Proposed Amendments to NEASECS Constitution

The following proposed amendments are designed not to change anything of substance that we actually do but to bring the Constitution into line with current practices and to eliminate areas where it is inconsistent.  In accordance with the Constitution’s provisions for amendment, they will be brought to the Executive Committee and then to the Business Meeting in Hamilton, Ontario in October for approval.  (They were published in the 2010 Newsletter but did not come before these meetings last year.)

Article V (Organization), Section 4 (Committees)

Current Text:
(ii)       The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President prior to the business meeting.  It shall consist of one officer or member of the Executive Board who is not eligible to be, or who does not choose to be, a candidate for re-election; and three members of the Society who are not officers or members of the Executive Board.  The Nominating Committee shall present to the business meeting nominations for the following positions:  Vice President, members of the Executive Board, one member of the Program Committee, and, when appropriate, Secretary/Treasurer.  Nominations may be made from the floor, and the election shall take place at the business meeting.

Proposed Text:
(ii)       The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Presi­dent prior to the business meeting.  In consultation with the president, the Chair of the Nominating Committee shall select the other members of the Society who serve on the Committee.  The Committee shall consist of one officer or member of the Executive Board who is not eligible to be, or who does not choose to be, a candidate for re-election; and three members of the Society who are not officers or members of the Executive Board.  The Nominating Committee shall present to the business meeting nominations for the following positions:  Second Vice President, members of the Executive Board, and, when appropriate, Secretary/Treasurer and Editor of the NEASECS Newsletter.  Nominations may be made from the floor, and the election shall take place at the business meeting.

Rationale: These changes make the Constitution consistent with current practice and make the language of this section consistent with the rest of the document.
1.         The President normally selects the chair of the Nominating Committee, and the chair chooses the other members.
2.         Members of the Program Committee are not nominated by the Nominating Committee or elected by the membership.  Instead, the Program Chair chooses the Program Committee. 
2.         The Society amended the Constitution in 2005 to add the position of Second Vice President.  That officer succeeds over two years to the positions of First Vice President and then President.
4.         The Society amended the Constitution in 1989 to add the position of NEASECS Newsletter Editor to the Executive Board.

Article VI (Meetings), Section 1 (The Business Meeting):

Current Text:
The President, or in his/her absence the Vice President, shall preside at the business meeting.  The Secretary and the Treasurer shall make reports to the business meeting.  The business meeting shall transact business that may properly come before it, and shall elect officers and members of the Executive Board.

Proposed Amendment:  Change “the Vice President� to “the First Vice President.� 
Rationale:  This amendment, like the one above, makes the Constitution consistent throughout.

Article VI (Meetings), Section 2 (The Program), Subsection A (The Program Committee):

Current Text:
The Program Committee shall consist of a Chair, one member elected at the business meeting, and other members appointed by the President in consultation with the Chair of the Program Committee.  The Chair of the Program Committee shall, normally, be resident at the institution which is to be the host for the meeting for which the program is planned.

Proposed Amendment:
The Program Committee shall consist of a Chair and other members appointed by the Chair as required.  The Chair of the Program Committee shall, normally, be resident at the institution which is to be the host for the meeting for which the program is planned.

Rationale:  This brings the Constitution in line with practice.  Presidents of the Society do not appoint the members of the Program Committee.