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Additional information on not adopting standard bylaws: clarification on "section not in good standing"

  • 1.  Additional information on not adopting standard bylaws: clarification on "section not in good standing"

    Posted 25 Mar, 2022 22:24
    Edited by Tracie Prater 04 Apr, 2022 17:57

    **posted as a general GHS member only -- views are my own**

    There has been some discussion on this forum relating to not adopting bylaws and being placed into a "not in good standing."  This was communicated to all GHS members in the section in an e-mail from READ and AIAA national on Feb. 7th. I requested the READ operating procedures document (which can be made available to anyone who is a member), which contains a recent update (3/18) relating to the standing of a section. This update was made after GHS's ballot went out. 

    This is from READ's operating procedures document and defines READ.   "The Regional Engagement Activities Division (READ), established in the AIAA Bylaws, is one of the three Divisions within the Council of Directors.  READ is the regional engagement activities division, which supervises member activities at all levels, from Student Branches to professional Sections and Regions. READ is the basis of member driven activities and events. The purpose of READ is to ensure all activities are appropriate to and in the best interest of the AIAA membership, and to conceive of new activity ideas in the same vein. The role of READ is to help organize and coordinate the efforts of the Sections and Student Branches and to facilitate these activities." 

    We (as GHS members) are represented on READ by our region II director.

    Standing within the institute (pulled directly from READ operating procedures):

    "AIAA provides Sections with support and many benefits in order to assist the Sections in delivering value to the Institute's professional members. Examples include funding (annual rebates, Section awards, Director-discretionary funds, etc.), staff support, promotional items, use of Engage, publicity in the AIAA Bulletin or Aerospace America and the Distinguished Speaker program.  Sections are expected to remain in good standing by meeting the requirements laid out for Sections by READ. Requirements to remain in good standing include, but are not limited to, adoption of and operation to the standard Section Bylaws controlled by READ, annual submission of the annual report
    and audit/budget report, compliance with institute governance and adherence with Institute ethics protocols.  If READ determines that a Section is not in compliance with these requirements, Section leadership will be notified and asked for a corrective action plan. Unless the plan is received by the requested date, determined to be acceptable to READ and successfully executed, the Section will no longer considered to be in good standing with the Institute.  Sections determined to not be in good standing with the Institute are subject to immediate loss of support and benefits, leading up to de-chartering by READ, with oversight by the Council of Directors. De-chartering may occur no sooner than six months after a formal determination is made by READ that the Section is no longer in good standing."




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    Tracie Prater
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  • 2.  RE: Additional information on not adopting standard bylaws: clarification on "section not in good standing"

    Posted 26 Mar, 2022 10:27
    Tracie, thanks for your post.  I think it highlights the fundamental disagreement between the two views on the proposed standard bylaws.  The particular sentence that best illustrates the issue is when you said: "READ is the basis of member driven activities and events."  In my opinion, it seems that that gets to the root of the disagreement - is Region (and national) or Section the fundamental unit of AIAA (top-down vs. bottom-up).  If READ is indeed the base unit, then the standard bylaws should be passed.  But if the section is the base unit, then the standard bylaws undermine the base unit by transferring power to a non-base unit and are thus problematic.

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    Matthew Hitt
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