INA BYLAWS
Version as amended via ballot of the members, October 2021
The Bylaws below were produced for inspection by the membership and were adopted by the membership at the General Meeting in Parma, Sept. 2002 (i.e. the INA business meeting held during the INA Conference). They were amended in 2013 and the amendments were adopted by the membership at the General Meeting in Reston, Sept. 2013 (i.e. the INA business meeting held during the INA Conference). They were further amended in 2017, and the amendments were adopted by the membership at the General Meeting in Athens, Sept. 2017 (i.e. the INA business meeting held during the INA Conference). They were further amended in 2021, with the amendments approved via electronic ballot of the membership. The 2021 emendments were carried out to allow incorporation of the Society as a charity in the UK these emendents were drafted by Matt Hampton (Treasurer) in consultation with Giuliana Villa (President) and the other elected officers of the society (the Council), they were then voted on, and approved, by electronic polling of the entire membership.
Extra documentation:
Giuliana Villa, INA President & Trustee
Matt Hampton, INA Treasurer & Trustee
Jeremy R. Young, INA Past President & Trustee
Section 1.1 The name of the Association is International Nannoplankton Association (INA).
Section 1.2 The registered office shall be in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Section 1.3 The Association is a not for profit organisation and all funds are used exclusively in direct support of our aims and objective.
Section 2.1 The objective of the Association shall be the advancement of the education of the public in the study of nannoplankton (to include extant and fossil calcareous nannoplankton and siliceous nannoplankton). In furtherance of the above objective, the Association shall have the following aims and powers:
A. to promote research in all subjects related to nannoplankton and to publish the useful results of such research;
B. to arrange and provide for, or join in arranging and providing for, the holding of meetings, field trips, field conferences, and lectures;
C. to procure to be written, and to print, publish, issue and circulate gratuitously or otherwise, any reports, periodicals, books, pamphlets, leaflets, electronic media or other documents.
Section 3.1 Members shall be persons classified as follows:
A. Members: persons whose interests or professional or academic activities are in keeping with the aims and objective of the Association;
B. Honorary Members: persons who have distinguished themselves through service to the Association;
C. Invited Members: persons who are invited to join the Association for the furtherance of the aims and objective of the Association;
D. Sustaining Members: persons who provide substantial financial support for sustaining the aims and objective of the Association.
Section 3.2 Corporate Members shall be corporations or organizations that provide substantial financial support for sustaining the aims and objective of the Association.
Section 3.3 Institutional Members shall be non-profit or educational organisations interested in the activities of the Association.
A. Membership shall be open to all who are interested in the furtherance of the study of nannoplankton.
B. Honorary Members shall be elected by a majority vote of Council after being nominated by a committee.
C. Invited Members shall be elected by a majority vote of Council after being nominated by a committee. Invited membership can be cancelled by a majority vote of Council.
Section 5.1 Annual dues and journal subscription rates, herein referred to jointly as annual membership costs, shall be determined by Council and shall be assessed on a calendar-year basis.
Section 5.2 Members shall pay the full annual membership costs.
Section 5.3 For persons who are currently enrolled full-time in a fully accredited college or university, pursuing a degree, or who are retired, there may be, at the discretion of Council, a reduction of annual membership costs. The period of reduced annual membership costs for students shall be limited as specified by Council.
Section 5.4 Annual membership costs of Invited Members may be waived in toto or in part, with said costs to be offset by appropriate funds from the INA Foundation Account. Invited Members shall be encouraged to make their INA publications available to others in their laboratories, academic institutions, and appropriate regional scientific or industrial organizations.
Section 5.5 Honorary Members shall pay no annual membership costs, but shall receive a subscription to the Journal of Nannoplankton Research.
Section 5.6 Corporate and Institutional Members shall pay an annual membership cost, to be determined by Council, which shall include subscription to the Journal of Nannoplankton Research.
Section 5.7 Annual membership costs are payable in advance, on or before the first day of each calendar year. A Member who fails to remit by January 1st shall be considered to be in arrears and may not receive further copies of the Journal of Nannoplankton Research until such arrears are met, and also may be charged a special handling fee established by Council.
Section 6.1 Members shall have the privilege of holding office, except as restricted by ARTICLE IX, Section 9.4 of these Bylaws, and of voting, serving on Association committees, and transacting the business of the Association.
Section 6.2 Members who pay reduced annual membership costs by reason of being a student shall retain all of the duties and privileges of membership.
Section 6.3 Honorary Members shall have all the privileges of membership.
Section 6.4 Invited Members shall have all the privileges of membership.
Section 6.5 Sustaining Members shall have all the privileges of membership. A Sustaining Member may dedicate dues to a specific established program of the Association. The names of Sustaining Members may be published in an issue of one of the Association's publications.
Section 6.6 Corporate Members may dedicate dues to a specific established program of the Association. The names of Corporate Members may be published in an issue of one of the Association's publications.
Section 6.7 Institutional Members shall not have the right to vote or hold office. The privileges and/or categories of institutional membership shall be determined by Council.
Section 6.8 All Members may purchase, at reduced rates, books published by the Association .
Section 7.1 The executive authority of this Association shall be vested in a Board of Trustees consisting of a maximum of six (6) Members that includes the President, Treasurer and up to four (4) other trustees. The names of the serving Trustees will be displayed on the Association's website.
Section 7.2 The Trustees shall be nominated and proposed by the Council and approved by the membership at the General Meeting and serve for the period until the next General Meeting. Proposed Trustees should be nominated by the council not less than six (6) months prior to the General Meeting.
Section 7.3 The Trustees shall have independent control over the Association's management and administration and ensure the aims and objectives of the Association are accomplished according to the law and best practise.
Section 7.4 The Trustees should fulfil the requirements and responsibilities of a charity trustee according to the following guidance notes: The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do (CC3) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Section 8.1 The day to day running of the Association shall be vested in the following officers (herein called 'Council') consisting of a maximum of sixteen (16) Members. Council membership shall include the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Director of the INA Foundation, two Council Members At Large, the Editor of the Journal of Nannoplankton Research, and up to eight (8) other officers. The actual composition of the Council shall be proposed at each General Meeting for the period until the next General Meeting, and will be displayed on the Association's website and within the Journal of Nannoplankton Research.
Section 8.2 Council shall have general control and management of the affairs and funds of this Association. Duties shall include, but not be limited to: designation of time and place of the General Meeting of the Association, following a vote of the Members in attendance at the previous meeting; supervision of election of officers and filling of vacancies; administering funds for the objectives of the Association; establishing appropriate fiscal policies; and performing any other administrative duties required to accomplish the aims and objective of this Association.
Section 8.3 Council shall meet at the General Meeting, and at other times and places designated by Council, and at the call of the President. A simple majority of Council members shall constitute a quorum. No proxy votes shall be allowed and no alternates may be appointed for absent members. Council may act on Association matters by mail, fax, or e-mail vote when needed.
Section 8.4 Terms of office, excluding that of the President-elect, shall commence at the close of the General Meeting closest in time to calendar years divisible by the number four (4). All officers shall serve four-year terms. All except the President and Members at Large may be elected to successive terms in the same office.
Section 8.5 The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall preside over all meetings of the Association and Council. In the event of death or resignation of the President, the duties and title of President shall fall to the most recent Past President.
Section 8.6 The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the actions of Council, whether carried out via direct meetings or via electronic communication. In the absence of both the President and the President-elect, the duties of presiding officer shall be performed by the Secretary.
Section 8.7 The Treasurer shall supervise the receipt of all funds and, under the direction of Council, be responsible for all disbursements of funds of the Association
Section 8.8 The Membership Secretary shall keep, and update, a list of Members and publish it periodically. The Membership Secretary shall oversee all electronic ballots associated with Association elections, and any other business requiring a vote by Members, and shall report the results of such ballots to the President.
Section 8.9 The Editor of the Association's official periodical publication, as named in ARTICLE XI of these Bylaws, shall supervise production of the journal and have final authority in soliciting, accepting, and rejecting all material for publication in this journal. The Editor may appoint associate editors as needed to accomplish publication of the journal.
Section 8.10 Council Members At Large have no specific duties assigned herein, but may receive direction from the President and Council. They may not succeed themselves in that office.
Section 8.11 The Conference Convenor will be appointed by Council, usually following a vote of the Members on proposals submitted at a General Meeting, to convene a conference and general meeting of the INA. The Conference Convenor will be responsible for securing the necessary facilities and accommodation, organizing as appropriate technical sessions, workshops, exhibits and field trips, advertising and promotion (including the solicitation/arrangement of sponsorships and funding), and oversse the publication of the proceedings or some portion thereof. An officer of the committee will support the conference convenor in organization of the INA Conference, monitor progress and report to the Council.
Section 8.12 Quorum: at any meeting of Council of the Association, the presence of one-half of the Council Officers in person shall constitute a quorum for all purposes except amendment of the Bylaws, which shall follow procedures as stated in ARTICLE XV. The act of a majority of Council present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the full Council.
Section 8.13 Any action which may be taken at any regular or special meeting of Council may be taken without a meeting if the Association distributes a written ballot to every officer entitled to vote on the matter. The ballot shall set forth the proposed action, provide an opportunity to specify approval or disapproval of each proposal, and provide a reasonable time within which to return the ballot to the Association. Approval of action by written ballot shall be by majority consent of the officers entitled to vote on the matter. The ballots must also specify the date by which they must be received by the Association in order to be counted. A written ballot may not be revoked after its receipt by the Association or its deposit in the mail, whichever occurs first. Due to the international nature of the Association, electronic mail (e-mail) is considered a valid method of delivering a written ballot.
Section 8.14 The President shall serve a term to run between two INA meetings to accommodate exceptional circumstances. This officer shall not be eligible for an immediate second term in that same office.
Section 8.15The President-elect will be elected at least six (6) months before the General Meeting of the Association. She/he will be considered an eligible officer of Council immediately following the announcement of the result of the election.
Section 8.16 The Editors of the Association's official publications, as named in ARTICLE XI of these Bylaws, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Membership Secretary and the Director of the INA Foundation shall be elected to serve four- (4) year terms and may be elected to successive terms.
Section 8.17 Council shall select one individual to fill any vacancy occurring in any of the offices, except that of President. An individual to fill a vacancy occurring in the office of President-elect shall be elected by internet-facilitated ballot to the Membership through a special election called by Council. That ballot shall contain the names of all qualifying Members nominated by Council, following selection by a nominating committee (see ARTICLE IX).
Section 8.18 From time to time, officers of the Association may require specialist advice regarding Association business. At these times, non-elected advisors may be co-opted onto the Council with the approval of the elected officers. These non-elected advisors will have no voting rights with regards to Council business, their terms running for as long as they are required to provide advice.
Section 9.1 The President shall appoint a nominating committee of not less than three (3) Members, one (1) of whom shall be designated as chairperson and none of whom shall be officers of Council. The President shall instruct this committee to issue a call for nominations for the offices of President-elect and Council Member At Large, and to submit the names of at least two (2) qualified nominees. Competitive elections are not required for other offices. Nominations for elective offices shall be completed well in advance of the General Meeting closest in time to a calendar year divisible by the number four (4).
Section 9.2 Ballots containing short biographies of nominees shall be sent to each voting Member of the Association well in advance of the General Meeting. Names of nominees shall be arranged in alphabetical order on the ballot. The ballot may be conducted by conventional mail, email, or online ballot, overseen by the Membership Secretary.
Section 9.3 A simple majority of the votes received for any office shall constitute election. In the event of a tie, a vote of Council shall prevail.
Section 9.4 Nominees for all elective offices shall be Members, Sustaining Members or Honorary Members in good standing. Nominees for the office of President-elect may be serving at the time of nomination, in any other office, including those on Council.
Section 10.1 Council is responsible for the annual budget, which shall be based on the calendar year. A balanced budget will be presented by the Treasurer to Council not less than two months before the end of the year, and a balanced budget will be adopted by Council.
Section 10.2 The President shall cause an audit of the Association's books to be performed annually, with the results reported to Council. The Treasurer and President shall be bonded for an amount to be set by Council and the expense shall be borne by the Association.
Section 10.3 Authorised signatories shall be determined by Council.
Section 10.4 In the event of the dissolution of the Association, the assets remaining after discharge of all liabilities shall go for charitable, scientific, or educational purposes in strict compliance with exemption provided under Section 501(c)(3) of the US Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future US Internal Revenue Law). Under these circumstances, no Member of the Association shall have any right of interest in the assets of the Association.
Section 10.5 Council is responsible for approving an official Association logo and authorizing its use. The logo shall be a unique graphic device, intended to be identified with the corporate entity INA, and its use will be restricted to the identification of Association services and products, or of products and services cosponsored by the Association by a specific action of Council, as well as general business uses such as letterheads, envelopes, invoices, and other printed matter. Unauthorized use (commercial or otherwise) by individual Members is specifically prohibited, except that Members may display it on their personal web-sites, scientific posters, presentations, etc., as long as such display brings beneficial recognition to the Association.
Section 11.1 The Journal of Nannoplankton Research is designated as the official periodical publication of the Association.
Section 11.2 Council is authorised to provide for other publications, such as a Special Publications Series, conference abstracts and proceedings volumes in keeping with the aims and objective of the Association.
Section 12.1 Council shall have the responsibility for establishing awards, for approving the recipients, and for selecting mechanisms to accord appropriate recognition to award recipients.
Section 12.2 Nominations for award recipients shall be the responsibility of a committee appointed by Council.
Section 13.1 Council shall have the authority to establish, direct, and dissolve standing committees of the Association.
Section 13.2 The charge; method of appointment of chairmen, vice-chairmen, and other committee members; number of members; and terms of standing committees shall be detailed in the Procedures Manual.
Section 13.3 Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the President, upon approval of Council, to consider specific questions or conduct specific studies.
Section 13.4 Representatives to other organizations shall be designated, and shall serve, as provided for in the Procedures Manual.
Section 13.5 Committee chairmen and representatives shall submit a biannual written report to Council.
Section 14.1 The Association shall hold at least one (1) stated meeting of its Members every two to three (2 to 3) years which shall be known as the General Meeting. Council shall designate the time and place of the General Meeting, to coincide whenever possible with the INA Conference (unless none is organized within the required period).
Section 14.2 At the General Meeting, there shall be a business meeting at which time Council may present to the Members items of business for information, recommendation, discussion, or vote.
Section 14.3 'Quorum': at any meeting of Members of the Association, the presence of one-fifth of the Members in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum for all purposes except the selection of officers, which shall follow procedures as stated in ARTICLE IX (Election of Officers), and the amendment of the Bylaws, which shall follow procedures stated in ARTICLE XV. The act of a majority of Members present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the full membership.
Section 14.4 'Action by Written Ballot Without a Meeting': any action which may be taken at any regular or special meeting of Members may be taken without a meeting, if the Association distributes a written ballot to every Member entitled to vote on the matter. The ballot shall set forth the proposed action, provide an opportunity to specify approval or disapproval of each proposal, and provide a reasonable time within which to return the ballot to the Association. Approval of action by written ballot shall be by majority of at least the number of returned ballot votes equal to or exceeding the quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action (i.e one fifth of the members). The ballots must specify the time by which they must be received by the Association in order to be counted. A written ballot may not be revoked after its receipt by the Association. A written ballot may be undertaken using email or other technologies.
Section 15.1 Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by the following means: resolution of Council or written proposal signed by ten percent (10%) of the voting Members of the Association.
Section 15.2 Council shall submit such amendments to the Members by written ballot, or to the Members present at the General Meeting, and these shall be passed upon receipt of a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the Members voting.
