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Bylaws of the HSS



 
Article I: Name, Goal, and Corporate Seal
Section 1. This organization shall be known as THE HAITIAN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY, INCORPORATED (HSS)

Section 2. The goals of the society are to promote the development of scientific and technical knowledge among Haitian professionals and thereby expand that knowledge to the Haitian communities at large. This will be achieved by: holding seminars to discuss relevant scientific and technical information, publishing scientific and technical papers and reports, providing support to high school and college students, and cooperating with other organizations and institutions.

Section 3. The Corporate Seal of the Society shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Society and the initials "HSS".
Article II: Membership
Section 1. Membership to the society shall be open to individual interested in science.

Section 2. To be a member of the Society one should not be involved in or associated with any criminal activities such as drug dealings, killings, organized crimes, and embrace racist ideology or openly advocating genocide.

Section 3. The Membership Committee shall grant membership to the society based upon guidelines approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 4. An annual fee must be paid in order to retain membership as specified by the Membership Committee.

Section 5. An active member is one that attends at least 60% of scheduled meetings.
Article III: Board of Directors and Executive Director
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and Board Members.

Section 2. The Board of Directors shall: ensure that the society's goals are being implemented, outline the objectives necessary to meet such goals, oversee and monitor the activities of the society.

Section 3. The Executive Director shall implement the objectives of the society, oversee the day to day activities of the society, and supervise the different Committees. The Executive Director shall administer the Society's affairs in accordance to policies that are set by the Board of Directors.

Section 4. The Executive Director shall be appointed by the Board of Directors and shall be a paid employee of the Society. The Board of Directors shall set the terms and conditions of employment and performance of the Executive Director which shall be reviewed annually.

Section 5. The Executive Director shall provide quarterly status reports of the administration of the Society and the activities of the different Committees to the Board of Directors.

Section 6. The Executive Director shall attend Board of Directors meetings upon invitation.

Section 7. A Committee Chairperson is automatically a Board Member.

Section 8. The members of the society shall elect the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Board Members to their post in accordance to the articles on Elections, Appointments, and Terms for the members of the Board of Directors.

Section 9. The Board shall meet every three months and a two-third presence of the board shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of quorum, the President or the Vice-President shall re-schedule the meeting.

Section 10. The President and the Vice President have the power to call extraordinary meetings of the Board.

Section 11. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer are voting members of the Board of Directors. Each voting member shall have one vote.

Section 12. All Board Members are voting members of the Board of Directors. Each voting member shall have one vote.

Section 13. The President of the Board shall administer the meetings. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside.

Section 14. In the absence of the Secretary from any meeting, the presiding officer shall designate an acting-Secretary for the meeting.

Section 15. A simple majority vote is needed for the Board to implement any proposal. Any vote to amend the bylaws and/or the goals of the organizations require a two-third majority of the Board as well as a two- third majority from the membership.

Section 16. The presiding officer's vote shall be the tie-breaking vote or the vote needed to achieve a majority vote.

Section 17. To be elected President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer of the Board one shall be an active member of the Society and actively involved in a scientific, engineering, or technical field.

Section 18. The Board Members shall be classified as: HSS Board Member, Community or Corporate Board Member

Section 19. The HSS Board Members are the Chairpersons of the Committees. The requirements to be elected Committee Chairperson are similar to those of Article III Section 17.

Section 20. The Community or Corporate Board Members are active members of the community who have demonstrated their desires and abilities to work for the betterment of humanity using science and technology.

Section 21. To be elected Community or Corporate Board Member one shall meet the requirements of the above section.

Section 22. The ratio of Community/Corporate Board Members shall not exceed thirty percent of the total Board Members.

Section 23. The Board of Directors shall speak in the name of the Society with respect to matters relating to the Society's goals and objectives.
Article IV: The Committees

Section 1. There shall be a Finance Committee, a Publication and Proceedings Committee, a Community and Outreach Committee, a Research and Development Committee, and a Membership Committee.

Section 2. The Committees shall be made of members of the Society.

Section 3. Every Committee shall have a Chairperson who is a Board Member.

Section 4. The Chairperson of a Committee shall relinquish his or her voting power when conflict of interest is a concern.

Section 5. The Committee Chairperson shall be elected during the general elections.

Section 6. The Committee Chairperson shall report directly to the Board of Directors according to a schedule set by the Board.

Section 7. Every Committee shall have a Vice-Chairperson selected by the Committee's Chairperson.

Section 8. The Committee members shall write the Committee's rules and regulations. These rules and regulations will be effective upon approval by the Board of Directors.

Section 9. General members of the Society, the Chairpersons of the different Committees, the Executive Director, or the Board of Directors shall form Interim Committees when appropriate or necessary.

Section 10. An Interim Committee shall become a Committee upon a simple majority vote from the Interim Committee members and the Board of Directors.

Article V: General elections and Terms of Office
Section 1. The term of office of the Board of Directors and the Committee's Chairpersons shall be two years.

Section 2. An elected officer can be re-elected. After his or her re-election, he or she shall wait for one election before being a candidate for the samean elected office.

Section 3. If an elected member resigns from his or her office twelve months prior to the end of his or her mandated time, an extraordinary election shallwill be organized by the Iinterim Eelection Ccommittee within threeone months of the vacancy. If less than twelve months remain, the vacancy shall be filled by an interim officer elected by the Board of Directors; a simple majority vote is required.

Section 4. An Interim Electoral Committee shall be nominated in preparation for during the upcoming general election to prepare for the following elections.

Section 5. The Interim Electoral Committee mandate will begin one-year prior to the election year and will be terminated after the validation of the general election.

Section 6. The Interim Electoral Committee shall have a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. The Interim Electoral Committee members shall be re-elected only once and re-elected members shall wait for one general election in order to be elected officers in the Interim Committee.

Section 7. An Interim Electoral Committee member shall not be an elected officer or a candidate for an elected office.Section 7. After completion of their mandates, an Interim Electoral Committee officer can be in the ballot for any other elected position except that of an Interim Electoral Committee officer.

Section 8. The rules and regulations for the general elections shall be set by the Interim Electoral Committee and approved by the members of the Society in a mail in ballot. A two-third majority is needed for the rules and regulations to become effective.

Section 9. To be in the ballot for an elected office, a member shall be in good standing according towith the Bylaws of the Society and be very active in the Society.

Section 10. General elections shall be held the second Saturday of Novemberfirst of January of the electoral year.
Article VI: Dues and Membership
Section 1. The rules and regulations to become a member of the Society will be in accordance to the articles set by the Membership Committee approved by the Board of Directors and the members. A two-third majority is needed for the rules and regulations to become effective.

Section 2. The annual dues for the members shall be set by the Membership Committee and approved in accordance to Article VI Section 1.

Section 3. The Membership Committee shall set member's privileges and exemptions in accordance to Article VI Section 1.

Section 4. Amendments to the rules and regulations shall be subject to a two- third majority vote from the Society's members.
Article VII: Meetings
Section 1. An annual meeting to discuss the Society's businesses shall be held. The date for such a meeting shall be set one year in advance by the Board of Directors and the Executive Director.

Section 2. The yearly general meeting date and agenda shall be mailed one month beforepromptly to the meetingmbers.

Section 3. The Board of Directors meetings shall be in accordance to Article III Section 9.
Article VIII: Publications

Section 1. The Society shall publish an official Newsletter. containing programs meetings, the board and the committees notices, news and information of interest to the members, and relevant articles.

Section 2. The Society shall publish an official Scientific and Technical Journal and/or Proceedings.

Section 3. The Publications and Proceedings Committee shall have editorial responsibility formanagement of the Society's Newsletters, Scientific and Technical Journals and/or Proceedings.

Section 4. The Publications and Proceedings Committee Bylaws shall establish the publication ethics and editing rules and regulations.

Section 5. The Board of Directors and Committee Chairperson shall have editorial management of board and committee notices.

Section 6. The Executive Director shall have editorial management of notices concerning the Society's day-to-day businesses.

Article IX: Indemnification
Section 1. The Society shall indemnify and reimburse any past or present officers for expenses incurred during or after any legal actions against the Society, during their official mandate, because of their involvement in the Society.
Article X: Amendments
Section 1. The Society's and Committees' Bylaws may be amended or suspended on recommendation from the Board of Directors with a two-third approval from the Society's members.

Section 2. A voting ballot shall determine the two-thirds approval from the Society's members.


 

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