Constitution

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Article I NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Pacific Northwest Association for College Physics.

Article II OBJECTIVES

This Association shall be a regional organization to increase cooperation among college physics teachers, and to conduct programs of benefit to college physics.

Article III SPONSORSHIP

This Association is founded under the sponsorship of the Pacific Northwest College and University Association for the Improvement of Science Teaching.

Article IV REGION

The region from which this Association shall draw its members shall include the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. The Directors of the Association may extend this region in the future to include the Province of British Columbia.

Article V MEMBERSHIP

Any institution of higher learning in the region of the Association which teaches college level physics may be a member of the Association.
Membership in this Association shall be accorded upon receipt by the Association of a letter from an administrative officer of an institution signifying the intent of his institution to participate in the Association and to share responsibility for support of the Association.
Membership in this Association may be terminated upon receipt of a letter from an administrative officer of an institution signifying the intent of his institution to withdraw from membership in the Association.

Article VI DIRECTORS

This Association shall be governed by a Board of Directors whose members shall be elected by and represent four different groups of institutions: Group I (two-year institutions), Group II (four-year institutions which do not grant bachelor’s, master’s, or doctor’s degrees in physics), Group III (institutions which grant bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees in physics but not doctor’s degrees in physics), and Group IV (institutions which grant doctor’s degrees in physics).
Directors shall be apportioned among Groups I, II, III and IV as follows: four (4) from Group I, two (2) from Group II, six (6) from Group III, and one (1) for each institution in Group IV.
Directors representing Groups I, II, and III shall be elected by and from the physics faculties of the groups they represent. Directors representing Group IV shall be elected by and from the faculties of the departments of physics they individually represent.
Directors shall be elected for two year terms which begin June 1 except that the initially elected Board of Directors shall designate nine of its members to serve one year terms.
In the event that a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Board of Directors, the Directors may fill the vacancy by appointment for the unexpired term except that in the case of Group IV, the Department in which the vacancy occurs may select a replacement.
There shall be three directors ex-officio without vote. One shall be appointed by the Pacific Northwest College and University Association for the Improvement of Science Teaching. One shall be appointed by the sections of the American Association of Physics Teachers within the region of this Association. One shall be the Executive Officer of this Association.
The Board of Directors shall elect its Chairman and shall determine its Rules of Procedure.
The Board of Directors shall hold at least one meeting annually. Additional meetings may be called by the Chairman of the Board of Directors who must provide at least two weeks notice of any meeting he calls. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of those Directors present at a properly-called meeting.
The Board of Directors shall determine the policies and programs of the Association, shall carry on a continuing evaluation of the Association’s programs, and shall approve all proposals accepted by the Association for its support of sponsorship.
The Board of Directors shall designate a responsible fiscal agent for the Association and shall be responsible for allocation of the funds of the Association.
The Board of Directors shall employ an Executive Officer and any other necessary staff.
The Board of Directors shall determine any necessary charges for services or goods supplied by the Association. In no case shall such charges result in a net profit to the Association.

Article VII EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The duties of the Executive Officer of the Association shall be to administer the policies and programs of the Board of Directors, to provide assistance to the physics faculties of member institutions, to provide communication among member institutions, to conduct a continuing survey of the state of physics teaching and resources in the region of the Association, and to maintain liaison with other organizations.
The Executive Officer shall supervise all other employees of the Association and shall be responsible for the care of any property of the Association.
The Executive Officer shall be responsible to the Board of Directors.

Article VIII BY-LAWS

The Board of Directors of the Association may pass by-laws for the Association. By-laws may also be passed by a majority vote of the member institutions in a mail ballot conducted in such a manner as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors. By-laws proposed by a petition to the Board of Directors bearing the endorsement of one-tenth of the member institutions shall be submitted to vote by the member institutions.

Article IX AMENDMENTS

This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the member institutions voting in a mail ballot conducted in such manner as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors, or by a petition to the Board of Directors bearing the endorsement of one-tenth of the member institutions.

This Constitution was adopted by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors meeting in Bozeman, Montana, June 17, 1966.

Amendment 1

Notwithstanding any other provision of this constitution, this Association shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an association exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United Sates Internal Revenue Law, or (b) by an association contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law.

Amendment 2

This Association shall continue forever unless a two-thirds majority of the member institutions voting in a mail ballot conducted in such manner as prescribed by the Board of Directors shall vote to dissolve the Association. A proposal to dissolve the Association may be submitted for vote at any time by the Board of Directors. A petition submitted to the Board of Directors calling for the dissolution of the Association and bearing the endorsement of one-tenth of the member institutions shall cause the Directors to submit a proposal for dissolution of the Association to a vote of the member institutions. In the event that the Association is dissolved, the Board of Directors, after paying or making provision for payment of all the liabilities of the Association, shall dispose of all assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association to such charitable, educational or scientific organization or organizations as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law, as the Board of Directors shall determine, except that in the case of funds granted by any agency stipulated otherwise, disposition shall be made in accordance with the provisions contained in the pertinent grant documents.

The above amendments were proposed by the Board of Directors on November 8, 1966 and were duly ratified by the member institutions by November 17, 1966. (Of the 30 institutions which were members as of October 31, 1966, affirmative votes were received from 28; one was not heard from, and an unmarked ballot was received from one.)

By-Laws

Annual dues or other assessments shall be for amounts fixed by the Board of Directors.
Initially no institution shall be barred from membership because of inability to pay dues or other assessments. This rule may be changed by the Board of Directors after June 1, 1970.
The Board of Directors shall determine the method of nomination and election of Directors representing Groups I, II and III and shall provide for conducting these elections.
The Directors representing Groups I, II and III shall be apportioned within each group in a manner determined by the institutions in each group.

The initial apportionments of Directors in Groups I, II and III were determined by representatives of those groups at Seattle, Washington, May 7, 1966. The apportionments are as follows:

Groups I and II:
All Directors to be elected at-large. Group III:
State Colleges -- 1 Director
Liberal Arts Colleges in AK and ID -- 1 Director
Liberal Arts Colleges in OR -- 1 Director
Liberal Arts Colleges in WA -- 1 Director
At-Large -- 2 Directors

5. Two or more faculty members of any one institution shall not serve simultaneously as voting directors.

By-Laws 1 to 5 were adopted unanimously by the Board of Directors meeting in Bozeman, Montana, June 17, 1966.

6. Standing Committees Structure and Duties:

All Standing Committees will meet at least twice per year outside of full PNACP board meetings. At each meeting, a designated member will take minutes. After the meetings these minutes will be submitted to the Executive Officer and PNACP Secretary.
The minutes of meetings for the committees are designated as “Public” or “Private” as described here:
1. Public Minutes are available to all PNACP members, and are distributed to the full Board of Directors by the Secretary.
2. Private Minutes are available only to members of the generating committee and in (possibly) redacted form to the full Board of Directors. Redactions are restricted to meeting content of a personal nature such as may be revealed during discussion of the suitability of a potential speaker.
The Executive Officer is a member of all Standing Committees.
Committees:
1. Host Committee (4 members: Executive Officer, President, Vice-President, Past-President)
  1. President is Chair of Host Committee and sets meeting agendas.
  2. Primary goal: Organize local details of meetings (hotel rooms, meeting rooms, food, logistics, etc.).The Host Committee will create, update, and maintain documents necessary to guide and assist current and future meeting hosts organize meetings.
  3. Post meeting product: Minutes---Public, Updated documents
2. Meeting Committee (5 members: Executive Officer and four PNACP members appointed from membership by Executive Officer).
  1. Executive Officer is Chair of Meeting Committee and sets meeting agendas.
  2. Responsible for soliciting speaker suggestions and vetting them for availability and suitability for the upcoming meeting theme. This committee will maintain an updated list of possible future speakers. The members can be members of the Board of Directors or other persons from member institutions.
  3. Post meeting product: Minutes--‐Private, Updated documents
3. Business Committee (5 members: Executive Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, Membership Officer)
  1. Treasurer is Chair of Business Committee and sets meeting agendas.
  2. Business Committee is provided membership lists and contact information in order to create the annual Dues Invoices, calculate the travel stipend amounts, and Meeting Announcement and Travel Stipend Forms for each meeting.
  3. Business Committee assists Treasurer with maintaining and tracking financial records.
  4. Business Committee assists Webmaster with maintenance of and providing content for Board of Directors section of website.
  5. Business Committee assists Membership Officer with updating member contact information.
  6. Post meeting product: Minutes--‐Public, Updated documents
4. Vitality Committee: (4 members: Executive Officer, Membership Officer, two PNACP members appointed from membership by Membership Officer).
  1. Membership Officer is the chair of the Vitality Committee.
  2. Vitality Committee is charged with increasing membership and meeting attendance. Initiatives may include: meeting with leaders of new institutions, generating contacts at current and potential member institutions, communication with current and potential members about upcoming meetings.
  3. Vitality Committee is also charged with proposing and sustaining projects in support of programs as described in Article II. Initiatives may include: Inter-institutional exchanges, professional development support or activities, facilitating undergraduate research opportunities, resource exchanges and other initiatives as have the support of the Board of Directors. The Vitality Committee will solicit and research ideas for these initiatives from the membership.
  4. Vitality Committee is responsible for maintaining and updating current membership lists and contact information.
  5. Agenda set by Executive Officer in consultation with Membership Officer.
  6. Post meeting product: Minutes--‐Public, Separate reports as needed, providing status of on-going projects.

7. Board Officers, Roles and Appointments:

Elections: The following Board Officers are nominated by the Board of Directors and elected at the annual meeting when the respective terms have ended: Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, Membership Officer. Terms of elected officers shall be for three years. All PNACP members present at the membership meeting may propose additional nominations and vote for elected board officers. Elected officers are appointed by majority vote. In the case of the resignation of an elected officer or the inability of an elected officer to fulfill their duties, the Executive Officer will consult with the Board of Directors and with the Board’s consent will appoint a replacement acting officer to fulfill the duties of that office until the next membership meeting. If the Executive Officer resigns or cannot fulfill their duties, the Board of Directors will appoint a replacement Acting Executive Officer to fulfill the duties of that office until the next Board of Directors meeting at the next annual meeting.
The Executive officer will be responsible for the following tasks in addition to those dictated by Article VII:
1. sending notifications of membership dues to appropriate institutions and departments in the region served by the PNACP.
2. sending notifications of upcoming meetings and the travel stipends available to institutions to claim so that member institutions may send faculty to attend the yearly meeting.
3. sending post meeting report to all appropriate institutions (member and non-member) to inform of the activities of the PNACP.
4. serving on and directing the work of the standing committees, coordinating their efforts, and ensuring that new members of these committees are well oriented and have clear understanding of their duties.
President: The host and organizer of the next upcoming meeting will have the title of President. The President chairs the Host Committee. The President is appointed by the Executive Officer.
Vice-President: The anticipated host and organizer of the following meeting will have the title of Vice-President. The Vice-President serves on the Host Committee. The Vice-President is appointed by the Executive Officer.
Past-President: A past host and organizer of a previous meeting will have the title of Past-President. The Past-President serves on the Host Committee. The Past-President is appointed by the Executive Officer.
Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining PNACP financial records, collecting dues, issuing checks for stipends and financial obligations of the PNACP, and submitting required IRS forms. His/her name is on the PNACP checking and savings accounts. The Treasurer chairs the Business Committee.
Secretary: The Secretary takes minutes or appoints a designee to take minutes at all Board of Directors and Membership meetings. The Secretary will collect Standing Committee minutes after Standing Committee meetings. The Secretary distributes these minutes to the Board of Directors for approval. The Secretary serves on the Business Committee.
Webmaster: The Webmaster maintains the website by keeping information current and ensures domain and hosting fees are paid. The Webmaster serves on the Business and Vitality Committees.
Membership Officer: The Membership Officer is responsible for maintaining current membership contact information and directing initiatives for increasing membership and meeting attendance. The Membership Officer chairs the Vitality Committee.

By-Laws 6 and 7 were adopted my majority unanimous vote of the Board of Directors in July 2016.