Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE KALAMAZOO LOCAL SECTION OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Effective 2009-12-07. Approved, as amended, by the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, acting for the Council of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY.

Download the approved version here.

BYLAW I – NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Kalamazoo Section (hereinafter referred to as the “Section”) of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY (hereinafter referred to as the “SOCIETY”).

BYLAW II – OBJECTS

Section 1. The general objects of the Section shall include those of the SOCIETY as stated in the Constitution of the SOCIETY.

Section 2. The specific objects of the Section are to encourage the advancement of chemistry in all its branches; and by its meetings, reports, papers, discussions, and publications, to promote scientific interests and inquiry.

Section 3. Nothing in these bylaws shall be inconsistent with the Charter, Constitution, and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

BYLAW III – TERRITORY

The territory of the Section shall be that assigned to it by the SOCIETY.

BYLAW IV – ORGANIZATION

Section 1. The rolls of the Section shall include those MEMBERS, STUDENT MEMBERS, and Society Affiliates of the SOCIETY residing within the territory of the Section, provided that exceptions to this rule may be made in conformity with the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 2. The Section may have Local Section Affiliates as authorized by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 3. MEMBERS, STUDENT MEMBERS, Society Affiliates, and Local Section Affiliates shall have such rights and privileges as provided by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY. Society Affiliates and Local Section Affiliates may not vote for officers or serve on the Executive Committee of the Section or vote on Articles of Incorporation and bylaws of the Section.

BYLAW V – OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS

Section 1. The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and the Immediate Past Chair.

Section 2. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined.

Section 3. The Section shall have Councilor(s) and Alternate Councilor(s) as provided by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY. Only MEMBERS of the Section may serve as Councilors and Alternate Councilors.

Section 4. Only MEMBERS of the Section shall be eligible to hold an elective position.

Section 5. The Section shall have an Executive Committee consisting of the officers, Councilors, and Alternate Councilors.

BYLAW VI – TERMS OF OFFICE

Section 1. The Chair-Elect of the Section shall be elected for a term of one year, which is followed by one year as Chair, and which is subsequently followed by one year as Immediate Past Chair.

Section 2. The Secretary and Treasurer of the Section shall be elected every other year for a term of two years, provided that the elections of the Secretary and Treasurer shall not be in the same year.

Section 3. The Chair-Elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer so elected shall serve the term of their respective offices and further serve until their successors qualify.

Section 4. The Councilor(s) and Alternate Councilor(s) shall be elected by the members of the Section for a term of three years. The elections shall be conducted to minimize overlap of terms.

Section 5. All elected officials shall take office January 1 of the year following their election.

Section 6. Any vacancy in an elected Section office, except Chair, due to death, resignation, or refusal or inability to serve, shall be filled by appointment of the Executive Committee for the period up to the next annual election. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, the Immediate Past Chair will resume the office of Chair until July 1 if willing and able to serve. The Chair-Elect will succeed to Chair as of that date, or earlier if the Immediate Past Chair is unable to serve and fill the remainder of the term of the Chair, and continue in office to serve out the full term for which that individual was elected. That individual will remain acting Chair as provided in these bylaws until a new Chair-Elect takes office. Any vacancy in the position of Councilor or Alternate Councilor shall be filled in accordance with the SOCIETY’s Bylaws.

BYLAW VII – ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Executive Committee or a Nomination Committee chosen by the Executive Committee and chaired by the Chair-Elect shall meet no later than the second week of September to select and secure the consent of one or more nominees for each elective position to be filled.

Section 2. The Secretary, or other member of the Section designated by the Chair, shall prepare an election ballot on which shall appear the names, in order chosen by lot, of all candidates willing to serve.

Section 3 By the second week in October, the Secretary shall distribute to each member the election ballot. All ballots cast shall be returned to the Secretary according to the instructions contained with the ballot. In accordance with SOCIETY’s Constitution and Bylaws, balloting procedures should meet the requirements of (1) fair balloting that is open to all eligible voting members, (2) anonymity, (3) protection against fraudulent balloting, (4) ballot archiving, and (5) the timely reporting and archiving of balloting results.

Section 4. The Chair shall appoint as Tellers two or more members who are not candidates for office.

Section 5. The ballot system will contain provisions for confirming votes were received from members on the official list. The Secretary will be responsible for confirming the ballots were received from members on the official list. Unconfirmed ballots will be marked VOID and reported to the Tellers.

Section 6. The Tellers shall count the valid ballots and report the vote tally to the Chair and Secretary. The candidate who received the highest number of votes from the ballots cast will be declared the winner.

Section 7. In case of a tie vote for any elective position, the Executive Committee shall select from among the tied candidates.

Section 8. Elections for all offices shall be completed and the results certified to the Executive Director of the SOCIETY by December 1 for Councilor and Alternate Councilor and promptly for other elected offices, as required by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 9. Elections shall be completed and the results certified to the Executive Director of the SOCIETY by December 1, as required by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 10. The Secretary, or other member of the Section designated by the Chair, shall retain all valid ballots for at least ninety days after either the announcement of the results to the membership or until any disputes have been resolved, whichever is later.

BYLAW VIII – RECALL ELECTIONS

Section 1. The elected officers of the Section are subject to recall for neglect of duties or conduct injurious to the SOCIETY.

Section 2. The recall of an officer shall be initiated when a signed petition, indicating in writing the specific charges and reasonable substantiating evidence, is submitted to the Chair from at least five voting members of the Section. In the event the Chair is the officer in question, the Immediate Past Chair (up to July 1) or Chair-Elect (on or after July 1) shall receive the petition and shall assume the duties of the office of Chair with respect to this issue until the issue is resolved.

Section 3. The Chair shall without delay determine that the petitioners are aware of the gravity of their actions and the procedures to be followed. The Chair shall seek an alternate resolution to the problem and a withdrawal of the petition at this time. In the absence of a resolution to the problem, the Chair shall present the issue to the Executive Committee as a new business item at the next Executive Committee meeting.

  1. The Executive Committee shall promptly continue the recall process or dismiss the petition as ill-founded or find an alternative solution to the problem. The Chair shall promptly inform the petitioners and the officer of the decision of the Executive Committee.
  2. If the proceedings continue, the Chair shall assign the duties of the officer to another qualified member of the Section until the issue is resolved.
  3. If the proceedings continue, the officer shall be offered an opportunity to answer the allegations in the petition before the Executive Committee. Every reasonable effort shall be made to contact the officer throughout this procedure. That effort shall include a certified letter to the last known address on the official SOCIETY membership rolls. Upon notification, the officer shall have thirty days to make a written response to the allegations. The Executive Committee shall decide whether to proceed after studying the officer’s response. The Chair shall inform the officer and the petitioners of the decision of the Executive Committee. If no contact with the officer can be made after a reasonable effort, the Executive Committee may remove the officer in question with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee.
  4. If the proceedings continue, the officer shall choose one of the following options:
    1. The officer may resign.
    2. The officer may request a recall vote in the same manner as the original election, which must be consistent with the Section bylaws. The voting membership shall be 4 informed, through brief written statements prepared by the Executive Committee and the officer, of the issues involved with the recall vote. Both statements shall be given to the voting membership before the vote is taken.
    3. The officer may request a hearing and a recall vote by the remaining members of the Executive Committee. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the remaining members of the Executive Committee shall be required to recall the officer.
    4. The officer may choose not to respond and thus forfeit the position.

Section 4. The vacancy provisions of these bylaws shall be used to fill a vacancy caused by a recall process. The membership of the Section and the Executive Director of the SOCIETY shall be informed of the results of the recall process and the replacement of the officer.

BYLAW IX – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The duties of the officers shall be such as usually pertain to their offices plus any others required by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY and any others assigned from time to time by the Executive Committee. The Chair-Elect in addition shall be Chair of the Nomination Committee if formed by the Executive Committee.

Section 2. The Treasurer shall be bonded in a suitable manner if, when, and as the Executive Committee so provides.

Section 3. It shall be the duty of the Chair to preside at meetings of the Executive Committee, to carry into effect the decisions and recommendations of that Committee, to preside at business meetings of the Section, to appoint all committees, and to carry out all those duties required by the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY. In the absence of the Chair, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the Chair-Elect.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall receive and deposit all funds paid to the Section in the name of the Section and shall disburse funds of the Section with checks as so authorized by the Executive Committee per the approved budget or as specifically authorized by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Section 5. Details of duties of officers and of Section operations shall be specified, accumulated, and kept up to date in an Operations Manual to be maintained by the Secretary or such alternate as may be designated by the Executive Committee. Changes in the Operations Manual shall require approval of a majority of the Executive Committee. The Operations Manual shall be available for inspection by members of the Section.

BYLAW X – COMMITTEES AND THEIR DUTIES

Section 1. The Executive Committee shall have charge of the affairs, funds, budget, and property of the Section and of all other matters not otherwise provided for in these bylaws.

Section 2. Such other committees as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Section and not otherwise provided for in these bylaws shall be appointed from time to time by the Chair.

BYLAW XI – MEETINGS

Section 1. The Section shall meet regularly upon due notice at such times and places as may suit its convenience, provided that at least two meetings open to the general membership of the Section shall be held in each calendar year.

Section 2. The Section shall have special meetings upon the request of a majority of the Executive Committee or upon the request of at least 15 members of the Section. The calls for special meetings shall recite the exact nature of the business intended to be transacted, and no other business shall transpire at such meetings.

Section 3. A quorum for regular and special meetings of the Section shall consist of 15 members of the Section. In the absence of a quorum, regular and special meetings shall adjourn to a later date within six weeks of the originally scheduled date.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall meet upon due notice at such times and places as may suit its convenience, upon call of the Chair or upon request of a majority of its members. The order of business shall be such as the Executive Committee provides from time to time.

Section 5. A quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of a majority of the members of the Committee. In the absence of a quorum, the meeting shall adjourn to a later date within two weeks of the originally scheduled date.

Section 6. At regular meetings of the Section the order of business shall generally be as follows:

  1. Minutes of previous meeting
  2. Reports of officers
  3. Reports of committees
  4. Miscellaneous business
  5. Reading of papers
  6. Adjournment

Section 7. The order of business at a regular meeting may be suspended by a majority vote of the members present.

Section 8. The rules of order in the conduct of Section meetings not specifically provided in these bylaws or in the SOCIETY’s documents shall be the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

BYLAW XII – FINANCES

Section 1. All members (excluding those who are also emeritus members of the SOCIETY) and Society Affiliates may be requested to pay voluntarily such annual local dues as the Executive Committee may determine.

Section 2. The annual dues of Local Section Affiliates shall be set by the Executive Committee but shall not be less than the minimum amount provided in the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY, and failure to pay such dues in advance shall terminate such affiliation.

Section 3. The raising and collecting of funds other than dues may be provided by suitable resolution adopted at an Executive Committee or a regular or special meeting of the Section by a majority vote of the members present and voting, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 4. Donations or bequests of funds or property may be accepted by suitable resolution adopted at an Executive Committee or regular or special meeting of the Section by a majority vote of the members present, subject to the provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws of the SOCIETY.

Section 5. The Executive Committee shall establish an approved budget outlining expenditures for Section programs for each calendar year (beginning January 1 and ending December 31) and will append the approved budget to the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of December of each calendar year preceding the year in which the budget is applicable. The budget shall be developed based on written, signed, and dated proposals submitted to the Executive Committee by committee chairs, members, Society Affiliates, Local Section Affiliates or other persons whose program requests are consistent with the objects of the Section. The annual budget for the following year will be approved at a December Executive Committee meeting. The Executive Committee is charged with approving amendments to the budget and with noting these amendments within the minutes of subsequent Executive Committee meetings. The budget is recommended to include approved expenditure commensurate with anticipated income and current reserves.

BYLAW XIII – DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of the Local Section, any assets of the Section remaining thereafter shall be conveyed to such organization then existent, within or without the territory of the Local Section, as is dedicated to the perpetuation of objects similar to those of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, or to the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, so long as whichever organization is selected by the governing body of the Local Section at the time of dissolution shall be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 as amended or under such successor provision of the Code as may be in effect at the time of the Section’s dissolution.

BYLAW XIV – AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

Section 1. These bylaws may be amended in the following manner:

  1. That the proposed amendment shall have been first submitted in writing to the Executive Committee and shall have been evaluated by the members of that Committee.
  2. That the members of the Section shall be notified of the proposed amendment and the reasons for said amendment being considered. Members will be provided thirty days to comment on the proposed amendments.
  3. If a dispute arises regarding approval of said amendment, the Executive Committee may resolve the issue by majority vote of the Committee after hearing discussion of the issue at a regular meeting of the Section, or the Committee may decide to hold a special election to resolve it.
  4. After the meeting of the Section at which the amendment has been presented and approved for a vote by the Executive Committee, the Section Secretary shall send the proposed bylaw amendment(s) to the SOCIETY’s Committee on Constitution and Bylaws for review. After receipt of the review, the Executive Committee will then make appropriate changes, if necessary. If the Committee has determined a special election was necessary to approve the proposed amendments, the Secretary shall distribute to all Section members a special election ballot that includes a suitable explanation of the amendment(s) and that twenty days thereafter, shall close the voting and count all valid ballots received.
  5. That at least two-thirds (2/3) of votes cast shall be required to approve the amendment.

Section 2. The Secretary shall make suitable report of the outcome of the ballot regarding the amendment for the next regular meeting of the Section and thereafter within one month to the SOCIETY.

Section 3. Amendments to these bylaws shall become effective upon approval by the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, acting for the Council of the SOCIETY, unless a later date is specified.