When the ASRT Task Force on Governance Restructuring was created in 1999 by the Task Force on regional Chapter Delegate Elections, it found that elections cost the ASRT more than $40,000, and took up to nine months of work to process. After conducting a lengthy study, the Task Force made recommendations that the House of Delegates should be sized down from a 234-member House to just 82 delegates, and submitted its proposal at the ASRT annual conference last year in Las Vegas.

The proposal met much hesitation and anxiety from delegates who feared the drastic cut would exclude too many members from voicing their opinions, and make mentoring new delegates more difficult since seats would be so limited. Despite such concerns, however, the House voted to approve the restructuring proposal before the conclusion of the conference.

At this year's ASRT conference held in Dallas this past June, after lengthy discussion, delegates voted to reduce the total number of delegate seats from 234 to 166 seats. These seats include four chapter delegates with two alternates for each chapter, two affiliate delegates and one alternate for each affiliate, and two military chapter delegates with one alternate for each branch of the military.

"The reason for the recent delegate activities changing the downsizing of the House of Delegates from the proposed 82 to 166 is due to amendments made via 'several motions to amend' the proposed bylaws," said DuVonne Campbell, ASRT Vice President of Member Services. "The amendments were made because many delegates believed that reducing the house to 82 drastically limited their ability to adequately represent issues and potentially could further limit participation from members who might desire more national involvement,"

Lois Jean Layne, BS, RT (R)(CV), supervisor of special procedures at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Tenn., who was one of many delegates who voiced concern over the House reduction last year, but said she approves of the new bylaw amendments.

"I am pleased with the compromise that the delegates approved," Layne said. "I think the mentoring process will be improved because an alternate affiliate delegate will be able to sit with the other two affiliate delegates. The chapter delegate process will have to be addressed since delegates will be elected from across the nation."

The timeframe for the amended bylaws to become effective will be at the close of the House of Delegates in 2006.

"While much has yet to be done before the ramifications of the amended bylaws will be felt, a timeline for implementation is expected to be presented to the House of Delegates at the 2005 annual meeting," Campbell said.

The plan will further allow the ASRT Board of Directors to develop appropriate policies and procedures for governance restructuring. ASRT President, Dawn Fucillo, MA, RT(R)(T)(QM), CMD, will appoint a task force charged with the development of an implementation plan, Campbell added.

During this year's annual meeting, the ASRT House of Delegates reviewed 120 proposed changes to the bylaws affecting governance restructuring. The House of Delegates also reviewed 17 new resolutions ranging from a delegate-only Web site, to airport X-ray screening devices, to defining qualified medical dosimetrists who perform dosimetry for radiation therapy.

Jenny Song is an editorial assistant at ADVANCE. She can be reached at jsong@merion.com