The Student Section of the Ecological Society of America was formed in 2000 to facilitate communication, both among students and between students and the Society as a whole. Anybody who wishes to become a member of the Student Section must be a member in good standing of the Ecological Society of America through payment of annual dues and section membership fee.

Statement of Purpose

The purpose of the Student Section of the Ecological Society of America is to:

· Facilitate communication among all student members of ESA,

· Enhance interactions between students and the Society as a whole, and

· Provide a more formal way for students to communicate their needs to the Society.

Student Section Bylaws

Article 1. Name. The official name of the Section shall be "The Student Section of the Ecological Society of America."

Article 2. Purpose. The purpose of this Section shall be to facilitate communication among all student members of the Society, enhance interaction between students and the Society as a whole, and to provide an effective way for students to communicate their needs to the Society.

Article 3. Organization. The Student 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 may become a member of the Student Section. Payment of current dues shall be the only other requirements for membership.

Article 5. Officers. The officers of the Student Section shall be a Chairperson, Secretary, and Past-Chairperson. To ensure continuity of leadership, officers shall be selected by the current officers of the section based on previous participation in the section and geographical representation.

Article 6. Chairperson. The Chairperson shall preside at the business meeting of the Section, appoint committees as deemed necessary for specific tasks, work with the past-chair and the program officer of the society to coordinate the annual meeting programs, and promote the interests of the section. The Chairperson shall serve for a term of one year.

Article 7. Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the records, accounts, and files of the Section, keep the minutes of the annual meeting, and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned. The Secretary shall serve for a term of one year.

Article 8. Executive Committee. In intervals between annual meetings, an Executive Committee composed of the Chairperson, Secretary, and Past-Chairperson of the Section may act for the Section.

Article 9. Council Representative to the Ecological Society of America. The Section's representative to the Ecological Society of America Council shall be in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws of the parent Society. In case of conflict, an alternate officer of the Section may be the representative.

Article 10. Finances. The section will charge dues at a level approved by the governing board. Such dues are maintained by the executive director for the use of the section and may be accumulated from year to year to a maximum amount determined by the governing board. The necessary expenses of the section are paid from the funds of the section and shall not exceed the amount allocated for this purpose plus additional funds from contributions from members or non-members of the Society for section expenses. No officer or member of the section shall have authority to incur any expense in the name of the society except as specified above.

Article 11. 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 will be held. This or any other Section meeting 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 such meeting.

Article 12. Publications. The annual report of the Section and its official notices shall be eligible for publication in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.

Article 13. Amendments. These Bylaws may be amended by two-thirds vote of the membership, provided that notice has been given to all members sixty days in advance.

The Student Section Bylaws were approved by the Executive Committee of the Ecological Society of America in 2000. The first official meeting of the Student Section was during the following 2001 ESA annual meeting in Madison, Wisconsin.