AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ENOLOGY AND VITICULTURE EASTERN SECTION BY-LAWS
(Revised 2006) Copied from ASEV-ES Web site, 9/1/2010
Article I. Name, Location, Objectives
Sec. 1. The name of this organization shall be “American Society for Enology and Viticulture, Eastern Section, Inc.,” (hereinafter referred to as the “Section”).
Sec. 2. The headquarters shall be located at the Department of Food Science and Technology, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 14456.
Sec. 3. The objectives of the Section shall be:
1) to encourage, stimulate, and support enology and viticulture research.
2) to provide for the presentation, discussion and publication (through the official journal of the ASEV) of such research and technological developments for the advancement of wines, and the solution of problems of specific interest to the enology and viticulture of native American, hybrid, and vinifera grapes grown in the eastern United States and Canada.
3) to promote education in enology and viticulture and help ensure and maintain the highest standard of quality for such education and those so educated, and
4) to promote the aims and purposes of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.
Article II. Obligations to the American Society for Enology and Viticulture
Sec 1. The activities of the Section and its members are subject to the provisions of the bylaws of the American Society of Enology & Viticulture, herein after referred to as the Society.
Sec. 2. The Section shall not have authority to act for or in the name of the Society, and shall not incur any financial obligations in the name of the Society except if expressly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Society in writing.
Sec. 3. Fiscal year for the Section shall correspond to the fiscal year of the Society (November 1-October 31).
Article III. Membership
Sec. 1. The membership of the Section may include any member of the Society. All Section members must be members of the society excepting Special Members. Membership in the Section, on the part of Society members, shall be entirely elective. Membership in the Section is open to any individual with an interest or professional involvement in the fields of enology or viticulture who meets the membership classification criterion. Membership will be approved by the Section Board of Directors.
Sec. 2. Classes of membership and affiliation in the Section will be:
1) Full Members are Professional Members of the Society.
2) Associate Members are Associate Members of the Society.
3) Special Members are members of the Section ONLY and without voting privileges. They may be any individual with an interest or professional involvement in the fields of enology or viticulture, and are specific to the Section.
4) Student Members are undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in an accredited institution of higher learning on a full time basis, pursuing programs of study in enology, viticulture, or a field closely related thereto.
5) Honorary Life Members who are Section Members and have been designated by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors upon satisfying one of the following requirements:
a. He or she has been elected to Society Honorary Life Membership, or
b. He or she has been a Section Member for a minimum of 20 years and has rendered outstanding & meritorious service to the Section and to the fields of enology and viticulture.
Newly elected Honorary Life Members shall be acknowledged at the annual business meeting. They shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of Full Membership and they will be exempt from payment of annual dues.
6) Emeritus members who have held Full Membership in the Section for 10 consecutive years immediately prior to retirement. Emeritus Members shall be entitled to the rights and privileges of Full Members and will be exempt from payment of annual dues.
7) Industrial Affiliates: This non-member category is intended for companies or organizations associated with the wine and grape industry that wish to support the Eastern Section. The Section Board of Directors shall establish dues and any other financial considerations required of Section affiliations and will prescribe the conditions, privileges, and limitations pertaining thereto.
Sec. 3. Only Full Members of the Section, residing within the geographical boundaries of the Section, are eligible for elected office. Student and Special Members are not eligible to vote. Full, Associate and Special Members can nominate members to serve on the Section board of directors.
Article IV. Section Boundaries
Sec. 1. Geographical area encompassed by the Section shall include all states east of the western boundaries of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and the Canadian Provinces east of the Ontario-Manitoba border.
Sec. 2. At such time as regional Society membership may warrant, smaller geographical areas within the Section boundaries may request section status from the Society, and upon approval, be separated from the Section.
Article V. Officers, Directors
Sec. 1. Officers of the Section shall be Chairperson, Chairperson-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Section Representative, and six Directors. At the conclusion of the Chairperson’s term, the Chairperson-elect shall succeed to the office of Chairperson. Term of office for the Chairperson and Chairperson-elect shall be one year. Term of office for the Secretary and Treasurer shall be three years, with an option for re-election for up to three consecutive terms.
Sec. 2. The Chairperson, or in his/her absence, the Chairperson-elect, or in his/her absence, the Secretary, or in his/her absence, the Treasurer, shall preside at all meetings of the Section and shall prepare the agenda for such meetings. The chairperson shall serve as the chairperson for the Annual Meeting.
Sec. 3. The Chairperson-elect shall perform all the duties of the Chairperson, in the absence of the Chairperson. The Chairperson-elect shall serve as assistant to the Chairperson for the Annual Meeting. He/she shall perform such other duties as requested by the chairperson.
Sec. 4. The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of this Section and, as directed by the Chairperson, issue notices of meetings to the membership. The Secretary shall make a report to the Board of Directors of the Society, outlining the activities of the Section during
the year and certifying a complete list of elected officers, within 30 days after the annual business meeting. The Secretary or the Treasurer shall maintain the membership roll of the Section.
Sec. 5. The treasurer shall be charged with the collection and disbursement of funds as authorized by the Executive Committee and shall present a financial report to the Section membership at the Annual Business meeting each year.
Sec. 6. The Section Representative shall serve on such official bodies of the society as the Board of Directors of the Society may specify. Only full members may serve as Section Representatives. This term of office shall be one year and representatives shall be eligible for reelection .
Article VI. Board of Directors
Sec. 1. There shall be a Board of Directors consisting of the elected officers of the Section, and the retiring Chairperson, whose responsibility shall be the general operation of the Section.
Sec. 2. The Section Chairperson shall appoint such other committees as may be required.
Sec. 3. A majority of the membership of any committee shall constitute a quorum.
Sec. 4. There shall be at least one meeting of the Section each year. The Board of Directors shall determine the date and place of meetings.
Sec. 5. The secretary shall send a notice of each meeting to members at least six (6) weeks in advance of such meetings.
Sec. 6. A quorum shall consist of such percent of the voting members of the Section asBoard of Directors may decide but will be no less than 20% of the voting members registered for the meeting.
Article VII. Manner of Election
Sec. 1. At least 90 days prior to the end of the fiscal year, the chairperson shall appoint a nominating committee. The committee shall consist of three (3) members of which one shall be an elected director and the others full members of the Section selected to represent an adequate cross-section of the Section membership. At least 30 days prior to selection of the nominating committee, the full, associate, and special membership shall be canvassed by mail requesting suggestions for possible nominees for offices. Results of the canvas will be turned over to the nominating committee at their first meeting and they shall be instructed to give due consideration to the suggestions received. The nominating committee will nominate at least one (1) candidate for each office to be vacated. The nominating committee must acquire the consent of the nominees prior to submission of the slate to the Board of Directors. These nominations will be in the hands of the Board of Directors no later than 30 days after the appointment of the nominating committee. The Board of Directors is bound to present these and only these nominees on the ballot. The ballot shall contain appropriate
spaces for write-in votes.
Sec. 2. Ballots will be sent to all voting members of the Section together with voting instructions at least 45 days prior to the annual business meeting. The election shall be terminated 15 days prior to the annual business meeting, at which time the ballots shall be opened and counted by the Secretary and two (2) additional Full members of the Section appointed by the chairperson. The nominee receiving the greatest number of votes for each office shall be declared elected for the respective office. The three nominees for offices of director who receive the greatest number of votes shall be elected. Membership shall be notified of election results at the annual business meeting.
Sec. 3. In case of tie votes, the Board of Directors shall decide what action to be taken .
Sec. 4. In case a vacancy occurs on the Board of Directors prior to the completion of the normal term of office, the vacancy shall be filled by the appointment of a qualified member by the Board of Directors.
Article VIII. Dues
Sec. 1. The dues for membership of the Section shall become payable for the ensuing fiscal year on November 1st. All further regulations regarding payment of dues shall be made by the Board of Directors of the Section.
Article IX. Amendment of By-Laws
Sec. 1. Subject to approval of the Board of Directors of the Society and with prior notice in the meeting announcement, these by-laws may be amended at any business meeting by an affirmative vote of no less that 2/3 of the voting members of the Section present and voting, or by mail ballot under regulations approved by the Board of Directors of the Section.
Sec. 2. Certification of such changes shall be made to the president and Board of Directors of the Society within 30 days after adoption by the Section.
Article X. Rules of Order
Sec. 1. During the annual business and special meetings, the rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order shall determine the parliamentary practice of this section, provided they are not inconsistent with the by-laws of the Section and the Society.
Article XI. Dissolution
Sec. 1. In the event that dissolution of the Section appears desirable for any reason, approval of membership of the Section shall be obtained by mail ballot. Any assets remaining shall be applied and distributed first to the final payment and discharge of any liabilities and obligations of the Section. Any remaining assets shall be distributed to such organizations and institutions within the Section boundaries as shall be recommended by the Board of Directors and approved by vote of the membership, provided that such organizations and institutions shall be tax exempt under 501(c)(3) or (6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 as amended, or under such succeeding provisions of the code as may be in effect at the time of dissolution. No portion of the Section assets remaining after satisfying final operating obligations may be conveyed to any individual or to any profitseeking organization or firm.