Home

      TSC BY-LAWS

Adopted April 8, 1972; Revised 1980, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1993

Article 1:         Membership
Section 1.      Active Members

Active Members shall be (1) Board Certified Pathologists or (2) individuals
certified CT(ASCP) by the Registry of Medical Technologists of the American
Society of Clinical Pathologists or (3) persons eligible for such certification.
Active Members will pay full annual dues of this Society.
Active Members must reside or be employed within the State of Texas.
Active Members will have all the rights and privileges of this Society.

Section 2: Associate Members

Associate Members shall be (1) medical doctors and paramedical personnel not
qualified to be active members but who show an active interest in the Society
and the field of Cytology or (2) persons otherwise qualified to be Active
Members who reside and are employed outside the State of Texas.
Associate Members will pay full annual dues of this Society.
Associate Members shall have all the rights and privileges of membership
except that of holding elective office.

Section 3: Affiliate Members

Affiliate Members shall be other laboratory personnel employed in Cytology.
Affiliate Members shall pay one-half the annual dues and will be entitled to
vote, but will not be eligible to hold elective office.

Section 4: Honorary Members

Any person who demonstrates an active interest in Cytology and who has
performed long and/or exceptional service to the Society may be recommended
for honorary membership in the Society.
Honorary Members shall be nominated by an active member at the Annual
Meeting and be elected by a two-thirds majority of the members present and
voting.
Honorary Members may enjoy all the privileges of membership but shall be
exempt from the payment of dues, will not be eligible to hold elective office,
and will not be entitled to vote.

Section 5. Junior Members

Junior Members shall be students currently enrolled in an approved school of
Cytotechnology.
Junior Members shall be exempt from payment of dues, will not be eligible to
hold elective office and will not be entitled to vote.

Section 6. Application for Membership

Membership applications will be submitted to the Secretary who will determine
eligibility based on information provided by the applicant.
If necessary, membership category or eligibility may be determined by the
Executive Committee.
The first year dues will accompany the application.
The applicant will indicate the Region of the Society in which he resides and/or
is employed.

Section 7. Removal from Membership

Members whose dues remain unpaid on September 1 will be removed from the
rolls of the Society. Such members may reinstate membership by payment of
such delinquent dues if accepted by the Executive Committee.
Membership will be revoked if it is determined by the Executive Committee that
false information was provided on the membership application.

Article II: Officers and Duties
The term of office for elected officers shall begin January 1 and end December 31.
Section 1: The President

The President shall be the chief executive of this Society and shall preside at all
meetings of the Society and The Executive Committee.
The President shall appoint such standing committees and chairpersons as are
provided in the By-Laws and shall also appoint, with the approval of the
Executive committee, such special committees or additional standing
committees as are deemed necessary.
If any elected office becomes vacant, the President shall appoint an eligible
member to serve the remainder of that term, subject to the approval of a
majority of the Executive Committee who respond within 15 days of written
notification of the appointment.

Section 2: Vice-President (President-elect)

In the absence of the President, the Vice-president shall preside. If the
President is unable to perform his duties for more than 30 days due to
extended absence, incapacitating illness or other reasons approved by the
Executive Committee, the Vice-president may assume all the powers and
responsibilities of the Presidency until the President is able to resume his duties.
The Vice-president shall be designated President-elect. In case of the death of
the President, the Vice-president shall immediately become President.
The Vice-president shall serve as Chairperson of the Steering Committee and
shall be responsible for preparation of the written ballot.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary shall be the custodian of the minute book, documents and papers
of the Society and shall keep minutes of the meetings of the Society, The
Executive Committee and the Steering Committee.
The Secretary shall keep in permanent form all the transactions of the Society
and shall conduct the correspondence of the Society and shall perform all other
duties usually pertaining to the office. The records shall always be open for
inspection by the Executive Committee.
The Secretary shall maintain the membership records of the Society in
permanent form, will provide a current list to all officers, and will provide a list
of members in each Region to the Regional Representative.

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall collect, receive and be accountable for all funds that accrue
to the Society from dues, contributions or otherwise, and shall disburse from
the treasury such funds as may be necessary to meet the appropriations and
proper expense of the Society at the direction of the President.
The Treasurer shall send dues reminders to all members no later than February
1.
The Treasurer shall provide a written report of income and expenditures at the
Annual Meeting and otherwise if requested by the President or the Executive
Committee.
The Treasurer shall submit the treasury records for examination by the
incoming Executive Committee or an individual they designate before the close
of the fiscal year. An audit at the expense of the Society may be requested by
the Executive Committee if deemed necessary.
The Treasurer, upon departure from office, shall submit all records, funds, and
up to date financial statements of the previous years business to the new
Treasurer within one month of conclusion of duties but not later than the first
day of office of the new Treasurer. It is the responsibilty of the previous
Treasurer to submit appropriate Internal Revenue Service documents, when
required under existing IRS regulations and subsequent updates. Copies of the
IRS documents will also be sent to the new Treasurer.

Article III:        Elections

Section 1.      Time of Election
Officers of the Society shall be elected at the Annual Meeting and begin their term of
office January 1. If unusual circumstances prevent election at the Annual Meeting the
Vice-President may conduct the election by mail.

Section 2.      Nominations
Nominations shall come from the Steering Committee.

Section 3.       Election Procedures

Written ballots shall be mailed to all voting members of the Society no less than
30 days before the election is to take place.
Ballots may be returned to the Vice-president by mail or in person prior to the
time specified.
A majority vote shall constitute election. In the event of a tie, voting members
present will be asked to submit a second ballot or, if election is by mail, the
Steering Committee will submit a second ballot. A majority vote on that ballot
shall then constitute election.
Ballots will be counted by the Vice-president and two active members
designated by the President.
Appropriate measures will be taken to insure a secret ballot, non-duplication of
ballots, and an accurate recount if necessary.

Article IV:        Meetings

Section 1.      Annual Meeting
The President shall determine the date of the Annual Meeting of the Society. The
time and place shall be announced by the President no later than six (6) months prior
to the meeting.

Section 2.       Interim Meetings

Interim meetings held for educational programs may be cosponsored by
appropriate educational institutions or other professional societies as
determined by the President of the Society.
A program Chairperson may be authorized by the Executive Committee to
represent the TSC in the planning of a joint meeting with another provessional
society.
Funding may be requested as provided in Article VII.

Section 3. Registration Fees

All non-members and members whose current dues are unpaid 15 days prior to
a meeting may be charged an appropriate registration fee determined by the
Executive Committee.
Additional fees for workshops or other activities shall be determined by the
Executive Committee.
Members who have paid their current dues not less than 15 days prior to a
meeting shall be entitled to substantially reduced fees or free admission when
possible, as determined by the Executive Committee.
All cytotechnology students shall be admitted free.

Section 4.       Quorum
A quorum of the Society shall be the members eligible to vote who are present at the
business section of a meeting of the Society.

Section 5.       Regional Meetings
Regional meetings may be held at such times and places as announced by the
Regional Representative for that Region. All members within the Region and all
officers shall be informed no later than 15 days prior to the meeting.

Article V:        Committees

Section 1.      Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer, immediate past President of the Society, Newsletter Editor
and Constitution and By-Laws Chairperson.
The President shall be ex-officio Chairperson of the Executive Committee. The
Secretary shall be ex-officio Secretary of the Executive Committee. The Vice-
president shall be ex-officio Vice-Chairman of the Executive Committee.
The general management of the Society shall be vested in the Executive
Committee. It shall regularly perform the ordinary duties of a board of
directors. Meetings shall be held at least once yearly, when called by the
President of the Society.
The Executive Committee may veto committee appointments made by the
President. The Executive Committee may also appoint additional members to
committees.

Section 2. Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall consist of the Executive Committee and the
Regional Representatives. The Vice-President shall chair the Steering Committee.
Long-term goals and general policies shall be formulated by the Steering
Committee.
Nominating Functions:

Regional Representatives shall solicit from eligible members of the Society
names and qualifications of candidates for such offices and positions to be
filled by vote of the members of the Society.
Any member may submit his/her own name for consideration by the
Steering Committee.
Only names of members who have consented to serve if elected shall be
placed on the ballot.
The Steering Committee shall make at least one nomination for each
office. More than one shall be made if possible.
The Vice-president shall prepare a written ballot accompanied by brief
biographical information about the candidates.

Membership functions:

Within their respective regions, the representatives will solicit new
members for the Society, assist the Secretary in locating members who
have moved and, if requested by the Treasurer, contact members whose
dues are delinquent to inform them of possible loss of membership.
The Steering Committee will assist the Secretary in maintaining a list of
potential members and appropriate institutions for occasional mail-out of
special programs or membership invitations.

E. Meetings shall be held at least once yearly at a time designated by the President of
the Society.

Section 3. Meeting Committee

With the approval of the Executive Committee, the President shall appoint a
Program Chairperson for each of the three major metropolitan areas: Houston-
Gal veston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and San Antonio-Austin.
Each Program Chairperson will appoint a committee to assist in preparing the
education programs sponsored by the TSC in his respective area. The
committee shall include the Regional Representatives for the area and any
officer elected regionally when such an organization exists.
Each Program Chairperson will appoint a committee to assist in preparing the
education programs sponsored by the TSC in his respective area.
The Program Chairpersons will cooperate with the President and the Executive
Committee in preparing educational programs at times generally designated at
least three years in advance. Within each three-year period at least one meeting
will be scheduled for each area. Exact dates will be determined by the Program
Chairperson with the approval of the President and will be announced as
provided in Article IV.
No extraordinary financial obligation may be undertaken on behalf of the TSC
by a Program Chairperson without the consent of the Executive Committee.
Meetings shall be held at least once yearly at a time designated by the
President of the Society.

Section 4. Constitution and By-laws Committee

The Chairperson and members of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee
shall be appointed by the President and the Executive Committee.
Proposed amendments to the Constitution or the By-Laws shall be submitted to
the Chairperson. These shall be rewritten if required to conform and be
consistent with existing provisions without altering the intent of the amendment.
After approval of the committee, proposed amendments will be submitted to
the Secretary who will prepare copies to be sent to members. This mailing may
be included as an integral part of a regular Society newsletter and may include
information concerning reasons for the proposed change.
The Chairperson of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee shall provide all
officers with a current copy of the Constitution and By-Laws and shall act as an
advisor to the Executive Committee when required concerning provisions of the
Constitution and By-Laws.

Article VI:        Finances

Section 1.      Funding
Funds shall be raised by annual dues, voluntary contributions, registration fees,
revenues from audio-visual sets, and other funds that the Treasurer and other
members may obtain for the Society.

Section 2.       Dues

The dues for Active and Associate Members shall be twenty dollars ($20) per
fiscal year.
Dues shall be payable to the Treasurer beginning January 1, and must be paid
by September 1 to be eligible to vote in that year's election.

Section 3. Expenditures

Bills for authorized expenditures should be submitted to the Treasurer promptly-
and should be accompanied by a complete explanation of the date and purpose
of the expense.
On presentation of receipts or other appropriate documentation of expenses, all
officers or committee chairpersons will be reimbursed for authorized purchases
of supplies and services necessary to fulfill their duties.
The President shall approve all expenditures resulting from the publication of
Society newsletters and programs. A preauthorized amount may be granted to
the Newsletter Editor based on an average of the expenses the three previous
years. Expenditures must be documented. Undocumented expenses will not be
reimbursed. Excess funds will be returned to the Treasurer at the end of each
year.
If funds are available the President may authorize payment of reasonable travel
expenses for officers and principal program participants who must travel more
than 50 miles to attend a Society meeting.
All expenditures for social events held in conjunction with Society meetings
must be authorized in advance by the Executive Committee. Approved events
must appear on the advance program of the meeting.
Capital expenditures and expenses not otherwise authorized in the Constitution
and By-Laws shall be considered extraordinary expenditures which require
approval at an Annual Meeting or by the Executive Committee.
When an anticipated authorized expense exceeds $25.00, the President may
authorize a reasonable advance payment to the appropriate officer for that
expense. All such expenditures shall be documented as provided in Section 3
(a) and all unused funds returned to the Treasurer within sixty (60) days or
before the end of the fiscal year in which the advance occured.

Section 4.       Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the Society shall be from January 1 to December 31.

Article VII:         Regional Representatives

Section 1.      Term of Office

The term of office of Regional Representatives shall begin on January 1 or
when appointed by the President.
The term of office of Regional Representatives shall end December 31 unless
reelected or reappointed.

Section 2. Duties
The duties of the Regional Representatives shall be:

to solicit new members to the Society.
to solicit nominations.
to act as public liaison in their respective regions.
to act as an advisory body to the Executive Committee and serve as members
of the Steering Committee.
to act as reporters for the TSC newsletter from their regions.

ArticleVIII:        Publications

Section 1.      Name
The official publication of the Texas Society of Cytology shall be designated: Inside
the Cell.

Section 2.       Distribution
The official publication shall be made available to all members and to such others as
deemed necessary.

Section 3.       Editor
The editor shall be appointed by the President from the active membership with a
preferential selection to be made of those members consenting or volunteering to
serve.

Article XI:   Parliment Procedures

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised shall govern this Society in all
cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the
Constitution and By-Laws.

Article X:   Amendments

Section 1.      Proposal
A proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the
Constitution and By-Laws Committee with a copy to the President.

Section 2.       Notification
After committee action is complete, all members eligible to vote shall be notified of
the proposed amendment by mail no later than 30 days prior to the voting deadline.
A written ballot will be included.

Section 3.       Reading
The proposed amendment must be read at the Annual Meeting by the Chairperson of
the By-Laws Committee. Voting may take place at the meeting or by mail at a time
designated by the President.

Section 4.      Approval
The proposed amendment must be approved by two-thirds of the total members
voting.
The Secretary, upon departure from office, shall submit all records and up to date
minutes of the previous years business to the new Secretary within one month of
conclusion of duties but not later than the first day of office of the new Secretary.

The Texas Society of Cytology