Constitution and Bylaws

As amended, through 1998

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I. NAME
The Section shall be known as the Pacific Section of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists (SEPM).
ARTICLE II. OBJECT
1. The object of the Section shall be to promote the science of stratigraphy on the Pacific Coast of North America through research in, or other contributions to, paleontology, sedimentary petrology, stratigraphy, and other allied disciplines.
2. The Pacific Section is a non-profit organization and no portion of the financial assets will be used to the benefit of any private member or individual. The affairs of the Section shall at all times be managed in such a way as to preserve and safeguard its tax-exempt status.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
1. The Section shall be composed of Members, Honorary Members, and Student Award Members.
2. Members shall be persons whose professional activities are in keeping with the objectives of the society. They do not have to be members of the National SEPM.
3. Honorary Members shall be persons of distinguished achievement in a scientific discipline of significance to the Section. They shall enjoy all privileges of members, and hereinafter are included in all references to “members.” A majority vote of both the research committee and the executive council shall be required for both nomination and election as Honorary Members.
4. Student Award Members shall be outstanding students from west coast colleges and universities offering a degree in geology or paleontology who have been granted one year’s membership in both the National Society and the Pacific Section. They shall enjoy all the privileges of Members, and hereinafter are included in all references to “members.”
5. Candidates for membership shall make application to the Secretary. Upon approval thereof by the Executive Committee, the Secretary shall notify the applicant of his acceptance.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
1. Executive authority of the Section is vested in an Executive Committee consisting of six elected members (president, president-elect, past president, vice-president, membership secretary, treasurer) and two appointed members (managing editor and newsletter editor). Four members shall constitute a quorum.
2. The president shall discharge the usual duties of a president as well as act as presiding officer at all meetings of the Section and Executive Committee. He/She shall appoint an editor, committee chairmen, and business representatives as necessary to carry out the activities of the Section. He/She shall be the official representative of the Section in the Council meetings of the parent organization, The Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists.
3. The president-elect shall assume the duties of the president in the year following his/her election to this office. He/She shall assume the duties of the president in the case of absence or disability of the latter.
4. The vice-president shall assume responsibility for organizing field trips connected with Section activities. This will include the annual Fall field trip as well as field trips connected with the annual spring convention. In the event that neither the president nor president-elect is available to serve as the presiding officer of the Section, the vice- president shall assume the president’s duties.
5. The secretary shall keep records of the proceedings of the Section and a complete list of the membership. He/She shall attend to the preparation and mailing of notices, membership application blanks and other materials necessary to the business of the Section.
6. The treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the Society. He/She shall keep account of receipts and disbursements, and submit his account to the membership at the end of his/her term of office. The treasurer’s term of office shall be for two (2) years, after which, only one re-election is allowed.
7. The Executive Committee shall consider all candidates for membership and pass on the qualifications of the applicants; shall have control and management of the affairs and funds of the Section; shall designate the time and place of the Annual Meeting.
8. The president and vice-president shall not serve for more than one fully elected term of office.
9. In the event that positions on the Executive Committee are vacated, excluding the Presidency, and providing that the vacancies occur with sufficient time to make such action practical, the Executive Committee, acting in the capacity of a nominating committee, shall select on candidate for each vacated position from the membership. The secretary shall prepare and send out a mail ballot to the membership. In the meantime, the Executive Committee may, if deemed necessary to make interim appointments to vacated positions.
10. The Executive Committee shall appoint as Managing Editor, an Individual who will assume overall responsibility for the Section’s publications, including liaison between publication editors and the publishers of section volumes. He/She shall be responsible for inventory of past publications. Tenure of the appointment shall be for an indefinite period.
11. The Executive Committee shall appoint a Newsletter Editor who will assume responsibility for preparation of the Section Newsletter. Tenure of the appointment shall be fora an indefinite period.
ARTICLE V. MEETINGS
1. The Pacific Section shall hold at least one stated meeting each year, which shall be known as the Annual Meeting. This meeting will usually be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Pacific Section of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists.
2. Special meetings may be held at other times on call of the President.
3. At the time of the Annual Meeting, a Business Meeting shall be held for the transaction of Section business.
ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS
The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of returned mail ballots received by the secretary sixty (60) days after proposal of amendments is mailed to the membership. Amendments normally will be initiated by the Executive Committee. Amendments may also abe initiated by a petition bearing the validated signatures of at least ten percent (10%) of the membership, provided proposal to submit such an amendment to the members has first received a majority vote of the members present at the annual business meeting of the Section. Any proposed amendments must have the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee before being submitted to the membership.

 

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I. DUES
1. The operational year of the Pacific Section shall begin on January 1 of each year.
2. The annual dues of members of the Pacific Section shall be set by the Executive Committee.
3. A bill for dues shall be mailed to each member as of September 1 of each year. Members who have not paid their annual dues by December 31 of the same year shall be dropped from the membership rolls.
4. Members dropped for non-payment of dues may apply to the Executive Committee for reinstatement, and be reinstated by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
5. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay annual dues.
ARTICLE II. ELECTIONS
1. The president shall appoint a nominating committee at least three months prior to a Business Meeting of the Pacific Section or publication of the Fall Newsletter consisting of four (4) members, all of whom shall be past officers of the Pacific Section. The nominating committee will usually be the preceding year’s officers of the Pacific Section. The nominating committee shall select two (2) candidates for each of the following offices: (1) President-elect; (2) Vice-President; (3) Secretary, and (4) Treasurer every other year. The nominating committee will read its report at a Business Meeting or in the Fall Newsletter. Other nominations will be accepted from the floor or by mail. After all candidates have been nominated, the secretary will prepare a mail ballot and send it to the membership. Receipt of a plurality of votes cast for any office shall constitute election.
2. The election of new officers shall be conducted each year soon enough to permit the new officers to take office by January 1 of the following year.
ARTICLE III. FINANCIAL PROCEDURES
1. All funds of the Pacific Section shall be used exclusively for the furtherance of its objectives in keeping with its non-profit status.
2. In the event of the dissolution of the Pacific Section, the assets remaining, after discharge of all liabilities, shall go to the parent organization, the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, a non-profit organization. Under these circumstances, no member of the Pacific Section shall have any right or interest in the assets of the Pacific Section.
ARTICLE IV. AMENDMENTS
1. The By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of returned mail ballots received by the secretary within sixty (60) days after proposal of amendments is mailed to the membership. Any proposed changes must have the prior majority approval of the Executive Committee. The By-Laws may also be amended by the above mail ballot procedure if an amendment is supported by a petition bearing the validated signatures of at least ten percent (10%) of the membership and provided that the proposal to submit the amendment to the membership has been approved by a majority vote of the members present at any annual business meeting.