BY LAWS OF THE ALABAMA ASSOCIATION OF NURSING STUDENTS ARTICLE I NAME The name of this organization shall be the Alabama Association of Nursing Students, a constituent of the National Student Nurses Association, Inc., herein referred to as the AANS and NSNA respectively.
ARTICLE II PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS
The purpose of the Alabama Association of Nursing Students: a) To assume responsibility for contributing to nursing education in order to provide for the highest quality healthcare; b) To provide programs representative of fundamental and current professional interest and concerns, and c) To aid in the development of the whole person, and his/her professional role, and his/her responsibility for the health care of people in all walks of life. The function of the Alabama Association of Nursing Students shall include the following: a) To have direct input into standards of nursing education and influence the education process. b) To influence health care, nursing education and practice through legislative activities as appropriate. c) To promote and encourage participation in community affairs and activities towards improved health care and the resolution of related social issues. d) To represent nursing students to the consumer; to institutions, and other organizations. e) To promote and encourage students participation in interdisciplinary activities. f) Refuse to engage in, or condone, discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, life style, disability or economic status. g) To promote and encourage collaborative relationships with nursing and related health organizations.
ARTICLE III MEMBERS Section 1. Constituent Associations: Any school chapter or state association whose membership is composed of active or associate NSNA members and who has submitted the Official Application for NSNA Constituency Status (the Application) containing the areas of conformity, and upon meeting such other policies as the Board of Directors may determine, shall be recognized as a constituent. a) The online application must be submitted annually before the Annual Convention, and delegate credentialing process for the Annual House of Delegates meeting. For school and state associations unable to send representatives to the Annual House of Delegates meeting, the application may be submitted online no later than 10 business days after the close of the House of Delegates meeting of the same year. b) Recognized Constituents shall be composed of at least 10 members. Requirement of 10 or more members must be met on a date eight weeks prior to the Annual House of Delegates Meeting. There shall be only one chapter in each school campus. c) A state association shall be composed of at least two school chapters in any state, or only one school chapter if there is only one nursing school in the state. There shall be only one state association in any state. School chapters shall belong to their state association when one exists. The term “state” in these bylaws shall be understood to apply equally to any state in the United States of America, to the District of Columbia, or to any territory, possession, or dependency of the United States of America. d) For yearly recognition as a constituent, constituent associations shall be required to submit annually the Official Application for Constituency Status which shall include the following areas of conformity: purpose and function, membership, dues, and representation. e) A constituent association which fails to comply with the bylaws and policies of NSNA shall have its status as a constituent revoked by a 2/3 vote of the Board of Directors, provided that written notice of the proposed revocation has been given at least two months prior to the vote and the constituent association is given an opportunity to be heard. f) School chapters and state associations are entities separate and apart from NSNA in their administration of activities, with NSNA exercising no supervision or control over these immediate daily and regular activities. NSNA has no liability for any loss, damages, or injuries sustained by third parties as a result of the negligence or acts of school chapters or state associations, or the members thereof. In the event any legal proceeding is brought against NSNA as a result of such acts of omission or commission by a school chapter or state association, said school chapter or state association will indemnify and hold harmless the NSNA from any liability. Section 2. Categories of Constituent Membership: Members of the constituent associations shall be: 1.Active members: a) Students enrolled in state approved programs leading to licensure as a registered nurse. b) Registered nurses enrolled in programs leading to a baccalaureate degree with a major in nursing. c) Active members shall have all the privileges of membership. 2.Associate members: a) Prenursing students, including registered nurses, enrolled in college or university programs designed as preparation for entrance into a program leading to an associate degree, diploma or baccalaureate degree in nursing. b) Associate members shall have all of the privileges of membership except the right to hold office as president or vice president at state and national levels. 3.Individual members: Individual membership shall be open at the national level to any eligible student when membership in a constituent association is not available. Individual members shall have the privileges of membership as prescribed in Article IV, Section 2, items 1 and 2. 4. Active, associate and individual membership shall be renewable annually. Section 4. Active, associate and individual membership may be extended six months beyond graduation from a student’s program in nursing, providing membership was renewed while the student was enrolled in a nursing program. Sustaining membership shall be renewable annually. Section 5. Dues: a) The annual NSNA dues for active, associate, and individual members shall be $30 per member, plus $5 state and school dues, payable for the appropriate dues year. The dues year for members shall be a period of twelve consecutive months. b) The annual NSNA dues for active, associate, and individual members joining for two years shall be $50 per member, plus $20 state and school dues, payable for the appropriate dues years. The dues years for these members shall be a period of twenty-four consecutive months. c) The NSNA Board of Directors shall have the authority to change membership dues, providing such dues do not exceed the amounts set in these bylaws. d) National and state dues shall be payable directly to NSNA. NSNA shall remit to each state constituent the dues received in behalf of the constituent. e) Any member who fails to pay current dues shall forfeit all privileges of membership.
ARTICLE IV OFFICERS
Section 1 a) The President shall: 1) Preside at all business meetings of this association and the AANS Executive Board. 2) Appoint special committees with the approval of the AANS Executive Board. 3) Establish and maintain contact with the Executive Director of the Alabama State Nurses Association concerning issues of interest to the nursing profession. 4) Serve as ex-officio member of all committees. 5) Approve expenditures as submitted by the Treasurer and authorized by the AANS Executive Board 6) Be accessible to the President-elect in an advisory capacity for the period of one (1) year. 7) Have the power to disburse funds with the approval of the AANS Executive Board in the event of a vacancy in the office of the Treasurer. 8) Be bonded. 9) Perform all duties as outlined in the AANS Policy Manual. 10) Perform all duties pertaining to the office and represent AANS in all matters relating to the AANS, NSNA or the ALN. 11) Be expected to attend both Mid-Year and Annual NSNA Conferences and Council of State Presidents b) The Vice-President shall: 1) Assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. 2) Assume the duties of the President in the event of a vacancy. 3) Be responsible for obtaining speakers for the AANS annual convention, and assist with additional AANS annual convention planning as needed. 4) Perform other duties as assigned by the President. 5) Oversee all arrangements and planning for the AANS annual convention, and report these activities to the AANS Executive Board. 6) Be responsible for the compilation and production of the AANS annual convention program. 7) Be bonded. 8) Perform all duties as assigned by the AANS President. d) The Secretary shall: 1) Notify all AANS constituent associations of the time and place of all meetings of the AANS. 2) Record and distribute the minutes of all AANS meetings. Distribution of the minutes shall be as follows: copy to each AANS Executive Board member at least one week prior to the next scheduled meeting, and said minutes shall be sent to NSNA, in the same timely manner as per the required method. 3) Keep all records of all official correspondence of AANS and NSNA. 4) Conduct all general correspondence of the AANS as requested by the AANS President. 5) Keep on file as permanent records, all reports, papers, and documents submitted to the AANS Secretary. 6) Complete and distribute a contact list of all constituents and their offices following the AANS annual meeting. 7) Send to NSNA the names and addresses of new AANS Executive Board officers and ongoing activities of the AANS as required. 8) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. e) The Treasurer shall: 1) Act as custodian of organizational funds and deposit these funds in a bank approved by the AANS Executive Board. 2) See that the system of collecting dues and distributing membership forms is carried out as outlined by the NSNA. 3) Have books reviewed by a Certified Public Accountant within two (2) months, or when AANS funds are available, after the AANS annual meeting. 4) Be bonded. 5) See that the system of collecting dues and distributing membership forms is carried out as outlined by NSNA. 6) File required reports to the Internal Revenue Service as required. 7) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. f) The Communications Director shall: 1) Organize information flow from NSNA to the membership of AANS via the website. 2) Coordinate the communication of the AANS Executive Board with the membership through all media including the website, broadcast email, and reporting of events through online newsletters. 3) Manage the AANS website by keeping it current. 4) Be responsible for collating and posting information for website newsletter as planned by the AANS Executive Board. 5) Organize any online pre-registration and onsite registration of the annual convention. 6) Serve as Executive Board liaison to the vendor of the AANS website. 7) Post the AANS Executive Board meeting and House of Delegates meeting minutes on the AANS website. 8) Perform other duties as assigned by the President. g) The Director North shall: 1) Determine AANS constituency of school associations within his or her assigned ASNA districts. 2) Monitor campaigning by the candidates running for AANS Executive Board offices and work with other officers to enforce all campaign regulations during the AANS annual convention. 3) Plan the “Meet the Candidates” session of those campaigning for AANS Executive Board offices at the annual meeting. 4) Serve as a liaison to the Deans and Faculty Advisors of nursing schools in the assigned area of Alabama. 5) Facilitates membership/recruitment activities in North Alabama nursing schools. 6) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. h) The Director South shall: 1) Determine AANS constituency of school associations within his or her assigned ASNA districts. 2) Monitor campaigning by the candidates running for AANS Executive Board offices and work with other officers to enforce all campaign regulations during the AANS annual convention. 3) Investigate complaints of campaign violations on those running for AANS Executive Board offices. 4) Develop a Board-approved official slate of AANS Executive Board officer candidates and present to the membership in the House of Delegates at the annual meeting. 5) Serve as a liaison to the Deans and Faculty Advisors of nursing schools in the assigned area of Alabama. 6) Facilitates membership/recruitment activities in South Alabama nursing schools. 7) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. i) The Breakthrough to Nursing Chairperson shall: 1) Coordinate elementary and high school nursing recruitment activities as authorized by the AANS Executive Board. 2) Be responsible for credentialing delegates for the House of Delegates at the AANS annual meeting. 3) Obtain and process applications for the Breakthrough to Nursing Scholarship essay contest. 4) Recruit a committee and perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. j) The Community Health Chairperson shall: 1) Develop a Community Health State Project for duplication across Alabama as authorized by the AANS Executive Board. The State Project addresses health concerns in Alabama communities through activities such as fund-raising, political awareness, and/or education. 2) Recruit a committee from constituent members to assist in planning a Community Health State Project workshop at the AANS Annual Convention. These plans should include the themes, the delivery method(s) and materials, speakers, resources and schedule. The purpose of the workshop is to train and recruit constituent participation and candidates for State Project implementation in the year following the workshop. 3) Process all awards for NSNA and AANS annual convention. 4) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. k) The Legislative Chairperson shall: 1) Monitor legislative activity of local, state, and national government concerning nursing and other health care professions and report these activities to the AANS. 2) Take charge of AANS legislative business and resolutions, reporting to the AANS Executive Board. 3) Serve as parliamentarian during all meetings of the AANS and the AANS Executive Board. 4) Plan activities and communication for ASNA Legislative Day. 5) Perform other duties as assigned by the AANS President. Section 2 Officer Eligibility: Only NSNA members who shall have nursing student status throughout three-fourths of a term of office are eligible for an AANS Executive Board office. Section 3 Terms of Office: The term of office shall be one (1) year from the adjournment of the AANS annual meeting at which new officers are elected and duly installed.
ARTICLE V ELECTIONS
Section 1 The AANS Executive Board officers shall be elected at the AANS annual meeting. Section 2 All elections shall be by ballot, and the ballots shall be destroyed immediately after tally. Section 3 A plurality vote of all delegates present and entitled to vote shall constitute an election.
ARTICLE VI MEETINGS
Section 1 Meetings of the AANS shall be held at such times and places as will be determined by the AANS Executive Board. Section 2 Special meetings of the association membership may be called by the AANS President upon written request of one-third or more of the AANS constituent associations. Section 3 All meetings of the AANS shall be open unless voted otherwise by the voting body of this association. Section 4 The President shall have the power and authority to call a meeting of the AANS Executive Board when it is deemed necessary. Section 5 All other powers of the association are vested in and shall be exercised by the AANS Executive Board during the interim between meetings of the association, except that the AANS Executive Board shall not nullify or modify any action taken by the House of Delegates at convention, and subject to provisions of these bylaws. Section 6 The AANS Executive Board shall not be responsible for any claim, contract, Board office or AANS member constituent unless the same was authorized in writing by the AANS Executive Board. Section 7 If any officer misses more than two (2) meetings of AANS, this may constitute negligence and termination shall be at the discretion of the AANS Executive Board. Section 8 Annual Meeting: a) There shall be an annual meeting of AANS constituents at a time specified by the AANS Executive Board. This shall also be known as the AANS Annual Convention. b) The purpose of the AANS Annual Convention shall be to discuss the accomplishments, problems, priorities, yearly activities and to share ideas. The AANS Executive Board will also offer advice in the areas of constituency, leadership, and finances.
ARTICLE VII HOUSE OF DELEGATES Section 1 The power of the AANS shall consist of the duty accredited from the AANS constituent school associations, also known as chapters. Section 2 The voting power shall be allocated as follows: a) Each AANS constituent association shall be entitled to delegates at the AANS annual meeting according to the number of members in good standing prior to the annual meeting. A member in good standing is defined as a NSNA member with proof of membership. b) The method of preparing the slate of delegates for the AANS annual meeting should include the following: 1) Only members of the AANS school association may vote on said delegates. 2) All delegates must be members of the AANS school association. c) Delegate representation of accredited schools of nursing at the AANS Annual meeting shall be: 1) One delegate for each ten members 2) One delegate for other schools with at least one NSNA member. Section 3 Members who are in attendance, but are not voting delegates, may participate in discussions in the House of Delegates if recognized, but may not make motions or have voting power. Section 4 The AANS is entitled to representation at the annual meeting or special meetings of NSNA according to the NSNA bylaws. Section 5 In the event of a special meeting of AANS, notification of the delegate representation will be handled at the discretion of the AANS Executive Board of AANS. Section 6. Delegate Representation at NSNA Annual: a) 1. Each school chapter that is a recognized constituency, as determined by these bylaws, shall be entitled to one voting delegate and alternate, and in addition, shall be entitled to one voting delegate and alternate for every 50 members. 2. The school chapter delegate(s) shall be a member(s) in good standing in the chapter and shall be selected and/ or elected by members of the school chapter according to chapter bylaws. The school chapter may designate an alternate delegate for each delegate by one of the following two mechanisms: a) Selection and/or election by members of the school chapter according to chapter bylaws; or b) Written authorization to the State Board of Directors requesting them to appoint a member of the State Board to act as a state appointed alternate for their school chapter. 1. School chapters shall approve the appointment. 2. The State Board of Directors shall verify that any state appointed alternate is a member in good standing of the NSNA and the state association. 3. A school chapter must have a selected and/or elected delegate present at the NSNA Convention in order to have a state-appointed alternate seated in the House of Delegates. 4. All alternates, whether school selected or state appointed, shall have the same privileges as an elected delegate when seated in the House. 5. Each school constituent shall be entitled to delegates according the number of members in good standing in NSNA. Delegates shall be computed on the basis of the number of members in each constituent as evidenced by the annual dues received by NSNA on a date eight weeks prior to the annual meeting. b) State Constituents: Each state constituent shall be entitled to one voting delegate and alternate. This delegate shall be the state president. If the state president cannot serve, a designated representative and alternate shall be elected at a state meeting or by the state Board of Directors. ARTICLE VIII EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1 The AANS Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers. Section 2 The AANS Executive Board shall meet before the annual meeting of the association, immediately following the annual meeting, and at such times deemed necessary by the simple majority vote of the AANS Executive Board. Section 3 The AANS Executive Board shall: a) Transact business of the association between meetings and report such transaction at the next meeting of the association. b) Have the power to fill vacancies in any office except President. c) Approve budgets, authorize all monetary disbursements, and ensure an annual review of the accounts at the close of the fiscal year. d) Assume responsibility with regard to constituents as specified in Article III in these bylaws. e) Devise a program of action, implementing and augmenting the purposes of this association, for presentation to membership. Section 4 The AANS shall have one (1) voting delegate at the NSNA annual meeting. The delegate shall be the AANS President or an alternative designated by the AANS Executive Board if the President is unable to attend. Section 5 No member of the AANS Executive Board shall hold two (2) voting positions simultaneously on such Board. Section 6 The AANS Executive Board shall, at its discretion, establish other committees as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the association, and determine the functions, terms, and membership of these committees. Section 7 All those running for Executive Board office must fulfill their term while in attendance and have active enrollment of an accredited nursing program. Section 8 AANS Executive Board members who have resigned, been placed on probation, or have been removed from their position on the AANS executive board, are not eligible for re-election for any office on the AANS Executive Board.
ARTICLE IX: CONSULTANTS
State Consultants serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board of the AANS and enhance communication among nursing organizations, including the NSNA: 1) One is appointed by the ASNA (Alabama State Nurses Association). 2) One is appointed by the ALN (Alabama League for Nursing). 3) The immediate past President shall serve in an advisory capacity for a period of one (1) year. 4) The ASNA and ALN appointed consultants serve subject to the annual approval of the AANS Executive Board. 5) Consultants of the association shall attend the meetings of the AANS Executive Board and shall have the privilege of speaking without a vote.
ARTICLE X DUES
Section 1 Changes in the annual dues for members for AANS shall be established by the AANS Executive Board and approved by the membership at the AANS annual meeting of the association. State dues are paid in addition to the current dues for membership in the NSNA on an annual basis. Section 2 Dues shall be collected in accordance with the procedures circulated by the Treasurer of NSNA. The student becomes a member in good standing upon receipt of his/her membership card. Section 3 NSNA and AANS dues shall be payable directly to NSNA. NSNA shall remit each state constituent the dues received on behalf of the constituent. School dues shall be collected separately. Section 4 The annual dues of sustaining members shall be established by the NSNA, and shall be paid directly to the NSNA. Section 5 Any member who fails to pay current dues shall forfeit all privileges and membership.
ARTICLE XI QUORUM
Section 1 A simple majority of the AANS Executive Board officers shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the AANS Executive Board. Section 2 A simple majority of the committee members shall constitute a quorum at all meetings.
ARTICLE XII PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
Meetings of this association shall be conducted according to parliamentary guidelines as set forth in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rule of Order as long as these rules have no direct conflict with these bylaws.
ARTICLE XII AMENDMENTS
Section 1 These bylaws may be amended at the annual meeting of this association by a two-thirds vote of the House of Delegates entitled to vote, due notice having been given. Section 2 All proposed amendments shall be prepared by the Committee on Bylaws and submitted to the AANS Executive Board for approval at least two (2) months before the AANS annual meeting. Section 3 Proposed amendments may be submitted to the Committee on Bylaws by any constituent association. Section 4 Copies of all proposed amendments shall be sent to the President of the constituent associations at least four (4) weeks prior to the AANS annual meeting. Section 5 These bylaws may be amended without previous notice at the AANS annual meeting or at a meeting duly called for such a purpose by a ninety-nine (99%) vote of those present entailed to vote and voting. Section 6 An amendment to these bylaws shall become effective immediately upon its approval at the AANS annual meeting unless the amendment specifies a time for it going into effect. Section 7 Amendments to the bylaws of NSNA adopted at the NSNA annual meeting which directly relate to the business of the constituent associations in the area of conformity, shall automatically and immediately affect the necessary amendment to the bylaws of the constituent associations and shall promptly be incorporated into their bylaws.