The Barnard Astronomical Society of Chattanooga

Constitution and By-Laws

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ARTICLE I

The name of this Society shall be: The BARNARD ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY of Chattanooga, TN

ARTICLE II

The purposes of this Society shall be to:

  1. Promote interest in the study of Astronomy
  2. Support astronomical observations and computations.
  3. Instruct members and the public in the science and skills of telescope making, observing techniques and astrophotography.
  4. Encourage and stimulate awareness of Astronomy.
  5. Support the activities of UTC’s Clarence T. Jones Observatory and such other facilities as are deserving.
  6. Cooperate with other Astronomical Societies in the promotion of the study of 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 purposes, subject to three conditions imposed in the by-laws.

ARTICLE IV

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

  1. OFFICERS
    1. The Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, Vice-president, Secretary, and a Treasurer.
    2. Each Officer of the Society shall be elected to serve for a term of one year.
    3. The election of officers shall be carried out as follows:
      1. A Nominating Committee, consisting of three Regular or Regular-Associate members, one of which shall be named as Chairperson of the Committee, shall be appointed by the President and their names announced at the regular March business meeting.
      2. 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 or Regular-Associate members of the Society. All nominations from the floor shall require a second and at least three votes of acceptance from members other than those making the nomination and the second, in order for: the nominee to qualify as a Candidate. No person may be nominated for more than one office.
      3. A list of the nominated Candidates shall be submitted by the Secretary to the Newsletter Editor for publication in the May Newsletter, which shall be mailed no less than ten days prior to the date of the regular May meeting. The Secretary shall prepare a ballot, listing all Candidates, one copy of which shall be issued to each member of the Society having a right to vote at the May business meeting.
      4. The election of officers shall be held at the regular May business meeting. Election of officers shall be by a majority vote of the qualified voting members present, and conducted by secret ballot. Only official ballot forms as described in this Article, Part C-3, above, shall be acceptable for voting. The Nominating Committee shall count the votes and, at this same meeting, the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall announce the names of the newly elected officers. The duties of the Nominating Committee shall then be discharged.
      5. The newly elected officers shall take office at the June meeting following the election procedures, as described above.
  2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
    The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Society and the Chairpersons of all Committees. 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 By-laws .
  3. STANDING COMMITTEES
    There shall be four Standing Committees: Newsletter, Program, Publicity and Membership. The Chairpersons shall be appointed by the President and shall serve on the Executive Committee. The duties of these Chairpersons are described in the By-laws, Section III-5.
  4. 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.
  5. 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:

  1. MONTHLY MEETINGS
    The Society shall hold regular monthly business meetings at the time and place prescribed in the By-laws with the President serving as Chairperson. The President shall be free to call such other meetings as he deems beneficial for the purposes of the Society.
  2. DISBURSEMENTS
    Disbursements in excess of the amount specified in the BY-LAWS can only be made by the following procedure:
    1. The proposed disbursement is announced by the Treasurer in the Newsletter to be published prior to the business meeting at which the proposal will be discussed and approved or rejected by the vote of majority present.
  3. 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 Regular, or Regular-Associate members plus one or more of the Officers of the Society. All decisions shall be by a majority vote of the qualified voting members present. except as specifically provided elsewhere in this Constitution and by-laws. Any qualified voting member may require that voting be conducted by secret ballot.
  4. ORDER OF BUSINESS
    The order of business at any regular meeting of the Society shall be as follows:
    • Call to order by Chairperson;
    • welcoming of guests
    • Roll Call
    • Minutes of previous meeting, read by Secretary
    • Financial Report, read by treasurer
    • Correspondence, as pertains to any official business of the Society, to be submitted or read by recipient of same.
    • Committee Reports
    • Unfinished Business
    • New Business
    • Good of the Order, wherein any member who so wishes must be recognized by the Chair, to make announcements, comments, 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.
    • Nomination or Election Procedures, if any.
    • Adjournment, by motion
    • 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 BARNARD ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY are Limited to: The Astronomical League.

ARTICLE VII

This Constitution may only be amended as follows:

  1. Any proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee through the President at a regular monthly business meeting of the Society.
  2. The proposed shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee which shall determine if the proposed amendment constitutes a change in the Constitution or by-laws. A change in the by-laws shall be treated as described therein, Section V. A change in the Constitution shall be treated as described in the succeeding paragraphs.
  3. A ballot showing the proposed amendment shall be published in three consecutive issues of the Newsletter, beginning with the issue that announces the next regular meeting following the meeting at which the amendment was properly submitted in compliance with Sections 1 and 2, above.
  4. The proposed amendment shall be read by the Secretary to the members present at each of the three consecutive meetings announced by the Newsletters as described in Section 3, above. Following these readings, ballots will be taken by the Secretary at each of these designated meetings, from the qualified voting members present who have not previously voted on the proposed amendment. Mailed ballots; shall be sent to the Secretary and will be accepted if received no later than the date of the third meeting as defined herein. The envelopes containing mailed ballots must be labeled “ballot” and shall bear the member’s name. Ballots shall remain sealed until all qualified votes have been received at the third of the designated consecutive meetings, at which time the votes shall be tabulated by the Secretary and the results Shall be announced at this meeting. Approval of the proposed amendment shall require a three-fourths majority of the total votes received by the date of the third consecutive meeting.
  5. The proposed amendment shall become effective immediately upon attainment of the required three-fourths majority vote.

ARTICLE VIII

Upon dissolution of the Society, the Executive Committee shall, after paying all legal liabilities of the Society or making provision for payment of same, dispose of the assets of the Society at its discretion; but in accord 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 by-laws, in any eventuality requiring clarification.

By-Laws of the Barnard Astronomical Society

SECTION I

Membership in the Society shall consist of the classes below. Dues and maintenance are described in Section II of these by-laws.

  1. REGULAR members shall be at least 16 years old and shall have the right to vote on all general Society business.
  2. REGULAR-ASSOCIATE members shall be at least 16 years old and belong to a family in which there is at least one Regular or Junior member. this class of membership shall also have the right to vote on all general Society business.
  3. JUNIOR members shall be 15 years old or less and shall not have voting rights.
  4. JUNIOR-ASSOCIATE members shall be 15 years old or less and shall not have voting rights. Such members shall belong to a family in which there is at least one Regular or Junior member.
  5. 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 on recommendation of the Executive Committee and confirmed by a two-thirds majority of the qualified voting members at a regular monthly business meeting. This class of membership shall not have voting rights.

SECTION II

Dues for all membership classes are determined on a yearly basis. Membership is maintained by continued payment of dues and shall be subject to automatic cancellation if dues are delinquent by more than ninety days. The dues schedule shall be set each year by the officers. Dues on are a twelve month revolving basis from the initial membership date. Future adjustments in the dues schedule, as required to meet increasing operating costs, will be made a proposed amendment to the by-laws for approval, in accordance with the procedure defined in Article VII of the Constitution.

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 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 this Constitution or by-laws.
  2. Vice-president – shall assume the duties of the President in his absence and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in this Constitution and by-laws.
  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 or by-laws.
  4. Treasurer – shall collect, record and disburse all funds for the Society. Disbursements over $20.00, except for amounts to be reimbursed to the Newsletter Editor, shall require approval as described in the Constitution, Article V-2. The Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the members or elsewhere in this Constitution or by-laws.
  5. Standing Committee Chairpersons – the general duties shall be:
    1. Newsletter Editor – shall be responsible for publication and mailing 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 this Society as well as any other announcements or item of official business as required for the provision of information to the members of this Society. A voucher, showing cost of publication and postage, shall be submitted monthly to the Treasurer so that said amount can be reimbursed to the Editor
    2. Program – 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.
    3. Publicity – shall be responsible for publicity for all Society meetings and special. events, and prepare news and information items for publicity.
    4. Membership – shall be responsible for activities pertaining to recruiting 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.

SECTION IV

The Society shall hold regular monthly business meetings on the second Thursday of each month at UTC’s Clarence T. Jones Observatory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The time and place for this regular meeting may be altered by vote by a majority of qualified voting members at a previous regular monthly business meeting and announcing results of such vote in the meeting notice for said meeting to be held at altered location. Meetings other than the regular monthly business meeting may be called by the President as he deems beneficial to furthering the purposes of the Society.

SECTION V

These by-laws may be amended as follows:

  1. The proposed amendment shall be treated as described in the Constitution, Article VII, Sect. 1 and 2.
  2. After decision by the Executive Committee as herein provided, the proposed amendment shall be treated as described in the Constitution, Article VII, Sect. 3, 4, and 5, except that adoption shall require a majority of the votes submitted at the designated three consecutive meetings.