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Michigan Therapeutic Recreation Association By-Laws
ARTICLE I Name
The name of this organization is the Michigan Therapeutic Recreation Association, hereinafter called MTRA or the Association. MTRA is an Affiliate Chapter of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association. The geographic region included in MTRA is primarily the entire State of Michigan.
ARTICLE II
Purpose
The MTRA was established to further the objectives of the American
Therapeutic Recreation Association by serving as an advocate for
therapeutic recreation in order to promote the health and well being of
the public through service, education, research, and the development of
standards. The By-laws and operation of this Chapter will not be in
conflict with By-laws of the American Therapeutic Recreation
Association.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1
Membership Classes: The Association shall have one membership class: Individual Member
A. Individual members shall be: 1) professionals or 2)
paraprofessionals as determined by their certification through the
National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification, (NCTRC), 3)
associate members, 4) supporting members and 5) student members.
Section 2
Qualifications: Individual Member
A. Professional member is an individual who holds current
certification as a CTRS with the NCTRC.
B. Paraprofessional member is an individual who holds current
certification as a CTRA with the NCTRC.
C. Associate member is an individual employed full time or part time in
the field of therapeutic recreation who is not certified with NCTRC.
D. Supporting member is an individual interested in assisting the
Association in reaching its mission.
E. Student member is an individual currently enrolled in a therapeutic
recreation education program or a recreation program with a
specialization in therapeutic recreation.
Section 3
Members in Good Standing
A. Individual Members: An individual who meets the qualifications
for membership as defined in Section 2, has paid the appropriate dues,
and agrees to uphold the standards and ethics of this Association, is a
member in good standing.
Section 4
Rights and Privileges of Members in Good Standing:
A. Individual Member: All members shall receive regular membership
services including publications and reduced fees at MTRA sponsored
conferences. Professional, paraprofessional, associate and student
members may vote, chair and serve on committees, Professional,
paraprofessional and associate members may serve on the Board of
Directors of the Association. Student members may serve on the Board of
Directors as student member-at-large. Supporting members shall receive
all services of the Association but have no voting rights. The offices
of President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer of the
Association shall be reserved for professional members only.
Section 5
Dues:
The Board of Directors of the MTRA shall determine the dues
structure of the Association. The membership period will be one year
from the date the membership dues are receipted by the Treasurer of the
Association.
Section 6
Termination of Membership:
Membership in the Association shall be terminated for the following reasons:
A. For nonpayment of dues after sixty days of delinquency. Membership may be reinstated by payment of dues.
B. For failure to meet any of the membership qualifications as delineated in Article III, Sections 1 and 2.
C. Upon written request of the Member.
D. For gross breaches of ethical conduct as determined by the MTRA Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 1
Officers Listed:
The officers of the Association shall be President, President-elect,
Secretary, Treasurer, four Members-At-Large and one Student
Member-At-Large.
Section 2
Qualifications:
The President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer shall be
Professional Members of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association
(ATRA), and shall be elected by the voting members of the Association.
The four Member-At-Large seats shall be members of ATRA and shall be
elected by the voting members of the Association from the four defined
geographic regions. In the event a geographic region does not have a
member interested in running for their Member-At-Large seat, then that
seat will be awarded to the Member-At-Large candidate that received the
most votes, but did not win a seat in their region. The Student
Member-At-Large shall be a member of ATRA and shall be elected by the
voting members of the Association.
Section 3
Duties:
A. The President of the Association shall guide and direct the
organization in its policy-making and management functions. He/she
shall perform all duties cited in the By-laws and other usual duties as
cited in Roberts Rules of Order, Revised.
B. The President-elect of the Association will serve as President in
the absence of the President and shall perform all duties as cited in
the By-laws and other usual duties as cited in Roberts Rules of Order,
Revised.
C. The Secretary and Treasurer shall perform all duties as cited in the
By-laws and other usual duties as cited in Roberts Rules of Order,
Revised.
D. The Four Members-At-Large shall participate in deliberation on
Association matters, contribute to formulating decisions, assist in
carrying out recommended actions and monitor and report on committee
work as required and other usual duties as cited in Roberts Rules of
Order, Revised.
E. The Student Member-At-Large shall participate in deliberation on
Association matters, contribute to formulating decisions, assist in
carrying out recommended actions and monitor and report on committee
work as required and other usual duties as cited in Roberts Rules of
Order, Revised.
Section 4
Term of Office:
A. The President-elect shall hold office for one year and at the
conclusion of the one year will automatically become the President of
the Association for the next year. Elections are held annually.
B. The Secretary, Treasurer, and four Member-At-Large seats shall hold
office for a two-year term, after which time they may be elected for an
additional two-year term. The Secretary and two Member-At-Large seats
(Regions 1 & 4) are elected for odd calendar years. The Treasurer
and two Member-At-Large seats (Regions 2 & 3) are elected for even
calendar years.
C. The Student Member-At-Large seat is a one-year term. The Student
Member-At-Large may serve a second term if elected.
Section 5
Unexpired Terms:
The Board of Directors shall be empowered to fill vacancies among the Board for the remainder of the unexpired term.
ARTICLE V
Board of Directors
Section 1
Composition:
The Board of Directors, hereinafter referred to as the Board, shall
include the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, four
Members-At-Large and one Student Member-At-Large.
Section 2
Duties and Responsibilities:
The Board shall supervise and direct the affairs of the
Association, shall determine its policies or changes therein within the
limits of the By-laws, and shall actively prosecute its purposes. It
may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as
shall be deemed advisable.
Section 3
Meetings of the Board:
There shall be two regular meetings of the Board each year.
Additional meetings may be called by the President and a minimum of
seven days notice is required.
Section 4
Quorum for a Board Meeting:
The presence of a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for a Board Meeting.
ARTICLE VI
Nominations and Elections
Section 1
Nominations Committee:
The Board shall appoint a committee chairperson for nominations and
elections in accordance with the By-laws of the Association and Roberts
Rules of Order, Revised.
Section 2
Nominations:
The nominations chairperson shall solicit nominations for positions
to be filled from all members of the Association. Each candidate shall
confirm his/her intent to serve if elected. Nominations will be
finalized at least ninety days prior to the expiration of appropriate
terms of office on the Board.
Section 3
Elections:
The slate and ballot shall be mailed to all voting members in good
standing at least 60 days prior to the expiration of the appropriate
terms of office on the Board. The ballot shall provide each voting
member the option of write-in candidate for each office, if prior
consent from the candidate has been received.
The four Member-At-Large seats shall be elected by the Voting Members
in their designated geographic regions. In the event a geographic
region does not have a Voting Member interested in running for a seat
on the Board, the next highest vote total in the Member-At-Large
election, that did not win a seat on the Board, will be declared the
winner.
The candidates receiving the highest majority of the votes cast shall
be declared elected. In the event of a tie, the seat will be filled
through an election by the Board. The Nominations and Elections Chair
will notify each candidate of their status immediately following the
tabulation of the ballots.
ARTICLE VII
Committees
Section 1
Standing Committees:
The Board shall establish standing and special committees to further
the work of the Association. All members of the Association are
eligible to chair or serve on committees.
ARTICLE VIII
Regional Associations
Regional Associations may exist in the State. The State is divided
into four geographic regions for Association purposes. The regional
groups may or may not use the four geographic regions as their
geographic borders.
Each regional association must have By-laws Funds distributed by MTRA
to a regional association must meet all IRS and State of Michigan legal
requirements.
ARTICLE IX
Liaisons
The Association shall develop formal and informal liaisons with other
organizations whose purposes are consistent with the purposes of the
Association and when such collaboration will benefit the Association
and its members.
ARTICLE X
Annual Meeting
There shall be an annual meeting of the Association. Notices must
be mailed to all members at least 30 days prior to the meeting.
Special Meetings:
Additional meetings of the Association can be called by the Board with 30 days written notice to the Association members.
Quorum:
Voting members present at a duly called meeting shall constitute a quorum.
Meeting Sites:
Every attempt will be made to have the meetings in a central location.
Locations may be alternated to assure maximum participation by the
Members.
ARTICLE XI
Parliamentary Authority
Roberts Rules of Order, Revised shall govern the Association in all
cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not
inconsistent with these By-laws and any special rules of order that the
Association may adopt.
ARTICLE XII
Amendments of the By-laws
Amendments to the By-laws may be made by two-thirds (2/3) majority
vote of all voting members present at any duly called meeting, with at
thirty (30) days prior notification of the intended modifications.
ARTICLE XIII
Dissolution
No part of the net earnings of the Association shall inure to the
benefit or, or be distributed to, its members, officers, or other
private persons, except that the Association shall be authorized to pay
reasonable compensation of services rendered and to make payments of
distributions in furtherance of the purpose set forth in Article II
hereof. The Association shall not carry on any activities not permitted
to be carried out by an association exempt from Federal Income Tax
under Section 501(C) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
Upon dissolution of the Association, the Board shall, after paying for
all liabilities, dispose of the assets of the Association to
organizations operating exclusively for charitable, educational,
religious or scientific purposes, and shall, at that time, qualify as
an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (C) (6) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as the Board shall determine.8/92
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