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Constitution and By-Laws

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
OF THE
CENTRAL OHIO SECTION
OF THE
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS

(Effective -January 1, 1961)
(Revised 9/1968, 7/1981, 12/1986, 5/1995, 5/2004)

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I – NAME, LOCATION, AND OBJECTIVE

Section 1. The name of this local section shall be the CENTRAL OHIO SECTION of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 2. The offices of the Section shall be located in the City of Columbus, Ohio.

Section 3. The objective of the Central Ohio Section shall be the advancement of the science and profession of engineering, in a manner consistent with the objective of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 4. The fiscal year of the Central Ohio Section shall be from the first day of October until the thirtieth day of September of the following calendar year.

ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. All members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, whose addresses are within the boundaries of the Section, as defined by the Society, shall be assigned members of the Section. All members assigned to the Section subscribing to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Section, as evidenced by the payment of current dues of the Section, shall be active members of the Section.

ARTICLE III – DUES

Section 1. There shall be no entrance fees.

Section 2. The dues payable by all members of any grade shall be established in the By-Laws. Dues are payable as stipulated in the By-Laws. Any member whose dues are more than one year in arrears shall cease to be an active member of this Section.

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

Section 1. The officers shall be a president, a first vice-president, a second vice-president, a treasurer and a secretary.

Section 2. The terms of office shall be for one year. The term of each officer shall begin on the first day of June, following the annual meeting and shall continue through May 31 of the following year, or until a successor is duly installed.

Section 3. A vacancy in the office of president shall be filled automatically by the first vice-president for the remainder of the unexpired term. Other vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the board of directors for the duration of the unexpired term. Such vacancies shall be filled within a period of thirty days from the date of vacancy.

ARTICLE V – BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. The government of the Section shall be vested in the board of directors.

Section 2. The board of directors shall consist of the officers of the Section, the latest resident past-president, and one other member-at-large as provided in the By-Laws.

ARTICLE VI – MEETINGS

Section 1. The annual meeting of the Section shall be held during the month of May in each year at such time and place as may be fixed by the board of directors.

Section 2. At least two other meetings shall be held each year at such time as the board of directors shall designate.

Section 3. Special meetings shall be called at the discretion of the board of directors; or by the president upon written request of at least ten members.

Section 4. Notice of each meeting of the Section shall be sent to each active member.

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. This constitution may be amended only by the following procedure:
a) The proposed amendment shall be voted by letter ballot, by the members.
b) It shall receive an affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the members voting.
c) To become effective, it shall receive the approval of the Council of Vice Presidents of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
d) The effective date shall be as specified in the proposed amendment.

ARTICLE VIII – BY-LAWS

Section 1. The Section may adopt By-Laws consistent with the Constitution for the guidance of officers and members.

ARTICLE IX – MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Section 1. No part of the net earnings of the Section shall inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual, and no substantial part of the activities of the Section shall be carrying on propaganda, and the Section shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 2. Upon dissolution of the Section the assets remaining after the payment of the debts of the Section shall be distributed to such corporation, community chest fund, or foundation, organized and operated exclusively for religious, charitable, scientific, testing for public safety, literary or educational purposes, or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals, which would then qualify under the provisions of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended, as the board of directors shall have designated and in the absence of such designation they shall be conveyed to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE X – EFFECTIVE DATE

Section 1. This revised Constitution shall take effect upon approval of the Council of Vice Presidents of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Section 2. The terms of office of the officers and/or delegates elected or appointed under provisions of the prior Constitution and/or By-Laws shall be for the periods specified at the time of election or appointment as necessarily modified by the board of directors for the timely and appropriate implementation of the revised Constitution and/or By-Laws.

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BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I – DUES

Section 1. The Section annual dues for members shall be Sixteen Dollars ($16.00) as of 2004. The Section board of directors may, by majority vote, enact an increase not to exceed Two Dollars ($2.00) in any year.

ARTICLE II – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Prior to March 1 of each year, the president shall appoint a Nominating Committee chaired by a Section past president.

Section 2. The Nominating Committee shall choose one or more candidates for election to each of the offices prescribed by Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution, a member-at- large to the board of directors as prescribed by Article V, Section 2 of the Constitution and delegates to District and Ohio Councils as provided in Article VI, Section 1 of the By-Laws. The committee shall obtain the consent of the nominee to serve if elected.

Section 3. The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall present in writing the list of nominees to the secretary.

Section 4. The secretary shall send a letter ballot containing the list of official nominees and a space for a write-in vote for another candidate for each office to each active member.

Section 5. Ballots shall be returned to the secretary before or during the annual Section meeting in May. The ballots shall be opened and counted at the next Section meeting by three tellers appointed by the president. For each office, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast shall be declared elected. Any tie vote shall require a letter ballot run-off within a period of thirty days.

ARTICLE III – COMMITTEES

Section 1. Special Committees: Committees deemed necessary from time to time shall be appointed by the President.

Section 2. Standing Committees: The following standing committees shall be appointed for one year by the incoming president and announcement of the committee chairpersons shall be made after the annual meeting.

a) Auditing Committee: The Auditing Committee shall consist of at least two members whose duty it shall be to attest to the treasurer’s report and balances. A regular audit shall be made in September of each year. Special audits may be made at the written request of the board of directors.

b) Legislative Committee: The Legislative Committee shall keep informed of all legislative matters pertaining to the profession of civil engineering, shall keep the members advised of such problems as may arise, and shall at the request of the board of directors represent the Section in such matters.

c) Membership Committee: The Membership Committee shall meet and contact new members in the area; provide them with information concerning the Section, its meetings, and its activities; and invite prospective members to attend the meetings and to join the Section.

d) Program Committee: The Program Committee shall consist of at least three members, the chairperson of which shall be the Section first vice-president. The Program Committee shall plan and execute the activities and meetings of the Section for the year. The responsibility for the newly appointed Program Committee shall begin coincident with the installation of new officers on June 1, and shall extend through the annual meeting in May of the following year.

e) Professional Practice Committee: The Professional Practice Committee shall consider and advise the Section on questions of ethics that confront civil engineers in the practice of their profession.

f) Public Relations Committee: The Public Relations Committee in cooperation with the Section officers shall provide information of society activities to the members. The newsletter editor shall serve as chairperson of the committee. The committee shall provide public news sources with items of interest regarding Society and Section activities.

g) History and Heritage Committee: The History and Heritage Committee shall collect, prepare, and maintain documents and audio-visual materials that record the history and heritage of civil engineering in Central Ohio and of the Central Ohio Section of ASCE.

h) Education Committee: The Education Committee shall assist in the development, promotion, and execution of policies, programs, and procedures designed to enhance civil engineering education.

i) Technical Committees: The following Technical Committees of the Section shall be established:
(1) Structural,
(2) Environmental,
(3) Water Resources,
(4) Geotechnical,
(5) Transportation,
(6) Construction,
(7) Energy,
(8) Land Development and
(9) Surveying.

These Committees shall coordinate the Section’s technical activities with the Program Committee in the planning of programs dealing with civil engineering.

ARTICLE IV – DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1. The board of directors shall manage the affairs of the Section in accordance with the Constitution and the By-Laws. They will meet on call of the president or upon the request of any board member. They will review actions of the officers and delegates of the Section and approve those actions that involve Section policy including matters pertaining to District and Ohio Councils.

Section 2. The president shall have general supervision of the Section. The president’s duties shall include the following:
a) Preside at meetings of the Section.
b) Act as ex-officio member of all committees.
c) Appoint all committees.
d) Serve as first alternate delegate to District and Ohio Councils.
e) Serve as a member of the board of directors and preside at their meetings.

Section 3. The duties of the first vice-president shall include the following:
a) Represent the president when required.
b) Act as chairperson of the Program Committee.
c) Serve as second alternate delegate to District and Ohio Councils.
d) Serve as a member of the board of directors.

Section 4. The duties of the second vice-president shall include the following:
a) Represent the president in the absence of both the president and the first vice-president.
b) Act as coordinator of the Technical Committees.
c) Encourage affiliation with the Society.
d) Serve as third alternate delegate to District and Ohio Councils.
e) Serve as member of the board of directors.

Section 5. The duties of the treasurer shall be as follows:
a) Execute all normal and necessary transactions associated with activities approved by the board of directors, and be informed of, and be responsible for the timely execution of all required periodic financial transactions or correspondence concerning the finances of the Section which do not require action by the board of directors.
b) Assist the secretary to complete the financial sections of the annual report of the Section.
c) Assist and supervise all Technical Committee financial records and bookkeeping for seminars, conferences, etc. as approved by the board of directors.
d) Maintain the financial records of the Section.
e) Serve as member of the board of directors.

Section 6. The duties of the secretary shall include the following:
a) Maintain the correspondence files.
b) Prepare minutes of all meetings of the board of directors and of the Section.
c) Assist the newsletter editor in the distribution of meeting notices to all active members.
d) Prepare the annual report of the Section.
e) Prepare and distribute a Section directory to all members at such times as required by the board of directors.
f) Serve as a member of the board of directors.

ARTICLE V – QUORUM

Section 1. For the transaction of any business at a regular or called meeting, the presence of not less than 20% of the active members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 2. For the transaction of any business at a board of directors meeting the presence of a majority of the board of directors shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI – DELEGATES TO DISTRICT AND OHIO COUNCILS

Section 1. Delegates to District Council and to Ohio Council shall be elected from the membership at large to serve for three years. One delegate shall be elected each year in the manner prescribed in Article II of the By-Laws. The president, the first vice-president and the second vice-president shall in turn be designated alternate delegates to the Councils.

Section 2. The term of the delegate elect shall be as provided for in the Constitution and By-Laws of the respective District and Ohio Councils.

Section 3. The delegates shall cooperate and coordinate all pertinent Section activities with the Councils. The delegates shall not commit the Section without the authorization of the board of directors.

ARTICLE VII – MEMBERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. One member-at-large shall be duly nominated and elected in accordance with the provisions of Article II of the By-Laws to serve as member of the board of directors.

Section 2. Term of the member-at-large shall be for one year as described in Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution.

Section 3. A vacancy in the term of the member-at-large shall not be filled until the next regular election.

ARTICLE VIII – AWARDS

Section 1. Monetary awards equal in value to the annual dues paid by a Member in the American Society of Civil Engineers and appropriate recognition shall be made each year to one student member from The Ohio State University ASCE Student Chapter and one student member from the Ohio University Student Chapter. The recipients shall be selected by the respective civil engineering faculty of each university for outstanding scholastic achievement. The award at The Ohio State University shall be known as the Robert H. Simpson Award to honor the ninth Section president.

Section 2. An award to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding civil engineer shall be made each year. The recipient shall practice or teach civil engineering in Central Ohio, must have made a significant contribution to the civil engineering profession during the last year, and exemplify the public image and perception of the civil engineer and civil engineering profession. The process to select the recipient shall be decided by the board of directors.

Section 3. An award to recognize the accomplishments of an outstanding section member shall be made each year. The recipient shall be an active member of the ASCE Central Ohio Section, must have made a significant contribution to the Section through participation in the activities of the Section, and promote a good image of the Section and its members through his or her participation or example. The process to select the recipient shall be decided by the board of directors.

ARTICLE IX – RULES OF ORDER

Section 1. The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary standards of the Section on all points not otherwise provided for in this Constitution and By-Laws.

ARTICLE X – AMENDMENTS

Section 1. By-Laws may be adopted or amended only by the following procedure:
a) The proposed By-Law or Amendment shall be voted upon by letter ballot by the active members.
b) It shall receive an affirmative vote of not less than a majority of the members voting.
c) To become effective, it shall receive the approval of the Council of Vice Presidents of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

ARTICLE XI – EFFECTIVE DATE

Section 1. These revised By-Laws shall take effect upon approval of the Council of Vice Presidents of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

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