Southeastern Theatre Conference ADMINISTRATIVE VICE-PRESIDENT Manual of Operations PART I. POLICY FROM HIGHER AUTHORITY Bylaws, Article IV: Executive Committee. Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the five elected officers of the Corporation, the immediate past President, one person elected from and by the State Representatives, and one person elected from and by the Divisional Chairs. Section 2. The Executive Committee shall be the administrative, policymaking and planning body of the Corporation. It shall be the ultimate authority when neither the Board of Directors nor the Corporation is meeting. The Executive Committee shall report all of its actions, including those specifically authorized in these bylaws, to the Board of Directors, which may overrule any such action or act unilaterally. Section 3. All Executive Committee meetings shall be announced at least two weeks in advance to the full Corporation membership and shall be open to any Corporation member wishing to attend or to speak except when the Executive Committee votes to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters. Executive sessions shall be for discussion purposes only, and any vote shall be taken after leaving executive session. An exception to the advance announcement may be made in an emergency, but the nature of the emergency must be recorded in the minutes and only business relating to the emergency may be transacted. Bylaws Article V, Section 3. The Administrative Vice-President shall: (l) supervise the Advisory Council; (2) secure from all members of the Advisory Council and from State Representatives and Divisional Chairs or their assistants semiannual written reports prior to the fall Executive Committee meeting and the annual convention; (3) solicit current operations manuals for all ongoing Corporation functions. Bylaws Article XI, Section 1. The Advisory Council shall be composed of: (1) the chairs of all committees; (2) the Liaison Officers; (3) the Administrative Vice-President, acting as chair of the Advisory Council. Section 2. The Advisory Council shall meet at the call of its chair to consider the reports of all of its members and to recommend action to the Executive Committee. The Advisory Council may recommend to the incoming President candidates for all appointive positions. Section 3. Committee chairs shall: (1) furnish leadership to their respective committees; (2) stimulate and develop interest in their assigned areas; (3) file written reports on the dates requested by the Administrative Vice-President; (4) keep their operational manuals up to date. Section 4. Liaison Officers shall: (1) furnish liaison between the President and their respective organizations; (2) stimulate and develop interest in their assigned areas; (3) file written reports on the dates requested by the Administrative Vice-President. RULES OF THE ASSOCIATION: I. 4. Semi-Annual Reports. The semi-annual reports described in the Bylaws and required for timely submission to the Executive Committee are submitted on or before the deadline established by the Administrative Vice-President. Those semi-annual reports containing action items and/or items of interest will
be mailed to Board and Advisory Council members prior to the Executive Committee meetings. The Administrative Vice-President will read the reports submitted by the deadline and distribute to the Board an action agenda showing only those items that require Executive Committee or Board action. No action items or reports will be discussed in the Reports portion of the Executive Committee agenda unless submitted to the Administrative Vice-President by the deadline. Members of the Board and Advisory Council will receive a list of reports submitted and not submitted. (3/15/98) I.7. Distribution of Minutes. Within two weeks of the conclusion of any meeting of the corporation, the Board of Directors, or the Executive Committee, the Secretary shall electronically circulate, for possible correction, the minutes thereof to Executive Committee members and selected interested parties. No more than two weeks subsequent, corrected minutes shall be sent to the Executive Director, who in turn shall send copies to all members of the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council, and other interested parties. "Interested parties" shall consist of those SETC members who request to be on the distribution list, provided that the Executive Director may purge the list occasionally by calling for new requests. (9/7/02) I.8 Distribution of Manuals. The central office will distribute copies of appropriate Manuals of Operations to new officers and members of the Board and Advisory Council. (9/6/03) I. 11. Advisory Council Meetings. The Advisory Council, chaired by the Administrative Vice-President, will meet separately before the fall and spring Executive Committee meetings. The Administrative Vice-President will appoint a recorder for Advisory Council meetings. (3/15/98) I. 17. Preparation of Manuals. All manuals must be prepared in the following format: Part I. Policy from Higher Authority. (In this section should be quoted any Bylaws, Rules, Board or Executive Committee actions, or other policy statements bearing on the work of the manual s subject group. These policy statements may not be changed except by acceptance of the higher authority involved.) Part II. Regulations from This Constituency. (In this section should be presented in full any decisions by the manual s subject group that are intended to be binding on future operation. These regulations may not be changed except when the subject group meets.) Part III. Operating Procedures. (In this section should appear as much detail as may be necessary about how the subject group or activity functions. These procedures are not binding upon future users of the manual, but rather constitute useful hints from previous activists. They may be changed at any time.) At the end of the manual, there should appear the name of the originator of the latest revision and the date of its acceptance by the Executive Committee. Manuals may not contain commitments to specific dollar amounts or to any expenditures. At the end of the division or committee chair s term of office all copies of the minutes, budget, and other information shall be passed on to the next chair and copies shall also be sent to archives. (3/15/98) I. 18. Procedures for Updating Manuals. Any constituency wishing to amend its manual must reach agreement on such amendments during the convention. The Chair of that constituency must submit a revised manual to the Administrative Vice-President no later than March 31. The Administrative Vice-President shall submit all such manuals to the Bylaws Committee, which shall advise him or her as to whether each manual conforms to applicable Bylaws, Rules, and other directives of the Association. Thereafter, the Administrative Vice-President shall submit the manuals to the Executive Committee for acceptance. All manuals not revised by this procedure shall be updated by the Central Office to include any Bylaw or Rule changes since the preceding year, and shall then be sent on computer disk to the Bylaws Committee for review. Thereafter, and as soon after March 31 as possible, all manuals so updated shall be mailed to their respective chairs for use during that year. (3/3/99) III. 1. Budget Preparation. Each officer, division or committee chair shall submit a budget request when it is requested by the central office. The Executive Director shall incorporate these requests into a draft budget for the forthcoming fiscal year. This draft budget, together with all budget requests, shall then be studied by the Finance Committee, which will recommend to the Executive Committee for approval a balanced budget. Each officer, division or committee shall operate within the approved budget. (3/15/98) Rule V.4. Board and Committee Membership. All officers, Board of Directors and Advisory Council members, and committee members (except the Local Arrangements Committee) must individually be current members of SETC. (3/3/93)
Rule V.7. SETC News Responsibilities. The Chair of the Publications Committee shall, in that Committee s oral reports at spring and fall Executive Committee or Board meetings, remind all division chairs, state representatives, interest area chairs, and other chairs of their scheduled responsibilities for submitting items to SETC News. The schedule of such responsibilities shall be included in all appropriate operations manuals. (3/15/98) PART II. REGULATIONS FROM THIS CONSTITUENCY The Administrative Vice-President has ongoing responsibilities during his/her year in office both as Executive Committee member and as a representative for SETC. They include: A. attendance at the winter and summer meetings of the Executive Committee B. representation of SETC at one or more state conventions with convention reports (forms to be supplied by the central office) and copies of convention programs to be mailed to other members of the Executive Committee. C. attending all business meetings, States luncheon, the Past-Presidents Dinner and the Awards Banquet at the Convention. E. up-dating this manual and the manuals for State Representatives and Liaison Officers according to the rules, filing new copies with the central office and including copies in the compilation of manuals passed on to the next Administrative Vice-President. F. the timely updating, either personally or through appropriate delegation, of the corporation's operating Manuals for all offices, committees, activities, and functions of SETC. G. the Administrative Vice-President shall establish and maintain a record of all unresolved assignments and directives made by the Board of Directors. The format for the list may be determined by the Administrative Vice-President, but content shall include what was directed, who is to be responsible for achieving the directive, the date the directive was made, and an approximate date of completion. H. at each meeting of the Board, the Administrative Vice-President's report shall include distribution of copies of this record and an update on progress, highlighting which assignments and directives have been achieved, and which are yet to be completed. I. assignments, when completed and duly reported to the Board of Directors, shall be removed from this list. PART III. OPERATING PROCEDURES About two months before the Board meeting, requests for semi-annual reports and blank reports forms should be sent to the members of the Board and the Advisory Council (including any ad hoc committee chairs) with a return deadline sufficient to allow time for collation of the information and distribution of the collated information to the Board and Advisory Council prior to the fall and spring meetings. At the same time members of the Board and Advisory Council should be asked to submit information that can be forwarded to the editor of SETC News. Prior to the fall meeting each Division and committee chair should be sent a form requesting information on the status of the unit's manual of operations. A request should be sent to the SETC Secretary for any action items from the previous Executive Committee meeting. Approximately two weeks before the deadline, a reminder and additional blank form should be sent to any member who has not yet responded. About two weeks before the Board meeting the entire Board and Advisory Council (as well as the "interested parties" described in Rule I.7 above) should be sent (a) an action agenda listing those items from the previous meeting of the Executive Committee, (b) copies of all reports which include action items, (c) copies of all reports which include items of interest with which Board members are likely to be unfamiliar, or, in the interest of economy, a summary of such items, and (d) a listing of constituencies or representatives not submitting semi-annual reports by the established deadline. The final item, while potentially embarrassing, is not punitive, but ensures clarity since Rule I.4 prohibits discussion or action of items arising from reports received after the deadline.
Two or three copies of the entire compilation of reports should be prepared and taken to the meeting, one for the Chair of the Archives Committee, and the others for any Board or Advisory Council members who may wish them. At the Board meeting, the action agenda and tabular summary showing which reports were submitted and which are missing should be distributed to Board members and to members of the Advisory Council. At the Board meeting, the Administrative Vice-President presides during the presentation of the action agenda. He or she also presides during the reporting of addenda to semi-annual reports by the Board or Advisory Council members during new business. With request for the fall semi-annual report, a request for manual updates should be included to Board and Advisory Council members except State Representatives and Liaison Officers. Manuals for the latter two groups fall within the purview of the Administrative Vice-President and may be revised as necessary after consultation with recent incumbents. Division chairs should be reminded that manual changes have to be approved by their constituencies at the next convention before revisions are submitted. Verification of such approval should be noted on the revised copy. If no changes are necessary in a given manual, the approval date and author notation should be left unchanged. If changes are made, a clean copy of the manual with its new date and author should be filed with the central office and included also in the Administrative Vice-President compilations of manuals. New or revised manuals should be forwarded to the Bylaws Committee for their review before submission to the Executive Committee for acceptance. Then the Administrative Vice-President will submit the manuals to the Executive Committee. If there are problems, the Administrative Vice-President is responsible for conveying the Executive Committee's reservations to the responsible persons and for any continuing negotiations between the two. When there is concurrence that the new or revised manual is satisfactory and that it adheres to Rule I.17, clean copies should be forwarded to the central office and to the other members of the Executive Committee. The Administrative Vice President should ensure that all Advisory Council members understand the importance of the Advisory Council meetings. The exchanges at the Fall and Spring meetings represent an opportunity to connect various interests within the association. Chair, liaisons, and representatives of the member constituencies should be encouraged to attend and to present ideas for consideration. Manuals of operation, commitment letters, cover letters concerning meeting scheduling and cover letters accompanying semi-annual report requests are among the avenues for encouraging attendance and participation. With the increased reliance upon email attachments for revision of manuals it is essential that drafts be labeled clearly and filed appropriately. It is recommended that in both the hard copy and electronic versions, files be archived according to their status. While it is not necessary to keep the entire historical archive of the association, some manuals will be in various stages of revision and should be clearly marked. Typically, inclusion of a date as part of the file name and distinct folders (both physical and digital) should be employed. A sample list might include: A. Accepted Manuals and Dates of Acceptance by ExCom Manuals listed in this section have been accepted by the Executive Committee. The date of acceptance is noted for each. Whether in electronic or printed versions, these manuals should remain as separate and distinct files (separate from those not accepted). Files should be added to this collection only after official acceptance by ExCom. When a manual is revised, the new file should be inserted and the old file deleted. Noting the acceptance date in the list or as part of a file name should aid in identification of versions. B. Manuals Under Revision; ExCom Vote Pending Manuals listed in this section have NOT been accepted by the Executive Committee. This is an unofficial file for convenience only. Included here are revisions of previously accepted manuals that have not yet been presented to ExCom and version of unaccepted manuals in draft or note form. These files should not be kept in the same collection as the accepted manuals. They should be stored in a clearly marked section of a physical file or a different folder of an electronic file. Only after acceptance should these versions move to the official file. C. Committees Without Manuals The following committees, offices or activities have no manual or have only raw notes: To avoid confusion concerning the duties of officers and committee chairs, the Central Office has developed a series of Commitment Letters. The Commitment Letters outline duties associated with a given function and serve as informal agreements between the association and the chair or officer. As with the Manuals of Operation, the archiving of the
letters has fallen to the Administrative Vice President. The Administrative Vice President should take similar care to label and file these letters. Examples follow. A. Commitment Letters: [Date of File/Folder]: This listing represents the current letters of commitment for various SETC offices and appointments. The letters do not mean to take the place of personal responsibility, but simply guide the individuals involved and alert them to the key aspects of the job they accept. The letters are not part of Bylaws, but have become part of organizational operations as a means of clarifying communication. The job descriptions are flexible and should be updated as necessary. B. Offices Missing Commitment Letters Concerning Rule V.7 SETC News Responsibilities: While the Administrative Vice President is not a committee chair, the responsibilities of the office should imply that good communication with the membership is necessary. SETC News regularly features articles, columns and commentaries written by members of the Executive Committee. The Administrative Vice President should coordinate the submission schedule with the editor. Amended January 2004 by Denise Halbach and December 2005 by David S. Thompson Accepted by the SETC Executive Committee: December 10, 2005 President: Denise Halbach Attachments: Sample forms Sample cover letter/email for semi-annual report request Semi-annual report form Collated Semi-annual Reports template (revise with committee changes)
SAMPLE COVER LETTER/EMAIL FOR SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT REQUEST SETC Colleagues, Although summer fun is at hand, it is time once again for chairs of SETC committees, activities and groups to submit their semiannual reports. GENERAL: You will find the report form attached as a Word document. If you have trouble opening the document, please contact me. The deadline for submission of reports is Friday, August 19, 2005. Send your report to David Thompson at dthompson@agnesscott.edu. PLEASE DO NOT hit Reply with your messages as this creates additional work for the Central Office. OFFICIAL REMINDER: According to the rules of the association only items reported by the posted deadline may appear on the September agenda. Keep in mind that you should submit a report even if your committee has nothing to offer. Nothing to report is a valid response; failure to submit a report is not. ADDITIONAL NOTES: Think about preferred days and times for committee meetings during the March convention, particularly if multiple options exist. For example, some committees have traditionally met on the convention Wednesday, but doing so may mean missing Advisory Council, ExCom or Board meetings. Similarly, should we adjust the time frame of the larger meetings? Your thoughts are valued. You may wish to add this as an item within your report. Doing so will help President-Elect Dennis Wemm coordinate schedules. Speaking of the convention, please begin planning with your committee or group to build on successful concepts that are emerging. Some committees are designating members to attend each session in order to greet attendees and build unity. Others are arranging reporting for presenter no-shows. Such ideas can help the entire organization. Details to follow in September. As you receive materials from the Central Office remember to note the schedule of meetings in Charlotte in September. It is vital that we conduct business during the Advisory Council meeting in order to streamline the ExCom and Board meetings. Please feel free to contact me with questions or problems. <<Semiannual Report Form Fall 2005.doc>> David S. Thompson Administrative Vice President Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc. Thanks, David
SETC Advisory Council Semi-Annual Report Fall 2005 Please complete this report and email it to David Thompson, SETC Administrative Vice- President, at dthompson@agnesscott.edu, no later than Friday, August 19, 2005. Name of Committee/Constituency: Committee Chair: Action Items (Motions requiring a vote by the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors): Items for Discussion (Topics worthy of consideration that may not yet merit a formal motion): Items of Interest (Information to share with the Board of Directors and Advisory Council): News for SETC News: (Information to publish for the entire membership):
SOUTHEASTERN THEATRE CONFERENCE, INC. Semi-Annual Reports Fall 2005 DIVISIONS College and University Theatre Chair: Marc Powers Include Ten-Minute Play? Community Theatre Chair: Susan L. D. Smith Community Theatre Festival Chair: Steve Lloyd Professional Theatre Chair: Jon Moses Secondary School Theatre Chair: Jesse Bates Theatre for Youth Chair: Jeffrey M. Revels Theatre for Youth Festival Chair: Amy Harrison STATES ALABAMA Representative: Michael P. Howley FLORIDA Representative: Stephen Bayless GEORGIA Representative: H. Duke Guthrie KENTUCKY Representative: Jane Dewey MISSISSIPPI Representative: Samuel Sparks NORTH CAROLINA Representative: Stephen D. Hyers SOUTH CAROLINA Representative: Glen Gourley TENNESSEE Representative: Melissa Shafer VIRGINIA Representative: Bill Kershner WEST VIRGINIA Representative: Larry Reed
LIAISONS AACT Liaison: Ginger Heath AATE Liason: Leigh Jansson ATME Liaison: Cara Rowlings No report received from liaison, but items included in Stage Movement Committee report ATHE Liaison: Fred Rubeck EdTA (in progress) Liaison: TBA KCACTF Liaison: Dan LaRocque/Shannon Robert USITT-SE Liaison: Martha Marking STANDING COMMITTEES Acting and Directing Chair: Patrick Gagliano Archives Chair: Bob Hansen Auditions Chair: Mike Murphy Leighton Ballew Award Chair: Leni Dyer Bylaws Chair: Ward Haarbauer Cultural Diversity Chair: MJ Etua Design and Technology Chair: Troy Snyder Endowment Fund Chair: Jack Benjamin Ethics Chair: Michael P. Howley Exhibits Chair: Ginger Wills Finance Chair: David Wohl Graduate School Auditions Chair: Don Wolfe Secondary Playwriting Project Chair: Katie Watts Now called High School New Play Contest; responsibility falls to Playwriting Committee History, Theory, Criticism, Literature Chair: Steve Burch
Polly Holliday Award Chair: B. Dwayne Craft Long Range Planning Chair: Alan Litsey New Play Project Chair: Kenn Stilson Responsibility falls to Playwriting Committee Nominations Chair: Jonathan Michaelsen Past Presidents Chair: Scott Parker Personnel Chair: Anthony R. Haigh Playwriting Chair: Alan Litsey Responsibilities includes New Play Project and High School New Play Contest Robert Porterfield Award Chair: David Balthrop Publications Chair: Shelly Elman Southern Theatre, SETC News, Theatre Symposium Religion and Theatre Chair: R. Cliff Thompson Marian Smith Award Chair: Elizabeth Hopper Secondary School Scholarship Southern Theatre/SETC News Under PubCom? Stage Movement Chair: Chair: Deanna Thompson, Editor Chair: Tiza Garland Undergraduate/Transfer Auditions Chair: Donna White Still listed in rules as Secondary School Auditions Committee under Rule II.9 Voice and Speech Chair: Marlene Johnson Web Site Committee Chair: Ken Parks William E. Wilson Scholarship Chair: Sandra Cockrell
ADHOC COMMITTEES Film and Television Chair: Richard Cowan K-12 Theatre Education Chair: Jane Dewey Leadership Initiative Chair: Jack Benjamin Local Arrangements Delete from future reports? Chair: Procedures Chair: Joe Filippo Scholarship Procedures Chair: Mark Charney Secondary Playwriting Project Chair: Katie Watts New Rule 9/05; Now called High School New Play Contest; responsibility falls to Playwriting Committee Small Theatre Program Chair: Dan Robbins Ten Minute Play Festival Chair: Paul B. Crook Include under College/University? Theatre Symposium Steering Committee Chair: Philip G. Hill Travel Chair: Ward Haarbauer Suspend for now? SUMMARY OF REPORTS ACTION ITEMS: 1. Design and Technology Chair: Troy Snyder Amend language in by-laws to reflect addition of Crafts and Special Effects to adjudicated with cash award status. AVP COMMENT: It would be helpful if during the Advisory Council meeting the chair or other committee representative could offer a sense of the background along with anticipated future plans for the competition. Suggested language for the ExCom and Board meetings would likewise be helpful. DST 2. Finance Chair: David Wohl Acceptance of annual audit. We will be reviewing the audit and recommending EXCOM acceptance. (ExCom vote only)
MISSING REPORTS: DIVISIONS: STATES: LIAISONS: STANDING COMMITTEES: AD HOC COMMITEES: Note from the Administrative Vice President Some semiannual reports included articles, minutes of constituent meetings or other lengthy passages. Although most reports included here are summaries, owing both to tradition and practicality, I would hesitate to discourage any exchange of information. However, due to the growth of the organization and the ever-broadening interests of the membership, the length of the reports by each committee or group will soon become a logistical consideration. It may be time to explore the possibility of alternate methods of distributing such information, including email lists and postings on the web site. Respectfully submitted, David S. Thompson Administrative Vice President Southeastern Theatre Conference, Inc.