Ocular Toxicology SS

Bylaws

Revised 2018, January 2019 Council Approved

Article I—Name

The name of this organization is the Ocular Toxicology Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology (SOT), hereinafter designated as the Specialty Section.

Article II—Objectives

The objectives of the Specialty Section shall be to:

Serve as an international focus group for interaction of members of the Society of Toxicology interested and/or working in Ocular Toxicology.
Promote the development of new experimental methods for application to Ocular Toxicology.
Develop, propose, and conduct programs and educational activities that emphasize the latest developments in Ocular Toxicology.
Relate those developments to the activities of the Society of Toxicology and promote new growth in Ocular Toxicology as it relates to the science of toxicology.
Share information with other professional organizations related to Ocular Toxicology.
Act as a resource to the Society in the area of the Section’s interest.
Stimulate interest in Ocular Toxicology as career path for toxicologists.

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 III—Membership

Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become members of the Specialty Section upon payment of Specialty Section dues.

Article IV—Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The Specialty Section Officers shall be President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Communications Officer, and 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 Representative shall be appointed from the Specialty Section 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. President—The President shall serve for a term of one year. The President, after serving one year, shall become the Immediate Past President for one year. The President shall preside at all meetings.

Section 2. Vice President—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. Vice President-Elect—The Vice President-Elect shall be elected annually by 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. Communications Officer—The Communications Officer shall be elected bi-annually by vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 5. Treasurer—The Treasurer shall be elected bi-annually by vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 6. Councilors—There shall be three Councilors. Two of these Councilors shall be elected by vote of the membership for a term of two years. One Councilor shall be elected each year. The third Councilor shall be the Immediate Past President who will serve a one-year term.

Section 7. Student and Postdoctoral Representatives—Student and Postdoctoral Representatives shall be appointed by the President in conjunction with the presiding Specialty Section Executive Committee for a term of two years.

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.

Section 9. In the event of a vacancy in an elective office, other than the Presidency or Vice Presidency, the 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 is completed and shall serve as President the following year. Similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of the Vice President, should that office become vacant, until the unexpired term is completed and shall serve as Vice President the following year. A special election must be held to fill the office of the 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.

Article VI—Administration

Section 1. The Specialty Section shall be governed by the Executive Committee, except as otherwise indicated in these Bylaws.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected Officers and Councilors. The Student and Postdoctoral Representatives will serve in an advisory capacity as non-voting members of the Executive Committee. The President of the Specialty Section shall be the Chairperson of the Executive Committee. Five members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 3. The President will preside at all meetings 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 Treasurer shall have fiduciary responsibilities for all monies of the Specialty Section and shall authorize disbursements as appropriate. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the budget of the Specialty Section and reconciling accounts with those maintained by the Society of Toxicology.

The Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all property of the Specialty Section in his or her possession.

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 section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 6. The Communications Officer shall keep an accurate record of all transactions of all meetings and general communications of the Specialty Section and the Executive Committee, and shall maintain electronic copies of these minutes/communications. All meeting minutes shall be posted to the Specialty Section’s website and/or ToXchange.

Section 7. 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; no part of any such funds or property shall inure to the benefit of any member or officer of, or person associated with, the Specialty Section.

Article VII—Meetings

Section 1. Specialty Section Meetings of the general membership shall be held at least annually according to council approved specialty section procedures and guidelines, and shall be established by the Executive Committee and shall be 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 at least 20% of the membership in good standing.

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

Section 4. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President provided that each member of the Committee is notified at least seven days prior to the meeting.

Article VIII—Dues

Dues are established by the Society of Toxicology Council and are the same for all Specialty Sections. A request for variance from the established rate shall be directed to the Society of Toxicology Council through the Specialty Section Liaison. Special fees outside of the dues structure can also be collected if pre-arranged through the Specialty Section Council Contact.

Article IX—Committees

Section 1. Program Committee—The Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall develop scientific and educational programs consistent with the objectives of the Specialty Specialty Section and provide copies of the material to the Communications Officer who will, in turn, notify the membership.

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 XI—Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to these Bylaws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Specialty Section or 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 SOT 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 the specified time frame shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.

Section 3. Amendments to these Bylaws 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 Bylaws will have the same force as the original document, which was so approved.