Division Of Vertebrate Morphology Bylaws

DIVISION OF VERTEBRATE MORPHOLOGY

(As approved Dec. 29, 1960 and revised Dec. 29, 1967; 1975; 1980; 1982; 1990; June 2009; June 2014; June 2015)
Article I. Purpose
The purpose of this Division shall be to encourage and to advance research and teaching of vertebrate morphology, and to provide liaison among all scientists concerned with vertebrate structure.
Article II. Name
The official name of this Division shall be “The Division of Vertebrate Morphology of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology.”
Article III. Organization
The Division of Vertebrate Morphology, being one of the various divisions of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of that Society.
Article IV. Membership
Membership in the Division of Vertebrate Morphology is open to all classes of members of the SICB. It is acquired by registration with the SICB business office.
Article V. Officers
The officers of the Division shall be a Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, Program Officer, Program Officer-Elect, Secretary and Secretary-Elect. Elections of officers shall be plurality vote and held by both paper and appropriately secure electronic ballots. A brief biography of each candidate shall be made available on the ballot. The outcome of the election will be announced at the annual meeting and in the first Newsletter following the election. The term of office of all elected officers and appointed representatives shall begin at the end of the second SICB Executive Committee meeting at the Annual Meeting in the year the term is to begin and will end at the adjournment of the second SICB Executive Committee meeting at the Annual Meeting in the year the term is to expire. The outcome of tied elections of divisional officers shall be resolved by majority vote of the officers of the Division of Vertebrate Morphology. In the event of a tie vote by the officers of the division, the division Chair shall cast the deciding vote. In the circumstance where an elected officer is unable to complete his or her term of office, the following provisions are made: If the office of Secretary or Program Officer is vacated early, the Chair, in consultation with the Divisional Executive Committee, will appoint someone to serve until elections can be held to fill the position. If the office of Divisional Chair is vacant, the Divisional Executive Committee, in consultation with the SICB President, will appoint someone to be the interim Chair until an election is held.
Article VI. Chair
The Chair shall promote the interests of the Division, preside at the business meetings of the Division, represent the Division on the Executive Committee of the Society, appoint the Nominating Committee at the annual meeting preceding advancement to office of the new officers and, in accordance with Article XI, appoint other committees as may be desirable. The Chair shall serve for two years without eligibility for re-election.
Article VII. Chair-Elect
The Chair-Elect shall assist the Chair and act for the Chair when the latter is absent. The Chair-Elect shall serve for a period of two years and then be automatically advanced to the Chair. The term of the Chair-Elect will be synchronous with the Chair. If called upon, the Chair-Elect shall assist the Program Officer with the organization of symposia.
Article VIII Past Chair
The Past Chair shall assist the Chair and other members of the divisional Executive Committee in handling divisional affairs. The Past Chair assumes this position upon completion of a term as chair and shall serve for two years.
Article IX Program Officer
The Program Officer shall arrange for the programs of the Division. This person shall serve two years, synchronous with the Chair, and shall be eligible for election to one additional term.
Article X Program Officer-Elect
The Program Officer-Elect shall assume the duties of the Program Officer whenever that person is unable to act. He/She shall serve a term of one year during which he/she will assist the Program Officer as needed and after which he/she shall automatically assume the position of Program Officer for a two-year term.
Article XI. Secretary
The Secretary shall be editor of the Newsletter of the Division, shall be the recording secretary of the Division, and shall perform such other duties assigned by the Chair. This officer shall serve a term of two years, asynchronous with the Program Officer, and shall be eligible for re-election.
Article XII. Secretary-Elect
The Secretary-Elect shall assume the duties of the Secretary whenever that person is unable to act. He/She shall serve for a term of one year after which he/she shall automatically assume the position of Secretary for a two-year term.
Article XIII. Executive Committee
The elected officers of the Division shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Division. Members of the Executive Committee shall confer informally on all matters of policy and shall conduct the affairs of the Division.
Article XIV. Committees
Each year the Chair shall appoint a Nominating Committee of three members. The Chair may appoint such other ad hoc committees as are desirable. Standing Committees may be established or discontinued by the concurrence of, and in such manner as may be determined by, the Executive Committee.
Article XV. Finances
The expenses of the Division shall be paid from the treasury of the Society and in any year may not exceed the sum allotted to the Division. The Chair shall authorize all disbursements and coordinate financial procedures with the SICB Business Manager. All members of the Division of Vertebrate Morphology will be assessed an annual fee in addition to SICB dues to be used to pay divisional expenses above and beyond those covered by the SICB budget allotment, including support for regional meetings, divisional functions at the SICB annual meeting, and other activities, as determined by the Chair in consultation with the Divisional Executive Committee. The amount of the assessment will be determined by the DVM Executive Committee. Assessment funds will accrue across years, be managed through the management company, and disbursed with the authorization of the Chair, in consultation with the Divisional Executive Committee. The Chair shall coordinate disbursements and financial procedures with the Executive Director of the Society.
Article XVI. Meetings
A business meeting of the Division shall be held at least once a year. A business meeting shall be held in conjunction with any general meeting of the Division if called either by the Chair or by 15 members of the Division. The place and time of general meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee in accordance with policy ratified at a business meeting. Notice of meetings shall be sent to all members at least 60 days in advance.
Article XVII. Best Student Presentation Awards
1. The rules governing participating in the D. Dwight Davis and Karel F. Liem Best Student Paper Award Competitions shall be determined by the Division Executive Committee. Specific regulations and application details will be maintain on the SICB Award Information Page.
2. D. Dwight Davis Award for Best Student Paper Presentation: An award may be given for an outstanding paper presented by a student (or by a new Ph.D. who received the degree no more than 12 months before the meeting at which the paper is presented). The award is made only on the unanimous decision of a committee of at least three members, appointed before the meeting by the Chair of the Division. General guidelines for the award are as follows:
a. Each student shall be allowed to compete for the D. Dwight Davis Award an unlimited number of times however a student may only win the award once.
b. The work must be original, must have been carried out by the competing student, and the student must be the first author. Co-authored papers may be entered into the competition, but the student must describe explicitly the contributions of all of the co-authors as part of the presentation. Failure to make the contributions of all listed co-authors clear may be grounds for disqualification.
c. The intention of the award is to recognize significant conceptual, observational, and experimental contributions to the field of vertebrate morphology. These shall be the major criteria for selection. Only outstanding work is to be recognized.
d. Acceptable standards of visual aids and oral presentation shall be required for consideration. Spectacular presentation techniques shall not by themselves qualify a paper.

 

3. Karel F. Liem Award for Best Student Poster Presentation. An award may be given for an outstanding poster presentation given by a student (or a new Ph.D. who received the degree no more than 12 months before the meeting at which the paper is presented). In addition, a certificate will be given as well as an appropriate gift to reflect Vertebrate Morphology. The work must be original, and must have been carried out by the student or students. The award is made only on the unanimous decision of a committee of three appointed before the meeting by the Chair of the Division. The guidelines for the award are as follows:
a. The intention of the award is to recognize significant conceptual, observational, and experimental contributions to the field of vertebrate morphology. These shall be the major criteria for selection. Only outstanding work is to be recognized.
b. Acceptable standards of visual presentation techniques shall not by themselves qualify a poster.
Article XVIII. Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended by members of the Division provided that notice has been given to all members 60 days in advance. Approval by two-thirds of those voting at any annual meeting of the Division is required, or at other times approval by two-thirds majority voting by either paper ballots or appropriately secure electronic ballots. In either case, it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to assure that opportunities for discussion, either verbal or written, occur before a ballot is taken.
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