PRSM Constitution / By-Laws
THE PUERTO RICO SOCIETY OF MICROBIOLOGISTS
CONSTITUTION
Article I (Name)
This Society shall be known as "The Puerto Rico Society of Microbiologists", a local branch of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).
Article II (Objectives)
The objectives of the Society will be to promote interest and to advance knowledge in the field of Microbiology and allied sciences with special emphasis on problems concerned with tropical areas, and to improve the standards of the profession.
Article III (Membership)
The Society shall consist of Full Members, Emeritus Members, Student Members, Corresponding Members, Honorary Members, and Sustaining Members who shall be nominated and selected as provided in the Constitution.
Section 1- Full Member: any person interested in the objectives of the Society which holds a bachelor's degree or its equivalent in training and / or experience, shall be eligible for election as Full Member. Full Members shall have the right to vote, hold office and serve in committees.
Section 2 - Emeritus Member: any member in good standing in the Society for at least ten (10) consecutive years previous to retirement from remunerative professional work shall be eligible for election to Emeritus status. Emeritus Members shall have the rights of Full Members.
Section 3 - Student Member: a student registered in a Microbiology Program or related field, which does not hold a doctoral degree, shall be eligible to become a Student Member. Student Member shall have the right to vote, but shall not be eligible to hold office.
Section 4 - Corresponding Member: any distinguished scientist actively engaged in the advancement of Microbiology, but not a resident of Puerto Rico, shall be eligible for election as Corresponding Member. Corresponding Members shall not have the right to vote or hold office.
Section 5 - Honorary Member: any distinguished member, which in the judgment of the Society has made a significant contribution in the field of Microbiology, may be eligible for election as Honorary Member. Honorary status is the highest membership recognition given by the Society and it carries all the rights of Full Members.
Section 6 - Sustaining Member: any person or organization interested in advancing the objectives of the Society shall be eligible for election as a Sustaining Member. Individual Sustaining Members or one designated delegate from a Sustaining organization, shall have the right to vote, but shall not be eligible to hold office.
Section 7 - Corresponding Members, Honorary Members, Emeritus members and such members as described in Section 8, shall pay no dues to the Society.
Section 8 - Any Full member which has been in good standing for at least ten (10) consecutive years and who has become disabled previous to retirement, shall pay no dues to the Society, and shall maintain the same rights and privileges of a Full Member.
Article IV (Officers)
1. The Officers of the Society who shall constitute the Executive Council, are the President, President Elect, Secretary, Under-Secretary, Treasurer, ASM Branch Council Representative, ASM Branch Alternate Council Representative, and four (4) councilors.
a. Ex-Officio Members of the Council:Past President
Editor of the Branch Newsletter
Educational Representative
Student Chapter Coordinator
2. Each officer, except the ASM Branch Council Representative and its alternate shall be elected for a term of one year beginning on the first day of July, after the election.
3. The ASM Branch Council Representative and its alternate shall be elected for a two-year term beginning on July 1st, no more than two consecutive terms may be served.
4. The President, the President Elect, the ASM Branch Council Representative, and the ASM Branch Alternate Council Representative must be members of the American Society for Microbiology.
5. Only bona fide members of the American Society for Microbiology shall vote for the position of ASM Branch Council Representative and Alternate ASM Branch Council Representative.
Article V (Committees and Officials)
The President, during the first month of office and subject to the approval of the Executive Council, shall appoint the president of any committees deemed necessary for the proper functioning of the Society. The President of each committee, in turn, will appoint the members of his / hers committee with the approval of the President.
All committee appointments will be designate by the President at the beginning of his/her term. The responsibilities of all Committee Members shall be clearly defined in writing at the time of appointment.
The Chairperson of each Committee shall prepare a written report to the Executive Council before the annual meeting.
1. The Nominating Committee, chaired by the President Elect shall make the nominations specified in Article IV Section 1.
2. The Membership Committee shall serve as an advisory and consulting body to the Executive Council and will exercise its duties in the nomination of Full Members, Emeritus, Student, Honorary, Corresponding and Sustaining Members. It shall also advice the Executive Council concerning members who have been duly referred by the President for exclusion or removal from the Society, as provided in the By-Laws.
3. The Program Committee shall organize the scientific program of every activity sponsored by the Society. This committee shall consist of a Chairperson and five (5) or more members who shall represent whenever possible, different fields of Microbiology.
4. The Honor's Committee shall be responsible for screening and recommending candidates as recipients of the Américo Pomales Award, the Arturo L. Carrion Award, the El Koury-Medina Award, or any other award established by the Society.
5. The Property Committee shall be responsible for the maintenance of the office, all equipment, and any other pertinent matter. The Chairperson of the committee shall represent the Society at the Condominium Association meetings.
Article VI (Membership)
1. Application for membership requires:
a. submission of a standard membership form, nomination by any member in good standing, and payment of dues for the first year of membership.
b. the Membership Committee shall approve or reject the application.
2. Members who satisfy the requirements for Emeritus Status may apply for nomination or may be nominated to such status by the Membership Committee. The Executive Council shall accept or reject such recommendation.
3. Corresponding and Honorary members shall be proposed in writing to the Executive Council by at least five active members of the Society. A duly proposed candidate, after receiving endorsement of the majority of the members of the Executive Council, shall be elected Honorary or Corresponding Member if approved by two-thirds of the majority of the active members voting.
Article VII (Finances)
The Society shall determine the annual dues of its members. The Society's income shall be used to attain its objectives; to cover administrative costs, scholarships and awards, and any other expenses required for its proper functioning. The Society shall function as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Article VIII (Meetings and Quorum)
1. The Society shall hold its administrative and scientific meeting at least twice a year.
The election of officers shall be held during the June meeting of the Society beginning in 1997.
a.An individual could not run for two different positions or hold any two positions within the executive council.
b.All direct nominations will be decided by plurality.
c.In case of an elected officer resigned from the executive council (president, president elect, secretary, treasurer, ASM council or its alternative) another member of the executive council could be appointed as interim by the president and confirmed by the other executive council members in a regular meeting. Once the position is accepted the membership will be informed by electronic communication and shall be posted in the website of the SMPR. The interim position could not be held for more than 3 months. At the end of the interim term, the council member must accept/or reject this new position, if he/she accept the position he or she must resigned from his/her previous position and the society must support this action during the next executive council (usually in January and June). The new available position must be announced and special elections must be held prior to the next schedule executive council. This newly elected official will hold office until the following election of officers during June.
d.Special elections will be carried out when a position in the executive council is available between July and March. This election will be done like any other regular election.
2. At any administrative meeting of the Society at least twenty-three (23) active members shall constitute quorum.
Article IX (By-Laws)
1. The Executive Council shall propose such by-laws, not in conflict with the Constitution, as may be necessary for the proper government of the Society.
2. Such by-laws shall become effective when and if confirmed by a majority vote at an administrative meeting of the Society.
Article X (Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws)
An amendment to the Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed in writing to the Executive Council, by at least two (2) members of the Executive Council or five (5) Full Members of the Society.
If a majority of the Executive Council Members present and approve the proposed or modified amendment, it shall be submitted to the active Members to vote by mail or electronic ballot. The amendment shall be approved by two-thirds of the voting members who return ballots within the deadline. The amendment shall finally become effective when it is ratified, at the Society administrative meeting.
Revised by the Legislation Committee 2009-2010
Revised by the Legislation Committee 2010-2011
Approved by the Executive Council 2010-2011
Approved unanimous by members vote in March 2011
Ratified at the Annual Meeting in June 17, 2011
THE PUERTO RICO SOCIETY
OF MICROBIOLOGISTS
BY-LAWS
1. MEMBERS:
a) The Society shall consist of Full, Emeritus, Student, Corresponding, Honorary and Sustaining Members. New membership applications need to include active member nomination. Admittance to the Society will be approved according to its by-laws and Constitution. All members shall be entitled to the privileges of the Society except: Student Members shall have the right to vote but shall not be eligible to hold office and Corresponding Members shall not have the right to vote and shall not eligible to hold office. Sustaining Members shall not be eligible to hold office, but have the right to vote through a designated delegate if the Sustaining Member is an organization.
b) A person may be excluded or removed from membership because of conduct that is inimical to the objectives of the Society, injurious to it, or affecting its reputation adversely.
Scientific or professional misconduct accusations must be presented in writing to the President by five (5) or more Full Members with a full statement of prima facie evidence on which the charge(s) is based. The Membership Committee shall decide whether the accusations shall be dropped without further action and without report to the Executive Council; whether the accused shall be allowed to resign from membership without report to the Executive Council; or whether the accusations shall be referred to the Executive Council with or without recommendations for action. Before any of these actions are taken, the accused shall be entitled to answer the charges in writing and to appeal before the Membership Committee in the presence of the accusers. If the Executive Council receives a recommendation for action, it shall hear the details of the case and vote after the hearing has been carefully conducted. If two-thirds of the members of the Executive Council present and voting sustain the charges, the accused shall be excluded or removed from membership in the Society, and the secretary shall notify the accused of the decision.
2. DUES:
a) Society Members must pay their dues on or before the semi-annual meeting in order to be entitled to vote, and to be eligible to serve as an Officer of the Society.
b) Any member in arrears for dues by July 1st of the current year will automatically cease to be an active member of the Society.
3. OFFICERS:
a) The President shall preside at all Society meetings. He / She must call meetings of the Society at least twice a year as specified in the Constitution and at any other time he / she may consider necessary. One of these meeting shall be a general administrative meeting. The President is the official representative of our Society.
b) The President-Elect shall substitute the President upon his / her absence or resignation.
c) The Secretary shall be in charge of the correspondence of the Society: shall notify the officers or the members of the Society of official meetings at least one week in advance, except in special circumstances. He / She shall submit to the membership a report of all activities and meeting held during the fiscal year. Each year he / he must certify the number of the members in the Branch to the National Secretary.
d) The Undersecretary shall help the secretary in all clerical endeavors of the Society.
e) The Treasurer shall collect dues and be in charge of the funds of the Society. During the annual meeting, he / she shall submit to the membership a detailed account of the finances of the Society.
f) Councilors: All elected councilors must be members and preferentially preside any of the Committees appointed by the President.
g) American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Branch Council Representative: The Puerto Rico Branch must have twenty-five (25) or more Full Members of the ASM in order to have an ASM Branch Council Representative. The person elected must be a Full Member of the ASM and the Society. He / She will represent the Society at the ASM Council Meeting and shall report all important issues discuss at the ASM Council Meeting. If elected member of the National Council Policy or as a Divisional Group Councilor of the ASM, a vacancy shall be declared in the branch position. Such a vacancy shall be filled by a duly elected ASM Branch Alternate Councilor. The Society President may appoint a full member as a representative at a meeting of the ASM Council whenever unavoidable circumstances prevent the duly elected Councilor or Alternate from attending.
h) In case of absences 3 without previous notifications or 5 with notifications of any members of the Executive Council of the Society, the President, with the approval simple majority of the Executive Council, will designate an interim substitute within the council or outside until final action is taken by the Society during its next executive meeting following Article VIII section 1c to d.
i) The Executive Council shall select by majority of votes an Editor of the Branch Newsletter. He / She shall become part of the Executive Council with no voting privileges unless he/she is already part of the Executive Council
j) The President shall appoint an Educational Representative.
k) The President shall appoint for a three-year term a Branch Membership Representative.
l) In case of five (5) absences of any of the members of the Executive Council to scheduled regular meeting the President will declare vacant said position and will proceed as stated in Section 3-h.
4. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS:
The Nomination Committee shall make one or more nominations each for President, President-Elect, ASM Branch Council Representative, ASM Branch Alternate Council Representative, Secretary, Undersecretary, Treasurer and four (4) Councilors. Whenever possible, two (2) nominations should be made for President-Elect. Additional nominations for elected officers may be made, but shall be valid only if presented in a written petition form with the signatures of five (5) active members.
Such petitions shall be received by the Nomination's Committee on or before May 15th. of the current year. Officers will be elected by the majority of the votes casted.
5. COMMITTEES:
Permanent committees of the Society shall adopt written internal procedures approved by the Executive Council.
6. STUDENT CHAPTERS:
The Society may sponsor Student Chapters within its territorial limits by presenting to the ASM Branch Council a copy of the Constitution and By-Laws together with a petition asking permission to establish the Chapter. The Society shall assume responsibility for the Chapter and provide assistance to the Chapter.
7. AMENDMENTS:
These By-Laws can be amended as specified in the Constitution (Article X).
8. MEETINGS:
1.Executive meetings will be held at least two times during the year. These meetings will be part of the annual and semi-annual conventions typically held during the months of June and January respectively. In these meetings the president, secretary and treasurer must present a report to the membership, both orally and in written form. The quorum is defined in Article VIII (Meetings and Quorum) section 2.
2.Regular meetings are typically held at the office of the SMPR, the frequency of the meetings will be determined by the current council. All members of the executive council should be present and any member (or invited guest) of the society could participate with voice but without vote. Special guests could be invited by the president or via the president if any member of the council would like to invite a person to the regular meeting. The guests do not have to be members of the SMPR. The guests will be included in the agenda of the regular meeting. The quorum in regular meetings is defined as 2/3 of the executive council. The members of the executive council are expected to be physically present but could constitute quorum if they are present by phone or video conference as long as they stay for the duration of the meeting.
3.Extraordinary meetings will be proposed by the president to attend urgent and or extraordinary matters.During these meetings only executive council members (President, President elect, Secretary, Treasurer, ASM council, Alternate ASM council, and 4 vocals) will be allowed. All members of the executive council should be present and quorum will be defined as 2/3 of the executive council. The members of the executive council are expected to be physically present but could constitute quorum if they are present by phone or video conference as long as they stay for the duration of the meeting. Only guests that are intricate to the urgent or extraordinary matter will be allowed even without previous noticed (Ex. CPA, lawyer, etc).
Revised by the Legislation Committee 2009-2010.
Revised by Legislation Committee 2010-2011.
Approved by Executive Council 2010-2011.
Approved unanimous by members vote in March 2011.
Ratified in Annual Meeting in June 17, 2011.