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Bylaws of the Houston Section of the
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
ARTICLE I - Name
The name of this organization shall be the Houston Section of the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
ARTICLE II - Objective
The objective of this organization is to further within its territory the purposes
and programs of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. (hereafter
designated the Institute).
ARTICLE III - Mission
The mission of the Houston Section of the AIAA is to promote the advancement of the
aerospace profession, with special emphasis on the following tasks:
To provide the membership with opportunities for continuing education, professional
growth, and recognition for their accomplishments.
To stimulate the exchange of information within the scientific and technical community.
To provide support and encouragement for students in learning math, science, and
engineering.
To assist the general public in understanding the benefits of aerospace systems
and technology.
ARTICLE IV - Territory
The Section has been assigned to Region IV of the national organization and includes all eligible members
from Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Chambers, Cherokee,
Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty,
Madison, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto,
Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Walker, Waller, and Washington counties, in the State of
Texas.
ARTICLE V - Governing Authority
This Section shall, in all respects, be governed by the AIAA certificate of incorporation, the national Constitution and Bylaws, and the approved Section Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI - Amendment of Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Section may be amended by a majority vote of the Section Council and are subject to approval by the Region and Section Activities
Committee prior to implementation.
ARTICLE VII - General Administration
7.1 Membership
The membership of the Section shall consist of members of the Institute of all grades
who live or work within the Section's territory. The mailing address shall be the
exclusive test of determining eligibility of a member to the Section. Additional
members may be assigned to the Section by the Institute or by their own request.
7.2 Eligibility to Vote or Hold Office
Honorary Fellows, Fellows, Associate Fellows, Senior Members, and Members shall be
eligible to hold office and to vote. Associate and Honorary Members shall be able
to vote but not to hold office. Student Members shall not be eligible to vote or
hold office.
7.3 Reporting Periods
The fiscal year of the Section shall be July 1 through June 30. The administrative year of the Section shall be July 1 through
June 30.
7.4 Quorums
A membership Quorum shall consist of at least five percent of the voting members.
A council quorum shall consist of at least fifty percent of voting council members.
In any matter to be decided by letter ballot, including election of officers, a quorum
shall consist of the number of valid votes cast.
Unless otherwise provided by statute or by these Bylaws, all elections and all questions
shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast.
7.5 Institute Annual Reports
The following reports will be submitted to the Regional Director each year:
An annual budget for the ensuing fiscal year on or before July 31. The Section Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing this report, and a copy shall become part of the Section's permanent files.
A financial statement (audit) for the fiscal year on or before July 31. The Section Treasurer will be responsible for preparing this
report, and a copy shall become part of the Section's permanent files.
A report of each regular Section meeting held within a month of the meeting. The Program Chair will be responsible for preparing these reports.
An annual report at the end of the Section administrative year detailing the year's
activities, accomplishments, and recommendations in accordance with the Institute
prescribed format. The Section Chair shall be responsible for preparing this
report. This report shall be submitted on or before July 31, and a copy shall become part
of the Section's permanent files.
All reports will be submitted only after the approval of the Section Chair or the Section Chair's
designee.
7.6 Meetings
At least four regular meetings of the Section membership shall be held each year.
Special meetings may be called by the Chair, or, upon written request, by a membership
quorum.
The Council shall hold at least four meetings per year. Additional meetings may be
called by the Chair or upon the written request of three members of the Council.
An annual meeting in June shall be held for the purpose of announcing the Officers and Councillors who have been elected for the next year, receiving reports of the Officers
and Committees, and any other business that may arise.
7.7 Meeting Rules
The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern this Section in
all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with
these Bylaws or with the Constitution or Bylaws of the Institute.
ARTICLE VIII - Officers
8.1 Officers
The Officers of this Section shall consist of a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice
Chair - Operations, a Vice Chair - Technical, a Secretary, and a Treasurer,
all of whom shall be elected as prescribed in Article X, for a term of one year and shall continue in office until their successors qualify.
The officers shall take office at the beginning of the Section administrative year.
If the Chair has served a full term, then the Chair is not eligible to serve a second consecutive term.
The office of the Chair shall be filled by automatic succession of the Chair-Elect.
8.2 Chair
The Chair shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Section. The Chair shall be a member
of the Council and of all committees, except the Nominating Committee. The Chair
shall preside at all meetings and functions of the Council and of the Section and
represent the Section in dealing with outside agencies, making all appointments and
transacting all business of the Section as directed by it or by its Council, and
in accordance with these Bylaws. The Chair shall continue to serve as a member of the Council as Past Chair for
one year after completing the Chair's term.
8.3 Chair-Elect
The Chair-Elect shall assist the Chair in performing the Chair's duties as requested
by the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall attend Council and committee meetings to monitor and become familiar with the functions of the Section officers
and the Section committees. The Chair-Elect shall coordinate with all officers, Councillors, and committee chairmen to prepare plans for the orderly transition for the Chair-Elect's term
of office as Chair during the following year.
8.4 Vice Chairs
The Vice Chair - Operations and the Vice Chair - Technical shall be members of the Council and responsible
for conducting the detailed planning in their respective areas.
8.5 Secretary
The Secretary shall be a member of the Council and shall maintain minutes of all meetings
of the Section and shall be custodian of all its records not specially assigned to
others. The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Section and the Council and send out all meeting notices.
8.6 Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be a member of the Council, shall have charge of the funds of the Section, and shall make all required financial reports and such expenditures as may be authorized
by the Section or by the Council or by the Bylaws of the Institute.
ARTICLE IX - Council
9.1 Composition
The Council shall consist of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Vice Chair - Operations, Vice Chair - Technical,
Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chair, Membership Chair, Publications Chair,
Past Chair and ten elected Councillors. The Council shall have general supervision of the work of the Section.
9.2 Program Chair
The Program Chair is appointed by the Chair and is responsible for organizing
and conducting regular and special programs for the Section.
9.3 Membership Chair
The Membership Chair is appointed by the Chair and is responsible for Section
membership promotion and retention programs. The Membership Chair shall also maintain an accurate
Section membership list, with addresses.
9.4 Communications Chair
The Communications Chair is appointed by the Chair and is responsible for the
preparation and distribution of all Section publications, including the Section
newsletter. The E-Mail Chair, the Publicity Chair, and the Webmaster(s) also report to the Communications Chair.
9.5 Councillors
Councillors are responsible for providing advice and recommendations to the Council.
They are encouraged to take an active part in committees and other Section activities.
They shall take office at the beginning of the administrative year for terms of
two years and shall continue in office until their successors qualify and take office.
Councillors shall be limited to two consecutive two-year terms. One position in alternate years shall be set aside for a member who is under the age
of thirty-one at the time of the election.
ARTICLE X - Elections and Vacancies
10.1 Election Frequency
Officers shall be elected annually. Councillors shall be elected as their positions expire.
10.2 Nominating Committee
The Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee not later than March 1. Such committee
shall consist of five members of the Section, of whom two shall be members of the
Council. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate which must be submitted
to the Secretary not later than March 15. This slate shall consist of at least one
nominee for each position that is up for election, including Chair-Elect, Vice Chair - Operations,
Vice Chair - Technical, Secretary, Treasurer, and Councillor. All nominees shall be members of this section.
10.3 General Membership Nominations
The Secretary shall send to the membership of the Section a list of the nominees within
ten days of receipt of their names from the Nominating Committee. Additional nominations
may be made by petition to the Secretary, stating the name of the nominee and the office for which they are being nominated, and shall be signed by at least a membership quorum. Nominations by petition shall be received
by the Secretary for fifteen days after the date on which the notification was mailed
to the members. The closing date shall be indicated on the original notification
mailed to the members.
10.4 Tellers Committee
The Chair shall appoint a Tellers Committee to count ballots and shall inform the
Secretary of the names of the committee members not later than March 15.
10.5 Balloting
As a separate mailing, the Secretary shall mail ballots to all members of the Section
not later than April 15. The ballots shall be marked with the closing date for balloting;
this date shall not be less than twenty days after the date of mailing of the ballot. The election shall be secret and the return envelopes shall be arranged to
preserve secrecy. These ballots shall be marked by the members and returned to the
Secretary, marked for the attention of the Tellers Committee. The secretary shall
deliver to the Tellers Committee all of the ballots received. The Tellers Committee will
count the valid ballots and verify to the Secretary the names of the Officers and
Council Members elected not later than May 15. A plurality of the ballots shall
constitute election with a tie to be resolved via a quorum vote of the Council. The roster used for validating ballots shall be the complete list of members of the Section,
effective on the date of mailing of the ballots.
10.6 Order of Succession
In the Chair's absence or inability to act as the Chef Executive Officer of the
Section, this office shall be filled by the Chair-Elect the Vice Chair - Operations, or the Vice Chair - Technical in that order. In the event of succession by the Chair-Elect
to the position of Chair, the unexpired plus the elected term may be served.
if the commitment of all of the above individuals do not permit one of them to succeed as Chair, the vacancy shall be filled by an election.
10.7 Vacancy
A vacancy on the Council or in any office except that of the Chair and Chair-Elect
shall be filled by an appointment by the Chair to serve until the next annual election.
ARTICLE XI - Financial Affairs
11.1 Dues
The dues shall be as fixed by the Bylaws of the Institute and shall be paid to said
Institute. This Section shall neither charge nor collect dues or assessments, but
the Section may accept incidental voluntary contributions for social and technical
activities.
11.2 Section Financial Responsibility
This Section shall be responsible for its own acts, contracts, debts, and other obligations
and undertakings unless the Institute, by duly constituted action of its Board, agrees
to undertake or assume responsibility prior to the time the action is taken or the obligation is incurred. This Section shall open and maintain a bank account
in a reliable banking or other financial institution for the disbursement of expenses
incident to its organizational purposes and functions in accordance with its Bylaws
and constitution and Bylaws of the Institute.
11.3 Authorized Indebtedness
This Section shall have no indebtedness, and shall not enter into any contract or
understanding, assume any obligations, or make any expenditures, the effect of which
would be to create, at any time, a Section obligation the total amount of which
would exceed projected funds on hand, based on the Council's prudent review of the
Section balance sheet.
11.4 Personal/Organizational Liability
This Section and the Officers and Council hereof, shall not be liable or otherwise
responsible for the action of, or obligations incurred by any individual member or
group of members of this Section, except insofar as such actions or obligations are
the responsibility of the Section under these Bylaws.
ARTICLE XII - Committees
12.1 Section Committees
The Chair, in consultation with the Vice Chair - Operations and the Council, shall appoint the following committees: Program Committee, Membership Committee, and Publications Committee. In consultation with the Vice Chair - Technical and the Council, the Chair
shall appoint Section technical committees as needed to support the technical interests
of the members. The Chair may appoint other committees as required. Committee
Members shall serve for one Section administrative year or until their successors are appointed.
12.2 Regional Advisory Committee
The Chair or the Chair's designee shall serve as the Section's representative to its Regional Advisory Committee.
ARTICLE XIII - Suspension of Officers and Council Members
13.1 Special Meetings
In addition to the AIAA Board of Directors' right to suspend any member to act as
an Officer or Council member of an AIAA Section, the Council may suspend for cause
the authority of any member to act as an Officer or as a Council member at a Special
Meeting called for that purpose only. Such Special Meeting may be called by the Section
Chair on the Section Chair's own initiative and also shall be called by the Chair or Chair-Elect
upon receipt of a written request signed by at least 40% of the Section Council members, which meeting shall be called by the Chair within thirty days of receiving
the written request from the Council members.
13.2 Meeting Notice
Notice of any Special Meeting called pursuant to this Article shall be sent to the
subject Officer or Council member (hereinafter "Subject") in writing no later than
15 days prior to the date of the Special Meeting. Such written notices shall include
a list of the charges made against the Subject, shall set forth the time and place of
the meeting and shall be sent to the Subject by enclosing the notice in an envelope
and mailing said notice by first class mail postage paid, to the last known address
of the Subject.
13.3 Effective Date of Suspension
If the Special Meeting is called in response to a written request by 40% of the Council
members, the authority of the Subject shall automatically be suspended preliminarily
pending the Special Meeting of the council. If the Section Chair calls a Special Meeting on the Section Chair's own initiative, written agreement of at least 40% of the entire Council
will be required in order to impose such a preliminary suspension. Any preliminary
suspension imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall terminate at the conclusion of
the aforementioned Special Meeting of the Council or thirty (30) days after the date
on which the preliminary suspension was imposed, whichever occurs first.
13.4 Presentations
The Subject shall be provided an opportunity to present his or her position during
the Special Meeting and prior to a vote on the suspension of the Subject. The Officer
presiding over the meeting may, at the Officer's discretion, limit the time provided for the
presentation on behalf of the Subject but shall in all cases provide at least 30 minutes.
An equal amount of time shall be provided to those making a presentation in favor
of suspending the Subject.
13.5 Voting Requirements
At least two-thirds of the entire Section Council must be present at the Special Meeting
and must vote in favor of suspension in order to suspend the authority of the Subject.
13.6 Termination of Suspension
If the Council fails to vote to suspend the authority of the Subject within thirty
(30) days of the initiation of the procedure described herein, such procedure shall
terminate. Such terminated suspension procedure shall not be initiated anew less
than six months from the date of the initiation of the prior procedure except upon an affirmative
vote of 60% of the entire Council. If, at a Special Meeting of the Council held
within the thirty (30) day period referred to in Paragraph 13.1 of this Article,
there are sufficient votes cast to suspend the authority of the Subject, suspension
for a period not longer than the Subject's remaining term as Officer or Council Member
shall immediately take effect subject to Paragraph 13.7 of this Article.
13.7 Appeals
When, at the Special Meeting, sufficient votes have been cast in favor of suspension,
the Subject may request, in writing, an opportunity to appeal the decision of the
Council to the AIAA Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall, upon receiving
such written request, provide the appellant an opportunity to present, in writing, the appellant's
reasons for believing that the decision of the Council was unjustified or improper.
The Board of Directors may further request, from the Council, a written explanation
of the bases for the Subject's suspension. In addition, the Board of Directors may
request that the Appellant and/or the council provide additional information, including
an oral explanation of its written remarks. Any suspension imposed by vote of the
Council at the Special Meeting shall continue pending a decision by the Board of Directors.
The aforementioned petition to the Board of Directors shall be the only appeal
available, and all decisions of the Board to affirm, modify, or reverse the decision
of the Council shall be final and binding upon the parties.
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