VOICE AND VOTE!!!

Interested in running for an ISA-AST position???

Are you interested in advancing the profession of surgical technology? Do you have a flair for business or an eye for detail? Do you think outside the box? Would you like to have more of a voice in your professional organization? Do you have organizational skills you would like to share? If so, please consider running for an Officer or Board position with ISA-AST.

ISA-AST will be looking for dedicated individuals who feel they are up to the challenge of advancing our state organization and profession.

Next elections will be at the 7th Annual Fall Conference, October 23th and 24th at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis Indiana. 

Criteria for Candidates who wish to run for the office of Secretary and (3) Director positions are as follows:

1. A potential candidate must be an active member for 1 year immediately preceding nominations. This is defined in the AST By-Laws Article III. Section I-Definition and Section II-Classification.
2. Each potential candidate will be required to present to the Credentials Committee as required by AST a written curriculum vitae (http://www.ast.org/pdf/Natl_SA_CV.pdf ) and a consent to serve (http://www.ast.org/membership/documents/SA_ConsentSerForm.pdf)  to the Chair of the Election Committee with proof of membership and certification currency. All nominees who meet the qualifications for office shall be eligible for election.
3. All potential candidates who meet the qualifications for office shall be eligible for election and have submitted a brief statement preceding the election will have their statement included on the ASTINDIANA website.
4. No less than 60 days, the Election Committee shall present a list of candidates for each office to be filled at the elections via a State Assembly mailing/publication/web site distributed to the entire State Assembly membership.
5. Nomination from the floor: Each potential candidate will be required to present to the Elections Committee prior to the beginning of the conference their AST written curriculum vitae (see links above) and a consent to serve with proof of membership and certification currency. All nominees who meet the qualifications for office shall be eligible to be nominated from the floor for election.
6. Board of Directors
   - A potential candidate must be an active member for 1 year immediately preceding nominations. This is defined in the AST By-Laws Article III. Section I-Definition and Section II-Classification.
7. Officers other than President
   - A potential candidate must be an active member for 1 year immediately preceding nominations. This is defined in the AST By-Laws Article III. Section I-Definition and Section II-Classification.
8. President
   - A potential candidate must be an active member for 1 year immediately preceding nominations. This is defined in the AST By-Laws Article III. Section I-Definition and Section II-Classification.
   - shall have served at least one full term as a director or officer during the previous six years on the Board of Directors.
9. Guidelines
   - No Officer may run for more than two full terms in the same office.
   - Any amount of time served that equals more than half a term shall be considered a full term of office.
   - No Director may run for more than two full terms in the same office.

If this challenge interests you, please fill out the downloadable Curriculum Vitae and Consent to Serve and mail to the Teller's Committee Chair at the address below by July 15, 2010, along with a copy of your current Certification and AST membership information.

A REVIEW OF MEMBERSHIP STATUS

In the past, you may not have been actively involved in a local chapter. You would identify yourself as a member at large. With the birth of Indiana State Assembly YOU became a member. There is no longer a choice of being a member in a chapter or an at-large member. The state of Michigan has a state assembly and if you are a member of AST then you are a member of ISA-AST. 

There have also been some questions with what each of these types of membership means in regards to your involvement at the National and State level. I am hoping that this will clarify and answer your questions. I will be using the terminology voice and vote because that is how the AST describes the function within each type of membership. You are able to read the AST National By-laws at www.AST.org 

Voice means that you have the right to be heard in the organization on both a state and national level. Vote means that an Active member has the privilege to hold office, committee chair positions, represent ISA at national as a delegate, and the right to vote in an election.

There are different types of memberships and I have listed them below:

An Active Member in the organization means that they are certified and neither their membership nor certification has elapsed. They are permitted to use the initials: CST or CST/SFA or CST/FA. These members can hold an office, be in a chair position of a committee and serve as a delegate to Nationals. They have voice and vote.

An Associate/Affiliate Member in the organization could be one who has allowed certification to lapse, may work as an ST and never been certified, be a student or an individual or organization who wishes to affiliate with AST. They are able to work on committees, be involved in educational workshops, and helping to run the election process at MSA Spring meetings. They however cannot vote, run for office or serve as committee chair or as a delegate to Nationals. These members may or may not be eligible to take their certification exam. They have voice but no vote!

A Student member is just that: a student who became a member while attaining their ST education. They have maintained their membership status by remaining current with their dues. They are able to work on committees, be involved in educational workshops, and helping to run the election process at ISA Fall meetings. They however cannot vote, run for office, serve as committee chair, or as a delegate to Nationals. They have voice but no vote!

Retired/Disabled Members retain the rights and privileges of an active member to vote, hold office, and serve as a delegate as long as they have maintained their certification status. Please refer to AST By-laws. They have voice and vote!

Honorary Member is one who has served as a President of AST. One who has rendered notable service to AST and is approved by the House of Delegates upon recommendation of the Board of Directors. They retain the rights and privileges of an active member to vote, hold office, and serve as a delegate as long as they have maintained their certification status. They have voice and vote!

ISA-AST is looking forward to everyone’s involvement! We hope that you will become Active Members in our state so that you too will have both

“Voice and Vote”