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Article I - Governing Board
of Directors
& Election of Officers
Section 1: The Governing
Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the President-Elect,
the Secretary-Treasurer, the Immediate Past-President, and three At-Large
Directors.
Section 2: The President, the
President-Elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be Full Members elected
by ballot by a majority of the Full Members voting. Each of these officers
will be elected for two years, with the term beginning in conjunction with
the annual meeting of the Society. After the completion of the term, the
President-Elect shall automatically assume the role of President and the
President shall assume the role of the Immediate Past-President. The
Secretary-Treasurer may be re-nominated for election.
Section 3: Two At-Large
Directors shall be elected by a majority of the Full Members voting.
Their term of office shall be three years after their election at the
annual meeting.
Section 3.1: A "Webmaster" shall be elected by a majority of the
full members voting. Their term of office shall be two years after their
election at the annual meeting and the officer holding this position may
run for multiple consecutive terms.
Section 4: Nominations for
all elected offices shall be made by a committee of three Full Members,
consisting of the Immediate Past-President, and two other Full Members,
designated by the Board. At least one candidate shall be nominated for each
of the offices. The
ballot shall provide a space for a write-in candidate for each office.
Should vacancies in any office occur, the Board shall hold a ballot to
elect a Full member to fill that office for the un-expired term.
Article II - Duties of
Officers
Section 1: President: The
President shall preside over all meetings of the Society and the Governing
Board and shall be an Ex-Officio member off all committees and shall
perform the duties of such office. The President shall have no vote in the
Governing Board except in cases where a tie vote exists.
Section 2: President-Elect:
The President-Elect shall preside at meetings in the absence of the
President, and shall succeed to the duties and office of the President
should that office be vacated prior to the next election. The
President-Elect shall be the Chair of the Program Committee for all
scientific sessions sponsored by the Society.
Section 3: Secretary-Treasurer:
The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve the Society under the general
direction of the Board. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record minutes of
all the meetings, conduct balloting by mail, collect dues and fees, issue
receipts for dues and fees when needed, draw vouchers, pay bills and
expenses, and arrange for safekeeping and audit of the funds of the
Society. The Secretary-Treasurer shall submit an audited financial
statement at each annual meeting and perform such other duties as may be
necessary for the conduct of this office.
Article III - Duties and
Powers
of the Governing Board
Section 1: The Board shall
have the duties and powers ordinarily delegated to the governing body of a
corporation. Those responsibilities are given by the Articles of
Incorporation.
Section 2: The Board shall
also have the following additional duties:
- The Board shall make an annual report to the Society concerning its
work and activities and shall make such interim reports as are
necessary and advisable.
- The Board shall exercise its stated authority in promoting and
attaining the objectives of the Society.
Article IV - Membership
Section 1: Full Members of
the Society must have one of the following: 1) a professional medical
degree (DVM, MD, DDS, or degrees considered equivalent by the Board), 2) a
Ph.D. or M.S. degree in one of the biological sciences, or 3) recognition
by the Board as an active scientific contributor to comparative
gastroenterology. Each member must be actively engaged in
gastroenterology. Full Members must renew membership annually.
Section 2: Training Members
must be students in a veterinary school recognized by the American
Veterinary Medical Association, students enrolled in medical or dental
professional school, students actively pursuing the M.S. or Ph.D. degree
in one of the biological sciences, or interns or residents in a veterinary
clinical specialty field. Training members pay reduced annual dues, and
must renew membership annually. Training members are not eligible to vote
or hold office in the Society.
Section 3: Affiliate Members
must currently reside in countries other than the United States of
America, and must meet the eligibility requirements of Full Members.
Affiliate members are exempt from paying due, but may not vote, hold
office in the Society, or sponsor research grant applicants. Affiliate
members must renew membership annually.
Section 4: Honorary Members
may be chosen as an award to persons who have made an outstanding
contribution to comparative gastroenterology. The Governing Board shall
receive nominations for Honorary Membership and the Board shall cast a
majority vote in favor of a nominee before granting Honorary Membership.
The nominator shall present a letter supporting the nominee and a copy of
the nominee’s curriculum vitae.
Article V - Meetings
Section 1: The regular meetings of the Board and the Society
shall be held annually at the time and place designated by the Board.
Special meetings may be called by the President and shall be called by the
President upon recommendation of a majority of the Board. Meetings of the
Society shall be announced by mail to the entire membership not less than
sixty days prior to the stated time of the meeting.
Article VI - Dues and Fees
Section 1: The dues shall be as
follows: Full members - an amount proposed by the Board and approved by
members; Training members - an amount less than that required of full
members, proposed by the Board and approved by the members; Affiliate and
Honorary members - none.
Section 2: Upon application to the
Secretary-Treasurer, a member who has maintained membership in the Society
for 25 years shall not pay due thereafter.
Section 3: Dues shall become
payable January 1 of each year to the Secretary-Treasurer. A member will
become delinquent six months after due date and shall then be removed from
membership.
Section 4: All new and renewal
applications for membership shall be accompanied by the current annual
dues.
Article VII - Discipline
The Board shall, upon presentation of proper cause, have authority to
recommend censure, suspension, or cancellation of any membership. Such
recommendations become effective by majority vote of Full Members.
Article VIII - Dissolution
In case of dissolution of the Society, the assets of the Society shall
be given to the American Veterinary Medical Association Foundation.
Article IX - Conduct of
Business
Section 1: A quorum of the Board
shall consist of a simple majority exclusive of the President.
Section 2: The By-laws, with the
exception of Section 1 of this Article, may be suspended at any meeting of
the Society by consent of two-thirds of the Full Members present.
Section 3: Robert’s Rules of
Order shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the Society and the
Board.
Article X - Amendments
Section 1: Proposed amendments to these By-laws shall first be
submitted to the Board for recommendation. Any proposed amendment with the
recommendation of the Board shall be submitted to all Full Members by
mail. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Full Members shall be
required for the adoption of the amendment.
Article XI - Ratification
These Articles of Incorporation and By-laws shall be considered to be
ratified thirty (30) days after receipt of a seventy-five percent (75%)
vote of approval from the Members of the Society.
The Comparative Gastroenterology Society was organized and constituted
April 13, 1970, at Denver, Colorado.
- This organizing committee consisted of:
K.P. Altera
N.V. Anderson
C.E. Cornelius
M.A. Custer
W.F. Jackson
- These articles of Incorporation and By-laws were revised and
approved by the Society membership on July 1, 1995. The constitutional
review committee consisted of:
Donna S. Dimski
David A. Williams
Dorothy P. Laflamme
Alfred M. Merritt
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