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I: Name and Purpose
The Section shall be known as the Section on the History of Sociology. The purpose of the Section shall be to provide a forum for sociologists and other scholars interest in the study of the historically specific processes shaping the development of sociology as a profession, an academic discipline, an organization, a community, and an intellectual endeavor. This Section will serve its members as a structure (1) to disseminate information of professional interest, (2) to assist in the exchange of ideas and the search for research collaborators, (3) to obtain information about the location of archival materials, (4) to support efforts to expand such research resources and to preserve documents important to the history of sociology, (5) to ensure that the scholarship of this group can be shared with the profession through programming at both regional and national meetings. All activities of the Section shall be consistent with the policies and procedure for the governance of sections as adopted from time to time by the Council of the American Sociological Association.
II: Membership
1. Qualifications. Any member of the American Sociological Association in good standing may join the Section upon the payment of the annual dues.
2. Dues. Base dues for membership in the Section shall be determined from time to time by the ASA council. Additional dues may be recommended by the Section Council and shall take effect if approved by written ballot of the members of the Section.
3. Meetings. There shall be an annual business meeting of the members of the Section to be held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. Notice of the time and place of the annual meeting shall be set forth in the Program for the ASA Annual Meeting and, if feasible, in the last issue of the section's newsletter prior to the annual meeting. Additional meetings of the members may be called from time to time by the Chair of the Section Council and shall be called by the Chair upon receipt of a written petition of twenty-five (25) members in good standing.
4. Quorum: Voting. Twenty-five (25) members present in person at any meeting of the Section shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The affirmative vote of fifty-one percent (51%) of the members present and voting in person shall be necessary and sufficient for the making of decisions at a meeting of the members (with the exception of amending these Bylaws--see Section V).
III: Section Officers
1. Offices; Term; Qualifications. The officers of the Section shall consist of a Chair, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Chair-elect, and a Past-Chair. Section officers shall serve for a term of three (3) years to begin at the conclusion of the ASA Annual Meeting next following their election. The Chair-elect shall serve in that position for one year before automatically succeeding to a one-year term as Chair, followed by a one-year term as Past-Chair (making a combined three [3] year term). Each officer shall be a member in good standing of the Section and shall be a member of the Association.
2. Election. Each section officer shall be elected by a written ballot of all voting member of the Section held in conjunction with the annual election of the American Sociological Association. The Executive Officer of the Association shall be responsible for the conduct of the election and the tabulation of ballots. At least two candidates shall be nominated for each office. Candidates must be voting members in good standing of the American Sociological Association at the time of the election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be elected. In the case of tie votes, the winner shall be decided by lot conducted by the Section Chair.
3. Duties. The duties of the officers shall be as follows:
(a) Chair. The Chair of the Section shall preside at all meetings of the Section membership and of the Section Council at which he or she is present, shall be responsible for planning with the assistance of the Program Committee the Section's program at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, and shall perform such other duties as may be required of him or her by the Section Council. The Section Chair shall submit an Annual Report of the Section's activities to the Executive Office of the Association in accordance with the ASA Manual on Sections. In the absence of the Secretary-Treasurer, the Section Chair may approve disbursements on behalf of the Section.
(b) Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Section shall record or cause to be recorded all votes and minutes of all proceedings of the Section Council and of any meeting of the membership. He or she shall give or cause to be given notice of all meetings, where required, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Section Council of the Chair. He or she shall keep full and accurate accounts of the receipts and disbursements of the Section. He or she shall disburse or cause to be disbursed Section funds, making proper vouchers for such disbursements, and shall render to the Section Council, upon request, an accounting of all his or her transactions as Secretary-Treasurer and of the financial condition of the section. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also prepare an annual Section budget for approval by the Section Council.
4. Vacancies. Any vacancy among the officers shall be filled by the Section Council until the next election of officers.
IV: Section Council
1. Authority; Number; Qualifications. The affairs of the Section shall be governed by the Section Council, which shall consist of each of the elected officers of the Section and six (6) at-large members and two (2) student members. A member of the Section Council shall be a member in good standing of the Section and a voting member of the Association.
2. Election. The at-large members of the Section Council shall be elected by a written ballot of all voting member of the Section held in conjunction with the annual election of the American Sociological Association. The Executive Officer of the Association shall be responsible for the conduct of the election and the tabulation of ballots. At least two candidates shall be nominated for each office. Candidates must be voting members in good standing of the American Sociological Association at the time of the election. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for each office shall be elected. In the case of tie votes, the winner shall be decided by lot conducted by the Section Chair.
3. Term. Each at-large member of the Council shall be elected for a term of three (3) years, to begin with the first annual meeting of the Section Council next following the election. The student member will be elected for a two-year term. The terms of at-large members will be staggered so as to insure that two (2) of the at-large members are elected each year.
4. Meetings. The Section Council shall hold an annual meeting in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association for the purpose of adopting a budget and such other purposes as the Council shall determine, and it may hold additional meetings from time to time. Notice of the time and place of the annual meeting of the Section Council shall be provided to all members of the Section.
5. Quorum; Voting. A majority of the entire membership of the Section Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business. The affirmative vote of a majority of the members present at a meeting of the Section Council at which a quorum is present shall be necessary and sufficient for the making of decisions by the Council.
6. Action Without a Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Section Council may be taken without a meeting, provided three-quarters (3/4) of all Section Council members consent in writing at set forth in the same writing the action or decision taken or made. Consent in writing shall have the same force and effect as a majority vote. The Section Council may also participate in a meeting by means of a conference telephone or similar communications equipment through which all members participating in the meeting can speak to and hear each other at the same time. Participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at the meetings.
7. Compensation. Members of the Section Council shall receive no compensation for their services but, by resolution of the Section Council, may be reimbursed for expenses incurred while acting on behalf of the Section. Reimbursement may be made in the category of incidental material expenses incurred directly for section business such as the purchase of stamps or long-distance telephone calls; reimbursement shall not be made for travel, lodging, or meals in order to attend meetings of the Section Council.
8. Vacancies. Any vacancy among the at-large members of the Section Council shall be filled by the Section Council until the next election.
V: Section Committees
1. Nominations Committee. At the annual meeting of the Section Council, the Chair shall appoint a nominations committee consisting of three (3) members of the Section membership and the Past-Chair who shall serve as chair of the Nominations Committee which shall be responsible for making nominations to fill the positions of each Section Officer listed in Article II and of the at-large members of the Section Council. The Nominations Committee shall provide an opportunity for members of the Section to suggest persons for these positions.
2. Program Committee. There shall be a Program Committee of at least four members, chaired by the section Chair and with the Chair-elect as ex-officio member, the remaining members of which are appointed each year by the Section Council. All members of this committee shall be section members. This committee is charged with arranging and implementing the various events and activities of the Section as authorized by the Section Council, in particular the Section events and activities during the Annual Meeting of the ASA.
3. Membership Committee. There shall be a Membership Committee of at least three members appointed each year by the Section Council and of the Secretary-Treasurer who shall be an ex-officio member. The Membership Committee are charged with recruitment of new members and communication with standing members.
VI: Publications
Editor of Newsletter. The Section Council shall appoint a section member to serve as Editor of the Section Newsletter; this person shall serve a term of three (3) years.
VII: Amendments
These Bylaws may be altered or amended, or new Bylaws adopted only by a two-thirds (2/3) favorable majority vote of those voting at a Section Business Meeting, provided this action is subsequently confirmed by a favorable majority vote of those voting in a mail ballot of the Section membership.
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