CONSTITUTION

Article I
Name
This organization shall be known as Research Triangle Branch – American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, herein referred to as the Research Triangle Branch (RTB). The RTB is affiliated with the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, herein referred to as AALAS. Affiliation with AALAS entitles the RTB to use the name AALAS in the Branch name.

Article II
Incorporation
Section 1. The RTB shall be incorporated under the laws of the State of North Carolina as a nonprofit educational organization.

Section 2. The term for which the RTB is organized shall be perpetual; however, in the event of dissolution of the corporation, its property shall revert to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, a nonprofit educational association incorporated in the State of Illinois, to be used for educational purposes.

Article III
Mission
Section 1. AALAS is a national, nonprofit educational association, 501(c)(3), dedicated to advancing and disseminating knowledge about the responsible care and use of laboratory animals for the benefit of human and animal health.
Section 2. The RTB is dedicated to carrying-out the mission and philosophy of AALAS on a local level.
Section 3. The RTB reserves all rights and privileges granted by AALAS to its Branches.
Section 4. Guidance is through the Executive Director of AALAS.

Article IV
Officers
The officers of the RTB shall be a President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and such other officers as the Bylaws may from time to time specify.

Article V
Executive Council
The Executive Council shall be the policy making and legislative body of the RTB.

Article VI
Amendments
The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds affirmative vote by the entire membership; this shall be two-thirds of those voting.

 

BY-LAWS

Article I
Branch Objectives
The Branch will carry out the mission and philosophy of AALAS at the local level by:

Section 1. Promoting fellowship and cooperation among persons interested in the mission and philosophy of AALAS.

Section 2. Cooperating with AALAS and with other Branches for the exchange of information and coordinating efforts in the field of laboratory animal care.

Section 3. Sponsoring and promoting education and training programs for its members and others who are engaged in the care and use of laboratory animals.

Section 4. Disseminating information to members, other Branches, AALAS, and others as necessary.

Article II
Membership
Section 1. The membership of the Branch shall consist of Individual Members, Institutional Members, and Commercial Members

Section 2. Applications for membership shall be made through an official website maintained by the Branch.

Section 3. Individual Member. An Individual Member shall enjoy all of the rights and privileges of the Branch, including participation in meetings, voting, and holding office as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 4. Institutional Members. An Institutional Member shall be entitled to have any number of employees under their institutional membership provided that membership dues are paid for each employee. Members that are part of an institutional membership shall enjoy all of the rights and privileges of the Branch, including participation in meetings, voting, and holding office as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 5. Commercial Member. A Commercial Member shall be entitled to name up to 2 employees as Members. Members that are part of a commercial membership shall enjoy all of the rights and privileges of the Branch, including participation in meetings, voting, and holding office as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 6. A member may be expelled for actions considered contrary to the objectives of the Branch. Charges of adverse actions must be submitted in writing. A member so charged shall be entitled to a due process hearing before the Executive Council. If a majority of the Executive Council agree that the charges are supported by the evidence presented, their decision will be final.

Article III
Officers
Section 1. Term of office. The President and President Elect shall be elected for a period of one year. The Secretary shall be elected on odd years and Treasurer shall be elected on even years, both for a period of two years. The Immediate Past President shall serve for one year. Only the Secretary and Treasurer may be re-elected. Other officers may be elected to the same office after a period of not less than one year. All elections shall be by electronic ballot.

Section 2. The term of office shall begin at the close of the first annual meeting after the election and shall end at the close of the first annual meeting of the following year. On the completion of their respective predecessor’s one-year term of office, the President Elect shall become President, and the President shall become the Immediate Past President.

Section 3. If an officer, including the President, is unable to perform the duties of his/her office or submits a written resignation to the President, a member in good standing shall be selected to serve the unexpired term by a majority vote of the Executive Council if the unexpired term is less than one year. If the unexpired term exceeds one year, the nominating committee will seek nominees and send an electronic ballot to the entire membership.

Section 4. Nomination to office. Only members in good standing may be nominated as officers. The nominating committee shall recommend members as candidates for the office of President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 5. The President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected by the entire membership.

Section 6. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Branch and the Executive Council. The President Elect and the Immediate Past President shall be members of the Executive Council and shall assist the President. The President may designate an Executive Council member to preside over the meeting in his or her place.

Section 7. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the meetings of the Branch and the Executive Council. He/she shall have charge of all records other than financial, and shall work with the membership chair to maintain a current list of branch members

Section 8. The Treasurer shall coordinate receipt of membership dues and assessments and all other monies of the Branch. He/she shall pay all obligations of the Branch authorized by the Executive Council, shall present to the Executive Council at each meeting a statement of the current income and expenses, and annually shall submit a complete financial report to the Executive Council showing income and expenses for the calendar year.

Article IV
Executive Council
Section 1. The Executive Council shall consist of the President, President Elect, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairpersons of the standing committees.

Section 2. All members of the Executive Council shall be members in good standing.

Section 3. All individuals on the Executive Council shall be entitled to one vote, regardless of number of positions held within the Executive Council.

Section 4. The President shall convene the Executive Council at least once a year and as often thereafter as the business of the Branch may require. Additional meetings may be called by the President, but only with the concurrence of a majority of the Executive Council. Additional meetings may also be called by the Executive Council itself, but only if approved by a 3/4 majority. A quorum shall be a majority of the Executive Council.

Section 5. Notice of all meetings of the Executive Council shall be provided to all Executive Council members at least two weeks prior to the stated time of the meeting.

Article V
Committees
Section 1. The RTB shall have such committees as may be specified from time to time by the Executive Council. All members of committees shall be members in good standing.

Section 2. The President, with the advice and consent of the elected officers including the Immediate Past President, shall annually appoint the chairpersons of all committees. Any committee member, including the chairperson, may be removed by the President, with the advice and consent of the elected officers including the Immediate Past President, when the President considers removal to be in the best interest of the RTB.

Section 3. There shall be the following standing committees. The Chairpersons of these standing Committees shall be part of the Executive Council.

Education – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall consist of the establishment and supervision of all aspects of any training program offered by the Branch.

Local Arrangements – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall consist of procurement of provisions for Branch functions.

Membership – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall be to coordinate the membership drive for the Branch and to review the application of membership for all persons desiring to join the Branch

Nominations – The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The nominating committee shall receive nominations from the membership and recommend members as candidates for the office of President Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer. The chair of this committee will maintain an election website, ensure that all current members are given the opportunity to vote, and communicate results of the election with nominees and the Executive Council.

Programs – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. It shall be the responsibility of the committee, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, to organize Branch meetings, programs, and training opportunities offered by the Branch.

Newsletter – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of the committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall be to publish a quarterly newsletter.

Programs – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall be to maintain the Branch website and listserv.

Technician Branch Representative (TBR) – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The TBR and Assistant TBRs disseminate information from the RTB and the National AALAS to branch members. TBRs and Assistant TBRs must be National AALAS members.

Awards – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The duties of the committee shall be to coordinate Branch awards nominations.

Vendor Representative – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The chairperson of this committee is entitled to one vote on the Executive Council. The duties of the committee shall be to ensure vendor members are represented with the RTB.

Section 4. There shall be the following ad hoc committees. The Chairpersons of these standing Committees attend the Executive Council meetings as needed. The President shall have authority to appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary.

Fund Raising – The committee chairperson will appoint members of this committee. The duties of the committee shall be to help raise money for the RTB for general and special purposes.

Legislative – The committee chairman will appoint members of this committee. The duties of the committee shall align with national AALAS initiatives to maintain an awareness of any legislation affecting the laboratory animal field and to prepare statements expressing the sentiments of the Branch in respect to such legislation with approval of the Executive Council.

Audit – The President will appoint members of this committee. The duties of the committee shall be to review the finances of the Branch as needed, at least once every three years.

Article VI
Finances
Section 1. All remittances shall be deposited by the Treasurer into an account in the name of the Branch. The Treasurer, President, and Immediate Past President will be authorized signatories on this account.
Section 2. The books of the Branch shall be audited as needed, but at least once every three years, by an audit committee to be appointed from the Executive Council by the President.
Section 3. The audit report shall be presented for approval by the Executive Council at the next EC meeting following its completion, and available to the membership at a meeting scheduled during the current year.

Article VII
Dues
Section 1. Members, including Institutional Members and Commercial Members, shall pay dues, fees and assessments as established by Executive Council.

Section 2. Any member whose dues are unpaid by March 31 of each year shall not be entitled to vote, hold office, be a member of a committee or enjoy other privileges or powers of membership. Any member who fails to pay his/her annual dues for three months shall be automatically dropped from the roll of members in good standing.

Section 3. Membership shall be reinstated upon payment of dues for the current year.

Article VIII
Procedures
Procedures and other items not specified by the Constitution and Bylaws or by action of the Executive Council shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article IX
Amendments
The Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds affirmative vote by the Executive Council; this shall be two-thirds of those voting.

Article X
Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings shall be called a minimum of four (4) meetings per calendar year.

Section 2. Special meetings – to be called by the Executive Council with due notice to members.

Article XI
Voting
Section 1. The election of officers shall be conducted by electronic ballot.

Section 2. The Nominations Committee shall receive and tally all votes cast via electronic ballot.

Section 3. The candidate for each office who receives the greatest number of votes shall be declared elected.