Constitution and By Laws

of the Psychological Association of Northeastern New York, Inc.

Revised December 1964
Reissued November 1965
Amended May 1977
Amended February 1980
Amended October 1980
Revised May 1983
Revised January 1995
Amended January 1997
Amended November 2004
Amended October 2005
Revised May 2008
Revised October 2018

ARTICLE I: NAME

  1. The name of this organization shall be the Psychological Association of Northeastern New York. The acronym PANNY may be used to refer to the Association

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

  1. The purpose of the Psychological Association of Northeastern New York shall be to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting the welfare of the people of Northeastern New York.
  2. The Association will work toward achievement of its purpose by engaging in the following activities:
    1. Promoting social and professional interaction with psychologists in the area;
    2. Supporting the professional development of current and future psychologists;
    3. Promoting public understanding of psychology;
    4. Promoting legislative and other actions that protect and enhance the profession of psychology;
    5. Affiliating with the New York State Psychological Association.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

  1. A. The Board of Directors elect individuals to one of two classes of membership:
    • Full Member: Any individual working or residing in Northeastern New York who possesses a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited academic institution. In addition, any full member in good standing as of January 1, 2018 will continue to have the benefits of full membership.
    • Student Member: Any full-time graduate student enrolled in a doctoral program in Psychology at a University accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Student Members shall be entitled to all the privileges of the Association except the right to vote or to be elected to a position on the Board of Directors, with the exception of the Student Representative to the Board.
  2. New members may apply and be accepted to membership at any point in the membership year.
  3. Any member of this Association may resign by sending the Secretary a signed statement indicating the intention to do so.
  4. Continued membership in good standing is contingent on:
    1. Paying all required dues on time.
    2. Subscribing to the purposes of PANNY.
    3. Maintaining ethical standards of professional conduct as set forth by the American Psychological Association and the New York State Psychology Association.
  5. All complaints relating to potential or suspected violations of professional ethics will be directed to the President of PANNY, who will then confer with the Board of Directors regarding appropriate action. This may include, but is not limited to, suspending the member benefits, conferring with the Ethics Committee of the New York State Psychological Association, and/or the American Psychological Association.

ARTICLE IV: DUES

  1. Annual dues will be determined by the Board of Directors (described below). Any increase in dues will be subject to the approval of the membership.
  2. The membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st.
  3. When annual dues are payable, the Treasurer shall inform the membership via the Listserv in November.
  4. Failure to pay dues 60 days after the mailing of a second request for dues will result in termination of that person’s membership, no further notice to the member being required.
  5. Members over the age of 70 who have retired from their work in the field of psychology may request to the membership secretary that their membership dues be waived while retaining all other rights and privileges of the Association.

ARTICLE V: BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  1. The Board of Directors shall consist of seven elected officers, a student representative, and three committee chairs.
  2. Each Board Member shall have one vote. If a member of the Board holds more than one position, they shall still have only one vote.
  3. PANNY members in good standing may attend regular meetings of the Board of Directors on appropriate occasions but shall have no vote. They shall contact any member of the Board in order to reserve a place for them at the meeting.
  4. The Board of Directors shall be the administrative agent to the membership and shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Association. It shall have the power to:
    1. authorize the expenditure of money;
    2. instruct the President to appoint committees to carry out the purposes of the Association;
    3. fill vacancies within its own body by special election or appointment until the next election of the Association;
    4. make and amend rules for its own procedures and keep records of such rules and its own proceedings;
    5. receive and approve the recommendation of the Membership Committee concerning the election of candidates to all classes of membership;
    6. review, act upon, or otherwise dispose of violations brought to its attention;
    7. take such steps as may be necessary to carry out any program voted by the Members of the Association and not otherwise provided for;
    8. The Board will be responsible for ensuring that relevant documents are collected and delivered to the NYS Archives.

ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS

  1. The officers of the Association include:
    1. President
    2. President-Elect
    3. Past President
    4. Secretary
    5. Treasurer
    6. Representatives to NYSPA Council (including an alternate)
    7. Student Representative
  2. Officers will hold office until their successors are elected and qualify.
  3. Terms for the officers will run from July 1st to June 30th.
  4. No board member can serve more than 4 consecutive years in any one position with the exception of the NYSPA Council Representative who can serve up to two 3-year terms.
  5. All of the officers must:
    1. Be a member in good standing
    2. Be nominated and elected by members of the Association
    3. Promote and uphold the purposes and by-laws of the Association
    4. Attend all the meetings of the Association
  6. President:
    1. Will serve a two-year term.
    2. Will be a Member of the Association who has just completed a term as President-Elect.
    3. During the term of office, the President will serve as: (a) the general presiding officer of the Association; and (b) Chairperson of the Board of Directors.
    4. Will set the meeting agenda and preside at all meetings of PANNY
    5. The President shall perform such other duties as are incident to the office or as may be required of the President by vote of the Board of Directors.
    6. In the event that the President does not serve out the full term, the President-Elect will succeed to the unexpired remainder thereof and shall continue through a full term. In the event that the President-Elect is not able to serve out the term, both a President and a President-Elect shall be nominated and elected at the time of the next election.
  7. President-Elect
    1. Will serve a two-year term.
    2. Serve a role similar to a Vice President.
    3. Will attend the Board of Directors meetings.
    4. Automatically assume the position of President immediately following their term as President-Elect.
  8. Past President
    1. Will serve a two-year term.
    2. Will be the most recently retired President and will serve as a Member of the Board of Directors.
    3. In the absence of the President and President-Elect, the Past President will assume to the duties of the President.
    4. Will continue to attend meetings of the Board of Directors.
  9. Secretary:
    1. Will serve a two-year term.
    2. During the term of office, the Secretary shall serve as Secretary of the Board of Directors.
    3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to take minutes at all meetings of the Board of Directors as well as maintain records from other meetings and events of the Association.
    4. Secretary shall notify all Association members at least two weeks before the date of each Board meeting.
    5. Secretary is responsible for collecting and delivering records to the NYS Archives.
  10. Treasurer
    1. Will serve a two-year term.
    2. Will have custody of all funds and will deposit them in the name of the Association in such bank or banks as the Board of Directors may direct.
    3. Will retain custody of all other property of the Association not otherwise provided in the Constitution and By-Laws subject to the order and direction of the Board of Directors.
    4. Will collect dues and other debts due the Association.
    5. The Treasurer shall have the authority to sign checks and drafts on behalf of the Association for the disbursement of funds for duly authorized purposes.
    6. The Treasurer shall, at all reasonable times, exhibit financial books and accounts to any Member of the Association.
    7. The Treasurer shall keep a full and complete record of all money received and all money paid out and shall perform such other duties as may be required of the Treasurer by vote of the Board of Directors at a duly constituted meeting.
  11. Representatives to the New York State Psychological Association (NYSPA) Council
    1. Will serve a term of three years with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
    2. Can only be Members of PANNY who are also Members of NYSPA.
    3. Will attend all NYSPA Council meetings and are responsible for providing reports about the functioning of the Association as required by the NYSPA Council regulations.
    4. Will report to the PANNY Board of Directors the summary of NYSPA meetings and publish a written summary to the Listserv.
    5. The membership will also elect an Alternate to serve as Council Representative should the Council Representative be unable to perform his or her duties. The Alternate will have all the rights and responsibilities of the Council Representative.
  12. Student Representative
    1. Will be a Student Member of PANNY.
    2. He or she shall be selected by the PANNY Board and serve a term of up to three years.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

  1. A. The committees shall consist of the following three standing committees and any special committees as may be established by the Board of Directors:
    1. Membership
    2. Program
    3. Communications
  2. Chairpersons of Membership, Program, and Communications Committees shall be appointed by the President of the Association and shall become members of the Board of Directors upon such appointments. Each shall serve a one-year term concurrent to that of the appointing President.
  3. Membership Committee
    1. Shall monitor the website-based new member application process.
    2. Encourage eligible persons to apply for membership and conduct an annual membership drive.
    3. Review the applications received and recommend to the Board of Directors their acceptance or rejection.
    4. This Committee shall publish and maintain a current membership directory on the website, pannyforum.org.
  4. Program Committee
    1. Will plan educational initiatives for members, other professionals, and the broader community.
    2. Will be responsible for arranging the yearly “PANNY Presents” program for graduate students.
    3. Will plan social events, at least one in the Spring and one in the Fall.
  5. Communications Committee
    1. Will be responsible for the maintenance of the website, pannyforum.org.
      1. The Chairperson shall work directly with the webmaster to update the content as needed throughout the year.
      2. The Webmaster is a paid position who manages the PANNY website and works closely with Board of Directors, and specifically the Chairperson of this committee, to complete all relevant website tasks.
    2. Will facilitate communications with the membership regarding important events and announcements.
  6. Ad-hoc or special committees may be appointed by the Board of Directors in response to emergent PANNY needs to perform specific needed tasks.
    1. General Membership approval is not needed for the creation of these committees
    2. Ad-hoc committee chairs shall not have Board of Directors voting rights.
    3. Ad-hoc committees are automatically dissolved when the assigned tasks are completed.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

  1. Regular in person meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at least quarterly.
  2. Additional meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at any time on the call of the President.
  3. A quorum at any meeting shall consist of a majority of the entire membership of the Board of Directors.
  4. The order of business at meetings of the Board of Directors shall be as follows:
    1. Call to Order
    2. Roll Call
    3. Reading and Approval of Minutes
    4. Reports of Officers and Committee chairs
    5. Business, current and new
    6. Adjournment
  5. Additional meetings of the Members to transact business of the Association or to present programs may be called at any time by the Secretary on the request of the President, the Board of Directors, or of any five Members of the Association.
  6. The Secretary or designated Board member shall notify all Members at least two weeks before the date of each meeting.
  7. Meeting Minutes will be made electronically available to members.

ARTICLE IX: ELECTIONS

  1. An eligible voter is defined as a voting member who has paid his/her dues as of the final voting deadline.
  2. A valid election requires receipt of ballots from at least 30% of eligible voters as of the final voting deadline.
  3. The Board of Directors will identify positions that will need to be filled.
  4. The secretary will oversee the call for nominations for these positions by April 15th.
  5. The secretary will submit a draft of the Election Ballot to the Board for approval by May 15th. The Board of Directors will verify the ability and willingness to serve of each nominee prior to listing him/her as a candidate on the final ballot.
  6. During the third week of May, the secretary will send the Election Ballot to the voting eligible general membership.
  7. The voting deadline will be May 31st.
  8. The Secretary shall collect, validate, and count the ballots; then will report the results to the Board and announce election results via the Listserv.
  9. The title of Immediate Past President is automatically conferred to the outgoing President. The title of President is automatically conferred to the outgoing President-Elect.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS

  1. Any 5 Members may submit to the Board of Directors in writing proposed amendments to this Constitution and By-Laws together with reasons for the proposed amendments.
  2. After review by the Board of Directors, the Secretary shall send every Member a written copy of proposed amendments together with reasons advanced by their proponents and comments or recommendations by the Board of Directors at least two weeks before final action taken at a business meeting.
  3. If a proposed amendment is voted on by electronic voting, an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Members who vote on it shall be required for its passage. If a proposed amendment is voted on at a business meeting, an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Members present and voting shall be required for its passage.
  4. This Constitution and By-Laws may be revised by the same process stipulated for amending this document.

ARTICLE XI: WHEN TO TAKE EFFECT

  1. A. This Constitution and By-Laws shall take effect as soon as it receives an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the Members who vote.
  2. This Constitution and By-Laws as originally proposed was made effective by approval of two-thirds of the Chapter Members who voted in December 1958.