Constitution and Bylaws

The Constitution and Bylaws are drafted below. This has been created with templates from other Societies and using the AAO-HNS “Guidelines for a Model Society.” Once our leadership is established, this can be adjusted to best fit our State Society.

 

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I: NAME OF THE SOCIETY

The name of this Society shall be, The New Mexico Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE OF THE SOCIETY

The purpose of the Society is to bring its members together for scholarly advancement and for expansion of professional ideas in Otolaryngology. In addition, it shall help represent the specialty of Otolaryngology in the southwest region. It will also represent the specialists of Otolaryngology at the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: The members of the Society shall be graduates and hold a degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine, or graduates and hold a degree in allied fields, who are in good professional standing and who are interested in the science and arts of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery.

Section 2: Members shall be divided into four main groups.

  1. Regular Members Doctors of medicine or Osteopathy who limit their practice to Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, who have completed an approved residency in this specialty, and who shall have maintained high ethical standards in this practice. Members must have an active medical license in the state of New Mexico.
  2. Associate Members Professionals in an allied health fields who have maintained high standards in the community. These may include radiation oncologists, speech pathologists, audiologists, etc.
  3. Honorary Members This category is limited to those who have made significant contribution to the specialty of otolaryngology. Any person deemed worthy may be elected to Honorary Membership and is entitled to all membership privileges except those of holding office and voting.
  4. Emeritus Members A Regular or Associate Member who has reached the age of sixty (60) years and has ceased to practice in this specialty or allied fields and by his own initiative has made application to the Membership Committee for a change in category. If approved, he shall become and Emeritus Member of the Society. Such members are encouraged to attend meetings and shall be obliged to pay a reduced membership fee.

Section 3: Election of Members

  1. Members. Any professional who qualified for any of the above classifications, exclusive of Honorary, who is in full-time practice of the specialty, whose application has been endorsed by the Membership Committee, and who received an affirmative hand vote of at least three quarters (3/4) of the members present at the Society Meeting following a second reading of his application, shall be declared elected to the Membership
  2. Election to Honorary Membership. Election to Honorary Membership shall be by majority vote of those Members at any Society Meeting at which such election is moved.

Section 4: Non-payment of Dues

In the event that a Regular Member, Associate Member or Emeritus member is delinquent in payment of yearly dues, defined as one month after the third notification of dues payment, the Secretary-Treasurer will call the member in question and request prompt payment of dues. If the dues are not paid within one month of the Treasurer’s telephone call, the member will be dropped from membership in the society.

ARTICLE IV:  OFFICERS

The officers shall be a President, Secretary-Treasurer, and Program Chairman. They shall be elected at the Annual Business Meeting, for a period of one year.

ARTICLE V:  STANDING COMMITTEES There shall be the following Standing Committees.

  1. Membership Committee The incoming President shall appoint for one year, three members who shall constitute a Membership Committee. These members may volunteer or be nominated by peers. The incoming President will ultimately decide on such committee members.
  2. Nominating Committee The Secretary-Treasurer shall appointment for one year, three members who shall constitute the Nominating Committee. These members may volunteer or be nominated by peers. The incoming Secretary-Treasurer will ultimately decide on such committee members.

ARTICLE VI: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

At the Annual business Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall propose candidates for the office of Program Chairman. (*See By-Laws Article III)

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

There shall be at least two Regular Meetings of the Society each year, the dates and places of which shall be decided by the Officers for that year. The last meeting of the even years is designated as the Society Business Meeting at which time the new Officers will be elected. The fiscal year will start January 1 and end on December 31.

BY-LAWS

ACT I: METHOD OF ELECTING MEMBERS (Except honorary)

  1. Prior to the initial meeting of the society, any board certified otolaryngologist can apply for membership. At the first meeting, all applicants present will automatically become members unless there is an outstanding concern from any other applicant. If this is the case, the incoming President will address the concern with the appointed Membership Committee and make the final decision.
  2. Subsequently, the initial application shall be received and evaluated by the Membership Committee
  3. The Candidate shall be formally proposed by a Regular or Associate Member at the first meeting following the receipt of the application and his or her application shall be read in front of the membership.
  4. A hand vote shall be cast by the members and if the applicant receives an affirmative vote of ¾ of the membership present, he or she shall be accepted into the Society. This vote can be a written vote if requested by a member.
  5. Individuals because of their meritorious contributions to the Society, may be elected to Honorary Membership, without the obligation of paying dues.

 

ACT II: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

  1. President or, in his absence, the Secretary-Treasurer shall preside at all meetings. The president shall act as liaison and official spokesman for this Society and shall appoint all ad hoc committees. The President will also act as the Governor for the Board of Governors (see Act VI below).
  2. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the minutes and have charge of the finances of the Society. In the event the Seretary-Treasurer is unable to fulfill function duties, the President shall act in his or her stead.
  3. The Program Chairman shall be responsible for planning and arranging a Speaker’s Program for each meeting and inform the membership as to the date and location of each meeting.

ACT III: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

  1. At the start of the initial meeting; June 22, 2016, members will volunteer or receive nominations from peers for Program Chairman, Secretary-Treasurer or President. Nominees will have the opportunity to decline or to write a summary for why they may want to be elected. The society members will then vote for officers.
  2. Subsequently, a Program Chairman shall be elected every one year. After fulfilling the responsibilities of the post, he or she shall ascend, sequentially, every year in becoming the Secretary-Treasurer and then the President of the Society.
  3. Prior to the fall Society Business Meeting, two members of the Society shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee for the position of Program Chairman. In addition, nominations from the floor can be made by the membership at large. A closed written ballot shall be held. The member receiving a majority of the votes shall be elected as the new Program Chairman.

ACT IV: STANDING COMMITTEES – PURPOSE

  1. The purpose of the Membership Committee is to review and evaluate applications for new members and applications for any change in membership status.
  2. The purpose of the Nominating Committee is to nominate two members for Program Chairman and Academy Representative positions.

ACT V: RELATIONSHIP TO THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY – HEAD AND NECK SURGERY

  1. The Society shall be affiliated with the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The Society will be in direct communication via the Governor, Legislative Committee Representative (LC Rep), the Socioeconomic Grass Roots Committee Representative (SGRC Rep) and the Young Physician Sections Representative (<40 years of age or within first 8 years of practice; YPS Rep).
  2. The President will act as the Governor Representative on the Board of Governors.
  3. At the start of the initial meeting, members will volunteer or receive nominations from peers to become either the LC, SGRC Rep or YPS Rep. Nominees will have the opportunity to decline or to write a summary for why they may want to be elected. The society members will then vote for such positions.
  4. Representatives will hold this position for 2 years, except the Governor position will be one year.
  5. Subsequently, two nominations for the LC, SGRC and YPS Rep will be determined by the Nomination Committee. In addition, nominations from the floor can be made by the membership at large. A closed written ballot shall be held. The members receiving a majority of the votes shall be elected as the new Academy Representatives.

ACT VI: DUTITES OF THE ACADEMY REPRESENTATIVES

  1. Governor shall attend at least one of two following meetings: The Fall Annual Academy Meeting and/or the Annual Leadership Forum. If the Governor is unable to attend both meetings, he or she is responsible for communicating with other regional Governors and the Society LC/SGRC Representatives before and after the Academy meetings are held. The Governor is responsible for communicating with the Academy BOG regularly, subscribe to the BOG Forum online (ENTCONNECT) and communicate with the Society Members any relevant information.
  2. Legislative Committee Representative shall attend at least one of two following meetings: The Fall Annual Academy Meeting and/or the Annual Leadership Forum. The Legislative Committee helps to give the AAO-HNS a voice in law making decisions, both at the state and national level. If the LG Rep is unable to attend both meetings, he or she is responsible for communicating with other regional LC Reps and the Society Governor/SGRC/YPS Representative before and after the Academy meetings are held. The LC Rep is responsible for communicating with the Academy Legislative Committee regularly and communicate with the Society Members any relevant information. The LC Rep should also communicate with the NM State Tracker regarding any relative bills which may affect the Society and/or Academy.
  3. Socioeconomic Grass Roots Committee Representative shall attend at least one of two following meetings: The Fall Annual Academy Meeting and/or the Annual Leadership Forum. The SGRC helps members of the Societies and the AAO-HNS understand and communicate financial matters in our specialty such as billing, coding, insurance policies, etc. If the SGRC Rep is unable to attend both meetings, he or she is responsible for communicating with other regional SGRC Reps and the Society Governor/LC/YPS Representative before and after the Academy meetings are held. The SGRC Rep is responsible for communicating with the Academy Socioeconomic Grass Roots Committee regularly and communicate with the Society Members any relevant information.
  4. Young Physician Section Representative (under 40 years or age or within their first 8 years of practice) shall attend at least one of two following meetings: The Fall Annual Academy Meeting and/or the Annual Leadership Forum. The YPS has been established to help with matters affecting newer otolaryngologists. If the YPS Rep is unable to attend both meetings, he or she is responsible for communicating with other regional YPS Reps and the Society Governor/SGRC/LC Representative before and after the Academy meetings are held. The YPS Rep is responsible for communicating with the Academy Young Physician Section regularly and communicate with the Society Members any relevant information.

ACT VII: RELATIONSHIP TO THE ACADEMY OF MEDICINE

This Society shall be affiliated with the New Mexico Medical Society for the purpose of disseminating information pertinent to the specialty of Otolaryngology. The President is responsible for communicating with the President of the NMMS on a minimum of a bi-annual basis.

ACT VIII: ORDER OF BUSINESS

  1. Reading of Minutes
  2. Report of Treasurer
  3. Presentation of Guest(s)
  4. Unfinished business
  5. New Business
  6. Election of Members
  7. Election of Officers (At Business Meeting)
  8. Scientific Program

ACT IX: AMMENDMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

Propositions to amend or alter the Constitution or By-Laws may be submitted at any regular meeting in writing. Additionally, each voting period will allow for Officers to addend the Constitution or By-laws. Action on such amendments shall not be taken sooner than the next regular meeting. A vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the members present at the meeting shall be required for the approval of an amendment.

ACT X: ANNUAL DUES

The amount of the annual dues shall be determined by the Officers of the Society each year. All dues shall be paid before the first meeting.

* Constitution and By-laws are subject to change once the initial Officers are elected. (Revised, May 2016)