Call for Member Comments: Revisions to SAA Constitution and Bylaws

December 7, 2020—The SAA Council seeks member comment on proposed revisions to the SAA Constitution and Bylaws. Each year, the second-year class of Council members review a portion of SAA’s governing documents. This year, Councilors specifically reviewed election procedures and petition logistics to better reflect current Society membership numbers.

The Council recommends three notable changes:

  1. The number of signatures required for a petition to place a member on the ballot from fifty (50) individual members to 5% of eligible voting members. (SAA Bylaws, Section 5. Election of Officers and Councilors)
  2. Rules of Business Meeting updated to provide flexibility for virtual meetings. (SAA Bylaws, Section 10. Rules of the Business Meeting, item k.)
  3. Increase the number of signatories for a proposed resolution from 1% to 5%. (SAA Constitution, Section VI. Meetings, item 2)

The proposed revisions will ultimately be put forward for an all-member referendum held in conjunction with the 2021 general election ballot.

Proposed Revisions to SAA Constitution and Bylaws
PDF | Word 

Current Versions (for reference)
SAA Constitution | SAA Bylaws

To comment on these proposed revisions: Follow the hyperlinks above to review the proposed revisions in pdf or Word format. Log in to post comments publicly on this webpage or send an email message containing your comments to saahq@archivists.org. The deadline for final comments on this revised draft is midnight CT on Wednesday, January 6.

AttachmentSize
1220_Revisions_SAA Constitution and Bylaws.pdf69.19 KB
1220_Revisions_SAA Constitution and Bylaws.docx33.61 KB
2 Comment(s) to the "Call for Member Comments: Revisions to SAA Constitution and Bylaws"
eiratansey says:
Clarification requested on % of eligible members

 

Re: the proposed amendments that reference percentage of eligible members, is this eligible members at the time the petition or resolution is submitted? Where can one easily obtain this information, since presumably membership is a frequently fluctuating number?

elawrimo says:
Ditto on Eira's comment.

Ditto on Eira's comment. Perhaps a date for the membership count should be specified, particularly with an election petition where we have a specific date the petition would be due.