BYLAWS OF THE BINATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF COMMUNICATION
A membership nonprofit public service corporation
Article I
Objectives
1. This corporation is a non-political public service organization and is not organized for the private gain of any person. It is organized exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes, including the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the US. Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, and Mexican laws, as applicable. The objectives shall include:
a. To promote sharing of information and experience among college and university faculty and students in Mexico and the United States in the fi of communication: media, linguistics, research, the arts and literature.
b. To promote exchanges and joint projects among faculty and students from colleges and universities in Mexico and the United States.
c. To promote shared perspectives for addressing instruction, applications, and research in communication issues.
d. To encourage the use of multicultural communication as a vehicle to articulate and help solve problems of society in general.
e. To be available to advise groups, associations and institutions on communication issues.
Article II
Institutional Membership
2.1 Membership will be institutional in nature with one vote extended to each institution (institutional vote will represent 3 votes). All faculty members, students, and administrators of an institution will be considered eligible to be members of the Association. (Amended October 2017).
2.2 Institutions are eligible for membership if they have a curriculum in communications or related disciplines.
2.3 To become a member anon-member institution should be sponsored by a member institution and should present an application describing their eligibility according to the criteria outlined in 2.2. A membership committee shall review the application and the full association shall vote on acceptance. Membership must be approved by two‐thirds of the member institutions. During the first six months, these institutions will be non-voting provisional members.
2.4 An annual membership fee of $400 shall be assessed at the beginning of the US fiscal year of each member institution. These moneys and any profit from the annual Encounter or other Association activities shall be maintained by the treasurers for future use.
2.5 The membership of any institution shall terminate when the university resigns from the Association, fails to pay dues, or no longer offers a curriculum in the field of communications.
2.6 No member shall be personally liable for the debts, liabilities, or obligations of the Association.
Individual Membership
2.7 Individuals may become voting members by applying to the membership committee. An individual member will have one vote (it will represent 1 vote). Individual members may be educators, researchers, students or professionals in the field of communication. Upon acceptance, individual members must pay an annual fee of $25. (Amended October 2017).
2.8 Founding members will be regarded as lifetime honorary members of the Association.
Affiliate Membership
2.9 Affiliate membership is available to educators, researchers, professionals, students in the field of communication who are interested in participating in the organization but may not be able to attend all meetings or participate in all BINACOM activities. Affiliate members will not have voting ability. Upon acceptance, affiliate members must pay an annual fee of $15. (Added October 2017).
Article III
Membership Meetings
3.1 All meetings will be held in member universities or other designated facilities. The location of the meetings will alternate every month.
3.2 Quorum. A quorum is always the legal majority of institutions present.
Article IV
Officers
4.1 The officers of the Association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, U.S., Secretary, Mexico, Treasurer, Mexico, and Treasurer U.S. The President and the Vice President will be from the opposite side of the border and the country of origin of the President will alternate every term. A Secretary and Treasurer will be elected from each side of the border.
4.2 The term of office shall be two years for all officers.
4.3 The officers of the Association may be any faculty from a member institution, any individual member who has been a member for at least the previous twelve months, or any founding member.
4.4 Officer’s duties:
a. The President shall carry out the policies of the Association. S/he shall preside at membership meetings, shall serve as an ex officio member of all committees, and supervise and direct the affairs of the Association.
b. Vice President. The Vice President shall assist the President and preside at meetings in the absence of the President.
c. The secretaries shall keep a full and complete record of the proceedings of the Association. They shall supervise the maintenance of minutes and the notifications of committee members of meetings. As much as is practical, secretaries’ minutes and transactions shall be maintained in both English and Spanish.
d. The treasurers shall receive and safely keep all funds of the Binational Association and deposit them with such depositories as may be designated by the Binational Association. Treasurers’ proceedings also shall be maintained in both English and Spanish.
e. The officers shall also serve as the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
Article V
Committees
5.1 Committees of the Association shall be established by the designation of the president or the vote of the membership. They shall be abolished through the same procedure.
5.2 Each committee will have one chair from the US and one from Mexico who will report regularly at the membership meetings.
5.3 The following standing committees have been designated by the Association:
a. Conference Committee: Responsible for planning the annual encounter.
b. Research Committee: Responsible for coordinating joint research projects, and maintaining archives of pertinent research by member institutions.
c. Fundraising Committee: Responsible for developing funding resources for the Association.
d. Collaborative Projects Committee: Responsible for coordinating collaborative productions and other educational and creative exchanges between institutions.