Section 1 Eligibility for Membership
Section 2 Membership Categories
Section 3 Life Members
Section 4 Membership without Publications
Section 5 Compliance with Code of Ethics
Section 6 Failure to Pay Dues
Section 7 Membership Year
Section 8 International Members
Section 1 ASA Officers
Section 2 Committee on Nominations
Section 3 Timing of Annual Ballot
Section 4 Determining Election Outcome
Section 5 Executive Office Role
Section 6 Destruction of Ballots
Section 7 Council Authority
Section 8 Member Resolutions
Section 1 President
Section 2 Vice President
Section 3 Secretary
Section 4 Executive Officer
Section 5 Council
Section 6 Action Between Meetings
Section 7 Teleconfereing
Section 1 Committee on Publications
Section 2 Editors
Section 3 Editorial Boards
Section 4 Editor Responsibilities
Section 5 Rejection of Papers
Section 6 Publication of News and Notes
Section 1 Committee on Publications
Section 2 Committee on Nominations
Section 3 Program Committee
Section 4 Committee on Executive Office and Budget
Section 5 Committee on Sections
Section 6 Committee on Professional Ethics
Section 7 Committee on Awards
Section 8 Committee on Committees
Section 9 Committee Budgets
Section 10 Committee Reports
Section 11 Members of Committees
Section 1 Eligibility for Membership
Section 2 Section Bylaws
Section 3 Sections and Executive Office
Section 1 Annual Budget
Section 2 Budget Binding on Executive Office
Section 3 Annual Audit
Section 1 Requirements to Amend the Bylaws
Section 2 Proposal of Amendments
ARTICLE I.
The Association shall be known as the American Sociological Association.
ARTICLE II.
The objectives of the Association shall be to stimulate and improve
research, instruction, and discussion, and to encourage cooperative relations
among persons engaged in the scientific study of society.
ARTICLE III. Membership
Any persons interested in the objectives of said Association shall be
eligible for membership. The forms and conditions of membership are set forth
in the By-Laws, Article l.
ARTICLE IV.
Section 1. The officers of the Association directly elected by
the voting membership shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Past
President, a Vice-President, a Vice-President-Elect, a Past Vice-President, a
Secretary, and the members of the Council. The President-Elect and the
Vice-President-Elect shall serve for one year, and shall then automatically
become President and Vice-President respectively for one-year terms. The
Secretary shall be elected by the voting membership for a three-year term and
is ineligible for re-election. The Secretary-Elect shall serve for one full
year prior to the three-year term as Secretary, during which year the
Secretary-Elect shall sit as a non-voting member of the Council.
Section 2. The Association shall constitute a Council from among
its members. The Council shall be the governing body of the Association,
except insofar as the Constitution and By-Laws delegate governmental functions
to other officers or to committees.
Section 3. The Council shall consist of a maximum of nineteen
voting members: up to seven ex officio, and precisely twelve
elected-at-large. The ex officio members shall be the President, Past
President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Past Vice-President, Vice-President
Elect and Secretary. The members-at-large shall be elected for staggered
three-year terms, with four elected each year. No member-at-large shall be
eligible for re-election to the Council as a member-at-large until one year
after the expiration of the prior term, and no individual shall be eligible for
re-election as a member-at-large of the Council after having served two such
terms.
Section 4. As the governing body of the Association, the Council
shall be responsible for the formulation of policy and the general direction of
the affairs of the Association. It shall have the power to fill vacancies in
its elective membership occasioned by death, resignation, or failure to elect,
such as appointees to hold office until replaced by officers elected at the
next annual election. In the event of an anticipated absence of six or more
months of a member of Council, the Council may appoint a temporary replacement
to serve with all rights and responsibilities of regular membership for the
term of the anticipated absence. The authority to interpret the Constitution
and By-Laws resides in the Council. When the Council is not in session, the
Secretary may make such provisional rulings as are necessary for the operation
of the Association, subject to review by the Council at its next meeting. The
Council shall appoint and may remove by majority vote the Executive Officer and
Editors of the various publications sponsored by the Association.
Section 5. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum of
the Council. When the Council is not in session, questions may be submitted to
all members of the Council for their votes.
Section 6. The other officers of the Association shall be elected
by the Council, and shall be an Executive Officer and Editors of publications
sponsored by the Association. The Executive Officer and the Editors shall be
elected by the Council for terms to be fixed by the Council.
ARTICLE V. Official Publications
Section 2. The Association shall issue such other regular or
occasional publications, as it deems necessary in the promotion of its
objectives.
ARTICLE VI. Committees
Section l. The Council may establish such committees as may be
necessary for the conduct of the Association's affairs.
ARTICLE VII. Meetings
Section l. The President shall call at least one convention each
year, at a time and place to be determined by the Council. At each annual
convention there shall be at least one Business Meeting at which the Officers
and the Council shall report to the Association and respond to questions from
the membership.
Section 2. At the Business Meeting, a majority of the voting
members present may: (a) place items on the agenda of that Business Meeting,
and (b) pass courtesy resolutions. If at least one hundred voting members are
present, a majority can place items on the agenda of the Council.
Section 3. If Council disapproves a resolution passed by the
Business Meeting for which at least 3% of the voting members of the Association
voted affirmatively, this resolution and such alternatives as Council may
propose will be submitted to the voting membership. If endorsed by a majority
of those voting on that ballot, the resolution or alternative will be
considered to be an action of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII. Special Funds and Endowments
Section l. The Association may solicit and receive special funds
and endowments. Acceptance and expenditure of such funds shall be authorized
by the Council.
ARTICLE IX. Amendments
Section l. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds
affirmative vote of those voting in a referendum submitted to the voting
members of the Association.
Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by the Council or by
petition of at least 3% of the voting members of the Association.
Section 3. All proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be
communicated to the voting membership at least fifty days prior to the vote on
the amendment.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I. Membership and Dues
Section l. Persons subscribing to the
objectives of the Association may become Members. Those subscribing to the
objectives of the Association but desiring fewer membership services may become
Associate Members, pursuant to criteria established by the Council. Persons are
eligible for Emeritus membership at retirement, providing that they have been
full voting members of the Association for at least ten years. Students
enrolled in undergraduate or graduate institutions may become Student
Members.
The dues for Members, Associate Members, Emeritus Members, and Student Members
shall be determined by Council. Increases in dues above cost of living
adjustments shall be subject to approval by all voting Members.
Section 2. Members, Emeritus Members, Student
Members, and Associates shall have the right to attend all meetings of the
Association and shall be entitled to one subscription to the Association's
newsletter plus a free choice of as many other ASA publications as Council may
authorize. Members, Emeritus Members, Student Members, and Associates shall
have the right to initiate new business for the Association, by submitting a
proposal in writing to the Executive Officer. The Executive Officer shall
refer the proposal to an appropriate committee of the American Sociological
Association and the committee shall submit the proposal with its recommendation
for action to the Council. Only Members, Emeritus Members, and Student Members
of the Association shall have the right to vote and to hold elected office in
the Association.
Section 4. Persons who desire membership in
the Association without receiving its publications shall pay reduced dues as
determined by the Executive Officer to reflect the approximate cost of the
reduced service.
Section 5. All Members of the Association
shall comply with the provisions of the ASA Code of Ethics, as adopted and
revised from time to time by the membership of the Association. Membership in
the Association may be suspended or terminated, and the privileges of
membership may be suspended wholly or in part, for failure to adhere to the
Code of Ethics in accordance with Policies and Procedures to be adopted by the
Council pursuant to Article V, section 7 of these By-Laws.
Section 6. Upon the failure to pay annual
dues, membership and the privileges of membership in the Association, including
subscriptions to the Association's publications and the right to vote, shall be
terminated on January l of the year following the last year for which a full
payment of dues has been made.
Section 7. An application for membership
received prior to October l in any year shall be dated back to January l of
that year, and publications to which the person is entitled shall be sent to
the member. An application for membership received on or after October l shall
generally be dated forward to January l of the next year.
Section 8. Dues of Members from other
countries who are residing abroad may be reduced at the discretion of the
Council.
ARTICLE II. Elections And Voting
Section l. The President-Elect,
Vice-President-Elect, Secretary-Elect, members of the Council, and Committees
who are elected by the membership-at-large (Committee on Nominations and
Committee on Publications) shall be elected by the members qualified to vote.
The term of office shall begin on the date announced for the close of the
Annual Meeting of the Association in the year during which they are elected,
except that the term of office for members of the Committee on Nominations
shall begin on the date announced for the beginning of the Annual Meeting of
the Association in the year during which they are elected.
Section 2.
(a) The Committee on Nominations shall select two names each for the
offices of President-Elect, Vice-President-Elect, and Secretary-Elect, and for
each vacancy on the Council, and the Committee on Publications.
(b) Prior to the time of the meeting of the Committee on Nominations,
Members and Student Members shall be invited to suggest names for nominations
for all elective offices; the Committee shall be guided but not bound by the
suggestions received.
(c) Prior to the submission of the official ballot for the election, the
nominees of the Committee on Nominations shall be made known to the membership.
Within thirty days of that notice, Members and Student Members may propose
additions to the ballot. A Member or Student Member who is supported by 50
Members or Student Members for nomination to Council, the Committee on
Nominations, or the Committee on Publications; or by at least l00 Members or
Student Members for nomination as President-Elect, Vice President-Elect, or
Secretary-Elect will be placed on the official ballot along with the nominee of
the Committee on Nominations.
(d) Nominations for the members of the Committee on Nominations shall be
made by the twelve at-large members of the Council plus the
Vice-President-Elect, serving as chair without a vote. The twelve at-large
members of Council shall select twice as many names as there are vacancies to
be filled.
Section 3. The general election ballots
shall be sent to the members eligible to vote no later than May 15 of each
year. To be valid as votes ballots must be returned to the Executive Office or
its agent by the date specified on the ballot, which shall be no less than
thirty days from the date ballots were submitted to members. Procedures for
the counting of ballots shall insure the anonymity of individual
voters.
Section 4. For the positions of
President-Elect, Vice-President-Elect, and Secretary-Elect, a majority of those
members voting is required before a candidate is declared elected. If none of
the candidates receives a majority of those members voting, the election shall
be decided in accordance with procedures adopted by Council. For other elected
positions, including Council, the Committee on Nominations, and the Committee
on Publications, the candidate (or candidates when two or more vacancies are to
be filled) receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected. In
case of a tie vote, the President of the Association, in the presence of
witnesses chosen by the candidates concerned, shall decide by lot between them.
For all positions other than President, President-Elect, Past-President and
Past Vice-President, if the elected person dies, resigns, or becomes unable to
complete the full term for which that person was elected, the candidate who
received the next highest number of votes shall be declared elected for the
remainder of the term, unless otherwise specified herein.
Section 5. The Executive Officer shall be
responsible for the conduct of elections and, with the assistance of tellers,
for the tabulation of ballots. The Executive Officer shall report the results
of tabulations to the Secretary and to the appropriate Committees. The
Executive Officer may arrange for outside review of election and counting
procedures.
Section 6. The Executive Office shall hold
the ballots and other materials in safe custody for a period of at least
eighteen months.
Section 7. The Council shall have the
authority to determine the procedures to be followed in conducting elections
and other ballot measures under these Bylaws and the Associations
Constitution, provided that such procedures shall protect the privacy of
members who vote and ensure an accurate and fair count.
Section 8. Voting members of the Association
may take any action otherwise within the powers of the Council. Such an action
by voting members requires the completion in sequence of the following
steps:
(a) A written statement of the proposed action, hereinafter called the
Members' Resolution, is signed by three percent of the voting members of the
Association. The introductions of all petitions circulated for the purpose of
validating a Members' Resolution shall contain the following statement: "For
signatures to be valid, the signee must be a voting member of the American
Sociological Association as of December 3l of the year of the signing. The
signee's name must be written as it appears on the membership rolls of the
Association, and signers must provide their addresses as they appear on the
membership rolls of the Association. The date of signing shall be
indicated."
(b) The Members' Resolution and the accompanying petition signature are
sent to the Executive Office of the Association, postmarked no later than
December 31 of the year during which the signatures were affixed. All
signatures for a given Members' Resolution must be affixed within a calendar
year. Each page of the Members' Resolution and accompanying signatures must
include the following statement: "This resolution (or these signatures) is
submitted by ____, a voting member of the American Sociological
Association."
(c) The Members' Resolution is received by the Secretary who shall
verify the validity of the signatures and the requirement that the petition has
been signed by three percent of the voting members of the Association.
Following this verification, the Secretary shall distribute the Members'
Resolution to the Council.
(d) The Members' Resolution is included on the agenda and discussed by
the Council at its next scheduled meeting.
(e) If the Council disapproves the Members' Resolution, the Members'
Resolution and any resolution of the Council alternative to it are published in
an appropriate Association publication or by other means as deemed appropriate
by the Council.
(f) A ballot containing the Members' Resolution and any alternative
resolution of the Council is sent to the voting members of the Association;
such a referendum will accompany the annual election ballot except under
unusual circumstances as determined by the Council.
(g) The Council shall consider the urgency of any Members Resolution
brought by the voting members, and shall employ special procedures without
regard to the schedule of publications where it deems this
justifiable.
ARTICLE III. Officers
Section l. The President of the Association
shall preside at all meetings of the Association. The President shall also
chair the Council and shall perform such duties as may be assigned to the
President by the Council. The President shall have the authority to fill any
vacancies that may occur on committees for the remainder of unexpired terms
except as otherwise provided. In the event of the death, resignation, absence
or inability to serve of the President, the duties of the President shall
devolve successively upon the Vice-President, the President-Elect, and the
Vice-President-Elect. The officer concerned shall become President if that
officer is to serve a full term and shall become Acting President if only a
partial term to be served. In the event of the death, resignation, or absence
of the President-Elect, the office and duties of the President-Elect shall
devolve on the Vice-President-Elect.
Section 2. The Vice-President shall chair
meetings of the Association and the Council in the absence of the President.
In the event of the death, resignation, or inability to serve of the
Vice-President, or in the event that the Vice-President succeeds to the office
of President or is elected to the office of President-Elect, the duties of the
Vice-President shall devolve upon the Vice-President-Elect who shall serve the
remainder of that term as Acting Vice-President, and shall then serve as
Vice-President for the term for which the Vice-President-Elect was originally
elected.
If the Vice-President-Elect succeeds to the office of Acting
Vice-President, the Council position of the Vice-President-Elect shall remain
vacant until the next election.
Section 3. The Secretary shall be an
advisory and recording officer of the Association and shall provide liaison
between the Executive Office on the one hand and the President and Council on
the other at the request of either. The Secretary shall serve ex officio with
vote as chair of the Committee on the Executive Office and Budget and as a
member of the Publications and Program Committees. The Secretary shall record
and report the transactions of the Association and the Council, shall work
closely with various committees as herein specified, and shall perform such
other duties as the Council may assign. Each year the Secretary shall provide
the Association with a written report recording the Secretary's views on the
organization and activities of the Association.
In the event of the death, resignation, or inability to serve of the
Secretary, the office and duties of the Secretary shall devolve upon the
Secretary-Elect, if there is a Secretary-Elect at that time. Otherwise, the
Council shall elect a member of the Association to serve as Acting Secretary
and to fulfill the duties of the Secretary until the next election, at which
time a Secretary shall be elected in the prescribed way but without serving one
year as Secretary-Elect.
Section 4. The Executive Officer shall be the
chief administrative officer of the Association and shall transact its
business. The Executive Officer shall have charge of the central office of the
Association and shall have jurisdiction over and attend to the business details
of the Association's publications. The Executive Officer shall, in
consultation with the President, prepare tentative agenda for meetings of the
Council, and, in consultation with the chair, tentative agenda for meetings of
Publications Committee. These agenda shall be distributed to the appropriate
members at least ten days prior to their meetings. Final agenda shall be
approved by the Council and the Publications Committee for their respective
meetings. In accordance with the Council's policies, the Executive Officer
shall formulate plans for the accomplishment of the Association's objectives,
and upon the approval of the Council, the Executive Officer shall be
responsible for coordinating the public relations activities of the
Association. All committees may look to him/her for assistance in their work;
such assistance may include the Executive Officer presiding or arranging for
another Member to preside temporarily at a committee meeting during the
election of a chair from among the voting members. The Executive Officer shall
receive and have custody of the funds of the Association, discharge its
obligations, and maintain its accounts. The Executive Officer shall be
responsible to the Council through the Committee on the Executive Office and
Budget and its chair, the Secretary. The Executive Officer shall make an
annual report to the Council and shall be a non-voting member of the Council
and such committees as may be designated by the Council. The Executive Officer
shall consult with the President and Secretary as questions of policy arise and
shall hold no other office in the Association while serving as Executive
Officer.
Section 5.
(a) The Council shall meet twice annually, at least once in conjunction
with the annual convention of the Association and at least once between annual
conventions. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President or
by a majority of the members of the Council.
(b) Meetings of the Council shall be conducted according to Robert's
Rules of Order, the enforcement of which may be requested by any member of the
Council.
(c) The Council shall appoint the Executive Officer, and the Editors of
all publications of the Association. To make an appointment, a slate of
candidates shall first be prepared and endorsed, in the case of the Executive
Officer, by the Committee on the Executive Office and Budget, and with the case
of an Editor, by the Committee on Publications. The slate of candidates shall
be subject to approval by the Council, as shall their order of preference. The
Council shall then instruct the Secretary to proceed with the necessary
negotiations.
(d) The Council may make decisions to cooperate or affiliate with other
societies and associations. When appropriate it shall elect representatives
from this Association to such other societies or associations. It may also
recognize other societies or associations as cooperating or affiliated
organizations for purposes of planning programs or other activities.
(e) All actions taken by the Council must be communicated to the
membership promptly in an appropriate publication of the Association, or by
other means as deemed necessary by the Council.
(f) The Council may create such temporary committees not provided in the
Constitution and By-Laws as may seem useful for promoting the work of the
Association.
(g) The Council shall make a timely designation of a portion of program
time at each Annual Meeting for sessions to be organized by Sections of the
Association and shall allocate to each Section an appropriate part of that
program time.
Section 6. Any action required or permitted
to be taken at a meeting of the Council may be taken when the Council is not in
session, provided all members of the Council consent in writing by signing
their name and set forth in the same writing the action or decision taken or
made. Consent in writing shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous
vote, and may be described as such in any document executived by or on behalf
of the corporation. Requests for actions by members of the Council may be
submitted to members by mail, electronic mail, fax, or by other means.
Section 7. Teleconferencing. One or more
members of the Council may participate in a meeting by means of a conference
telephone or similar communications equipment through which all members
participating in the meeting can speak to and hear each other at the same time.
Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at the
meeting.
ARTICLE IV. Publications
Section l. All the publications of the
Association shall be under the general direction of the Committee on
Publications, subject to the approval of the Council.
Section 2. Each regular ASA publication
shall have an editor elected by the Council. The Committee on Publications
shall submit a list to Council of nominees for each Editorship, to which list
the Council may add or delete names.
Section 3. The Editorial Board of each
regular ASA publication shall be composed of the Editor of that publication as
chair and a set of Associate Editors. The number and composition of each
Editorial Board shall be determined by the Council. Associate Editors shall be
appointed by the Committee on Publications for three-year terms on the
recommendation of the Editor. Approximately one-third of the terms of
Associate Editors for each publication shall expire each year.
Section 4. The Editor of each of the official
publications of the Association shall be responsible for the editorial
management of the publication. The Editor shall have the authority to appoint
such special issue editors as the Editor may deem necessary. Each Editor must
work within the policies established by the Committee on Publications and
within the budget set by the Council.
Section 5. The Editor of each publication
shall have the right to reject for publication any paper or other communication
that is submitted.
Section 6. Publication of official news and
notes, and matters pertaining to the business affairs of the Association shall
be published in an appropriate publication of the Association.
ARTICLE V. Committees
Section 1. Committee on Publications
(a) There shall be a Committee on Publications, consisting of the
President, the Secretary, and six members elected by the voting membership of
the Association, two each year for staggered three-year terms. The Committee
shall choose a chair from among the elected members who have served at least
one year on the Committee.
(b) The Committee on Publications shall be responsible for all proposals
for the establishment of a new publication or for major modifications in an
existing publication of the Association, subject to the approval of the
Council.
Section 2. Committee on Nominations. The
Committee on Nominations shall consist of eleven members, elected by the voting
membership of the Association for staggered two-year terms, plus the Vice
President, ex officio without a vote, who shall act as chair.
Section 3. Program Committee. Each Program
Committee shall be selected by the President-Elect two years before the Annual
Meeting for which the Committee is responsible and will be reviewed by the
Council. The Council shall have the right to suggest modification or to
augment the Committee if it deems appropriate. The Program Committee shall
consist of nine to eleven persons: The President-Elect, serving as Chair, the
Vice-President-Elect, the Secretary, and six to eight other members of the
Association selected as follows: Each year, the Council will appoint four to
six members from a list presented by the President-Elect. Two of these members
shall be appointed for two-year terms and others for one-year terms. The
Program Committee shall consider requests from temporary and informal groups of
Association members for opportunities to meet and discuss topics of special
interest to them. Three sessions at each Annual Meeting, including the session
devoted to the Presidential Address, may at the option of the President-Elect,
be under the exclusive control of the President-Elect.
Section 4. Committee on the Executive Office and
Budget:
(a) The Council shall select a committee on the Executive Office and
Budget consisting of seven members: The Secretary, The President-Elect, the
President, the Past-President, and three members appointed by the Council on
the recommendation of the Secretary for staggered three-year terms. The
Secretary shall be chair.
(b) The Committee shall have responsibility for the Executive Office,
subject to the policies and directives of the Council, and shall report
regularly to the Council. The Committee in cooperation with the President, the
Executive Officer, and the chair of the Committee on Publications, shall
annually propose to the Council a budget for the ensuing year. At the end of
the first half of each fiscal year it shall review the receipts and
expenditures to date and if necessary make recommendations for adjustments in
the budget. It shall, subject to Council policies, have the responsibility and
authority for the investment and reinvestment of funds owned and held by the
Association.
Section 5. Committee on Sections:
(a) The Committee on Sections, consistent with Article VI of these
By-Laws, shall have the responsibility to guide the Association on the
administration of sections to include the creation and continuation of
sections. The Committee on Sections shall advise ASA Council on section
policies and procedures. In addition, the Committee will serve as liaison
between sections and ASA Council.
(b) The Committee on Sections shall consist of nine members. Six
members shall be appointed by Council for three-year terms based on the
recommendation of the President. Three of these members shall be appointed from
among the Association membership and three shall be appointed from among the
Council members-at-large. Three members shall also be elected for three-year
terms by current section chairs from among current section chairs according to
section membership size. All terms will be staggered.
Section 6. Committee on Professional
Ethics:
(a) The Committee on Professional Ethics ("COPE") shall have
responsibility for promoting ethical conduct by sociologists at the highest
professional level through development and sponsorship of educational
activities for ASA members and other sociologists, investigation of complaints
concerning the ethical conduct of members of the ASA, and imposition of
sanctions when a violation of the ASA Code of Ethics has occurred. COPE shall
also have responsibility for recommending to the Council proposed changes in
the Code of Ethics to be submitted to the membership for approval from time to
time.
(b) COPE shall carry out its responsibilities in accordance with
Policies and Procedures to be adopted by the Council which may provide for
discipline of members and former members of ASA, including termination or
suspension from membership and suspension of certain privileges of membership,
in the case of violations of the ASA Code of Ethics.
(c) COPE shall consist of nine (9) members who shall serve staggered
terms of three (3) years each. The members of COPE shall be appointed by the
Council on the recommendation of the President. No member shall serve more
than two (2) successive terms.
Section 7. Committee on Awards:
(a) The Committee on Awards shall have oversight of all ASA awards. The
Committee on Awards shall have the responsibility to guide the Association on
policies and procedures for all awards. Also, the Committee shall propose or
consider proposals to establish new awards.
(b) The Committee shall consist of six members appointed by Council for
three-year terms based on the recommendation of the Committee on Committees.
Three members shall be appointed from among the Association membership and
three members shall be appointed from among the Council
members-at-large.
Section 8. Committee on Committees:
(a) The Committee on Committees shall be responsible for making ranked
recommendations to Council for appointments to all Award Selection Committees
and Status Committees. Additionally, the Committee on Committees shall make
ranked recommendations to Council for appointments to the Awards Committee, the
Committee on Professional Ethics, and the at-large portion of the Committee on
Sections. The Committee on Nominations will have the responsibility of
nominating the candidates for the Committee on Committees.
(b) The Committee on Committees shall be composed of eight members each
serving two-year terms. Four are to be elected at-large and four in seats
reserved for specific institutional constituencies (one seat each for members
employed by PhD-granting institutions; by MA and 4-year institutions; by 2-year
schools; and by non-teaching institutions and in self-employment) with two
at-large and two reserved seats up for election each year.
Section 9. Each committee shall work within
the budget as approved by the Council, under the policies established by the
Council, and shall make an annual report to the Council.
Section 11. In the event of the anticipated
or actual absence of one or more members of a committee at scheduled committee
meetings, the President and the Secretary are empowered to appoint temporary
members using the criteria for selection ordinarily employed in appointing
members for the committee in question. The President and the Secretary are
also empowered to designate temporary chairs for all committees in the event of
anticipated or actual absence of the regularly appointed chair. Temporary
members or chairs of any committee shall have all the powers respectively of
regular members or chairs for the period of their temporary
appointment.
ARTICLE VI. Sections
Section I. Members who share interests in a
sociological specialty may seek to become a section. Council has the authority
to form sections in accordance with standards it adopts from time to time and
as set forth in the ASA Manual on Sections. A Section shall remain in
operation as long as it operates according to the policies and procedures set
forth in the ASA Manual on Sections and it is determined to be in good standing
as periodically reviewed by the Council.
Section 2. Sections shall adopt By-Laws
subject to approval by the Council. These By-Laws shall include provision for
a committee of the Section for the purpose of cooperating with the Program
Committee in planning the presentation of its field of interest in the Annual
Meeting of the Association.
Section 3. A Section shall be entitled to
cooperation from the Executive Office in matters of mailings to its members,
and from the Program Committee in matters related to the Annual Meeting, and
from the Association in such other ways as the Council may decide.
ARTICLE VII. Executive Office and Budget
Section I. At the beginning of each fiscal
year, a budget covering all anticipated expenditures and income of the
Association for that fiscal year shall be submitted by the Committee on the
Executive Office and Budget to the Council for approval. The Committee on the
Executive Office and Budget shall review the budget at the end of the second
quarter and shall submit proposed changes to the Council for approval.
Section 3. At the end of each fiscal year,
the accounts of the Association shall be reviewed by the Committee on the
Executive Office and Budget and shall be audited at the conclusion of each
fiscal year by a certified public accountant approved by the Council. The
report of this audit shall be made available in an appropriate Association
publication or by other means as deemed necessary by the Council.
ARTICLE VIII. Amendments
Section 1. The By-Laws may be amended by a
majority affirmative vote of those voting in a referendum submitted to the
voting members of the Association.
Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by
majority vote of the Council or by petition of at least three percent of the
voting members of the Association.
Chronology of Changes:
1933 1st major revision
1942 2nd major revision
1951 3rd major revision
1967 4th major revision
1980 5th major revision
1997 6th major revision
1998 7th major revision
1999 8th major revision
2001 9th major revision
2003 10th major revision
As amended in referenda of:
June 1985
June 1987
June 1988
June 1989
June 1990
June 1991
June 1997
June 1998
June 1999
June 2000
Oct. 2001
June 2003
Last Updated on January 08,
2005
