Constitution and By-laws
Please select from the below-given links to view individual Articles of the TACUPA Constitution
Article I Name Article II Purpose - Article III
Membership Organization Bylaws and Temporary Legislation Meetings - Article VII
Amendments to Constitution or Bylaws
The name of this organization shall be "Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators."
The purposes of the Association are:
1. To promote the common interest in the administration, operation, and development of the Police Departments; and
2. To foster good administration of planning and development, operation, and maintenance of Police Departments through TACUPA meetings; and
3. To promote professional ideals and standards in law enforcement in order to serve the educational objectives of institutions of higher education; and
4. To establish and maintain liaison with various policy and law-making bodies concerning the needs and interests of College and University enforcement and promote awareness of those needs by resolutions and recommendations; and
5. To schedule, plan and conduct annual meetings of the Association.
ARTICLE III--MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Eligibility
(a) Any institution of higher learning which offers a degree requiring not less than two years of academic credit, Texas State Technical Institutions, and any director of a system shall be eligible for membership.
(b) Institutions shall not be eligible for membership when their routine police program is performed by any protective company or corporation employed by the institution under any type of contract or agreement.
(c) Membership must be approved by current Board of Directors.
(d) All institutions as defined above, having a formal police or security department, even though a branch of a parent institution shall be entitled to one Institutional member; the Chief Administrative Officer of the Police or Security Department or his or her designee as designated by the registration card and registration name tag as the voting member of the institution.
(e) Institutional representative
An individual who coordinates law enforcement programs for a college, university or university system shall be considered to represent that institution/system and be designated the "Institutional Representative." The Institutional Representative must be a full-time employee of the educational institution and not compensated by any contract security service or private company. Institutional Members may attend meetings, work on committees, serve as an officer of the Association and are eligible to vote in the Association.
(f) Professional member
An employee of a member institution holding an executive, managerial, or supervisory position which is primarily responsible for campus public safety, upon certification by the Institutional Representative of the Association, holding such a position. Professional Members may attend meetings, work on committees, serve as an officer of the Association and are eligible to vote in the Association.
(g) Associate member
Associate Membership is open to any police/security employee of a member institution not holding an executive, managerial, or supervisory position. Associate Members may attend meeting and work on committees. Associate Members are not eligible to vote.
(h) Sustaining member
Sustaining members shall be any person, firm or corporation who being interested in the advancement of the association shall contribute or donate a sum to the association to aid and attain the purpose and objective of the association but shall not have voting rights.
Section 4. Rights and Privileges
A member institution is entitled to:
(d) Right to vote on motions duly presented at the meetings of the Association. Each institution in good standing is entitled to one vote to be cast by each of its duly authorized institutional and professional members in attendance.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION
Section 1. Qualifications
All administrative officers and members of the Board of Directors shall be either Institutional or Professional members representing a member institution in good standing. Committee membership is open to all institutional, professional and associate members of a member institution in good standing.
Section 2. Officers
The officers of the Association shall be President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The term of office for the President, First Vice president and Second Vice President shall be for one (1) year. The term of office for Secretary and Treasurer shall be for two (2) years. The officer's term of office shall be effective January 1 through December 31 of the year following their election.
(a) President
(1) Election
The First Vice President shall automatically become President following his year of service as First Vice President.
(2) Powers and Duties
(aa) The President shall be the executive officer of the Association.
(bb) The President shall be a member of and President of the Board of Directors.
(cc) The President shall preside at the meetings of the Association and at all meetings of the Board.
(dd) The President shall have authority to appoint all committees of the Association not otherwise provided for.
(ee) The President shall be responsible for the general supervision and direction of the affairs of the Association.
(ff) It shall be the duty of the President to appoint replacements for offices vacated prior to the expiration of the elected term, such replacements to complete the unexpired term.
(gg) The
president shall not dispense any association funds over $500.00 without the
advance approval of a majority of the Board of Directors.
(b) First Vice President
(1) Election
The Second Vice President shall automatically become First Vice President following his year of service.
(2) Powers and Duties
(aa) The First Vice President shall occupy the office and assume the function of the President in the absence of the President.
(bb) The
First Vice President shall be chairman of the Committee for the preparation
of the program for the succeeding meeting of the Association.
(c) Second Vice President
(1) Election
The Second Vice President shall be elected at the annual meeting.
(2) Powers and Duties
(aa) The Second Vice President shall be responsible for membership development. Powers shall be the same as the First Vice President.
(bb) The
Second Vice President shall occupy the office and assume the function of the
First Vice President in the absence of the First Vice President.
(d) Treasurer
(1) Election
The Treasurer shall be elected at the annual meeting for the Association for a period of two years.
(2) Powers and Duties
(aa) The Treasurer shall collect all dues and other moneys owed to the Association.
(bb) The Treasurer shall dispense all funds in accordance with the budget approved by the Board at the annual meeting.
(cc)
The Treasurer shall conduct all business for Fiscal Year, January 1 through
December 31.
(e) Secretary
(1) Election
The secretary shall be elected at the annual meeting of the Association for a period of two years.
(2) Powers and Duties
(aa) The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings of the Association and of the Board of Directors.
(bb) The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of such meetings.
(cc) The Secretary shall be responsible for the record of the Association and for conducting the correspondence of the Association under the direction of the president.
(dd) The
Secretary shall receive applications for membership.
Section 3. The Board of Directors
(a) The Board of Directors of the Association shall be composed of the following:
The President, the Vice Presidents, the Treasurer, the Secretary, together with the two members at large elected alternately at the annual meeting of the association every other year for a two year term. The term of office for all members of the Board of Directors shall be effective January 1, following the year elected. The immediate past President will serve as a Board member for one year.
(1) The President, First Vice President, and Secretary of the Association shall also be President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Board of Directors.
(2) The members-at-large shall be representatives in good standing of the Association.
(3) The members-at-large, in the interest of greater stability in the Board of Directors, shall be elected for a period of two years, serving alternate terms, and one Director will be elected at each annual meeting.
(b) Powers and Duties
(1) Shall rule on questions of policy, which arise between annual meetings.
(2) Shall approve the President's expenditures from the treasury during the interim between annual meetings, and shall hold him accountable for such expenditures being made in the most prudent interest of the Association.
(3) Approve the dates for the annual meeting of the Association, unless the exact date shall have been approved by the association in its annual meeting.
(4) Have authority to appoint small “Action Committees” from its membership for the purpose of expediting its work. Such action Committees may be voted authority by a majority of the Board of Directors to act for the Board as a whole, and shall report to the Board.
(5) At all meetings of the Board of Directors, five directors present shall constitute a quorum. Each member of the Board is entitled to one vote. Proxy voting will not be permitted. In the absence of a quorum, any action taken will be recommendation only, but may become legal action if confirmed by a majority vote, by a mail-ballot of the members of the Board of Directors.
(6) “The Board of Directors shall have the authority to appoint any officer, as defined under Article IV, Section 2, as interim officer in the event of resignation, death or other means to said vacant office. The appointment will be made for the remainder of the un-expired term of said office and until said office can be filled by election or advancement, according to Article IV of the Constitution and By-Laws.”
ARTICLE V--BYLAWS AND TEMPORARY LEGISLATION
Section 1. By-laws
This Association may, at its annual meeting adopt or amend any by-laws not inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution, in accordance with provisions of Article VII of the Constitution.
Section 2. Temporary Legislation
Legislation may be enacted through resolutions not inconsistent with the Constitution or By-Laws at any annual meeting, by a majority vote cast by the members present and voting, provided the Legislation proposed is of a temporary character effective only for the time specified in the resolution.
Section 3. Annual Dues
(a) Annual Dues for Institutional Members
shall be $25.00.
Annual Dues for Professional Members shall be $25.00.
Annual Dues for Associate Members shall be $25.00.
Annual Dues for Sustaining Members shall be $25.00 for individuals and $50.00 for firms and corporations.
Section 4. Standing Committees
(a) Constitution and By-laws
(b) Program - Chaired by First Vice President
(c) Membership - Chaired by Second Vice President
(d) Site Committee
(e) Finance Committee
(f) Resolutions Committee
(g) Awards/Scholarship Committee
(h) Training Committee
(I) Media Relations
(j) Governmental Relations
Section 1. Annual Meetings
(a) A meeting of the membership of the Association shall be held annually. A meeting site committee shall be appointed by the current President to receive bids from member institutions for meeting locations.
(b) The meeting site committee shall evaluate the various bids and at a business session of the annual meeting, recommend to the membership its choice of a site for the following annual meeting. In addition to the recommendation, the committee shall announce to the representatives, all the bids which were received.
(c) The actual selection of a meeting site shall be determined by a majority vote of qualified representatives considering all the bids received.
Section 2. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the representatives of member institutions registered at the annual meeting.
Section 3. Representation at Meetings
Each institution may be represented at the annual meeting as provided in Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution.
Section 4. Procedure
The order of business shall be:
(1) Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting (and their approval)
(2) Reading of Treasurer's Report (and approval)
(3) Reports of Boards and Standing Committees
(4) Reports of Special (Select) Committees
(5) Special Orders
(6) Unfinished Business and general orders
(7) New Business
(8) Adjournment
ARTICLE
VII--AMENDMENTS TO
CONSTITUTION OR BY-LAWS
Section 1. Any and all articles, sections or paragraphs of this constitution and by-laws may be repealed or amended by a vote of approval by three-fourths majority of the voting representatives present at the annual meeting.
Section 2 Voting (Article VII, Section 1) shall be taken upon changes, which have been studied, discussed and subsequently presented by the By-laws Committee.
Section 3. Voting on changes initiated by motion from the floor shall not be permitted.
Section 4. Notice
of all changes of amendments which have been made in accordance with the
provisions of Article VII, Section 1, 2, and 3 shall be sent to all voting
members by the secretary, whether present or absent at the annual meeting.
Revisions: 12/89, 12/95, 12/97, 12/08