Current HEAD Bylaws

Current HEAD Bylaws

Bylaws of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society.
Adopted by the Division May 13, 1969.
Last Amended December 2018.

I. Name

This Division of the American Astronomical Society (hereinafter called "the Society") shall be known as the "High Energy Astrophysics Division."

II. Object

The object of the High Energy Astrophysics Division (hereinafter called "the Division") shall be to assist and promote the advancement of research and the dissemination of knowledge of high energy events, particles, quanta, of relativistic gravitational fields, and of related phenomena in the astrophysical universe, and to promote the coordination of this research and knowledge with other branches of science.

III. Enabling Authority

Article IV, Section 4.21 of the Society Bylaws, effective as of 1 August 2017 and as subsequently revised or amended, is hereby incorporated into these bylaws by reference.

IV. Membership

The types of membership in the Division are identical to those in the Society, with the exception of Division Affiliate membership, as described below. Any Member or Affiliate of the Society may become a Member of the Division in the same category by payment of the applicable Division dues. Membership or Affiliate status in the Division is contingent upon retaining the same status in the Society, and on payment of such annual dues as the Division shall assess. Any Member of the Division may resign from the Division upon notice to the Secretary.

Members of other research organizations related to high-energy astrophysics but who are neither Members nor Affiliates of the Society are eligible to become Affiliates of the Division. The HEAD Executive Committee (hereinafter "the EC" – see V. below) reserves the right to determine which organizations for whom membership qualifies a scientist for Division Affiliate status. A qualified member may become a Division Affiliate if nominated by one Member of the Division and approved by the EC. The EC may waive the professional organization requirement by majority assent. Division Affiliates pay as yearly dues the regular dues of the Division plus a Division Affiliate charge, which is specified by the Board of the Society (hereinafter "the Board") and shared between the Division and the Society. Division Affiliates shall enjoy the same rights and privileges as Members of the Division, except as otherwise stated below. Unless otherwise stated, all references below to Division Members include Division Affiliates.

V. Officers and Executive Committee of the Division

1. The Executive Committee ("EC") shall consist of the Officers of the Division, the available Past-Chair whose term has most recently expired provided this officer has served the full term, and six EC Members. All members of the EC shall be full members in good standing of the Division and of the Society. The EC shall have general charge of the affairs of the Division, and through the Chair or Secretary shall report the activities and needs of the Division to the Board.

2. The officers of the EC and of the Division shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who in addition to the duties specifically assigned to them by these by-laws shall discharge the other duties usually incident to their respective office.

3. The Chair shall call all meetings of the EC and shall preside at all those meetings whenever possible. With the advice and consent of the Committee, the Chair shall appoint any special committees which are necessary to conduct the affairs of the Division, and shall be an ex-officio member of each such special committee except the Nominating Committee.

4. The Vice-Chair may act for the Chair at the latter's request and shall act for the Chair in the event that the latter is incapacitated.

5. The Secretary shall send out necessary notices and announcements to the members of the EC and to the Members of the Division, and shall work directly with the Society's executive office and the Society's Secretary. Announcements of meetings of the Division shall be prepared by the Secretary and transmitted to the appropriate officer of the Society for publication and distribution to all Society and affiliate members at least nine weeks before the date of each meeting. The Secretary shall assist the EC with arrangements for the meeting and for publication (if any) of the proceedings. The Secretary shall also coordinate elections as described in Article VI below. The Secretary shall also prepare minutes of each meeting of the EC, and of the Business Sessions of the Division, and submit these minutes to each member of the Committee and to the Secretary of the Society within three weeks after each meeting.

6. The Treasurer shall handle the funds and make disbursements in accordance with a budget approved by the EC with due regard to Article IV, Para. 4 21 of the By-laws of the Society. The Treasurer shall work directly with the Treasurer of the Society and the financial department of the Society's executive office. The Treasurer shall submit to the EC an annual financial report which, after approval by the EC, shall be submitted to the Board. The Treasurer shall assist the EC with arrangements for meetings of the Division, particularly with any financial arrangements such as sponsorship of the meeting and contractual arrangements for future meeting sites (to be coordinated with the Society who acts on behalf of the EC in contractual matters). The Society shall collect the enrollment fees and Divisional dues set by the EC and approved by a majority of the Division members in good standing present at a business session.

7. The EC shall meet at least once each year. A request in writing from at least four members of the EC shall render a convocation of an additional meeting of the EC obligatory. Any member of the EC unable to attend a meeting shall have the privilege of naming an alternate to represent said member at the meeting (without vote) subject to the approval of the Chair. At any meeting of the EC four of its members shall constitute a quorum.

VI. Election and Tenure of Officers and EC Members

1. The terms of office for officers and EC Members shall be two years for Chair and Vice-Chair, three years for Secretary and Treasurer, and three years for Committee Members. The Vice-Chair at the end of one term shall automatically become Chair for the following term.

2. Not later than sixteen weeks before each Regular Meeting of the Division, the Chair of the Committee shall, with the advice and consent of the Committee, appoint a Chair and two Members of the Nominating Committee of three Members in good standing. No more than one Member of the Nominating Committee shall be a Member of the EC of the Division. The Secretary of the Society shall be informed of the membership of the Nominating Committee.

3. Not later than sixteen weeks before the Regular Meeting of the Division, the Secretary of the Division shall invite all Members in good standing of the Division to propose via written reply, any Full Member as candidates for Officers and EC members for the following year. Any Full Member in good standing of the Division proposed as a candidate for a post on the EC by not fewer than ten (10) Members in good standing of the Division at least 7 weeks before the Regular Meeting shall be deemed to be nominated to the post, provided the nominee has stated to the Secretary a willingness to serve if elected.

4. Not later than seven weeks before the Regular Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the Secretary nominations of at least one candidate for each vacancy for an Officer, and at least two for each vacancy for a EC Member. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to obtain from each nominee a written statement indicating a readiness to serve if elected.

5. The Secretary of the Division shall prepare a ballot containing the names of all candidates nominated according to Paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article. The Secretary shall distribute these sample ballots and instructions for voting to all Members in good standing of the Division not later than five weeks before the Regular Meeting. A Member in good standing shall cast not more than one vote for each position of the EC to be filled, and shall vote via electronic means as announced to the membership by the Secretary. Voting will close not later than one week before the Business Session. The Secretary shall submit the vote results to the Chair. Election shall be by a plurality of those voting, and the Chair shall not cast a ballot unless that vote is needed to break a tie.

6. The Chair shall report the results of the election to the Division Members during the Business Session, and to the Secretary of the Society not more than a week later.

7. The tenure of the members of the EC shall begin at the close of the Regular Meeting at which they are elected.

8. If a vacancy occurs in the EC, the EC may appoint a Full Member in good standing of the Division to serve on the EC until the next regular election at which time the vacancy shall be filled by the regular procedure.

9. If the Secretary or Treasurer is unable to complete a term of office, the EC will appoint an EC Member to serve in this role until the next regular election at which time the vacancy shall be filled by the regular procedure.

10. If the Chair is unable to complete a term of office, the Vice-Chair will serve as Chair for the remainder of the Vice-Chair term and the full two-year Chair term. If the Vice-Chair is unable to complete a term of office, a special election to fill the Vice-Chair position for the duration of the term (including succession to the Chair position) will be held. The election will be conducted following the process described in Paragraphs 2-5 of the Article. The Nominating Committee will provide the EC a list of at least two Vice-Chair candidates no later than 30 days after its appointment. Upon approval of the candidate list by the EC, voting will be opened to the Division membership for five weeks.

VII. Meetings of the Division

1. A meeting of the Division to be known as the Regular Meeting shall be held each year at such time and place as shall be ordered by the EC. This meeting shall include a Business

Session devoted exclusively to the reports of officers and committees, and to the transaction of business affairs. No scientific program of the Division shall be presented simultaneously with the Business Session.

2. Meetings of the Division, other than the Regular Meeting, may be scheduled by the EC. Special conferences or symposia, when designated as being wholly or jointly sponsored by the Division, shall have the status of meetings.

3. The dates and places of all the meetings of the Division shall be chosen in consultation with the Board or with an officer designated by the Board.

4. All meetings of the Division shall be open. The regulations applying to the selection of invited papers and to the restrictions regarding authors of contributed papers which are in force for meetings of the Society shall not have to be applied to meetings of the Division. The EC shall be responsible for rules regarding the meetings of the Division.

5. Announcements of the Divisional Meetings shall be prepared by the Secretary, as specified in Article V, Para. 5 above.

VIII. Appointed Special Committees

1. The Chair, with the advice and consent of the EC of the Division shall appoint the Nominating Committee, which shall have such duties as are specified in Article VI of these By-laws; a Program Committee, which shall have such duties as are specified in Article IX, and such other special committees as conditions may demand.

2. All appointed special committees, unless otherwise terminated, shall be considered to be automatically discharged at the close of the Regular Meeting next following their appointment.

IX. Programs

Meetings of the Division may include programs of invited papers and contributed papers. The EC shall prescribe the subject and character of such meetings. The Division may hold joint meetings with other Divisions of the American Astronomical Society, as well as with other societies or divisions of other scientific societies. When a meeting of the Division is held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society, the Program Committee shall have the responsibility of assisting the Secretary of the Society or the Secretary's designee in fitting the sessions sponsored by the Division into the program of the general meeting of the Society. Abstracts of the papers given at a Divisional Meeting shall be published in the same way in which abstracts of papers given in meetings of the Society are published.

X. Amendment of By-Laws

Proposal of an Amendment of these By-laws may be made by the Board, by the EC, or by a petition to the Chair of the Division signed by not fewer than one-tenth of the members in good standing of the Division. After discussion of the proposed Amendment by the EC at its earliest opportunity, the Secretary shall distribute copies of the proposed amendment to the members of the Board, for their review and comment, not less than three weeks prior to the next meeting of the Board. The Secretary shall then distribute copies of the proposed Amendment, together with the comments of the Board, the EC, and the petitioners (if any), to all members of the Division not less than three weeks before the next Regular Meeting. An opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. After this meeting the Secretary shall distribute ballots containing final wording of the proposed Amendment to all members in good standing of the Division, who shall vote via electronic means not later than three weeks after the date of distribution of the ballots. The adoption of an Amendment shall require the affirmative votes of not fewer than two-thirds of the members in good standing voting. The Amendment if passed shall be transmitted to the Secretary of the Society.