Article 1-Purposes
The purposes of the Southwestern Division of the American Association for the Advancement of Science are to encourage research in all branches of science,pure and applied, to diffuse knowledge, and to foster the scientific spirit among the people, by Division meetings held within the Southwestern region, and by such other means as the Executive Committee of the Division may adopt.
Article 2-Territory
The Southwestern region includes the states of Arizona, New Mexico, that portion of Texas west of the Pecos River (approximately the 102nd meridian), together with the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua, and other adjacent regions and states as shall be hereafter included.
Article 3-Membership
The membership of the Southwestern Division shall consist of: (a) Individuals living in the Southwestern region who are members or fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and (b) Affiliated Societies. Individuals members and fellows of the American Association living in the Southwestern region shall enjoy all the privileges of members of the Southwestern Division.
Article 4-Affiliated Societies
It is the purpose of the Southwestern Division to promote the interests of science through definite and formal cooperation with all scientific societies of good standards represented in the Southwestern region. Formal invitation to membership by affiliation shall be extended to societies by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. Those societies which accept this invitation and whose presidents sign the Constitution of the Southwestern Division shall be known as Affiliated Societies.
Article 5-Officers
The officers of the Southwestern Division shall consist of a President, a Vice-President and Chairman of the Executive Committee, and a Secretary-Treasurer. These officers shall be elected by the Executive Committee of the Division. The President and Vice-President shall be elected from the fellows of the Division.
Article 6-President
The President shall be elected as soon as practicable following the close of an annual meeting and shall serve from the date of his election to the close of the next annual meeting. He shall preside over all general meetings of the Division and deliver an address on some subject selected by him at the first annual meeting of the Division following the close of his term of office.
Article 7-Vice President and Chairman of the Executive Committee
The Vice-President and Chairman of the Executive Committee shall be elected as soon as practicable following the close of an annual meeting and shall serve from the date of his election to th close of the third succeeding annual meeting. He shal preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, and, in the absence of the President, at all general meetings of the Division.
Article 8-Secretary-Treasurer
The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected for a term of three years but he shall serve further until the election of his successor. He shall keep the records of the Division, of the Executive Committee, and of the Affiliation Committee. He shall receive and transmit dues and fees received from members and fellows to the Permanent Secretary of the American Association. He shall arrange for the printing of programs prepared by the Executive Committee, the Affiliated Societies, and the Sections, prior to the meetings concerned. He shall incur expenses only as authorized by the Executive Committee, and shall pay out money only on accounts approved by the Chairman of the Executive Committee. He shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the Executive Committee.
Article 9-Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, who shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Committee, and of five members elected from the fellows of the Southwestern Division. Not more than two of the five members elected by the Division shall be representative of the same division of science.
Vacancies occurring in the Executive Committee by the expiration of the terms of office of its members elected by the Division shall be filled by elections, and the persons so electd shall serve for three years. The election of the members of this Committee shall occur at the general annual meetings of the Division by the ballots of the individual members and fellows of the Division. Those candidates receiving the highest number of votes consecutively shall be declared elected for the position about to become vacant. The terms of office of members of the Executive Committee shall terminate at the close of the annual meetins at which their successors are elected. A vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term of office of a member may be filled by the President's appointment, and such an appointee shall serve until there is opportunity to fill the vacancy by election at a general annual meeting. Four 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.
It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee, as soon as practicable after the close of each annual meeting, to elect: a President for the term then beginning; a Vice-President, if a vacancy exists; and a Secretary-Treasurer, if a vacancy exists or is about to occur. These elections shall be made by a majority vote of all members of the Executive Committee, and this vote shall be by ballots handed or mailed to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Division.
The Executive Committee shall likewise elect the officers of any Sections which may be organized, and take any necessary action on Sectional programs. The Executive Committee shall have charge of all general business affecting the welfare of the Southwestern Division that is not otherwise delegated by the Constitution.
Article 10-Nominating Committee
Sixty days or more prior to each annual meeting of the Southwestern Division, the Vice-President shall appoint a Nominating Committee to consist of three fellows of the Division. This Committee shall nominate candidates for election to fill vacancies about to occur in the elective membership of the Executive Committee elected by the Division, and shall present its report at a general session of the annual meeting. The list of nominations shall contain twice as many names as there are vacancies to be filled.
Article 11-Affiliation Committee
The Affiliation Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, and one delegate from each Affiliated Society. The President of the Division shall be ex-officio Chairman of this committee; but for such meetings as the President cannot attend, the Committee shall select a Chairman pro tempore. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Division shall serve as Secretary of this Committee.
It shall be the duty of this Committee to consider and act upon such affiliation relationships, not defined by the Constitution, as affect the welfare of the Affiliated Societies collectively or in their relations to each other. It shall have the right to levy assessments on the Affiliated Societies for the expenses of general meetings of the Division which include the cooperation of the Affiliated Societies, by ballots mailed to the Secretary-Treasurer, upon majority of votes cast. The Committee shall consider such other subjects as are referred to it from general meetings of the Division; other meetings may be held at the call of the Chairman. A majority of the membership of this Committee shall constitute a quorum, and all decisions shall be by a majority vote of the members present.
Article 12-Meetings of the Division
The Division shall hold one general annual meeting for the presentation of technical and general programs, and such special meetings as the Executive Committee may appoint and arrange for.
Article 13-Arrangement of Program
The Executive Committee shall arrange for all general sessions, public lectures, and general scientific programs.
The Southwestern Division shall organize or maintain no Sections for the presentation of technical programs in the branches of science represented by Affiliated Societies.
The Executive Committee may organize Sections to present programs in those branches of science for which no other provision has been made, such Sections to be maintained only until those subjects shall be provided for by Affiliated Societies.
The technical programs in the branches of science represented by the Affiliated Societies shall be organized by the separate societies with one member of the Executive Committee of the Southwestern Division as a member of the Program Committee of each Society. Individual members of the Southwestern Division who are not members of Affiliated Societies may present worthy papers in the proper programs and take reasonable part in the discussion of papers under the same regulations that govern participation by members of Affiliated Societies.
Any Affiliated Society deciding that its interest will be best served in any given year by holding its annual meeting at some other time or place than that selected for the general meeting of the Division may have this privilege without loss of affiliation, provided its presiding officer notifies the Executive Committee promptly in writing of the reasons governing this action, and the Division shall not establish a temporary Section to represent the subject in question.
Article 14-Officers of Sections
Chairmen of Sections shall be elected for terms of one year by the Executive Committee, upon the recommendation of the Sections. They shall preside over the meetings of the Sections.
Secretaries of Sections shall be elected by the Executive Committee for terms of three years. They shall keep the records of the proceedings of their Sections and transmit these records to the Executive Committee as required.
The Chairman and Secretary of each Section and one member of the Executive Committee of the Division shall constitute a Committee to prepare the program for the Section.
Article 15-Papers and Communications
A member or fellow who desires to read a paper before a Section of the Division should present in writing to the Secretary of the Section, at least twenty-four hours before the opening of the series of meetings, the full title of the paper, the time required for delivery, and an abstract of its contents; and no title shall be considered by the Sectional Committee until an abstract of the paper, or the paper itself, has been received by the Committee.
Program Committees of Sections may invite papers and discussions by non-members who are recognized as having made definite contributions to the advancement of their subjects.
Article 16-Finance
Fees and dues received from members and fellows, with the exception of assessments from Affiliated Societies, shall be transmitted to the Permanent Secretary of the American Association, who will supply receipts.
Funds received from patrons in the Pacific Coast region and from gifts, bequests or other similar sources, shall be invested as trust funds by the Executive Committee, and the income therefrom shall be expended for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge.
The Executive Committee shall have authority to maintain and administer special funds, such as local contributions for special purposes, moneys appropriated by Affiliated Societies, and other funds not named herein.
Article 17-Termination of Membership
Individual memberships may be terminated in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of the American Association governing this subject.
An Affiliated Society in good standing may withdraw from membership by vote of its members and by formal notice of this action sent to the Executive Committee.
An Affiliated Society may be dropped from membership for lack of cooperation, non-payments of assessments, lowness of standards, or other reasons, by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee, and of the Affiliation Committee, and upon formal notification of the Society by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Division that this action has been taken.
Article 18-Changes in the Constitution
No part of this Constitution shall be changed without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members and fellows present in a general session of the Southwestern Division, after written notice given at a general session of a preceding general meeting of the Southwestern Division, and all changes to become effective shall require ratification by the Executive Committee of the American Association; changes affecting the status of the Affiliated Socieites shall require an affirmative vote of the Affiliation Committee.
[This Constitution was ratified by the Executive Committee of the Council of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C., April 1920.]