Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America

Generated by the Bylaws Committee, Supported by the Board and put before the membership

Article II
2.1   The signatories of the articles of incorporation of the Society for Anthropology of Lowland South America are initial members of the Society shall be William Balée, Loretta Ann Cormier, Jeffrey Ehrenreich, Stephanie Huelster, Kenneth Kensinger, Maria Moreno, and Donald Pollock.

2.2   Any person having an interest in the anthropology of lowland South America shall be eligible to be a member of the Society.

2.3   There shall be three classes of members: regular members, lifetime members, and institutions.

2.4   Regular members shall be those who have paid dues according to these bylaws.  A member in good standing shall have all the rights of membership.

2.5   Lifetime members shall be those who have paid a lifetime membership fee according to these bylaws.  Lifetime members shall have all the rights of membership and shall be exempt from paying annual dues.

2.6   Institutions shall be members upon payment of institutional dues according to these bylaws.  Institutions shall be non-voting, but shall receive all such publications of the Society as the Board of Directors may authorize.

2.7.1   The Board of Directors shall set the dues of all membership classes and may establish different rates for special categories within classes.

2.7.2   The Board of Directors shall be empowered to make arrangements for special membership and subscription rates with other professional societies and associations. 

2.8   Dues for regular and institutional members shall be payable on the date set by the secretary/treasurer as stated in Section 5.6 of these bylaws.  Any member shall be considered in good standing when that member’s dues are paid on time.  Dues shall be delinquent forty-five days after they are due.  If dues are not paid within forty-five days after the due date, membership privileges may be suspended by the secretary/treasurer, with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.

2.9.1   A regular or lifetime member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote at meetings and in elections, referenda, or other such consultations of the Society’s membership as shall occur.  Votes by proxy shall not be valid.

2.9.2   The Board of Directors shall determine rights and privileges of members in good standing that are not defined in section 2.9.2. 

Article III, section 3.1

Past Presidents The two immediate past presidents, the Editor of the Journal,  and the current organizer of the Society conference, shall be non-voting, ex officio members of the Board of Directors.

Article V, section 5.1
There shall be one other officer, the editor of the Amazoniana  Journal of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America, who shall be appointed by the president in consultation with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.

Article V, section 5.4

He/she The president shall present at each sesquiannual meeting of directors a report of the condition of the Society.  The president shall be a non-voting, ex officio member of all committees, and shall have the general powers and duties of management usually vested in the office of chief executive officer of a not-for-profit corporation and shall have such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or by these bylaws.  The president shall be responsible for coordinating organizational activities, including the sesquiannual meeting, and for making decisions regarding other organizational business in consultation with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.  A consensus majority vote of the Board of Directors as a group will decide final recommendations in all such instances.  The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, give the president authority to make specific decisions without seeking the advice and consent of the Board of Directors.

Article V, section 5.6
The secretary/treasurer shall be responsible for receiving dues, managing the society’s funds, and disbursing same.  This person shall be authorized to sign checks for the organization.  The secretary/treasurer shall have the authority, subject to the advice and consent of the Board of Directors, to set the dates at which dues shall be due.

Article V, section 5.7
The editor of the journal Journal, Amazoniana: of the Society for the Anthropology of Lowland South America shall oversee running the journal as well as the appointment of members of its editorial board.

Article IX
9.1  These bylaws may be amended in whole or in part by a vote of three-fifths (3/5) of the members by such means of balloting as shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

9.2  Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by ten (10) members in good standing. 

9.3  The Board of Directors shall publish any proposed amendment on the Society website at least forty-five days before the deadline for receipt of ballots on the amendments.  In cases of mail balloting, the Board of Directors shall circulate any proposed amendment with the ballots, allowing not less than thirty days for the return of ballots.  In cases of electronic balloting, the Board of Directors shall inform members of the vote by electronic mail, and shall circulate any proposed amendment with the electronic mail that informs members of the vote, allowing not less than thirty days for members to vote electronically. 

9.4  Approved amendments shall be effective upon the date specified in the amendments or thirty days after the deadline for balloting.