American Chemical Society
Chicago ACS Masthead image   


POLICY DECLARATIONS
of the CHICAGO SECTION
of the
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

In order to facilitate its operations, the Board of Directors passes resolutions that establish standard procedures. These are known as Policy Declarations. The Secretary is instructed to keep a special record of them as they are passed by the Board. They may be revoked by the Board at any time, either explicitly or implicitly, but they remain in effect until revoked by Board vote. Changes may be presented or additions recommended and voted upon at any time, by any Board member. There is no requirement that proposed policy declarations or changes be studied first by the Policy Committee, which does not function as an executive committee.

Policy Declarations are numbered to correspond to the Bylaws whenever possible. The Roman numerals referto the Bylaws Article, the first Arabic numerals to the Section of the Article, and the second Arabic numerals to the consecutive number of the resolution.

II -1       MISSION STATEMENT. The mission of the Chicago Section of the ACS is to encourage the advancement of chemical sciences and their practitioners. (May 11, 2000)

II-2        VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE. The Chicago Section is opposed to the indiscriminate recruitment of young people into chemistry; however, it believes that the best interests of members as well as that of the general public are served by the encouragement of young people of outstanding ability to consider chemistry as a profession, and toward this end it fosters vocational guidance activities designed to acquaint young people with the requirements, advantages, and disadvantages of the profession. (Note: See also the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Section Activities Encouraging Students Toward Chemistry, Minutes of March 16, 1972 Board of Directors)

IV-1-1        AFFILIATES. (a) National Affiliates of the Society are subject to the regulations in the Section Bylaws. (b) Affiliation with the Chicago Section as a Local Section affiliate is available to persons who are eligible for membership in the ACS, but do not wish to be full members, and to ACS members of other ACS local sections. Affiliation is also open to persons who are not eligible for full membership but have an interest in chemistry. The Membership Affairs Committee shall pass on all applications of prospective affiliates and may request the necessary information from an applicant. Acceptance by the Committee and payment of current dues shall be necessary for election to this status. (Dues for Local Section Affiliates are to be the same as local dues for Society members and National Affiliates and must be paid at the beginning of the fiscal year.) (December 4, 2003).

IV-2-1        DINNER PRICE. The dinner price at regular Section meetings shall be set by the Board of Directors, and shall provide that members who have paid their current Section dues shall be granted a differential of $2 less than members who have not paid these dues. This differential shall also apply to one non-chemist guest per dues-paid member, to visiting members of the ACS from other sections, and to new members as described in PD XII-I-I. The Board of Directors may delegate the setting of dinner prices to the House Committee or any other agent it selects.

IV-2-2        STUDENT RATE. To encourage attendance of students at monthly Section meetings, a reduction of 50% in the cost of the dinner shall be made for all high school, undergraduate and graduate students for whom reservations are made by a staff member of their high school, college or university. The difference between the cost of the meal and the student rate shall be charged to the Subsidized Dinner account. (March 14, 2002)

IV-2-3        DISCOUNTS ON DINNERS FOR RETIRED AND UNEMPLOYED MEMBERS. Those retired from active participation in chemistry and those who are unemployed shall be subsidized with a 50% discount on the cost of dinner. The difference between the cost of the meal and the retired/unemployed rate shall be charged to the Subsidized Dinner account. (March 14, 2002)

IV-2-4        STUDENT DINNERS. The House and Hospitality Committee may endeavor to increase student activity and interest in the Section by using students on these committees at Section meetings. Dinners may be furnished to such students by the Committees concerned,

IV-2-5        NEW MEMBER DINNERS. The Hospitality Committee may invite new Section members to attend a Section meeting following their entrance into the Section as dinner guests of the Committee. The Gibbs Award is excluded from this arrangement.

V-2-1        CHAIR’S GAVEL. The Chair shall present a gavel, suitably engraved, to the Chair-elect at the December meeting. It shall be used during the latter’s term of office and remain in his possession as a Souvenir.

V-2-2        PAST CHAIR PIN. The Chair -elect shall present a Past -Chair pin to the Chair at the December meeting.

V-2-3        POLICY COMMITTEE. The Chair shall appoint a Policy Committee consisting of himself, the Secretary, the Chair-elect, the Vice Chair, the Immediate Past Chair and at least one other member of the Board.

V-2-4        POLICY COMMITTEE DUTIES. These Policy Declarations shall be reviewed annually by the Policy Committee. The Chair-elect shall include copies of the current Policy Declarations in the Section Manual which is distributed to the members of the Board of Directors at the beginning of each year. (Note: The Policy Committee is also the nominations committee for Board elections - Councilors and Alternate Councilor nominations, Comptroller, Editor, Business Manager Publications, Nominating Committees, Section Trustees, and Willard Gibbs Jurors.)

V-2-5        POLICY COMMITTEE APPROVAL OF CONGRESSIONAL SCIENCECOUNSELORS. The Section Policy Committee shall approve all candidates for appointment of Congressional Science Counselors by the Section upon recommendation by the Chair of the National Affairs Committee of the Section.

V-2-6        LOANS. After clearing with the Office Manager, the Chair of the Section or the Chair of the House Committee may, at their discretion, loan the equipment of the Section to the Chicago Chemists Club or to other scientific societies.

V-2-7        LITERATURE DISTRIBUTION. No literature may be distributed at Section meetings unless permission is granted in advance by the Chair or Secretary.

V-3-1        GROUP DISCOUNTS. The Board of Directors shall refrain from endorsing, offering, or making offers known to Chicago Section members of “group discounts” in services as insurances, brokerages, or other products.

V-3-2        SUBSECTIONS. At the discretion of the Board of Directors and at the request of members from outlying areas of the Section, a subsection may be established. Subsections are to he financed as part of the Program Committee and are to have no separate dues. All activities must conform with the Bylaws and Policy Declarations of the Section and the Bylaws of the national ACS.

V-3-3        DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD.   (This section revised by Marilyn Kouba November 7, 2005)

Description.

  1. The Chicago Section American Chemical Society’s Distinguished Service Awards were established in 1974 at the suggestion of Louis L. Lerner, then Editor of The Chemical Bulletin. These awards recognize members who provided exceptional services to the Section over, above and separate from any other achievements of the recipient, either in the profession or by the National ACS.
  2. The Award is to be a plaque reading as follows:
  3. (YEAR)

    DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

    presented to

    (NAME)__________________________________

    by the

    CHICAGO SECTION AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

    in recognition of outstanding and devoted service
    to the Section and thereby to the Chemical Profession

    (NAME)
    Chair (During the year of presentation )

    (NAME)
    Chair of DSA (12 years from last year as Section Chair)

    SECTION SEAL

  4. Picture of the Awardee, to be published in The Chemical Bulletin and then kept in a permanent Distinguished Service Award Album.
  5. One Award to be given to either a living or deceased member during one Award period.

Nominations.

  1. Nominees must have been members of the Section for at least 10 years and have served the Section extensively and/or intensively. Consideration should be given only to Section activities; scientific achievement, civic activities, or service on national or divisional levels, are not criteria and should not be indicated in any statements or information distributed to the Nominating Committee or Election Jurors.
  2. Nominations are to be made by a committee composed of five former Section Chairs, being Chairs of the Section from 8 to 12 years previously and the current Section Chair-elect. The earliest Chair shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee and the Election Jury and shall, with the Section Chair of the year of the Award, sign the Award plaque.
  3. On October 1 of the year prior to that of the Award, the Chair of the Section shall notify the Chair of the DSA Committee to begin the process of nominations. No later than October 15, the Chair of the DSA Committee shall request from each member of the Nominating Committee, the names of three either living and/or deceased members as nominees. To assist the Committee, the Chair of the DSA Committee should supply a copy of the Guidelines, a list of all former Awardees and a list of those nominated in previous years but not elected. Chicago Section service records or previous statements should be included. Reference should be given to the following motion passed by the Board of Directors on May 12, 1983:

    “It is the understanding of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Section ACS that one of the prime reasons for the establishment of the DSA program was to recognize the contributions of members who have not necessarily been elected Chair of the Section. Therefore it is requested that in future years, the inclusion of this requested object be made in the call for nominations for this Award.”

  4. The nominations should be returned to the Chair of the DSA Committee by November 15. The names and updated Section Records of all individuals nominated that year are then distributed to the nominating committee in ballot form to be voted on for ranking as candidates. All ballots are to be sent to the Chair of the DSA Committee by December 31.
  5. The Chair of the DSA Committee shall prepare a ballot, containing the top two nominees as candidates for the Award. A record of all those nominated shall be kept. In case more than two are ranked highest, their names shall all be included on the ballot to the Election Jury.

Election.

  1. Election shall be by an Election Jury comprised of the Nominating Committee, the Editor of The Chemical Bulletin, the Immediate Past Chair, and five current Board members appointed by the Section Chair holding office the year of the Award presentation.
  2. The Chair of the DSA Committee shall, no later than January 15, mail or e-mail the election ballot to the Election Jury, along with the names of all previous Awardees and as complete a statement as possible from the Section records of the SECTION activities of each candidate. The data shall not include biographical information. The deadline for return of the election ballots shall be no later than February 15.
  3. After the deadline, the Chair of the DSA Committee shall count the ballots. In case of a tie, the Section Chair will cast the deciding vote. An audit of the ballots shall be completed by the Section Secretary prior to the announcement of the results. An announcement of the results shall be made at the next Board meeting following this deadline.

Presentation.

  1. The Award shall be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Section in April. The recipient shall be a dinner guest of the Section, along with up to four additional guests, in the case of a posthumous award, the spouse and up to four additional guests. Provision to cover travel expenses is not made, and if required shall be at the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Section.
  2. The Chair of the DSA Committee shall handle notification of the Awardee and the Awardee’s family, preparation of the plaque, requests for pictures, and preparation of a booklet to be distributed at the Award Ceremony outlining the achievements of the Awardee. Publicity also will be handled by the Chair of the DSA Committee, The Chemical Bulletin Editor, and the Chair of the Publicity Committee.
  3. The Award shall be presented by the Chair of the Distinguished Service Award Committee.

Budget. An amount sufficient to cover the cost of the plaque, pictures, booklet, and dinners, shall be included in the annual budget of the Section. (June, 2001)

V-3-4        SOLICITATION. No committee or group may solicit money from companies or individuals unless permission is granted in advance from the Board of Directors.

V-3-5        MAILING LIST. The mailing list of the Chicago Section shall be made available to the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, IIT, and other educational, scientific, and technical organizations of the Chicago area, at the discretion of the Chair. The ACS Board of Directors Regulations reads that “The membership list ...a local section shall be distributed under the rules which prohibit its use for advertising or circularizing purposes by others than the Society and its organized units, and such a statement shall be printed on the list. Permission to use a mailing list may be granted to a non-profit organization for some purpose which will aid in the fulfillment of the Society’s objects as specified in its Constitution, provided that the Board of Directors or corresponding body of the group whose list is used approves, and its designated representative passes upon the suitability of the material to be mailed. Commercial use of mailing lists must be approved by the Board of Directors of the Society and such approval will be voted only when it can be shown that the proposal will be of benefit to the Society.”

V-3-6        STIEGLITZ LECTURE . Guidelines and Procedures.

Forward . The Julius Stieglitz Lectures, named for the former chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of Chicago and former Chair of the Chicago Section were established in 1939 with donations from friends, colleagues and local corporations. The funds were to be administered by the University of Chicago and the investments income used to cover expenses and honorarium for a lectureship. The lecture was to be given annually by a renowned chemist in the field of chemistry, particularly organic chemistry, the major interest of Dr. Stieglitz. The first lecture was given in 1940 and with the exception of 2 -3 years when they were skipped for various reasons, they have been given annually since. The Section and the University are responsible in alternate years for choosing the lecturer and presenting the lecture. The manner in which the lecturer is chosen has been somewhat irregular and ad hoc. The drafting of these guidelines and procedures represents an attempt to place the process on a more formal basis during the year in which the Chicago Section is responsible for the lecture.

Name of Lecture . The lecture is called Julius Stieglitz Lecture for the historic reasons set forth above and as previously adopted by the Section and the University of Chicago.

Frequency of Lecture . The lecture is given in alternate years, with the Chemistry Department of the University as the alternate sponsor. Although the lecture has been given in various months since its establishment, it has been given more often recently by the Section in the month of November. We therefore recommend that the lecture be given in November of the year in which it is scheduled. As the most recent lecture was given in November, 1992, the next lecture should be presented in November 1994 and each alternate November thereafter.

The Julius Stieglitz Lecture Committee . The lecture committee shall be composed of six members chosen so as to provide rotation and continuity. The committee shall include the Section Chair during the year in which the selection is made and 5 additional members, of whom no more than 2 shall be board members. The initial appointments shall be for 1, 2 and 3 year terms, with each subsequent term being for 3 years. No member may serve for more than 2 consecutive terms, but may be reappointed after a 1-year absence from the committee. The members shall be appointed by the Chair during the year in which the vacancies occur. In making the appointments, care should be given to try to appoint people who have some knowledge of current research on the forefront of the discipline of chemistry; especially – but not confined to - the disciplines of organic, bioorganic, biochemistry, and medicinal chemistry. The named fields were of particular interest to the research and teaching career of Prof. Stieglitz.

Manner of Selection . As early as practical during the year preceding the lecture, the chair shall initiate the selection process by sending out a call for nominees. Included in this call shall be a list of previous nominees and awardees. These new nominees, along with any presently in the pool from previous years shall then be used to choose the lecturer through a round robin process as presently used for the Distinguished Service Award. Immediately after the choice has been made, the Chairman of the University of Chicago Chemistry Department shall be informed. Upon concurrence by the Chairman of the University of Chicago Chemistry Department, the Lecturer shall be contacted as to availability and his name presented to the Section and the University as the Stieglitz Lecturer for the coming year. The process should be completed no later than January 1 of the year in which the Lecture is to be presented. (June 17, 1993)

V-3-7        BASOLO AWARD. The Chicago Section shall co -sponsor the Basolo Award with the Department of Chemistry Northwestern University. The award is fully endowed by Northwestern University and is presented in October each year. (Nov 11, 1999)

V-4-1        DIRECTORS MEETINGS. The Board of Directors shall meet on the Thursday of the week preceding the Section meetings whenever possible.

V-4-2        EXECUTIVE SESSIONS. In at least two Board meetings per year, an executive session shall be held at the last portion of the meeting, with one to be held in November to consider and act on recommendations of the Office Affairs Committee on employee ratings and salaries. Other executive sessions shall be announced in advance of the meeting for which they are scheduled or may, upon formal motion, be called to follow a meeting, by a vote of 2/3 majority of those present. Executive sessions shall be limited to Board members except those who receive salaries or fees from the Section. A quorum for Executive Sessions shall be the same as for the Board meeting. The Secretary shall keep notes of what transpired during the Executive session

V-6-1        EMPLOYEES. Job descriptions of the Office Manager, Receptionist, and Consultant are on file at the office.

V-6-2        C&EN CORRESPONDENT. The Office Manager shall send to C&EN all programs as soon as available, keeping in mind the proper issue for publication.

V-6-3        EMPLOYEES. The Section officers shall keep the total number of employees under six unless otherwise authorized by the Board.

V-6-4        SICK LEAVE. Sick leave is granted by the Section so that hardships imposed on the employees by sickness can be reduced. For this reason, sick leave may not be combined with a vacation to extend a vacation. Vacation may be combined with sick leave. Each salaried employee of the Section may be permitted a maximum of ten working days sick leave during the first year of employment, twelve working days sick leave per year after more than three years. Each employee with more than three years of service may accumulate sick leave to a maximum of 30 working days. Exceptions not adequately met by these provisions should be brought to the attention of the Board.

V-6-5        VACATIONS. Vacations are granted for the purpose of providing the employee with a period of rest in each calendar year. Vacations may be used to extend sick leaves within the meaning of this concept of rest. Upon the completion of six months’ service, each employee is entitled to one week, or five working days, of vacation with pay. Upon the completion of one year of services and during the calendar year in which the first anniversary of employment occurs, each employee is entitled to two weeks, or ten working days, of vacation with pay. Up to and including the tenth year of service, each employee is entitled to two weeks, or ten working days, of vacation with pay each calendar year; after ten years of service three weeks or fifteen working days; beginning with their fifteenth year of service four weeks or twenty working days; beginning with their twentieth year of service, five weeks or twenty-five working days.

V-6-6        HOLIDAYS. Employees of the Section shall be entitled to nine paid holidays per year:  New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, plus three discretionary days to be established by the Office Manager.

V-6-7        OFFICE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. There shall be an Office Affairs Committee, to be a committee of the Board and include the Chair of the Office Affairs Committee, the Director of Budgets, the Chair, the Chair -elect, and the Immediate Past Chair of the Section.  This committee shall serve as an advisory committee to the Chair of the Section and the Board on such matters as office staff, leasing of office space, purchase of office equipment, and custody of historical material belonging to the Section.

Any proposals concerning office affairs that do not carry the approval of the Office Affairs Committee shall be automatically tabled until the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. Such proposals may not be tabled again under the provision of this regulation.

The Office Affairs Committee shall review annually the performance of Section employees. (See PD IX-1-1 for annual reports at the December Board Meeting)

Salary adjustments should be reviewed annually where employees are concerned.

The Chair of the Office Affairs Committee shall approve vouchers covering office expense and salaries. (Aug. 5, 2004)

V-7-1        INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE. The Comptroller, in consultation with the accountant , shall execute Form 990-A and such other forms as may be required and submit them to the Director of Internal Revenue on or before the required dates each year.

V-7-2        ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT. The Comptroller shall be responsible for the preparation of an annual financial report to be transmitted to the ACS Washington office as required by the Society

V-7-3        CONFERENCES WITH AUDITOR . In regular conferences with the Auditor, the Finance Panel shall represent the Board. A special conference of the Auditor and the Board shall be arranged at the request of either party. (Jan 17, 1991)

V-7-4        ELECTION OF COMPTROLLER. The Policy Committee shall submit a nomination for Comptroller with the call for the May Board meeting. Additional nominations of those who have signified willingness to serve may be made from the floor at the May Board meeting. Election shall be held at the May Board meeting.

V-7-5        INTEGRATED FINANCIAL REPORT. The Integrated Financial Report required by the Bylaws shall follow the general form used in 1949-50. It shall include reports on the Scholarship Fund.

V-7-6        COURTESY REPORTS. The Comptroller shall submit a copy of the audited financial statement at the meeting of the Board preceding presentation of the report to the Section. He shall invite the Treasurer, Business Manager, and Secretary of the Board of Trustees , to elaborate on appropriate sections of the report.

V-8-1        BUDGET. The term “budget” as used in all Section matters shall mean a written financial statement of estimated revenues and expenditures for a definite period of time for separately defined accounts. A recommendation from the Director of Budgets must accompany all requests for expenditures not covered by a regularly adopted budget, or for adoption of, or changes in a budget, and no expenditures or commitments for expenditures shall he made until such budgets are approved.

V-8-2        SUB -BUDGETS. Certain activities of the Section involve income and expense, with only the net result reported in the operating budget. These include the Gibbs Award, House, Directory, Lecture Series, Regional Meeting, and other activities. Budgets for these must be submitted to the Board by the Director of Budgets, and no expenditures or commitments shall be made or undertaken until such budgets are approved.

V-8-3        BUDGET REPORTS. The Director of Budgets shall report at each Board meeting any expenditures that have exceeded the budgeted amount and recommend corrective action in accordance with Bylaw V, Section 8.

V-8-4        PUBLICATION OF BUDGET. The Director of Budgets shall request the Editor to publish the current budget in the March issue of THE CHEMICAL BULLETIN.

VI-1-1        NOMINATION OF COUNCILORS. The Policy Committee shall send with the call for the May Board meeting a list of nominees for Councilors and Alternate Councilors, in number approximately twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The Policy Committee shall report to the Board those nominees who are on Society committees that require Council membership. Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the May Board meeting and election of candidates held at that meeting. Board members shall vote for not less than the number of Councilors and Alternate Councilors than there are vacancies to be filled to comply with the divisor set at the time the election of candidates is held. Those nominees receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared the candidates.

VI-1-2        COUNCILOR TRAVEL . The Section will underwrite Councilor travel for Councilors who attend two Council meetings to the extent of 50% of the National A.C. S. subsidy, the expenses incurred by the Councilors for such attendance in excess of the reimbursement by any other third party such as the Councilors’ employers. This policy also will apply to Alternate Councilors who are authorized to attend a Council meeting in place of a Councilor. Such reimbursement will be predicated upon receipt by the Section of receipt supported itemized expenses and reimbursements by other third parties within 15 days following a Council meeting. (March 9, 2000)

VI-1-3        COUNCILORS. Immediately following announcement by the ACS of the Councilor divisor, the Secretary shall notify the ACS Washington office of the names and addresses of the Councilors and Alternate Councilors elected by the Section. The Secretary shall also notify the Councilors of their election and summarize their duties.

VI-1-4        ALTERNATE COUNCILORS . For the March 2001 Council meeting there will be a random selection list of Alternate Councilors. An Alternate Councilor will move to the bottom of the list if a) the Alternate Councilor attends a meeting or b) turns down two offers to attend a meeting. Newly elected Alternate Councilors will be randomized and added to the bottom of the list. Reelected Alternate Councilors will maintain their position on the list. (December 7, 2000)

VI-1-5        NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The Policy Committee shall send with the call for the May meeting a list of nominees to serve on the Nominating Committee, keeping in mind that at least 6 of the 11 to be elected may not be members of the current Board of Directors. Additional nominations shall be made at the May Board Meeting. Voting shall be by ballot at the May Board meeting. Each Board member may vote for up to 11 candidates, but should not vote for more than 5 Board members. The Board shall also designate 2 alternates, at least one not being a member of the Board, from the list of candidates, but not elected. These alternates shall serve on the Nominating Committee in the event that any regularly elected member shall be unable to carry out his duties. Also, if any member of the Committee disqualifies himself or herself for any period of time by becoming a nominee or potential nominee, the alternates shall assist the Committee as replacement. The Secretary shall notify the members of the Nominating Committee of their election and outline the work to be done.

VI-1-6        ELECTION RECORDS. The tallies of the Nominating and Election Tellers Committees shall be signed by the chairs of the respective committees and kept on file in the Section office for five years. These tallies shall be made available to Section members on request.

VI-1-7        REPORTS OF NOMINATING AND TELLERS COMMITTEES. The Nominating and Tellers Committees shall report the nominees for office and the election results to the Chair of the Section during the evenings of the August and October meetings if possible.

VI-1-8        BIOGRAPHICAL DATA. The Office Manager shall request each consenting candidate for Chair-elect to supply a policy statement, and each candidate for officer , director, Councilor and Alternate Councilor to supply their brief professional biography, emphasizing Section and Society activities. The Secretary shall edit and publish or send this to each member of the Section before the election.

VI-2-1        ELECTED DIRECTORS. The term “Elected Director” shall apply to a director elected by the Section membership. A director selected by the Board of Directors to fill a vacancy of Elected Director shall be considered an “Appointed Director.”

VI-2-2        BALLOT PLACEMENT. The Secretary shall list the nominees for each office on the ballot in random order determined by the drawing of lots.

VIII-1-1        RESOLUTION - SECRETARY. Whenever the Board of Directors shall pass any resolutions or take action affecting procedure or policy, the Secretary shall attach a copy of such resolution or statement of such action to the official copy of the Bylaws. The Secretary shall keep a list of current policy declarations.

VIII-1-2        MINUTES. The Secretary shall record all motions that areproposed and seconded, whether passed or not, and shall hand sign the official copy of the minutes.

VIII-1-3        ACTIVITIES. In July the Secretary shall compile a list of recent Section activities of members and publish this or send a copy to each member with the Nomination ballot.

VIII-2-1        TEMPORARY BONDS. If, in the interval between Board meetings, it becomes necessary to change the Treasurer’s bond or to institute a bond for the Secretary of the Board of Section Trustees, the Finance Panel shall fix the amount of the bond or bonds, inform the Secretary of the Section, and report its action to the Board of Directors at the next meeting.

VIII-2-2        SURPLUS. The Finance Panel shall examine the amount of any surplus in the office of the Treasurer at least annually and shall recommend to the Board of Directors any desirable action with respect thereto.

VIII-2-3        TEMPORARY OPERATING SURPLUS. The Treasurer shall endeavor to secure maximum income on those surplus funds in his office that serve only as temporary operating capital by placing such funds in the savings account of the Section and in short-term government securities

VIII-2-4        SPECIAL AUDIT. When there is a change in treasurer other than at the end of a fiscal year, an audit similar to that mentioned in Bylaw Article III, Section 5, may be arranged by the Board.

IX-1-1        STANDING COMMITTEES. There shall be 19 standing committees. The chairs of these committees shall be members of the Board of Directors with one-half vote each. The standing committees are the Awards Committee, Chicago Chemistry Week Committee, Chicago School Board Liaison Committee, College Education Committee, Continuing Education Committee, Elementary Education Committee, High School Education Committee, Employment Committee, Endowment Committee, Environmental & Laboratory Safety Committee, Gibbs Arrangements Committee, Hospitality Committee, House Committee, Membership Affairs Committee, Minority Affairs Committee, Professional Relations Committee, Program Committee, Public Affairs Committee, and Public Relations Committee.

IX-1-2        AWARDS COMMITTEE . The Awards Committee shall prepare and submit such nominations as it deems suitable for local and national awards, except as otherwise provided in the Bylaws or Policy Declarations.

IX-1-3        CHICAGO CHEMISTRY WEEK COMMITTEE . The Chicago Chemistry Week Committee shall organize events for National Chemistry Week and produce them in the Chicago area. It shall help coordinate and publicize Chemistry Week activities in the Chicago Section and work with the National Chemistry Week office as part of the overall outreach activities of the Section.

IX-1-4        CHICAGO SCHOOL BOARD LIAISON COMMITTEE . The Chicago School Board Liaison Committee shall enhance the science interest and training of high school students by working with the Chicago Board of Education, its officials and teachers, and with other boards of education within the geographical area covered by the Section .

IX-1-5        COLLEGE EDUCATION COMMITTEE . The College Education Committee shall arrange for the annual Undergraduate Symposium in Chemistry sponsored by the Section, and shall assist chapters of Student Affiliates in the territory of the Section to further their continued growth and effectiveness.

IX-1-6        CONTINUING EDUCATION COMMITTEE . The Continuing Education Committee shall arrange for the offering and announcement of courses and lectures in chemistry and allied subjects of professional interest to members of the Section.

IX-1-7        ELEMENTARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE. The Elementary Education Committee shall meet the science needs of students and teachers at the elementary level.

IX-1-8        HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION COMMITTEE.  The high school education committee shall administer the Annual Scholarship examination sponsored by the Section and shall encourage and arrange liaison between different components of local educational systems concerned with the teaching of chemistry and allied subjects by means of conferences, meetings, plant tours and speakers.

IX-1-9        EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE.  The Employment Committee shall assist chemists and chemical engineers in obtaining professional employment. It shall maintain records of chemists seeking employment and records of positions available, shall provide for appropriate examination of these records by persons offering or seeking employment, and shall provide to such persons other appropriate information and counsel. It shall assist teachers and students of chemistry in obtaining vacation employment or part time employment which is related to chemistry.

IX-1-10        ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE. The Endowment Committee shall devise and execute methods for increasing the endowment of the Section and shall raise funds for activities of the Section as directed by the Board of Directors.

IX-1-11        ENVIRONMENTAL AND LABORATORY SAFETY COMMITTEE. The Environmental and Laboratory Safety Committee shall provide information and counseling on chemical safety problems and their solutions.

IX-1-12        GIBBS ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE. The Gibbs Arrangements Committee shall arrange the details connected with the Willard Gibbs Medal Award Dinner.

IX-1-13        HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE. The Hospitality Committee shall promote fellowship among the MEMBERS and shall introduce new MEMBERS and visitors. The Hospitality Committee may invite new Section members to attend a Section meeting following their entrance into the Section as dinner guests of the Committee. The Gibbs Award is excluded from this arrangement. The House and Hospitality Committees may endeavor to increase student activity and interest in the Section by using students on these committees at Section meetings. Dinners may be furnished to such students by the Committees concerned.

IX-1-14        HOUSE COMMITTEE.   The House Committee shall arrange the details of the meetings. Subject to final approval of the Board, the House Committee is empowered and instructed to contract for Section meeting dates as far in advance as possible. Not later than January of each year, a schedule should be presented running through the following programming year. (Note: The “regular” meeting date was formerly defined in the Bylaws as the Friday following the third Monday of each month, September through June.) The Chair of the House Committee and the Office Manager shall make and report to the Treasurer an inventory of the physical property of the Section as of June 30 annually. After clearing with the Office Manager, The Chair of the Section or the Chair of the House Committee may, at their discretion, loan the equipment of the Section to the Chicago Chemists Club or to other scientific societies.

IX-1-15        MEMBERSHIP AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.   The Membership Affairs Committee shall endeavor to maintain and increase the membership of the Section and shall serve as an instrument through which the Board of Directors may communicate with the MEMBERS of the Section. At the request of the Admissions Committee of the SOCIETY, this committee shall investigate the qualifications of applicants for membership, and recommend appropriate action to the Board of Directors.

IX-1-16        MINORITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.   The Minority Affairs Committee shall give support and commitment to the development of an action agenda to stimulate and strengthen the participation of all minorities at all levels in chemistry, science and the SOCIETY. It shall devote special attention to mentoring, encouragement, and the intellectual and professional enhancement of students, teachers and practicing chemists of all ages and levels of interest.

IX-1-17        PROGRAM COMMITTEE.   The Program Committee shall arrange programs and secure speakers for the meetings of the Section. Speakers at Section and Group meetings and their spouses shall be invited to attend the dinner as guests of the Section. The cost of the dinners is to be charged to the Program Committee.

IX-1-18        PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE.   The Professional Relations Committee shall study and make recommendations regarding employer-employee relations, government actions and policies, and the community status of the individual chemist and the SOCIETY which affect the welfare and the professional status of the chemist.

IX-1-19        PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.   The Public Affairs Committee shall inform Section members, and inform and assist public officials and bodies, concerning matters where the knowledge and practice of chemistry are of substantial public importance.

IX-1-20       PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE.   The Public Relations Committee shall promote the Section and its activities to the general public by way of public media.

IX-1-21        AWARDS.   The Board favors the selection of scientists from the Chicago area fornominations submitted by the Awards Committee if a suitable nominee can be selected; if not, one may be selected from some other area.

IX-1-22        LECTURE SERIES.   The Chair of the Continuing Education Committee is instructed to set up a sub-committee on professional education to arrange for the offering of courses in chemistry and allied subjects of interest to members of the Section.

IX-1-23        PROPERTY INVENTORY.   The Chair of the House Committee and the Office Manager shall make and report to the Treasurer an inventory of the physical property of the Section as of December 31 annually.

IX-1-24        MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS.   The Membership Affairs Committee is instructed to establish a sub-committee on membership qualifications whose duties shall be to investigate thoroughly the qualifications of any applicant for ACS membership coming under the provisions of ACS Bylaw I, Section 3-a-7, referred to the Section by the Admissions Committee; to report to the Board promptly a summary of these qualifications; and to recommend action.

IX-1-25        PROGRAM COMMITTEE GUESTS.   Speakers at Section and Group meetings and their spouses shall be invited to attend the dinner as guests of the Section. The cost of the dinners is to be charged to the Program Committee.

IX-1-26        LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE.   The Chair shall appoint a Long Range Planning Committee with a present or former elected officer or director as chair. The size and membership of the committee shall be at the discretion of the Section Chair.

IX-1-27        NATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.  The Councilors and Alternate Councilors of the Section shall comprise the National Affairs Committee, the Chair of which shall be designated by the Section Chair (In recent years the Past-Chair has served as Chair of the National Affairs Committee ). It shall be the duty of this Committee to discuss the agenda of the national Council meetings, to inform the Board and Section of matters of importance, to recommend action if deemed desirable, and to nominate candidates for national offices of the Society. Councilors and Alternate Councilors of Divisions and ex-officio councilors of the society who are members of the Chicago Section shall be invited to join this Committee at their option. The National Affairs Chair shall be the Chair of the ACS Congressional Science Counselors for the Chicago Section. (note: See also PD V-2-5)

IX-1-28        TOPICAL GROUPS.   At the discretion of the Chair of the Program Committee, special interest groups relating to the specialties of chemistry may be established. These groups are to receive their finances as part of the Program Committee budget, and may not have separate dues. It is expected that at least twice a year each group will meet as part of the regular monthly meeting of the Section. All activities must conform with the Bylaws and Policy Declarations of the Section and with the Bylaws of the national ACS.

IX-1-29        COMMITTEES.  (a) Prospective members of future standing committees should be asked to review the annual reports of their predecessors and required to sign them before being accepted. They should agree to attend 80% of all meetings of the standing committee to which appointed. (b) Members of the Program, House, and Hospitality Committees, and BULLETIN staff members, should agree to attend at least 50% of all Section meetings. (c) Lists of Standing Committee personnel should be withheld from publication in the BULLETIN until October of each year, so that only those fulfilling their obligations will be included, and the BULLETIN editor should be requested to publish such lists in November or December.

IX-1-30        ANNUAL REPORTS.   The Chairs of each committee shall submit annual reports, preferably in electronic form, on or before December 31. The reports shall include personnel, budget, expenditures, accomplishments, and recommendations of the committee. They shall be submitted to the Section office, the Chair and the Chair-elect.

IX-2-1        PUBLICATIONS STAFF.   The Editor shall appoint the staff of the CHEMICAL BULLETIN with the exception of the Business Manager and Assistant Business Manager.

IX-2-2        EDITOR OF THE DIRECTORY.  The Chair of the Section may, after consulting with the Editor and Business Manager, appoint an Editor for the Directory.

IX-2-3        ALTERNATES.   When the Editor, Business Manager, Comptroller, or Chair of any standing committee is unable to attend a meeting of the Board of Directors, he should appoint, with the consent of the Chair of the Section, a member of the Section to be his representative at that meeting but without the power to vote. The Chair shall announce such representatives at the beginning of each meeting.

IX-2-4        ADVERTISEMENTS.   Any advertisement endorsing a candidate for A.C.S. national, regional or local office accepted by the CHEMICAL BULLETIN will have the statement ‘Paid Advertisement’ incorporated. (Sept 12, 1991)

X-1-1        MEETING DATES.   Subject to final approval of the Board, the House Committee is empowered and instructed to contract for Section meeting dates as far in advance as possible. Not later than January of each year, a schedule should be presented running through the following calendar year. (Note: The “regular” meeting date was formerly defined in the Bylaws as the Friday following the Third Monday of each month, September through June.)

X-2-2       HONORARIA TO SECTION MEETING SPEAKERS.  No honorarium may be offered to any speaker at any regular meeting of the Chicago Section without prior notification to, and approval by, the Board of Directors.

XI-1-1       FREE DISTRIBUTION.   The CHEMICAL BULLETIN shall be sent free of charge to all student affiliates of the ACS who reside in the Chicago area and whose names and addresses are submitted by the Chapter’s faculty advisor or other official of the Chapter.

XI-1-2        DIRECTORY.    (a) The Directory of the Chicago Section shall not be sold or disposed of to any one not a member of the Chicago Section without the express approval of the Chair. (b) A price of $3.00 shall be charged for the Directory when the request for it has been approved in accordance with existing Policy Declarations. There will he no charge to Section members for one copy, but if a request for a second copy is granted, the charge will be $3.00. (c) Upon request to the Office Manager, members of the Board of Directors will be issued an additional copy of the Directory without charge (d) a new Directory shall preferably be issued at intervals not greater than three years.

XI-2-1        CHEMICAL BULLETIN.   No financial gain shall accrue to any member of the Section as a result of connection with the CHEMICAL BULLETIN, except a paid member of the Section office who may be a member of the ACS.

XI-2-2        EDITORIAL POLICY.   The editorial policy of the BULLETIN shall be set by the Editor, who may consult with his staff and Advisory Board. The Editor shall be independent of the Board of Directors with respect to editorial policy. (Note: See also Board Minutes of 5-13-65, page 74, for discussion and elaboration of this declaration).

XI-2-3        ADVISORY BOARD.   The Editor may appoint an Advisory Board, to advise him in the issuance of Section publications.

XI-2-4        ELECTION OF EDITOR.   The Policy Committee shall, in consultation with the incumbent Editor, nominate at least one candidate for Editor, whose name shall be sent out with the call for the April Board meeting. Additional nominations of persons who have signified willingness to serve may be made at the April meeting. Election shall be at the April meeting.

XI-2-5        ELECTION OF BUSINESS MANAGER.   The Policy Committee shall, in consultation with the Editor, nominate at least one candidate for Business Manager of the Publications, whose name shall be sent out with the call for December Board meeting. Additional nominations of persons who have signified willingness to serve may be made at the December Board meeting. Election shall be at the December Board meeting.

XI-2-6       ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER.   The Chair of the Section, after consultation with the Business Manager, may appoint an Assistant Business Manager.

XII-1-1        NEW MEMBER DUES.   New Section members whose membership becomes effective on or after September 1st shall not be billed for Section dues until after the beginning of the next calendar year. The Hospitality Committee shall advise such members in its letter of welcome that they will be entitled to all of the privileges of paid Section members, including dinner tickets at the reduced rate, until January 1st of the same year.

XIV-1-1        SURPLUS ACCOUNT.   Recognizing that the Treasurer’s funds are combined for banking purposes, the Treasurer shall maintain records showing the status of the surplus account and sub-accounts. These sub-accounts shall include (a) Publications Account; (b) Scholarship Awards Account; (c) Professional Education Lecture Series Account; (d) Ordinary Surplus Account; and any new account established by resolution of the Board. Disbursements from specific accounts or additions thereto shall be made as designated by the Board at the time budgets are approved or special allocations are made, or in accord with provisions of the Bylaws.

XIV-2-1        ELECTION OF SECTION TRUSTEES.  The term of office of the Section Trustees shall be three years, with one Trustee elected at the December Board meeting to serve three years from the following January 1. Trustees may serve consecutive terms, and there shall be no limit to the number of successive terms of service. The Policy Committee shall nominate at least one Member for Section Trustee and include this nomination with the call for the December Board Meeting. Additional nominations of persons who have signified their willingness to serve may be made at this meeting. (Jan 17, 1991)

XIV-2-2        INVESTMENTS.   The Secretary of the Section shall inform the Trustees by letter of every action relating to their functions.

XIV-2-3        CHARGES.   The Trustees are authorized to charge taxes and commission on the purchase and sale of securities to the cost of such securities.

XIV-2-4        DONATIONS   In the future, funds from the Campaign for Chemistry, other similar sources and individual bequests are to be placed in the General Endowment Fund. (Aug 13, 1992).

XIV-2-5        IPATIEFF FUND.   Minutes of 12 -7 -68, page 96, record the history of the establishment of the fund from a bequest of Vladimir Nicholavich Ipatieff, supplemented by the gift of an anonymous donor or donors who specified that the income from the combined gifts be used to purchase books and materials, preferable in the fields of interest of Dr. Ipatieff, for deposit in the Crerar Library. [Editor Note: Crerar Library now located at Univ. of Chicago campus.]

XIV-2-6        SCHAAR ENDOWMENT FUND.   The Chicago Section will establish the Bernard E. Schaar Endowment Fund with monies held in trust for the Chicago Chemists Club for the purpose of funding the Bernard E. Schaar Scholarship Award. The award in the amount of $400 will be granted annually to the student from a Chicago public or private high school who achieves the highest score on the annual scholarship exam administered by the Chicago Section. It shall be paid directly to the student. A grant of $100 shall be paid to the teacher who nominated that student at the at the award ceremony in June. The Chicago Chemists Club shall designate a representative who shall concur in the selection of the awardee. Future levels of the award will be determined by the Chicago Chemists Club based upon the annual earnings of the endowment fund. Should the Chicago Section American Chemical Society cease to exist, terminate its activities, or cease administering a scholarship examination the monies in this endowment fund shall be returned to the Chicago Chemists Club. (September 13, 2001)

XIV-4-1        SCHOLARSHIP FUND.   The Treasurer shall maintain the surplus from the Scholarship Fund in either a savings account or Treasury bills or notes, and shall credit this fund on December 31 with the interest earned during the current fiscal year.

XIV-4-2        SCHOLORSHIP FUNDS   The Scholarship Operating Fund shall be reduced to the current level of Scholarship Liability ($48,150), and the excess funds be transferred to the Scholarship, Maria Lishka and Marshall Smoler funds prorated to the June 30, 2002 balances. Annual transfers of earnings from the Scholarship, Maria Lishka, Marshall Smoler and Bernard Schaar Funds to the Scholarship Operating Fund be limited to the increased Scholarship Liability. Currently this amounts to $15,050 annually in scholarships and $600 in teacher awards (August 8, 2002)

XIV-4-3        SCHOLARSHIPS.  The Board shall decide no later than September, and preferably at the summer Board meeting, on a Scholarship Award Program for the coming year, and the Endowment and High School Education Committees shall proceed in accordance with the plan adopted by the Board on April 15, 1956. The value of the scholarship awards shall be:

First Place $5,000
Second Place 3,000
Third Place 2,500
Fourth Place 1,500
Fifth Place 1,250
Teacher[s] of Winning Student[s][100x5] 500

(May 11, 2000, reaffirmed April 11, 2002)

XIV-4-4        MARIE ANN LISHKA SCHOLARSHIP.  A memorial scholarship honoring Marie Ann Lishka be established by endowment funds contributed for this purpose and that a scholarship award be given yearly to the highest scoring high school female student selected from the Chicago Section ACS scholarship exam. (May 12, 1994)

XV-4-1        WILLARD GIBBS MEDAL AWARD PRESENTATION.  The Section Chair shall arrange the program for the award and talk by the medallist, after consultation with the medallist-designate and others concerned. The Section shall not be obligated for travel expenses for anyone other than the medallist and spouse, except for an agreed-upon share of travel expenses for the President of the ACS or his designated alternate. Guests at a dinner should be limited to active participants in the program, current members of the jury of award, and past medallists. As Auditor of ballots, the Chair-elect (and spouse) should be seated at a head table.

XV-6-1        GIBBS JURORS. The Policy Committee shall prepare a list of not less than eight names of chemists representing diverse interest and locations, as Gibbs Juror nominees. This list, properly classified as to the field of interest and location, shall be sent with the call for the January Board meeting. Additional nominations may be made at the January Board meeting. The combined list shall be mailed with the call for the February Board meeting. The Board shall vote by ballot at the February meeting to elect four jurors, bearing in mind that the distribution of the entire jury shall be as uniform as possible within the major fields of chemistry. The term of office is three years, commencing July 1. The Chair shall notify the jurors of their election.

XV-6-2        GIBBS JURY PROCEDURES.  The Chair is justified in limiting the nomination of each juror to one person, rather than to a team of two or more.

XVI-1        SEXUAL HARASSMENT The ACS Chicago Section prohibits and will not tolerate harassment whether it be by a section member, guest, employee, or vendor at a section activity, including, but not limited to, section meetings, board of directors meetings, section committee meetings and outreach activities.  The section’s Board of Directors can take appropriate disciplinary action on any individual who engages in such prohibited activity.  Disciplinary action may include asking the individual to vacate the premises.  In the event that an immediate action is required, the section's chair represents the Board of Directors. ( March 9, 2007 )

XVII-1        BYLAW AMENDMENTS.  It is recommended that the Section bylaws be changed not more than once a year, and that a call for possible amendments and a statement of the deadline be published in THE CHEMICAL BULLETIN next preceding the deadline. The deadline shall be January 1 with the bylaw changes submitted to ACS National by June 30. All changes received after January 1 will be made in the following year. (Jan. 17, 1991)

December 2, 2004

updates added March 9, 2007:  XVII-1
Section V-3-3 on Distinguished Service Award updated November 7, 2005

 

 

Last updated 11/12/14
Copyright © 2009-2014, Chicago Section, The American Chemical Society
Contact the webmaster
Webs by Wizardcraft