As amended during the Business Meeting in Dallas, October 2000



Article 1 - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Rocky Mountain Planetarium Association (RMPA).


Article 2 - Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote astronomy and science education, planetarium operations, and the educational, entertaining, and innovative use of the planetarium environment; to support the planetarium profession; and to foster professional growth among its members. This shall be done by promoting communication among planetariums and offering service in the Rocky Mountain region through conferences, newsletters, special initiatives, and other methods the members shall deem appropriate.


Article 3 - Membership and Dues

Section 1: Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the purpose of the organization; members need not live in the Rocky Mountain region. Membership will be from Annual Conference to Annual Conference, renewable annually. A member shall be eligible to vote, run for office, hold office, or be appointed to posts or committees if that member is in good standing; a member in good standing shall be one whose membership dues are current. Members in good standing shall be entitled to receive the organization newsletter, special mailings, and any other benefits of membership.

Section 2: Membership dues shall be $15 per year (as ammended by majority vote in 1994). Dues may be increased by a majority vote of the members casting votes.

Section 3: It is up to the discretion of the president whether members whose dues have lapsed shall continue to receive the newsletter or other benefits of membership.


Article 4 - Officers

Section 1: There shall be five officers: a president, a president-elect, a secretary, a treasurer, and a past president. They shall each serve two-year terms, coinciding with the calendar year, commencing on January 1 of every other even-numbered year beginning in 1994.

Section 2: The duties of the president shall be: to preside over meetings, to represent the organization as its official spokesperson, to serve or appoint a member to serve as official RMPA representative to the International Planetarium Society, to appoint posts and committees, to serve as an ex-officio member of all committees, and write a regular letter to members in the RMPA newsletter, The High Altitude Observer.

Section 3a: The duties of the secretary shall be: to keep and maintain minutes of meetings, to correspond with vendors and other regional planetarium organizations to assist in coordinating our multi-regional conferences, to solicit ads from vendors for the High Altitude Observer and other publications, to maintain business records, and to publish minutes of meetings in The High Altitude Observer, generally in the issue immediately following a meeting.

Section 3b: The duties of the treasurer shall be: to open and close bank accounts, to solicit and collect dues, to make payments to the organization's creditors, and to maintain records and publish an annual report of the organization's finances and members in the High Altitude Observer.

Section 4: The past president shall act in an advisory capacity to the president, secretary, and treasurer.

Section 5: The duties of the president-elect shall be to preside in the absence of the president, to serve as ex-officio member of all committees, to assist the president with appointed duties, and to prepare to assume the position of president at the end of the two year term.

Section 6: In the event that the office of president should become vacant prior to expiration of term, the president-elect shall assume the office and an election will be scheduled for a new president-elect at the next available opportunity. In the event that the offices of secretary, treasurer or president-elect should become vacant prior to expiration of term, the president shall appoint a member in good standing to assume the office until a new election can be scheduled and a new secretary, treasurer or president-elect selected. In the event that the office of past president should become vacant, the president shall appoint a member in good standing to assume the office until the next scheduled election; the general guideline shall be that this temporary past president should come, if possible, from the ranks of former organization officers.


Article 5 - Appointed Posts

Section 1: The president shall appoint a newsletter editor to manage The High Altitude Observer. The editor shall serve as the chair of the Publications Committee charged with publishing the newsletter, and shall have the authority to appoint associate editors and assistants, to set deadlines, and to exercise customary editorial responsibilities. The newsletter editor may be one of the officers.

Section 2: The president shall appoint a historian to collect, organize, and keep the history, records, and artifacts of the organization, including complete issues of the newsletter, copies of meeting minutes and financial reports, membership and officer lists, records of conferences, photographs, and any other materials deemed appropriate by the historian. The historian shall make periodic reports at meetings and in the newsletter as appropriate. The historian may be one of the officers.

Section 3: The president shall appoint an elections chair to chair the Elections Committee and to preside over the elections of the officers. The elections chair shall set deadlines for nominations and elections in accord with these bylaws, shall solicit nominations and confirm with nominated candidates that they are willing to run, and shall prepare and mail ballots, oversee the counting of ballots, and announce the results of elections. The elections chair shall have the authority to appoint assistants, and shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of ballots. The elections chair may not be a current officer.

Section 4: Terms of appointment for these posts shall run concurrently with the president's term. An incoming president shall have the authority to reappoint members or to appoint new members to these posts.


Article 6 - Committees

The president shall have the authority to appoint committees to discharge such business of the organization as he or she may see fit. The president shall appoint all committee chairs, and may either appoint the committee members or may delegate this authority to the chair. Standing committees shall be:

1) Publications Committee-responsible for the publication of The High Altitude Observer, consisting of the newsletter editor as chair, the officers, and any others deemed appropriate.

2) Conference Committee-responsible for planning the annual conference, consisting of the conference host as chair, the officers, and any others deemed appropriate. The committee shall plan the meeting's activities and finances, and shall conduct all mailings to inform members of the meeting.

3) Elections Committee-responsible for conducting and overseeing elections of officers, consisting of the elections chair and other members as appropriate. No current officers may serve on this committee.


Article 7 - Meetings

Section 1: The Association shall hold at least one formal meeting per year. If a quorum is met, prior notice given and absentee ballots made available, a business meeting of the association may be held at the IPS conferences...

Section 2: Hosts of meetings shall generally be members of RMPA; the president shall determine that the person extending the invitation for an institution has the authority to do so. If more than one member offers to host a meeting, the meeting site shall be selected by majority vote of the members casting votes. If there is only one invitation to host, the offer may be accepted by voice vote or raising of hands following the review of the president. The conference host becomes chair of the standing Conference
Committee responsible for planning the annual meeting.

Section 3: At business meetings, a quorum shall consist of ten (10) members in good standing. If nine (9) or fewer members in good standing are present, then no official business may proceed.

Section 4: At business meetings, a motion shall be considered carried if a quorum is present and if a majority of voting members vote for it.

Section 5: The parliamentary authority for the organization will be Robert's Rule of Order, Revised. Any cases not covered by the bylaws shall be governed by this authority.


Article 8 - Publications

Section 1: The official newsletter of the organization shall be The High Altitude Observer, published quarterly. The president shall have the authority to appoint the standing Publications Committee to publish the newsletter, chaired by the newsletter editor.

Section 2: The newsletter may contain: articles of timely interest to the membership in the areas of science, education, and planetarium techniques; papers presented by members at conferences; regular letters from the president to the membership; regular meeting minutes and financial reports from the secretary-treasurer to the membership (at least once a year); notices to meetings of RMPA and other organizations of interest to the group; reports from the RMPA representative to IPS; letters and articles from members; and any other material deemed appropriate by the editor.


Article 9 - Nomination and Election of Officers

Section 1: Elections for the office of President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be held in the fall of every odd number year beginning in 1993. (Election for President-elect shall take place in 1994 due to creation of new position.)

Section 2: The office of past president shall be filled by the outgoing president; no election shall be held for this office.

Section 3: The election of officers shall be conducted and overseen by the standing Elections Committee in accord with these bylaws.

Section 4: Nominations for office may be made by any member in good standing; nominations may be made in person at the fall business meeting, by proxy, or in writing to the elections chair. Nominations shall be closed at the end of the fall business meeting, if conducted at the meeting, or by a time and date set by the elections chair. This information shall be announced in The High Altitude Observer.

Section 5: In the event that only one person is nominated for an office, voting may take place by voice or raising of hands at the business meeting, provided a quorum is present and the nominations are to be closed at the meeting. Otherwise, or if an office is contested, voting must take place by mail ballot. The Elections Committee shall send each member in good standing a ballot to mark and return. The deadline for receipt of ballots by the Elections Committee shall be stated clearly on each ballot, and members shall have at least one month to mark and return their ballots. After the deadline for receipt of ballots, the Elections Committee shall count the ballots and report the result to the president, who shall inform the membership in the next issue of The High Altitude Observer.

Section 6: The officers shall assume their duties on the January 1 following the election.


Article 10 - Effect and Amendment of Bylaws

Section 1: If approved, these bylaws will take effect immediately upon such approval.

Section 2: These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of members in good standing casting votes.