CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
OF THE
OREGON ASSOCIAITON OF THE DEAF, INC.
MISSION
We, the Oregon Deaf and Hard of Hearing citizens, realizing our value of mutual assistance and co-operation in matters essential to our general welfare and its mission to promote, protect, and preserve the civil rights and advocate to enhance the quality of life for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals, do hereby form an association under the following Constitution and Bylaws:
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I – ORGANIZATION
This Organization shall be known as THE OREGON ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF; its initials to be OAD; its official publication to be THE OAD NEWSLETTER.
ARTICLE II – OBJECTIVE
The purpose or purposes for which the corporation is organized are:
(a) To create an opportunity for the deaf and hard of hearing in Oregon to join together in
planning, devising, conducting, and participating in activities and programs to promote
the general welfare of the deaf and hard of hearing in Oregon.
(b) To help and advocate the deaf and hard of hearing individuals with a hearing loss of 55
decibels (dB) or more whether from birth or later in life.
ARTICLE III – GOVERNMENT
The government of this Association shall have eleven (11) board members consisting of a President, First Vice-President, Second-Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and six (6) Trustees, who shall be elected by the members at the OAD biennial conference. Their duties shall be carried accordingly as defined in the bylaws.
ARTICLE IV – AMENDMENTS
Amendments or modification to the Constitution, Bylaws and Standing Rules shall be submitted in writing thirty (30) days before the OAD biennial conference. A requirement of two-third (2/3) vote of all active members present at the biennial conference shall ratify any changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. A majority vote shall be required for the Standing Rules.
ARTICLE V – EFFECT
The Constitution, the Bylaws and the Standing Rules shall take effect immediately after their adoption.
ARTICLE VI – DISSOLUTION
In the event circumstances dictate or compel the dissolution of THE OREGON ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF, the organized and incorporated body, all assets remaining after all just debts and obligations have been met shall be distributed equally between the Friends of Oregon School for the Deaf (FOSD), Camp Taloali, and/ or any other non-profit deaf organization in good standing with 501 (c) 3 status in Oregon having the same goal or philosophy of OAD’ mission to preserve the civil rights and advocacy of Deaf Oregonians.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I – DESIGNATION OF OFFICERS:
To be eligible to hold any office he/she must be a standing OAD member for two (2) years and must reside in the State of Oregon.
Officers:
The officers of this Association shall consist of a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and six (6) Trustees.
Board of Director:
All officers and six (6) trustees elected shall comprise for their purpose as part of the Board of Directors.
Secret Ballot:
The nominated officers and the two trustees serving for six (6) years shall be elected by secret ballot with a majority of votes by the OAD members present at the biennial conference.
Lone Candidate:
When necessary, and there is only one candidate nominated for an office, the Secretary shall cast the vote of the assembly for the lone candidate on the floor.
Exercise of Duties:
The newly elected officers and two (2) trustees for six (6) years shall exercise their duties in a timely manner after the close of the biennial conference and to serve office until the end of the next biennial conference. The outgoing officers are to familiarize the newly elected officers of their duties within thirty (30) days.
The outgoing officers are to relinquish their books and records to the newly elected officers within thirty (30) days after the biennial conference according to Article II – Duties of Officers; Secretary (e) and Treasurer (j). The two year and four (4) year trustees shall continue their office until their term is complete.
Oath of Office:
All newly elected officers and trustees shall be sworn in by an outgoing officer by stating the following:
“I HEREBY SOLEMNLY PROMISE TO OBSERVE THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE OREGON ASSOCIATION OF THE DEAF AND TO PERFORM THE DUTIES OF MY OFFICE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE AND ABLILITY.”
ARTICLE II – DUTIES OF OFFICERS
President:
(a) The President shall preside at all Board of Directors meetings.
He/she shall be an ex-offico member of all committee meetings of which he/she appoints.
He/she shall appoint chairperson for various standing committees with approval of the
Board of Directors.
When deem necessary, he/she shall tie break the vote that would serve the best interest
for the association.
He/she shall preside at the biennial and mini conferences.
(b) He/she shall be responsible to check with the Treasurer on the status of the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) reports annually to be sure it is
paid up to date.
(c) He/she shall appoint a Legislation Chairperson, preferable one who lives in Salem or one
who is willing to travel to Salem to represent the Association during the Legislation
session.
The appointed legislation chairperson must be a member of OAD.
(d) The President shall prepare the business agenda for the biennial and mini conferences
with the approval of the Board of Directors. The agenda must also include a list of the
order of business for the program book.
He/she shall see to it that reports of all officers and committees are submitted to him/her
sixty (60) days before the biennial conference in time to be printed in the program book.
He/she shall see that all essential materials such as agenda, reports, bylaws, etc., be sent
to the OAD members thirty (30) days prior to the biennial conference.
He/she shall be responsible to check with the 2nd Vice-President to make sure all
equipment such as screen, podium, etc and materials are available for conferences.
He/she shall hold a Board meeting thirty (30) days prior to the biennial conference.
(e) He/she shall select a capable member for the editor of The OAD NEWSLETTER with the
approval of the Board of Directors.
The editor of the OAD NEWSLETTER is not to be recognized as an officer of the
association.
(f) Should the need arise between conferences he/she may appoint an AD HOC committee
with the approval of the Board of Directors. These committees shall serve their duties
until the purpose for which they were created are completed.
(g) He/she shall automatically become a primary delegate representative for the State of
Oregon at the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference held during the even
calendar year. If he/she is unable to attend, he/she shall appoint the elected next in line
delegate to take the President’s position to the NAD Conference and attend the States
Regional meeting. The alternate delegate shall attend the general delegate meeting.
1st Vice-President:
(a) The First Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President during his/her absence or
upon request.
(b) He/she shall be the chairperson of the law committee. He/she shall review the
Constitution and Bylaws and Standing Rules and make periodic updated revisions. These
Recommended revisions shall be brought to the floor at the biennial conference for vote
of approval by the OAD members present.
(c) He/she shall be responsible to provide forms for members to submit new proposals, revise
Or make amendments for the OAD constitution and bylaws before the new business at
the biennial conference.
(d) He/she shall be responsible to distribute index size voting cards to the members before the
new business. The voting cards shall be red for oppose, green for in favor of and yellow
for point of order when making motions during the business meeting.
(e) He/she shall be responsible for the updated printing of the Constitution and Bylaws.
2nd Vice-President:
(a) The Second Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President when both President
and First Vice-President are absent or upon request.
(b) He/she shall help the host city make plans for two (2)-day biennial conference and
a one (1)-day mini-conference with the approval of the Board of Directors.
(c) He/she is also responsible to help the host city in setting up the agenda for the
workshops, guest speakers, meetings, breaks, lunch breaks, menu, and program books to
cover the full two (2) day event. The program book is to include the order of business of
the day.
(d) He/she shall also see to it that adequate equipment such as a laptop computer with
a power point, overhead projectors, screen, stage floor, podium, etc. is set up.
Secretary:
(a) The Secretary shall keep a record of all the minutes of the Board of Directors meetings.
He/she shall e-mail the minutes of the last meeting to all board members with notice of
the next meeting ten (10) days prior to the next meeting.
(b) In the absence of the President, the first Vice-President and the Second Vice-President,
With a quorum of the board and OAD members present, the Secretary shall be in charge
of voting for a Pro-tem Chairperson. The Pro-tem Chairperson shall conduct the meeting
until the arrival of one of the officers.
(c) He/she shall keep a list of all officers and OAD members with their current addresses, zip
codes and others. The information is not to be given to the public.
(d) He/she shall have control of all papers of the Association pertaining to his/her office.
(e) He/she shall properly record all minutes of all meetings, complete all unfinished
correspondence before surrendering said documents to his/her successor within
thirty (30) days after the biennial conference.
(f) He/she shall notify all Board members of a Board meeting by e-mail and issue all calls to
a conference upon the order of the President.
(g) He/she shall handle all correspondences as requested by the President.
Treasurer:
(a) The Treasurer shall receive all monies for the Association, maintain a record of all
receipts and expenditures, submit a report at each board business meeting and any time
called for by the Board of Directors.
(b) He/she shall deposit all monies at his/her hometown bank, if convenient and less
expensive, with the approval of the Board of Directors.
(c) When a debt is warranted, and a signed approval from the President is given to him/her,
he/she shall pay the required amount of that debt.
(d) He/she shall collect all membership dues and keep a record of the names and addresses
with dates they were paid and distribute the membership cards.
He/she shall be responsible to collect any monies due the Association.
His/her books shall be available for inspection upon a written request from any five (5)
OAD members with the approval signed by the President.
(e) Upon request with approval from the Board, he/she shall loan seed money to a
chairperson of a committee for fund raising event purposes. The chairperson of that
committee shall refund the treasurer upon completion of the fund raising event.
(f) He/she shall work in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Revenue, Department
of Justice, and Internal Revenue Service to ensure that payments due and appropriate
paper work is completed each year within a timeline set by those agencies.
(g) He/She is required to notify the Board of such completed filings, or report any problems
with filings, as well as provide proper documentation of completed filings to the Board.
(h) His/her books shall be audited within thirty (30) days prior to the biennial conference by
the outgoing finance committee before turning his/her books over to his/her successor
as provided in Article V, Financial Committee; Duties (a).
(i) He/she shall post a copy of his/her report at the beginning of the biennial conference so
that all members may become familiar with it.
(j) The Treasurer and Finance Committee shall set up a biennial budget before submitting to
the OAD members at the biennial conference. See ARTICLE XII – BUDGET
(k) He/she shall surrender all properties of the Association to his/her successor following
completion of his/her duties within thirty (30) days after the close of a conference and
immediately after being audited and approved by the outgoing finance committee.
Trustees:
Refer to Article V - Standing Committees/ Duties; Financial Committee and Fund-Raising Committee (a). And Article XII - Budget (b).
ARTICLE III – DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(a) The Board of Directors shall have general management of the financial affairs of the
association.
The Board shall carry out the wishes of the Association to the extend as they can be
determined.
It shall have authority to use any available funds, except those listed in the budget,
(Article XII) for purposes intended to promote the interests of the Association and its
members. A majority vote of all members of the Board shall be required to pass any
motion or special request involving the expenditure over one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(b) The Board is authorized to suspend any OAD member by a unanimous vote from all
eleven (11) Board members, or any officer with a vote of ten (10) Board members.
All suspensions may be appealed to the Association at its next regular meeting.
Any Board member who is absent for three consecutive Board meetings in a year without
an excuse from the President shall be considered as having vacated the position.
The Board is authorized to seek to fill any vacancy on the Board if possible or suspend
until the next conference..
(c) Six (6) Board members shall constitute a quorum at the board meeting except on the
suspension of a member or of an officer.
(d) The Board shall secure bond for the Treasurer of the Association in such manner and
in such amount as shall be proper and necessary.
(e) The Board shall meet thirty (30) days before a conference to go over all arrangements
and programs to make sure that everything possible has been done to make the
conference a success.
(f) The Board shall have the power to call a special meeting of the Association whenever, in
its judgment, circumstances call for such a meeting.
(g) In case the Board is unable to hold a meeting and the situation warrants it, a vote by mail,
e-mail or TTY on the issue in question shall be allowed.
The President, through the Secretary, shall submit the issue in question to all members
of the board members. Each board member shall notify the Secretary by mail, e-mail or
TTY whether he/she votes for or against such issue in question. The President shall be
notified of the results by the Secretary. The Secretary shall then file all mail, e-mail or
TTY correspondence pertaining to the vote and retain same until the next conference. (h) The Board shall not change the date or place of the Host City for the biennial conference
unless, for sufficient reason, the board considers the date or place not to be in the best
interests of the Association.
The Second Vice-President shall check on all activities of the host city committee to be sure proper arrangements are being made and may ask for a written report whenever it feels such a requirement warrants it.
(i) The Board shall be responsible for appointing or contracting a skilled Internet technical
expert. He/she shall focus on the Internet Services, Web designing and programming,
Web log (blog), video log (vlog), and data management. He/she shall maintain and
update the official Website of the Association. The experienced technician is not
required to be a member of OAD. There shall be no term limitations. His/her position
shall be assigned as the OAD Web Master.
(j) During regular board meetings 4-times a year, the Board shall allow any current paid
OAD member to voice his/her opinion. The OAD member shall not be allowed to make
a motion or vote.
(k) The Order of Regular Business for Board Meeting:
(1) Roll call
(2) Call to order
(3) Minutes of previous board meeting
(4) Correspondence
(5) Officers’ reports
(6) Standing Committee Chairperson report
(7) Any comments from OAD members
(8) Unfinished business
(9) New business
(10) Announcements
(11) Adjourned
ARTICLE IV -- EDITOR OF THE OAD NEWSLETTER
(a) The duties of THE OAD NEWSLETTER Editor shall primarily be the publishing of newsletters and other items of interest to the members of the Association. The Editor shall print all approved minutes of the most recent board meeting in the next edition of THE OAD NEWSLETTER.
(b) The Editor shall appoint as many Members at Large as needed to assist her/him.
(c) THE OAD NEWSLETTER shall be published four (4) times a year; January, April, July
and October and to be sent to current paid OAD members, members of the Oregon
Legislature, State Associations, and to agencies or organizations that can be of help to the
deaf and hard of hearing community.
(d) Editor and his/her committee shall be responsible for address labeling, sorting and
mailing the newsletters. They are also responsible to mail hard copies to the members
who request for them.
(e) After composing and saving the newsletters on DVD or PDF for the printer, the Editor is
also responsible to hand the DVD or PDF to the Membership Committee to be e-mailed
(Website) out to the OAD members who requested for paperless newsletters.
(f) Non-members may subscribe to the OAD newsletter for fifteen dollars ($15.00) for four
issues per year.
ARTICLE V – STANDING COMMITTEES/ Duties/ Standing Rules
Note: Immediately after the biennial conference, the President shall appoint the members within thirty (30) days, and announce in the first issue of THE OAD NEWSLETTER the names of chairpersons of the Standing Committees to serve until the selection of his/her successor at the next biennial conference.
Finance Committee:
The committee shall consist of five (5) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Four (4) trustees shall be appointed by the
chairperson.
Duties:(a) The Finance Committee shall audit the Treasurer’s books four times during the
biennial year. The first time being within thirty (30) days after the biennial
conference, and the last time being within thirty (30) days prior to the business
meeting of the next biennial conference as per Article II, Treasurer (h).
(b) The finance committee and fund raising committee shall plan ways in which to
raise additional monies for the Association.
(c) The finance committee and Treasurer shall prepare the budget for the next
biennium and present it at the biennial conference.
(d) The committee shall audit the Endowment Fund thirty (30) days prior to the
biennial conference.
Endowment Committee:
The committee shall consist of three members. A chairperson shall be appointed
by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by the
chairperson.
Duties:(a) The Endowment Fund Committee shall handle all monies obtained from
bequeaths in memory of and gifts. The monies shall be deposited into a financial
institution.
(b) The committee shall follow the guidelines listed in the Standing Rules.
Standing Rules:
(1) The Endowment Fund before interest is accumulated shall have a total of $50,000 in
account before it can be used by the Association as it deem necessary. The interest
earned shall be paid to the OAD Treasury on an annual basis.
(2) All endowment monies shall be invested by the Endowment Committee, preferably in a
financial institution.
Education/ Scholarship Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The Education Committee shall concern itself with the educational aspect
pertaining to the development of the deaf and hard of hearing students
throughout the State of Oregon to see that all school programs receive
appropriate funds and provide support to all Directors of these programs.
Duties:(b) The Scholarship Committee shall be responsible in developing guideline for
scholarships and scholastic awards presented by the OAD.
The scholarships and scholastic awards involve fundraising, recruitment and
reviewing candidate applications. The Scholarship Committee shall present
the award recommendations to the OAD Board for final approval.
(c) A scholarship award shall be for $750.00, presented by the Association each
Spring to one deaf or hard of hearing Oregon high school senior.
(d) The guideline to qualify for scholarship, the candidate must:
(1) Hold a GPA of 3.2 or better.
(2) Have an outstanding leadership and service to the community while
attending high school in Oregon.
(3) Have written or videotaped in sign language an outstanding essay on a topic
chosen by the committee.
(4) Have plans to attend an institution of higher education the following fall.
Legislation Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The Legislation Committee shall inquire into all legislative issues affecting
the welfare of the deaf and hard of hearing at large, and report to the Board of
Directors.
Membership Committee:
The committee shall consist of five (5) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Four (4) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The committee shall try to recruit new the membership for the association and
work close with secretary and treasurer.
(b) The committee shall mail out renewal reminders when membership expired.
(c) The committee shall keep an updated record of members’ addresses, e-mail
addresses and submit them to the secretary and treasurer.
(d) The committee shall prepare and print out address labels for the OAD Newsletters
subscribers and submit them to the Editor for labeling and mailing.
(e) The committee shall e-mail paperless newsletters (Website) by using PDF format
submitted from editor to the newsletter subscribers.
Publicity Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The Publicity Committee shall attend to all matters of public interest concerning
the deaf and hard of hearing. It shall periodically give news releases concerning
the association’s activities to various public newspapers and electronic media in
Oregon.
(b) The committee shall write notices of upcoming conferences, write up each
conference at its close, and send copies to the leading newspapers of Oregon.
The final write-up is to be written and sent out before this committee disbands
and before the new committee takes over after the election or selection by the
committee chairperson.
Law Committee:
The committee shall consist of five members. The First Vice-President shall be
chairperson, and appoints two (2) members at large. Two (2) members of
the Board of Directors shall be appointed by the President.
Duties:(a) The committee shall go through the Constitution and Bylaws, and as well as
The Standing Rules, prior to each conference and suggest changes that will
clarify and better the functioning of the laws. Also refer to Constitution,
Article V- Amendments.
(b) The committee shall accept motions from the OAD members to amend or delete or
modify the bylaws,. The motions are to be in writing and presented to the
committee before the new business session of a biennial conference.
Necrology Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The committee shall keep track of all OAD members who have deceased and
Report at the biennial conference. A moment of silence shall be done in their
memory.
Resolutions Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Two (2) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:
(a) The committee shall prepare a list of resolutions to be presented to the members
at the biennial conference and when called upon by the President.
(b) The resolutions then shall be mailed within thirty (30) days after the biennial
conference to the recipients.
Property Committee:
The committee shall consist of two (2) members of the Board of Directors appointed by the President.
Duties:(a) The committee shall keep an accurate record of all properties belonging to
the OAD. The committee shall be responsible in keeping track of where
the property is and when added and/or removed from the association’s office.
Miss Deaf Oregon Pagent Committee:
The committee shall consist of a MDOP Director appointed by the President.
The MDOP director shall select a committee to help with the pageant. The Director
shall appoint a fund-raising chairperson and a treasurer for this committee.
Duties:
(a) The committee shall follow the guidelines as listed in the Standing Rules.
Standing Rules:
(1) All Miss Deaf Oregon Pageant funds are to be kept separate from the association’s
regular funds managed by the association treasurer. The MDOP Treasurer is to
develop a two (2) year budget and submit it to the OAD Treasurer. The MDOP also
is responsible to submit a financial report on a regular basis to the OAD Treasurer.
(2) The MDOP funds shall reimburse expenses for Miss Deaf Oregon, her chaperone and
the MDOP Director for the following: lowest round trip air fares, hotel room, combo
tickets for the NAD Conference, twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per person per diem for
meals and one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for incidental expenses.
(3) The association shall present the Miss Deaf Oregon winner a five hundred dollar
($500.00) scholarship. The winner shall receive the first two hundred fifty dollars
($250.00) at the pageant ceremony and the remaining of $250.00 at the end of her
two (2) years’ reign. The first runner-up shall receive one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(4) The expenses for Miss Deaf Oregon tiara, sash, and trophy shall be from MDOP funds.
(5) The pageant shall be cancelled if there are less than three (3) contestants competing. (6) The committee shall have their pageant program held in the evening of a date not
conflicting with the biennial conference, subject to the approval of the Board of
Directors.
(7) The committee shall comply with the guidelines listed with the Miss Deaf American
Pageant Rules.
Fund-Raising Committee:
The committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President.
The chairperson shall select as many members as necessary.
Duties:(a) The committee shall work co-operatively with the finance committee in
sponsoring activities in order to raise monies for the association.
Telecommunication Directory Committee:
The committee shall consist of a chairperson appointed by the President.
The chairperson is to select several members as necessary.
Duties: The committee shall be responsible to:
(a) Collect as many names, addresses, TTY numbers, VP numbers, e-mail addresses, fax, AIM and Pagers.
(b) Update the listing from the previous directory before publishing the new
directories.
(c) Contact business establishments to sell advertising space in the directory.
(d) Oversee that the income from the sales cover all expenses of the directory.
(e) Turn over all incomes from the sales to the Telecommunication Directory fund.
(f) The committee shall follow all guidelines listed in the Standing Rules.
Standing Rules:
(1) The Telecommunication Directory shall consist of names, addresses, the numbers for
TTY, voice, videophone, fax, and the addresses for e-mail, pager, and any other
information based on individual’s request to place in the directory.
(2) A listing of 800 numbers shall be published for all federal and state agencies.
A TTY is not required to be listed in the directory.
(3) The directories shall be published every even numbered year.
(4) The names of persons listed in the directory shall receive FREE directory.
(5) The directory should not be used for commercial or religious purposes.
Consumer Education Committee:
The committee shall consist of three (3) or more members, a chairperson shall be appointed
by the President, and two (2) or more members at large appointed by the chairperson.
Duties:(a) Set up and hold workshops or seminars twice a year.
Awards Committee:
The committee shall consist of five (5) members. A chairperson shall be
appointed by the President. Four (4) members at large shall be appointed by
the chairperson.
Duties:(a) The chairperson shall select a committee of four (4) after the award nominations
have been received.
(b) A committee member shall not qualify as a nominees.
(c) The Awards Committee shall determine the recipients for Outstanding Man,
Outstanding Woman, the NAD Golden Hand, Outstanding OAD Member,
Distinguished Service, and Certificate of Recognition.
(d) The committee shall follow the guidelines listed in Article XVII- Standing
Rules: Guideline for Awards.
Reports at Conference:
All officers and standing committee reports shall be submitted in writing to the
Secretary sixty (60) days prior to the date of a biennial conference. Reports must
be composed and prepared to be printed in the program book for the conference.
If an officer or chairperson fails to submit their report on time, he/she shall have
it read during the opening session of the conference.
Submit List of Chairpersons:
Each newly appointed Chairperson shall submit a list of names of his/her
Committee members to the President within ninety (90) days following the close
of the biennial conference.
ARTICLE VI – MEMBERSHIP
Eligibility:
Any deaf or hard of hearing person is eligible to be a member of the association.
The member shall pay the required dues.
Privilege:
Hearing people with an interest in the welfare of the deaf and hard of hearing may
be a member of the association. Dues shall be the same as the active members.
Hearing people with fluent communication in American Sign Languages (ASL)
may hold office except for President and Treasurer.
ARTICLE VII – MEMBERSHIP DUES
Dues:
(a) The association shall have the authority to change membership dues as may
be deemed necessary.
(b) Membership dues in arrears after three (3) months shall not be penalized for
back pay, but may be admitted as a new member and not be nominated for office for two (2) years.
(c) Any honorary OAD members with waived membership dues selected by the active
members, shall pay the required fees while attending a biennial or mini-conference.
Standing Rules:
(1) Membership dues shall be twenty-five dollars ($25.00). Dues shall be effective for
two (2) years.
(2) Any corporation to become an affiliating membership with OAD, the fees shall be
one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(3) Any 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to become an affiliating membership with
OAD, the fees shall be fifty dollars ($50.00).
ARTICLE VIII -- HOST CITY AND MONETARY
(a) Upon an approval by the OAD Board of Directors for the selection of its local committee
Chairperson, and conference location by the Host City at least one (1) year prior to the date of the next biennial conference.
(b) The host city shall develop a well planned entertainment agenda or program. Once
approved by the OAD Board of Directors, shall be published in the form of a flyer and/or
in THE OAD NEWSLETTER to all members of the association and to the Deaf
Community at least six (6) months before the conference is called to order.
(c) With the approval of the Board of Directors, the amount of the registration fee, decided
by the host city, shall be charged to all who are attending the biennial conference.
(d) The Association will assist the Host City in providing childcare service for the biennial
conferences and mini-conferences.
(e) All monies received from the registration fees shall be retained by the host city after
all expenses including seed money borrowed from OAD have been paid.
(f) The Host City shall prepare and submit to OAD Treasurer a report of its income and
expenditures made with monies received from registration/combo tickets within
thirty (30) days after conference.
Standing Rules:
(1) The Host City shall pay for the cost of accommodations, airfare, meals and banquet fees
for the toastmaster and any guests or speakers invited by the Host City. This shall not
limit the number of guests the Host City desires to honor with tickets to the banquet.
(2) Registered and combo ticket holders shall be eligible for any door prizes. The activities of
the association shall be limited to those who have paid all required fees and dues.
ARTICLE IX – QUORUM
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the active paid members present at any regular, special or conference meetings shall constitute a quorum in order for the meeting to continue and votes to be valid.
ARTICLE X – STATE BIENNIAL CONFERENCE
(a) The biennial conference shall be held every odd-numbered year. If the Board of Directors
deemed it necessary, may postpone the conference for one year.
(b) During the final agenda of business meeting, shall decide a location for the next biennial
conference to be held by a majority vote on all bids submitted by the host city candidates.
(c) The dates submitted by the host city, within one (1) year prior to the biennial conference
shall be approved by the board of directors. The date approved shall immediately be
published in THE OAD NEWSLETTER.
(d) The association may hold a one (1) or two (2) day mini-conference in between biennial
conferences.
Biennial Conference Order of Business:
Open Ceremony shall begin as follows:
(1) President welcome message
(2) President introduces all officers
(3) Introduction of VIP visitor(s) and Guest Speaker(s)
(4) Necrology
(5) Officers’ Reports
(6) Standing Committees’ Reports
(7) Recess until following day
Regular Order of Business Agenda of the Association shall be as follows:
(1) Roll Call
(2) Pledge of Allegiance
(3) Call to Order
(4) Introduction if any VIP visitor(s) that not show up for opening ceremony
(5) Correspondence
(6) Repeat or Question of approved minutes of previous Conference
(7) Officers’ Reports (if any absent the day before)
(8) Standing Committees’ Reports (if any absent the day before)
(9) Unfinished Business from previous Conference
(10) New Business:
(a) Bylaws
(b) New motions
(c) Bids for next Conference
(d) Budget
(11) Nominations and elections of Officers
(12) Swearing in of Officers
(13) Resolution
(14) Announcement
(15) Adjournment
ARTICLE XI – ROUNDTABLE
(a) The Roundtable will provide association members the opportunity to share their thoughts,
feelings and ideas relating to association issues at an informal meeting place, upon request
by the members, with prior approval of the President. The record of feedbacks will
provide to the Board of Directors, as well as members themselves, in order to maintain
the association’s business more effectively.
(b) At each meeting of the Roundtable, there shall be no formal decision-making authority or
formal motion made by either the association members or the Board of Directors.
The facilitator shall be selected by the President for each meeting; however, the same
facilitator shall not run the meeting more than twice a year.
(c) Notices of the roundtable meetings shall be e-mailed to all OAD members, with dates and
locations, at least two weeks in advance.
(d) The printing cost for the notes from the roundtable meeting shall be taken out of
the association expense account.
ARTICLE XII -- BUDGET
(a) The association shall operate on a biennial budget, the fiscal year to begin immediately
following the close of the biennial conference.
(b) The finance committee shall prepare a budget with the approval of the Board of Directors
thirty (30) days before a the biennial conference. The finance chairperson shall present
the budget at the biennial conference for final approval by the members.
(c) The budget, as approved by the members in the biennial conference, shall not be subject
to revise in any form except in time of emergency.
(d) When a section in the budget falls short, the Board of Directors must approve to transfer funds from another section.
(e) Each section of the budget shall adhere strictly to the amount of funds allotted it. Any
committee overrunning its budget without prior approval from the Board of Directors
shall be responsible for making up the deficit.
(f) Funds left over or unused by a section at the end of the biennium shall be returned to
the general fund for reallocation.
ARTICLE XIII – AMENDMENTS
(a) The First Vice-President and Law Committee is responsible to discuss proposed
motions and amendments affecting the Constitution, Bylaws and Standing Rules,
rephrase the wording into law properly. Keep them in file until the biennial
conference.
The new proposals submitted before the start of the new business agenda at the biennial
conference. Refer to Constitution Article IV- Amendments.
The Law Committee does not have the right to reject any proposed motions or
amendments. The rights remain in the hands of the assembly.
ARTICLE XIV – PARLIAMENTARY RULES
The Robert’s Rules of Order, with the latest revision, shall govern the conduct of the Association in all matters not herein provided.
ARTICLE XV – EXPENSES OF OFFICERS AND OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1.
(a) The President, 1st and 2nd Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer and Editor of THE OAD NEWSLETTER shall each receive a Honorarium in the form of payment as approved in the budget at the conclusion of his/her term of office.
(b) The Association shall pay the cost for a single room charges; motel or hotel for the President in attendance at the biennial conference and other OAD business meetings.
(c) The travel expenses of the President, 1st and 2nd Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer to the biennial conference shall be reimbursed by the association.
(d) Any officer who does not attend the biennial conference shall not be entitled to
receive reimbursement.
(e) Federal mileage reimbursement rate shall be applied to Section 1 and Section 2.
Section 2.
Expenses of Committee:
(a) The expenses of a committee selected by the President, or as listed in the bylaws (Article V,
Standing Committee) shall be reimbursed by the Association. The expenses shall include
travel, postages, and any other expenses necessary to carry out the purpose of the committee.
(b) The chairperson of a committee shall in writing present an expense account to the Board
of Directors for approval.
ARTICLE XVI – DELEGATE
Fund Availability:
(a) Depending on the general fund’s availability, the association shall decide during the
biennial conference if a second delegate representative shall be elected to represent
the association at the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) Conference with
OAD President, the primary delegate representative.
Qualifications:
(a) The candidates must be a bona fide full time resident in the State of Oregon and must
be membership of the OAD for at least four (4) years before he/she can be given
consideration for the delegate by the association.. He/She must remain a bona fide
resident until his/her report has been presented to the OAD at the biennial conference.
Election:
(a) If a second delegate is selected, an alternate delegate shall also be elected. The decision
shall not be altered or changed in any manner by a subsequent action of the Board of
Directors.
The delegate may be replaced by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, only if he/she fails to meet
the qualifications given in Article XVI- Delegate; Qualifications.
(b) In the event the elected delegate, the alternate delegate and President are unable to attend
the NAD Conference, the OAD President is empowered to select a replacement or call for
an emergency meeting for the members to vote for the replacement to represent OAD.
(c) The Board of Directors shall have the authority to disqualify an elected individual as
a delegate for acts or behavior, it deem injurious to OAD. Should the Board of Directors
disqualify an individual, it shall submit a list of three new individuals to the President to
chose from to represent OAD. This list shall be prepared only if there is just cause to remove
one or both delegates. If the delegate is disqualified, but not the alternate, then the alternate
is to represent the OAD with no action being required of the Board of Directors.
Reimbursement:
(a) Subject to available funds and appropriate conduct, reimbursement with proof of receipts
for NAD Regional 4 Conference and NAD Conference shall be covered for lowest air fare,
six (6) nights hotel/motel accommodation, early bird combo tickets and $25.00 per diem
for meals for each elected delegate.
OAD members may increase the amount of allowance by vote, but shall not be allowed to
decrease the amount. The authority to adjust delegate funds for expenses shall remain in
the hands of the OAD members, not in the hands of the Board of Directors.
Presentation:
(a) Within thirty (30) days after the NAD Conference or NAD Region 4 Conference, he/she
shall present a written report to the Board of Directors and to the Editor of THE OAD
NEWSLETTER for publishing. He/She shall also gives his/her report during the OAD
Conference.
(b) The elected delegates MUST attend all OAD Board meetings.
ARTICLE XVII – STANDING RULES (all letters in Italics indicates Standing Rules)
The Standing Rules may be modified or amended by a majority vote with written notice
given to the First Vice-President according to the ruling in Constitution, Article IV and
Bylaws Article XIII.
JR. NAD/ SBG:
The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Jr. NAD/ SBG at the
Oregon School for the Deaf shall be admitted to the biennial OAD Conference and OAD
Mini-Conference with combo tickets including registration fee paid by OAD, and provided
with a program booklet, all minutes and papers handed out.
CHARITY:
(a) The Association shall donate $100.00 annually on or before May 1st to Camp Taloali.
(b) The Association shall donate $150.00 annually on or before November 1 to the ASDC
Oregon/Washington Holiday Party for Deaf Children.
GUIDELINE FOR AWARDS:
There shall be seven (7) award categories given at the biennial conference.
The awards shall be; Distinguished Service Award, Outstanding Woman Award,
Outstanding Man Award, Outstanding OAD Member Award, President Award,
National Association of the Deaf Golden Hand Award, and Certificates of
Recognition/Appreciation.
The following criteria must be met by each award recipient:
(1) He/She must be a resident of the State of Oregon.
(2) There shall be no restriction on a recipient’s ability to hear.
(3) The achievement for which the recipient is being honored must have occurred within
the two calendar years before the biennial conference.
(4) No person or organization may be honored with more than one award at a given
conference except for recipients of the NAD Golden Hand Awards.
(5) Nominations for award candidates must be submitted to the OAD Award Committee
chairperson by February 28 of the year of the state biennial conference.
(6) Members of the Awards Committee may submit additional nominations for awards.
(7) The Outstanding Man and Outstanding Woman, Distinguished Service Award,
President Award, and Outstanding OAD Member Award shall be in the form of
plaques or other suitable awards of equal value determined appropriate by the Awards
Committee. All other awards shall be given in the form of certificates.
(8) All awards shall be announced and presented at the OAD Biennial Conference in the
following order:
1) Recognition/Appreciation,
2) Distinguished Service Award,
3) NAD Golden Hand Award,
4) President Award,
5) Outstanding OAD Member Award,
6) Outstanding Man Award,
7) Outstanding Woman Award.
(9) The banquet fees for Outstanding Man, Outstanding Woman, Outstanding OAD Member,
President, and Distinguished Service awards presented by the Award Committee is to be
reimbursed by the Association for those who had not purchased combo tickets.
The purpose of OAD awards shall be defined as follows:
Distinguished Service Award: This award is given to an individual (either deaf or
hearing) or an organization that has made a direct difference in the deaf community.
The contribution of this individual or organization need not be related to OAD.
President Award: This award for meritorious service given to an individual member
of OAD chosen by the President of OAD and submitted to the Awards Committee. The
President of OAD should show no political bias or favoritism in making his or her
choice.
Outstanding OAD Member Award: This award is given to an individual member
of OAD who represents the qualities of OAD through his or her remarkable efforts
or activities.
Outstanding Man Award: The award is given to a man who has served the deaf
community by contributing his time and effort towards the improvement of OAD
and the lives of the deaf in Oregon.
Outstanding Woman Award: The award is given to a woman who has served the deaf
community by contributing her time and effort towards the improvement of OAD and
the lives of the deaf in Oregon.
NAD Golden Hand Award Nominations Rules:
(a) Any individual or organization which has served the deaf community in Oregon very
much shall be considered for the award. The individual or organization must be
a volunteer.
(b) Individuals or groups who are paid for activities for which they are nominated shall
not be qualified. Programs under auspices of organizations with paid staff may be
nominated, but the extent of salaried activities must be clearly indicated in the
nomination statement.
(c) No one who serves on the panel of judges may submit entries.
(d) An individual or group may submit as many separate entries as desired..
(e) Volunteer activities must be performed within the state or local community.
The NAD Golden Hand Award is to identify a person or organization making meaningful changes for the deaf community in Oregon. This award can be awarded to the individual or organization currently actively involved in a service for the betterment of the deaf and hard of hearing people in their community. The Awards Committee shall pick one winner for this award and submit this name to the NAD at least 60 days before the OAD conference. The remaining nominees shall automatically be given the Recognition/Appreciation Award.
Certificates of Recognition/Appreciation Award:
This certificate shall be given to one or more individuals or organizations who have volunteered outstanding service to OAD and/or the Oregon Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community.
Outgoing Officers:
(a) The Association shall reimburse the banquet fees for the following outgoing officers;
The President, 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Editor of
THE OAD NEWSLETTER, providing that they were present during the business sessions
of the conference.
(b) The Association shall present the outgoing President an engraved honorary gavel at the
biennial conference banquet.
