Article I - Organization and Purposes
Section 1. The Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science is authorized and constituted by Article XII, Section 1(b) of the Bylaws of the Association. The Division consists of members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science who reside in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Montana east of the Continental Divide, and Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico.
Section 2. The Division shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association and such other regulations as may be adopted by the Board of Directors of the Association. Beyond such general control the government of the Division shall be set forth in these Bylaws.
Section 3. The purposes of the Division shall be to further the objectives of the Association through meetings and conferences held within the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Region and by such other means as the Executive Committee of the Division may adopt.
Article II - Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Southwestern and Rocky Mountain Region shall be a President, a President-Elect, and an Executive Director. These officers shall be members of the Association and shall be elected in the manner, and for the terms of office as hereinafter stated.
Section 2. (a) The President shall accede to office from that of President-Elect and shall serve for a term of one year.
(b) In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the President-Elect shall become President.
(c) The President shall preside over all general meetings of the Division and of the Executive Committee and shall perform the other duties usually assigned to the President of an organization.
(d) The President shall deliver an address at the meeting which is held at the close of the term of office.
(e) The President shall be officially designated as an alternate custodian of the funds of the Division and shall be designated as the first alternate for the Executive Director as a representative on the Council of the Association.
Section 3. (a) The President-Elect shall be elected in a general election as provided in Article IV and shall serve for a term of one year; at the end of the term, the President-Elect shall become President.
(b) In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, the Executive Committee shall make a pro-tempore appointment which shall be subject to confirmation by a ballot of the members in the next general election.
(c) The duties of the President-Elect shall be those normally assigned to the Vice-President of an organization.
Section 4. (a) The Executive Director shall be elected by ballot at an annual meeting of hte Executive Committee. The term of office shall be indeterminate and extend until the election of a successor.
(b) In the event of a vacancy in the office of Executive Director, the President shall serve until a regular election, as designated in Sec. 4(a), is held.
(c) The duties of the Executive Director shall be as follows: The Executive Director shall 1) be custodian of all permanent records and property of the Division. 2) Except as provided in Article V, Section 6(c) and in Article VIII, Section 1(c), be custodian of all funds accruing to the Division and shall make disbursements on accounts payable, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee. 3) Prepare budget proposals as prescribed in Article XII, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Association and shall present them for the approval of the Executive Committee at its annual meeting before submitting them to the Board of Directors of the Association. 4)Keep careful records of all funds entrusted to this position and shall submit a certified audit of the accounts at each annual meeting of the Division. Such audit may be performed by a committee of not less than three members of the Association or by a Certified Public Accountant. The Executive Director shall present annually to the Executive Committee, and to the Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a copy of each such certified audit duly signed by the auditors and by the Executive Director. 5) Notify all members who are elected or appointed to offices or committees. Such notice shall be in writing and shall designate the term of office or appointment and outline the duties of the position. 6) Notify all members of the Division of the dates and place of the annual meeting and inform them of the proper procedure of entering papers for the program of the meetings. 7) Edit the programs of the meetings and arrange for the printing thereof. 8) Represent the Division upon the Council of the Association. The expenses incurred in representing the Division at the Council meetings shall be borne by the Division. 9) Serve as liaison officer in all matters of business between the Association and the Division. 10) Present annually to the Board of Directors of the American Association for the Advancement of Science a statement of the activities of the Division for the past year and planned activities of the Division for the coming year.
Section 5. The Executive Committee and officers of the Sections shall constitute a Council. Meetings of the Council shall be held at the annual meeting at a time or times designated by the Executive Director.
Article III - Executive Committee
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, the Executive Director, the immediate Past-President, and additional members whose election and terms shall be designated in Section 2 of this article.
Section 2. The elected members of the Executive Committee shall be designated so as to represent at least five regions of the SWARM Division with one representative per region, and shall be elected for a term of three years. Elections to fill the expired terms shall be held annually.
Section 3. Any vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term of an elected member shall be filled by the President's appointment, and such appointment shall be for the unexpired portion of the term.
Section 4. The Executive Committee shall have charge of all general business affecting the welfare of the Division that is not otherwise delegated in the Bylaws.
Section 5. The Executive Committee shall meet at the opening of each annual meeting of the Division and, subject to the call of the President, at such other times as may become necessary and practical. Five members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. Unless otherwise specified, decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by a majority of the members present.
Article IV - General Elections
Section 1. General elections shall be held annually except as provided in Article VII, Section 1(d), and shall be by mail ballot.
Section 2. The Executive Committee will solicit recommendations for the elective positions and act as a nominating committee in preparing the ballot for the general elections. The committee shall obtain from each nominee his agreement to serve if elected.
Section 3. The Executive Director shall prepare a ballot based upon the report of the Nominating Committee and shall have it distributed to the members of the Division with the program of the annual meeting or by direct mail. The Executive Director shall include instructions for the return of the ballot and shall inform members that only those ballots which have reached their destination prior to the time of the annual business meeting shall be counted.
Section 4. At the regular meeting of the Executive Committee the President shall designate two members of the Executive Committee to assist the Executive Director in the verification and tabulation of all ballots cast, and to certify the results of the election. Announcements of the results of the election shall be made at the annual business meeting of the Division.
Section 5. The election procedures established by this article shall be adapted for the ratification of amendments to bylaws and may, at the direction of the Executive Committee, be utilized for any matter upon which a referendum of the membership is desired.
Article V - Operating Committees
Section 1. Nominating Committee. The Executive Committee shall serve as the nominating committee.
Section 2. Powell Lecture Committee. A committee whose sole function shall be the selection of the lecturer for the annual John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture shall be appointed by the President at the earliest convenient time following accession to office. The committee shall consist of no less than three appointed members and the President shall serve as a member ex-officio.
Section 3. Resolutions Committee. A Resolutions Committee consisting of at least three members shall be appointed by the President prior to each annual meeting of the Division. It shall be the duty of this committee to formulate such resolutions as may be submitted for the consideration of the Division when assembled in general business sessions.
Section 4. Local Committees. (a) At the earliest convenience following accession to office, the President shall appoint a general chairman for local arrangements for the next annual meeting.
(b) The general chairman shall appoint such other members as he or she may wish, and shall create and appoint all such sub-committees as may be needed to facilitate the local arrangements for the meetings.
Section 5. Study and Research Committees. (a) Special committees charged with responsibility for the study of specified problems of broad general interest may be established by action of the Executive Committee.
(b) Conditions and terms of membership of special committees shall be determined in each case by the Executive Committee.
(c) In the event any special committee may receive funds from any sources for the conduct of its studies, such funds shall be accepted in the name of the Division and the Committee shall account to the Executive Director and the Executive Committee of the Division for the expenditure of the funds.
Article VI - Sections of the Division
Section 1. The Division shall be organized into Sections as follows: 1) an Agricultural Sciences Section, 2) a Biomedical Sciences Section, 3) a Botanical Sciences Section, 4) a Computer Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics Section, 5) an Environmental Sciences Section, 6) a General Poster Session, 7) a Geology and Geography Section, 8) a History and Philosophy of Science Section, 9) a Physical Sciences and Engineering Section, 10) a Psychological Sciences Section, 11) a Science Education Section, 12) a Social Sciences Section, and 13) a Zoological Sciences Section. Sections may be established or deleted upon the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. (a) A Chair and a Vice-Chair shall be elected for a term of one year by each Section at each annual meeting. The Vice-Chair shall succeed the Chair the following year. The Chair shall preside at the sessions of the Section, or, with discretion, appoint the other officers of the Section to do so. Section Officers are responsible for encouraging participation in the program of the Section and inviting speakers or arranging symposia that will enhance their Section meetings.
(b) A Secretary shall be elected for a term of three years by each Section; the Secretary shall keep records of the proceedings of the Section and transmit these records to the Executive Director, as required, and will prepare the program for the meetings of the Section in conjunction with the Program Coordinator.
Section 3. The officers of a Section shall constitute a committee empowered to accept or reject papers submitted for presentation in meetings of the Section.
Section 4. All officers of the Sections shall be a part of the SWARM/AAAS Council, as designated in Article II, Section 5.
Article VII - Meetings
Section 1. (a) The Division shall hold one general annual meeting which shall include a business meeting, sessions for the presentation of technical and general programs and, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, such other events as the local committees may arrange. The general program shall include the John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture and the Address of the President.
(b) Whenever the meeting of the entire Association is held within the boundaries of the Division, such meeting shall substitute for the next following annual meeting of the Division.
(c) Whenever the meeting of the entire Association is held sufficiently close, geographically, to the boundaries of the Division, the Executive Committee may order the substitution of such meeting for the next following annual meeting of the Division; provided, however, that such order shall be the result of a unanimously favorable vote of all members of the Executive Committee and shall be announced no less than six months before the meeting of the entire Association.
(d) Whenever the meetings of the Division are omitted as provided by (b) and (c) above, the terms of office of all officers and operating committee members shall be extended for one year.
(e) The place and dates of each annual meeting of the Division shall be determined no later than the time of the preceding general annual meetings.
Article VIII - Finances
Section 1. Funds of the Division shall be classified as Current Funds, The John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture Fund, and Project Funds.
(a) Current Funds shall include the budget allowances from the Association and any other funds received in the continuing operation of the Division and which are not specifically restricted in their use. Current funds may be disbursed in the defrayment of any normal operating expenses of the Division, including supplementation of income from the John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture Fund or to the Project Funds, at the discretion of the Executive Committe.
(b) The John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture Fund shall consist of gifts and such other funds as shall be designated by the Executive Committee. Such funds shall be invested as a trust fund and the income used to support the annual John Wesley Powell Memorial Lecture.
(c) Project Funds shall consist of gifts and bequests, accepted with specific restrictions concerning their use, and such other funds as may be so designated by the Executive Committee. Such funds may be administered by the special study or research committees concerned but these committees shall account to the Executive Director and to the Executive Committee for their use.
Section 2.
The Executive Director shall be responsible for the deposit, disbursement, investment, and management of all funds except those specifically allocated to special study of research committees.
Section 3.
In the event of dissolution of the Division, any assets of the Division, remaining thereafter shall be conveyed to the American Association for the Advancement of Science or, failing its existence, to such organization then existent dedicated to objectives similar to those of the Division and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, so long as whichever organization is selected by the governing body of the Division at the time of dissolution shall be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or under such successor provision of the Code as may be in effect at the time of the Division's dissolution.
Article IX - Amendments
Section 1. Proposals for the amendment of any portion of these Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee through the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall determine whether the proposal is consistent with the existing regulations of the Association, and upon finding it so shall call for a written ballot of the Executive Committee. To proceed further there shall be a favorable vote by three-fourths of the Executive Committee. The proposed amendment shall then be announced in writing to all of the membership of the Division, and provision for a vote of ratification shall be made in the next general election.
Section 2. An amendment shall be approved upon receiving a favorable vote by two-thirds of the ballots cast. It shall become effective only after it has been further approved by the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; provided, however, that the effective date may be further postponed to any condition which is expressly set forth in the amendment.