STANDING RULES

Approved by branch vote October 27, 2006

Standing rules are those which directly affect members of the branch. They should be reviewed biennially in the autumn of even-numbered years by a committee of board members appointed by the president and chaired by the parliamentarian/bylaws chair. Standing rules can be amended by a majority vote at a branch meeting if previous notice has been given or by a two-thirds vote if no notice has been given. Standing rules will be posted on the branch website. Other standing rules may be added as needed.

Branch Listserv

1.  All branch members whose dues are paid for the current fiscal year are automatically subscribed to the branch listserv, unless specifically requesting to be unsubscribed.  At the beginning of each fiscal year (July 1), members who have not paid their dues shall be removed from the listserv.

2.  Members are to refrain from using vacation or auto-reply features on their email accounts while subscribed to listservs. Members may request to be temporarily unsubscribed from the listserv.

3.  The purposes of listserv messages are to conduct branch business, engage in discussion of AAUW issues or propose and conduct branch projects that further AAUW’s mission.

4.  No email messages shall be forwarded to the branch listserv unless directly related to AAUW business and mission.

5.  No attachments shall be used in listserv messages to avoid virus problems.

6.  Members who do not follow established listserv netiquette will receive one warning from a listserv moderator/administrator.  If the member then continues to use a branch or board listserv inappropriately, s/he will be removed from the listserv. 

Business

1. Board members are subscribed to a board listserv, and board business is primarily conducted on this board listserv, unless the president calls for scheduled chat room or conference call meetings.  All board business is open to branch members.  The president will post board agendas on the branch listserv at least two (2) days in advance of conducting board business, whether by listserv, chat room or conference call, to allow any branch member to request to be a participant in that board business by requesting to be temporarily subscribed to the board listserv.

2.  Should a chat-room meeting be called, the following rules apply:

         2a.  Members must sign in before entering the chat room, using their full names.

         2b.  Members must observe etiquette while in the chat room. During a discussion, unless a member is specifically addressed by name s/he may not make a second comment until all members currently on line have had a chance to comment.

         2c.  A member who signs in 10 or more minutes late to a chat room meeting will not be acknowledged, but may participate.

         2d.  Chat room meetings are usually open to the public, but the board may vote to restrict any meeting to members only. 

3.  When neither listserv discussion nor chat room meetings will allow for the work of the branch to be completed, the president is authorized to call a conference call meeting, provided that s/he first posts a notice of this meeting, including date/time/agenda, on the branch listserv at least five (5) days in advance.

4.  In the case of a scheduled chat room or conference call meeting, or any in-person gathering, it is the policy of the branch to avoid meeting on major holidays of religious or ethnic communities. A member wishing to notify the branch of a particular holiday should contact the president.

Voting

1.  Whether conducting branch general business or board business, the president (or a person designated by the president) shall provide specified deadlines for discussion of any action item before calling for a vote.

2.  At the end of the prescribed discussion period, the president shall call for a vote specifying the deadline for the voting period, which shall not be less than five (5) days from the time of the call of the vote. 

3.  For general branch business, the technology/communications chair shall create a voting page in the “Members Only” section of the branch website, where branch members may cast their votes anonymously, but in a secure environment that prevents any individual from casting a vote more than once. 

Membership

1.  Prospective members who are eligible to join may attend up to two (2) weeks of listserv discussion (branch or interest group listserv) or one chat room meeting in any one year before being asked to join.

2.  Members must pay dues before June 30 to be kept on the branch listserv and allowed access to the membership directory.  If dues are not paid online using PayPal, checks must be made payable to the CA Online Branch and sent to the treasurer.

Branch Directory

The branch directory is for the use of the members only. It shall not be given to any person or organization outside of AAUW.

Fund Raising

The branch will neither raise funds for nor donate to any organization outside of AAUW.