CONSTITUTION AND RULES

(as amended 25th July 2016)


CONSTITUTIONAL RULES

  1. The Society shall be called "Society for Reproductive Biology".

  2. The Object of the Society shall be to promote the study of reproductive biology by the holding of an Annual Conference and by the publication of the Proceedings thereof, or by any such means as may from time to time be deemed appropriate.

  3. The Society shall have all the powers conferred by section 25 of the act.
    The Society shall consist chiefly of, and be governed exclusively by, Ordinary Members, who alone shall have power to elect members and Officers and to change the Constitutional or the Ordinary Rules.

  4. Membership shall be open to professionally qualified workers with an interest in this field, at the discretion of the Committee.

  5. The Constitutional Rules of the Society shall not be altered or added to either directly or indirectly by changes in the Ordinary Rules, unless more than four-fifths of all the Ordinary Members of the Society shall vote in favour of such changes.

 

ORDINARY RULES

  1. The Ordinary Rules of the Society shall not be changed unless a two-thirds majority of the Ordinary Members who vote by postal or electronic ballot is in favour of such a change. Notice of the suggested change shall be given to the Secretary at least six weeks before an Annual or Special General Meeting. Voting information shall be sent by the Secretary to all Ordinary Members at least four weeks before the Annual or Special General Meeting and returned to the Returning Officer appointed by the Committee ten days before such meeting.

  2. The Officers of the Society shall consist of the President, President-elect, Treasurer and a Secretary. Election of a President-elect will occur on or about the conclusion of the second year of the President s term. The President-elect will serve for the balance of the President s term before succeeding to the President s position when the incumbent completes their term. They would then serve a complete 3 year term as President. Should a President or president-elect resign or otherwise be unable to complete their term, an extraordinary election will be held for someone to complete the unexpired portion of the existing Presidential term. Election for the office of President-elect will be conducted in accordance with the provision of clause 4 of the Ordinary Rules of the Society.

  3. The business of the Society shall be conducted by a Committee of Ordinary Members of the Society consisting of the Officers and at least four other Members. The President or President-elect of the Society shall preside at meetings of the Committee, at which four members shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall have power to co-opt

  4. Subject to the provisions of rule 2 of these Ordinary Rules, Officers of the Society and other members of the Committee shall be elected for a period of three years with the exception of the president-elect who will serve for one year. All elections shall be by a postal or electronic ballot of the Ordinary Members following the procedure outlined in Ordinary Rule One. The Officers and Ordinary Members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election subject to the limitation that they shall not serve for more than six consecutive years as a member of the Committee, with a maximum of three of those six years as any one Officer of the Society. The Returning Officer appointed by the Committee is to conduct the election of Officers of the Society and is to tally postal or electronic ballots for this purpose and provide a report outlining the outcome of the ballot to the Committee and subsequently convey the outcome to the Membership.

  5. Nominations for the Officers of the Society and other members of the Committee may be put forward by the Committee, or by any two Ordinary Members with the written consent of the candidates. Nominations shall be sent to the Returning Officer appointed by the Committee at least six weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

  6. The President or President-elect, Secretary and Treasurer shall present their reports at the Annual General Meeting.

 

MEMBERSHIP

  1. The Society shall consist of Ordinary Members and Honorary Members.

  2. Any Ordinary Member may propose candidates for membership of the Society by sending to the Secretary, at least one month before the Annual General Meeting, their names and a seconder and statement of their qualifications for election.

  3. The Committee shall nominate, from the names proposed by Ordinary Members, candidates for election to the Society. Rights and privileges of the Society shall be extended to nominated candidates until the Annual General Meeting.

  4. The candidates shall be elected by a ballot of Ordinary Members, at the Annual General Meeting, or at a Special General Meeting.

  5. (a). For participation at the Annual Conference and in the proceedings thereof co-authors who are not members of the Society must be introduced by a member of the Society.
    (b). The Committee shall be empowered to recommend the removal of a member of the Society if it is considered that the interests of the Society require it. Any such recommendation shall be submitted to a General Meeting of the Society. If two-thirds of the members present vote by a ballot in support of the recommendation, the member in question shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Society.

  6. The Annual Ordinary Subscription, which shall include the cost of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting, shall be determined for each successive year at each Annual General Meeting. Age-retired members who have been members of the Society for a minimum of five years shall pay a subscription equal to one half of the current Ordinary Subscription. Ordinary Members joining the Society after July 1st will, in the year of joining, pay a subscription in value equal to half that of the Annual Ordinary Subscription. Annual Subscription compounding membership with the right to receive certain Journals and/or official publications of the Society shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. The Registration Fee for the Annual Meeting shall be determined jointly by the Officers of the Society and the Committee appointed to organise the Annual Meeting.

  7. Any member whose subscription is one year in arrears and who has been duly notified of the fact by the Treasurer, shall cease to be a member of the Society, but shall be eligible for re-election.

  8. The Treasurer shall collect the Annual Subscription and shall submit an audited account of the finances of the Society to the Annual General Meeting. The Committee may appoint an agent to collect the Annual Subscription on behalf of the Treasurer.

MEETINGS

  1. An Annual General Meeting shall be held at which the annual business of the Society shall be transacted. A Special General Meeting may be summoned at any time by the secretary on the written request of ten Ordinary Members. At least six weeks notice of the Annual or any Special Meeting and one week's notice of the business to be transacted thereat, shall be given.

STATE BRANCHES

  1. Members of the Society resident in a particular State are invited to establish a State Branch, elect an Organising Committee and arrange local meetings.