SERD Bylaws

Concordant with the objectives of the Division and the APA, as expressed in Article I of their respective Bylaws, SERD seeks to actively encourage, promote, and facilitate contributions by Division members and other psychologists to the field of counseling psychology, particularly as they pertain to issues of ethnic and racial diversity, and to represent the interests of ethnically and racially diverse individuals to the Division within the APA and to external constituencies.

Specifically, the purposes of this Section are as follows:

To assemble counseling psychologists and other affiliates who specialize and/or have an interest in a broad range of ethnic and racial diversity issues in the field of counseling psychology;

To promote and support the professional education and training of counseling psychologists and other affiliates who specialize in working with issues of ethnic and racial diversity in ways that are consistent with the Bylaws and Rules of the APA and the Division;

To organize and promote meetings, sessions, conferences, and social functions pertaining to a broad range of ethnic and racial diversity issues in counseling psychology;

To advance the professional knowledge, education, training, and practice of counseling psychologists and other affiliates as related to their work with a broad range of ethnic and racial diversity issues. This may be achieved through meetings, sessions, conferences, manuals, reports, guides, research, and/or publications;

To promote practice guidelines and ethical principles and practices that are consistent with the Bylaws and Rules of APA and the division for all psychologists who work with ethnically and racially diverse individuals;

To cooperate with the Division, other divisions (e.g., Division 45), and the APA, including those boards and committees that are concerned with the education and training of psychologists who work with issues of ethnic and racial diversity;

To promote an awareness and understanding of issues that ethnically and racially diverse individuals in the Division might have as related to their work as counseling psychologists;

To represent the concerns and issues of ethnically and racially diverse counseling psychologists in the Division;

To support the role of ethnically and racially diverse counseling psychologists as valuable contributors to the field of counseling psychology;

To promote the professional advancement of ethnically and racially diverse psychologists in the Division;

To encourage, nominate, and support ethnically and racially diverse psychologists for awards as well as for their appointment and election to positions of leadership in the Division and the APA.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

The Section welcomes members from the Division, other Divisions of the APA, and students pursuing a degree in the field of psychology. At least fifty percent (50%) of the members of the Section must be voting members of Division 17.

The membership of the Section shall consist of three classes: Section Member, Professional Affiliate, and Student Affiliate.

Section Member: Any Associate, Member, or Fellow of the Division who has an interest in the purposes of the Section may apply to be a member of the Section. Section Members shall be entitled to all rights and privileges of the Section, are eligible to vote in Section elections, may hold appointed offices, and may serve on Section committees or task forces. Section Members who are voting members (Members and Fellows) of the Division may also hold elected offices.

Professional Affiliate: Professional Affiliates of the Division and any individual who is a member of APA, and who has an interest in the purposes of the Section, may apply for Professional Affiliate status in the Section. Professional Affiliates of the Section shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the Section, except that they may not hold elected offices. They may hold appointed offices, serve on Section committees and task forces, and may be eligible to vote in Section elections. Professional Affiliates who become members of the Division shall automatically become members of the Section.

Student Affiliate: Any student belonging to either the Division 17 Student Affiliate Group (SAG) or APAGS and who has an interest in the purposes of the Section may apply for Student Affiliate status in the Section. Student Affiliates of the Section shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of the Section, except that they may not hold elected offices. They may hold appointed offices, serve on Section committees and task forces, and may be eligible to vote in Section elections.

Applicants for Section membership must complete an application form approved by the Section Governing Board. Forms shall be available online on the SERD Website, in the Section Newsletter, or through the Section Membership Committee Chairperson. The criterion for membership is expressed interest in joining the Section.

ARTICLE III: SECTION OFFICERS

The officers of the Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (SERD) shall consist of a Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Past-Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, and Committee Chairpersons. These Section officers shall be elected by membership of the SERD, and shall serve as its Governing Board. All Section officers must be voting members (Members and Fellows) of Division 17. The term of office of the Chairperson shall be two (2) years. The term of office of the Chairperson-elect shall be one year. The term of office for the Past-Chairperson shall be one year. The term of office for the Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor shall be two years. All officers of the section shall serve as its Governing Board, with the Chairperson-Elect and the Past-Chairperson alternating years of service on the Governing Board (i.e., the Chairperson-Elect serves the year immediately preceding assumption of the Chair and the Past-Chairperson serves the year immediately following completion as Chair). All terms of office will run from the end of the annual business meeting of the Division following the election to the end of the annual business meeting of the Division of the appropriate calendar year.

The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Section and the Governing Board. Other responsibilities of the Chairperson shall include, but are not limited to, the following: serve as the chief executive officer; preside at and prepare the agenda for all meetings; have one vote in all meetings; exercise general supervision of the affairs of the Section; delegate responsibility for special projects or tasks not specifically assigned in the Bylaws; articulate and advocate the Section’s position to others; and prepare an annual budget with the Treasurer.

The Chairperson-Elect, in the absence or disability of the Chairperson, shall perform all duties incumbent upon the Chairperson. In the event that the office of Chairperson is vacated, the Chairperson-Elect shall assume the full functions of the Chairperson.

The Past-Chairperson is the most immediately retired Chair of the Section and shall serve as a member of the Governing Board for the year immediately following the term of office as Chairperson. If for any reason the Past-Chairperson cannot complete the term of office, the office shall remain vacant throughout the balance of the term in which this occurs; the Chairperson-Elect shall then assume a position on the Governing Board and will serve for the remainder of that term in addition to his/her own term as Chairperson-Elect.

The Secretary shall maintain minutes and other records of the Section and Governing Board meetings, issue all official calls to meetings, conduct special mail or electronic ballots as may be ordered by the membership or the Governing Board, maintain written communication with Division 17 and other relevant bodies, and perform such special duties as may be assigned by the Chairperson or the Governing Board. The minutes of the Section and Governing Board meetings shall be submitted to the Division Executive Board on a semi-annual basis.

The Treasurer shall have custody of all Section funds and shall collect, or verify the collection of, dues and assessments. The Treasurer shall also perform the functions described in ARTICLE VIII, Paragraph 2.

The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for the collection of articles and information for the Section “Newsletter” and for any publication of Section materials in the Division 17 Newsletter. The Newsletter Editor shall also be responsible for including the following disclaimer in every Section newsletter: “The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the policies of the American Psychological Association, the Society of Counseling Psychology, or its Sections.”

Committee Chairpersons shall be responsible for directing committees needed to conduct the affairs of the Section. Such committees include, but are not limited to, the Membership Committee, Programming Committee, Awards Committee, and Mentoring Committee.

In case of death, disability, or resignation of the Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, or Newsletter Editor, the Governing Board, by majority vote, shall make a pro tem appointment to serve until a successor can be duly elected to complete the unfinished term.

ARTICLE IV: GOVERNING BOARD

The Governing Board shall be comprised of the Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect or Past-Chairperson (depending on schedule of election), Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor. The Governing Board shall have supervision, control, and direction of the Section in the realization of its goals, and shall carry out the specific functions and duties assigned to it by various articles in these Bylaws and by actions of the members in annual or special meetings.

The Governing Board shall meet at least once annually, typically just prior to or during the annual APA Convention. While these meetings ordinarily shall be open, the Governing Board may, upon a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, convene in executive session. These executive sessions are intended for consideration of such matters as personnel decisions, legal affairs, and fiscal issues. Other meetings may be called by the Governing Board on an as-needed basis. In the event of an emergency situation that requires timely action, a telephone or electronic poll of the Governing Board members will be taken by the Secretary. The information, recommendation, or vote of the Governing Board shall be passed along to the Chairperson, who will take action according to the recommendation(s) of the Governing Board.

The Governing Board will make semi-annual reports of its own actions and of the committee and task force activities to the members and the Executive Board of the Division. The Governing Board shall also be responsible for ensuring that the Section complies with the “Rules and Procedures for Formation, Governance and Operation of Sections,” and shall maintain a current listing of all Section members by membership designation.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

The annual meeting of the Section shall take place during the annual convention of the APA, in the same locality, for the transaction of business and discussion of professional matters related to the functioning of the Section. The presence of 10% of Section members shall constitute a quorum for conducting the business of the Section at the annual business meeting. Notice of the annual meeting shall appear in the Section’s Spring/Summer “Newsletter,” in the Division Newsletter (Summer) and/or in the Convention Program of the APA annual convention. Members may introduce agenda topics to be addressed at the annual business meeting of the Section by contacting the Chairperson at least 30 days prior to the publicized first day of the APA Convention. If necessary, agenda items can be introduced during the “New Business” portion of the annual business meeting.

No Section meetings shall be in conflict with Division Executive Board meetings or the Division’s business meetings.

ARTICLE VI: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

In the initial election of Section officers, the Chairperson, Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor shall be elected by a plurality mail or electronic ballot vote of all ballots cast by all Section members in good standing. For all elections thereafter, the Chairperson-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor shall be elected by a plurality mail or electronic ballot vote of all ballots cast by the Governing Board. In this case, the elected position should be placed on the next annual ballot. Annual ballots should be sent to the Section membership for a vote 30 days prior to the Section business meeting at the annual meeting of the APA.

The Nominations and Elections Committee shall consist of two (2) members of the Governing Board, one being either the Chairperson-Elect or the Past-Chairperson of the Section (depending on schedule of election) and the other one being appointed by the Chairperson. It shall be the duty of the Nominations and Elections Committee to conduct and supervise the mail elections of the Section. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall issue a call for nominations to the Section membership at least 60 days prior to the Section business meeting at the annual meeting of the APA. The nominations can be solicited through either an electronic mailing, Section Newsletter, and/or the Division Newsletter (subject to the approval of the Editor and the Division 17 Executive Board). The Nominations and Elections Committee shall certify a list of names of persons who are nominated for each office, secure permission of candidates’ names to be placed on the ballot, and prepare a ballot for dissemination to voting members. A member of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall inform successful and unsuccessful candidates of the election results. The election results shall be reported by the Section to the Division 17 Executive Board at least 30 days prior to the Division’s next regularly scheduled Executive Board Meeting.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

In addition to the Nominations and Elections Committee mentioned above, the Section shall have an annual APA Program Committee, appointed by the Chairperson, that will determine, through a peer review process, how it will use its one hour of substantive program time. Information regarding the selected program (e.g., title, presenters, etc.) will be sent to the Chair(s) of the Division Program Committee in time to be included in the Division’s substantive program allotment, assigned by the APA Board of Convention Affairs. The Chairperson may appoint other committee chairs as needed to conduct the affairs of the Section. Committee chairs shall report on the activities of their committee at the annual meeting of the Section.

ARTICLE VIII: DUES AND FINANCES

The Section shall assess dues from its Members and Affiliates. Initial dues will be set by a majority vote of the Section membership (to include all members who pay dues) at its first annual meeting. While it is possible for dues to differ based upon membership category, individual Section dues shall not exceed 50% of the Division’s dues. The Treasurer, with oversight of the Division Executive Board, shall be responsible for the billing and collection of dues which shall be payable during the first quarter of the Section’s current fiscal year. Section dues, including any changes, must be approved by the Division Executive Board at its midyear meeting.

The Treasurer will work with the Division Treasurer to establish and maintain appropriate financial procedures (e.g., tax information). The proposed budget for the Section will be approved by the Governing Board by a majority vote during its annual meeting. The proposed budget and an annual report of the income and disbursements shall be submitted to the Division Executive Board at its mid-year meeting. The Treasurer shall submit semi-annual reports to the Division Treasurer, showing income and expenditures in the line-item format used by APA. These reports are due July 15 and December 1 of each year. The Treasurer is authorized to disburse funds (including signing of checks) that have been duly authorized in the approved budget. In the event of the inability of the Treasurer (due to unavailability or incapacity) to disburse funds, the Section Chairperson is authorized to disburse funds (including signing of checks) on behalf of the Section under the same provisions. All other financial documents, other than direct payment disbursements as noted above, shall be signed by the Section Chairperson and the Treasurer.

The Section, in keeping with its not-for-profit status, will disburse funds by policies and methods consistent with relevant statutes and regulations for organizations with not-for-profit status under 501 (3) (c) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Section’s fiscal year shall be the same as the fiscal year of the Division (January 1 to December 31). Members who have not paid dues during the current fiscal year may be considered as having tendered their resignation from the Section by non-payment.

In the event that the Section dissolves itself or is dissolved by action of the Division Executive Board, any assets of the Section including monies in its Treasury will become, after meeting any financial obligations of the Section, a part of the Division treasury.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

Amendments or changes in the Bylaws may be proposed by the Governing Board or by members of the Section on Ethnic and Racial Diversity (SERD). A copy of the proposed changes shall be submitted to the Division’s Executive Board before the Section membership votes on these changes. A copy of the proposed amendments or changes and a ballot shall be mailed to all members two months prior to the voting date on the proposed amendment by the Section Secretary, or shall be announced in the Section Newsletter. A two-thirds vote by members present at the annual business meeting, or by a majority vote of the members on a mail or electronic ballot (providing at least 25% of all have voted), shall be required for the adoption of amendments or changes. Final approval and adoption of any change in the SERD Bylaws is contingent on the approval of the Division Executive Board.

Approved 02/2011