To be submitted to LVC Board and Membership Spring 2006                                                             

 

THE LEHIGH VALLEY CHAPTER

OF

THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL LABORATORY

SCIENCE  AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR CLINICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE - PENNSYLVANIA

 

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

 

                  

 

CONSTITUTION

 

ARTICLE I, NAME AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA

 

The name of this organization shall be "The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Society for Clinical Laboratory Science" American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science – Pennsylvania (hereinafter referred to as the Society), affiliated with the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.  The geographic area of this Society shall include Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Schuylkill counties.

 

Article II, PURPOSE

 

The purpose of this Society shall be:

 

     EDUCATION:

     A.  To promote improvement of the technical and professional standards of all personnel concerned with the clinical laboratory and associated technologies;

 

     IMAGE:

     B.  To provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of ideas concerning the betterment of service to, and understanding between, the members of the Society and the consumers, physicians and all other health care personnel. 

 

     SERVICE:

     C.  To provide a means to share technical information and solve technical problems through networking with other clinical laboratory scientists.

                                                                                               

     RECRUITMENT

     D.  To increase public awareness of clinical laboratory practice as a viable profession; to recruit students to the profession and support participation in professional activities.

 

     STUDENTS

     E.  To involve and support students in clinical laboratory science activities at local and state levels.

   

 

ARTICLE III, MEMBERSHIP

 

Membership in this Society shall be offered to all qualified persons living and/or working within the geographic boundaries listed in Article I, subject to the conditions as set forth in the accompanying Bylaws of this Society.  

 

ARTICLE IV, OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, STANDING

COMMITTEES

 

     A.  The Officers of this Society shall consist of the President, President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer.

 

     B.  There shall be an Executive Board of Directors consisting of the Officers, the immediate Past President, the Nominations and Elections Representative to PSCLS and the heads of the Standing Committees.  All general policies and activities of this Society are subject to the approval of the Executive Board.

 

     C.  There shall be Standing Committees as described in the Bylaws.

    

ARTICLE V, MEETINGS

 

      A.  There shall be regular meetings of the Executive Board of Directors as described

in the Bylaws.

 

     B.  In order to be considered an active Chapter according to PSCLSASCLS-PA, there shall be a minimum of three (3) educational programs of interest to clinical laboratory personnel presented each year. This requirement is waived in the year in which the Chapter hosts the PSCLS ASCLS-PA Annual Meeting.

 

  

ARTICLE VI, PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

 

The order of business for all regular and special meetings shall follow a standard order of business such as described in Robert's Rules of Order (the latest edition) or similar authority.

 

ARTICLE VII, AMENDMENTS

 

     A.  This Constitution and its Bylaws may be amended by 2/3 affirmative vote of the membership present at the time of voting.

 

     B.  Proposals for amendment shall be submitted in writing to the President, Secretary, and Chairperson of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee and must have the signatures of at least three (3) active members of the Society.  Proposals are submitted to the Board for approval.  Following Board approval, the proposed amendments shall be sent to the PSCLS ASCLS-PA Bylaws Committee for state approval.

 

     C.  Proposals shall be announced to the membership at the first meeting following state approval, published at least 30 days prior to the final vote, and will be acted upon at the next

regular business meeting.

     

ARTICLE VIII, QUORUM

 

     A.  A quorum for any regular business meeting of the Society shall consist of at least two (2) officers and those members present.

 

     B.  A quorum for a meeting of the Executive Board of Directors shall consist of at least 2 of the membership of the filled Board positions.

 

     C.  A quorum for a meeting when a proposal for amendment is to be considered shall consist of at least 1/4 of the total voting membership.  The membership chairperson shall count the number of voting members as of 30 days prior to the meeting date where a proposal for amendment is to be considered.  The quorum shall then be determined using this number.

 

     D.  A quorum for election of officers shall be 1/4 of the total voting membership.  The membership chairperson shall count the number of voting members prior to the election of officers.  The quorum shall then be determined using this number.

 

     E.  The Board of Directors may authorize voting by mail, FAX, electronic bulletin board or other means as current communication technology allows.  Recognizing conference calls as "meetings" will necessitate following the same requirements for quorum as other meetings.

 

 

 

                             BYLAWS

 

ARTICLE I, MEMBERSHIP

 

     A.  The members of this Society shall consist of these classes:  Professional, Collaborative, Emeritus, Student and Honorary.

 

     B.  The qualifications for each such class of membership shall be:

          1.  The Professional member may be anyone who has become a Professional

member of ASCLS and PSCLS ASCLS-PA.

          

           2.  The Collaborative member may be anyone who has become a Collaborative member of ASCLS and PSCLS ASCLS-PA.

        

          3.  The Emeritus member may be anyone who has become an Emeritus member of ASCLS and PSCLS ASCLS-PA.

        

          4.  A Student member may be anyone who has become a Student member of ASCLS and PSCLS ASCLS-PA.

        

          5.  An Honorary member may be anyone who has become an Honorary member of ASCLS.

       

 

     C.  Professional and Emeritus members are entitled to vote, hold office, and serve on the Executive Board of Directors.   Student members are entitled to vote.  All other rights, benefits and privileges of this Society shall be extended to all members.

 

 

     D.  Non-members of ASCLS are encouraged to participate in Chapter activities and to be put on the Chapter mailing list.  They are required to pay a yearly program fee determined by the Board of Directors to cover these expenses. ASCLS members are also encouraged to pay this yearly program fee to cover mailing expenses. 

 

     E.  The retention, suspension, expulsion or reinstatement of a member of the Society is by action of the Executive Board of Directors of this Society, and in the manner prescribed by the

Bylaws and Society Regulations of PSCLS ASCLS-PA and ASCLS.

 

 

ARTICLE II, NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

 

     A.  Only Professional or Emeritus members shall be eligible for nomination to an elective office, provided they have been members of ASCLS for at least one year and are in good standing in the Society.

 

     B.  A full slate of nominees to all elective offices shall be announced to the membership by mail ballot.    Nominations will be accepted from the floor by write in, provided the nominees have accepted the nomination and that their qualifications are available to the membership.  Each

Professional, Emeritus and student member shall receive by mail a ballot which shall then be returned to the Nominations & Elections Committee Chair.

      

     C.    The nominee receiving the majority of affirmative votes shall be elected.  In order for the election to be valid, a quorum of ballots must have been returned.                                

 

      D.  The President and President-elect shall each serve a one year term.  The Secretary and Treasurer shall each serve a two year term and may succeed themselves for only one consecutive additional elected term.  The Officers shall be installed at the Annual Spring dinner or at the first meeting of the fiscal year and shall assume their duties at the start of the fiscal year.

 

    E.  In the event of a vacancy in any office, the President may appoint someone to fill the office for the remainder of the fiscal year. 

 

    F.  A Chapter Representative to the State Nominations and Elections Committee shall be elected with the Society Officers for a one year term.  Nominees for this position must be Professional or Emeritus members of this Society.  Nominees for this position cannot be an elected member of the Leadership of PSCLS ASCLS-PA.

 

ARTICLE  III, DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

     A.  The Officers and the Executive Board of Directors shall conduct the general Society business in accordance with the stated purposes of the Society and within the provisions of the

Constitution and Bylaws.

 

     B.  The President shall direct and be responsible for the activities of the Society, preside at regular and special meetings, make committee appointments, be an ex-officio member of all

committees except the Nominations and Elections Committee, and are official spokesperson for the Society.  The President shall submit written reports to the PSCLS President as required by PSCLS and attend at least one meeting of the PSCLS ASCLS-PA Board of Directors or send an alternate. 

The President may also sign checks for disbursement of funds in the absence of the Treasurer.

 

     C.  The President-elect shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of, or the disability of, the President and shall act as the Program/Continuing Education Chairperson.

 

     D.  The Secretary shall be the custodian of all minutes and records of the activities of the Society and shall conduct correspondence.

 

      E.  The Treasurer shall be custodian of all Society funds, deposit said funds in a bank in a timely manner, make disbursements, sign checks for disbursements, act as the Chairperson of the Finance Committee, make a full report of all income and expenditures at regular and annual meetings, deliver all funds and records to the successor, and have the accounts audited every two years or at the end of the term of office by an auditing committee appointed by the President from the Professional or Emeritus membership.

 

 

ARTICLE IV, COMMITTEES - DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS

 

     A.  The president shall appoint the chairpersons of all committees.  The chair of each committee shall appoint their committee members with the approval of the President.

 

     B.  The Program/Continuing Education Committee shall prepare and present at least three (3) programs each year in any form judged appropriate to the profession.  This requirement will be waived in the year during which the Chapter hosts the Spring Meeting.

 

     C.  The Membership Committee shall receive and act upon all applications for program participation, collect program participation fees and submit them to the treasurer, maintain membership and program participation lists, and promote interest in Society activities.

 

     D.  The Finance Committee shall safeguard the funds of the Society and makes recommendations to the Board in regard to the handling of Society finances.   The Committee is responsible for the organized transfer of all funds into the care of the next year=s Finance

Committee and ensures that the Society=s finances are audited as directed in Article III E of the By Laws.

 

     E.  The Committee on Constitution and Bylaws shall be initially responsible for the preparation of these documents and shall submit said documents for approval as required in Article VII of the Constitution. Thereafter, the Committee shall act as advisor in questions concerning amendments or interpretation of the documents and make their advice and recommendations known to the Society and its Officers.  Duties shall include monitoring PSCLS ASCLS-PA Bylaws and making sure chapter is conforming to these documents.

 

     F.  The Publicity Committee shall promote public understanding of the profession of clinical laboratory science in the community, shall publicize all activities of the Society, both to the members and the general public, shall aim to stimulate interest in our Society by other groups connected with the medical or technical fields and shall publish the Chapter newsletter.

 

     G.  The Scholarship and Awards Committee shall inform the membership of available scholarships, awards and funds for continuing education, shall receive and review all applications for awards given by the Society, and shall act as the judges at any Science Fairs, etc., in which the Society is invited to participate.  

 

     H.  The Chapter Nominations and Elections Committee shall prepare a full slate of nominees to all elective offices of the Society and shall present these nominations to the members.

 

     I.  The Committee for Professional, Personnel, and Public Relations shall coordinate all programs and activities sponsored by the Society to promote the profession of Clinical Laboratory

Science during the National Medical Laboratory Week.  Other areas of activity shall include public image, membership services, communications media, and personnel development.  

 

      J.  The Archivist will compile and maintain a running history of the society by keeping an organized file of records, clippings, etc., pertaining to the Society.

 

     K.  The Chapter Student Forum Representative shall act as liaison between the students within the Society's (Lehigh Valley Chapter) area and the PSCLS ASCLS-PA Student Forum.  He/she will be available to coordinate activities for the students, such as job fairs and educational programs.  He/she will, if possible, attend any state student forum functions, including the PSCLS ASCLS-PA Board of Directors, when required.  He/she shall speak for the Chapter students while in office and shall serve as a voting member of the Society's Executive Board of Directors.

 

ARTICLE V, Fiscal Year

 

The fiscal year shall be from September 1 to August 31 inclusive.

 

ARTICLE VI, Program fees

 

     A.  Fees may be assessed to receive meeting announcements and Chapter newsletters.

 

     B.  The Program Fees for this Society shall be determined by the Society's Executive Board of Directors.  Changes will be published at least six (6) months before the start of the next fiscal year in which the new fee schedule would be used.

 

     C.  Members transferring from another District Chapter who can display just proof of payment of Program Fees to that Society for the current fiscal year, will not be required to pay program