ByLaws of the Iowa State University Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology


Article I Membership

Section 1. Voting Member. Any person who has an interest in the objectives and the activities of the Chapter may join the Chapter as a voting member. Only voting members may be elected to Chapter officer positions and vote on official matters affecting the Chapter. All voting members shall be responsible for payment of dues.

Section 2. Expulsion - Grounds for termination of membership in the Chapter. Membership shall terminate upon the occurrence of any of the following events: (1) Upon member’s notice of such termination delivered to the President or Secretary of the Chapter, personally or by mail, (2) Upon a determination by the Executive Board of the Chapter that the member has engaged in conduct materially and seriously prejudicial to the interests or purposes of the Chapter.

Article II Officers

There will be four elected officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Chief Financial Officer. The officers and the Chairperson of the Conservation Committee (see Article VI) shall constitute the Executive Board. Elections for the four officers will be held at the annual Business Meeting (see Article X). Term of office will be one year. All officers must be voting members of the Chapter for their entire term office.

Article III Nominations and Elections

Section 1 Nominations. Nominations should be solicited by the Nominating Committee or the Executive Board. All nominees must be voting members. Prior approval shall be obtained from said candidates. The nomination slate shall be submitted by the Secretary to the membership, at least 10 days prior to the Business Meeting.

Section 2. Balloting. Written ballots shall be received from the members by the Secretary and shall be counted by the Executive Board. The President shall appoint a replacement to count ballots for any member of the Executive Board who has been nominated. The candidate receiving the largest number of votes on the written ballots shall be declared elected at the Business Meeting. E-mail ballots may also be used in place of written ballots, to ensure that all voting members are recognized. The e-mail ballots must be sent to the Executive Board or an impartial third party. Impartial third parties may include outgoing members or non-members.

Section 3. Vacancies. If the office of President is vacated for any reason, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President for the balance of the President’s term. All other vacancies occurring during an officer’s term shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Board.

Section 4 Special Elections. A special election may be held at any time during a period of dormancy (Article XI) to reactivate the Chapter.

Article IV Duties of Officers

Section 1. President. The President is responsible for organizing and presiding over meetings. The President must be a member of the Society. Only the President may officially represent the Chapter on business of the Society.

Section 2. Vice-President. The Vice-President shall receive reports from committees, arrange meetings and other activities, and perform the duties of the President when the latter is absent. The Vice-President must be a member of the Society.

Section 3. Secretary. The Secretary records minutes, administers correspondence between the Chapter and the Society, and maintains historical records and a roster of members. The Secretary must be a member of the Society.

Section 4 Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The CFO shall collect dues, maintain accounts, and collect and distribute funds for Chapter activities. The CFO shall coordinate fund raising activities. The CFO must be a member of the Society.

Article V Committees

The Executive Board and the membership may at any time decide to form a committee to address a particular issue. Committees shall be chaired by a voting member. The chairperson shall be responsible for appointing the other members of the committee.

Committees shall be made up of interested individuals of the Executive Board and the membership. Committees should address findings and queries to the Vice-President of the Executive Board. Committees for annual events should be formed at the Business Meeting. All committees shall, at any time, be accountable to the Executive Board.

Article VI Standing Conservation Committee

This Committee shall keep Chapter members informed about current conservation issues on a local, regional, or global scale. The Committee will report at Chapter meetings. The Chapter Officers shall appoint a Conservation Committee Chairperson at the Organization Meeting (see Article X) who shall serve on the Executive Board (see Article II).

Article VII Suggested Standing Committees

Section 1. Program. This committee shall assist the Vice-President in arranging the program schedule for the Chapter. The schedule should include the Business and Organizational meetings and dates for invited speakers and field trips.

Section 2. Education. The Education committee shall act as an extension of the Chapter within the academic and local community. The committee shall act as necessary to inform the public of local and global conservation issues and shall promote the study of conservation biology. The committee may also act as a forum in which solutions to local issues may be discussed and debated.

Section 3. Membership. This committee shall be responsible for encouraging membership in both the Chapter and the Society. The committee shall assist the Secretary in maintaining the list of the Chapter’s membership and shall be responsible for any mailings to the membership.

Section 4. Nomination. This committee shall organize all nominations and present to the Executive Board a complete slate of nominees.

Section 5. Career Development. The committee shall provide a resource base of career opportunities for the membership. The committee shall provide a list of current and future jobs, internships and conferences for the Chapter.

Section 6. Resolutions and Public Advocacy. Should the membership decide to deliver Resolutions and Public Advocacy explaining the chapter’s view on a particular issue or controversy, such statements shall be prepared by this committee for review and action.

Section 7. Audit. The committee shall audit, independent of the Chief Financial Officer, the Chapter’s financial records semi-annually. The committee shall report to the President.

Article VIII Finances

The Chapter will be supported by annual dues, grants, contributions and fund-raising activities. Assessment and amount of Chapter dues is left to the discretion of the Chapter. Funds of the Chapter shall be under the supervision of the officers, and shall be handled by the Chief Financial Officer. The financial records shall be audited semi-annually by either the Audit Committee or the Executive Board and reported to the membership.

Article IX Resolutions and Public Advocacy

The Chapter may make Resolutions and engage in Public Advocacy subject to the conditions described below.

Section 1. Definitions.
A “Resolution” is any public statement that reflects the position or view of the Chapter.
“Public Advocacy” is any public activity by the Chapter in support of a Chapter Resolution.

Section 2. Conditions for Declaration of Resolutions and Public Advocacy.
Proposed Resolutions must be presented to the membership of the Chapter and approved by a majority of the voting members present and voting at a meeting. A voting member who is absent may file an absentee ballot. Proposed Resolutions must include the following: (i) a statement of relationship of the Resolution to the objectives of the Society, (ii) a statement of the need for the Resolution, (iii) scientific documentation concerning the circumstances of the Resolution, and (iv) a list of the proposed recipients of the Resolution.
Any Public Advocacy must be based on an approved Resolution. Proposed acts of advocacy must be presented to the membership of the Chapter and approved by a majority of voting members present and voting at a meeting. A voting member who is absent may file an absentee ballot.

Section 3. Disclaimer of Responsibility by Society for Chapter Activities.
The Iowa State University Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology shall claim responsibility for all Resolutions and Public Advocacy enacted by its membership. All public documents or actions shall include the statement: Resolutions (or Advocacy) of the Iowa State University Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology do not necessarily reflect the views of the Society for Conservation Biology.

Section 4. Reporting.
In lieu of an annual report to the SCB Executive Office, the Chapter shall maintain a website, either hosted at or hyperlinked from the global SCB website, that provides (a) names and contact information for current officers, and (b) resolutions and descriptions of acts of Public Advocacy by the Chapter. The Chapter acknowledges that the SCB Executive Office will not provide web-hosting service for Chapters with officer information over 12 months out of date.

Article X Meetings

Section 1. A Business Meeting shall be held each year. The elections for the four officers of the Executive Board shall be held at this meeting. A quorum of 50% of membership or 10 members is required for the Business Meeting.

Section 2. An Organizational Meeting shall be held within the first month of the year. The frequency and time of general meetings will be decided by the membership at this time.

Section 3. Notice of meetings shall be posted at least one week in advance. At the beginning of each meeting any Chapter or Society business will be discussed prior to the scheduled program. A quorum of 50% of the membership or ten members is required for any meeting at which a vote is called. The business portion of any meeting will be run by the President. The Chapter’s bylaws will be available at each meeting.

Article XI Continuation/Dissolution

Section 1. If the membership fails to elect an Executive Board, the Chapter shall be considered dormant. At that time the outgoing Executive Board shall forward the Chapter’s charter, bylaws and remaining funds to the President of the Society. The Chapter may be reactivated at any time within a period of two years by holding a Special Election. The purpose of the Special Election is to vote for an Executive Board.

Section 2. If, at the end of two years, there is no interest in reconvening the Chapter, the Chapter’s funds shall be permanently transferred to the Society.

Article XII Amendment to Bylaws

Section 1. Procedure. Proposals to modify the Chapter bylaws must be approved by a majority of the voting members present and voting at any scheduled meeting of the Chapter. A voting member who is absent may file an absentee ballot.

Section 2. Conformance. No amendment to these bylaws shall be enacted that results in a conflict with the bylaws of the Society. Proposed amendments to the Chapter bylaws must be approved by the Society’s Board of Governors before becoming effective.