I. NAME:
The name of the organization shall be The Indiana Cave Survey, Inc.
II. PURPOSE:
The purpose of the organization shall be the same as The National Speleological
Society, with the additional purpose to collect and maintain data on all caves
and related features within the State of Indiana.
III. BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
A. The organization shall be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of the
Officers and enough Board Members at Large to make a total of six people. The
officers shall be PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, and TREASURER.
B. All Board members will be elected annually at the last regularly scheduled membership meeting of the year by vote of a plurality of the ICS members present. Terms shall run from 1 January through 31 December.
C. Any Board member may be removed from office for cause by a 2/3 vote of all ICS members. The vote must take place at a meeting of the membership with at least one week's notice to the membership that the action is on the agenda. Absentee ballots will be accepted.
D. Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by vote of a plurality of the ICS members present at the membership meeting at which the matter is considered.
IV. MEMBERSHIP:
A. There shall be three categories of membership in the ICS:
1. Associate
2. Regular
3. Contributing
B. Full membership as a Regular or Contributing member is limited to members of the National Speleological Society.
C. Only Regular and Contributing members shall have the right to vote at membership meetings.
D. Offices and directorships provided for under the ICS Constitution or By-Laws shall be held only by Regular and Contributing members.
E. Qualifications and conditions of each membership category, and method of termination of membership shall be further specified in the By-Laws.
V. MEETINGS:
There shall be regular meetings of the membership at times and dates determined
by the By-Laws. Special meetings of the membership may be called by the Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors may hold meetings of the Board when called by
the President or by any three directors.
VI. NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY:
The Constitution and By-Laws of the National Speleological Society shall be
binding on the Indiana Cave Survey. Any action inconsistent therewith shall be
null and void.
VII. NSS PROPERTY:
Any NSS property in the possession of the Indiana Cave Survey in the event of
dissolution shall revert to the NSS.
VIII. AMENDMENTS:
A. This constitution may be amended by a favorable vote by 2/3 of all ICS
members.
B. Prior to any meeting concerning amendments, all members must be given notice for purposes of casting absentee ballots.
IX. DEFINITIONS (Constitution and
Bylaws):
A. "Notice" means actual notice or mailing notice to the most recent
address given by the member to the ICS Treasurer.
B. Whenever the term "member(s)" is used without further qualification in the ICS Constitution or Bylaws it refers to Regular and Contributing members.
C. Any use of a masculine or feminine
pronoun in the ICS Constitution, Bylaws, and policies will be construed to
include the opposite gender.
Amended and approved, August 3, 1997; James Adams,
Secretary
Bylaws Of The Indiana Cave Survey, Inc.
I. MEETINGS:
Regular meetings shall be held once each quarter, preferably during the months
of March, June, September, and December. The place and date of each meeting
shall be decided at the previous meeting. Notice shall be given to all members.
II. DUES:
A. Dues shall be set at $5.00 per calendar year for all categories of
membership.
B. The initial dues of a new member shall be pro-rated based on the remaining proportion of the calendar year at the time of joining. Thereafter, all dues shall paid at the start of each calendar year.
III. MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES:
The membership categories are an attempt to balance the competing objectives of
easy access to ICS information and protection of that information. They
accomplish this by relating access of information to the demonstrated
contributions of each member.
1. ASSOCIATE. This membership category is open to anyone who supports the purposes of the ICS and pays dues. No screening or vote of the membership is required. This category provides a means for someone to support our organization even if he does not qualify for (or does not wish to apply for) the higher categories of membership. Associate Members may attend all ICS meetings and may participate in discussions, but may not vote. Like all members, they will receive the newsletter and other publications on the same basis as other members, except that they will not be entitled to receive cave lists. If someone contacts a County Director or ICS Officer with a request for locations or other information about specific caves, the County Director or officer will consider the fact that the requester is an Associate Member to be a significant factor in favor of granting the request.
2. REGULAR. Those who apply for this status must submit an application or resume showing their caving and related experience and their contributions to caving. The minimum requirements are that the applicant shall have previously turned in five ICS Cave Location Report Forms AND be an Associate Member for two years. Associate Members shall have the option to petition the ICS Board to waive either of these requirements, but the petition must state the reasons for waiver. The current members present at the next general meeting following the submission of the application shall review the applicant's qualifications and determine by majority vote whether or not to accept the applicant into Regular Membership. (The membership may also vote to defer the application.) The applicant is encouraged to be present to speak for himself, but this is not required. Regular Members are entitled to be present at all ICS meetings and to vote at all general meetings on motions, resolutions, membership applications, and in the election of officers. They shall be entitled to request County Directors or Officers to issue cave lists covering limited areas (such as a county or a quad) in which the requester is doing ICS related work. Such requests shall include an explanation of the work being done in the area. The denial of a request must include an explanation for the denial and may be appealed to the ICS Board. Printed copies of the ICS Karst Database will be distributed to Regular Members upon payment of the cost of producing any lists requested.
3. CONTRIBUTING. This category is restricted to persons who have a record of significant contributions to the ICS. In order to be selected as a Contributing Member, a person must have been a Regular Member for at least one year immediately preceding being considered and must submit a resume justifying the change in membership status. In order to be considered for Contributing Membership, a person must be nominated in writing by three Contributing Members, Board Members, or County Directors, who know him personally, and can attest to the nominee's character, reliability, and past record of contributions. After considering each nominee, the Board will vote by secret ballot. To become a Contributing Member, a nominee must receive the votes of two thirds of all ICS Board Members. Factors to be considered are membership in the NSS and one or more grottoes; membership in other caving organizations; a record of significant contributions to the work of the ICS; a substantial record of participation in finding, opening, mapping, and otherwise documenting caves; involvement in scientific research involving caves, cave fauna, or karst geology and hydrology. Contributing Members may, upon request, receive any cave lists currently available, as well as cave files in an appropriate electronic format. As with other members, the requester may be required to pay the cost of producing the lists requested. Contributing Members shall continue to have all rights and responsibilities of regular members.
IV. DUTIES OF THE BOARD MEMBERS:
A. President
1. Preside over meetings.
2. Appoint committees and committee chairman.
3. Serve on all committees at his option.
4. Call special meetings of the Board.
5. Be an active spokesman for the ICS.
B. Vice President
1. Perform all the duties of the President in his absence.
2. Assist the other members of the Board as needed.
C. Secretary
1. Record minutes of all membership and Board meetings.
2. Handle correspondence and other paperwork.
D. Treasurer
1. Receive all money and pay out the same as authorized by vote of the
membership or Board.
2. Pay out legitimate claims of under $50.00 which occur in the ordinary course
of business, without the need to
obtain specific board or membership approval.
3. Keep an accurate account of receipts and disbursements and report at each
meeting.
4. Assist the Secretary in making required reports.
5. Maintain a current membership roster.
E. Board Members at Large
1. To serve and assist in decisions of the Board.
2. To assist other members of the Board as needed.
V. COMMITTEES AND OTHER POSITIONS:
A. Committees and other offices may be appointed by the President in accordance
with the vote of the membership
or Board.
B. All committees shall expedite the
orders of the President, Board, and membership, and shall prepare regular
reports of their activities/findings which shall be read at ICS meetings.
C. Committees may be dissolved by the President in accordance with the vote of the membership or Board.
D. Appointed offices include Archivist,
Master Database Custodian, and Editor. These must be filled with ICS
members.
Others positions may be appointed as needed.
VI. COUNTY DIRECTORS:
A member may be appointed County Director of one or more counties by plurality
vote of the membership present at the meeting at which the matter is considered.
The following factors shall be considered when selecting a county director:
Interest in and familiarity with the region.
Time and ability to perform the work.
Accessibility to the region.
County Directors' duties are as follows:
Receive report forms for caves in their counties.
Ensure that the forms are complete and accurate.
Assign new ICS cave numbers.
Forward report forms and other records to the archivist and data entry persons
as appropriate.
Coordinate efforts of members working in their counties.
Review requests for lists of caves within their counties and provide such lists
if the request is justified.
County Directors may be removed by a
majority vote of the members present at a general membership meeting. When a
County Director resigns or is removed, he shall promptly forward all cave files
and other ICS property related to his position as County Director to his
successor or to the ICS President.
VII. PUBLICATIONS:
A. The ICS may publish newsletters, bulletins, guidelines, handbooks, scientific
studies, cave lists, maps, and other
publications as appropriate.
B. The price, if any, of each publication shall be determined by the membership or Board.
VIII. CAVE FILES:
A. The ICS will maintain a complete database of cave information, including
maps, for caves and related features in
the State of Indiana.
B. Distribution of material and the
recall of distributed materials will be determined by vote of the membership or
the Board in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws.
IX. EXPULSION OF MEMBERS:
A. This section applies to all categories of membership, including Associate.
B. Members may be dropped or expelled
from the ICS for the following reasons:
1. Non-payment of dues.
2. Willful misuse of ICS equipment/property.
3. Conduct detrimental to the ICS.
4. Unauthorized distribution of cave lists or other restricted ICS information.
C. Procedure: Termination of membership for non-payment of dues is automatic. Membership will be automatically reinstated at the previous level if the terminated member pays all back dues owed. Any Board Member may recommend that an ICS member be expelled for cause. The member must be given a hearing before the board with at least one week notice. If the board recommends expulsion, the matter will be presented for a majority vote of the membership present at the next membership meeting, with the member threatened with expulsion having at least one week notice. The member has the right to present his case in person or by representative at both hearings.
X. DISSOLUTION:
A. Upon the dissolution of the Survey, the Board shall, after paying or making
provision for the payment of all liabilities of the Survey, dispose of all
assets of the Survey exclusively for the purposes of the Survey in such a
manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated
exclusively for charitable, educational, or scientific purposes or for the
purpose of conservation of caves and karst features, as shall at the time
qualify as an exempt organization under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States
Internal Revenue Law), as the Board shall determine.
B. Any such assets not so disposed of shall be disposed of by an Indiana court of general jurisdiction, exclusively for such charitable, educational, or scientific purposes or for the purpose of conservation of caves and karst features, or to such organization or organizations, as the court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
XI. AMENDMENTS:
Amendments to the By-Laws may be made by a majority vote of the voting
membership. Absentee ballots will be accepted.
Amended and approved, March 8, 1999; James Adams, Secretary
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