Governance

Bylaws

In the following text, "Society" shall signify the American Physical Society, "Council" and "Executive Board" shall signify the Council and the Executive Board of the Society, respectively; "Executive Officer" shall signify that Officer of the Society; and "Regular Meeting" shall signify the principal meeting held once a year by the Section.

Article I - Name

This Section of the American Physical Society shall be called the Northwest Section.

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Section shall be the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics.

Article III - Enabling Constitutional Provision

Article IX of the Constitution of the Society, as said Article may be subsequently revised or amended, is hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

Article IV - Membership

1. Geographical Region: The members of the Section shall consist of members of the Society residing primarily in the Northwestern region of the United States and Western Canada.

2. Eligibility: Members of the Society who indicate their desire to be members of the Section shall become members, in accordance with procedures established by Council.

Article V - Executive Committee

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

2. Composition: The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Section, the most recent Past Chair, the Section Advisor to Council, and four Members-at-Large.

3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. A meeting shall be held during the Regular Meeting of the Section. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name an alternate to represent him or her, subject to the approval of the Chair. The Chair of the Section 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 and Section Advisor to Council

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

2. Duties of the Chair: The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Section 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 Section including minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions, Section activities, and membership lists. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and 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 Executive Officer within four weeks after each meeting. Following an election, such minutes are to include the results of the election and a roster of the current Executive Committee membership.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the Council and Executive Officer informed of the activities and needs of the Section.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of or placed at the disposal of the Section and shall authorize disbursements from such funds for expenses in a manner that is consistent with the general policies of the Society. 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 Business Sessions of the Section.

6. Duties of the Section Advisor to Council: The Section Advisor to Council shall serve as liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Section. Following each Council meeting, the Advisor shall report to the Chair and the Secretary-Treasurer regarding Council actions that affect the status and operations of the Section. Reports shall be made to the entire Executive Committee during its regularly scheduled meetings.

Article VII - Election and Tenure of the Officers, Members-at-large of the Executive Committee, and Section Advisor to Council

1. Qualifications: Officers, Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee and Section Advisor to Council must be members of the Section.

2. Ballot: The Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, and Section Council Advisor shall be elected by ballot as hereinafter provided.

3. Nomination and Election of the Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Members-At-Large of the Executive Committee: Each year the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the office of Vice-Chair and for open positions of Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. During the final year of the term of the current Secretary-Treasurer, they shall nominate at least one candidate for Secretary-Treasurer. The Nominating Committee shall notify the Secretary-Treasurer of the results not later than three months before the first Regular Meeting of the year, except under extraordinary circumstances.

   The Secretary-Treasurer shall poll the Section membership by a mail or electronic ballot that contains the names of candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee and blank spaces on which the voter may write in other names. To be valid, each ballot must be returned in an authorized manner and received by the Secretary-Treasurer at least one month before the Regular Meeting. The ballots shall be counted by the Secretary-Treasurer 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 Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair at least two weeks before the Regular Meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer shall include the election results in a report, and shall provide notification to the membership of the Section.

4. Nomination and Election of the Section Council Advisor: The Secretary- Treasurer shall find out from the Executive Officer of the Society whether the Section can have a Council Advisor. Such determination shall be made by the Executive Officer based on Section membership according to rules specified in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society. Also, during the final year of the term of a Section Council Advisor, the Secretary shall determine from the Executive Officer if the position of Council Advisor is to continue. When the position first becomes available or when the position is to continue, the Executive Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the position. The Secretary-Treasurer shall inform the Section members of the candidates along with the regular ballot for officers.

5. Official Year: The official year shall extend from the close of the first Regular Meeting of the calendar year to the close of the first Regular Meeting of the succeeding calendar year.

6. 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.

7. Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall begin at the close of the Regular Meeting of the Section following their election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected to staggered four-year terms. The tenure of a 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 Section, and the unexpired portion of his or her term shall be filled as hereinafter provided for a vacancy.

   The term of office of the Section Advisor to Council shall be four years, beginning with the calendar year following his or her election.

8. Vacancies in Offices: If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall also serve as Chair 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 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 the vacancy can be filled by regular election procedures.

Article VIII - Appointed Committees

1. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall consist of five members of the Section. Four of these shall be appointed by the Section Chair, but no more than two of them can be members of the Executive Committee. They shall serve for staggered two-year terms. The fifth member is appointed by the Council for a one-year term. The chair of the Section shall ascertain the identity of this individual from the Executive Officer and shall select the Chair of the Nominating Committee. 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. In addition to requesting and considering nominees from the membership, the Nominating Committee must include on the ballot any person nominated by more than 5% of the membership. The Nominating Committee shall advise the 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 described in the Bylaws.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Chair-Elect, who may appoint other members to help him/her for a one-year term, commencing at the conclusion of a Regular Meeting of the Section. In addition, the Program Committee shall include the Local Organizing Committee for the next meeting, whose members shall serve only until the conclusion of that meeting. The Program Committee shall be responsible for the solicitation and selection of invited and review papers and for the arrangement of the programs for meetings of the Section.

3. Terms of Office of Appointed Committee Members: The term of a committee member appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall be the official year, as defined in Article VII.5 of these Bylaws, in which the Chair assumes office, with the exception of the Nominating Committee members, whose terms are specified in article VIII.1 and the Program Committee members, whose terms are specified in Article VIII.2 of these Bylaws. 4. Ad Hoc Committees. The Chair shall appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary, which shall serve only during the term of office of the Chair.

Article IX - Meetings

1. Regular Meeting: At least one meeting of the Section, to be known as the Regular Meeting, shall be held annually at such time and place as shall be decided by the Executive Committee, subject to approval by the Executive Board and coordinated with meetings of the Canadian Association of Physicists. Participation by students and physicists in industry shall be encouraged.

2. Annual Business Session: At least once each year the Section shall hold a Business Session, which shall be a session of a 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 Section shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Section members of the agenda for the Business Session no later than three weeks before the Regular Meeting. A quorum for the consideration of motions shall be three percent of the membership of the Section. A majority vote of those Section members present at a Business Session shall be sufficient for approval of actions.

3. Other Meetings: Meetings of the Section, other than Regular Meetings, may be initiated by the Executive Committee or by petition of twenty percent of the members of the Section, subject to approval by the Executive Board and coordinated with meetings of the Canadian Association of Physicists. Special conferences may be sponsored in whole or in part by the Section, subject to the rules and regulations specified in the Society Constitution and Bylaws.

4. Registration Fees at Meetings: Registration fees for meetings of the Section, when not held jointly with a meeting of the Society, shall be fixed after consultation with the Executive Officer. Non-members of the Society shall pay a surcharge in accordance with established APS guidelines.

5. Papers at Meetings: Programs of meetings of the Section may provide for the inclusion of both invited and contributed papers. When a meeting of the Section 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 Section is not held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the Executive Committee shall approve the subject and character of the meeting, which may include limitations on the number and subject matter of submitted papers. The Secretary-Treasurer shall fix the deadline date for receipt of titles and abstracts in consultation with the Executive Officer 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 a 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 of the Society and with regulations of Council.

Article X - Dues

Dues for maintenance of membership in the Section shall be established by Council.

Article XI - Official Announcements

Official announcements shall be made in APS Meeting News and through such other means as the Executive Committee may direct.

Article XII - Procedure of Amendment of Bylaws

Proposal of an Amendment to these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Executive Committee, or by a petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Section. If the proposed amendment originates within the Section, it must be 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 Section not less than three weeks before a Regular Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. With the unanimous consent of those members present and voting, the voting on the proposed Amendment may be carried out at the Business Session. Without that consent, the voting on the proposed Amendment shall 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.