RATIFICATION

This Constitution and its By-Laws were ratified by a unanimous vote of the members present at the business session in Milledgeville, Georgia, on November 5, 1966, and amended on October 24, 1970, October 26, 1974, November 8, 1975, November 13, 1976, November 10, 1979, October 24, 1980, October 23, 1981, October 8, 1982, November 2, 1984, October 11, 1985, October 10, 1986, October 16, 1987, October 13, 1989, October 30, 1992, October 22, 1993, October 14, 1994, November 15, 2002, and November 3, 2006.

GEORGIA SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I. NAME

Section 1.  The association shall be known as the Georgia Sociological Association.

ARTICLE II.  OBJECTIVES

Section 1.  The objectives of the Association shall be to stimulate and improve research, teaching, and discussion and to encourage community service and cooperative relations among persons in the State of Georgia engaged in the scientific study of society and culture. 

Section 2.  Notwithstanding any of the purposes or objectives stated herein, the Association is organized exclusively for educational purposes and will not engage in any activities which are not contemplated by the provisions of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The Association is not organized for profit, and no part of its earnings shall inure to the benefit of its members, officers, directors, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized to pay reasonable compensation for services.

In event of dissolution of the Association, any net assets shall be distributed to one or more organizations which have established appropriate exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, contributions to which are deductible, or to a State or local government for public purposes.

ARTICLE III.  MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.  Membership in the Association shall be open to any person meeting the conditions prescribed in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE IV.  OFFICERS

Section 1.  The officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Vice-President and a Secretary-Treasurer who shall be elected annually by the membership.

Section 2.  The duties of the President of the Association shall be:  to preside at all business meetings of the Association; to chair the Executive Committee and preside at its meetings; to have direct charge of the general program of the annual sessions, but to consult the Executive Committee in selecting the time, place, and plan of the general sessions; and to perform all duties assigned by the Association and the Executive Committee.  In the event of death, resignation or absence, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, the duties of the President shall devolve, successively, upon the Vice-President and the Secretary-Treasurer.

Section 3.  The duties of the Vice-President shall be:  to serve on the Executive Committee; to execute all the particulars of the general program of the annual sessions; and to perform all the appropriate duties assigned by the President.  The Vice-President shall succeed to the duties of the President as provided in Section 2.  The Vice-President shall succeed to the office of President-Elect as provided in Section 5.

Section 4.  The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be:  to serve on the Executive Committee; to receive, have the custody of, and disburse the funds of the Association, subject to the authorization of the Executive Committee; to keep all records of the Association including minutes of the business sessions of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Committee; and to serve ex officio as a member of the Membership Committee.  The Secretary-Treasurer may succeed to the duties of the President as provided in Section 2.

Section 5.  The duties of the President-Elect shall be to serve on the Executive Committee, to chair the Nominating Committee, and to make committee appointments as provided in Article III, Section 1, of the By-Laws.  In the event the position is vacated by death, resignation, or other circumstances, the Vice-President shall succeed to the office of President-Elect and assume the office of President at the next annual meeting.

Section 6.  In order to be eligible for an elective office, a prospective candidate must have been a member of the Association for at least one year. 

ARTICLE V.  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1.  The governing body of the Association, subject only to the membership of the Association, shall be an Executive Committee composed of the Officers of the Association, the past Presidents of the Association for two years after the expiration of their terms of office, two Members-at-Large nominated by the Nominating Committee and elected by the Association, and, as non-voting members, the Chairs of the Standing Committees.

Section 2.  The Executive Committee shall have charge of the general interests of the Association, shall call regular and special meetings of the Association, and shall have power to fill all vacancies not otherwise provided for, such appointees to hold office until the next annual meeting.

Section 3.  The President of the Association shall be the Chair of the Executive Committee, and the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association shall be ex officio Secretary of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI.  MEETINGS

Section 1.  The Association shall hold an annual meeting at a time and place determined by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee, for the transaction of business, the presentation of papers and the general discussion of sociological topics.  Notice of each annual meeting shall be sent to all members at least two months before such meeting.  At such meetings the officers shall make their annual reports and the officers for the ensuing year shall be announced.  The program of all annual meetings shall become a part of the Secretary's minutes.  Such members as are present at the annual meeting shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VII.  SPECIAL FUNDS AND ENDOWMENTS

Section 1.  With the approval of the Association, the Executive Committee may solicit, receive, invest and expend funds, and the income therefrom, for special purposes designed to further the research and other interests of the Association.

ARTICLE VIII.  ELECTIONS

Section 1.  There shall be a Nominating Committee appointed by the President consisting of the President-Elect as chair and two other members.  The Nominating Committee shall solicit suggestions for nominees from the members by mail.  It shall nominate two persons for each office, except that one only for Secretary-Treasurer may be nominated.  The committee shall ascertain the eligibility and willingness of each candidate to serve.  It shall submit a slate of nominees to the Secretary-Treasurer four months prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2.  Mail ballots with biographical sketches of the nominees shall be circulated one month prior to the annual meeting.  Voting shall be done by return mail ballot.  Members shall be allowed to write in candidates for any office.  In the event that a candidate for the office of President-Elect, Vice-President or Secretary-Treasurer does not receive a majority vote, a run-off secret ballot shall be conducted at the next annual business meeting of the Association.  For Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, the two candidates with the highest number of votes shall be duly elected.  In the event of a tie among the candidates for Members-at-Large, a run-off secret ballot shall be conducted at the next annual business meeting of the Association.  Only paid-up members may vote.  The President shall appoint a Ballot-Teller Committee one month prior to the annual meeting.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall certify all ballots and then turn the ballots over to the Ballot-Teller Committee.

No person who is running for an office shall serve on the Ballot-Teller Committee.

Section 3.  Should a person duly elected to an office of the Association be unable, for any reason, to assume office, the position shall be filled through a special election held at the next annual business meeting.  The Nominating Committee shall offer a new slate of candidates for the office and members shall be allowed to nominate candidates from the floor.  Voting shall be by secret ballot.  If a run-off vote is necessary, it shall be conducted as provided in Section 2.

ARTICLE IX.  RESOLUTIONS

Section 1.  Any member of the Association who desires to present a resolution at the annual meeting shall have copies available at the registration desk, and shall submit a copy to the Secretary-Treasurer, prior to the business meeting.

Section 2.  A resolution may be submitted at any time by petition, signed by at least five percent of the Association membership, to the Secretary-Treasurer.  These petitions and resolutions shall be included with ballots in the next mailing to all voting members.

Section 3.  In order to commit the Association, the passage of any resolution shall require a majority vote of the ballots returned by mail to the Secretary-Treasurer from the voting members.

Section 4.  All resolutions, passed or defeated, shall be published in the Association newsletter, together with the vote totals.

ARTICLE X.  AMENDMENTS

Section 1.  Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed at any annual meeting by the Executive Committee or by any member of the Association.  Proposed amendments by members shall be referred to the Executive Committee for study and recommendation to the Association.  Final action on amendments shall be deferred to the next annual meeting; a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting shall be necessary for adoption.

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I.  MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

Section 1.  The membership of the Association shall consist of five classes:  Regular, Associate, Student, Emeritus and Honorary.  Dues for the various classes of membership shall be established by a majority vote of the Association at its annual meeting to take effect the following year.  The Membership Year shall be from the beginning of one annual meeting to the beginning of the next annual meeting.

Section 2.  Regular membership shall be open only to persons in Georgia with graduate degrees in sociology or who are engaged in professional practice in sociology.  Upon the approval of the Executive Committee, those who are professionally engaged in related fields in Georgia also may be granted regular membership.

Section 3.  Associate membership is open to all persons who are not eligible for Regular, Student, Emeritus, and Honorary membership.  An Associate member will have voting privileges but will be ineligible to hold office.

Section 4.  Student membership is open to all undergraduate and graduate students in any accredited institution of higher learning in Georgia.

Section 5.  Any person who been a Regular member of the Association for at least ten years may, upon retirement from active employment, become an Emeritus member of the Association.

Section 6.  Honorary membership may be conferred upon any person, for one year or for life, by the unanimous decision of the Executive Committee.  Honorary membership shall be without dues.

ARTICLE II.  VOTING

Section 1.  Regular, Associate, and Emeritus members shall have voting privileges.

ARTICLE III.  COMMITTEES

Section 1.  The Committee on Applied and Clinical Sociology, Committee on Teaching, Committee on Research, and Committee on Membership shall be Standing Committees of the Association.  Each committee shall consist of three members serving staggered three-year terms.  Prior to the annual meeting, the President-Elect shall appoint a Chair for each of the next year's committees from among the three members of each committee and shall appoint new members to fill any expiring or vacated committee positions.

The responsibilities of the Committee on Applied and Clinical Sociology, the Committee on Teaching, and the Committee on Research shall be to keep the Executive Committee and the membership informed of current issues and concerns in their respective areas.  Additionally, for the programs of annual meetings, Committee responsibilities shall include the recommendation of session/workshop topics and formats, the recruitment of session organizers, liaison with the Vice President and session organizers for coordinating the implementation and execution of program sessions, and the recommendation of appropriate plenary speakers.

The responsibilities of the Committee on Membership shall be to maintain membership records; provide membership reports at annual meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee; annually compile and distribute current membership directories; make recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding membership dues, rights, and responsibilities; make recommendations for the designation of honorary memberships; and initiate and carry out activities related to special and ongoing membership recruitment.    

Section 2.  In accordance with Article VIII, Section 1, of the Constitution, the President shall appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of the President-Elect as Chair and two other members.  The President shall appoint a Ballot-Teller Committee, consisting of at least two members, subject to the provisions of Article VIII, Section 2, of the Constitution.  As soon as election results are known, the Chair of the Nominating Committee shall notify all nominees as to their elective status.

Section 3.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall be a member ex officio of the Membership Committee.

Section 4.  The President shall direct the immediate Past-President to solicit nominations for the Award for Meritorious Service.  The Executive Committee shall elect those on whom the Award shall be bestowed.

Section 5.  The President shall appoint annually a Parliamentarian to serve the Association.

Section 6.  The President shall appoint special committees according to the needs of the Association.

ARTICLE IV.  ELIGIBILITY FOR NOMINATION AND ELECTION

Section 1.  To be eligible for nomination and election to any office of the Association, one must have been a Regular member of the Association for at least one year.

ARTICLE V.  PUBLICATIONS

Section 1.  Consistent with the objectives of the organization, as provided in Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution, the Association shall sponsor an electronic on-line publication entitled The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology.

Section 2.  Broad editorial policies for the Journal shall be established and reviewed periodically by an initial seven-member Editorial Board.  The Executive Committee has the discretion to recommend to the membership a change in this number as occasion warrants.  The Board shall be drawn from the Association’s membership and appointed by the Executive Committee to renewable three-year, staggered terms of office.  Board vacancies caused by death, resignation, absence, or other reason shall be filed in accordance with Article V, Section 2 of the Constitution.

Section 3.  The President-Elect of the Association is, ex officio, Chair of the Editorial Board.  As such, the President-Elect is responsible for calling and conducting meetings of the Board, open to the membership, at the annual meeting of the Association.  In accordance with Article VI, Section 1 of the Constitution, a summary of Board meetings will be included in the President-Elect’s annual report to the Association.

Section 4.  Regular editorial functions are the responsibility of the Journal’s Managing Editor(s).  With the advice of the Editorial Board, the Managing Editor(s) shall be drawn from the Association’s membership and appointed by the Executive Committee to renewable three-year terms of office.  Editorship vacancies caused by death, resignation, absence, or other reason shall be filled in accordance with Article V, Section 2 of the Constitution.

The Managing Editor(s) shall follow the policies established by the Editorial Board for ensuring that the Journal is edited and published using appropriate professional standards.  The Managing Editor(s) will provide annual reports on the Journal’s status to the Editorial Board.

Section 5.  In accordance with Article VII of the Constitution, the Executive Committee shall budget those funds that are reasonable and necessary for the publication of the Journal.

ARTICLE VI.  MEETINGS

Section 1.  It shall be the duty of the President and Executive Committee to select a place for the annual meeting where all accommodations are open to all members of the Association.  The President-Elect, in consultation with the Executive Committee, may set a preliminary time and place for the annual meeting in advance of taking office as President.  In the event that the President-Elect does not assume the office of President, any preliminary planning will not be binding upon the President who assumes the office the following year.  The annual meeting shall normally be held in October or November.

ARTICLE VII.  RESOLUTIONS

Section 1.  Copies of typed resolutions from members shall be available at the registration desk no later than fifty minutes prior to the annual business meeting.  Resolutions submitted by Association committees are not subject to this time restriction.

Section 2.  All resolutions introduced at the business meeting shall be distributed for voting by the entire eligible membership by ballot in the next Association mailing, together with a synopsis of the discussion and voting. 

Section 3.  Passage of any resolution shall be according to Section 3, Article IX of the Constitution. 

ARTICLE VIII.  AMENDMENTS

Section 1.  Amendments to these By-Laws may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by any member of the Association.  Proposed amendments by members shall be referred to the Executive Committee for study and recommendation to the Association.  Final action may be taken at any annual meeting of the Association by majority vote of the members present and voting.