CONSTITUTION & BY-LAWS

CONSTITUTION

Article I. Name, Organization, and Purpose
Article II. Membership
Article III. Officers and Elections
Article IV. Amendments

BY-LAWS

Article I. President
Article II. President-Elect
Article III. Secretary
Article IV. Treasurer
Article V. Information Officer

Article VI. Councilor
Article VII. Registered Agent

Article VIII. Historian
Article IX. Executive Board
Article X. Membership Application
Article XI. Dues
Article XII.
Article XIII.
Article XIV.
Article XV. Meetings

Article XVI. Committees

Article XVII. Student Chapters
Article XVIII. Local or Regional Chapters

Constitution

Article I. Name, Organization, and Purpose

Section 1. NAME
This Society shall be called the Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Ltd. (STVM). It is referred to hereinafter as the Society.

Section 2. ORGANIZATION
This Society is incorporated under the laws of the State of Maryland as a nonprofit educational organization. The society, originally founded in 1978, was formed from the American Society of Tropical Veterinary Medicine. The term for which it is organized shall be perpetual. However, in the event of the dissolution of the Society, its property shall be distributed for educational purposes within the provisions of Section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 3. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Society shall be the international advancement of tropical veterinary medicine, hygiene, and related disciplines.

 

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Article II. Membership

Section 1. CHARTER MEMBERS
All members in good standing as of the date of renaming the American Society of Tropical Veterinary Medicine become charter members of the Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine upon payment of the biennial dues.

Section 2. CATEGORIES
There shall be four categories of members: Active, Emeritus, Student, and Honorary.

Section 3. ACTIVE MEMBERS
Individuals interested in any phase of tropical medicine, hygiene, and related scientific disciplines may be proposed for Active Membership and may be elected as provided in the By-Laws of the Society (Article X).

Section 4. EMERITUS MEMBERS
Active Members (BY-LAWS, Article XI), who have retired, may, with their consent, be designated Emeritus Member by the Executive Board. Emeritus Members shall not pay dues, but shall have all other rights and privileges of Active Members of the Society.

Section 5. STUDENT MEMBERS
A Student Member shall have all the rights and privileges of an Active Member, except the right to hold office. Student status must be certified by an Official of their Educational Institution upon application, and annually thereafter. Upon graduation or other termination of student status, the student may apply for Active Membership.

Section 6. HONORARY MEMBERS
Any individual of good moral character who has achieved eminence in tropical veterinary medicine may be nominated for election as an Honorary Member. Nomination and sponsorship are to be submitted to the Executive Board with biographical information and qualifications. Nomination shall require the support of two Active Members. The Executive Board shall identify qualified candidates and present biographical information to the voting membership.

Upon receiving a majority vote of the Executive Board, the nomination shall be submitted to the voting membership at the time of the regular election of officers. Election requires a 2/3 affirmative vote of the ballots cast. Honorary Members shall not pay dues, but shall have all other rights and privileges of Active Members of the Society.

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Article III. Officers and Elections

Section 1. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Society shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Information Officer, the immediate Past President and four Councilors. All Officers shall be voting members and shall be elected except the Information Officer who will be appointed by the Executive Board. Any voting member is eligible for election or appointment to office. The President, President-Elect, immediate Past President, Secretary and Treasurer shall constitute the Executive Board in which the government of the Society shall be vested.

The President-Elect shall be elected by the voting membership for a term of two years. At the end of this term, the President-Elect shall become President of the Society for the ensuring two years. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected at alternate biennial elections for terms of four years. Two Councilors shall be elected by the Society biennially, and each shall serve a term of four years.

Terms of Officers and the 1st Executive Board meeting shall begin at the close of the biennial meeting. If the Presidency becomes vacant, the immediate Past President shall become President for the remainder of the unexpired term. In the event that the President-Elect is unable to serve, the office devolves to the candidate receiving the next largest number of votes. The Executive Board will fill other vacancies by appointing Active Members to complete the unexpired terms.

Any officer (except the Secretary and Treasurer) having been elected to one full term or appointed to fill a vacancy in an unexpired term may be elected for one additional term. At the completion of this second term, the officer is not eligible for re-election or appointment to any office for at least one year. The Secretary and Treasurer may succeed themselves for more than two terms of service.

Section 2. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS
At their 1st meeting the Executive Board shall appoint a Nominating Committee. By June of the next year, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Secretary the names and biographical sketches of nominees for each Office to be filled.

At least six months prior to the biennial meeting, the Secretary shall send a ballot to each member eligible to vote. Valid ballots must be received by the Secretary by the specified deadline. Ballots will be counted by the Secretary and verified by a second Officer. Candidates will be notified of the election results at least two months prior to the biennial meeting. Officers will be recognized at the biennial meeting.

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Article IV. Amendments

Section 1
Amendments to this Constitution and By-Laws may be adopted by the Society upon approval by a majority of the Executive Board and upon a 2/3 affirmative vote of ballots cast, and subject to the following conditions:

Proposed amendments must be in writing and signed by at least five voting members of the Society.

Signed proposed amendments must be forwarded to the Secretary.

The Secretary will provide the amendment to the other Executive Board members for review and vote.

Procedures for mailing and validating Executive Board-approved amendments shall be the same as for election ballots cited under Article III, Section 2.

 

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By-Laws

Article I. President
The duties of the President shall be those regularly devolving on the chief executive officer. The President shall preside at meetings of the Executive Board and the Society, appoint committees as provided in the By-Laws, and deliver a State-of-the-Society address at the biennial meeting.

Article II. President-Elect
The President-Elect shall a) succeed the President at the biennial meeting immediately after the Business Meeting except as noted in Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution; b) preside at meetings of the Society in the absence of the President; c) serve as Chairperson of the biennial meeting; and d) serve as Chairperson of the Site Selection Committee.

Article III. Secretary
The Secretary shall a) handle the correspondence and membership records of the Society and collect dues, as directed by the Executive Board; b) attend and record the minutes of meetings; and c) be the custodian of all non fiscal records of the Society.

Article IV. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the finances of the Society. As directed by the Executive Board, the Treasurer shall a) receive Society funds; b) pay bills and issue receipts; c) keep records of all transactions; d) arrange for safekeeping of Society funds; and e) submit an annual statement of financial affairs to the Executive Board. The financial records shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Board and the Financial Review Committee (Article XVI).

Article V. Information Officer
The Information Officer shall collect news and information and prepare the newsletter at least annually. The newsletter will be sent to the Executive Committee for review and approval and to the Secretary for distribution to the membership. The Information Officer shall maintain the Society's Home Page.

Article VI. Councilor
Councilors will provide advice and council to the Executive Board.
Article VII. Registered Agent
The Registered Agent, a resident of Maryland, serves as the official contact person for the Society with the Maryland Department of Taxation and Assessment. The Registered Agent should be a member of the Society and is appointed by the Executive Board and is responsible to the Treasurer.

Article VIII. Historian
The Historian, a voting member appointed by the Executive Board, compiles and catalogues the archival records of the Society.

Article IX. Executive Board
The Executive Board shall manage the Society's affairs and direct its business. It shall a) initiate and coordinate the work of committees; b) approve the expenditure of funds; c) review the financial status of the Society annually; and d) review the Constitution at the biennial meeting to clarify duties and responsibilities and discuss the need for adjustments.

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Article X. Membership Application
Applications for membership shall be made on the official application form and sent to the Secretary with biennial membership dues.

Article XI. Dues
Dues for Active and Student Members of the Society shall be determined by the Executive Board. Changes in the dues shall require approval of 2/3 of the Executive Board and 2/3 affirmative vote of ballots cast by voting members. Dues will be collected on a biennial basis and shall become payable January 1 and shall be remitted to the Treasurer. Dues received with a new member application during the 4th quarter of the year will be applied to the subsequent calendar year.

A person who fails to pay dues for six months after the due date shall be designated not in good standing and shall not be eligible to vote or hold office until the arrears and the ensuing two year's dues are paid in full. Persons whose dues are in arrears for two full years will be disassociated from the Society after due notice has been given. Persons who have lost their membership status may be reinstated with approval of the Executive Board after payment of arrears as well as the ensuing two year's dues.

Article XII.
The corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes, within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future federal tax code).

Article XIII.
No part of the net earnings of the corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its members, trustees, directors, officers or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distribution in furtherance in 501 (c) (3) purposes. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these articles, the corporation shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) (30 of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future federal tax code), or (b) by any corporation, contributions to which are tax deductible under 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or corresponding section of any future federal tax code).

Article XIV.
Upon dissolution of this corporation assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal revenue Code, i.e. charitable, educational, religious or scientific, (or corresponding section of any future federal tax code), or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government for public purposes.

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Article XV. Meetings

Section 1. EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
The Executive Board shall meet annually. The Executive Board shall determine the time and place for the annual meeting. In alternate years the Executive Board meeting shall be held at the Society's biennial meeting. A summary of the minutes will be distributed to the general membership.

Section 2. BIENNIAL MEETING
The Society shall hold a biennial Scientific and Business Meeting. The time and place of the meeting shall be recommended by the Site Selection Committee and approved by the Executive Board. The time and place of the meeting shall be announced to members at least 12 months prior to the meeting. The Society's biennial business meeting shall be held as the last officially scheduled event of the biennial meeting, and no other event shall be scheduled for the same time period. A quorum shall consist of ten percent of the members eligible to vote who are in good standing and have registered for and are attending the annual meeting. In the conduct of the business sessions, Robert's Rules of Order shall be the guide; at the beginning of each session the President shall appoint a member to serve as Parliamentarian. A summary of the minutes of the biennial meeting shall be published and distributed to the general membership with the next mailing.

Article XVI. Committees
The President shall appoint a Nomination Committee (3 members), a Scientific Program Committee (Chaired by the President-Elect), a Financial Review Committee (2 non-officer members) and a biennial meeting Site Selection Committee (Chaired by the President-elect).

Article XVII. Student Chapters
Organizations of students in a college or university may be affiliated with the Society as a student chapter. Eligible students shall include all full-time students who exhibit an interest in tropical veterinary medicine. Affiliation shall be recognized by an official charter signed by the President and Secretary of the Executive Board.

Each student chapter may determine its own objectives and rules, and may elect its own officers. The constitution and by-laws of an affiliated student chapter shall generally conform to the constitution and by-laws of the Society, as verified by the Society Membership Committee. Liaison between student chapters and the Society will be via the Membership Committee.

Recognition by the Society of a student chapter does not imply any financial responsibility by the Society to or for the student chapter.

Article XVIII. Local or Regional Chapters
Members of the Society may desire to form local or regional chapters. Affiliation shall be recognized by an official charter signed by the President and Secretary of the Executive Board.

Each local or regional chapter may determine its own objectives and rules, and may elect its own officers. The constitution and by-laws of an affiliated local or regional chapter shall generally conform to the constitution and by-laws of the Society, as verified by the Society Membership Committee. Liaison between local or regional chapters and the Society will be via the Membership Committee.

Recognition by the Society of a local or regional chapter does not imply any financial responsibility by the Society to or for the local or regional chapter.

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