Constitution of the North Carolina Society of Engineers
Article I
1. The name of this organization shall be the North Carolina Society of Engineers, and the official abbreviation shall be the N. C. Soc. Engrs.
2. The office of this Society shall be located within twenty five (25) miles of the City of Raleigh, North Carolina.
3. The objects of this Society are to promote the social, economic and the technical interests of the engineering profession, to foster better standards of engineering ethics , to disseminate engineering knowledge, to secure efficient service for the public, and to safeguard and protect the public from incompetency in all lines of engineering work, to assure an active interest in legislation and other movements having for their aim the improvement of professional standards, to organize and perpetuate local chapters of engineers throughout the State and provide for their co-operation and co-ordination.
Article II
1. The divisions of the State shall be as follows:
For the purpose of representation, elections and other purposes as set forth in this Constitution and these Bylaws, the State shall be divided into four (4) districts as follows:
District I : Eastern; Counties of Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene Hertfort, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, Nash, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Tyrrell, Washington, Wayne, and Wilson.
District II : East Central; Counties of Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Northampton, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, and Warren.
District III: West Central; Counties of Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Iredell, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, and Yadkin.
District IV: Western; Counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey.
Article III
Local Chapters of Engineers
1. Membership in the N.C. Soc. Engrs. shall consist of the following grades: Honorary Member, Life Member, Member, Associate Member, Student Member and Affiliate.
2. Qualifications for these grades of membership shall be as follows:
a. An Honorary Member shall be a person who has rendered acknowledged eminent service, has made valuable and outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and who has been selected by a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the entire Board of Directors. There may be as many as one Honorary Member for each one hundred (100) Members of the Society, except that the total number of Honorary Members shall not exceed fifteen (15), and not more than three Honorary Members may be elected in any one year.
b. A Life Member shall be a person who is sixty-five (65) years of age or more, and who has thirty (30) total years or more of dues paying membership (not required to be continuous) in any grade(s) in the Society.
c. A Member shall be
(1) A Professional Engineer or Engineer in Training registered by a State Board of registration for Profession Engineers.
(2) A graduate of an accredited engineering or science curriculum of four years from a school or college satisfactory to the Board, together with two (2) years or more of subsequent progressive experience in engineering work, or
(3) A high school graduate with not less than ten (10) years of subsequent progressive experience in engineering work.
(4) A graduate of an accredited two (2) year engineering , engineering technology or science curriculum from a technical college satisfactory to the Board, together with seven (7) years or more of subsequent professional experience in engineering work.
d. An Associate Member shall be:
(1) A graduate of an accredited engineering or science curriculum of four years from a school or college satisfactory to the Board, or
(2) A high school graduate with not less than eight (8) years of subsequent progressive training in engineering work.
(3) A graduate of an accredited two (2) year engineering , engineering technology or science curriculum from a technical college satisfactory to the Board, together with five (5) years or more of subsequent progressive experience in engineering work.
e. A Student Member shall be a member in an accredited school of engineering who is enrolled in a four year course of engineering.
f. An Affiliate must have a record of recognized performance and leadership in some profession or branch of industry or science relating to engineering and shall be qualified to co-operate with engineers in the practice of their profession, or be a graduate of an accredited two (2) year engineering, engineering technology or science curriculum from a technical college satisfactory to the Board. The number of Affiliates shall be limited to ten (10 %) per cent of the total membership of the Society.
g. In determining qualifications and definitions, use the following:
(1) One year's work in an accredited engineering school or college may be considered equivalent to two (2) years of work in active practice for all grades of membership.
(2) One year's work in an engineering curriculum at an accredited technical institute or school may be considered equivalent to one and one-half (1 1/2) years of working active practice fro all grades of membership.
(3) The term "engineering work" shall mean the application of a knowledge of the mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences in investigation, evaluation, and planning, design, technical sales, manufacturing, construction, or other similar engineering activity satisfactory to the Board. Teaching of engineering or science subjects in accredited college curricula shall constitute engineering work.
The term "engineering work" shall not include types of work wherein the personal responsibility and technical knowledge required are small, and the individual performance of tasks are largely set and supervised by others. Progressive experience in engineering work means successive advancement to positions of greater responsibility.
3. All grades of members shall nave the right to vote on matters brought before the Society in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.
a. Only Life Members and Members may hold office in the Society or serve on the Board of Directors.
b. All grades of members shall be elected to membership in the matters brought before the Society in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws.
4. A local engineer club whose objectives are consistent and cooperative with those of the Society may request, and be granted by the Board of Directors, Affiliate Club membership in the Society. The President of an approved Affiliate Club shall be granted the position of Director of the Society with full rights and privileges of representation. The local engineer club President shall meet all the requirements of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society. No affiliate clubs will be approved after January 21, 1994. Only Local Chapters of Engineers will be approved on or after January 22, 1994.
5. A Local Chapter of Engineers whose Constitution whose Constitution, Bylaws and objectives are consistent and cooperative with those of the Society may request, and be granted by the Board of Directors, Local Chapter of Engineers membership in the Society. The names of Local Chapters shall be known as (___ Chapter of the N.C. Society of Engineers). The president of an approved Local Chapter of Engineers shall be granted the position of the Director of the Society with full rights and privileges of representation. The President of the Local Chapter of Engineers shall meet all the requirements of the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society. All members of each Local Chapter of Engineers shall be members of the Society.
6. The Board of Directors of the Society and the Boards of Directors of the Local Chapters of Engineers shall have the authority to negotiate agreements from time to time, which shall be mutually approved by the respective Boards of Directors of the Engineers and the Board of Directors of the Society. These agreements may include services performed by wither the Society or any Chapter for the benefit of either or both, arrangements for regular or special meetings of the Society and the other matters which may occur.
Article IV
Officers and Management
1. The officers shall consist of a President, a First Vice-President, a Second Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined and held by one person.
2. The Board of Directors shall consist of members of the Society, constitutes as follows: the President, who shall be Chairman; the two (2) Vice- Presidents; the Secretary-Treasurer; the immediate Past President; the Chairman of the Publications Committee; eight (8) voting members elected by the Society, two (2) being residents of District I, two (2) of District II, Two (2) of District III, two (2) of District IV of the State; and the Presidents of all Affiliate Clubs and all Local Chapters of Engineers.
3. The terms of office of all officers shall be one (1) year, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The terms of office of the members of the Board of Directors elected from the Districts shall be two (2) years. Two (2) shall be elected from each District so that the term of one (1) of them shall expire each year. The term of office of all officers and the Board of Directors shall begin at the close of the Annual Meeting at which such officers or directors are elected, and shall continue for the period named or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The term of office for Affiliate Club Directors shall be as provided by the Bylaws of the Affiliate Club so long as the Director remains President of the respective local engineers club. The tem of office for Directors from Local Chapters of Engineers shall be concurrent with the terms of office of the Officers and Directors of the Society, so long as the Director from the Chapter remains its President.
4. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the First Vice-President. A vacancy in the office of First Vice-President shall be filled by the Second Vice-President. A vacancy in the office of the Second Vice-President shall be filled or be lift vacant for the remainder of the Society year at the option of the Board of Directors. Should the Board of Directors elect to fill a vacancy in the office of Second Vice-President, it shall only be upon two-thirds (2/3) agreement of the remaining Board of Directors. In case of disability or neglect in the performance of his duty by any officer of this Society, the Board of Directors shall have the power to declare the office vacant. Vacancies in any office, except as specified above, including relocation to another State for an unexpired term, shall be filled by a majority vote of the existing members of the Board of Directors at a regular or specially called meeting of the Board.
5. The President, the two (2) Vice-Presidents, and members of the Board of Directors shall not be eligible for election for more than two (2) consecutive terms. There shall be no restriction as to the re-election of the Secretary and/or Treasurer.
6. The Secretary and/or Treasurer shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the other thirteen (13) members of the Board of Directors at their first meeting following the Annual Meeting.
7. The management of all N.C. Soc. Engrs. business and fiscal affairs shall be vested in the Board of Directors who shall have complete authority to act for the Society-being restricted in its action only by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society.
8. The Board of Directors shall hold at least four (4) meetings annually at such time and places as it may designate, for the transaction of Society Business.
9. Board meetings may be called at any time or place by the President or a majority of the Board members.
10. Six (6) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, except that the quorum shall be increased by one (1) member of each four (4) Affiliate Clubs that may be approved as provided in Article 111, Part 4, and by one (1) member of each two (2) Local Chapters of Engineers that may be approved as provided in Article III, Part 5.
Article V
Meetings
1.The North Carolina Society of Engineers shall ordinarily hold at least two (2) regular meetings annually, one (1) during winter months of January or February, and another during one of the summer months.
2. The winter meeting shall be known as the "Annual Meeting". This meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors, but no winter or Annual Meeting of the Society shall be held in the same city except Raleigh for two (2) consecutive years.
3. The summer meetings shall be held at such time and place as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors.
4. Under special circumstance, when deemed advisable and in the best interest of the Society by the Board of Directors, the Board may combine the Annual Winter Meeting and the summer meeting by holding one (1) meeting sometime during the last half of one (1) year or the first half of the succeeding year. Such a combined meeting when held shall then be designated as the Annual Meeting and all the business customarily transacted at a regular Annual Meeting shall be transacted at such combined meeting. The date for such a combined meeting must be arranged so that the report of the Nominating Committee will have published in the NORTH CAROLINA ENGINEER at least three (3) months in advance of such combined meeting to permit the membership to vote for the Officers and Directors of the Society for the ensuing year.
5. Special meetings of the Society may be called by the Board of Directors and shall be so called on the request of thirty (30) voting members, which request shall state the purpose of such meeting. The call fir such meetings shall be issued ten (10) days in advance and shall state the purpose thereof, and no other business shall be taken up at such meeting. At these meetings, thirty (30 ) voting members shall constitute a quorum.
6. Meetings of the Local Chapters of Engineers shall be as provided in the Constitution and Bylaws of each Chapter, but each Chapter shall have at least six (6) meetings annually.
Article VI
Authority for Bylaws and Their Score
1. The management of the Society shall be subject to Bylaws adopted by the Society.
2. The Bylaws shall provide the manner of admission to and expulsion from the Society, the manner of nomination and election of officers and detailed duties of officers and committees.
3. Proposed amendments to the Bylaws must be reduced to writing and signed by not less than five (5) voting members and presented to the Secretary who shall send copies of the proposed amendments to all voting members of the Society at least thirty (30 )days prior to a regular meeting. Such amendments shall not be amended in any manner when discussed at the meeting and shall require for their adoption an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all voting members present and voting. Amendments so adopted shall take effect thirty (30) days after their adoption; Provided, that the officers of the Society, at the time any amendment may be adopted, shall continue in office until the next annual election.
Article VII
Amendments to the Constitution
1. Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be reduced to writing and signed by not less than five (5) voting members and presented to the Secretary, who shall send copies of the proposed amendments to the several voting members of the Society least thirty (30) days prior to a regular meeting. Such amendments shall be in order fro discussion at such meeting and may be amended in any manner pertinent to the original amendments by a majority vote of such meeting; and if so amended, shall be voted upon at such regular meeting; if not so amended, the proposed amendments shall be voted upon at such regular meeting.
2. If, after discussion of a proposed amendment, at either of the general meetings of the Society, the members shall so decide by a majority vote, they may refer the amendment to a committee for further consideration, and that committee shall report at the next regular meeting, where upon the amendment shall be voted upon as hereinbefore provided.
3. An affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of all ballots cast shall be necessary to the adoption of any amendment. Amendments so adopted shall take effect thirty (30) days after their adoption; provided, that the officers of the Society at the time any amendment may be adopted, shall continue in office until the next annual election
Amended to January 22, 1994
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