I. Chapter’s Name
A. The name of the Chapter shall be the Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society.
B. Henceforth, these entities shall be referred to as “the Chapter” and “the Society.”
C. The official abbreviation of the Chapter shall be AMS-SW
II. Chapter’s Geographical Boundaries
The territory of the Chapter shall be the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
III. Chapter’s Objectives
The Chapter’s objectives shall be: to foster the advancement of research in the various fields of music as a branch of learning, scholarship and teaching; to implement policies, programs, and directives adopted by the government of the Society throughout the territory of the Chapter; to foster cooperation among the Chapter’s members; to disseminate professional information; and to implement regional policies. The Chapter is organized exclusively for educational purposes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
IV. Membership Requirements
A. The Chapter’s membership shall consist of regular, student, patron, life, sustaining, emeritus, honorary, or corresponding members of the Society who reside within the Chapter’s territory and who have paid annual dues.
B. Dues
- The amount of annual Chapter dues shall be determined as necessary by the officers or by majority vote of members present at the Spring business meeting.
- Annual Chapter dues shall be payable at a meeting or by mail to the Secretary-Treasurer, and are for the calendar year.
- Dues shall be lower for students than for regular members.
- Chapter members who have remitted their Chapter dues shall be referred to as “active members.” Those who fail to remit dues by the spring business meeting shall be referred to as “inactive members” for a period of one year, unless they remit their dues within that time. Inactive members shall not be entitled to vote or to hold office.
V. Chapter Officers
A. The Chapter’s officers shall consist of the President, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Regular and Student Representatives of the Chapter on the Society’s National Council.
B. The Chapter’s officers shall be elected by the Chapter’s active members, in accordance with VI of the Chapter Bylaws.
C. The President shall supervise the affairs of the Chapter, including: calling and presiding at Chapter meetings; forming and appointing chairs and members of the Chapter’s committees; attending, or appointing a representative to, the annual Officer’s Meeting of the Society; issuing the call for papers; and appointing the Chapter’s webmaster. The president shall be an ex officio but non-voting member of all committees, with the exception of the Nominating Committee.
D. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for the Chapter’s mailings and correspondence, the records of the Chapter’s membership and elections, the receipt and disbursal of the Chapter’s funds, and the Chapter’s financial transactions.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall also be the liaison with the Executive Board of the Society; as such, the Secretary-Treasurer shall keep a record of the Chapter’s activities, and in accordance with the Society’s Bylaws, make an annual report on each Chapter meeting and the Chapter’s finances to the Society.
In the absence, incapacity, or disability of the President, the Secretary-Treasurer shall exercise the functions of the President. Should the office of the President fall vacant before expiration of the appointed term, the Secretary-Treasurer shall act as President until the next meeting of the Chapter, at which time an active member shall be elected to fill the remaining tenure of the vacated office [see V. G for untimely replacement of Secretary-Treasurer].
E. In accordance with the Society’s Bylaws, the Regular Representative to the National Council of the Society shall be an active scholar who is also an active regular member of the Chapter.
F. In accordance with the Society’s Bylaws, the Student Representatives to the National Council of the Society shall be doctoral candidates who are active student members of the Chapter. The chapter will reimburse, with proper documentation as stated by the national organization, and according to the limitations established by the AMS, one half of the student representative’s travel expenses to the national meeting not to exceed $200.
G. In the absence, incapacity, or disability of any officer or representative other than the President, the President shall appoint a successor until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Chapter, at which time a successor shall be elected by the membership in accordance with VI. B.
VI. Elections
A. Terms
- The terms of the President and Secretary-Treasurer shall be two years; the President shall be elected in odd-numbered years, the Secretary-Treasurer in even-numbered years. The term of the Regular Representative to the National Council shall be three years, in accordance with the rotation scheme of the Society. The terms of the Student Representatives to the Council shall be two years.
- The President and Secretary-Treasurer shall not serve more than two consecutive terms
- Representatives shall not succeed themselves
- An officer may be removed from office for misconduct or gross neglect of duties by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership at a Chapter meeting
B. Nominations, Balloting, and Elections
- Not later than one month before each spring business meeting, the Nominating Committee shall submit to the President the names of two nominees for each office becoming vacant that year.
- Not later than two weeks before the spring business meeting, the President shall submit the names of all properly nominated candidates to the Chapter members.
- Nominations from the floor may be made with the nominee’s written consent.
- Members may vote at the spring business meeting, or before that meeting by sending their ballots to the Secretary-Treasurer by either postal or electronic mail.
- At the spring business meeting, the candidate receiving the greatest number of valid votes cast will be considered elected to the relevant office. If no majority is reached on the first ballot, balloting will continue among members present at the meeting until a final decision is reached. In the event that more than one ballot is required, the name of the candidate receiving the lowest number of votes in one ballot shall be withdrawn before the next ballot. This would apply to elections with more than two candidates.
VII. Committees
A. In accordance with V, Section C of the Chapter Bylaws, the President shall appoint chairs and members of such committees as are necessary for the satisfactory conduct of Chapter business.
B. Committees shall consist of no fewer than three members
C. The term of appointment to a committee shall be one year, unless otherwise specified.
D. The standing committees shall be: Executive, Nominating, Hewitt-Oberdorffer and Program Committee
- The members of the Executive Committee shall be the President, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Representatives to the Society’s National Council, who shall conduct any urgent business of the Chapter between regularly scheduled meetings of the Chapter, and approve any publications that are issued under the Chapter’s name.
- All members of the Nominating Committee shall have been past officers of the Chapter; they shall nominate the officers designated in V, Section A of the Chapter Bylaws by seeking out the most qualified candidates and obtaining their consent to serve, either in writing of by telephone, prior to submitting the candidates’ names to the President for inclusion on the election ballots.
- The members of the Hewitt-Oberdoerffer Committee shall determine the winner of the Hewitt-Oberdoerffer Award, in acknowledgment of a paper written by a student member of the Chapter that best meets the stated objectives of the award and the established guidelines for submissions. The Committee need not select a winner.
- The members of the Program Committee shall prepare the program for the regular meetings of the Chapter. If possible, at least one member of the Committee shall be a member of the institution which shall host the meeting.
- The members of the Publications Committee shall authorize and be responsible for production of the Chapter’s publications, if any, including membership directories, newsletters, programs, abstracts, etc. In accordance with the Society’s Bylaws, copies of Chapter publications shall be forwarded to the Society by the Chapter’s Secretary-Treasurer.(This committee was not active as of 2011)
- The Chapter’s President may form ad hoc committees as necessary.
VIII. Finances
The Chapter shall maintain a checking account with a federally-insured bank, preferably near the Secretary-Treasurer’s residence, and a savings account if desirable. Checks shall be signed by the Secretary-Treasurer or the President.
IX. Meetings
A. The Chapter shall normally hold two meetings during each fiscal year, one in the fall, the other in the spring, at such times and places as shall be determined by the President in consultation with the other officers of the Chapter.
B. The annual business meeting of the Chapter shall be held at the spring meeting.
X. Availability of the Bylaws
Copies of the Bylaws shall be available to members at all meetings of the Chapter, will be posted on the Chapters website, and may be obtained by written request submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer.
XI. Amendments
Any active member of the Chapter may propose amendments to the Bylaws by submitting said amendments to the Secretary-Treasurer in writing, accompanied by a petition with five signatures. Any such amendments must be approved by a majority of the voting Chapter members in accordance with procedures for elections found in VI, Section B.
XII. Dissolution of the Chapter
Upon the dissolution of the Chapter, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose