Proposed SIOP Bylaws Amendments
Janet L. Barnes-Farrell
Secretary
The Executive Committee has recommended that several amendments to the Bylaws
be enacted to reflect changes in the governance and operations of the Society.
Briefly, the amendments recommended for consideration are:
- Amendment 1: Discontinuation of the Committee on Committees
- Amendment 2: Authorization of a standing committee on Ethnic Minority
Affairs
- Amendment 3: Clarification of language permitting Society Foreign
Affiliates to be eligible for Fellowship in the Society.
Each of the proposed changes is detailed below. For convenience, both old and
new language is indicated. Language to be deleted is indicated by strike through
characters and new language is underlined.
SIOP Bylaws call for an announcement of proposed changes at least 2 months
prior to the actual voting (See Article IX, "Amendments"). Voting on
the proposed changes will take place in the Fall of 2000. Mail ballots will be
sent to all Society Members. A majority vote of those voting by mail are
required to adopt any amendments.
Amendment 1: ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES
[Note: Amendments 1 and 2 both deal with Article VII: Committees.
Paragraph 1 below contains changes for both amendments.]
1. The standing committees of the Society shall consist of the following:
Fellowship, Membership, Election, Program, Scientific Affairs, Professional
Practice, Education and Training, Newsletter, Continuing Education and Workshop,
Committee on Committees, Long Range Planning, State Affairs,
Awards, Frontiers Series, Practice Series, Society Conference, Historian, and
Foundation, and Ethnic Minority Affairs. In addition, ad hoc committees
may be established by vote of the Society Members or by the Executive Committee
to perform tasks of a brief or temporary nature.
12. The Committee on Committees shall recommend appointments to all
other standing committees to the incoming President. The Committee shall be
appointed by the President-Elect, and shall make a special effort to see that
each year some Society Members who have not served in the past are appointed to
standing committees. The Committee on Committees shall also be responsible for
identifying Society Members to be nominated or appointed to other relevant
societies' Boards and Committees (e.g., APA, APS).
Rationale: Based upon the recommendation of the Long
Range Planning Committee, the Executive Committee voted in January, 1999 to
discontinue the Committee on Committees. In the future, Committee Chairs will be
charged with the responsibility for ensuring diversity in committee
representation, and the Past President will be assigned oversight
responsibility.
Amendment 2: ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES
20. The Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs shall have general concern
for those aspects of I-O psychology which concern ethnic minorities (Native
American/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific American, African/Caribbean American, and
Latino/Hispanic American). The Committee shall have responsibility for
increasing scientific understanding of those aspects of I-O psychology that
pertain to culture and ethnicity; increasing educational, training, job and
career opportunities for ethnic minority persons in I-O psychology; and
promoting the development of culturally sensitive models for the delivery of
services in I-O psychology. The Committee shall also be concerned with
maintaining appropriate advocacy, communication, liaison, and clearinghouse
functions involving ethnic minority I-O psychologists, students, and
organizations.
Rationale: The overarching goal of the Ad Hoc Committee on
Ethnic Minority Affairs, which had its origins several years ago as the Task
Force on Ethnic Minority Participation, has been to facilitate the integration
of minorities into SIOP and maximize SIOP's capacity to harness the diversity
that is currently available. In recognition that the goals of this committee
represent continuing concerns for the Society, the Executive Committee voted in
January, 2000 to recommend that Ethnic and Minority Affairs be authorized as a
standing committee of the Society. As with other committees, the Committee on
Ethnic Minority Affairs will be subject to sunset review every 5 years.
(The changes removing the Committee on Committees and establishing the
Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs require a re-ordering of paragraph numbers
in the Bylaws. Existing Paragraphs VII.13 through 20 will be renumbered as
Paragraphs 12 through 19.)
Amendment 3: ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP
3b. Society Fellows shall at the time of their election to Society Fellow
status have been Society Members or Society Foreign Affiliates for no
less than two years.
5d. To be eligible for Fellow status, Society Foreign Affiliates shall
have met all criteria for Society Member status with the exception that
membership in APA or APS is not required.
7. The Fellowship Committee of the Society will review the qualifications of
all persons nominated for Society Fellow status. A Society Member or Society
Foreign Affiliate may be nominated for Society Fellow status by either a
Society Member or a Society Fellow. He or she must be sponsored by three Society
Fellows. The nominator may be one of the sponsors if he or she is a Society
Fellow. Candidates for Fellow status in APA and/or APS through this Society must
also comply with the procedures prescribed by APA and/or APS for new Fellows.
Rationale: The Bylaws are ambiguous with reference to Fellow
status for Society Foreign Affiliates. Specifically, the Bylaws indicate that
Society Members may be nominated for Fellow status, that Society Foreign
Affiliates "shall be those who reside in other than the U.S", and
that Society Affiliates may not have voting privileges, but "are invited to
participate in the Society's program of activities." The proposed change
makes the Bylaws explicitly consistent with past interpretation.
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