There will be a meeting to discuss the formation of a Disease and Host- Parasite Ecology Section within the Ecological Society of America. The meeting will take place at 11:30 AM on Wednesday, Aug. 7th in room L100E of the Minneapolis Convention Center. It will start immediately following the COS 57 Disease And Epidemiology I session of the 2013 ESA meeting. All interested individuals are encouraged to come. The agenda for the meeting will be to discuss 1) the name of the section, 2) the purpose of the section, 3) officers and elections, 4) any other by-laws issues, and 5) to get signatures of ESA members in support of the new section. A draft of the by-laws, written by Jason Rohr and Carla Caceres, are below. If you cannot attend the meeting but have thoughts or comments, please email Jason Rohr at [email protected].
Bylaws of the Disease and Host-Parasite Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America. Article 1: NAME. The official name of this Section shall be "The Disease and Host-Parasite Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America." Article 2: PURPOSE. The purpose of this Section shall be to promote research and education regarding the ecology of host-parasite interactions and disease. This shall include 1) encouragement of research regarding the ecology of parasites and pathogens, 2) fostering interactions among ecologists with interests in host-parasite and disease ecology, 3) facilitating collaborative links among members through symposia, organized oral sessions, special sessions, and social events, 4) promoting of the integration of disease ecology into the general study of ecology, and 5) educating scientists and the general public regarding the pivotal role parasites play in ecological systems. The Section shall act as a liaison between investigators, societies, and other groups interested in these subjects. The purpose of the Section shall be reviewed and renewed by a vote of the membership every five years. Article 3: ORGANIZATION. The Disease and Host-Parasite Ecology Section shall be a subdivision of the Ecological Society of America and shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society. Article 4: MEMBERS. Any member of The Ecological Society of America who wishes to become a member of the Disease and Host-Parasite Ecology Section may do so upon payment of the designated dues. Article 5. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS. The officers of the Section Executive Committee shall be a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Past-Chairperson, Secretary, and Student Liaison. Officers shall be elected by majority vote taken by written and/or electronic ballot of members of the Section. The Chairperson appoints the Webmaster. A call for nominations will be made at each annual business meeting. The slate of nominees and ballots will be mailed or e-mailed to Section members no later than 60 days before the annual business meeting of the Section. Balloting will occur until 30 days before the annual business meeting and results of the balloting will be announced at the annual business meeting. The terms of office of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Past-Chairperson shall be as follows: (1) Chairperson shall serve for a term of one year, (2) Past-Chairperson shall serve for a term of one year, and (3) Vice-Chairperson shall serve for a term of one year after which time the Vice-Chairperson will assume the office of Chairperson and serve in that capacity for one additional year. Thus, a new Vice-Chairperson shall be elected each year. The term of office of the Secretary shall be two years. The election of the Secretary shall be in odd-numbered years. The Student Liaison will be elected annually. The official terms of office shall commence with the close of the annual meeting and shall continue until their successors assume office. Article 6. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRPERSON. The Chairperson shall preside at the business meeting of the Section, authorize expenditures of Section funds, and shall promote the interests of the Section. The Chairperson shall represent the Section on the Council of the Society, and shall appoint committees as required to promote the interests of the Section. Such committees shall serve until the next annual meeting of the Section and may be reappointed at the discretion of the Chairperson. Article 7. DUTIES OF THE VICE-CHAIRPERSON. The Vice-Chairperson shall serve as program officer and shall arrange the scientific program for the annual Section meetings. The Vice-Chairperson shall assume the duties of the Chairperson whenever that person is unable to act. Article 8: DUTIES OF THE PAST-CHAIRPERSON. Upon completion of a one-year term, the Chairperson shall serve as the Past-Chairperson of the Section for one year and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Section. Article 9. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Section, including current membership and mailing lists. The Secretary shall attend the annual Section business meeting and report on the activities of the Section in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. The Secretary also serves as Treasurer and is responsible for corresponding with the Society Business Manager concerning expenditures made in connection with official Section Business. The secretary may authorize expenditures of the Section funds, but must report all section expenses to the Chairperson. Article 10. DUTIES OF THE STUDENT LIAISON. The Student Liaison shall serve a one year term as a member of the Section Executive Committee and will be responsible for ensuring that the section is keeping in mind the issues and concerns of graduate students. Article 11: DUTIES OF THE WEBMASTER. The Webmaster shall promote the Section's interests through maintaining and updating the Section's web page. The Webmaster is appointed by the Chairperson. Article 12. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The Section Executive Committee, consisting of the officers of the Section, may act on behalf of the Section during intervals between annual meetings. Article 13. EXPENSES. The necessary expenses of the Section shall be paid from the treasury of the Society, but in no year shall the total expenses of the Section exceed the sum of any amount allotted for this purpose in the annual budget of the Society and the amount, if any, collected as dues by the Society on behalf of the Section. No officer or member of the Section shall have authority to incur expenses in the name of the Society, except as specified above. Article 14. MEETINGS. A business meeting of the Section shall be held at least once a year. Ordinarily this meeting shall be held concurrently with the regular annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America, but if such a concurrent meeting is not feasible, then the Executive Committee of the Section shall decide when and where the business meeting shall be held. Section meetings may be held at other times and places on call of the Chairperson or on written request by ten members of the Section. Notice shall be sent to each member of the Section sixty days in advance of any meeting. Article 15. AMENDMENTS. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members consulted by electronic means, provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been supplied to the members of the Section at least thirty days prior to consultation.
