Public Information Commission Bylaws

Article I — Name

The name of this organization shall be the Washington Association of Community and Technical Colleges Public Information Commission, herein referred to as PIC.

Article II — Purposes

The purposes of WACTC-PIC shall be:

  1. To promote the mission of the Washington state community and technical college system to both internal and external publics. These can include the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), the Washington Association of Community and Technical College (WACTC) Presidents, the Washington State Association of College Trustees (ACT), and the media and citizenry.
  2. To identify communication and public information issues of common concern among Washington’s community and technical colleges and propose strategies/methods for dealing with these issues on a statewide level.
  3. To represent the role that effective public information/communications can play in enhancing the image and effectiveness of the Washington state community and technical college system.

Article III — Membership

Section 1: Membership in PIC is open to those representatives of the Washington state community and technical colleges whose responsibilities include advancement, communications, marketing, and public information activities for their institutions. Each member will represent the community or technical college, district office, or the SBCTC where they are employed; which, for the purposes of these Bylaws, shall be identified as member entities.

Section 2: Each community college, technical college, and district office shall have one vote in the business of PIC. The SBCTC staff liaison is a non-voting ex-officio member.

Section 3: Meetings are held in compliance with the state’s applicable open meetings laws and are open to any WACTC employee with communications and public information responsibilities.

Section 4: Each entity attending PIC meetings will appoint its own voting member representative.

Section 5: Voting members must be members of PIC.

Article IV — Finance

Section 1: PIC has the authority to assess fees to cover operational costs such as conferences and meetings.

Section 2: Expenditures shall be authorized by the Executive Committee.

Section 3: The fiscal year of PIC shall be July 1 through June 30.

Section 4: SBCTC staff will be responsible for maintaining the checking account held at the SBCTC. Expenses and balances will be shared with PIC membership annually and with the PIC Treasurer as needed.

Section 5: The Treasurer, with assistance from the Executive Committee, shall develop an annual budget to be presented to the membership at the spring meeting, and upon approval, to the WACTC Presidents.

Article V — Meetings

Section 1: PIC shall meet three times in an academic year, during the fall, winter, and spring quarters.

Section 2: Announcement of all meetings of PIC will be sent to each member entity through the PIC Listserv.

Section 3: The PIC President may call special meetings as deemed necessary.

Section 4: The spring meeting shall include officer elections, and adoption of the annual meeting schedule. Meetings can take place in person or using technology to connect members.

Section 5: In announced meetings of PIC, attendance of a voting representative by half of the colleges represented within PIC will constitute a quorum. Voting by proxy will be allowed as will electronic submission of votes.

Section 6: Registration fees may be waived for up to two meeting host college attendees.

Article VI — Elections

Section 1: A nominating committee shall be appointed yearly by the President and will be chaired by a member of the executive committee.

Section 2: It shall be the duty of the nominating committee to nominate candidates for the offices of President, President-Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary to be voted upon at the spring meeting. The nominating committee will report the slate of officers for inclusion in the spring meeting no less than 30 days in advance. Additional nominations from the floor may be made at the meeting.

Section 3: The vote required for election will be a simple majority vote of the voting members attending the spring meeting.

Section 4: With the exception of the presidency, vacancies that occur in any office throughout the year will be filled through appointment by the Executive Committee until the spring meeting. In the case of the presidency, the President-Elect will assume the duties until the spring meeting.

Section 5: In the event of a tie vote among the PIC membership, the members of the Executive Committee shall have the authority to conduct a tie breaker election amongst themselves.

Article VII — Officers

Section 1: The officers of PIC shall be a President, President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary and Immediate Past-President. To be eligible to serve as an officer of PIC, a person must have been a member of the organization for at least one year.

Section 2: The officers shall be elected by ballot to serve for one year and their term of office shall begin at the close of the spring meeting at which they are elected.

Section 3: No member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 4: The duties of officers shall be as defined in Article VIII and as directed by the President.

Article VIII — Job Descriptions

Section 1: The President

  1. Notifies the membership of upcoming meetings.
  2. Organizes conference planning committee; solicits agenda items from the membership.
  3. Calls and presides at PIC meetings.
  4. Serves as the liaison to the WACTC Presidents or appoints a designee.
  5. Manages PIC participation in any statewide projects.
  6. Represents PIC to other WACTC associations, committees, and taskforces as appropriate.
  7. May appoint other members to represent PIC to other associations, committees, and taskforces.

Section 2: The President-Elect

  1. Presides at PIC meetings in the absence of the president; assumes the duties of president in the event that the president can no longer continue in that capacity.
  2. Represents PIC to other WACTC associations, committees, and task forces as appropriate.
  3. Serves on the conference planning committee.

Section 3: The Secretary

  1. Transcribes and distributes official minutes of all PIC meetings.
  2. Assists President and President-Elect with administrative duties and communications in connection with PIC business.
  3. Serves on the conference planning committee.
  4. Represents PIC to other WACTC associations, committees, and taskforces as appropriate.

Section 4: The Treasurer

  1. Prepares a budget for the following year to be presented at the spring meeting.
  2. Prepares and presents a current report on the financial status at meetings.
  3. Represents PIC to other WACTC associations, committees, and task forces as requested by the President.

Section 5: The Immediate Past-President

  1. Provides support to President for all PIC activities.
  2. Serves on the conference planning committee.
  3. Represents PIC to other WACTC associations, committees, and task forces as requested by the President.
  4. Presides at PIC meetings in the absence of the President and President-Elect.

Article IX — Executive Committee

Section 1: The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of PIC.

Section 2: The Executive Committee shall coordinate and continue statewide public information activities; shall carry out administrative duties between meetings of the membership; shall make recommendations to the PIC.

Section 3: The newly-elected Executive Committee shall meet at the spring meeting of PIC and at such other times as called by the President.

Section 4: In the event of a tie vote among the PIC membership, the members of the Executive Committee shall have the authority to conduct a tie breaker election amongst themselves.

Article X — Committees

Section 1: The President will appoint standing committees from within the PIC membership.

Section 2: Standing committees may include, but not be limited to:

  1. Statewide campaign.
  2. Legislative relations.
  3. Conference planning.

Section 3: The President shall appoint special committees as needed.

Article XI — Removal From Office

In the event any officer of PIC is found to be negligent in the performance of his or her duties as stated in the job descriptions of the Bylaws, that officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the membership present at any announced PIC meeting.

Article XII — Records

Section 1: The records of PIC, its Executive Committee and sub-committees will be the property of PIC.

Section 2: Past records will be stored at the SBCTC.

Article XIII — Parliamentary Authority

PIC will be governed by the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised in all matters not covered by these Bylaws and any special rules of order which PIC may adopt.

Article XIV — Amendments

Section 1: These Bylaws may only be amended by a two-thirds vote of the PIC membership in attendance at any regular or special meeting.

Section 2: Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the President and Secretary for distribution to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting.

Section 3: Ratification of these Bylaws shall be effective immediately upon approval of amendments.

Article XV — Dissolution

PIC shall dissolve after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of the group to the WACTC Presidents.

(Revised October 2016)