Constitution and By-Laws of the Society for Armenian Studies, Inc.
(As amended by membership referenda, November 1994)
(As amended by membership vote at the Annual Business Meeting, October 2000)
(As amended by membership referenda, November 2000)
ARTICLE I. NAME
This society shall be known as the Society for Armenian Studies (SAS), duly incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a non-profit and tax-exempt organization.
ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES
The SAS shall be dedicated to the development of Armenian Studies as an academic discipline. It shall be the purpose of the SAS to:
Sec 1. promote the study of Armenia and all aspects of Armenian culture;
Sec 2. promote the teaching of Armenian subjects in educational institutions;
Sec 3. promote the publication of texts in various fields of Armenian studies;
Sec 4. organize and sponsor conferences, symposia, panels, and other forums pertaining to all aspects of Armenian culture and society;
Sec 5. facilitate the exchange and dissemination of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies through a program of publications, consistent with the objectives of the SAS.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Sec 1. Any individual sharing the objectives of the SAS and engaged in scholarly research, teaching, or study in the Armenian field shall be eligible for membership. An individual may become a member after completing the Society’s membership application form, receiving the approval of the Executive Council, and paying membership dues. The new member thereafter may remain such by paying the annual dues. Default in the payment of dues for two consecutive years would be deemed as termination of membership.
Sec 2. The SAS shall have the following membership categories: Regular, Student, Institutional, and Subscribing.
Regular members shall have the right to vote in all elections, participate in deliberations, be elected as officers, serve on committees, and receive specified SAS publications.
Student members shall have the same rights as Regular members, but shall pay reduced annual dues.
Institutions and organizations supportive of the SAS objectives may be admitted as Institutional members by the Executive Council. The Institutional members shall receive designed SAS publications, but shall have neither voting nor participatory rights.
The annual dues of all categories of membership shall be determined by the Executive Council and these categories shall receive such SAS publications as designated for each category by the Council; subscribing members shall have receive the Newsletter but shall not be listed in the SAS Membership Roster.
ARTICLE IV. MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Sec 1. The Membership meeting shall be the highest authority for deciding the policies and managing the affairs of the SAS. It shall meet annually at a time and place designated by the Executive Council.
Sec 2. The Membership meeting shall receive from the Executive Council an annual report of the Society, and an audit of the Society’s accounts.
Sec 3. A quorum for the Membership meeting shall consist of no less than ten members, and decisions shall be made by the majority vote of the members in attendance.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Sec 1. The Executive Council of the SAS shall be the governing body of the Society and shall have the general charge and supervision of its business and interests in accordance with these by-laws.
Sec 2. The Executive Council shall consist of seven members elected in staggered terms for a period of three years by members of the Society with at least two seats up for election each year in the cycle. The outgoing President (for one year) and editors of the Newsletter and Journal serve as non-voting &-officio members of the Executive Council. The term of an Officer of the Executive Council shall be considered to end immediately after the annual membership meeting in the final year of the term of office, but not until their successor is elected and takes office at the first Executive Council meeting following the annual meeting.
Sec 3. The officers of the Executive Council shall consist of a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, each of whom shall be elected by the Executive Council.
Officers of the Executive Council shall serve for two years. The person chosen as President must have served on the Executive Council at least one year prior to his election.
Sec 4. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society, and shall transact its business, shall have the charge of the central office of the Society, and shall preside at the Executive Council and Membership meetings. The President shall also advise and assist all committees in their work. The President shall have the power to assign specific and singular tasks to the Council members.
Sec 5. The Vice President shall assist the President of the Society in the execution of duties, and shall discharge these duties in the President’s absence. The Vice President is to be responsible for organizing panels officially sponsored by the Society in conjunction with its affiliate organizations MESA, AAASS, AHA, etc).
Sec 6. The Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the Society, shall keep its records, and shall be responsible for the minutes of the Executive Council and Membership Meetings. The Secretary shall also handle the arrangements for membership inquiries and applications.
Sec 7. The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the SAS, shall review and approve the arrangements for the receipt and disbursement of funds and expenses. The Treasurer shall keep the Society’s financial accounts, shall present regular financial reports to the Executive Council, and shall present a Treasurer’s Report at the annual Membership meeting.
Sec 8. The Executive Council shall fill any vacancy in its membership by inviting the member who received the next highest number of votes during the last election to the Executive Council. If no such member is available, the Executive Council shall fill the vacancy from the membership-at-large.
Sec 9. The Executive Council may establish ad hoc committees as the business of the Society may require, define their tasks and powers, and fix their terms and methods of appointment.
Sec 10. The Executive Council may call Special Membership meetings of the Society provided thirty-days’ advance notice is sent to the members.
Sec 11. The Executive Council shall meet at least once a year and more often at its discretion or on call of the President.
Sec 12. The Executive Council shall appoint the chairpersons of standing committees and supervise, give direction, and adopt rules for their operation. The Executive Council members may serve as standing committee chairpersons.
ARTICLE VI. NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE
There shall be a Nominations Committee consisting of three members to be elected at the annual Membership meeting by majority vote of members in attendance. The Chairperson of the Nominations Committee shall be a member-at-large, not serving on the Executive Council. The Nominations Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates–initially using those names nominated from the floor at the annual Membership meeting–for the positions vacated on the Executive Council and shall present this slate to the Executive Council before its semiannual meeting. There shall be more candidates put in nomination than there are vacancies. The Nominations Committee shall then send the ballots to the membership-at-large at least three months prior to the annual Membership meeting. The Secretary of the Executive Council shall receive the mail ballots by one month prior to the annual Membership meeting, and the tabulated vote shall be announced at the said meeting.
ARTICLE VII. STANDING COMMITTEES
Sec 1. There shall be a Development Committee charged with raising funds for the Society’s operation, publicizing its activities, and soliciting new membership. This committee shall receive instructions from the Executive Council, and shall report to it about its activities one month prior to meetings of the Executive Council. The committee may issue general press releases with the approval of the President of the Society.
Sec 2. There shall be a Publications Committee charged with overseeing and coordinating the production, sales, stockage, publicity, and finances of all SAS publications. Editors of all SAS publications shall be automatic members of this committee.
Sec 3. There shall be a Panels Committee charged with coordinating and organizing all SAS panels at scholarly conference, symposia, and meetings. This committee shall also receive, complete, and screen panel proposals, and secure liaison between the SAS and various parent organizations with which the Society is affiliated.
Sec 4. All standing committee chairpersons shall have the authority to choose their committee members.
Sec 5. Each standing committee chairperson shall be accountable for the activities of the committee to the Executive Council.
Sec 6. All standing committees shall have appropriate budget allocated to them by the Executive Council.
ARTICLE VII. RESOLUTIONS
Sec 1. All resolutions coming from members shall be referred in advance to the Executive Council to submit for vote to the annual Membership meeting.
Sec 2. Any petition endorsed by at least one-tenth of Society’s voting members shall be put to the vote of the membership at the annual Membership meeting.
ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS
These by-laws may be amended by the majority vote of the members of the Society in good standing. Any ten members of the Society may propose amendments to these by-laws. Such proposed amendments shall be referred in writing to the Executive Council forconsideration, and by it shall be put to the vote of the membership with such recommendations as the Executive Council and the proponents of the amendment may see fit to make. All such votes shall be by mail ballot. Amendments may also be proposed by the Executive Council at the Membership meeting, and adopted by a two- thirds vote of members in attendance.
ARTICLE X. PERMANENT SECRETARIAT
The Executive Council shall appoint a permanent secretariat (i.e. office manager and treasurer) to manage the ordinary business of the Society. The current site of the permanent secretariat shall be at the Armenian Studies Program at California State University, Fresno. The site of the permanent secretariat may be changed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Council. The permanent secretariat may also collect the dues of the Society and disburse funds on order of the Executive Council through the President and Treasurer or through resolutions passed by at the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer or the President or both shall continue to be the only ones to sign payment disbursements or incur financial obligations.