Rules of Order

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Adopted by the Board of Directors and affixed to the By-Laws of the American Communication Association (October 2003) (revised February 2016)

ACA Rules of Order

1.  Eligibility and Qualifications for  Membership

Any individual with an interest in the study of communication is eligible for membership  in the American Communication  Association.

2.  Manner of Admission into Membership

Membership shall begin with the subscription to the primary ACA on­line discussion address. Membership shall be accomplished by providing such information as is required by the subscription process and membership is maintained by updating address and information as required for participation in the primary ACA on­line discussion.

3.  Initiation Fees, Dues and Other Fees

The American Communication Association charges no dues or initiation fees for membership.

4.  Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on January   1.

5.  Time and Location of Discussions

Discussions of the Board of Directors will be held on an appropriate discussion board list in accordance with the requirements of the organization’s   By­Laws.

The list is to be named in advanced, and its location published. Periodically the list  server may need to change. However when it does, old information should be archived for historical record.

6.  Decision Making Procedures

Business of the organization shall be conducted in special discussions convened for the express purpose of deliberation and decision making. Acquiescence or acclaim during general on­line discussion shall not be construed as authorization for action of the Board of Directors or the ACA as a  whole.

Special discussions shall be conducted such  that:

  1. Email notice of the time and location of a discussion shall be provided to all members of the body as provided in the By­Laws. Members unable to be online during a special discussion, or who must excuse themselves from a discussion in progress, shall give email notice to that effect and shall be treated as an absent member. Members who have not given such notice shall be deemed present regardless of their level of  participation.
  1. Written notice of an upcoming discussion shall include a description of the topics to be discussed and the decision sought. No additional business may be discussed or decided if any member has given written notice of absence from  the
  2. Online discussions will be scheduled to last a minimum of seven days. Deliberation and discussion of an agenda topic may be extended beyond the called meeting by agreement of the participants to set a time and agenda for another special discussion and subject to the notification requirements established in the By­Laws.
  3. The chair of the discussion shall call for discussion on agenda topics in the order provided in the
  4. Decisions shall be made by a simple majority of the members in attendance. Non­voting members will be considered to have silently affirmed any proposal. Proposed actions shall be summarized by the meeting chair to represent the apparent agreed upon

7.  Duties of Officers and Directors

In accordance with the By­Laws of the corporation, the Board of Directors specifies the terms and duties of the officers and directors as  follows:

All officers other than the Executive Director, shall hold office for one year terms, and shall remain eligible for re­election so long as they remain members of the Board of Directors. The Executive Director shall preside for a six year term that begins and  ends at the normal start and end date of officer terms. Elections should occur in December. The terms of office shall all begin January  1.

Executive Director:​Shall oversee the long­term workings of the organization, maintain the historical memory of the group, archive information, and step in when needed to assist the president and other officers. The ED will have  access to all records and accounts and serve as back up when officers are unable to perform their duties. S/he will also oversee the organization’s incorporation status. In order to maintain organizational continuity across administrations, the ED will hold a six­year

President: S​hall properly call and moderate Board of Director and Membership discussions in accordance with the organization’s By­Laws, conduct the annual election of directors, and act as the official representative of the

Vice­President: ​Shall function as needed in the absence of the President. Additionally, the vice­president should oversee an annual real­world, online, or hybrid association conference​.

Chief Information Officer: S​hall create the corporation’s annual report and maintain permanent records of member and BOD discussions, posting them to the primary virtual location of the organization and filing them with the physical corporate records as required by the corporation’s By­Laws. The CIO will manage a number of individuals who may be either board of director volunteers or outside consultants/contractors to address some of the communication needs of the organization.   These individuals will  include:

List Moderator: ​Shall act as owner of such electronic discussion lists, bulletin boards or other electronic interaction services as shall be established by the organization. Shall provide verifications of discussion list memberships as required in the By­Laws and as requested by the Board of Directors. Shall provide and verify any membership certificates, cards or other instruments as may be issued by the Corporation.

Webmaster: ​Shall act as webmaster for the primary virtual location of the ACA to insure that all website functions are fully operational and supportive of organizational

Chief Financial Officer: ​Shall maintain financial records of the organization, collect and disburse funds as directed by those members who conduct business for the organization, and provide an annual financial report to the membership.

Director of the Accreditation Program:​The director of the accreditation program shall be responsible for managing the organization’s accreditation service. This includes establishing the accreditation committee, handling applications for accreditation, organizing all accreditation site visits, and supervising program reviews from beginning to ACA board of directors

The program director will appoint a standing accreditation committee of 3 ­ 5 members (including the director) to assist in accreditation duties. Committee members must have full time experience in higher education as well as finance and/or accreditation. All must have a terminal degree, full time or emeritus faculty status, and documented experience with accreditation and / or financial review experience.

Committee appointments will be made by the director, but must be approved by  a consensus of the currently sitting accreditation committee. Committee  members may be removed only with the approval of the director as well as a consensus of the remainder of the committee for just   cause.

In order to achieve future compliance with either US Department of Education   or Council on Higher Education, there must be a degree of objective  separation between the ACA accreditation program and the ACA board of directors. Therefore, henceforth the accreditation program will operate outside the purview of the ACA board of directors and  officers.

The accreditation director will remain as Director as long as he/she has the faith of the other committee members or resigns. It would take a consensus of the other accreditation committee members to remove the Director for just cause.

There shall be an Alternate Director in the event the director cannot go to a particular site visit or there are two or more site visits that are scheduled too close to each other. The Alt. Director is appointed ad hoc by the accreditation committee members, needing a majority to agree. The ad hoc is based on the need of the time and specific to the occasion/site  visit.

The committee can recruit other BOD members to participate on an “as needed basis.” One stipulation, that the BOD member have documented curriculum assessment experience. This member can be an Asst., Assoc. or Full   Professor, but must have the criterion to be  recruited.

The first director is appointed by the Executive Director of ACA and may be the ED. The person in this position must be a full professor who has worked at an institution of higher education and also has significant documented experience performing accreditation work. Given the needed autonomy of the committee, future directors will be appointed by a consensus of the accreditation   committee members.

American Communication Journal​Editor in Chief:​The ACJ Editor in Chief will manage the organization’s online journal. This includes working with the organization’s CIO to ensure that the journal maintains an online presence, and produces and archives several issues annually. The editor will also manage the blind, peer­reviewed process of reviewing academic work for the journal and keeping current the journal’s U.S. Library of Congress listing. The editor may appoint assistant editors to assist in the process. Journal editor is a 2­year renewable position appointed by the ACA Board of

Members of the Board of Directors: ​Shall take on the responsibility for some activity of the corporation. Such activities include the editorship of websites, journals or online activities, the coordination of physical meetings, conventions, or gatherings, the administration of accreditation services, and any other functions as might be deemed beneficial to the ACA.

 

8.  Organizational Entities

The American Communication Association in its role as an international communication organization will create a number of permanent and temporary organizational entities.  The following is a list of these   entities.

American Communication Journal Editor​: T​he editor of the ACJ shall,

working with the CIO, ensure that the journal remains online and keep its   Library of Congress DOI assignment.  Further, s/he shall ensure that the    journal publishes 2 ­ 4 issues per year; solicits submissions; and maintains high standards for acceptance and publication. S/he should also document usage statistics for the publication.

Public Speaking Textbook T​he editor of the textbook shall, working with the CIO, ensure that the textbook website remains online. Further, s/he shall oversee annual updating of the material as well as promotion of the  textbook to prospective instructors. S/he should also document usage statistics for the publication.

Accreditation Program:​T​he ACA accreditation program has been established to review and accredit a wide variety of both higher educational and professional communication programs including certificate, associate degree, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and Ph.D.  Programs assessed include   (but are not limited to) interpersonal; corporate and organizational; mass    media; advertising; public relations; performance; and design.   In order  to

Other: ​The ACA may create other temporary or permanent organizational entities as the need arises in the