Constitution of the Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga

ARTICLE I

The name of this organization shall be the “Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga”, hereafter referred to as the “Society”

ARTICLE II

The purposes of the Society shall be to:

• Encourage and stimulate awareness of astronomy.

• Instruct members and the public about the science and skills of telescope making, telescope use, observing techniques, and astrophotography.

• Support astronomical observations and computations.

• Support the activities of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) Clarence T. Jones Observatory and other such facilities and institutions as deserving.

• Cooperate with other organizations in the promotion of studying astronomy as a science and hobby.

ARTICLE III

The Society shall be open to all persons interested in astronomy and related sciences, and who support its purpose; subject to the conditions imposed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV

The functions of the Society shall be carried out by the following:

OFFICERS

The Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Each Officer of the Society shall be elected to serve for a term of one (1) year, which shall be carried out as follows:

• A Nominating Committee consisting of three (3) Regular Members, one (1) of which shall be named as Chairperson of the Committee and appointed by the President. Names of the Nominating Committee shall be announced at the regular March business meeting.

• The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of candidates at the regular April business meeting. Immediately following this announcement, and at the same meeting, additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor. All nominees must be Regular Members of the Society. All nominations from the floor shall require a second and at least three (3) votes of acceptance from Regular Members other than those making the nomination and the second for the nominee to qualify as a candidate. No person may be nominated for more than one (1) office.

• A list of the nominated candidates shall be submitted by the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the May newsletter, which shall be provided no less than ten (10) days prior to the date of the regular May meeting.

• The election for the Officers of the Society shall be held at the regular May business meeting. The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall announce the names of the newly elected Officers of the Society and elections shall be by a majority open vote of the qualified voting Regular Members present, which includes online/virtual attendees that are present using a video feed. The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall announce the names of the newly elected Officers of the Society. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall then be discharged.

• The newly elected Officers of the Society shall take office at the June meeting following the election procedures, as described above.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Society and the Standing Committee Chairpersons. The Executive Committee shall act as advisor and assistant to the President in carrying out the activities of the Society and shall perform other specific duties as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws.

STANDING COMMITTEES

There shall be five (5) Standing Committees: Newsletter Editor, Program, Publicity, Membership, and Astronomical League Liaison. The Chairperson for each Standing Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall serve on the Executive Committee. Duties of the Standing Committee Chairpersons are described in the Bylaws, Section III.

OTHER COMMITTEES

The President shall designate such other temporary committees as required for the operation and benefit of the Society. The chairpersons of these committees shall be appointed by the President and shall serve on the Executive Committee. It shall be the privilege of the chairpersons of both standing and temporary committees to appoint additional members of the Society to assist in the pursuit of the duties and functions of the various committees.

ARTICLE V

The general business of the Society shall be governed by the following:

 MONTHLY MEETINGS

The Society shall hold regular monthly business meetings as stipulated in the Bylaws, with the President serving as Chairperson. The President shall be free to call such other meetings as they determine beneficial for the purposes of the Society.

DISBURSEMENTS

Disbursements more than the amount specified in the Bylaws can only be made by the following procedure:

• The proposed disbursement is announced by the Treasurer either in the Newsletter published prior to the next business meeting or at the previous business meeting.

• The proposal will be discussed and approved or rejected by a majority vote of those Regular Members present, which includes online/virtual attendees that are present using a video feed.

QUORUM

General business of the Society may only be conducted at a regular monthly business meeting where a quorum is present. A quorum shall consist of at least ten (10) Regular Members, plus one (1) or more of the Officers of the Society. All decisions shall be made by a majority vote of the qualified voting members present, except as specifically provided elsewhere in this Constitution and Bylaws.

ORDER OF BUSINESS

The order of business at any regular meeting of the Society shall be as follows:

1.  Call to Order - by the acting Chairperson

2. Welcoming of Members and Guests

3. Previous Meeting Minutes - presented by the acting Chairperson and/or read by the Secretary and approved by motion, which requires a second

4. Financial Report - presented by the acting Chairperson and/or read by the Treasurer

5. Committee Reports

6. Unfinished/Old Business

7. New Business

8. Good of the Order - wherein any member who so wishes must be recognized by the Chairperson to make announcements, comments, and/or recommendations believed to be constructive to the Society; under this item, no remark shall be entered as a motion, nor shall it be construed as mandatory action

9. Nomination or Election Procedures - if required

10. Adjournment - by single motion

11. Program

ARTICLE VI

The Society may affiliate with other organizations for mutually beneficial purposes only by amendment to this Constitution. The present affiliations of the Society are limited to the Astronomical League.

ARTICLE VII

This Constitution may only be amended as follows:

1.  Any proposed amendment(s) by a Regular Member must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee through the President.

2. The proposed amendment(s) shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee, which shall determine if the proposed amendment(s) constitutes a change in the Constitution or Bylaws. A change in the Bylaws shall be treated as described therein, Section VI. A change in the Constitution shall be treated as described in the following paragraphs.

3. The proposed amendment(s) shall be announced and published in the Society’s online communication platform and newsletter for member review and discussion at least thirty (30) days prior to voting at the next regular meeting that follows the required thirty (30) day review period.

4. The proposed amendment(s) shall be presented and/or read by the Secretary or active Chairperson to the members present at the meeting as described in 3 above, which includes online/virtual attendees.

5. Following the presentation of the proposed amendment(s), a tally of votes by attending Regular Members, which includes online/virtual attendees that are present using a video feed, will be taken by the Secretary or active Chairperson. Voting may also be sent directly to the Secretary in writing via email, etc., for members unable to attend, which will be accepted if received no later than the date of the regular meeting as described in 3 above.

6. The results shall be immediately announced following the vote at the appropriate meeting. Approval of the proposed amendment(s) shall require a three-fourths majority of the total votes received and shall become effective immediately.

ARTICLE VIII

Upon dissolution of the Society, the Executive Committee shall, after paying for all necessary legal liabilities of the Society or making provisions for payment of the same, dispose of the assets of the Society at its discretion in accordance with and to further the purposes of the Society as described in Article II of this Constitution.

ARTICLE IX

A Parliamentarian, if appointed, and the Executive Committee shall have the duty to interpret the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws, in any eventuality requiring clarification.

Bylaws of the Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga

SECTION I

Membership within the Society shall consist of the classes below. Dues and maintenance are described in Section II of these bylaws:

• Regular Members - shall be at least 18 years old and are able to serve as an officer and have the right to vote on all general Society business.

• Student Members - shall be currently enrolled full-time at an academic institution such as K-12, college/university, or trade school. This class of membership is unable to serve as an officer and shall not have voting rights.

• Honorary Members - shall be those who have rendered a distinct service to the Society and have been elected to this class of membership. Election to the roster of Honorary Members shall be based on recommendation of the Executive Committee and confirmed by a two-thirds majority of the qualified voting members at a regular monthly business meeting, which includes online/virtual attendees that are present using a video feed. This class of membership is unable to serve as an officer and shall not have voting rights.

SECTION II

Dues for all membership classes are determined on a yearly basis starting in January of that year and shall be set by the officers. Membership is maintained by a continued yearly payment of dues and shall be subject to automatic cancellation if dues are delinquent by more than ninety (90) days. Dues are on a twelve (12) month revolving basis from the initial membership date and are non-transferable. Adjustments to membership class and/or membership dues, as required to meet increasing operating costs, etc., may only be amended as follows:

1. The proposed change in membership and/or dues shall be announced and published in the Society’s online communication platform and/or newsletter for review and discussion at least thirty (30) days prior to voting at the next regular meeting that follows the required thirty (30) day review period.

2. The proposed change in membership and/or dues shall be presented and/or read by the Secretary or active Chairperson to the members present at the meeting as described in 1 above, which includes online/virtual attendees.

3. Following the presentation of the proposed change in dues, a tally of votes by Regular Members will be taken by the Secretary or active Chairperson, which includes online/virtual attendees that are present using a video feed.

4. The results shall be immediately announced following the vote at the appropriate meeting. Approval of the proposed change in dues shall require a three-fourths majority and shall become effective immediately.

SECTION III

The duties of the Officers and Committee Chairpersons of the Society shall be prescribed as follows:

1.  President - shall exercise general supervision of the affairs and activities of the Society, shall preside at regular and special meetings, shall appoint all Standard and Temporary Committee Chairpersons, shall serve as ex-officio member of committees, shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee, and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in the Constitution or Bylaws.

2. Vice President - shall assume the duties of the President in their absence and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in the Constitution and Bylaws.

3. Secretary - shall handle correspondence for the Society, shall keep minutes of meetings of the Society, and maintain files of its records. The Secretary shall also perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in the Constitution and Bylaws.

4. Treasurer - shall collect, record, and disburse all funds for the Society. Unbudgeted disbursements over $200.00 shall require approval as described in the Constitution, Article V. Budgeted disbursements require the written approval of both the Treasurer and the individual with budget line-item responsibility and shall be reported in the monthly financial report. The Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in the Constitution and Bylaws.

5. Newsletter Editor - shall be responsible for the publication and distribution of the Society newsletter “The Barnard Star” and shall solicit articles from Society members and other sources for inclusion therein. The newsletter shall also include meeting notices of the Society as well as any other announcements or items of official business as required for the provision of information to the members of the Society.

6. Program Chairperson - shall be responsible for preparing all programs for regular meetings of the Society as well as all other special meetings as may be prescribed by the Officers of the Society.

7. Publicity Chairperson - shall be responsible for publicity for all Society meetings and special events and prepare news and information items for publicity.

8. Membership Chairperson - shall be responsible for activities pertaining to recruiting and welcoming new members and to maintain contact with current members to preserve the existing status of membership, and shall assist the Secretary, Treasurer, and Newsletter Editor in maintaining up-to-date membership rosters.

9. Astronomical League Liaison – shall be responsible for coordination between the Society, Society members, and the Astronomical League (AL) regarding the Observing Programs offered by the AL.

SECTION IV

The Society shall hold regular monthly meetings, and the schedule will be posted on the Society’s website and announced in the Society’s monthly newsletter. The time and place for this regular meeting may be altered by majority vote of qualified voting members at a previous regular monthly business meeting. Approved altered time and/or location will be announced and posted to Society members immediately after voting. Meetings other than the regular monthly business meeting may be called by the President as determined beneficial to furthering the purposes of the Society.

SECTION V

The Executive Committee should submit a budget for the upcoming year in October of the current year. The budget should include line items for all Standing and Temporary Committees, as well as any known special expenditures planned for the next fiscal year. The budget should include the names of individuals with line-item responsibilities for the budget. Line-item responsibility may be changed after the budget is approved by a majority vote in the monthly business meeting to take effect immediately following the vote or at the time specified during the vote.

Committee chairpersons should submit recommendations for their committee expenditures to the Executive Committee by September 15th of the current year. The budget should be presented in the October business meeting and be included in the October newsletter.  Society members should recommend budget adjustments, and a final draft of the budget should be included in the November newsletter and presented for approval by majority vote in the November business meeting, which is followed by that month’s newsletter. The approved final budget will go into effect in January of the following year and continue through December of that year.

SECTION VI

These Bylaws may be amended as follows:

1.  The proposed amendment(s) shall be treated as described in the Constitution, Article VII (1 and 2).

2. After a decision by the Executive Committee as herein provided, the proposed amendment(s) shall be treated as described in the Constitution, Article VII (3, 4, 5, and 6).

Code of Conduct for the Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga

The Society is committed to providing a friendly, safe, and welcoming environment for all. As such, the Code of Conduct for the Society is provided below and shall be enforced by the Officers of the Society. Failure to adhere to the following provisions may result in suspension or loss of membership within the Society:

1.  Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning conduct is unacceptable behavior at any Society event or when representing the Society.

2. Alcoholic beverages and illegal substances are not permitted at any Society event, which includes arriving already intoxicated.

3. Possession of weapons or any item that may cause danger to others if used in a certain manner is prohibited at any Society event. Violence, threats of violence, or violent language directed against another person is also unacceptable behavior.

4. Committing any unlawful act while at a Society event or when representing the Society is strictly prohibited.

5. The Society is not responsible for unattended minors at any Society event, and as such, parents and guardians of minors are required to attend the same event as a chaperone.