ARTICLE I Name and affiliation

The name of this organization shall be: The Genesee Valley Fossil Section of the Rochester Academy of Science. Inc.

ARTICLE II Purposes

The purposes of the Fossil Section shall be:

A. To promote interest and increase knowledge in the field of paleontology
B. To encourage the collecting, studying and displaying of specimens in the paleontological field
C. To arrange field trips
D. To publish information and articles pertaining to the field of paleontology

ARTICLE III Membership

A. Only members of the Rochester Academy of Science shall be eligible for membership in the Genesee Valley Fossil Section
B. Senior members shall be 18 years of age or older. They shall have all rights and privileges of membership including the rights to vote and hold office.
C. Junior members shall be those members under 18 years of age. They shall have all the rights and privileges of membership, except those of voting and holding office.

ARTICLE IV Officers

A. The elected officers of the Genesee Valley Fossil Section shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and three (3) Directors.
B. All officers, except directors, shall be elected for a one-year term beginning January 1 following the May election, and may be re-elected twice. One director shall be elected each year for a three-year term, and may not succeed himself.
C. The officers, directors and the immediate past president shall constitute the Board of Directors.
D. Vacancies in office shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V Duties of Officers and Chairpersons

A. President --The President shall preside at all meetings of the Section and of the Board of Directors; shall be a member ex-officio of all committees except the Nominating Committee; shall appoint the Chairpersons of all Committees. The President of the Section is a member of the Council of the Academy. The President shall appoint all chairpersons with approval of the Board.

B. Vice-President--The Vice-President shall perform all duties of the President during absence or disability of the President. He/she shall be the Program Chairperson. The Vice-President shall plan educational programs to increase the knowledge of Section members in the field of paleontology.

C. Secretary--The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Section; prepare minutes of all business meetings of the Section and of the Board of Directors, and perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

D. Treasurer
1. The Treasurer shall receive all dues and monies of the Section.
2. He/she shall assist the Academy Treasurer in the distribution of annual notices of Academy and Section dues, and notices to members whose dues are delinquent.
3. He/she shall make such expenditures as approved by the Section, or the Board of Directors, or in an emergency the President and at least one other Section officer.
4. He/she shall be prepared to make a brief financial report at each meeting of the Section and of the Board of Directors.
5. The Treasurer for the concluding fiscal year shall prepare a proposed budget for the next fiscal year, said budget to be approved by the Board of Directors and the approved budget shall be announced to the Membership.

E. Board of Directors -The Board of Directors shall have, subject to the provisions of these By-Laws, general responsibility for all affairs, funds, and property of the Section. Four (4) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

F. Librarian
1. The librarian shall maintain a record of all specimens, collections, books, newsletters, display cases and accessories, equipment and other property of the Section and be in charge of obtaining a suitable depository for such property.
2. All non-expendable items acquired by gift, pruchase or loan shall be cataloged by the librarian. The record shall show when and from whom said material was acquired and its status, i.e., a gift, purchase, loan. If a monetary value is known for any item, it shall be so recorded.
3. The annual report of the librarian shall review the use made of Section property and shall include a list indicating location and condition of all property of the section.

G. Field Trip Chairperson
I. The Chairperson shall investigate localities, determine and schedule field trips, make all necessary arrangements with proper authorities far enough in advance of scheduled dates so that the membership can be notified, and given information regarding each trip.
2. The Chairperson, or his designee, shall instruct the membership regarding hazards, safety-precautions, and the code of collecting ethics. On all Section field trips he or his designee, shall enforce compliance with necessary safety regulations by all participants, and insure that anti-litter restrictions are observed.

H. Newsletter Chairperson
1. The Chairperson shall be editor and responsible for publishing and distributing the Section's newsletter.
2. Publication shall be monthly in which a Section meeting is held or as determined by the Board of Directors.
3. The Chairperson, in cooperation with the Treasurer, shall issue to each member an annual membership list as soon as possible after dues are paid by July lst. The list shall include addresses, telephone numbers and name of spouses.

ARTICLE VI Dues

A. Annual Section dues shall be as determined by the Board of Directors, and payable January first for the calendar year to the Academy treasurer, who shall remit Section dues collected to its treasurer.

B. Members who dues remain unpaid on July first shall have their names removed from the membership and mailing lists of the Genesee Valley Fossil Section.

ARTICLE VII Meetings

A. Regular meetings shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month from September through June.

B. A notice of each meeting or event shall appear in the monthly calendar of the Rochester Academy of Science Bulletin and in the Section Fossiletter. Both of which are mailed to each member, stating the time and place of each and the planned program.

C. Special meetings may be called by the President, provided due notice is given to the membership.

D. At any regular or special meeting, a quorum shall consist of a number of Senior members equal to 25% of Senior members listed in the latest membership list.

ARTICLE VIII Elections

A. The election of officers shall be at the June meeting.

B. A Nominating Committee shall be announced by the President at the April meeting to prepare a slate of proposed officers for presentation at the June meeting. The slate of nominees shall be published in the May Fossiletter and announced at the next regular meeting. Further nominations for each office may be made by Senior Members provided agreement to serve if elected of those nominated is first obtained.

C. All officers shall be elected by ballot except when there is only one nominee for an office, that officer may be elected by voice vote.

D. The newly elected officers shall begin their term of office on October first and continue until their successors take office.

ARTICLE IX Fiscal Year

The Fiscal Year of the Section shall be from January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE X Reports

A. The President, Vice-President, Librarian and Field Trip Chairperson shall submit annual reports suitable for publication in the Fossiletter to the Board of Directors at least ten days prior to the June meeting.
B. At the close of the fiscal year, the Treasurer for the conc!uding fiscal year shall prepare an annual report to be presented at the October meeting. At least ten (10) days prior to the October meeting, this report and the Treasurer's record shall be submitted to two auditors who shall be appointed by the President.
C. Copies of the auditors' report shall be given to the President and the Treasurer prior to the October meeting, at which time it shall be presented for acceptance by the Section.

ARTICLE XI Amendments

A. These By-Laws may be amended at a regular meeting having a quorum, by a two-thirds vote of all Senior members present, and following publication of the proposed amendment(s) in the previous month's Fossiletter. The Board of Directors shall approve any proposed amendments before publication.
B. Any member may submit to the Secretary, in writing, proposed amendments to the By-Laws, for consideration by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XII Limitations

This organization is a non-profit organization created solely and exclusively for educational and scientific purposes, limited to paleontology. Upon dissolution, all money and property belonging to the Section shall be contributed to similar non-profit organizations of like interest, as shall be decided by vote of the remaining members of the Section.

ARTICLE XIII Contracts

No contracts or agreements involving the Genesee Valley Fossil Section shall obligate the Section in excess of the Section's treasury. In the event of a potential liability in excess of the Section's treasury or of an appearance of financial responsibility of the Rochester Academy of Science, the contract or agreement shall be submitted for approval to the governing board of the Academy.