By-Laws

April 2007

Article I - Name

The name of this association shall be the Military Audiology Association (hereinafter referred to as MAA).

Article II - Purpose

The purposes of the association shall be to:

  1. Advance the profession of audiology within the Department of Defense by disseminating knowledge and information.
  2. Promote quality hearing health care, and to protect and maintain the hearing sensitivity of those exposed to hazardous levels of noise.
  3. Bring into our organization audiologists and other allied professionals to further professional growth and social contact.
  4. Establish and maintain cooperation among medical, biological, engineering and other sciences associated with the profession of audiology.

Article III - Membership

  1. The classes of membership shall be as follows:
    1. Member. An applicant for membership shall be an active duty officer, federal civilian, reservist, or federal retiree who has this minimum qualification: a graduate of an accredited college or university and be working in the field of audiology or hearing science.
    2. Associate Member. Associate membership shall be granted upon request to those persons who are now engaged in professional services related to audiology, (e.g. Speech/Language Pathologist) particularly in situations other than in military environments. Associate members can neither vote nor hold office on the Executive Council.
    3. Honorary Member. Honorary members shall be elected from among those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of audiology or hearing conservation. The executive Council shall propose nominees to the membership for approval. Any member of MAA may submit such nominations in writing to the Executive Secretary for transmittal via the Executive Council to the membership. Honorary members shall not be required to pay annual dues.
    4. Emeritus Members. Those individuals who have been MAA members for a minimum of three (3) years and are fully retired from federal service may be granted Emeritus status for life by the President. Emeritus members shall be entitled to vote but not hold office on the Executive Council. Emeritus members shall not be required to pay annual dues.
  2. Application for membership To apply for membership an applicant must complete the annual dues form and return it to the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary will verify the applicant’s role and make a determination as to the appropriateness of the application. If there is some question as to the validity of the application, the Executive Secretary will refer the application to the Executive Council for review.
    1. The application shall be accompanied by the full amount of the annual membership dues.
    2. The Executive Secretary will notify the applicant in writing (e-mail correspondence acceptable) of the acceptance (or rejection) of the application.
  3. Dues. Annual dues shall be determined and assessed by the Executive Council. Dues are payable in advance of the membership year. The membership year shall run from 1 October to 30 September. Delinquent dues shall be assessed and collected for continued membership
  4. Termination of membership. . A member may be terminated for conduct which the Executive Council deems contrary to the best interest of MAA. For any cause other than non-payment of dues, expulsion shall occur only after the member in question has been advised in writing of the complaint and has been given an opportunity to answer the charges. Such member shall be notified by the President and shall be entitled to a hearing before the Executive council. The Executive Council shall hear the case, shall have the power to censure, place on probation for a period not to exceed 2 years, suspend for a period not to exceed 3 years, or expel a member as the findings warrant. A two-thirds vote of the full membership of the Executive Council shall be final.

Article IV - Officers

The elected officers of MAA, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Board, shall consist of the following:

  1. President
  2. Vice-President
  3. Secretary/Treasurer

Representation on the Executive Board shall consist of at least one member each of the Air Force, Army and Navy drawn from the membership of MAA.

Article V - Duties of Officers

The President President shall preside at all meetings of MAA and shall act as a member of the Executive Council. He/she shall notify, in writing, the supervisor of each new member of the Executive Council, CAOHC Representative and Standing/Special Committee Chairman of their appointment. He/she shall serve as the Chair of the Military Audiology Short Course (MASC) planning committee and preside at the MASC.

The Vice-President shall perform duties of the President during his/her absence if he/she is disabled during the interim or until a successor is chosen. The Vice-President shall be familiar with the duties of the President and perform such duties as may be duly assigned by the President. The Vice-President will co-chair the MASC.

The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for recording the minutes of the annual meeting and notifying the membership of the time and place of meetings. In addition, the Secretary shall maintain and publish a membership directory.

Article VI - Elections

  1. The Secretary shall be the only officer elected annually. The Secretary shall be elected in conjunction with MASC. In successive years the Secretary/Treasurer shall assume the office of Vice-President and President, respectively
  2. Only active members in good standing shall be entitled to vote in the election of Secretary/Treasurer.
  3. Only members from the branch of service for which the candidate is eligible may vote in the election (i.e., Only Navy MAA members may elect a Navy member to the position of Secretary/Treasure, etc).
  4. The elected officers shall serve in the respective offices from 1 October to 30 September.

Article VII - Council

Members of the Executive Council shall be the elected officers of the Executive Board, the Executive Secretary (ex-officio) and one representative each from the Air Force, Army and Navy. The Service representatives shall be nominated by the senior Audiology consultant or advisor of each Service and approved by the Executive Board. The Service representatives shall serve two (2) years and shall assist the Executive Board in the accomplishment of their duties.

Article VIII - Executive Administrator

The Executive Administrator shall be appointed by the Executive Council and shall serve at the pleasure of the Council for an indefinite period of time. The duties of the Executive Secretary shall include (but not limited to) the following:

  1. The Executive Administrator shall be the MAA Historian and maintain such items as photo albums, plaques, and non-current files.
  2. 2. He/she shall work with the Secretary to maintain the membership list and the Association checking account.
  3. 3. He/she shall establish a permanent mailing address and receive and forward correspondence to the appropriate officer.
  4. 4. He/she shall pay all monies necessary for the expenditures as result of doing MAA business. Approval form the Executive Board shall be required for any expenditures in excess of fifty dollars. At each annual meeting, he/she shall report on all expenditures and the upcoming year's proposed budget.
  5. 5. He/she shall prepare and submit financial and tax reports to the Executive Board for forwarding to the Academy of Federal Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologists (AFASLP).

Article IX - Communications Director

The Communications Director shall be appointed by the Executive Board with primary duty to maintain and oversee the MAA webpage. The Communications Director shall serve five (5) years unless tenure is extended by the MAA Executive Council.

Article X - CAOHC Representation

Two members shall represent MAA at the Executive Council meetings of the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation. Representatives shall be no less senior than the rank of Major/Lieutenant Commander (O-4) for Active Duty or GS-12 for DoD Civilian. They shall be appointed for a period of five (5) years unless tenure is extended by the MAA Executive Council.

Article XI - Meetings

  1. 1. The annual general membership meeting shall be at a time and place designated by the Executive Council. The Executive Administrator shall notify all members of the annual meeting at least 30 days in advance of the meeting as to date, time and location.
  2. 2. Meetings of the Executive Board or Executive Council shall be initiated by the President. Action may be taken by telephone conference, mail, or e-mail ballot.
  3. 3. The quorum for the Executive Board/Council and annual general membership meeting shall be a simple majority of its voting members.

Article XII - Committees

The Executive Board shall appoint ad-hoc committees as needed.

Article XIII - Funding and Fiscal Year

  1. 1. Funds may be raised by dues, by assessments of active members or in any other manner approved by the Executive Council. Funds may be appropriated by the Executive Council to defray the expenses of MAA.
  2. 2. The Fiscal Year shall begin 1 October and end on 30 September of each year. The Executive Council shall, within 30 days of the annual general membership meeting, adopt an income and expense budget covering all activities for the next fiscal year.

Article XIV - Amendments

Amendments to these by-laws may be proposed by the Executive Council or any individual members. When proposed by an individual member it shall first be sent to the Executive Council. The membership shall be notified of the proposed changes during a membership meeting or by e-mail. Upon proposal by the Executive Council and after discussion at the membership meeting or discussion by e-mail, these by-laws may be amended or repealed, in whole or in part, by mail ballot, e-mail ballot, or voice vote during a membership meeting. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of votes received shall be necessary for approval.