RULE I Membership

Section 1. Membership will be free until Jan 01, 2005. Annual membership dues shall be $50.00 in 2005 with an increase in 2006 to $60.00. Dues for students shall be $20.00 in 2005 with an increase in 2006 to $22.00. Dues of for-profit corporation members shall be $500.00 and dues of non-profit corporate members shall be $350. Members will receive a discount on their registration fees for all meetings of the Society.

Section 2. Bills for annual membership dues shall be mailed before October 30 preceding the year to which they apply, requesting payment to arrive not later than December 1. Second bills shall be mailed before the following March 1. Members whose dues are not paid will be kept on the membership list for one year. During the new annual billing cycle such members will receive bills for the unpaid dues of the current year plus dues for the following year. Members still in arrears on January 1 of this second annual billing cycle will be dropped from the membership list.

Section 3. Members desiring to terminate their membership in good standing shall submit resignations to reach the Treasurer not later than December 31 of the last year of membership. A former member who resigned in good standing will be reinstated upon request and payment of dues for the year in which the request is made. A former member whose membership was terminated not in good standing, will be reinstated upon request and payment of a penalty of $5.00 plus dues for the year of arrears plus dues for the year of reinstatement.

Section 4. Any person who joins the Society after June 30th of any year may elect to have membership start on January 1st of the following year by so indicating on the application.

Section 5. All of the publications of the Society issued during any calendar year for free distribution to the members shall be mailed to each member of the Society who pays dues for that year insofar as copies of the publications are still in print at the time of payment, unless they elect not to receive them.

Section 6. Annual dues may be waived by vote of Council for a full member or a former full member who resigned in good standing who notifies the Treasurer in writing of current unemployment. A former member whose membership was terminated not in good standing may, by vote of Council, be reinstated with dues in arrears waived if the former member notifies the Treasurer in writing that failure to pay dues was the result of unemployment. A separate notification and a new vote of Council must be made for each subsequent year for which dues are to be waived. A member whose dues are so waived shall retain all the rights of membership.

Section 7. A member who has retired from regular employment will be classed as a retired member upon notifying the Treasurer on retirement. The dues for a retired member shall be $30.00 in 2005 with an increase to $32.00 in 2006. A retired member shall retain all the rights of membership.

RULE II: Meetings

Section 1. Meetings shall be held at such times and places as designated by the Council. Notices of all meetings of the Society shall be mailed or emailed to the membership a reasonable time in advance.

Section 2. A business meeting shall be held at least once a year in connection with a scientific meeting of the Socie ty. Due notice of this meeting shall be given to the membership.

Section 3. At all meetings of members for the transaction of business, a quorum shall consist of one-third of the members or one hundred members, whichever shall be less, present in person or represented by proxy, except as otherwise provided by law.

Section 4. All questions that must be referred to the whole membership, including election of officers and amendment of the Constitution, shall be decided by closed ballot at a meeting that is called for this purpose by an announcement and accompanying ballot and proxy form mailed to all members not less than six weeks prior to that meeting. The ballot-and-proxy form shall constitute a proxy when executed and returned by a member who will not attend the meeting in person, and it shall appoint the Secretary (or designated alternate) as the member’s proxy to attend the meeting and to vote the ballot as the member has indicated thereon. The ballots shall be opened and the votes counted at the meeting.

Section 5. Any business meeting not held in conjunction with a scientific meeting shall be limited to the business specified in the proxy that shall have been mailed to all members prior to that meeting.

Section 6. If a re-vote is necessary as provided in Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution, then, whether or not those present in person are sufficient in number to constitute a quorum, the meeting must be recessed to a later time to allow announcements and new ballot-and-proxy forms to be sent out to the whole membership and returned in the interim.

RULE III: Committees

Section 1. The committees of the Society shall be: (a) the Nominating Committee, (b) Standing Committees and (c) Temporary Committees.

Section 2. Standing Committees shall be those whose functions are of a more permanent nature, and shall be listed in the Rules, Section 6 below. These Committees shall report and, if necessary, make recommendations to the Council. While the investigative competence of the Standing Committees are unlimited, they are not to take actions involving the Society funds or prestige, nor use the Society name to solicit funds, nor commit the membership or the officers of the Society to a course of action without the approval of the Council.

Section 3. Each Standing Committee shall have at least three members, selected by the Council. Members of Standing Committees shall each serve for a period of three years and shall be eligible for re-election. The chair shall be chosen by the Council from among members. In the case of the formation of a new Standing Committee the initial members shall be appointed by the Council for two, three and four years.

Section 4. In the case of a vacancy on any Standing Committee, the remaining members of the Committee may, with the approval of the President, appoint another member to fill the unexpired term.

Section 5. Standing Committees may appoint subcommittees to assist them when necessary.

Section 6. The Standing Committees of the Society shall be established by the Council in response to perceived ongoing needs. The Chairs of these committees will serve on the Council. The Standing Committees will be the

1. The Scientific Advisory Committee.It is clear that this society is an interdisciplinary community. Consequently, it is key that the activities of the Society and its Council be able to gain the benefit of consultation with the distinguished scientists of its constituent fields. These individuals, of international reputation, will offer advice to the Council on various issues, especially those related to the scientific activities of the Society. Members will serve for a period of three years, and will be eligible for reappointment. The Chair is appointed by the council. The president and vice president are members ex officio.
2. The Awards Committee.This committee consists of a Chair and at least two other members. The chair is appointed by the Council. The primary task of this committee is to oversee awards and prizes given under the auspices of the Society. The Chair is appointed by the council.

Section 7. All committees whose functions are of a limited nature only shall be classed as Temporary Committees and shall be appointed by the President. Any such Committee shall cease to exist immediately following its final report at a business meeting of the Society, or at the end of the calendar year in which it is appointed, whichever is sooner, unless another term is specified at the time of the appointment.

RULE IV: Special Interest Groups

Section 1. Special Interest Groups may be established by the Council on the petition of a group of members in good standing.

Section 2. The activities of a Special Interest Group may include, but are not limited to, organizing sessions at the scientific meetings of the Society and organizing business meetings of their members.

Section 3. Any member of the Society may become a member of one or more Special Interest Groups by notifying the Secretary of the Society.

Section 4. Each Special Interest Group shall adopt its own by- laws which shall take effect as soon as the by-laws are approved by the Council of the Society. In any question of interpretation, the by-laws of the Society shall take precedence over those of the Special Interest Group.

Section 5. Special Interest Groups shall elect their officers at the same time as the election of the Society’s officers. If the chair of any Special Interest Group is unable to act, the President may appoint a replacement to act until the next election.

Section 6. No officer or member of a Special Interest Group shall take action involving the Society’s funds or prestige, nor use the Society’s name to solicit funds, nor commit the membership or officers of the Society to a course of action without the prior approval of the Council of the Society.

RULE V: Election of Officers

Section 1. Ballot-and-proxy forms naming the nominees for officers and nominees for officers of Special Interest Groups shall be mailed to the membership during September. In order to be included on the ballot, properly qualified nominations from the membership shall be received by the Secretary not later than August 15.

RULE VI: Affiliated Groups of the Society

Section 1. Each Affiliated Group (see Constitution, Article III, Section 3) shall appoint a representative and pay an annual membership fee of twice the individual membership dues. The representative shall receive all Society mailings and keep the members of the Affiliated Group informed on Society matters. The regular Society notices shall contain such news of Affiliated Groups as is supplied by their representatives, suitably edited by the Society Secretary.

RULE VII: Amendments

Section 1. An amendment to these Rules may be proposed either by the Council or by any member with the approval of a second by some other member.

Section 2. These Rules may be amended or suspended by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the members present in person or by proxy at any duly announced meeting of the Society.