AAAS Caribbean Division: 1984 Bylaws

[Approved by the AAAS Council on May 28, 1984]

Organization

Article 1. The Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science is authorized and constituted by Article XII, Section 1, of the Bylaws of the Association. The Division shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and such other rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Council of the Association. Beyond such general control, the governance of the Division shall be as set forth in these Bylaws.

Objectives

Article 2. The objectives of the Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are to further the work of scientists, to facilitate cooperation among them, to foster scientific freedom and responsibility, to improve the effectiveness of science in the promotion of human welfare, to increase public understanding and appreciation of the importance and promise of the methods of science in human progress, and to serve as a vehicle for communication and cooperation among scientific societies within the territory of the Division. The Caribean Division will participate in Interciencia and other scientific organizations through AAAS-established mechanisms.

Territory

Article 3. As referred to in these Bylaws, the Caribbean shall be understood to encompass all the islands and countries in or bordering on the Caribbean Sea, including Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Membership

Article 4. The membership of the Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science shall comprise the following categories: (a) regular members; (b) adjunct members. There shall also be the category of affiliated societies as stipulated in Article 5.

Regular members: Individuals living in the Caribbean region who are members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science shall be ipso facto members of the Caribbean Division without paying additional dues.

Adjunct members: Adjunct members are those members of the Division who are not members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They shall pay the applicable dues directly to the Division. Adjunct members shall enjoy the same rights and privileges as regular members, except that they shall not be eligible for election as President or Vice President of the Division and will not receive Science magazine. The total number of adjunct members shall not exceed 25 percent of the total membership of the Division.

Dues for the various membership categories shall be proposed by the Division's Executive Committee and approved by the membership at the annual business meeting.

Affiliated Societies

Article 5. It is the aim of the Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to foster the goals of science through formal cooperation with scientific societies in the Caribbean region. Bona fide Caribbean scientific societies shall be invited by the Executive Committee to become affiliated with the Division. Those societies which accept the invitation shall be known as affiliated societies of the Caribbean Division.

Officers

Article 6. (a) The elected officers of the Division shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, and four additional officers who, together wit the immediate past President, shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Division. (b) The President shall preside over the Executive Committee and the annual business meeting, and shall have the responsibility to coordinate the work of the Division and to represent it officially. Regular and adjunct members shall be eligible to hold office, except that adjunct members may not be elected President or Vice President. (c) Except as provided below, the term of each officer shall be two years or until a successor is elected and installed. Terms shall begin at the close of the annual business meeting at which the officer is installed. (d) Any vacancy shall be filled by the Executive Committee for the remainder of the unexpired term.

Meetings

Article 7. (a) Meetings of the Division shall be held at times and places designated by the Executive Committee, but shall not conflict with Association meetings. (b) The Division shall hold at least one general meeting annually for the consideration of technical and administrative matters and such special meetings as the Executive Committee may schedule and arrange. (c) A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting shall consist of 10 percent of the Division's membership. In the event a quorum is not obtained, a second meeting shall be convened, not sooner than one hour after the original meeting, at which a quorum of 5 percent of the Division's membership shall be sufficient. (d) Except as otherwise stipulated in these Bylaws, measures taken up at Division meetings, including the annual business meeting, shall be adopted by a simple majority of those present and voting.

Committees

Article 8. (a) The affairs of the Division shall be managed by the Executive Committee, which shall decide the time and place of meetings, arrangement of programs, appointment of special committees for various activities, etc. (b) A Nominating Committee of five members shall be elected by the Division members on an annual balloting, to serve for the following year. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for the elective offices of the Division and for the following year's Nominating Committee. Any member of the Division may submit to the Nominating Committee one or more candidates for any elective position.

Elections

Article 9. (a) Elections shall be conducted annually in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws. (b) At least 45 days prior to the annual meeting, the Nominating Committee shall mail to each member of the Division a ballot containing the names of candidates for each office. A space for write-in candidates shall be provided on the ballot for each office. Members shall mark their ballots and return them to the tellers prior to the closure of voting. Voting shall be closed one hour after the start of the Division's annual meeting. (c) The members of the Nominating Committee of the Division shall serve as tellers to receive and count the ballots and announce the votes. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected. The President may appoint a member of the Division not on the ballot as a substitute teller.

Annual Business Meeting

Article 10. In conjunction with the general meeting, the Division shall hold an annual business meeting or assembly to receive, consider, and approve resolutions and any reports from the President, other officers, and the Executive Committee, and from special committees; and to transact all other official business to assure the effective functioning of the Division.

Arrangement of Programs

Article 11. The Executive Committee shall arrange for all general sessions, public lectures, and general scientific programs of the Division, and shall retain general control of the publicity of the Division.

The Executive Committee may organize Sections to present programs.

For the purpose of the technical programs at the annual meetings of the Division, the Executive Committee may require that each paper listed in the official program be accompanied by an abstract of its contents, said abstract to be received at the office of the Division not less than one month in advance of the meeting.

Finances

Article 12. The Caribbean Division shall submit to the Board of Diretors of the AAAS its proposed annual budget for the following year, including estimates of all anticipated income and expenses. The AAAS Board shall review such proposed budget and allocate funds for those budget items in such amounts as it deems appropriate. Funds received from patrons* and from gifts, bequests, or other sources, may be invested as trust funds by the Executive Committee, and the income therefrom shall be expended for the purposes of the Division.

The Executive Committee shall have authority to maintan and administer special funds, such as local contributions for special purposes, moneys appropriated by affiliated societies, and other funds not named herein.

The Division's accounts shall be audited bi-annually by an outside auditor approved by the Executive Committee of the Caribbean Division.

Amendments to Bylaws

Article 13. Proposed amendments to these Bylaws shall be submitted to the Executive Committee in writing, and shall be submitted by letter ballot to the Division's membership by the Executive Committee. The adoption of such amendments shall require two-thirds of the votes cast.

Dissolution

Article 14. In the event of dissolution of the Division, any assets remaining thereafter shall be conveyed to the American Association for the Advancement of Science or, failing its existence, to an organization then existent dedicated to objectives similar to those of the Division and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; provided that the organization selected by the Executive Committee of the Division shall be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or under such successor provision of the Code as may be in effect at the time of the Division's dissolution.

*Any person or organization contributing to the Caribbean Division, American Association for the Advancement of Scienc the sum of one thousand dollars or more shall be designated a patron.

Appendix to the Bylaws of the Caribbean Division of AAAS

The Bylaws of the Caribbean Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science were adopted at the Organizational Assembly convened on November 17, 1983, at the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. At that Assembly, a Steering Commmittee (Juan A. Bonnet, Jr., Chairman, Lillian Haddock, Arturo Morales-Carrion, Manuel Gomez, Pablo Rodriguez, Wallace C. Koehler, Manuel Garcia-Morin, and Julio Lopez) was elected and the following organizational procedures were also adopted.

1. At the first election of officers (Bylaws, Article 6), the Secretary-Treasurer and two of the four additional officers shall be elected for one year only, in order to provide continuity to the Executive Committee.

2. The first Nominating Committee of five members (Bylaws, Article 8) shall be selected by vote of the Division members on a special ballot prepared by the Steering Committee and consisting of not less than five nor more than eight candidates.