About

Bylaws

Article 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Geodesy 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 geodesy.
2. To promote the scientific study of geodesy 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 the sponsorship of scientific and technical symposia, colloquia, and meetings.
3. To initiate and participate in geodetic research programs including those which depend upon international cooperation.
4. To promote cooperation among those scientific organizations whose objectives include furtherance of knowledge in the geodetic disciplines.

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 officers of the Section shall be the President, President-elect, and Secretary. The officers shall be members under Article 2, Sections a, b, or c, of the Union Statutes.
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. The Secretary’s term may be renewable. 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 an election, beyond the term of their predecessor.
3. Executive Committee: The Section shall have an Executive Committee which shall include the President, President-Elect, Secretary, immediate Past President, and up to four members-at-large. The members-at-large shall be appointed by the Section President with the recommendation and approval of the other Section Officers, for a term coincident with that of the President. Consideration should be given to choosing this members-at-large from Past Presidents; Task Group, Committee or Division Chairmen; Editors; and Program Chairmen.
4. Duties of the President: The President shall preside at meetings of the Section and of the Executive Committee. The President shall appoint members to Section committees and task groups and have the power to withdraw appointments made while in office or by previous Presidents. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Section task groups or 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. The President shall appoint an alternate to vote in place of the President-Elect when such officer is unable to attend the Council meeting.
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, or appoint an alternate to attend and vote, at all Council meetings, or see that the President appoints an alternate. The President-Elect shall have such other powers and duties as may be assigned 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 Secretary: The Secretary shall prepare the official minutes of all meetings of the Section and of the Executive Committee and submit a brief report of such meetings for publication in EOS, as appropriate. The Secretary shall handle all general correspondence of the Section; maintain and distribute an accurate list of task group and committee members, addresses, and year of appointment; issue notice of all Section and Executive Committee meetings; conduct letter ballots for the Section; receive and disburse funds as authorized by the Executive Committee of the Section, and Council of the Union; in the absence of a designated alternate, the Secretary shall represent the absent President at meetings of the Council (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, an ad hoc Nominations Committee composed of at least three Section members, one of whom shall be designated Chairman, shall be appointed by the Section President, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. The Nominations Committee shall submit to the Section President a slate of at least two
   nominees for the offices of Section President-Elect and Secretary. The President shall 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. Petitions of nominations from Section membership shall be honored provided that
   1. each Petition is signed by at least one percent of the full voting membership of the Section, and
   2. such Petitions are received by the Union’s General Secretary before the termination of the 30 days notification period required 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 the 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, Task Groups, and Representatives

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 the 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 one-half of the members expire 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.
4. Representatives: The Council of the Union may appoint representatives to other organizations, upon mutual agreement with the Section when such representation may promote coordination and interest in geophysics. The Executive Committee of the Section shall make tentative arrangements for inter-organizational relationships and shall select the representatives for the Section. Arrangements and commitments must be ratified by the Council of the Union before they are binding on the Union.

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 Business Meeting shall be held per year. Administrative and technical committees 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 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 by the Section subject to approval by the Council.
2. Written minutes shall be prepared for each Section, committee, and task group meeting and copies shall be distributed to the Union office and to Section committee, or task group members, respectively. A summary of the minutes also should be sent to the Editor of EOS for publication in that news outlet.
3. 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 their 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 methods as are 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 Bylaw shall be submitted to the Council of the Union 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.