ASR CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
(Amended May, 2000)

Article I. Name.

This organization shall be known as The American Society for Rickettsiology.

Article II. Purposes.

The purposes of this organization shall be:

To encourage basic and applied research in all aspects of rickettsiology and rickettsial diseases.

To foster exchange of information among American scientists engaged in research on rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases through periodic meetings and other devices or instruments as may be appropriate.

To encourage recruitment and training of young scientists in rickettsiology and rickettsial diseases.

To consider and make recommendations on scientific policy matters pertaining to rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases as may be desirable or necessary for the advancement of basic and applied knowledge in this field.

To advise governmental and health agencies, when appropriate, on matters relevant to rickettsiae and rickettsial diseases.

To foster scientific exchange between American rickettsiologists and their counterparts in other countries.

To interact in an appropriate manner with other scientific organizations as required and desirable.

Article III. Membership.

Regular membership. All persons who by their professional work have demonstrated interest in the objectives of the Society are eligible for regular membership. A regular member is one who has paid the current dues. Regular members will be entitled to receive all communications of the Society and to vote on matters submitted by mail or at the business session of the Conference.

Honorary membership. The Society may elect to honorary membership such persons who are deemed deserving of this honor on the basis of contributions to the fields of interest and endeavor encompassed by the purposes of this Society. Honorary membership shall be a lifetime membership and shall not require payment of dues or Conference registration fees.

Article IV. Officers.

The officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice-President and a Secretary-Treasurer. These officers shall be elected at the business session of each Conference. They shall take office at the conclusion of the Conference at which they were elected and shall serve until their successors have been elected and installed in office. Preferably, the Secretary-Treasurer will be a member of the organization hosting the Conference.

Article V. Executive Council.

There shall be an Executive Council consisting of elected officers, the immediate past-President and a Member-at-Large to be elected by the membership at the time of election of officers. The Council shall serve until the conclusion of the following Conference. The function of hte Executive Council will be to conduct the day-to-day business of the Society within the guidelines set forth in Article II, as well as to conduct the business meeting of the entire membership to be held at each Conference.

Article VI. Committees.

Program. There shall be a Program Committee responsible for organizing each Conference. The chair shall be a member of the organization hosting the ensuing Conference who shall be appointed by the President with approval by the Executive Council. The chair shall select committee members and appoint whatever subcommittees deemed necessary to establish a successful Conference. Nominating. There shall be a Nominating Committee of three members to be appointed by the President on or before the first day of the Conference. This committee shall present a slate of candidates for the officers of the Society and the Executive Council Member-at-Large. Nominations shall also be solicited from the floor at the Conference business meeting. Appropriate Ad Hoc committees may be appointed as needed by the President to report to the Executive Council on special matters.

Article VII. The Conference of the Society.

Conference. The Conference shall be held preferably sesquiannually or at least biennially on dates and places to be selected by the Society upon invitation of the host organization. Invitations to hold the Conference will be solicited at least two Conferences in advance, but the actual choice of the next time and meeting place shall be voted on by the membership at each Conference, upon recommendation by the Executive Council. Invitations to attend the Conference shall be issued by the Secretary-Treasurer. Generally, invitations will be extended only to members or previous members of the Society and other North Americans who are active in the field of rickettsiology. However, it is not intended that attendance be restricted to those invited, or to only those living in North America. Registration fee. A registration fee shall be paid by each registrant attending the Conference, honorary members excepted. This fee shall be fixed by the Executive Council based upon recommendations of the Program Committee and shall be sufficient to defray expenses incurred by the Conference. Surplus funds shall be turned over to the succeeding Secretary-Treasurer to be allocated toward the expenses incurred during the next Conference. Student fees. Special reduced registration fees may be set by the Executive Council for interested persons who are clearly in a student status.

Article VIII. Dues.

Dues for the succeeding term shall be set by the Executive Council. Dues will be assessed every 18 months and will be payable upon registration for the succeeding Conference.

Article IX. Conference Proceedings.

The Program Committee hosting the Conference shall be responsible for editing and assembling the Proceedings of the Conference. Their distribution to the membership shall be the responsibility of the Secretary-Treasurer. The proceedings shall include some or all of the following items:

A. List of Registrants

B. Abstracts of all leading papers.

C. Minutes of the business session, including the financial report of the previous Conference.

Each participant selected by the program committee to present a paper shall furnish a suitable abstract of this presentation at least one month in advance of the Conference. From time to time, publication in full of the Conference proceedings may be desirable. This decision will be made by the Executive Council acting in concert with the Program Committee based on the recommendation of the membership at the preceding Conference.

Article X. Distribution of Minutes of Business Meeting and Copies of Constitution and Bylaws.

Minutes of the business meeting shall be prepared and distributed to each member of the new Executive Council as soon as possible after each Conference along with a copy of hte constitution and By-Laws currently in effect. This shall be the duty and responsibility of the immediate past Secretary-Treasurer. Copies of the current Constitution and By-Laws shall be sent to members of the Society upon request.

Article XI. Amendments.

The Constitution and By-Laws of this Society may be amended by vote of two-thirds of the registrants attending the regular business meeting of the Conference, with notification of the proposed change to made at least 24 hours, and preferably several weeks before the said business meeting.