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American Society for Photobiology

Promoting the Photobiological Sciences

Constitution, Bylaws, Policies

CONSTITUTION

[BYLAWS] | [POLICIES] (updated: Sept 20, 2010)  

ARTICLE 1 (NAME)

The name of the Society shall be the AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR PHOTOBIOLOGY  

ARTICLE II (PURPOSE)

The purpose of the Society shall be:  
    1. To promote original research in photobiology. Photobiology is broadly defined to include all biological phenomena involving non-ionizing radiation. It is recognized that photobiological responses are the result of chemical and/or physical changes induced in biological systems by non-ionizing radiation.
 
    1. To facilitate the integration of different disciplines in the study of photobiology.
 
    1. To promote the dissemination of knowledge of photobiology.
 
    1. To provide information on the photobiological aspects of national and international problems
   

ARTICLE III (MEMBERSHIP)

Membership in the Society shall be open to persons who share the stated purpose of the Society and who have educational, research, or practical experience in photobiology or in an allied scientific field.  

ARTICLE IV (OFFICERS)

The officers of the Society shall be the President, President-Elect, the Immediate Past-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. The President-Elect shall serve a term of one year followed by one year as President and one year as Immediate Past-President. Presidents are limited to a single term. The Secretary serves a three-year term and may be re-elected for one additional term. The Treasurer is appointed from the membership by the Council for a three-year term and serves at the pleasure of the Council, and may be reappointed for additional terms.  

ARTICLE V (COUNCIL)

There shall be a Council responsible for the fulfillment of the scientific and business obligations of the Society. The officers, the Editor of Photochemistry and Photobiology, and twelve Councilors shall constitute this Council. Councilors shall be elected to provide representation from the major subdivisions of the Society. Councilors shall be chosen by the membership of the Society for a term of four years, three to be elected each year. No councilor shall be eligible for re-election until one year after the expiration of a four year term. The Editor will be elected by the Council for a five-year term and may be immediately eligible for re-election for one additional term. Council will also have an Associate Member for a term of two years. Associate council members will be elected by Associate members at the Mentoring Luncheon.  

ARTICLE VI (AFFILIATIONS)

The Society is empowered to affiliate with other organizations. Proposals for affiliation may be initiated by individual Members of the Council or by a petition to the Council signed by ten Members of the Society, and to become effective must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Council.  

ARTICLE VII (BYLAWS)

The provisions of the Constitution of the Society shall be carried out in accordance with the Current Bylaws of the Society.  

ARTICLE VIII (AMENDMENTS)

Amendments may be initiated by individual Members of the Council or by a petition to the Council signed by ten Members of the Society. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Council, must then be discussed at a subsequent business meeting of the Society and must finally be ratified in a mail ballot by two-thirds of those Members of the Society voting.  

ARTICLE IX (DISSOLUTION)

Dissolution of the Society for any cause shall be initiated by individual Members of the Council or by a petition to the Council signed by ten Members of the Society. Such motion or petition must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Council, must then be discussed at a subsequent business meeting of the Society and must finally be ratified in a mail ballot by two-thirds of those Members of the Society voting. Dissolution must be in accordance with the applicable regulations of the 1965 Internal Revenue Code, Section 506, or any amendments thereto. All funds and other assets of the Society, including any rights to funds, present or future, contingent or actual, shall be irrevocably assigned and transferred to any successor society which has among its principal purposes the encouragement, development and dissemination of knowledge in the biological or physical sciences, and has qualified as an exempt organization under Section 501 of the 1956 Internal Revenue Code. Such activities or any amendment thereto need not be the only propose of the successor society. The selection of the successor society must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Council and named in the Council's minutes and its Articles of Dissolution, but need not be named in the motion of petition for dissolution.  

AMENDMENT I

The wording of Article VIII notwithstanding, the section on amendments shall read: "Amendments may be initiated by individual Members of the Council or by a petition to the Council signed by ten Members of the Society. Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Council, and must finally be ratified in a ballot by two-thirds of those Members of the Society voting. Voting may be done by paper ballot (postal service or courier), or electronically (such as fax, email or ASP website). Approved amendments must be presented at the next business meeting of the Society."  

AMENDMENT II

The forgoing notwithstanding, the whole of ARTICLE IV shall be replaced by the following:  

"ARTICLE IV (OFFICERS)

The officers of the Society shall be the President, President-Elect, the Immediate Past-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. The President-Elect shall serve a term of two years followed by two years as President and two years as Immediate Past-President. Presidents are limited to a single term. The Secretary serves a four-year term and may be re-elected for one additional term. The Treasurer is appointed from the membership by the Council for a four-year term and serves at the pleasure of the Council, and may be reappointed for additional terms. The modified terms of office shall begin with the officer installation at the end of the Society's 2010 scientific and general business meeting."  

BYLAWS

[CONSTITUTION] [POLICIES] (updated: Aug 20, 2009)  

ARTICLE I (MEMBERSHIP)

   
    1. The membership of the Society shall consist of Members (including Charter Members), Emeritus Members, Sustaining Members and Associate Members.
 
    1. A person who shares the stated purpose of the Society and is eligible under Article III of the Constitution may be elected a Member. Only members in good standing shall have the right to vote and hold office. Charter Members are those who have been admitted to the Society and who have paid their dues for 1972.
 
    1. Emeritus Members. A member who has been a member of the society for 15 years and become retired may apply to Council for election to emeritus status. Emeritus Members have all the rights and privileges of Members, except for the receipt of printed journals, and pay no dues.
 
    1. Sustaining Members. Companies and individuals with demonstrated activity and beneficial interest in the field of Photobiology may be elected as Sustaining Members by vote of the Executive Committee. Sustaining Members may exhibit at the annual meeting without charge, but may vote or hold office only in the case of an individual who is otherwise qualified for membership.
 
    1. Associate Members. A person who shares the stated purpose of the Society and is either a student seeking a degree at an accredited educational institution or who is in postdoctoral training, may be elected an Associate Member. Associate members have all the rights and privileges of members, including complimentary online journal subscription.
   

ARTICLE II (MEETINGS)

The Society is authorized to hold scientific meetings, international, national, and regional. Council shall have the authority to schedule scientific ASP meetings. Meetings are to be held on a regular basis, at least every two years, taking into account meetings of sister societies, International Congresses or ad hoc circumstances. A business meeting shall be held in connection with the scientific meeting of the Society. Parliamentary procedures to be followed in the business meeting shall be those specified in "Robert's Rules of Order". Five percent of the Members, or 50, whichever is smaller shall constitute a quorum.  

ARTICLE III (DUES)

All fiscal affairs of the Society shall be conducted on the basis of a year beginning on September 1. Membership dues may be changed by the Council subject to approval at the next business meeting. Annual dues are payable on October 1st preceding the beginning of the fiscal year. Members who have not paid dues by December 1st will be notified and if they still have not paid by the first day of the new fiscal year they will be dropped from the mailing lists. Prior to the following April 1st, Members will be reinstated upon payment of dues, if in arrears on that date, they will be dropped from membership.  

ARTICLE IV (PUBLICATIONS)

The Society is empowered to publish or to enter into agreements with others to publish such journals and other publications (abstracts, reviews, newsletters, etc.) as may be authorized by a two-thirds majority vote of Council. Changes in the agreements which implement the publishing of a duly established journal or other organ may be authorized by a majority vote of the Council.  

ARTICLE V (DUTIES OF OFFICERS)

The President shall serve as Chair of the Council of the Society, appoint and charge (with approval of Council) Council Committees, preside over the business meeting and carry out other customary duties of the office. The Immediate Past-President shall carry out the duties of an absent or disabled President, but the President-Elect shall automatically succeed to the Presidency if it becomes vacant. The secretary is responsible for the minutes, updating the online constitution and by-laws when changes occur, and permanent historical records of the Society. The Treasurer is responsible for the financial accounts and fiscal integrity of the Society.  

ARTICLE VI (DUTIES OF THE COUNCIL)

The Council shall determine the policies of the Society in accordance with the Constitution and implement them in accordance with the Bylaws. It shall plan scientific meetings, authorize the expenditure of Society funds, and approve an annual audit of its finances. The Council shall fill a vacancy in the office of Secretary until the office can be filled by a regular election of the Society; and, in the event that the Presidency becomes vacant when there is no President-Elect, it shall elect one of its number as Acting President until a regularly elected President takes office. Interim vacancies among the Councilors may be filled by the Council until the next regular election of the Society. The Council shall elect the Editor of Photochemistry and Photobiology by a two-thirds majority vote. The Council may, if it deems necessary, appoint an Executive Secretary with appropriate compensation to assist in handling the affairs of the Society. The Council may, at its discretion, appoint an Executive Committee from its members and may delegate to this committee such powers as it sees fit. The Council shall meet, at the call of the President, at least twice a year, first, after the business meeting and, again shortly before the next such meeting. At the first meeting, the nominating committee shall be appointed. A new Council may conduct business before, but its actions become effective only after, the newly elected Council members take office. At the other regular meetings it shall consider changes in dues, amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws, and proposals for affiliation, and set the agenda for the business meeting. Newly elected Council members who have not yet taken office, are expected to attend the meeting before the business meeting, but may not vote. The council shall have the power to conduct other business by means of mail or via email, including email votes, providing we have a quorum and the vote is returned within the deadline set. Chairmen of all committees of Council must be chosen from Council. Nine voting Members of the Council shall constitute a quorum. The Council may apply for grants or secure donations for specific projects which are consistent with the purpose of the Society.  

ARTICLE VII (NOMINATING COMMITTEE)

The nominating committee shall consist of at least four members of the Council. The Immediate Past-President shall be chairman of this committee. It will be the responsibility of the nominating committee to prepare lists of nominees from the Members as described in Article VIII of the Bylaws and to ascertain the willingness of each nominee, if elected, to serve. It shall be the philosophy of the nominating committee to involve younger Members of both sexes in the administration of the Society, and to ensure the widest possible representation of the subdivisions of the Society.  

ARTICLE VIII (ELECTIONS)

Nominations for offices to become vacant shall be made by the nominating committee. Nominations may be made by ten Members in the form of signed petition or letters. In addition, a written statement by the nominee of willingness to serve must be received. In order that the names of persons so nominated may appear on the ballot, petitions or letters must be received by the chair of the nominating committee (the Past-President) before the Fall Council meeting. The final list of nominees arranged as a ballot, and containing more that one name for each vacancy to be filled, shall be mailed to the Members. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. The election of Councilors shall follow the same schedule as for the election of officers. The slate of the nominating committee shall contain at least one more name than the number of vacancies for both full and unexpired terms. Additional nominations for Councilor may be made by five members in the form of signed petition or letters. In addition, a written statement by the nominee of willingness to serve must be received. All Officers and Councilors shall take office at the end of the business meeting. On years in which the scientific meeting and associated business meeting are not held, terms of office shall begin on 1 July.  

ARTICLE IX (AMENDMENTS)

Amendments to the Bylaws shall be initiated according to the same procedures as amendments to the Constitution, except that a majority vote at the business meeting shall suffice for ratification.  

AMENDMENT I

The wording of Article IX notwithstanding, the section on amendments shall read: "Amendments to the Bylaws shall be subject to the same procedures as amendments to the Constitution."  

AMENDMENT II

The forgoing notwithstanding, the whole of ARTICLE VIII shall be replaced by the following:  

"ARTICLE VIII (ELECTIONS)

Nominations for offices to become vacant shall be made by the nominating committee. Additional nominations may be made by ten Members in the form of signed petition or letters. In addition, a written statement by the nominee of willingness to serve must be received. In order that the names of persons so nominated may appear on the ballot, petitions or letters must be received by the chair of the nominating committee (the Past-President) before the Fall Council meeting. The final list of nominees arranged as a ballot, and containing at least one name for each vacancy to be filled, shall be mailed to the Members. The candidate for each office receiving the highest number of votes will be elected. If there is not a clear winner for any given office (for example, in the case of a tie between the top two vote recipients), a run-off election will be held at the earliest available date. The election of Councilors shall follow the same schedule as for the election of officers. The slate of the nominating committee shall contain at least one name for each vacancy for both full and unexpired terms. Additional nominations for Councilor may be made by five members in the form of signed petition or letters. In addition, a written statement by the nominee of willingness to serve must be received. All elected Officers and Councilors shall take office at the end of the business meeting."  

POLICIES

[BYLAWS] [CONSTITUTION] Conflict of Interest Statement [PDF] Record Retention Policy [PDF] Whistleblower Policy [PDF] Code of Ethics Policy [PDF] Anti Harassment Policy