Constitution
CONSTITUTION
Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors (SAPLA)
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of this association shall be the Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors.
ARTICLE II: Purpose
The purpose of this Association shall be:
A. To facilitate communications of interest among pre-law advisors with various academic institutions of higher education in the Southern region of the United States.
B. To increase the lines of communication between the Association’s members and individual law school officers, the Law School Admissions Council and other law-related organizations.
C. To provide resource materials to and to improve skills and knowledge of persons involved in advising pre-law students for the benefit of the students, the law schools and the legal profession.
ARTICLE III: Membership
Section 1. Membership in this association shall be open to the following classes of persons and institutions.
A. Full Members Any faculty or staff member of an accredited university, college or ABA-approved law school who is engaged in the advising and in recruiting of pre-law students and who has paid current individual dues, or is the representative from a school that has paid institutional dues, shall have full privileges and benefits of the Association, including voting.
B. Associate Members Any representatives from Law School Admissions Council, or any representatives from non-commercial organizations or groups engaged in activities associated with pre-law advising, shall be eligible for associate membership. Associate members shall have no power to vote or hold office and otherwise will receive full benefits and privileges from the association.
Section 2. Annual fees for individual, institutional, and associate memberships shall be set at the annual meetings of the Association and shall be collected in the current SAPLA business year for SAPLA membership in the next business year by the Treasurer of the Association. The business year for the Southern Association of Pre-Law Advisors shall be September 1 through August 31.
ARTICLE IV: Officers
Section 1. Offices. The officers of the Association shall be: President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and At-Large Pre-Law Advisor. Officers must be full members of the Association. The Board shall have the authority to create new positions as needed. Said positions and roles will be reflected in the Bylaws.
Section 2. Election. The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting held in the year corresponding with the year in which an officer’s term of office expires. Nominations for offices shall be made by the nominating committee, in accordance with the Bylaws set forth by this Association. Additional nominees from the floor at the annual meetings are allowed. All officers shall be elected by a simple majority of the full members present and voting at the annual business meeting. The offices other than President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and At-Large Pre-Law Advisor shall be appointed by the President.
Section 3. Terms of Office. The terms of office shall be two (2) years. The President, President-Elect, and Vice President shall serve no more than one consecutive term.
ARTICLE V: Meetings of the Association
Section 1. Schedule. Regular meetings of the Association shall be held annually. Additional meetings may be called by the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, as deemed necessary. The Association will, on an annual basis, set aside a specific sum of money for the annual conference.
Section 2. Quorum. A quorum for the transaction of business at the annual business meeting shall be the number of full members present. Official decisions of the Association may be made by a simple majority vote of those present at the meeting.
Section 3. Agenda. The agenda for all meetings shall be determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Rules All meetings will be conducted according to the Standing Rules set forth in the Bylaws of the Association. All matters not specifically addressed in the Bylaws will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, provided it is not inconsistent with this Constitution.
ARTICLE VI: Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at any regular annual meeting of the Association by a two-thirds vote of those persons present and voting at such regular meeting. In order to be considered, an amendment must be submitted to the membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting.
ARTICLE VII: Dissolution
In the event the Association is dissolved, any remaining assets shall be distributed to non-profit organizations that are providing comparable services to pre-law students.
ARTICLE VIII: Adoption
This Constitution will take effect immediately following the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the member present and voting at the (1986) annual business meeting.
Revised in 1991, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2015.