Article I: Name and Seal

Section 1. Name

This organization shall be known as The Maryland Entomological Society.

Section 2. Seal

The seal or insignia of the Society shall be as figured in Addendum 1.

Article II: Purpose

Section 1. Purpose

The purpose of this Society shall be: (a) to bring together people with a common interest in entomology and not necessarily from the State of Maryland, through monthly meetings and annual collecting trips; (b) to publish information of a permanent nature through the Society’s official journal.  The Society is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Section 2.

No part of the net earnings of the Society shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to its members, trustees, directors, officers or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in this Article.

Section 3.

No substantial part of the activities of the Society shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Society shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 4.

Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Society shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation,/organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or (b) by a corporation/organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Article III: Publications

Section 1. Journal

A journal known as the Maryland Entomologist shall be published by the Society.  The Editorial Committee shall be responsible for preparing each issue from submitted manuscripts.  Articles for publication in this .journal should deal primarily with the Maryland fauna, though others may be accepted.  Publication will be irregular, and each number will appear when enough material has been submitted.  There will be four numbers per volume.  All articles are subject to editorial review and acceptance.

Section 2. Newsletter

A Newsletter shall be published monthly from October through May by the Society.  It shall contain announcements of meetings, biographical sketches of speakers (if known), items of immediate though not necessarily lasting interest, and names, addresses, and areas of interest of new members.

Section 3. Directory

A directory shall be published every two years containing names, addresses, and entomological interests of members, and the names and addresses of subscribers.

Article IV: Membership and Subscriptions

Section 1. Members

Anyone with an interest in entomology may be a member of this Society.  All members not in arrears receive whatever numbers of the journal that are published during the current fiscal year, plus monthly newsletters and/or announcements of meetings.  There shall be three classes of members: adult, junior, and honorary.

Section 2. Adult Member

A person 18 years of age or older shall be considered an adult member.

Section 3. Junior Member

A person under 18 years of age shall be considered a junior member, and shall have attained age 12 to vote.

Section 4. Honorary Member

An honorary membership may be voted to any member in good standing.  Such an individual shall be at least age 60, shall be elected for life, and shall have participated in the Society for at least five consecutive years.  Such members shall pay no dues, shall receive free the publications of the Society, and shall have all the privileges of active members.  Proposals for honorary members may originate in the Executive Committee, or be suggested to this committee by any member of the Society.  A proposed individual must receive the unanimous vote by the Executive Committee followed by a two-thirds vote of members present at any meeting of the Society after written notification has been given to the membership at large.

Section 5. Members in Arrears

Any member in arrears cannot hold office or vote at meetings.  Any member more than one year in arrears may be dropped from the mailing list.  Any such member may be reinstated upon payment of dues for the current year.

Section 6. Applicant

Applicants for membership must fill out an application form, and submit it with their dues for the current year to the Treasurer.

Section 7. Termination of Membership

In addition to being in arrears, a membership may be terminated at the direction of the Executive Committee, which action is subject to appeal in writing to the membership.  A two-thirds vote is necessary to end a membership.

Section 8. Charter Member

Those members who attended meetings of the Society from December 1971 through June 1972 and/or who paid the $2.00 fee shall be considered Charter Members of the Society.

Section 9. Subscriptions

Institutions, libraries, universities, and other organizations may subscribe to the journal, but they may not become members.  Any person who is unable to or is not interested in attending meetings may subscribe to the journal.  Such subscribers do not receive the Newsletters.  Subscription rates for the journal shall be set by the Executive Committee after consultation with the Editorial Committee regarding publication and mailing costs.  Subscription rates shall be set on a per volume basis because of the irregular publication schedule of the journal.

Article V: Officers

Section 1. Officers

The officers of the Society shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Newsletter Editor, and Historian, and they shall be elected at the May meeting of the Society for a term of one year.

Section 2. Terms

The officers may serve more than one term.

Article VI: Duties of Officers

Section 1. President

The President shall be the chief executive officer of the Society.  He shall preside, when present, at all meetings of the Society and the Executive Committee; shall report business of the Executive Committee at the regular meetings; shall appoint the Standing Committees and Special Committees as needed; shall countersign all checks or vouchers for expenditures by the Treasurer; shall exercise all other powers usually pertaining to the office of President of such a society with or without the consent of the Executive Committee or the membership.  He shall have the power to appoint temporary officers if necessary until a new election can be held.  He shall appoint a Nominating Committee in March which shall present a slate of officers to be voted on at the May Meeting, although nominations may also be made from the floor.

Section 2. Vice-President

The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President in case of the latter’s absence.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary shall keep a record of the members of the Society; shall keep a permanent record of the minutes of the regular meetings of the Society, including attendance of members and guests, and shall report them at each meeting for approval; shall keep a separate record of the transactions of the Executive Committee; shall insure that written notices of monthly and special meetings are sent to each member of the Society; and shall conduct all official correspondence of the Society.

Section 4. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep an orderly account of all documents, papers, and records of the Society. He shall be responsible for and have custody of all monies and funds of the Society; shall deposit all funds in depositories as the Executive Committee may direct; shall collect dues from members; shall report the state of the treasury at each monthly meeting and whenever demanded by the President; shall keep an up-to-date accounting in a record book furnished by the Society; and shall after proper audit transfer these and other records of the Society when his successor is elected.

Section 5. Editor

The Editor shall be Chairman of the Editorial Committee.

Section 6. Historian

The Historian shall be responsible for a written summary of the activities of the Society following the May meeting.

Section 7. Newsletter Editor

The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for publishing the Society newsletter.

Article VII: Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meeting

The regular meetings of the Society shall be held monthly from October through May on a date determined by the Executive Committee and approved by the members at a regular meeting.

Section 2. Special Meeting

The President may call a special meeting of the Society if necessary.

Section 3. Order of Business

The order of business at regular meetings shall be determined by the presiding officer; the usual order of business shall include:

• Minutes of past regular meetings
• Reports of Officers
• Reports of Standing Committees
• Reports of Special Committees
• Unfinished business
• New business
• Announcements
• Notes and exhibition of specimens
• Program

Section 4. Rules of Order

The current Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the final authority on questions concerning procedure not covered by these By-Laws.

Article VIII: Executive Committee

Section 1. Members

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor, Newsletter Editor, and Historian of the Society plus two other members elected by these aforementioned officers.  The Executive Committee meetings shall be called by the President and at his discretion.  The President shall preside at meetings of this committee, and the Secretary shall record decisions and transactions and keep them separate from the minutes of the regular meetings.

Section 2. Powers

The Executive Committee shall be empowered in an emergency to transact the routine business of the Society.  At the discretion of the Executive Committee, any vacancy of elected officers that occurs shall be filled by an election at any meeting of the Society.

Section 3. Duties

The Executive Committee as much as possible shall prepare in advance the affairs of the Society; shall set the annual dues of the Society with approval of the members; shall prepare an annual budget to be approved by the members; shall be responsible for arranging the programs for the regular meetings; and may remove any officer of the Society from office for just cause.

Article IX: Standing Committees

Section 1. By-Laws Committee

The By-Laws Committee shall consist of a Chairman and one or more members all appointed by the President.  This committee shall keep the By-Laws up-to-date, and revise them if necessary at least annually.

Section 2. Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall consist of a Chairman and one or more members appointed by the President, and shall promote membership, handle applications of new members and keep an up-to-date list of all members for use of the officers and members.

Section 3. Editorial Committee

The Editorial Committee shall consist of the Editor as Chairman and one or more members appointed by the Executive Committee.  This committee shall be responsible for the publication of the journal of the Society.

Section 4. Refreshment Committee

A Committee of one or more members shall be appointed by the President to arrange for refreshments or food for meetings or other functions of the Society.

Article X: Finance

Section 1. Dues

The annual dues shall be determined by the Executive Committee with approval by the members.  They shall be payable as of October 1 of each year, and a member shall be considered in arrears if dues are not paid by January 1.

Section 2. Publication Fund

A Publication Fund consisting of donations or any other income shall be maintained for use by the Editorial Committee.  A majority vote at any regular or special meeting is necessary for approval to use any such money.

Section 3. Depository

The monies of The Society shall be deposited in such financial organization as directed by the Executive Committee.

Section 4. Bonding of Treasurer

At the discretion of the Executive Committee the Treasurer shall be bonded at the cost of the Society.

Section 5. Withdrawals

All withdrawals of an amount less than $50.00 shall be signed by the Treasurer or the President, or in his absence by the Vice-President.  All withdrawals of $50.00 or more shall be signed by the Treasurer and the President, or the Vice-President in his absence.  A voucher or receipt for all expenditures shall be preserved.

Section 6. Audit

The financial books of the Society shall be audited at the end of each fiscal year by an Audit Committee appointed by the Executive Committee.

Section 7. Assessments

No assessments can be levied without a vote of approval by the members at a regular or special meeting.

Section 8. Refreshment Fee

Those present at each meeting where refreshments are served are requested to make voluntary contribution to help defray the cost of the refreshments.

Section 9.

Upon dissolution of the Society, the Executive Committee shall, after paying or making provision for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Society, dispose of all of the assets of the Society exclusively for the purposes of the Society in such manner, or to such organization(s) organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as at the time shall qualify as an exempt organization(s) under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provisions of any United States Internal Revenue law), as the Executive Committee shall determine.  Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the County in which the principal office of the Society is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization(s), as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.  However, if the named recipient is not then in existence or no longer a qualified distributee, or unwilling or unable to accept the distribution, the assets of this Society shall be distributed to a fund, foundation or corporation organized and operated exclusively for the purposes specified in Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law).

Article XI: Fiscal Year

Section 1. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Society shall begin on October 1 and end on September 30 of the following year.

Article XII: Amendment of By-Laws

Section 1. Amendment of By-Laws

These By-Laws may be changed or amended by the affirmative vote of at least 15 members not in arrears and present at any regular or special meeting of the Society, or by a two-thirds majority vote of all members of the Society not in arrears in a mail ballot.

As approved and changed at the February 20 and May 21, 1976; [the December 16, 1977; the October 20 and November 17, 1978;] the January 18, February 15, and March 21, 1980; the May 15, 1981; the May 16, 1986; the May 20, 1988; and the May 19 and November 17, 1989 meetings of the Maryland Entomological Society.

Reprinted by the By-Laws Committee

November 30, 1989