Rochester, N. Y.

Approved by membership vote May 2007; adopted by the Section Board of Directors on June 19,2007.

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AFFILIATION
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be: The Mineral Section of the Rochester Academy of Science, Inc.
Section 2. The Mineral Section is a charter member of the American Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies, Inc.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES
The purposes of the Mineral Section shall be:
(1) to promote interest and increase knowledge in the fields of mineralogy and geology
(2) to encourage the collecting, study, and display of specimens in these fields
(3) to arrange field trips of mineralogical and geological interest
(4) to publish information and books and articles pertaining to these fields

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Members of the Mineral Section must be members of the Rochester Academy of Science.
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 to hold office.
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
Section 1. The elected officers of the Mineral Section shall be a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, a secretary, a curator, and three (3) directors.
Section 2. All officers, except directors, shall be elected for a one-year term beginning January 1 following the November election, and may be re-elected. One director shall be elected each year for a three- year term.
Section 3. The officers, directors, and the immediate past president shall constitute the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Vacancies in any position shall be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE V: DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1 The President shall preside at all meetings of the Section and of the Board of Directors and shall be a member ex-officio of all committees except the nominating committee. The Board of Directors shall appoint all committee chairpersons. The President of the Section shall be its representative to the Board of Directors of the Academy. The President or his/her delegate may be a representative to the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies, Inc.
Section 2. The Vice-president shall perform all duties of the President during absence or disability of the President. He/she will also be the program chair.
Section 3. The Secretary will 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.
Section 4. The Treasurer will receive all dues and moneys of the Mineral Section, will oversee all financial transactions of the Section, and will keep accurate records of said transactions. He/she will pay such expenditures as approved by the Section. Expenditures in excess of one-hundred (100) dollars must be approved by the membership, the Board of Directors, or in an emergency, the President and at least one other Board member. The Treasurer shall present a brief financial report as requested.
Section 5. The duties of the Curator shall be as defined in Article VI.
Section 6. The Board of Directors shall have, subject to provisions of these bylaws, general responsibility for affairs, funds, and, of the Mineral Section. A simple majority of the current members of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI: SECTION PROPERTY
Section 1. The Curator shall maintain all physical property of the Section. He/she is also in charge of obtaining a suitable depository for all Section property.
Section 2. All non-expendable items acquired by gift, purchase, or loan shall be cataloged by the Curator. The record shall show when and from whom said material was acquired and its status, i.e., a gift, purchase, loan, etc., and if a monetary value is known for any item, it shall be so recorded.
Section 3. The annual report of the Curator shall review the use made of Section property, and shall include a list indicating the location and condition of all property of the Section.
Section 4. Fees for use of Section equipment may be established by the Board of Directors and such fees submitted to the Treasurer. Costs for replacement or repair of damaged equipment, and for consumption of expendable supplies, may be charged to the user. Items loaned shall be returned to the Curator unless agreed otherwise.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES
The President-elect shall appoint committees as soon as feasible, so that the committees may plan for the coming year. Each committee chair shall choose his/her own committee members from members of the Section. As a general rule, there shall be the following committees:

Education Committee: The Education Committee shall plan educational programs to increase the knowledge of Section members in the fields of mineralogy and geology. It shall also promote the knowledge of these fields and of the Section's activities. The Education Committee may encourage and assist in the formation of groups, formal or informal, interested in special fields or activities, whose leader should become a member of the Committee.

Exhibits Committee: The Exhibits Committee shall plan and install mineral and related exhibits:
1. In cooperation with the Show Committee
2. In cooperation with the Rochester Mineralogical Symposium
3. Special exhibits

Field Trip Committee: The Field Trip Committee shall investigate localities, determine and schedule field trips, make all necessary arrangements, including certificate of insurance, with proper authorities far enough in advance of scheduled dates so that the membership can be notified, and given information regarding each trip. The Committee shall instruct the membership regarding hazards, safety precautions, and the code of collecting ethics. On all Section field trips, it shall enforce compliance with necessary safety regulations by all participants, and insure that anti-litter rules are observed.

Publications Committee: The chairperson shall be editor and responsible for publishing and distributing the Section's newsletter, "RocKester News."

Show Committee: The Show Committee shall be a joint committee with the Rochester Lapidary Society, Inc., with a co-chair from each organization. It shall plan and carry out Gem, Mineral and Fossil Shows annually, unless determined otherwise by the Boards of Directors of these organizations. Members of the Show Committee shall be selected by the co-chairs from the membership of the organizations. A financial report shall be submitted to the President within four (4) months after the event and published in the "RocKester News."

ARTICLE VIII: DUES
Section l. Annual section dues shall be as determined by the Board of Directors and payable January 1st for the calendar year to the Academy Treasurer.
Section 2. Members whose dues remain unpaid on April 1st shall have their names removed from the membership and mailing lists of the Mineral Section.

Article IX: MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular meetings are usually held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from September through May.
Section 2. A notice of each meeting or Event shall appear in the monthly calendar of the Rochester Academy of Science Bulletin mailed to each member, stating the time and place of each and the program planned. This information shall also be listed on the Academy's Internet Web site.
Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the President, provided due notice is given to the membership.
Section 4. At any regular or special meeting a quorum shall consist of a number of Senior members equal to 20% of' members listed in the latest membership list.

ARTICLE X: ELECTIONS
Section 1. Election of officers and Directors shall be held at the November meeting.
Section 2. Whenever possible, a nominating committee shall be announced by the President at the September meeting to prepare a slate of proposed officers for presentation at the October meeting. The slate of nominees shall be published in the "RocKester News" and/or on the Section's Web page, 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.
Section 3. 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.
Section 4. The newly elected officers shall begin their term of office on January 1st and continue until their successors take office.

ARTICLE XI: FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Section shall be from January 1 through December 31.

ARTICLE XII: REPORTS
Section 1. At the close of the fiscal year, the Treasurer for the concluding fiscal year shall prepare an annual report to be presented at the March meeting. At least ten (10) days prior to the March meeting, this report and the Treasurer's record shall be submitted to two auditors who shall be appointed by the Board of Directors. The Treasurer shall submit relevant information to the Academy Treasurer for its tax reports.
Section 2. The Treasurer shall submit an Annual Report of membership and officers to the Eastern Federation along with its dues.

ARTICLE XIII: AMENDMENTS
These bylaws may be amended at a regular meeting having a quorum, by a two-thirds vote of all Senior members present following publication of the proposed amendment(s) in the previous "RocKester News." The Board of Directors shall approve any proposed amendments before publication.
Any member may submit to the Secretary, in writing, Proposed amendments to the bylaws, for consideration by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XIV: LIMITATIONS
This organization is a non-profit organization created solely and exclusively for educational and scientific purposes limited however to mineralogy, geology, and related subjects. Upon dissolution, all moneys and property belonging to the Section shall be contributed to similar nonprofit organizations, as shall be decided by vote of the remaining members of the Section.

ARTICLE XV: CONTRACTS
No Contracts or agreements involving the Mineral 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.