Volume XX Number 2

February 2007

The New STC Bylaws: A Leaner Approach

By Robert J. Dianetti, Chair, STC Bylaws Committee, and Director, Region 4

Editor’s note: This article is the second in a three-part series explaining STC’s efforts to revise its bylaws. The first article, STC Bylaws, Version 2.0, appeared in the January issue; the third article will appear in an upcoming issue. Members will be asked to approve the new bylaws sometime later this year.

As many STC members know, our current bylaws document is a patchwork of definitions, policies, procedures, and other content that is a combination of the three. According to STC’s legal counsel, this patchwork approach was the norm approximately fifty years ago, when the Society’s bylaws were created. Needless to say, times have changed. Fifty years of additions and modifications have given rise to an urgent need to overhaul the bylaws.

Current association best practice indicates that a sparser, more policy-oriented approach is a much better way to approach the document. The new STC bylaws are being written with this approach in mind.

Expected Changes

So, what can we expect when we see the completed document? First, it will be much smaller, and the language much clearer. Certain familiar sections will be missing and other completely new sections will be present. Membership categories will be clarified, and dues level choices will be absent. Favorites such as recognition categories will be missing as well, as will details of committee purpose and organization. Other changes and updates will also be apparent.

Of course, all this information is important and will still be contained in Society documentation. But since this information is procedural and not policy-driven, it will appear in a stand-alone Society “standard operating procedures” document to be written at a later date.

Removing procedural information from the bylaws empowers STC’s standing committees to define and refine themselves to reflect their changing roles in the Society.

Balancing Structure and Freedom

How do we ensure continuity for the committees and other operating structures if they are not governed by the bylaws document? This is where the tricky part comes in. The bylaws must be written in such a way that guidelines are defined for the committees that they can take away as their mission or goal. These guidelines must provide structure and definition without restricting the freedom of the committees to do what they do best. It’s a fine line, and one to which the STC Bylaws Committee is paying a lot of attention.

So, what level of procedural information is appropriate? The answer is, “just enough to ensure the orderly continuity of the Society and to help it achieve its goals.” What more do we need?

Please send comments and questions regarding the STC Bylaws to Robert J. Dianetti.