ARTICLE 1.0 - Name
The Society is known as the American Society for Composites (ASC).
ARTICLE 2.0 - Objectives
The objectives of the Society are to:
2.1 Provide a communication forum
for the engineering and scientific community in composite materials. (Composite
materials are here defined as reinforced materials containing at least two
phases: a reinforcing phase and a matrix phase.)
2.2 Promote the growth of knowledge
from interdisciplinary engineering and scientific research in composite
materials.
All such activities will be
conducted exclusively to further education and charitable purposes within the
meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1954, and. if the
Society is dissolved, any remaining assets will be distributed to another
organization that is, exempt under the foregoing Code Section.
ARTICLE 3.0 - Membership
Membership grades and corresponding qualifications are as follows:
3.1 Student Member-Any student
enrolled full time in an undergraduate or graduate science or engineering
curriculum in a college or university of recognized standing.
3.2 Member-Any person who holds a
bachelor s degree in science or engineering from a college or university of
recognized standing, or who has equivalent qualifications through professional
practice, and is interested in the objectives of the Society.
3.3 Fellow of the Society-Any member
of the Society who has been active in composite materials technology for at
least 15 years and has made a significant contribution to the advancement of
that technology. Nominations for this grade will be made to the Awards
Committee as provided for in Article 5.2 of the By-Laws.
3.4 Founding Member-Any member
submitting a formal application for membership before January 1, 1987.
3.5 Corporate Membership-Any
corporation interested in the objectives of the Society. Corporate members may
designate personnel to represent their membership, with the number of
representatives determined by the size of the corporation (up to a maximum of
four).
Any person (or corporation) may
apply for membership by completing an ASC membership Application. All
applications will be considered by the Membership Committee as provided for in
Article 5.1 of the By-Laws.
ARTICLE 4.0 - Officers and Executive Committee
4.1 The officers consist of a
President, a Vice President. a Recording Secretary, a Membership Secretary, a
Treasurer, and an Editor, who are elected from the general body of the
membership and serve for a period of two (2) years. After the two-year term,
the Vice President automatically becomes President for the next term of office.
4.2 The governing body of the
Society is the Executive Committee (defined in Article 4.3 of the
Constitution). Members of the Executive Committee serve without pay.
4.3 The Executive Committee consists
of the officers of the Society. the most recent living Past-President of the
Society, the Founding President, the Chairperson of each division and local
chapter of the Society defined in Articles 8.0 and 9.0 of the Constitution),
and two Members-at-large elected by the Society. Division and chapter chairs
are non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
4.4 The terms of the officers and
the Members-at-large are two years. The terms start on January 1 of the year
after their election and end on December 31 of the year their terms of office
expire. The President, Vice President, and Members-at-large may not serve more
than one consecutive term in the same elected position.
4.5 The Executive Committee is the
legal representative of the Society. It has the power to expend or invest
Society funds but may not incur indebtedness beyond the assets of the Society.
It has the authority to interpret the Constitution and By-Laws and to transact all business of the
Society not otherwise provided for specifically in the Constitution and
By-Laws.
ARTICLE 5.0 - Nomination and Election of Officers
5.1 Before an election. a Nominating
Committee consisting of three members of the Society will be appointed by the
president. The President will designate one of the members to act as
Chairperson.
5.2 The Nominating Committee will
report to the Recording Secretary of the Society (a) one nominee for each of
the offices named in Article 4.1 of this Constitution and (b) at least two
nominees for membership-at-large on the Executive Committee as required by
Article 4.3 of this Constitution. Resumes of all nominees will be made
available to members. Before the election, the Recording Secretary will inform
the members of the nominees submitted by the Nominating Committee. For a period
of forty-five (45) days following the date of such notification, additional
nominees may be named by petition forwarded to the Recording Secretary and
signed by at least fifteen (15) members. Upon receipt of the petition and after
acceptance of the nomination by the nominee, the recording Secretary will add
such names to the ballot.*
5.3 At least ninety (90) days before
an election is to be held, the Recording Secretary will forward to members a
complete ballot, prepared as provided in Article 5.2. The ballot will, in
addition, contain a notice that the voter may vote for any qualified persons
other than the listed nominees; spaces will be provided for recording such
votes. Ballots will be returned to the Recording Secretary and, to be valid, must
be postmarked not later than thirty (30) days before the election is to be
held. Voting for more than one nominee for any one office will invalidate an
entire ballot.
5.4 The Recording Secretary- will
transmit the unopened ballots to an Election Committee appointed by the
President, as provided in Article 5.4 of the By-Laws. This Committee will meet
at a time and place directed by the President and open and count all ballots
cast by members in good standing. The candidates who receive the highest number
of votes cast for the several offices will be declared elected. The results of
the election as determined by the Election Committee will be announced by the
President at the Annual Meeting or reported to the members of the Society by
the Recording Secretary. If there is a tie vote, the President will order a
ballot to be taken to decide which of the candidates who have received the same
number of votes will be chosen: ballots will be returned within thirty (30)
days.
ARTICLE 6.0 - Meetings
6.1 The Society will hold an Annual
Meeting to conduct technical sessions and to transact business.
6.2 Additional meetings may be held
as determined by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 7.0 - Reports
At the Annual Meeting, the Recording
Secretary will report to the membership on Society activities the Membership
Secretary will report the number of active members in the Society, and the
Treasurer will report on the financial status of the Society. Abstracts of
these reports will be sent to the membership and printed in the newsletter.
ARTICLE 8.0 - Divisions
8.1 The Executive Committee may,
upon petition by members of the Society, form a division within the Society
charged with advancing and disseminating knowledge in a specific subject
area(s) in or relating to composites technology. The Executive Committee will
have the power to review and to approve or disapprove the By-Laws and the
definitions of areas of interest proposed for the divisions.
8.2 The officers of each division
will be a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and a Secretary-Treasurer, who will
be elected or will assume their posts as provided by the division By-Laws. Each
division will have a council consisting of the officers and other members
elected by the division. The Secretary-Treasurer will keep the Executive
Committee informed of the activities and needs of the division.
8.3 The times and places of division
meetings will be chosen in consultation with the Executive Committee.
8.4 The Executive Committee may
dissolve a division "for cause."
ARTICLE 9.0 - Chapters
9.1 Members living in any region
may, with the approval of the Executive Committee, organize a local chapter to
more actively further the objectives of the Society as stated in Article 2.0.
The Executive Committee will have the power to review and to approve or
disapprove the By-Laws proposed for the chapters.
9.2 The times and places of chapter
meetings will be chosen in consultation with the Executive Committee.
9.3 The Executive Committee may
dissolve a local chapter "for cause."
ARTICLE 10.0 - Financial Obligations
The Society will meet its financial
obligations through membership fees; profits from conference. workshop, and
symposia registration fees: contributions: and special fund-raising programs.
ARTICLE 11.0 - Amendments to the Constitution
The Constitution may be amended
according to the following procedure:
11.1 The Executive Committee
proposes the amendment to the membership.
11.2 A letter ballot is sent to the
membership by the Recording Secretary.
11.3 The amendment is approved by
two-thirds (2/3) of those voting.
11.4 Approved amendments become
effective immediately on certification of approval by the Recording Secretary
to the Executive Committee and the members.
11.5 All future revisions of the
Constitution shall be done by amendment rather than by revising the wording in
the original document. Such amendments shall be numbered and dated according to
the date of approval by the membership, and shall appear in chronological order
following the original document. (Approved by vote of the members, April 9, 2004.)
FOOTNOTES -
*As of the date of membership approval on August 31, 2002, "ballot" is to be
interpreted as "electronic ballot."
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Amendment 1 to Constitution Article 5.2
Effective July
25, 2007 the fourth sentence in
Article 5.2 shall be revised to read
For a period of fifteen
(15) days following the date of such notification, additional nominees may be
named by petition forwarded to the Recording Secretary and signed by at least
fifteen (15) members. (Approved by vote of the members, July 25, 2007.)
Amendment 1 to Constitution Article 5.3
Effective July
25, 2007
the first sentence in
Article 5.3 shall be revised to read
At least thirty (30) days
before an election is to be held, the Recording Secretary will forward to
members a complete ballot, prepared as provided in Article 5.2. (Approved by
vote of the members, July
25, 2007.)
Amendment 2 to Constitution Article 5.3
Effective July
25, 2007 the third sentence in
Article 5.3 shall be revised to read
Ballots will be returned to
the Recording Secretary and, to be valid, must be dated not later than fifteen
(15) days before the election is to be held. (Approved by vote of the members, July 25, 2007.)
Amendment 1 to Constitution Article 5.4
Effective July
25, 2007 the last sentence in
Article 5.4 shall be revised to read
If there is
a tie vote, the President will order a ballot to be taken to decide which of
the candidates who have received the same number of votes will be chosen:
ballots will be returned within fifteen
(15) days. (Approved
by vote of the members, July
25, 2007.)
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