CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS GOVERNING THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION
(As revised Oct. 24, 1985, amended Oct. 23, 1992; Oct. 23, 1997; Jan. 15, 1999; Oct. 27, 2000; Oct. 26, 2001; Oct. 24, 2003; Jan. 23, 2009; Dec. 7, 2012; Dec. 5, 2014)
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE I
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association. It shall be incorporated not for profit in the State of Illinois.
ARTICLE II
Section 1. Mission statement: NINA’s mission is to advance the quality, integrity and credibility of journalism and journalism education in northern Illinois.
ARTICLE III
Section 1. Membership of this Association shall consist of two classes: Organization and Individual.
Organization membership may include establishments and their duly accredited representatives engaged in publishing local news in the 26 northernmost counties of Illinois, or from other such counties that seek membership. The primary counties include: Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Henry, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, McHenry, Mercer, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago.
Individual membership is open to any person who is or is not working in the newspaper industry.
Any member in good standing is eligible to hold office in this association.
Section 2. Application for membership shall be made with membership fee, to the treasurer of the Association, and be subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Dues for all classes of membership shall be determined by the Board of Directors.
Section 4. The membership year starts on January 1 and ends December 31.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1. A Board of Directors, of no fewer than 15 members and including 6 officers, shall be responsible for conducting the Association’s business.
Section 2. Members of the Board of Directors, at the last meeting of the year, shall elect or reappoint members to the board, each to serve a three-year term.
Section 3. The officers of the Association shall be a president, first vice president, second vice president, executive secretary, treasurer and immediate past president. In addition, a board member at large shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee (see Bylaws). Officers shall be elected at the last meeting of the year of the Board of Directors and shall hold their offices until their successors are elected and qualified. Vacancies may be filled by the Board of Directors for the balance of the unexpired terms of members who resign.
Section 4. Qualifications for officers: All officers must be active association members and have shown interest in serving the Association. The executive secretary shall be a representative from Northern Illinois University.
Section 5. Qualifications for board members: Must be an active Association member and have shown an interest in serving the Association.
Section 6. A quorum of eight members and officers shall be necessary to transact business at a meeting of the Board of Directors.
Section 7. The executive committee shall appoint a communications coordinator who shall be responsible for the publication of the newsletter and other duties as assigned.
ARTICLE V
Section 1. Regular meetings of the Association shall be held once a year, the time and place to be set by the Board of Directors unless previously set by the Association. No less than 10 days’ notice of the meeting shall be given by the president to every member of the Association.
Section 2. Additional general membership meetings may be called by the Executive Committee with 10 days’ notice to all members.
ARTICLE VI
Section 1. The Constitution or Bylaws may be annually reviewed and/or amended by the Board of Directors. Any Association member may suggest changes at any time by contacting a board member. Constitution or Bylaws changes must be approved by at least a two-thirds vote of Board members present.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE 1
Section 1. The president shall preside at all meetings of the Association and serve as spokesperson for the Association between meetings as authorized by the Executive Committee. The president shall also have the authority to call special meetings of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall comprise the officers and one at-large board member.
Section 3. The first vice president shall take the place of the president in the president’s absence.
Section 4. The second vice president shall take the place of the first vice president in the first vice president’s absence.
Section 5. A designated Board member shall keep an accurate record of all Association and Board of Directors meetings. The executive secretary shall maintain the Association’s archives.
Section 6. The treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the Association and shall disburse them with the approval of the board. The treasurer shall make a written report to each meeting of the Board of Directors at each Board meeting. The treasurer also is authorized by the Board of Directors to invest surplus funds of the treasury in interest-bearing accounts, in consultation with the board. The treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of membership dues.
ARTICLE II
Section 1. The Association shall have four standing committees:
- A) Executive Committee, consisting of the president, first vice president, second vice president, executive secretary, treasurer, immediate past president and one at-large board member. The committee shall set a yearly agenda, budget and bylaws with the approval of the Board of Directors.
- B) Outreach Committee shall be responsible for membership, marketing, networking and communication matters. The First Vice President shall chair this committee.
- C) Training Committee shall be responsible for carrying out training initiatives as approved by the Board of Directors.
- D) Education Committee shall be responsible for carrying out education initiatives as approved by the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Each Board member shall serve on at least one Association committee. Non-board members also may be appointed to Association committees.
ARTICLE III
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall have the authority to provide compensation for the executive secretary and the communications coordinator.
Northern Illinois News Association 