Governance

Bylaws

Date Approved by Council: October 18, 2023
Date Ratified by Membership: December 15. 2023

Preamble

In the following text, "Topical Group" shall signify the APS Topical Group on Statistical and Nonlinear Physics; "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; and "Regular Meeting" shall signify the principal meeting held once a year by the Topical Group.

Article I - Name

This Topical Group of the American Physical Society shall be called the Topical Group on Statistical and Nonlinear Physics (GSNP).

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Topical Group shall be the advancement and dissemination of knowledge in the interdisciplinary area of Statistical and Nonlinear Physics. The Group shall encourage research and applications in this area and promote international cooperation.

Article III - Enabling Constitutional Provision

Article VIII of the Constitution and Bylaws, and the associated Policies and Procedures of the Society, as said Article and Policies and Procedures 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 the 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 the 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 Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Associate Representatives elected to staggered two-year terms.
3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year and one meeting shall be held during the Regular Meeting of the Topical Group. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name a nonvoting alternate who is a member of the Topical Group in good standing to represent them, subject to the approval of the Chair. The Chair of the Topical Group shall preside over the Executive Committee meetings. 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 has overall responsibility for the operations of the Topical Group and shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Topical Group at which their attendance is possible. The Chair, in collaboration with the Secretary/Treasurer, shall prepare the agenda of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions.
3. Duties of the Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform their 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 their 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, and shall transfer these records to the succeeding Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and, in collaboration with the Chair, shall 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 and to the Society Corporate Secretary within two 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 GSNP Assigned Councilor, 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, with the concurrence of the Chair, shall 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.
   In the year following their term of service, the Past Secretary/Treasurer will serve as an advisor to the newly elected Secretary/Treasurer as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Executive Committee.

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

1. Qualifications: Officers and Members of the Executive Committee must be members of the Topical Group at least during the year of their nomination and during their tenure in office.

2. Ballot: The Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by 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 Members-at-Large and Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Associate Representatives of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consult with the Chair before approving the nomination of any candidate for a second consecutive term. In the case of elections when the Secretary/Treasurer is a candidate for a second term, the election shall be administered by a process determined by the Executive Committee. 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 electronic and, when necessary, paper ballot. The membership will have six weeks to submit their ballots. Electronic ballots are counted automatically by the balloting system. Paper ballots will be counted by the Secretary/Treasurer. 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 Secretary/Treasurer 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 the following issue of the newsletter of the Topical Group.

4. Official Year: The official year shall be the calendar year.

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, Members-at-Large, and Student Representatives of the Executive Committee shall begin at the close of the Regular Meeting of the Topical Group following their election. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years, with a fourth year as Past Secretary/Treasurer if not re-elected. The Secretary/Treasurer may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The tenure of a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be three years and 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. Graduate Student or Postdoctoral Associate Representatives shall serve for a term of two years and may not serve two consecutive terms.

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 consist of three individuals: a member of the Executive Committee appointed by the GSNP Chair, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, for a one-year term who shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee; and two members of the Topical Group, one of whom is not a member of the Executive Committee, to be appointed by the Chair of the Nominating Committee with the concurrence of the GSNP Chair for one-year terms; and the GSNP Assigned Councilor. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for the positions of Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee according to Article VII.3 of these Bylaws. The Nominating Committee shall advise the GSNP Chair on suitable candidates for Society committees, including relevant Society Prize and Award committees, and on candidates for Society offices. The Nominating Committee shall perform such other duties as determined by the Executive Committee of the Topical Group.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall consist of the Program Committee Chair appointed for a one-year term by the GSNP Chair with the concurrence of the Executive Committee; and any other members of the Topical Group whose assistance the Program Committee Chair chooses to obtain during the term of their appointment. The Program Committee shall have the responsibility of assisting the Society Director of Meetings, or their designate, in arranging the meetings of the Society. This activity shall include the scheduling of contributed papers within the areas of interest of this Topical Group, as well as the arranging, in coordination with the Society Director of Meetings or their designate, of symposia and sessions of invited papers sponsored by the Topical Group for a meeting. For meetings of the Topical Group, including the Regular Meeting, the Program Committee shall be responsible for the solicitation and selection of invited and reviewed papers and for the arrangement of the programs of such meetings.

3. Fellowship Committee: The Fellowship Committee shall consist of six Topical Group members. The GSNP Vice Chair shall serve as non-voting Chair of the Fellowship Committee and, with the concurrence of the GSNP Chair, shall appoint the members of the committee. A minimum of one member of the committee must have served on the committee the previous year. All APS Society and APS Unit Honors, including prizes, awards, and fellowship, and the selection committees established to determine recipients of these honors are overseen by the Council and governed by a set of honors policies & procedures. All committee members involved with the selection of recipients for honors should make themselves familiar with and follow the Council-approved policies & procedures, including rules related to limits, canvassing, promotion, reporting, nominations, committee composition, committee onboarding, and conflict of interest.

4. Publications Committee: The Publications Committee shall consist of the Secretary/Treasurer and up to three additional members of the Topical Group, if deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve as Chair of the Publications Committee and, with the concurrence of the GSNP Chair, shall appoint any additional committee members to one-year terms, renewable for two additional years. The Publications Committee shall solicit articles for APS News, shall interact with the editors of the Physical Review and Physical Review Letters on matters of interest to the Topical Group, and shall serve as the Topical Group interface with editors and publications for the popular press.

5. 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 year in which the Chair assumes office.

6. Ad Hoc Committees: The Chair shall appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary, which shall serve only during the Chair’s term of office.

Article IX - Meetings

1. Regular Meeting: One meeting of the Topical Group, to be known as the Regular Meeting, shall be held annually at such time and place as shall be ordered by the Executive Committee, subject to approval by the Society Director of Meetings. Whenever it shall be feasible and not to the disadvantage of the members of the Topical Group, the Executive Committee may order this or any other meeting to be held conjointly with a Meeting of the Society or of another society, conference, or group, so long as such joint meeting does not conflict importantly with the schedule of Meetings of the. The registration fee for the Regular Meeting, when not held jointly with a Meeting of the Society, shall be fixed after consultation with the Society Director of Meetings. Non-members of the Society shall pay a surcharge consistent with Board policy.

2. Annual Business Session: Each year the Topical Group shall hold a Business Session which shall be a session of the Regular Meeting. This Business Session shall be devoted exclusively to the reports of officers and committees, election results, and the transaction of business affairs. No scientific program of the Topical Group shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session. The Secretary/Treasurer shall notify the Topical Group members of the agenda for the Business Session no later than three weeks prior to the Regular Meeting.

3. Other Meetings: Meetings of the Topical Group, other than the Regular Meeting, may be initiated by the Executive Committee or by petition of twenty percent of the members of the Topical Group, subject to consultation with the Society Director of Meetings. Special conferences may be sponsored in whole or in part by the Topical Group, subject to the rules and regulations specified in the Society Constitution and Bylaws and in consultation with the Society Director of Meetings.

4. Papers at Meetings: Programs of meetings of the Topical Group may provide for the inclusion of both invited and contributed papers. When a meeting of the Topical Group is held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the rules of the Society shall apply to submitted papers. When a meeting of the Topical Group is not held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the Executive Committee shall prescribe the subject and character of the meeting, which may include limitations on the subject matter of submitted papers. The Secretary/Treasurer shall fix the deadline date for receipt of titles and abstracts in consultation with the Society Director of Meetings and shall designate the place to which they should be sent. The amount of time to be allowed for the presentation of a paper at the Regular Meeting shall be determined by the Program Committee, except as otherwise directed by the Executive Committee. These allotments of time shall be consistent with the Constitution and Bylaws and associated Policies & Procedures of the Society.

Article X - Dues

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

Article XI - Unit Communications

The Unit shall provide regular email communications with the membership. These email communications will provide updates on the activities of the Unit and the Executive Committee. The preparation and distribution of email communications will be overseen by the Secretary/Treasurer and GSNP Chair. The newsletter of the Topical Group shall be managed and edited by the Secretary/Treasurer, who shall oversee its preparation and distribution. There shall be at least one issue per year; the frequency and timing of issues shall be determined by the Secretary/Treasurer in consultation with the GSNP Chair. The Editor shall be assisted in policy decisions by the GSNP Chair, as well as by the Executive Committee as a whole.

Article XII - Official Announcements

Official announcements shall be made in the APS News (at the discretion of the APS News Editor), electronically on the Unit website, via email, 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 initiated, a proposed Amendment must be reviewed by the Society’s 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. The voting on the proposed Amendment shall then be as follows. Not later than twelve weeks after said Regular Meeting the Secretary/Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed Amendment, accompanied by ballot forms. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds vote by those voting.