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Bylaws

Article 1. NAME. The official name of this section shall be “Asian Ecology Section of the Ecological Society of America.”

Article 2. PURPOSE. The objectives of the Section shall be (1) to promote communication and collaboration among ecologists who are interested in the advancement of ecology in Asia, and (2) to promote ecological research and education in Asia. The Asian Ecology Section shall be a subdivision of the Ecological Society of America and shall be governed in all its operations by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society.

Article 3. MEMBERSHIP. Any member of any class of the Ecological Society of America Whoso desires may become a member of the Asian Ecology Section by payment of Section annual dues.

Article 4. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS. The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary. Any member of the Section shall be eligible for nomination as an officer. Officers shall be elected by mail ballot by a majority vote of those members who choose to vote. Voting shall precede the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America, with the new officers assuming duties on October 1 of that year.

Article 5. DUTIES OF THE CHAIR. The Chair shall preside at the business meetings of the Section, shall authorize expenditures of Section funds, shall assist the Chair-Elect in arranging programs for Section meetings, and shall promote in every reasonable way, the interests of the Section. The Chair shall serve for a term of one year. The Chair shall represent the Section at the Council of the Society, and shall appoint committees as required to promote the interest of the Section. Such committees shall serve until October 1 of that year and may be reappointed at the discretion of the Chair.

Article 6. DUTIES OF THE CHAIR-ELECT. The Chair-Elect with the Chair shall arrange the programs, including field excursions, for all meetings of the Section, and shall assume the duties of the Chair whenever that person is unable to act. The Chair-Elect shall serve one year as Chair-Elect and then assume the duties of the Chair. The Chair-Elect is not eligible for reelection in the succeeding year.

Article 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Section, including a current membership and mailing list. The Secretary shall edit a newsletter for communication of the Section activities. The secretary shall serve for a term of two years, and shall be eligible for re-election.

Article 8. FINANCES. Necessary expenses of the Section shall be paid from the treasurer 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 plus 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 Section, except as specified above.

Article 9. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. A Section Executive Committee, consisting of the officers of the Section and the immediate past Chair, may act on behalf of the Section during the interval between annual meetings.

Article 10. MEETINGS. The Section shall meet with the Society at its annual meeting.

Article 11. NEWSLETTER. The newsletter shall be published at least once each year, at such time as to allow inclusion of a call for papers, symposium contributions, and other Section business which requires the attention of the membership prior to the annual meeting. Publication of the newsletter in the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America shall constitute fulfillment of the requirement.

Article 12. AMENDMENTS. These by laws may be amended by a two- thirds vote of the members present at any annual meeting of the Section, if notice of the proposed amendment has been supplied to members of the Section at least sixty days prior to the annual meeting date.

Article 13. DUES. The amount of annual dues will be recommended by the executive Committee at the annual business meeting. If the recommended amount is a change from the preceding year, a two- thirds majority of those present must concur.

Amendments

Amendment 1. Amendment to Article 5. To extend tenure of officers from 1 to 2 years.

Amendment 2. Amendment to Article 4. To change the election of officers “precede the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America” to “on or before the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America.” The change is needed because of the difficulty in getting the election done before the annual meeting.