In the final business meeting of our 2020 meeting in Atlanta, GA, we will be discussing and voting on two proposed changes to our constitution and bylaws. These changes involve the addition of an Early Career Professional (ECP) Representative to the Executive Committee, and the outlining of objectives and operational procedures for the ECP Standing Committee. These will require a positive vote of at least 2/3 at the business meeting. Please review these proposed changes in advance of the meeting so that we can act on these proposals at the meeting. The changes noted here have been approved by the EB Executive Committee prior to submission to the general membership for a full vote. If you have any questions, please contact EB Secretary, Daniel Frank.
Proposed Changes to the Eastern Branch Constitution
Modification #1 - Article II Membership
Current Version:
Section 1. Classes of Membership. The classes of membership shall be the same as in The Society, namely, Member, Honorary Member, Emeritus Member, and Student Member. Honorary Members of The Society who are members of The Branch shall be honored as Life members of The Branch.
Proposed Change (in italics):
Section 1. Classes of Membership. The classes of membership shall be the same as in The Society, namely, Member, Honorary Member, Emeritus Member, Student Member, Student Transition Member, and Early Professional Member. Honorary Members of The Society who are members of The Branch shall be honored as Life members of The Branch.
Reason for Change:
Early career professionals (ECPs) are now designated into two new membership categories in ESA: Student Transition Member and Early Professional Member. This updates EB's Constitution and Bylaws to recognize ECPs and to be consistent with ESA.
Modification #2 - Article III Executive Committee
Current Version:
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of The Branch, subject to decisions on policy adopted by the membership at an Annual Business Meeting, or at a Special Meeting of The Branch, or by mail or electronic ballot. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following: President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Representative on the Governing Board of The Society, and one Member-at-Large, all elected by the membership.
Proposed Change (in italics):
Section 1. Section 1. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of The Branch, subject to decisions on policy adopted by the membership at an Annual Business Meeting, or at a Special Meeting of The Branch, or by mail or electronic ballot. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following: President, President-Elect, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Representative on the Governing Board of The Society, one Member-at-Large, and one Early Career Professional (ECP) Representative, all elected by the membership.
Reason for Change:
It is critical that we recognize the role and needs of the early career professionals to address their professional growth, and that we provide opportunities for them to be active in Branch governance and service and to contribute their voices and ideas to strengthen the Branch. Having one member-at-large designated as an ECP representative to the Executive Committee of the Eastern Branch will allow for the needs of ECPs to be represented in Branch-level deliberations.
Proposed Changes to the Eastern Branch Bylaws
Modification #1 - Article II Officers-Duties and Elections
Current Version:
Section 9. Archivist-Historian. An Archivist-Historian shall be appointed by the President, shall serve for five (5) years, may be reappointed, and shall cooperate closely with The Society in assuring long term safekeeping of documents and artifacts of The Branch.
Section 10. The terms of office of the Representative on the Governing Board, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee shall be so arranged that they all do not terminate in the same year, and specifically that the terms of the Secretary and the Treasurer, do not terminate in the same year. 12
Section 11. No member may occupy more than one office at any one time except for temporary appointments by the Executive Committee, or as specified elsewhere in the Bylaws.
Proposed Change (in italics):
Section 9. Early Career Professional (ECP) Representative on Executive Committee. This member-at-large position will be limited to Eastern Branch members within 5 years from having received their terminal degree with a Student Transition or Early Professional Member membership with the parent Society. The purpose of the ECP Representative is to represent the perspectives and needs of early career professionals in the Eastern Branch, as well as act as a liaison for communicating information between the Executive Committee and the EB ECP Committee (Article IV, Section 10). The ECP Representative shall also automatically serve on the EB ECP Committee, and support the goals of that committee following Article IV, Section 10. The ECP Representative shall serve for a period of two (2) years, commencing at the close of the Annual Branch Meeting first following election.
Nomination and election of the ECP Representative on the Executive Committee shall be conducted in the same manner as specified for the President-Elect in Article II, Section 2. If the ECP Representative relocates outside of the branch during their term and cannot attend the Annual Meeting, then a replacement shall be designated in the same manner and with the same requirements as specified for the Secretary in Article II, Section 5.
Section 10. Archivist-Historian. An Archivist-Historian shall be appointed by the President, shall serve for five (5) years, may be reappointed, and shall cooperate closely with The Society in assuring long term safekeeping of documents and artifacts of The Branch.
Section 11. The terms of office of the Representative on the Governing Board, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Member-at-Large on the Executive Committee shall be so arranged that they all do not terminate in the same year, and specifically that the terms of the Secretary and the Treasurer, do not terminate in the same year. 12
Section 12. No member may occupy more than one office at any one time except for temporary appointments by the Executive Committee, or as specified elsewhere in the Bylaws.
Reason for Change:
Adding the ECP committee to the By-Laws establishes this committee, its duties, and term limits.
Modification #2 - Article IV Committees and Representatives of the Branch to the Society
Current Version:
Section 1. Standing Committees. The Standing Committees of The Branch shall be: Membership; Finance; Insect Detection, Evaluation and Prediction (IDEP); Rules; Program; Student Affairs; Public Information; Nominations; Meeting Site Selection; Awards; and Screening for Awards of The Society.
Proposed Change (in italics):
Section 1. Standing Committees. The Standing Committees of The Branch shall be: Membership; Finance; Insect Detection, Evaluation and Prediction (IDEP); Rules; Program; Student Affairs; Early Career Professionals (ECP); Public Information; Nominations; Meeting Site Selection; Awards; Screening for Awards of The Society.
Reason for Change:
It is critical that we recognize the role and needs of the early career professionals to address their professional growth, and that we provide opportunities for them to be active in Branch governance and service and to contribute their voices and ideas to strengthen the Branch. The purpose of the EB ECP Standing Committee will be to recruit other ECPs as needed, and to develop value-added programming for the Eastern Branch Annual Meeting.
Modification #3 - Article IV Committees and Representatives of the Branch to the Society
Current Version:
Section. 17. Annually, the President shall consider appointment to Presidential Committees, among others, on Auditing, Local Arrangements, Registration and Hospitality, Employment Information, and Resolutions.
Proposed Change (in italics):
Section 17. Early Career Professionals Committee. The purpose of this committee shall be to help engage and retain early career professionals (ECPs, as defined in Article II, Section 9) in the Branch by developing value-added programming at the Annual Meeting with the approval of the Program Committee, and to select recipients of awards designated for early career professionals. The Branch ECP Committee shall consist of four members: 1) Chair, 2) Vice-Chair, 3) ECP Representative to the Executive Committee, and 4) the Eastern Branch Representative to the ESA ECP Committee. Candidates for the Vice-Chair and ECP Representative to the ESA ECP Committee positions will be solicited through the Branch Newsletter and reviewed by the current EB ECP Committee members. Qualified candidates will then be presented to the Executive Committee for appointment. Nomination and election of the ECP Representative on the Executive Committee shall be conducted in the same manner as specified for the President-Elect in Article II, Section 2. The Vice-Chair shall serve a term of one (1) year, then serve a subsequent term of one (1) year as Chair of the Branch ECP Committee, commencing at the close of the Annual Meeting first following appointment. The ECP Representative to the Executive Committee (Article II, Section 9) shall serve on the ECP Committee for the duration of their appointed term, and aid the Chair and Vice-Chair in organizing programs tailored to early career professionals at the Annual Meeting. The Eastern Branch Representative to the ESA ECP Committee will serve in an advisory role, and act as a liaison between The Branch and the ESA ECP Committee.
If the Vice-Chair or ECP Representative to the Executive Committee relocates outside of the branch during their term and cannot attend the Annual Meeting, then a replacement shall be appointed by the Executive Committee by written, email, or verbal vote as soon as practical from among the nominees in the most recent elections. In the case of the Chair relocating outside of the branch during their term and being unable to attend the Annual Meeting, then the Vice-Chair will assume the responsibilities of Chair and a replacement Vice-Chair shall be designated in the same manner as above. The replacements will then serve their regularly scheduled term plus the interval from when they were unexpectedly appointed to the beginning of their scheduled term. The EB Rep to the ESA ECP Committee is exempted from this clause, because that committee is not under branch jurisdiction.
Section 18. Annually, the President shall consider appointment to Presidential Committees, among others, on Auditing, Local Arrangements, Registration and Hospitality, Employment Information, and Resolutions.
Reason for Change:
Adding the ECP Standing Committee to the By-Laws establishes this committee, its duties, and term limits.