SENEME
SouthEastern
New England Marine Educators
A regional chapter of the National
Marine Educators Association
SENEME
SouthEastern
New England Marine Educators
A regional chapter of the National
Marine Educators Association
SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND MARINE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
The name of this association shall be the Southeastern New England Marine Educators herein referred to as the ASSOCIATION.
The purposes of the ASSOCIATION are exclusively educational, cultural, scientific, literary, charitable, and no other, and in the furtherance of only these purposes, the particular business and objects of said ASSOCIATION shall be the following:
Section 1: To provide a medium for the exchange of information and teaching materials and to stress the interrelationships of marine and aquatic education to all disciplines and in other educational experiences.
Section 2: To make available information concerning the development, acquisition, selection, organization and presentation of marine and aquatic materials to all educational levels.
Section 3: To plan, organize, and administer projects and programs for advancing and using knowledge in marine and aquatic education.
Section 4: To provide assistance to other societies, agencies, and individuals conducting research, investigations and teaching/learning activities in the field of marine and aquatic education.
Section 5: To encourage the professional growth of marine educators and other interested parties.
Section 6: To pursue affiliations with organizations of like character.
Section 1: There shall be four (4) categories of membership: Active, Life, Organizational and Corporate. Eligibility and privileges for each class of membership shall be prescribed by the Bylaws.
Section 2: The Bylaws may provide for organizations to become affiliated with the ASSOCIATION under such conditions and with such privileges as are provided therein or established by the Board of Directors.
Section 1A: The officers of the organization shall be the President Elect, President, Past President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary and Membership Secretary.
Section 1B: In addition to the Officers, an Executive Director may be appointed.
Section 1C: The Officers and the Executive Director shall constitute the Executive Committee of the ASSOCIATION.
Section 2A: The duties of the Officers shall be such as usually pertain to the offices held, or so designated by the Board of Directors as well as any other duties as may be assigned by the President or prescribed by the Bylaws.
Section 2B: In the case of death, resignation, or inability to serve by the President, the President Elect shall assume duties of the office. Officers to fill any further vacancies shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 3: The offices of President Elect, President and Past President shall be for a term of one (1) year each consecutively for a total of three (3) years. The Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected to a two (2) year term with a limit of three (3) consecutive terms. The Membership Secretary and Treasurer will be elected on alternate years. The NMEA Representative shall be elected yearly.
Section 4: The Officers shall be elected in the manner prescribed in the Bylaws.
Section 1: The ASSOCIATION shall be governed by a Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be made up of the President Elect, President, Past President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Membership Secretary, NMEA Representative, Executive Director and 2-10 Board Members-at-large elected from the ASSOCIATION’s membership as provided for in the ASSOCIATION’s Bylaws.
Section 1: The President shall appoint the members of Standing Committees as provided by the Bylaws, and shall, with the consent of the Executive Committee, appoint a Chair of such committee.
Section 2: The President may appoint Ad Hoc Committees and their Chairs, as he or she may deem necessary.
Section 3: The terms of each Committee Chair and members thereof shall expire with the term of the President who appointed such committee unless otherwise specified by the Bylaws or in the draft of the motion proposing committee.
Section 1: Dues and assessments shall be determined as specified in the Bylaws.
Section 2: The Executive Committee shall determine salaries and honoraria, if any, to be paid to the officials and employees of the ASSOCIATION, but no member may vote on any questions involving the salary to be paid to the member. Payments for salaries and honoraria and all expenditures exceeding $50.00 must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 3: The Executive Committee shall adopt an annual budget, and they shall order an annual independent audit of the financial accounts of the ASSOCIATION, if they deem necessary.
The ASSOCIATION will hold at least one (1) general meeting of the membership every calendar year, designated as the “Annual Meeting” as prescribed by the Bylaws. The Board of Directors shall meet a minimum of six (6) times per year or as often as the Executive Committee deems necessary.
ARTICLE IX. NON-PROFIT ASSOCIATION
The ASSOCIATION is not organized for profit and no part of its net earnings shall inure to the benefit of any officer or employee of the ASSOCIATION except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to and for the ASSOCIATION in connection with one (1) or more of it purposes. No officer or employee of the ASSOCIATION, or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distributions of any of the assets upon dissolution of the ASSOCIATION. Not withstanding any other provisions of these Articles, the ASSOCIATION shall not conduct or carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1954 and its regulations as amended.
Bylaws as set forth in this Constitution shall constitute the Bylaws of the ASSOCIATION, which may be amended as provided therein.
Section 1: A proposed written amendment to the Constitution shall be presented in writing to the Secretary by not less than two (2) Officers or not less than five (5) Active members.
Section 2: The Secretary shall inform the Executive Committee of the proposed amendment. The proposed amendment shall be read at two (2) consecutive Board meetings open to the general membership and shall be published in two (2) consecutive issues of the newsletter.
Section 3: Thirty (30) days after the mailing of the second (2nd) publication, the amendment may be voted on and passed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Board of Directors or by one-half (1/2) plus one (1) vote of all Directors or by one-half (1/2) plus one (1) vote of all members responding to a mailed ballot or voting by written ballot at an ASSOCIATION meeting.