Constitution

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

 

 

OF

 

 

GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

 


CONSTITUTION


As amended December, 1992

As amended December, 1996

As amended December, 2004

ARTICLE I—Name

The name of this Society is the Geological Society of Washington.

ARTICLE II—Object

The object of the Society is the increase and diffusion of geological knowledge.

ARTICLE III—Members

The members of the Society shall be persons who are interested in geological science.

ARTICLE IV—Officers

The Officers of the Society shall be a President, a First Vice President who shall be the President-Elect, a Second Vice President, the immediate Past President, two Secretaries, and a Treasurer.

There shall be a Council, consisting of the officers of the Society and six Members-at-Large.

The First Vice President (President-Elect), Second Vice President, and Treasurer shall be elected annually. The First Vice President (President-Elect) of the prior year shall be President.

The Secretaries and Members-at-Large of the Council shall be elected for two years; one Secretary and three Members-at-Large of the Council at each annual meeting.

All officers and Members-at-Large of the Council shall hold office until the close of the annual meeting at which their successors are elected.

The Council shall have power to fill vacancies, except those of President, Past President, and First Vice President, until the next annual meeting. If the President and both Vice Presidents are unable to preside, the Council shall appoint a temporary presiding officer.

ARTICLE V—Amendments

Any purposed amendment to this Constitution shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Council by at least three members. It shall be announced to the Society at a regular meeting, at least four weeks prior to the annual meeting. If approved by a three-fourths vote of the members present at the annual meeting, it shall become immediately effective, unless otherwise ordered by the amendment.

BYLAWS

 

As amended February, 1995

As amended December, 1996

Bylaw I—Members

All members shall be entitled to vote, attend any meeting of the Society, take part in and contribute to the proceedings, hold office and serve on standing committees.

All members shall be approved by any three members of Council. Applications for membership shall: (1) be signed by three members of the Society; (2) contain a written statement of the applicant’s interest in the earth sciences; (3) be accompanied by the first year’s dues; and (4) contain the applicant’s professional affiliation, although lack of professional affiliation will not be used to make membership decisions. The Membership Committee will ascertain that applications are in order, will obtain the necessary approval from the Council, and will notify new members of their election. Names of new members shall be announced to the Society at the next regular meeting.

Notice of resignation of membership shall be given in writing to the Secretary of the Council.

 


Bylaw II—Officers

The President shall preside at the meetings of the Society and of the Council. The President shall appoint all committees except as noted in the Bylaws. The President shall, jointly with the Secretary of the Council and the Treasurer, sign all written contracts and other obligations of the Society.

The senior Secretary shall act for the Council; the junior Secretary for the Society.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of all moneys and, under the direction of the President and Council, shall disburse the same. The Treasurer shall report on the state of the funds at each annual meeting, and at other times if required by the President; however, because the fiscal year of the Society ends June 30, the Treasurer’s formal, audited report will be for the July 1 – June 30 fiscal year. The Treasurer’s audited report will be presented at the first Council meeting following July 1. The Treasurer will remind any member who is delinquent in payment four months after the initial notices are sent. The accounts of the Society shall be audited by a committee of two members, not officers of the Society or members of the Council, to be appointed by the President no later than regular meeting immediately preceding the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

The council shall transact all business of the Society, not otherwise provided for. Six members shall constitute a quorum for all purposes.

Bylaw III—Dues

The dues of the Society shall be set by the Council and shall be payable at the beginning of the calendar year. No member in arrears shall be entitled to hold any office in the Society or to vote at the annual meeting.

The Treasurer will remind any member who is delinquent in payment four months after the initial notices are sent. A member in arrears in dues at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, shall be removed by the Council from the list of members; but may be reinstated by the Council without formal application on payment of dues in arrears.

The fiscal year of the Society shall terminate June 30. Terms of officers, committees and memberships shall coincide with the Society year, from one annual meeting to the next, not with the fiscal year.

Bylaw IV—Meetings

The regular meetings of the Society shall be held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from October to May, inclusive, unless otherwise ordered by the Council. Special meetings may be called by the President. The place of meeting shall be approved by the Council.

The regular meetings shall be devoted to the presentation and discussion of scientific subjects.

The order of business at regular meetings shall be as follows:

  1. Reading of minutes.
  2. Announcements.
  3. Reports of the committees.
  4. Miscellaneous business.
  5. Informal communications.
  6. Presentation of papers, discussion, and exhibition of specimens.

This order of business may be suspended at the discretion of the presiding officer.

The procedure of all meetings of the Society and Council shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised, 1915, when not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society.

The regular meeting preceding the annual meeting shall be set apart for the delivery of the President’s annual address, unless a special meeting is called for that purpose.

All meetings of the Society, except the annual meeting, shall be open to the public.

Bylaw V—Annual Meeting and Election of Officers

The annual meeting for the election of officers shall immediately follow the last regular meeting in December, unless otherwise ordered by the Council.

The order of business at the annual meeting shall be as follows:

  1. Reading of minutes of the last annual meeting.
  2. Presentation of annual reports of the Secretaries.
  3. Presentation of annual report of the Treasurer.
  4. Presentation of report of the Auditing Committee.
  5. Presentation of other committee reports.
  6. Consideration of amendments to the Constitution.
  7. New business.
  8. Election of officers.
  9. Election of Members-at-Large of the Council.

The President shall appoint within one month of assuming office a Chair of a nominating committee. The Chair and the President shall together appoint four additional members to the committee. No member of the committee may be an officer or a councilor of the Society, and normally no more than three members of the committee should belong to the same organization. The nominating committee shall propose the names of one or more candidates for the three Councilors-at-Large and for each office of the Society except the office of the President, Past President, and the Council Secretary. The names shall be submitted to the Council no later than at its first normal October meeting. The Council will select one candidate for each office and three candidates for Members-at-Large and these names shall be presented to the Society as the official slate at lease four weeks prior to the annual meeting. Additional nominations may be submitted to the Council by five active members or may be made from the floor at the annual meeting by an active member, seconded by four others.

No persons may be a candidate for more than one office simultaneously. When there is a choice of candidates, the election shall be by written ballot. Where the number of candidates on a given ballot and the number of vacancies to be filled by that ballot are such that voting does not result in a majority for the number of candidates to be elected, each office of the Society shall be filled by the candidate receiving the largest number of votes, and the positions of the Members-at-Large shall be filled by the three candidates having the larger number of votes. If tie votes result, written balloting shall continue until pluralities are achieved for the offices to be filled.

Bylaw VI—Committee on Communications

There shall be a standing Committee on Communications, which shall function for one year. The President, prior to the next regular meeting after this election shall notify the Council of the appointment of this committee. The Chair of this committee shall attend meetings of the Council.

All formal communications to be presented at the meetings of the Society must be authorized by the Committee on Communications. This committee shall arrange a program and make all other preparations for each meeting, unless otherwise directed by the Council.

Bylaw VII—Finance Committee [1968]

There shall be a standing Finance Committee, the Chair of which shall be the Past President ex officio; should the Past President be unable to serve, the President shall appoint a Chair, with the approval of the Council. The Chair and President shall appoint at least three members to the Committee. The Treasurer of the Society shall be an ex officio member of the Committee.

The Finance Committee shall consider financial policies of the Society. It shall make recommendations to the Council on long-range policies, and assist the officers of the Society in the implementation of short-range financial undertakings at the request of the President. The Finance Committee shall report to the Society at its annual meetings concerning the financial outlook of the Society.

Bylaw VIII—Membership Committee [1976]

There shall be a standing Membership Committee, the Chair of which shall be appointed by the President, with the approval of the Council. The Membership Committee shall consider membership policies of the Society, make recommendations to the Council, and assist in their implementation. The Chair of the Membership Committee, or a representative named by the Chair, shall attend Council Meetings in a non-voting capacity.

Bylaw IX—Committee on Public Service [1968]

There shall be a standing Committee on Public Service which shall function for one year. The President, prior to the next regular meeting after the election shall notify the council of the appointment of the Chair. The Chair may appoint other members of the Society to assist the Committee. The officers and the Council must be informed of such appointments.

The Public Service Committee shall consider what educational and informational services the Society can provide in response to the needs of the general public. The Committee will review proposals and requests for services or activities that normally fall beyond the scope of the Society’s regular meetings, and shall take appropriate action at the Council’s specific direction.

The Chair of the Committee, or the Chair’s representative, shall attend Council meetings in a non-voting capacity.

Bylaw X—Committees on Awards [1983]

There shall be a standing committee on annual awards to be given for excellence of presentations at meetings; such other committees on awards for contributions in the science which were made by members and students shall be instituted as deemed appropriate by the Council. Appointments of committee Chair are to be made at appropriate times for one year by the President, with approval by the Council. Members are to be appointed by the Chair and the President. Prizes for the awards shall be fixed by the Council and are to be presented at the Annual Meeting or at other appropriate meetings.

Bylaw XI—Society Archivist [1995]

There shall be an official Archivist of the Society, appointed by the President with the approval of the Council, whose term shall be indefinite. The President may replace the Archivist with approval of the Council.

The Society’s Archives, including the minutes of Regular, Council and Annual meetings, Annual Reports, and files of Presidential papers, shall be stored in an institutional library, to be designated by the Council. The Archivist shall collect all items considered essential to the continuance of a complete historical record, and deposit them in the Archives. The Archivist shall serve as liaison between the Council and the designated library in matters concerning the maintenance and preservation of the Archives.

Bylaw XII—Assets of the Society [1965]

In the event of the dissolution of the Society, the officers of the Society shall distribute any assets remaining after the discharge of all liabilities, for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes. It is recognized that, under these circumstances, no member of the Society shall have right or interest in or to the property or assets of the Society.

Bylaw XIII—Amendments

Any proposed amendment to these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary of the Council by at least three members. It shall be announced to the Society at a regular meeting, and shall be put to a vote of the Society at the next regular meeting following this announcement. If approved by a majority of the members present, the amendment shall become immediately effective, unless otherwise ordered by the amendment.