BY-LAWS
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF CHEMISTRY TEACHERS

ARTICLE I: NAME

SECTION 1: The name of this organization shall be the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers.

SECTION 2: It is an affiliate of both the South Carolina Science Council and the American Chemical Society.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES

SECTION 1: The purposes of the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers shall be the advancement, stimulation, extension, improvement, recognition and coordination of chemistry teaching.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1. The membership categories are full, honorary, distinguished, emeritus, student, corporate/institutional, and associate.

SECTION 2: The criteria for membership categories are:

1. Full membership is available to those who are or have been actively involved in teaching chemistry and/or the physical sciences. Full members have all the rights and privileges of membership including those of voting and holding office.
2. Honorary membership recognizes persons who have made significant contributions to the field of chemistry or related field. Honorary members do not vote, pay dues, or hold office.
3. Distinguished membership recognizes members of SCACT for long term support and contributions to the organization. Distinguished members have all the rights and privileges of full membership and shall not be assessed dues.
4. Emeritus membership is available to members of SCACT who are of good standing at the time of their retirement. Emeritus members retain all the rights and privileges of membership and are assessed dues at half the regular rate.
5. Student membership is available to persons actively pursuing certification in the physical sciences or elementary science certification. Student members have all the rights and privileges of membership except voting and holding office and are assessed dues at half the regular rate.
6. Corporate/institutional membership is available for organizations that support SCACT such as companies, departments, and health organizations. Dues or donations will be set by the executive committee.
7. Associate membership is available to those who do not meet the requirements for the other categories. Associate members have all the rights and privileges of membership except voting and holding office.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

SECTION 1: The officers of the Association shall be President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

SECTION 2: Only Full members in good standing shall be eligible to hold office.

SECTION 3: The officers along with the immediate Past President and two at-large members appointed by the President shall constitute the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE V: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

SECTION 1: Except as otherwise provided in the By-Laws the duties of the various officers shall be those which are customary for such offices.

SECTION 2: The President shall preside at all business sessions and all meetings of the Executive Committee. The President shall appoint committee chairpersons, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. Each officer shall maintain a manual of operation to be passed on to the successor.

SECTION 3: The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President In the absence of the President and serve as Chairperson of the Program Committee. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the President-Elect shall assume the added duties of the President for the unexpired term. All other officer vacancies shall be filled by the Executive Committee by interim appointment for the period up to the next annual election.

SECTION 4: The Vice President shall serve on the Program Committee and perform other duties as designated the President. The Vice President shall automatically succeed to the office of President-Elect.

SECTION 5: The Treasurer shall keep an account of all monies of the Association and shall make all disbursements. In the event that the Treasurer Is unable to disburse funds the President is authorized to do so.

SECTION 6: The Secretary shall keep a correct record of the proceedings of the Association and of the Executive Committee and shall perform other duties as prescribed In the By-Laws and Constitution.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES

SECTION 1: The five standing committee shall be: Program, Membership, Nominating, Public Relations and Awards.

SECTION 2: Each committee chairperson shall maintain a manual of operation as well as a written record of all committee meetings.

SECTION 3: The Program Committee shall initiate and implement programs to foster the purpose of the Association. The President-Elect shall serve as the Chairperson of the Program Committee and the Vice President shall serve on the committee.

SECTION 4: The Membership Committee shall receive dues, issue membership cards and forward all monies to the Treasurer. The Membership Committee shall solicit new members, determine membership status, and promote, expand and maintain the membership of the Association.

SECTION 5: The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for offices to be filled each year and present this slate to the Committee prior to the Annual Business Meeting.

SECTION 6: The Public Relations Committee shall gather materials and information of interest to the membership. These materials and information shall be provided to the Editor of the Newsletter for inclusion in the Association's biannual publications.

SECTION 7: The Awards Committee shall recommend to the Executive Committee an Awards Program which could include a Teacher Of the Year Award, Student of the Year Award and various other recognitions appropriate to the purposes of the Association.

ARTICLE VII: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

SECTION 1: Upon receiving a slate of nominees from the Nominating Committee, the President shall present the slate of nominees to the membership and shall preside over the election of officers at the Annual Business Meeting. Nominations may also be made from the floor.

SECTION 2: The Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected annually. The President-Elect and the Vice President shall succeed to the offices of President and President-Elect respectively.

SECTION 3: Elected officers shall serve for a term of only one year. Exception: the Secretary and Treasurer may succeed them themselves but may not serve more than 3 consecutive 1 year terms. All terms of office shall commence on July 1.

SECTION 4: Election shall be by simple majority of those present at and eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

SECTION 1: There shall be at least one Business Meeting of the membership of the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers each year.

SECTION 2: Additional special meetings may be scheduled by the Executive Committee if the need arises.

SECTION 3: Due notice of all meetings of the Association shall be sent to the membership.

ARTICLE IX: DUES

SECTION 1: The annual dues shall be prescribed by the committee.

ARTICLE X: FISCAL YEAR

SECTION 1: The fiscal year of this organization will end on the thirtieth of June of each year.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1: Proposed amendments to the By-Laws may originate in Executive Committee or may be submitted to the Executive Committee by any member of the Association. If approved by a majority of the Executive Committee, the proposed amendment shall be processed by the Secretary as outlined in Section 3.

SECTION 2: A proposed amendment submitted to the Secretary with the signatures of 10% of the full membership shall not require approval of the Executive Committee.

SECTION 3: The Secretary shall furnish all full members of the Association with copies of the proposed amendment at the time when notice of the next meeting of the Association Is given. At that meeting the proposed amendment shall be discussed and may be modified if a majority of the full members present desire it.

SECTION 4: Immediately following the meeting of the Association, the Secretary shall mail to each full member of the Association a copy of proposed amendment or modified amendment. The mailing shall include a ballot by which a member may clearly show approval or disapproval of the proposed amendment and the date the amendment will become effective, if approved. The ballots shall be returned to the Secretary and must be postmarked no later than 15 days after the malling to be valid. Amendments shall be adopted if approved by 2/3 of the full members returning ballots to the Secretary within the specified time. The Secretary shall report the results of the balloting to the Executive Committee within 3 days of validation and shall submit the results to the Newsletter Editor for publication.

SECTION 5: Amendments to the By-Laws, if adopted by the Association, shall become effective on the date specified on the ballot or at the beginning of the next Association year if no date Is specified on the ballot.

ARTICLE XII: PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE

SECTION 1: In all questions of Parliamentary Law not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws, Robert's Rules of Order, Revised shall prevail.


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