Governance

Article I - Name

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

Article II - Objective

The objective of the Section shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge of physics within the Southeastern region of the United States of America, including the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

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

The members of the Section shall consist of members of the Society who have indicated in accordance with procedures established by Council their desire to join the Section and who retain membership from year to year by the payment of designated dues or by other method established by Council. Present Life Members of the Section shall retain that status.

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 Councillor, and four Members-at-Large elected to staggered four-year terms.

3. Executive Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. That meeting shall be held during the Regular Meeting of the Section. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name a nonvoting 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 - Section Officers, Section Councillor and Council Observer

1. Officers: The Officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a 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 automatically become the Section Chair at the end of the term as Chair-Elect. 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 automatically become the Chair-Elect at the end of the term as Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws.

5. Duties of the Secretary: The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Section including minutes of Executive Committee meetings, Business Sessions, Section activities, and membership lists. The Secretary 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 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 Secretary 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 shall keep the Council and Executive Officer of the Society informed of the activities and needs of the Section.

6. Duties of the Treasurer: The 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 and the Section. The Treasurer shall present a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Committee and at the annual Business Session of the Section. The Treasurer shall keep and report separate records of the funds contributed for the support of Section awards.

7. Duties of the Section Councillor: When it is the section’s turn, in the rotation among sections as established by The Council of The Society, a Section Councillor will be elected as prescribed below. The Section Councillorshall serve as liaison between the Council of the Society and the Executive Committee of the Section. Following each Council meeting, the Section Councillor 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 their regularly scheduled meetings.

8. Council Observer: During years in which the Section does not have an elected Councillor, the Executive Committee will appoint a Council Observer. This person will attend Council meetings and will perform the duties described in Article VI.7 of these Bylaws.

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

1. Qualifications: Officers, Section Councillor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Section for at least two years prior to nomination.

2. Ballot: The Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Section Councillor, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by mail 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. During the final year of the term of the current Secretary or Treasurer, the Nominating Committee shall nominate two candidates each for the Secretary or for the Treasurer, and for open positions of Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall notify the Secretary of the results not later than six months before the Regular Meeting, except under extraordinary circumstances. The Secretary shall provide the Section membership with a ballot, including space for write-in candidates, at least three weeks prior to the Regular Meeting. Ballots shall be returned, by mail or by hand, prior to the Executive Committee meeting at the Regular Meeting, to the 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 present and voting. The Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Executive Committee at their meeting and post the results at the Regular Meeting. The general membership shall be notified in a manner designated for official announcements.

4. Nomination and Election of the Section Councillor: Two years prior to the first year of the Section’s turn in the rotation established by the Council, the Section will elect a Section Councillor. The nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for this office, following the same procedure as that for election of officers of the Section and Members-at-large of the Executive committee. The Section Councillor shall serve for one year as a non-voting Council Observer and then for a term of four years as a voting member of the Council, except when a different term is specified by the Council.

5. Official Year: The official year shall extend from January 1 following the close of one Regular Meeting to December 31 following the close of the next Regular Meeting.

6. Vice-Chair, Chair-Elect and Chair: The member serving as Chair-Elect shall serve in that office for one year, 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. The Chair-Elect shall also serve as Program Chair for the Regular Meeting following election. The member elected as Vice-Chair shall serve one year in that office before becoming Chair-Elect in the year following his or her term of office. The Vice-Chair shall also serve ex-officio (non-voting) on the award committees of the section, along with other award committee members appointed by the section chair.

7. Terms of Office: The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, and the Section Councillor shall begin on January 1 following the close of the Regular Meeting of the Section following their election. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve for a term of five years, with election years staggered so that both are not elected in the same year. 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 a Section Councillor shall be four years.

8. 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. If vacancy occurs in the office of Chair-Elect, the Vice-Chair shall complete the term and serve as Chair-Elect also in the following year.

   If a vacancy occurs in the office of Vice-Chair, a special election shall be held to fill that office. The member elected shall then serve in the normal succession.

   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 the members of the Executive Committee, plus one member appointed by the Council. The Chair shall ascertain through the APS Executive Officer the identity of this member. The Nominating Committee shall direct the Secretary in the preparation of a slate of candidates for Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, and Section Councillor, according to Article VII.3, 4 and 7 of these Bylaws.

2. Program Committee: The Program Committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect and at least four additional members of his or her choosing. The Program Committee shall be responsible for organizing the sessions for papers to be presented at the Regular Meeting.

3. Award Committees: The Award Committees shall each consist of the Vice-Chair, as specified in Article VII.6, and three members appointed by the Section Chair. Duties of each award committee will be to select awardees from among those candidates nominated by the members of the section.

4. 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. Regular Meeting: One meeting of the Section, 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 Executive Board. Whenever it shall be feasible and not to the disadvantage of the members of the Section, 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 Society as determined by the Executive Board. The registration fee for the Regular Meeting, when not held jointly with a Meeting of the Society, shall be fixed after consultation with the APS Executive Officer. Non-members of the Society shall pay a surcharge to be set each year by the Executive Board.

2. Annual Business Session: Each year the Section 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 Section shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session. A majority vote of those Section members present at the Business Session shall be sufficient for approval of actions which shall then be advisory to the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall post the agenda for the Business Session no later than the beginning of the Regular Meeting.

3. 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 prescribe the subject and character of the meeting, which may include limitations on the subject matter of submitted papers. The Secretary shall fix the deadline date for receipt of titles and abstracts in consultation with the APS 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 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 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 - Newsletter

The newsletter of the Section shall be provided by the Secretary to the membership of the Section in the spring and summer of each year. The primary purpose of the newsletter will be the announcements regarding the Regular Meeting, including the deadline for submission of papers, location of the meeting, housing and travel information, plus other information as directed by the Executive Committee. Election ballots will be included in the summer newsletter.

Article XII - Official Announcements

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

Article XIII - Procedure of Amendment of Bylaws

Proposal of the 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 the Council before further action can be taken. Following Council approval, the Secretary shall distribute copies of the proposed Amendment to all members of the Section not less than three weeks before the Regular Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. At the time of the next regular election, the Secretary 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.

Last amended 11/05