Report from Membership Committee

Donna Buehler (Chair) & Paula Gomes (Board Liaison)

Membership Committee
Donna Buehler – Chair
Dario Silva
Kate Kominars
Patricia Demyan
Jim Kendall
Paula Gomes - IAEAPE Board Liaison

Member Stats: 14 new applicants, not yet approved, 59 members renewed = 73 members at this time.

Role of Membership Committee

  1. Reviews applications for membership checking to see if applicants meet membership criteria and that their applications are complete. Forwards decision to IAEAPE Board for final approval.
  2. Draft Procedures were developed by Chair, Membership Committee and IAEAPE Treasurer
  3. On 4/11/11 procedures were presented for review to IAEAPE Board, Membership Committee, Web Committee Chair, Listserv Custodian and IAEAPE Webmaster.
  4. Welcomes New Members – Chair sends out a Welcome E-mail re:
  5. Offer to assign a Mentor (current IAEAPE Member) to new member
  6. Informing member about Fran Deats Memorial Dinner at IAEAPE Annual Conference
  7. Recruits Mentors for New Members
  8. Assigns Mentors to New Members based on New Members’ interests and needs
  9. Encourages current members to assist in recruiting applicants to the IAEAPE Organization

MENTORS as of 4/13/11 NEED MORE MENTORS!!!

Last Name / First Name / E-mail / University
Buehler / Donna / / Stony Brook University
Moutevelis-Burgess / Polly / / University of Maine
Platt / Jim / / DartmouthCollege
Remon / Mary / / Jackson Health System
Ruggieri / Tom / / University of Maryland, College Park
Waldecker / Tom / / University of Michigan

Membership Committee Recommendations re: RENEWALS

We suggested to the Board in April 2011 to require members to RENEW ON-LINE and to be sure all “Personal Information” is up to date, including: Web site and type of program: Internal, External or Combined and list employer. The type of program is a “required” field on the new IAEAPE site.

FROM IAEAPE BY LAWS --- Types of Memberships

There are four categories of membership in the Association:

1. Member

The following individuals are eligible for membership:

  • employee assistance professionals who provide service to educational institutions
  • representatives of educational institutions with employee assistance programs
  • individuals in the process of developing employee assistance programs in or for educational institutions

Membership requires payment of the annual dues as determined at the Annual General Meeting.

Membership confers full voting privileges in the Association.

Membership confers the privilege of listserv participation.

2. Additional Member

When an institution has more than one individual who satisfies the criteria for Member,

all but the first Member will pay dues at a reduced rate. The Additional Member rate is the Member rate discounted by 30%. Except for the rate difference, Additional Members are entitled to all the benefits of Membership.

3. Member Emeritis

An individual who has left the EAP field in good standing and wishes to continue his or her membership in IAEAPE is eligible to be a Member Emeritus. He or she will be granted full membership at a thirty percent discount from the dues set for regular Members.

4. Student Member

A student who has a placement in an EAP with a current Member is eligible for Student Membership. She or he will be granted full membership at a thirty percent discount from the dues set for regular Members.

With the exception of Article IV, Section 5, throughout the remainder of these Bylaws, member shall refer to an individual with voting privileges in the Association. Membership shall refer to all such individuals in the Association.

Membership Statement of Understanding

Because the purpose of this association is to share support and knowledge within the membership to further members’ own development and the development of their programs, upon joining the IAEAPE membership, each individual subscribes to the following:

As part of membership in IAEAPE, members acknowledge that any information shared on the listserve, presented at the annual conference, or communicated between members, is to be used according to the purposes for which IAEAPE was created.

Members of IAEAPE will not use membership to advance their personal interests or someone else’s (be that someone an organization or an individual) at the actual or potential expense of other members.

Talking Points about Eligibility

  1. The Membership Committee reviewed the categories of membership and focused on the following concerns regarding 3 groups applying for membership: a) vendors or externals, b) Emeritus and c) representatives of educational institutions with employee assistance programs. We noticed that we have members who are 1) employed by external programs, but are on site at universities, 2) consultants and 3) Emeritus – members who have left the EAP field and are either retired, working in another part of the university or promoted to another role in the university or are working in external EAPs. Emeritus eligibility refers to IAEAPE members who used to work in their educational institution’s EAP – “left the field in good standing and wishes to continue membership.” Could they also be considered eligible under the category of “representatives of educational institutions with employee assistance program” we asked?
  2. One of the eligibility criteria refers to “representatives of educational institutions with employee assistance programs.” We realize that this phrase may appear vague and could be interpreted in different ways. Historically, it has been generally viewed as referring to representatives of institutions with Internal EAPS. Does “representative” mean anyone who is working in an educational institution in any role? Does it mean the EAP’s supervisor?
  3. We discussed that on one hand we wish to be an inclusive organization, but not necessarily exclusive. We recognize that the trust, support, and networking occur, because of our belief in our core values and commitment to the “Membership Statement of Understanding.” Hence there is no conflict of interest in who we are and what we do as it relates to our membership in IAEAPE.
  4. We educate organizations on the value (See our Value Statement and Core Services or IAEAPE Programs) of being an IAEAPE program. Last year several of us were approached by an HR Consultant. He was hired to advise a university about whether to develop an Internal or External EAP. He advised the university to establish an Internal EAP after extensive conversation with IAEAPE.
  5. IAEAPE has a long history of being an organization whose membership is made up of Internal EAPs in Academia. It also includes K-12, and community colleges. We recognize that the field has changed over the decades from Internal to External and/or Hybrid programs, etc. We have witnessed our colleagues and fellow IAEAPE members whose programs were outsourced. And, on occasion we learned how some organizations have reversed this trend and then restored their Internal EAP, because of its value to the organization.
  6. We may need to revisit our “identity” as an organization and think about why we are members. What motivates us to become members? Is it a reciprocal relationship? Do we gain knowledge from each other and contribute to one another? How can we continue to maintain our mutual trust, cohesiveness and supportive culture? It’s the make up of our membership that will determine this and our future as a non-profit organization.

Below is information from THE IAEAPE BROCHURE.

  1. Who we are: IAEAPE is an autonomous, non-profit organization of employee assistance professionals working in university, college, community college, K-12 and educational hospital settings.
  2. Forum: IAEAPE serves as a forum in which knowledge, resources and experiences gained from providing services are shared with colleagues in the United States, Canada, and other countries world-wide.
  3. What we do: IAEAPE provides opportunities through conferences, print media, the Internet and networking to identify, explore, and evaluate trends, concepts, and activities that enhance employee assistance theory development, program enrichment, and service delivery.
  4. Goals of IAEAPE are:
  5. Provide opportunities for EAP practitioners in educational settings to network and share information.
  6. Contribute to personal and professional development through research, publication, and presentation.
  7. Provide consultation to individuals developing employee assistance programs.
  8. Create personal and professional relationships in order to provide members with collegial support.
  9. Contribute meaningfully and positively to the employee assistance field.
  10. Membership: Membership is open to any individual with a substantial responsible interest in the employee assistance program or faculty and staff assistance program in an educational institution.

Recommendations for Consideration

  1. Sponsorship
  2. New members who are in a Combined Program shall have a sponsor (current IAEAPE Member) and must attest to the IAEAPE Value Statement.
  1. Current members whose employer is an External Vendor will be waived in, shall have a sponsor and must attest to the IAEAPE Value Statement.
  2. Anyone who is not currently working in an EAP, but meets the following membership eligibility criteria “individuals in the process of developing employee assistance programs in or for educational institutions” shall have a sponsor and attest to the IAEAPE Value Statement. Proposal to limit membership to one year.
  1. Eliminate the eligibility category in the By Laws “representatives of educational institutions with employee assistance programs.”
  2. Maintain the Emeritus eligibility category and its definition.

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