Constitution & By-Laws

• SECTION ONE. To provide a professional, educational and personal support network for career-oriented women.
• SECTION TWO. To provide an arena in which career-oriented women can meet one another for the purpose of sharing ideas, experiences and needs in relation to their careers.
• SECTION THREE. To promote professional achievements of women in the community.
• SECTION FOUR. To provide models for the community.

• SECTION ONE. The officers of this association shall be President, President-Elect, Membership Vice-president, Program Vice-President, Public Relations Vice-President, Newsletter Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. These eight officers shall constitute the Board of Directors, along with the Board Member-at-Large and the Arrangements Chair.

  SECTION TWO. All officers, the Board Member-at-Large, and Arrangements Chair shall be elected at the April meeting immediately preceding the Annual Meeting in May. They shall continue in office for a period of one year, or until the next subsequent election. No officer may serve for more than one year consecutively in the same office except for the Treasurer.

  SECTION THREE. Interim vacancies in office may be filled by a majority of the remaining members of the Board of Directors voting thereon.

• SECTION ONE. The Annual Meeting shall be held in May of each year.

  SECTION TWO. At least one regular meeting shall be held each calendar month.

• SECTION ONE. A majority of the regular membership of the association shall constitute a quorum at any regular or annual meeting, but at no time shall the lack of a quorum prevent those present from proceeding with the business of the day.

  SECTION TWO. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be five.

• SECTION ONE. This Constitution may be amended at any Annual or Regular Meeting by a two-thirds vote of all members in good standing present.

  SECTION TWO. All by-laws and standing rules may be adopted, amended or repealed at any Regular Meeting by a majority vote of the regular good standing membership present.

  SECTION THREE. Any proposed amendment to the Constitution or By-laws should be presented to the members in writing at least one (1) month before the vote, allowing for an interim regular meeting for discussion.

• SECTION ONE. Upon dissolution of the association, the assets of the association shall be distributed to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with instructions that the assets be used for women’s scholarships.

SECTION ONE. Connections memberships shall consist of Regular Members and Student Members.

SECTION TWO. The regular membership shall be comprised of members in good standing who may attend all meetings, serve on committees, serve as officers and enjoy all other benefits of CONNECTION membership.

SECTION THREE. The student membership shall consist of any college student who is not employed full-time. A student member in good standing may be a committee member but may not serve as an officer or board member.

SECTION FOUR. In order to maintain a membership in good standing, each member must pay dues on the date set by the Board of Directors. Members must attend a minimum of six (6) meetings a year to remain in good standing.

• SECTION ONE. The annual dues of Regular Members shall be Fifty Dollars ($50) of which Ten Dollars ($10) is dedicated to the Scholarship Fund.

SECTION TWO. The annual dues of Student Members shall be twelve ($12.00) dollars.

SECTION THREE. The Membership Year runs April 1 through March 31. Yearly dues are to be paid by the April meeting. Beginning July 1, members who have not paid their dues will be dropped from the membership rolls. (Only Members of Record will be included in the Annual Directory.)

• SECTION ONE. The officers of this association shall perform their duties in order to achieve the purposes of this association.

  SECTION TWO. The regular one-year term of office for each officer and Board Member-at-Large shall commence June 1. The fiscal year shall end April 30.

  SECTION THREE. The duties of the officers shall be as implied by their respective titles, and as specified by Robert’s Rules of Order. The President-Elect shall serve as Vice President. The Board Member-at-Large shall act as a liaison between the membership and the Board. The Arrangements Chair shall be responsible for logistical arrangements for all Connections events.

  SECTION FOUR. The president shall appoint all committee chairs, except the Nominating Committee (chaired by the President-Elect) and the Advisory Committee, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors, and shall be ex-officio member of all standing committees except the Nominating Committee. The president, with the approval of the board, may appoint special committees as needed.

  SECTION FIVE. All officers and committee chairs may appoint other members in good standing to assist them as a committee, with the approval of the board of directors.

• SECTION ONE. There shall be six standing committees: Audit Committee, Nominating Committee, Advisory Committee, Career Achievement Awards Committee, Professional Development Committee, and Scholarship Committee. All committees shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order in executing their duties.

  SECTION TWO. The Audit Committee shall examine the books of the Treasurer and report to the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Meeting each year.

  SECTION THREE. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of eleven (11) members in good standing who have been approved by the membership at the January luncheon meeting. The slate of nominees for the next Board of Directors’ Officers shall then be presented in writing at the February Board of Directors meeting, and published in the newsletter in March and April. Nominees for office must be members in good standing per Article III, Section 4. The Nominating Committee must contact each person whom it wishes to nominate, and obtain her acceptance before making its report. The Nominating Committee shall make a good faith effort to nominate a slate of candidates that reflects the diversity of the membership.

  SECTION FOUR. The Advisory Committee shall be made up of previous board members and shall serve at the request of the Board of Directors in giving advice of special projects.

  SECTION FIVE. The Career Achievement Award Committee shall be composed of members in good standing. This committee selects a woman for an award whom they believe has achieved significant professional achievement or advancement during the year. The award recipient is to be announced in February of each year, and then honored at the March General Membership Luncheon/Meeting.

  SECTION SIX. The Professional Development Committee shall be composed of members in good standing. This committee will provide activities and opportunities, accessible to the majority of the members, which will enhance the development of members’ professional skills and knowledge.

  SECTION SEVEN. The Scholarship Committee shall be composed of members in good standing. The committee will administer the scholarships offered by Connections.

• SECTION ONE. The board of directors shall have the power to transact general business of the organization at all Board of Director’s meetings, to fill vacancies in any office, and to act upon all matters concerning membership.

• SECTION ONE. Regular meetings shall be held at noon on the second Friday of each month, except when that Friday falls on a holiday weekend; in that event, the meeting will be held on the next Friday of the month.

  SECTION TWO. Special interest meetings, if authorized by the board of directors, may be scheduled at any time and may be used to fulfill membership attendance requirements.

The following policies have been voted on by previous boards of directors, and are currently in effect:

1. Newly elected officers, appointed board members and committee chairpersons will take office after the annual meeting in May.

2. All board members will attend all general meetings and board meetings.

3. If a board member is absent for three board meetings and there is no legitimate excuse, she may be replaced by the president after approval from the board. An excuse is defined as a death, childbirth, illness or mandatory employment activity.

4. In board of directors business, including that of its committees, confidentiality is mandatory.

5. Board meetings are only conducted by the president and an agenda is provided to board members. In absence of president, president-elect conducts.

6. Committee members are not required to attend board meetings unless requested by the president.

7. There will be no conflict of interest in filling a board or committee position; for example - no financial gain as a result of being a board member.

8. Expenses of $25.00 or more require board approval, expenses under $25.00 may be approved by the president. Receipts are necessary for reimbursement, unless a full explanation is rendered and board approval is rendered. All Board expenses will be rendered at monthly Board meetings.

9. Records or other documentation are required on every position or project.

10. All board members and committee chairs are responsible for orienting their successors on a one-to-one basis, and for insuring continuity of records and inventory.

11. The award gift will be presented to the outgoing president by the new president at the May meeting. The new president will represent the incoming board of directors and membership in expressing appreciation to the outgoing president when presenting the award.

12. A co-chair position is provided for the purpose of developing leadership and insuring continuity. The primary position is responsible for main decision making. The secondary role supports the primary position and trains for assuming the primary role.

13. Members or guests who attend the meeting without having R.S.V.P.’d must have the Entree.

14. A guest may attend meetings at a non-member charge of $5.00 plus cost of meal and/or program.

15. Someone who joins Connections in January, February or March is considered a member for a full Membership year (April 1 – March 31.)

16. Board meeting locations are to be determined at the discretion of the president.

17. Board members at large should be a past president or long-time member in good standing.

18. The Treasurer may hold that office for up to three consecutive years to keep consistency with managing the finances of the organization.

As proposed by the By-Laws Committee on January 31, 1986

Diane Conery, Merry Lou Wilkins, Janet Limouze, Carol Reed, Jan Prejean

And approved by the Steering Committee on February 3, 1986.

As amended on September 9, 1988; As amended January 2001

As amended February 2022