vice Chairperson for Publications serve a two-year term of office.  Vice Chairperson terms take effect at the next annual convention.  

4. Directorate Body
   Five (5) Directorate Body members are elected each year to three-year terms of office. Directorate Body member terms take effect at the next annual convention.

5. Commission Members
   There is no limitation to the length of membership in the Commission.

6. Interim Appointments
   In the event a vacancy occurs in the Executive Committee or the Directorate Body, the Chairperson shall make an interim appointment, with the consent of the Directorate, to fill the vacancy until the next regularly scheduled election.  An interim appointee may be immediately elected for one full term of office.

   If the position of Chairperson is vacated prior to the expiration of the term of office, the Chairperson-Elect will assume the responsibilities of the Commission Chairperson.  A new Chairperson-Elect will be elected at the next regularly scheduled election.  In the event that there is no Chairperson-Elect at the time the office of Chairperson is vacated, then the Vice Chairperson for Administration will assume the responsibilities of the Chairperson until the next regularly scheduled election.    

7. Removal from Office
   Should a directorate Body member or a member of the Executive Committee fail to fulfill the expectations of the position, the Chairperson may recommend them for removal to the Directorate body, pending approval by a 2/3 vote.

   The Chairperson may be removed from office in accordance with the procedures established by ACPA policy statements and by agreement of two-thirds of the Directorate Body members in a vote conducted by the Coordinator of Commissions of ACPA.

8. Uncontested Elections
   When a position is uncontested, the Chairperson shall notify the Directorate membership immediately.  Any Directorate Body Member may then nominate a person to make it a contested ballot.  Should no nominations be forthcoming, the Chairperson will declare the position won by acclamation and no election will be held for that position.  If all positions go uncontested and no nominations are forthcoming from the Directorate Membership, the Chairperson shall declare all positions won by acclamation.  No election will occur among the general membership.

   The Chairperson will communicate the results of the election to the entire membership including information about any uncontested races that were won by acclamation.

IV. Meeting Procedures
A. The Commission meets annually at the ACPA national convention during the specified time allotted for Commission activities.

D. Vice Chairpersons will meet with interested Commission members to set goals, identify tasks, and assign responsibilities for the area under their supervision for the year ahead.

VI. Finances/Budget
ACPA allots Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues an operating budget annually.  The Commission Chairperson administers the budget, and in consultation with the Directorate Body, determines the exact operating budget for the year.

VII. Amending Procedures
These By-Laws may be amended by an email vote to Commission members.  To pass, a majority vote of the Commission for Student Conduct and Legal Issues members that choose to vote is required.