Governance

Bylaws

Date Approved by Council: September 23, 2021
Date Ratified by Unit Membership: November 21, 2022

In the following text, "Society" shall signify the American Physical Society, "Council" and "Board" shall signify the Council of Representatives and the Board of Directors of the Society, respectively.

Article I - Name

This Topical Group of the American Physical Society shall be called the Topical Group on Few-Body Systems & Multiparticle Dynamics (GFB).

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Topical Group shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge concerning few-body systems and their interactions. The Group is understood not to restrict its interest to any single conventional field of physics but to emphasize interdisciplinary aspects.

Article III - Enabling Constitutional Provision

Article VIII of the Constitution and Bylaws, and associated Policies & Procedures of the Society, as said documents may be subsequently revised or amended, are hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

Article IV - Membership

The members of the Topical Group shall consist of members of the Society who have indicated in accordance with procedures established by Board and Council their desire to join the Topical Group and who retain membership from year to year by the payment of designated dues or by other method established by Board

Article V - Executive Committee

1. Governance: The Topical Group shall be governed by an Executive Committee, which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Topical Group.

2. Composition: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Topical Group, the most recent Past Chair, six Members-at-Large elected to staggered three-year terms, and two Student or Early Career Members-at-Large elected to staggered two-year terms.

3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name a non-voting alternate who is a member of the Topical Group in good standing to represent him or her, subject to the approval of the Chair. A majority of the voting members, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.

Article VI - Officers

1. Officers: The Officers of the Topical Group shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

2. Duties of the Chair: The Chair shall have overall responsibility for the affairs of the GFB and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Topical Group at which his or her attendance is possible.

3. Duties of the Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Chair-Elect shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws.

4. Duties of the Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall act in place of the Chair-Elect if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Vice Chair shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws.

5. Duties of the Secretary/Treasurer: The Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain the records of the Topical Group including minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions, Topical Group activities, and membership lists. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and shall, in coordination with the Chair, prepare the agenda of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions. The Secretary/Treasurer shall prepare minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions and shall submit these minutes to each member of the Executive Committee within four weeks after each meeting. Following elections, such minutes are to include the results of the election and a roster of the current Executive Committee membership. The Secretary/Treasurer, in coordination with the Assigned Councilor for the Topical Group, shall keep the Council informed of the activities and needs of the Topical Group.

   The Secretary/Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of or placed at the disposal of the Topical Group and shall, with the approval of the Chair, authorize disbursements from such funds for expenses in a manner that is consistent with the general policies of the Society and the Topical Group. Financial records shall be kept on an annual basis consistent with the fiscal policies of the Society. The Secretary/Treasurer shall present a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Committee and at the annual Business Session of the Topical Group.

Article VII - Election and Tenure of the Officers and Executive Committee Members

1. Qualifications: Officers and all Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Topical Group at the time of their nomination and must maintain their membership for the duration of their term of office.

2. Ballot: The Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and all Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by mail and/or electronic ballot as hereinafter provided.

3. Nomination and Election of the Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and Executive Committee Members: Each year the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the office of Vice Chair, for Secretary/Treasurer during the final year of the term of the current Secretary/Treasurer, and for open positions of all Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. The slate of candidates will be balanced as much as possible to ensure wide representation among the various fields of physics included in the membership of the Topical Group. The Nominating Committee shall consult with the Chair before nominating any candidate for a consecutive term. The Nominating Committee shall notify the Secretary/Treasurer of the results not later than sixteen weeks before the Regular Meeting, except under extraordinary circumstances. The Secretary/Treasurer shall inform the Topical Group members of the nominations made and shall invite these members to suggest candidates for the various offices and Executive Committee positions. If as many as five percent of the total Topical Group membership determined on 31 December of the year preceding the election suggests the same person for the same office, that person shall be deemed to have been nominated.

   The Secretary/Treasurer shall poll the Topical Group membership by mail and/or electronic ballot, stating a closing date at least three weeks prior to the Regular Meeting. In the case where the Secretary/Treasurer is a candidate on the ballot for a consecutive term, the election shall be administered by a person determined by the Executive Committee, most usually the Past Chair. Ballots shall be returned to and counted by the election administrator or his or her designate. Election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. If there is a tie, the Executive Committee shall decide the election, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The election administrator shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair at least two weeks prior to the Regular Meeting and shall publish the results in a manner designated for official announcements. The election administrator shall also notify the Society Corporate Secretary of the election results.

4. Official Year: The official year shall extend from June 1 thru May 31.

5. Vice Chair, Chair-Elect, and Chair: The member elected as Vice Chair shall serve in that office for one year, then for one year as Chair-Elect, and then for one year as Chair. The Chair shall not be eligible for the office of Vice Chair in the year following his or her term of office.

6. Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall begin June 1 following their election. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall serve for a term of three years. Student or Early Career Members-at-Large shall serve for a term of two years. The tenure of any Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall terminate in the event of his or her assumption of a post as an elected Officer of the Topical Group, and the unexpired portion of his or her term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy.

7. Vacancies in Offices: If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall serve as Chair also in the following year. The Vice Chair shall serve simultaneously as Chair-Elect during the remainder of the term and shall continue to serve as Chair-Elect in the following term.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair-Elect otherwise than through advancement to Chair, the Vice Chair shall become Chair-Elect. In this case, and also if the office of Vice Chair becomes vacant for other reasons, the office of Vice Chair shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term. In the next scheduled election, candidates for both Chair-Elect and Vice Chair shall be nominated.

If vacancies occur in the offices of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect, the Vice Chair shall become Chair and shall complete the term. In this case a special election shall be held to fill the offices of Chair-Elect and Vice Chair. The members so elected shall continue to serve as officers in the normal succession order. Vacancies in any other elected office shall be filled (or left unfilled) by the Executive Committee until such time as the vacancy can be filled by regular election procedures.

Article VIII - Appointed Committees

1. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the immediate Past Chair and shall include three members appointed by the Chair and one member appointed by the APS for one-year terms. The Chair shall ascertain through the Society Corporate Secretary the identity of the member appointed by APS. If the immediate Past Chair is unable to serve, the Chair may nominate a member of the Executive Committee as a replacement. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates according to Article VII.3 of these Bylaws.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall include three members appointed by the Chair to one-year terms. The Chair-Elect shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall be responsible, in cooperation with the Executive Committee and in coordination with the Society Director of Meetings, for arranging sessions of Society meetings sponsored by the Topical Group, and from time to time shall organize special meetings and workshops. It shall also have the responsibility of assisting the Society Director of Meetings in arranging meetings of the Society.

3. Fellowship Committee: The Fellowship Committee shall be chaired by the Vice Chair (or his or her replacement as selected by the Chair, if the Vice Chair seat is vacant) and shall include three additional members. One member shall be the Chair-Elect and two other members shall be appointed by the Chair, to two-year, staggered terms. The Fellowship Committee shall solicit nominations and propose candidates for Fellowship, shall review the qualifications of such candidates, and shall submit its recommendations to the Society Honors Program Manager.

4. Terms of Office of Appointed Committee Members: The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence at the beginning of the GFB official year, June 1.

5. Ad Hoc Committees: The Chair shall appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary, which shall serve only during his or her term as Chair.

Article IX - Meetings

1. Annual Business Session: Each year the Topical Group shall hold a Business Session during one of the regular meetings of the Society.

2. Other Meetings: Special scientific meetings of the Topical Group may be initiated by the Executive Committee and arranged by the Program Committee, in coordination with the Society Director of Meetings. The rules of the Society shall apply to scientific sessions of invited or contributed papers held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society. The Program Committee shall have the responsibility for all arrangements concerning such sessions and shall do so in coordination with the Society Director of Meetings.

Article X - Dues

Dues for maintenance of membership in the Topical Group shall be established by Board.

Article XI - Newsletter

The newsletter of the Topical Group shall be managed and edited by the Secretary/Treasurer, who shall oversee its preparation and distribution. The frequency and timing of these issues shall be determined by the Secretary/Treasurer, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may direct the Secretary/Treasurer to distribute complimentary copies of the newsletter to specified non-members of the Topical Group.

Article XII - Official Announcements

Official announcements shall be made in the APS News (at the discretion of the APS News Editor), on the Topical Group website, in special mailings to the membership, or in such other publications as the Executive Committee may direct.

Article XIII - Procedure of Amendment of Bylaws

Proposal of an amendment to these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Society Governance Committee, by the Executive Committee, or by a petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Topical Group. However an amendment is initiated, it must be reviewed by the Society Governance Committee and approved by Council before further action can be taken. Following Council approval, the Secretary/Treasurer shall distribute copies of the proposed amendment to all members of the Topical Group not less than three weeks before the Regular Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. If a special election is not held to ratify the amendment, the Secretary/Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed amendment during the next regularly scheduled election of Officers and Members-at-Large. Adoption of the amendment shall require a two-thirds vote by those voting.