Bylaws
ARTICLE FIRST - NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Dermal Toxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology, hereinafter designated as the Specialty Section.
ARTICLE SECOND - OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Specialty Section are:
- To serve as the focal point for interaction of members of the Society of Toxicology interested in Dermal Toxicology
- To develop, propose, and conduct programs and educational activities that emphasize the latest developments in Dermal Toxicology.
- To relate those developments to the activities of the Society of Toxicology and to stimulate new growth in Dermal Toxicology as it relates to the science of toxicology.
- To act as a resource to the Society in the area of the Specialty Section's interest.
- To provide a forum for the interaction of toxicologists and other professionals involved in dermal toxicity studies.
- To promote the application of mechanistic approaches in Risk Assessment.
- To advocate the development of sound science-based guidelines for the development of a skin notation.
- To encourage exchange of information among members of the Society involved in the mechanistic approach to dermal toxicity testing.
- To organize educational programs which emphasize new developments and issues in dermal toxicology.
No part of the net earnings of the Specialty Section shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Specialty Section 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 Specialty Section shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Specialty Section 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 THIRD - MEMBERSHIP
Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become members of the Specialty Section upon payment of Specialty Section dues.
ARTICLE FOURTH - OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS
Section 1. The Specialty Section 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 Specialty Section shall be eligible for election as officers in the Presidential or Treasurer chain.
Section 2. There shall be a Student Representative 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 appointed from a list of volunteers by the President of the Specialty Section, in conjunction with the Executive Committee, and shall serve a term of two years.
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 FIFTH - ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS
Section 1. The President shall serve for a term of one year, becoming 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. A Vice President-Elect shall be elected by a plurality vote of the membership, and shall become the Vice President of the Specialty Section after serving one year as Vice President-Elect. The Vice President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the President and Vice President.
Section 4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be chosen by a plurality vote of the membership for a term of two years.
Section 5. There shall be three Councilors, who, together with the Officers, will comprise the Executive Committee. One Councilor shall be elected by a plurality vote of the membership each year for a two- year term. The third Councilor shall be the immediate Past President.
Section 6. Elections shall be held annually by electronic ballot in the format deemed appropriate by the Society of Toxicology prior to the SOT Annual Meeting.
Section 7. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President accedes to that office until the unexpired term is complete and shall serve as President in the following year. Similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of the Vice President should that office become vacant, serving until the unexpired term is complete and becoming Vice President in the following year. A special election must be held to fill the Vice President-Elect position, should that office become vacant, but the Executive Committee may make an appointment to fill the vacancy until such time that an election can be conducted. In the event of a vacancy in any other elective office, the Executive Committee may make an appointment or may provide for a special election to fill the vacancy until the unexpired term is completed.
ARTICLE SIXTH - ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The Specialty Section shall be governed by the Executive Committee except as otherwise herein expressly provided.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the four elected officers plus the three Councilors. The President of the Specialty Section shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee. Four members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 3. The President will preside at all meeting of the Specialty Section 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.
Section 4. The Specialty Section shall comply with the following provisions in order to retain its status as an authorized body within the Society of Toxicology.
- The Specialty Section shall provide annual reports of its activities 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.
- Annual reports shall be reviewed by the SOT Council, which shall consult with the Specialty Section as necessary.
- Specialty Section 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 of the Specialty Section and shall authorize all disbursements as appropriate. The Secretary-Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all funds and property of the Specialty Section in his/her possession. The Secretary-Treasurer shall record all transactions of all meetings of the Specialty Section and the Executive Committee, shall be responsible for the correspondence of the Specialty Section, and shall maintain a list of members and their status.
No funds shall be expended by or in the name of the Specialty Section 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 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 6. Any Specialty Section funds or other property remaining at the time of termination or abandonment or dissolution of the Specialty Section shall be turned over to the Society of Toxicology and shall become a part of the Society's general funds.
ARTICLE SEVENTH - MEETINGS
Section 1. Meetings shall be held at least annually and as dictated by the scientific and educational programs of the Specialty Section. The time and place of each meeting shall be established by the Executive Committee and communicated to the membership at least two 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 by presentation to the President of a petition signed by 20% of the membership in good standing.
Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 20% of the members in good standing.
Section 4. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President provided that each of the members of the Committee is notified at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting.
ARTICLE EIGHTH - DUES
Dues are established by the SOT Council and are the same for all Specialty Sections. A request for variance from the established rate shall be directed to SOT Council. Special fees outside of the dues structure can also be collected if pre-arranged through the Specialty Section Liaison.
ARTICLE NINTH - COMMITTEES
Section 1. The Vice President shall be the Chairperson of the Program Committee whose members are appointed by the Chairperson. The Program Committee shall develop scientific and educational programs consistent with the objectives of the Specialty Section, and provide copies of the material to the Secretary-Treasurer who will, in turn, notify the SOT Council prior to developing the program. The Program Committee shall coordinate its activities with the SOT Program Committee and with other appropriate Specialty Sections.
Section 2. The President shall appoint other Committees as required and shall automatically act as an ex-officio member of such Committees. Members of such committees shall serve at the discretion of the President.
ARTICLE TENTH - AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be presented by any member of the Specialty Section in good standing at any regular meeting of the Specialty Section 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 and circulation shall be forwarded to the Specialty Section Staff Liaison to be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the ballots returned within 30 days shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.
Section 3. Amendments to these By-Laws must be approved by the Council of the Society of Toxicology before they become effective. This is done to insure that future changes in these By-Laws will have the same force as the original, which was so approved.
