Adopted by the Board of Directors and affixed to the By-Laws of the American Communication Association (October 2003)

1. Eligibility and Qualifications for Membership

Any individual with an interest in the study of communication is eligible for membership in the American Communication Association.

2. Manner of Admission into Membership

Membership shall begin with the subscription to the primary ACA on-line discussion address. Membership shall be accomplished by providing such information as is required by the subscription process and membership is maintained by updating address and information as required for participation in the primary ACA on-line discussion.

3. Initiation Fees, Dues and Other Fees

The American Communication Association charges no dues or initiation fees for membership.

4. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on November 1.

5. Time and Location of Discussions

Discussions of the Board of Directors will be held on ACABoard@listproc.appstate.edu in accordance with the requirements of the organization's By-Laws.

6. Decision Making Procedures

Business of the organization shall be conducted in special discussions convened for the express purpose of deliberation and decision making. Acquiescence or acclaim during general on-line discussion shall not be construed as authorization for action of the Board of Directors or the ACA as a whole.

Special discussions shall be conducted such that:

a) Email notice of the time and location of a discussion shall be provided to all members of the body as provided in the By-Laws. Members unable to be on line during a special discussion, or who must excuse themselves from a discussion in progress, shall give email notice to that effect and shall be treated as an absent member. Members who have not given such notice shall be deemed present regardless of their level of participation.

b) Written notice of an upcoming discussion shall include a description of the topics to be discussed and the decision sought. No additional business may be discussed or decided if any member has given written notice of absence from the discussion.

c) On-line discussions will be scheduled to last a minimum of seven days. Deliberation and discussion of an agenda topic may be extended beyond the called meeting by agreement of the participants to set a time and agenda for another special discussion and subject to the notification requirements established in the By-Laws.

d) The chair of the discussion shall call for discussion on agenda topics in the order provided in the notice.

e) Decisions shall be made by consensus of those members participating in the discussion. Proposed actions shall be summarized by the meeting chair to represent the apparent consensus of all participants. Revisions and annotations shall be incorporated to document any consensus, eliminating those elements for which objections remain. Consensus shall not be deemed to have arrived so long as a dissenting opinion is posted within the predetermined time frame of the special discussion. The discussion chair shall cause the final statement of any consensus to be entered into the meeting record.

7. Duties of Officers and Directors

In accordance with the By-Laws of the corporation, the Board of Directors specifies the terms and duties of the officers and directors as follows:

All officers shall hold office for one year terms, and shall remain eligible for re-election so long as they remain members of the Board of Directors. The term of office shall begin July 1.

President: Shall properly call and moderate Board of Director and Membership discussions in accordance with the organization's By-Laws, conduct the annual election of directors, and act as the official representative of the organization.

Vice-President: Shall function as needed in the absence of the President.

List Moderator: Shall act as owner of such electronic discussion lists, bulletin boards or other electronic interaction services as shall be established by the organization. Shall provide verifications of discussion list memberships as required in the By-Laws and as requested by the Board of Directors. Shall provide and verify any membership certificates, cards or other instruments as may be issued by the Corporation.

Web-Weaver: Shall act as webmaster for the primary virtual location of the ACA to insure that all website functions are fully operational and supportive of organizational goals.

Secretary: Shall create the corporation's annual report and maintain permanent records of member and BOD discussions, posting them to the primary virtual location of the organization and filing them with the physical corporate records as required by the corporation's By-Laws.

Treasurer: Shall maintain financial records of the organization, collect and disburse funds as directed by those members who conduct business for the organization, and provide an annual financial report to the membership.

Members of the Board of Directors: Shall take on the responsibility for some activity of the corporation. Such activities include the editorship of websites, journals or on-line activities, the coordination of physical meetings, conventions, or gatherings, the administration of accreditation services, and any other functions as might be deemed beneficial to the organization.