Bylaws and Constitution of The International Society for Plastination
The name of the organization shall be: International Society for Plastination, hereafter referred to as the Society.
The Society is a multidisciplinary organization, including persons within all fields of Science interested in the technique of Plastination. Plastination refers to the use of polymers to infiltrate and preserve any material for teaching, research or diagnostic purposes.
The purpose of the Society, as contained in the Letters Patent shall be:
a) to provide for and maintain an International Association for individuals and Institutions who perform plastination techniques, or are interested in plastination preservation methods;
b) to serve as a forum for the exchange of information about plastination;
c) to define plastination as a speciality area of professional activity, to encourage other institutions to adopt plastination preservation methods, and to invite individuals to learn and practice plastination as a career in the sciences;
d) to publish the Journal of the International Society for Plastination on a regular basis;
e) to hold regular meetings, workshops and conferences to promote and teach the techniques of plastination;
f) to maintain a record of member institutions and individuals performing plastination, their particular speciality, and others interested in plastination. No part of any earnings of the Society shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, officers or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set out above.
Article IV. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1 – Class of members
The Society shall consist of five classes of membership: regular, associate, student, distinguished and emeritus members. Unless otherwise stated, membership is by way of application to the Membership Committee.
Section 2 – Regular members
Any individual interested in plastination is eligible to apply for Regular membership. Regular Members shall be eligible to vote at General Meetings, hold any office in the Society and receive its publications.
Section 3 – Associate members
Government departments, University departments, Libraries, Private Institutions and others shall be eligible to join as associate members. Associate members shall receive the publications of the Society, may appoint a delegate to attend General meetings and vote at General Meetings. Delegates may not hold office in the Society.
Section 4 – Student Members
Available to graduate, and undergraduate students who are actively engaged in the study of plastination and anatomical or related sciences in an educational or research institution or working under the guidance of an established researcher or educator. The Board shall establish the process by which these criteria are evaluated to determine Student or Postdoctoral Membership eligibility. To qualify for student or postdoctoral status, such prospective Member must provide his/her advisor’s name when applying for Student Membership. Student members do not pay dues and shall have all the rights of Regular Members except voting.
Section 5 – Distinguished members
At the Biennial General Meeting members may elect to the position of Distinguished Member, any Regular Member who, in the opinion of those present has made outstanding contributions to the field of Plastination. This is usually, but not exclusively, related to the organization of major Conferences, or other similar contributions. Such designation is purely honorary, and shall have no financial or other benefits.
Section 6– Emeritus members
A Regular Member may become an Emeritus Member upon retirement and by submitting written notification to the Vice-president. Emeritus Members shall have all the rights of Regular Members.
Section 7 – Dues
The president, at the Biennial General Meeting, and with the majority vote of members present, shall set the biennial dues according to the needs of the Society. Membership dues shall be paid by January 1 in the year of the biennial general meeting. New members’ dues received, in the year after the biennial general meeting, shall have their dues credited as payment to the next renewal period. Emeritus members shall not be billed for membership.
Section 8 – Membership Status
Active or Member in Good Standing. Unless otherwise specified in the Bylaws, all members in good standing are considered to be Active and shall have the right to vote, hold office, serve on committees, and receive all member privileges. To be in good standing and Active, a member must pay his/her dues for the current year prior to the start of the Annual Scientific Meeting and have no other outstanding financial obligations to the Association.
Inactive. Active Members in all dues paying categories and classes who do not pay their dues by the conclusion of the Annual Scientific Meeting will have their status re-classified to Inactive. Inactive Members do not receive the official journal and are not eligible to vote, hold office, and serve on committees. Inactive members can reinstate their Active status by making a dues payment and becoming a paid-up member prior to the end of the fiscal year in which they became Inactive.
Discontinued. On January 1st, following the Biennial General Meeting all Inactive members who are in arrears will have their membership status changed indefinitely to Discontinued. Discontinued members will be listed in the Association's website Directory but have no other privileges of membership. Members in discontinued status for less than two years will have their standing, privileges and Active membership status reinstated upon receipt of a dues payment for the current fiscal year. Those in discontinued status for longer than two years will reapply as new members
Section 9 - Expulsions
Membership of any member of the Society may be terminated for just cause by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the eligible voting members at the General Meeting.
Article V. Meetings
Section 1 – Biennial meetings
The Society membership shall regularly meet at the Biennial International Conference, or at such other time and place as designated by the president. A meeting of officers and a Biennial General Meeting shall be held to conduct the business of the Society.
Section 2 – Other meetings
Special meetings of the membership may be called by the Executive or on written request of 20% of the membership.
Section 3 – Conduct of Business
Business of the Society shall be transacted at the Biennial General Meeting. Conduct of the meeting shall adhere to "Robert's Rules of Order" (revised) in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws or other rules adopted by the Society. Every resolution shall be determined by a majority of votes unless specifically provided by statute or these bylaws. The executive committee may carry out necessary official business by Online voting software. *(see footnote).
Section 4 – Notice of meetings
The President shall give written notice of Biennial General Meetings and Special Meetings of the membership as a whole by emailing to each member a notice stating the place, date and hour of the meeting and, in case of a Special Meeting, the purpose of which the meeting is being called, and give sufficient information to members about such purpose to allow them to form a reasoned judgment on any decision to be taken. Written notice *(see footnote) of Special Meetings and Biennial General Meetings shall be given not less than sixty days before the date of the meeting.
Section 5 – Quorum
A quorum for transaction of business shall be not less than 20% of Regular Members in good standing, delegates for Associate Members in good standing, Distinguished Members in good standing, Emeritus members and assigned proxies attending the Business Meeting.
Section 6 – Voting and Representation
Each Regular Member, each delegate who is appointed by an Associate Member, each Distinguished Member and each Emeritus Member who is present, shall be entitled to one vote on each issue at any duly convened Business Meeting of the Society or mail ballot* (see footnote). Regular Members, delegates of Associate Members, Distinguished Members and Emeritus Members who cannot be present at a Business Meeting may designate another Member in good standing to vote on his/her behalf with an assigned proxy. Proxies are to be in writing.
Article VI. OFFICERS
Section 1 – Executive Officers
The Executive Officers of the Society shall be the President, the Vice-president, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. All officers shall be elected by the membership in accordance with Article VII. The term of office for all officers shall be for two years. Any officer shall be eligible for re-election. The term of office shall conclude with the online election and at the end of the Biennial General Business Meeting.
Section 2 – President
The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society, shall preside at business meetings of the Society, shall be responsible for executing policies determined at the business meetings, shall act as spokesperson for the Society, be its legal representative and be an ex-officio member of all committees.
Section 3 – Vice-President
The Vice-president shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties and assume these duties in his/her absence. The Vice-president shall also chair the Membership Committee.
Section 4 –Immediate Past-President
When a new President is elected, the current President assumes the office of Past President at the close of the Annual Business Meeting. The Past President chairs serves on the Membership Committee, and is available to assume the duties of President if the President and the Vice-President are not available. A vacancy in the office of Past President shall be filled by a former Past President approved by a majority of the Council. After receiving a nomination from the President, other Officers and Councilors may nominate additional Past Presidents. The ballot will consist of all seconded nominations.
Section 5 – Secretary
The Secretary shall be responsible for the minutes of all business meetings of the society and answer all general correspondence directed to the Society.
Section 6 – Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for all moneys and valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the Society, and for full and accurate accounting of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the Society. The Treasurer is elected from Members residing in the country of legal registration of the Society. The Treasurer shall have signatory powers and shall disburse the funds of the Society as may be ordered by the Executive. He or she presents periodic reports on the financial status of the Association to the Council and a full report to the membership at the Annual Business Meeting. The full report presented to the Annual Business meeting should have the audit approval or endorsement of the council. The treasurer should also present a report when requested by the Executive.
Section 6. Resignations.
Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the President.
Section 7. Replacement of Officers.
In the event of death, incapacity or resignation of officers other than the president, the President will appoint a replacement to serve until an election is held.
Section 1.
The Council shall be the principal governing body of the Association. The Council shall consist of the Officers and eight Councilors.
Section 2. Quorum.
A quorum shall consist of one more than half the current number of voting Council members and must include at least two (2) Officers. Neither the presence nor absence of an ex officio non-voting member of the Council is counted when calculating a quorum.
Section 3. The term of office
Councilors may serve two (2) years and be reelected. The nomination and election process for Councilors is described in Article VIII.
Section 1. Time and Place.
Election of all officers and council shall take place biennially at the General Business Meeting, and shall be the last order of business at this meeting.
Section 2. Nominations.
The months prior to the Biennial General Meeting, the nominating committee shall mail *(see footnote) out to each member, a call for nominations, and call for venue of the next biennial meeting. Each member may nominate one person for each Executive Office and council and shall mail such nomination(s) back to the Nominating Committee to be received not later than three months prior to the biennial general meeting. The nominating member must have the affirmation of the nominee to be placed on the ballot. The Nominating Committee shall then prepare a slate of no more than three and no less than two names for each position according to the response of the members.
Section 3. Voting Process.
Voting shall be by secret ballot. A secured, electronic ballot shall be activated on the Society's website, along with instructions for electronic voting. All ballots must be electronically submitted to the website or received in the mail by the Chairman of the Nominating Committee on or before midnight Eastern Time (GMT minus five hours) on the day of the election to be counted. The chair of the nominating committee will be in charge of overseeing the process. The voting should take place not later than thirty (30) days prior to the biennial meeting. Each member is eligible to cast one vote for each office. A majority of the vote cast is required to declare a winner. In the event of a tie vote, the members attending the general biennial meeting and their proxy votes will determine the winner.
Section 4. Change of the Executive Committee.
The new executive and council shall take office at the conclusion of the General Meeting.
There shall be five permanent committees of the Society and the President as required may appoint other standing or ad hoc committees.
Section 1 – Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the Vice-president, the Immediate Past-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, Distinguish Members and eight councilors. They shall be responsible for the general running of the Society and ensure the various sub-committees perform their duties.
Section 2 – Membership Committee
The Membership Committee shall consist of the Vice-president (chairman), the Treasurer and each regional representative. Regional representatives shall be appointed by the Executive, and shall assist in the recruiting of members and the collection of dues in their own area of responsibility. The current regions with representatives are: U.S.A., Canada, Europe and Australia. This committee shall receive all applications for membership, remit dues to the treasurer and maintain a list of members.
Section 3 – Nominations Committee
This Committee shall consist of four members at large, appointed by the Executive. They shall be responsible for preparing nominations for the next biennial meeting, as described in Article VIII.
Section 4. Journal Editor
The Editor of the Society's journal shall be appointed by the President and shall be responsible for obtaining articles, selecting and editing copy, layout, printing and distribution of the journal. The editor shall also be the chairperson of the editorial board. A further function shall be the publication of a newsletter, to be distributed quarterly if possible, or as warranted. Members of the Society shall receive these publications without charge. Non-members may purchase the journal or the Newsletter for a price set by the executive committee.
Section 5. Editorial Board.
The President in consultation with the Journal Editor shall appoint the Editorial Board. It shall be the responsibility of the board to review all articles and papers submitted for publication. It shall be their responsibility to ensure that all submissions meet current standards for scientific journals.
Section 6. Conference Planning Committee.
This Committee should consist of 4 - 6 members at large appointed by the President to assist the host sponsor. The committee shall report on its progress to the executive committee.
The Bylaws of the Society not embodied in the Letters Patent may be repealed or modified by a bylaw enacted by a majority of members present at a General Business Meeting, provided that notice of motion of such change be sent to all members at least 60 days prior to the Meeting.
Article XI. DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution, the assets and property of the Society remaining after payment of expenses and the satisfaction of all liabilities shall be distributed as determined by the Executive Committee and as approved by a court of competent jurisdiction, to charitable organizations then qualified under Section 501 (c) (3) of the code. Any of the Societies assets not so distributed shall be disposed of for such purposes as approved by a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State having jurisdiction over the Society.
Article XII. SEAL
The Society shall have an official seal which shall contain the words: "International Society for Plastination" . The seal shall be in the custody of the Secretary of the Society.
Article XIII. APPROVAL OF ARTICLES
These articles became binding and effective when they were duly accepted by the eligible voting membership at the Fourth Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Plastination in Graz, Austria, July 28,1994. Amended and accepted by the eligible voting membership at the Tenth Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Plastination in St Etienne, France, July 4, 2000. Amended and accepted by the eligible voting membership at the Twelfth Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Plastination in Murcia, Spain, July 16, 2004. Amended and accepted by the eligible voting membership at the Seventeenth Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Plastination in St. Petersburg, Russia, July 18, 2014. Amended and accepted by the eligible voting membership at the twenty Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Plastination in Temuco, Chile, July 20th, 2022 (Online Meeting).
*Footnote: Members will be notified initially by email (or postal mail if they do not have email). A second notice will be sent to members by postal mail if they do not respond to the initial notice.