PREAMBLE
Since 1926 a group of geologists organized as “THE WEST TEXAS GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY”, has become an active force in the geological affairs of West Texas. In order to function more efficiently, the Society needs statutes regulating its operation.
ARTICLE I
NAME
SECTION I. The name of this Society shall be “THE WEST TEXAS GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY”.
ARTICLE II
OBJECT
SECTION I. The object of this Society is to advance the geology of West Texas and the surrounding region by encouraging social relations and professional cooperation among geologists, allied scientists, and geological workers residing therein.
ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHIP
SECTION I. Membership of this Society shall be of two classes: Active and Honorary Life.
SECTION II. Active Members: Any person engaged in geological or allied professions, or who is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, or who is eligible for membership in that Association, shall be eligible for active membership in this Society. The Executive Committee shall have final review and approval authority for all membership applications. The Executive Committee may reject any membership application by unanimous vote.
SECTION III. Honorary Life Members: The President shall each year appoint three or more Honorary Life Members of this Society as an Honorary Life Membership Committee which shall select and recommend to the Executive Committee no more than two active members of this Society who on a basis of 1) ten or more years tenure as a member of this Society, 2) contribution of time, effort, and talents to this Society, 3) and recognized contributions to the geological sciences or professions, are deemed by said committee to be most worthy of election as Honorary Life Members of this Society. The Executive Committee may, by unanimous vote, reward those recommended members by electing them to Honorary Life Membership. Honorary Life Members shall be exempt from further payment of dues. The President shall announce the recipients of these awards at such time as the Executive Committee deems advisable.
SECTION IV. Resignation: Any member may resign from the Society at any time. Such resignation shall be in writing and shall be accepted by the Executive Committee. A member shall be considered to have resigned for failure to pay dues.
SECTION V. Expulsion: Each member shall be guided by the highest standards of professional ethics. Any member, after due investigation, if found guilty of violating these standards may be admonished, suspended, allowed to resign, or expelled from the Society. Procedures followed shall conform to those adopted by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for action in similar cases.
ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS
SECTION I. The Executive Officers of this Society shall be a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor-in-Chief.
SECTION II. Nominations: The President shall, on or before January 15, appoint a Nominating Committee of five Past-Presidents, which shall be instructed to transmit to the Secretary by February 15, the names of two or more nominees for the offices of President-Elect, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Announcement of these nominees shall be made at the next regular meeting of the Society. Additional nominations for each office may be made by a petition signed by ten or more members and delivered to the Secretary on or before March 15.
SECTION III. Election: Ballots carrying the names of nominees for each office, including names presented by the Nominating Committee and by valid petition, shall be arranged alphabetically for each office. A box shall be provided for write-in votes. The ballot shall be mailed to each member of the Society between March 15 and April 1. The ballots received by the Secretary on or before May 1, shall be counted prior to the annual Meeting by a Ballot Committee appointed by the President. Election to office shall be by a plurality of the votes cast for each office. In the event of a tie vote for any office, the candidates receiving equal votes shall stand for election by majority vote of the outgoing Executive Officers. (In accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, the President shall not vote, except to break a tie.) Should the Second Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer vacate his/her office, the candidate for that office receiving the second highest number of votes shall be invited to take that office and his/her acceptance shall constitute an election. A vacancy occurring in the office of President-Elect shall be filled by mail ballot by membership, through a special election called by the Executive Committee. The nominations and election of the candidate to fill the vacancy of the President-Elect shall be conducted in the same manner as outlined in Sections II & III and done in an expeditious manner.
SECTION IV. Appointment of the Editor-in-Chief: Upon the first meeting of the Executive Officers after the vacancy of the office of Editor-in-Chief, the Executive Officers shall appoint an Editor-in-Chief by a majority of votes. Four Executive Officers will constitute a quorum for this purpose.
SECTION V. The President shall 1) preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Society, 2) call all meetings of the Executive Committee and all Special Meetings of the Society, and 3) appoint all committees and delegates not otherwise provided for in this constitution.
SECTION VI. The First Vice-President shall assume duties of the President in his/her absence or incapacity, and shall perform any other duties designated by the President. The First Vice-President, with the advice and consent of the President, shall appoint half of the committees, and monitor and report on their activities and progress.
SECTION VII. The Second Vice-President shall assume the duties of the First Vice-President in his/her absence, and shall perform any other duties designated by the President. The Second Vice-President, with the advice and consent of the President, shall appoint half of the committees, and monitor and report on their activities and progress.
SECTION VIII. The President-Elect shall serve for one (1) year as such, and in the following year the President-Elect shall assume the office of President. The President-Elect shall acquaint himself/herself with all the details of the office of President and generally be prepared to serve as President. The President-Elect shall be responsible for the preparation of the budget for the ensuing fiscal year and submit for approval to the Executive Committee.
SECTION IX. The Secretary shall be the recording officer of the Society and the custodian of its records except such as are specifically assigned to others. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining a membership list. The Secretary shall oversee the sending out notices of all meetings and conduct the correspondence of the Society except as otherwise provided. In the absence of both Vice-Presidents and President, the Secretary shall assume the duties of the President.
SECTION X. The Treasurer shall oversee the holding of funds for the Society in a depository approved by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer will oversee all payments made on behalf of the Society that are approved by the Executive Committee. In the absence of the Secretary, the Treasurer shall assume the duties of the Secretary. The Treasurer shall present a financial statement to the Society at its Annual Meeting.
SECTION XI. The Editor-in-Chief shall serve a two year office beginning in June of even numbered years. The Editor-in-Chief, with the advice and consent of the President, shall oversee publication of the Society Bulletin and other hardcopy or electronic publications except as otherwise provided by special committee. The Editor-in-Chief shall also be Chairman of the Editorial Review Committee whose members shall share in the technical functions related to publications.
SECTION XII. At the discretion of the Executive Officers, the Society shall have an Executive Director. The Executive Director shall be a paid position with this person serving as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Director shall be bonded and, unless otherwise directed by the President, shall sign all written contracts and obligations of the Society. The Executive Director shall work on behalf of the Society and shall enter into no contracts or obligation without the knowledge and consent of the President. The Executive Director shall perform the duties of running the Society office, coordinating Society special events and shall prepare any and all reports or documents requested by the Executive Officers. In the event that the Executive Officers decide not to maintain an Executive Director in the employ of the Society, the President shall sign all written contracts and obligations of the Society and delegate out the other duties that were being performed by the Executive Director. If for any reason the position of Executive Director is vacant the President shall be bonded.
ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
SECTION I. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the First Vice-President, the Second Vice-President, the President-Elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Executive Director.
SECTION II. The Executive Committee shall conduct all business of the Society not otherwise provided for. The Executive Committee can meet in executive session called by the President or by a majority of the Executive Officers of the Society. In executive session only the Executive Officers and guests specifically invited by the President may be present. No minutes or records of an executive session will be kept except to record the results of salary amounts, awards or other action approved in executive session.
ARTICLE VI
MEETINGS
SECTION I. The Meetings of the Society shall be of three classes; Regular Luncheon, Special, and Annual.
SECTION II. The Regular Luncheon meetings will be held at noon at least monthly at a place selected by the Program Committee with the approval of the Executive Committee.
SECTION III. Special meetings shall be held at such times and places and for such purposes as the Executive Committee deems necessary and as announced by the President.
SECTION IV. The Annual Meeting shall be held during the month of May at a place and time designated by the President. At least fifteen days prior notification of this meeting shall be published in the Society Bulletin.
SECTION V. The order of business at the Regular Luncheon and Special Meetings shall be at the discretion of the presiding officer. The order of the business at the Annual Meeting shall be:
1. Call to order by the presiding officer.
2. Reports of the Treasurer, the President, and committees. Committee reports may be consolidated with the report from the President.
3. Unfinished business.
4. New business.
5. Installation of new officers.
6. Program (optional).
7. Adjournment.
ARTICLE VII
DUES
SECTION I. The annual membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall be payable May 1.
ARTICLE VIII
RULES
SECTION I. “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern all meetings of the West Texas Geological Society except as otherwise provided in this Constitution.
ARTICLE IX
AWARDS
SECTION I. Speaker Award: In order to promote the science of geology of West Texas and encourage speakers to present geological reports, each member giving a geological report before a Society meeting shall be given a token of appreciation from the Society.
SECTION II. Distinguished Service Award: In order to recognize and honor individuals who have made exceptional contributions to our science, industry, or profession, particularly in the West Texas region, the West Texas Geological Society establishes a Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award shall be reserved for individuals not eligible for, or recipients of, the Honorary Life Membership Award. Selection of individuals for this award shall be made by the Awards Committee, with unanimous approval of the Executive Committee and awarded at an appropriate time and place selected by the President.
SECTION III. Dedicated Service Award: In order to recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to our Society, science, profession, or industry, the West Texas Geological Society establishes a Dedicated Service Award. Selection of individuals for this award shall be made by the Awards Committee, with majority approval of the Executive Committee. No more than two Dedicated Service Awards shall be given yearly and they shall be awarded at the Annual Meeting by the President.
SECTION IV. Pioneer Member Award: In order to recognize and honor individuals who have maintained long term Society involvement, the West Texas Geological Society establishes a Pioneer Member Award. Recipients must have been members of the Society for more than twenty years (cumulative), over a period of thirty or more years. Current membership is not a requirement. The Pioneer Member Award shall be reserved for individuals who have not received the Honorary Life Membership Award. Selection of individuals for this award shall be made by the Awards Committee, with majority approval of the Executive Committee, and awarded each year at a time and place chosen by the President. No more than three Pioneer Member Awards shall be given each year.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENTS
SECTION I. This constitution may be amended by the following method:
1. The proposed amendment and an explanation thereof shall be distributed to the membership by mail or printed in the Society Bulletin prior to mailing the ballots.
2. The President shall declare a part or all of a Regular Luncheon or Special Meeting open for discussion of the proposed amendment, at which time the original motion may be rescinded by a majority vote.
3. The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the membership for ratification by mail ballot. A majority of votes received by the Secretary within 30 days after the ballots have been mailed will determine passage of the amendment.
ARTICLE XI
DISSOLUTION
SECTION I. In the event it becomes desirable to dissolve this Society, all assets at the time of dissolution shall be donated to some worthy geologic cause at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Amended 12-01-1969
Amended 11-01-1978
Amended 03-24-1981
Amended 03-01-1989
Amended 02-20-2003
Amended 05/15/2008
