Bylaws

Article I—Name

The name of this organization shall be the Mountain West Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology and hereinafter shall be designated as the Regional Chapter.

Article II—Objectives and Purpose

The objectives of the Regional Chapter shall be as follows:

1. To serve as the focal point for toxicological interests of the Mountain West region.
2. To encourage interactions among toxicologists in government, industry, and academia.
3. To sponsor scientific and educational programs in toxicology.
4. To act as a resource to the Society in the region.

No part of the net earnings of the Regional Chapter shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Regional Chapter shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes herein-above set forth.

No substantial part of the activities of the Regional Chapter shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Regional Chapter shall not participate in, or intervene in, (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article III—Membership

Section 1. Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become Members of the Regional Chapter upon payment of Regional Chapter dues.

Section 2. Any person having a professional interest in toxicology may become a member of the Regional Chapter on payment of the required dues.

Section 3. Membership may be extended to full-time students attending area colleges or universities and having an interest in toxicology.

Article IV—Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The Regional Chapter officers shall be President, Vice President, Vice President- Elect, and Secretary/Treasurer. There shall be three Councilors. Only Full, Associate, Retired, or Emeritus members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology and the Regional Chapter shall be eligible to serve as Officers in the Presidential or Secretary/Treasurer chain. Councilors are elected from the Chapter membership and need not be a member of the Society of Toxicology.

Section 2. There shall be up to two (2) Student Representatives and a Postdoctoral Representative, who shall act as liaisons between the students and the postdoctoral fellows, respectively, and the Executive Committee. Student and Postdoctoral Representatives shall be elected from the Regional Chapter membership. Eligibility during the term requires current enrollment in a graduate program for Student Representatives and engagement in a formal mentored postdoctoral position for Postdoctoral Representatives.

Section 3. Officers, Councilors, and Representatives shall begin their terms of office on May 1 following the SOT Annual Meeting at which their election is announced or one month after the Annual Meeting if it is held, any year, after April 1.

Article V—Election of Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The President shall serve for a term of one year, becoming immediate Past President in the following year. The President shall preside at all meetings.

Section 2. The Vice President shall become the President of the Specialty Section after serving one year as Vice President. The Vice President shall serve in the absence of the President.

Section 3. The Vice President-Elect shall be elected annually by a vote of the membership and shall become the Vice President of the Regional Chapter for one year after serving one year as Vice President-Elect, becoming President and Immediate Past President in the two subsequent years. The Vice President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President and the Vice President.

Section 4. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be chosen by vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 5. There shall be three Councilors; two shall be chosen by a vote of the membership for a term of two years. One shall be elected each year. The third Councilor shall be the Immediate Past President, who will serve a term of one year.

Section 6. The Student Representative(s) and Postdoctoral Representative shall be elected by vote of the membership. Student Representative(s) shall serve for a term of two years, with one representative elected each year, and the Postdoctoral Representative for a term of two years.

Section 7. In the event of a vacancy in an elective office, other than the Presidency or Vice Presidency, the Regional Chapter's Executive Committee may make an appointment or may provide for a special election to fill the vacancy until the unexpired term is completed. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President accedes to that office until the unexpired term of the Presidency is completed and shall serve as President the following year; similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of Vice President, should that office become vacant, until the unexpired term of the Vice Presidency is completed and shall serve as Vice President the following year. A special election must be held to fill the office of Vice President-Elect should this office become vacant; however, the Executive Committee may make an appointment to fill the vacancy until such time that an election can be conducted.

Section 8. Elections shall be held annually by electronic ballot in the format deemed appropriate by the Society of Toxicology prior to the SOT Annual Meeting.

Article VI—Administration

Section 1. The Regional Chapter shall be governed by the Executive Committee except as otherwise herein expressly provided.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of four officers, three Councilors, and the Student and Postdoctoral representatives. The President of the Regional Chapter shall serve as chairperson of the Executive Committee. More than 50 percent of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Regional Chapter and of the Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as may be directed by the Executive Committee. In the President’s absence, the succeeding order of officers shall preside. The President should keep in contact with developments in the field of toxicology and guide the Chapter in the formulation of constructive activities.

Section 4. The Regional Chapter shall comply with the following provisions in order to retain its status as an authorized body within the Society of Toxicology:

1. The Regional Chapter shall provide a brief annual report of the activities and finances for the current year as well as plans of programs, activities, and finances for the following year. Annual Reports shall be submitted to the Society of Toxicology by the required date of each year.
2. Annual reports shall be reviewed by the SOT Council, which shall consult with the Regional Chapter as necessary.
3. Regional Chapter policy statements must be reviewed and approved by the Society of Toxicology Council prior to release.

Section 5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have fiduciary responsibilities for all monies for the Regional Chapter and shall authorize all disbursements as appropriate. The Secretary/Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all property of the Regional Chapter in their possession. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all transactions of all meetings.

No funds shall be expended by or in the name of the Regional Chapter to the extent that the expenditure, if made by the Society of Toxicology, would represent use of funds for a purpose or purposes not within the Society's exempt purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 6. Any Regional Chapter funds or other property remaining at the time of termination or abandonment or dissolution of the Regional Chapter shall be turned over to the Society of Toxicology and shall become part of the Society’s general funds.

Article VII—Meetings

Section 1. Regional Chapter meetings shall be held at least annually and as dictated by the scientific and educational programs of the Regional Chapter. The time and place of each meeting shall be established by the Program Committee and be communicated to the membership at least four weeks before each meeting.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President at any time with the approval of the Executive Committee or the presentation of a petition to the President, signed by a quorum of at least 20% of the members of the Regional Chapter in good standing.

Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 20% of the Regional Chapter members in good standing.

Section 4. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President at any time during the year, provided notice of at least seven (7) days is given.

Article VIII—Dues

The dues shall be established by a majority of the Executive Committee and shall be collected by the Society of Toxicology for members of the Society.

Article IX—Responsibilities/Committees

Section 1. The Past President will be responsible for solicitation of nominations of officer candidates, with the goal of identifying two candidates for each position. The slate of candidates will be approved by the current Executive Committee before being submitted to the membership for a vote. The organization of the Annual Spring Meeting and the development of scientific and educational programs are the responsibility of the President, and the organization of the annual Fall Meeting is the responsibility of the Vice President. These Officers shall complete arrangements for speakers, other activities, and for meeting places, and provide the program to the Society of Toxicology who will in turn notify the membership. Program Committees may be formed at the request of the President or Vice President, to be chaired respectively by the responsible officer, to assist in the planning and organization of the meetings.

Section 2. The first-year Councilor shall be in charge of the Regional Chapter website. While the website is maintained by the Society of Toxicology, the first-year Councilor shall interact with the Society as to its accuracy and informativeness. The second-year Councilor shall be in charge of arranging for the student poster judging at the Annual Fall Meeting. In addition, both Councilors shall be charged with contacting potential sponsors to help defray the costs of the Annual Fall Meeting.

Section 3. One of the Student Representative(s) will be a member of the Society of Toxicology Graduate Student Leadership Committee (GSLC). The Postdoctoral Representative serves as liaison to the Society of Toxicology Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA).

Section 4. The newsletter editor (member of the EC, appointed by the President) is responsible for compiling and issuing the Regional Chapter newsletter.

Section 5. The President shall appoint other committees as needed and shall automatically become an ex officio member of such committees. Members of such committees serve at the discretion of the President.

Article X—Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Regional Chapter or at any special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing and shall be offered to the membership present at that meeting on motion for consideration and circulation to the membership. A simple majority shall be necessary to pass the motion.

Section 2. Amendments accepted for future consideration shall be forwarded to the Regional Chapter Staff Liaison to be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing. A two-thirds affirmation vote of the ballots returned within the specified time frame shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.

Section 3. Amendments to these Bylaws must be approved by the SOT Council before they become effective. This is done to ensure that future changes in these Bylaws will have the same force as the original, which was so approved.