Section Officer Duties
DUTIES OF A SECTION CHAIRPERSON
- Chair the meetings of the Section.
- Schedules Executive Committee Meetings and assures that all Committee members are notified of the time and place of these meetings.
- Approves the selection of Section meetings.
- Serves as liaison for presenters of meetings in order that slide projectors, sound systems, and other necessary accessories are available.
- Represents the Section at National, International or Regional meetings.
- Develops a charge or statement of responsibility for all committees, subject to Executive Committee approval.
- Reviews and signs all legal Section documents.
- Advises other Executive Committee members in the resolution of problems.
- Ensures that action is taken to implement Executive Committee decisions.
- Assumes responsibility for smooth operation of the Section, even though the Chair may temporarily delegate certain of its authority to the Vice Chairperson or other members of the Executive Committee.
- Assigns a Nomination Committee and sets up an election date for continuity of the Section.
The Chairperson of the Section will have to act in several capacities. As principal executive officer of the Section, they should be a leader and be prepared to take the initiative in carrying out any action that they perceive to be necessary. They should learn to become a good listener so that they can accept complaints from the other members and act on those that they think are legitimate. They will be required to organize and chair the Section and Executive Committee meetings with a minimum of friction. In addition, they have to ensure that all of the Committee members are carrying out their allotted tasks.
When the Chairperson is elected, he/she will think that the job is somewhat ill-defined and they may believe there is not a lot of work to do. In most cases, they will become involved in the solution of numerous problems that keep them busy. Remember that the Chairperson of the Section is the one person to whom all members turn to for resolution of problems. In return, they will gain their respect if they do their job well.
DUTIES OF A SECTION VICE CHAIRPERSON
- Attends all Executive and Section Meetings.
- Stands in for the Chairperson at all regular Section activities whenever the Chairperson is unable to attend.
- Has responsibility for maintaining educational and personal advancement programs that may be established by the Executive Committee.
- Assumes special duties of the Chair upon request of the Chair and direct delegation of authority by the Chair.
The Vice Chairperson of the Section does not have an option to do nothing if the Chairperson is always present. The position of Vice Chairperson is more than a stand-in for the Chairperson office. They should learn to observe the Section activities and become sensitive to strains and potential difficulties before they develop into recognizable problems. The Vice Chairperson can assist other members of the Executive Committee and reduce some of their burden if they are temporarily overloaded.
DUTIES OF A SECTION SECRETARY
- Attends all Executive and Section meetings.
- Prepares agenda and minutes of all meetings for Chairperson and Executive Committee approval.
- Handles correspondence, notices, and forms relating the Section.
- Prepares Section meeting notices and assures timely mailing of these notices to the Section members.
- Records the meetings and sends reports to the Journal.
- Arranges a location for holding the monthly Section meeting and is the contact for dinner and meeting reservations.
The Secretary should not assume that their primary function is as a typist. Typing ability is useful, but this can be obtained elsewhere. The Secretary prepares the minutes, correspondence, agenda, and other paperwork required for running the Section, as well as communicates with headquarters for section mailing labels.
DUTIES OF A SECTION TREASURER
- Attends all Executive and Section meetings.
- Prepares a budget for the fiscal year in conjunction with the Executive Committee.
- Maintains financial accounts of the Section.
- Maintains an up-to-date audit of accounts for the review by the Executive Committee at the Committee and Section meetings.
- Approves and authorizes payment of checks for Section expenses in conjunction with the Executive Committee. Section checks must require two signatures.
- Be responsible for safekeeping of the Section checkbooks, passbooks, fiscal books, and cash box where necessary.
- Supervise the selling of function tickets as required at Section activities.
- Deposit all received funds to the Section's checking account in a timely manner.
- Arrange for audit of accounts at the end of the fiscal year.
The treasurer will be responsible for the fiscal affairs of the Section. This includes monitoring the income from International Headquarters and payments of checks. Budgeting is an important part of the job so they should have some familiarity with financial statements.
DUTIES OF A SECTION COMMITTEEPERSON
- Attend all Executive and Section meetings.
- Assist Section officers in the execution of their duties.
- Provide support in special functions which are not the assigned duties of Executive Section officers.
- It is expected that each Committeeman be responsible for the planning and arranging of 2 section meetings each year and be the Program Chairman for those meetings.
The Committeeman are more than helpers. An active Committeeperson does not need to wait for a direct assignment or a call for help from the Executive Committee in order to assist in the smooth operation of the Section. As a Committee member they are expected to carry whatever load is necessary to conduct the Section's business. The Committeeman may be asked to stand in for a regular office holder upon consent of the Executive Committee in the event of incapacity of the office holder. They should therefore become familiar with the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Section offices and maintain an up-to-date awareness of these offices to be prepared to step in if called.