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Bylaws

Article 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Atmospheric Sciences Section of the American Geophysical Union.

Article 2. Objectives

  1. To promote the aims and activities of the American Geophysical Union within the field of Atmospheric Sciences.
  2. To promote the scientific study of Atmospheric Sciences and to make the results of such studies available to the public by
    1. scientific discussion, publication, and other dissemination of information, and
    2. by sponsorship of scientific and technical symposia, colloquia, and meetings.

Article 3. Membership

  1. Types of members are as defined in Article 2 of the Union Bylaws.
  2. Members of the Section shall be all classifications of Union members who indicate an interest in affiliation with this section.
  3. A Union member who becomes an inactive member of the Union shall also become an inactive member of the Section.
  4. Any member of the Section who ceases to be a member of the Union shall also cease to be a member of the Section.
  5. All Section members who are classified under Article 2, Sections a, b, or c, of the Union Statutes are entitled to vote and are eligible to hold office in the Section.

Article 4. Administration and Officers’ Duties

  1. Officers — The elected officers of the Section shall be a President, President-Elect, and three Secretaries. The officers shall be members under Article 2, Section a, b, or c, of the Union Statutes. There shall be secretaries for Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry; for Atmospheric Physics, Climate, and Dynamics; and for Aerosols and Clouds.
  2. Term of Office — The Section officers shall serve a two year term, without honorarium, coincident with the term of the Union Officers.The President shall not be eligible for election as President-Elect immediately following the term as President.If any office becomes vacant, the Executive Committee of the Section shall designate a successor to complete the term. Officers designated by the Executive Committee cannot hold office, without election, beyond the term of their predecessor.
  3. Executive Committee — The Section shall have an Executive Committee which shall include the President, President-Elect, the Secretaries, and immediate Past President. In addition, the President may appoint additional members, whose participation is deemed to be useful for the Section.
  4. Duties of the President — The President shall preside at meetings of the Section and of the Executive Committee. The President shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, a standing Fellows and Nomination Committee composed of at least eight members drawn from the group of Atmospheric Science Section Fellows. The President shall appoint members to other Section committees and task groups and have the power to withdraw appointments made while in office or by previous Presidents, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Section task groups and committees. The President shall be a voting member of the Union Council and shall attend, or appoint an alternate to attend and vote, at all Council meetings.
  5. Duties of the President-Elect — The President-Elect shall assume the duties and powers of the President, at the request of the President or in the absence or incapacity of the President. The President-Elect shall be a voting member of the Union Council and shall attend, and vote, at all Council meetings. The President-Elect shall have such other powers and duties as may beassigned by the Section President. The President-Elect shall succeed the President at the end of the President’s term of office.
  6. Duties of the Secretaries — The secretaries will be responsible for organizing Atmospheric Sciences sessions at the Fall Meetings and Joint Assemblies. In the absence of a designated alternate, one of the elected Secretaries shall represent the absent President at Council meetings (or the President-Elect if not serving for the President); and perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Section President.

Article 5. Nomination and Election of Section Officers

  1. Nominations — At least six months before the general election, the Fellows and Nominations Committee shall submit to the Section President a slate of at least two nominees for each elective office (President-elect, Atmospheric Composition and Chemistry Secretary, Atmospheric Physics, Climate and Dynamics Secretary, and Atmospheric Aerosols and Clouds Secretary). The President shall also ask for open nominations from the Section membership. The President-Elect will seek assent from the nominees and assemble the final slate of candidates, giving primacy to the names submitted by the Fellows and Nominations Committee. The President shall then submit that slate to the Union Council at least four months before the Union’s general election. The slate of approved nominees shall appear in an AGU publication of general circulation not less than 30 days before the general election.
  2. Elections — The general election shall take place by letter ballot at the end of the 30-day notification period. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election to an office. No mail ballot shall be closed until at least 30 days after date of issue. The election results shall be announced at the Annual Business Meeting. The term of office for all officers shall begin on July 1 following the elections.

Article 6. Divisions, Committees and Task Groups

  1. Divisions — The Section may be subdivided into Divisions. Proposals for a new Division or discontinuance of an existing Division may be made by any Section member but must be approved by the Section’s Executive Committee and by the Union’s Council. The Section shall elect appropriate officers for each Division.
  2. Committees — The Section may have administrative and technical committees. Proposals for a new committee or discontinuance of an existing committee may be made by the Section President, subject to the approval of the Section’s Executive Committee. Each committee shall consist of a chairman appointed by the President, with advice of the Executive Committee, and at least two members appointed by the President, with the recommendations and advice of the committee chairman. Committee membership should be distributed geographically and organizationally to the maximum extent possible. The term of office of all committee chairmen shall not extend beyond the term of office of the appointing President, but a committee chairman may be reappointed by an incoming President for another term. In the interest of some continuity of activities, the committee members should be appointed to definite terms such that the terms of only one-half of the members expire during each two year interval.
  3. Task Groups — Special task groups may be appointed by the President to undertake particular projects of limited duration. The term of appointment normally should not extend beyond that of the President but the term may be extended if necessary to bring the project to completion.

Article 7. Meetings

  1. The Section may hold as many section meetings, or Executive Committee meetings, and at such locations, as may be deemed desirable by the Executive Committee, but at least one Annual Business Meeting shall be held per year. Administrative and technical committee and task groups may hold as many meetings as they need to maintain their objectives and assignments. At least 30 days advance written notice shall be given for the Annual Business Meeting and at least 15 days advance written notice shall be given for Executive Committee or other committee and task group meetings. Specialty meetings dedicated to the pursuit of a specific scientific subject may be sponsored, subject to approval of the Council of the Union.
  2.  A quorum for all business meetings shall be those present at the meeting. A quorum for the Executive Committee and other committee and task group meetings shall be one-third of the total membership of these committees or task groups.

Article 8. Publications

The Section may publish a newsletter and other items of interest to its discipline. However, the type of publication and the means of financing same shall be approved by the Union’s Executive Committee.

Article 9. Bylaws, Adoptions, and Amendments

  1. Adoption– New Bylaws may be adopted by the same method as is provided for the amendment of Bylaws.
  2. Amendments — Any voting member of the Section may propose an amendment to the Bylaws. Such a proposal shall be considered by the Union’s Committee on Statutes and Bylaws and presented with recommendations to the Section’s Executive Committee. Upon approval of the Executive Committee, the Bylaws shall be submitted to the AGU Council for final approval. In case of conflict with the Statutes and Bylaws of the Union, the Union takes precedence over the Section.

Article 10. Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order shall be followed except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws.

Approved by AGU Council, May 25, 2007