By-Laws of C-5 Turfgrass Division
Crop Science Society of
Name
The name of this Division shall be the Turfgrass Division of the Crop Science Society of America; hereinafter referred to as C-5 and CSSA, respectively.
ARTICLE II
Objectives
Objectives. The objectives of Division C-5 shall be the same as those of the parent organization (CSSA) and shall further encompass the following more specific objectives:
A. To provide a common forum for the exchange of turfgrass research and educational information among members of the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA), the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA).
B. To advance scientific research and promote practices that will improve the utility, culture, and performance of turfgrass.
C. To further the professional development of its members and to promote and recognize quality research and teaching of Turfgrass Science as a profession.
D. To maintain liaison and to cooperate with other scientific or educational organizations, national or international, whose programs are allied to Turfgrass Science.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. Active Members. CSSA active life, and sustaining members in good standing who have an active interest in Turfgrass Science are eligible for C-5 “active” membership. Active members may attend all C-5 meetings, participate in discussion and technical paper sessions, hold office, vote, present relevant papers in C-5 sessions, and all other benefits indicated by the By-Laws of the CSSA (Article III, Section 1, of the CSSA By-Laws).
Section 2. Affiliate Members. Soil Science Society of America active, life, and sustaining members in good standing who have an active interest in Turfgrass Science are eligible for C-5 “affiliate” membership. Individuals in this category have all the rights within C-5 that the “active” members are entitled, except that they may not hold a general elective office within Division C-5 because they are not CSSA members (specified in Article III of the CSSA By-Laws).
Section 3. Student Members. Graduate and undergraduate student members of CSSA shall be entitled to all rights and privileges in Division C-5 as stipulated in the CSSA By-Laws (Article III, Section 5 and 6). Student affiliate members may not vote or hold an office in this Division.
Section 4. Membership List. An active membership list shall be maintained for the primary purpose of making mailings concerning C-5 activities. The membership list shall be composed of all members who satisfy one of the following requirements:
(a) Have attended the C-5 Division business meeting at least once during the previous three (3) years.
(b) Have submitted a written request to the C-5 Division Chairman to place his name on the mailing list because he has not been able to fulfill the above requirement for some specific reason.
ARTICLE IV
Officers
Section 1. The officers of Division C-5 shall consist of a Chairman, a Chairman-Elect, the Immediate Past Chairman, the Representative to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Agronomy, a Secretary, a Historian and an International Turfgrass Society (ITS) Representative.
Section 2. The C-5 Chairman, Chairman-Elect, Immediate Past Chairman, and the Divisional Representative to the ASA Board of Directors shall be member in good standing of the CSSA. The C-5 offices of Secretary and Historian may be filled by any active or affiliate member in good standing of Division C-5. The International Turfgrass Society Representative may be filled by any individual who is an active or affiliate member of both Division C-5 and ITS.
ARTICLE V
Selection of Officers
Section 1. Chairman-Elect. A Chairman-Elect of Division C-5 shall be elected annually by mail ballot during elections conducted by the parent Society. At least two but not more than four nominees for Chairman-Elect shall be selected by the C-6 Nominating Committee and submitted to the ASA Nominating Committee upon request.
Section 2. Division Representative to the ASA Board of Directors. The C-5 Divisional Representative to the Board of Directors of ASA shall be elected to a 3-year term by mail ballot during an election conduct by the parent society. Following the close of the second year of his term, at least two but not more than four nominees from among the C-5 Past-Chairmen shall be selected by the C-5 Nominating Committee and submitted to the ASA Nominating Committee upon request.
Section 3. Secretary. The C-5 Secretary shall be appointed for a 3-year term by the C-5 Chairman after consultation with the C-5 Executive committee. An individual cannot be appointed to serve consecutive terms as C-5 Secretary.
Section 4. Historian. The C-5 Historian shall be appointed for a 3-year term by the C-5 Chairman after consultation with the C-5 Executive Committee. An individual may be reappointed to this office.
Section 5. International Turfgrass Society Representative. The ITS Representative shall be certified by the C-5 Chairman after election by the C-5 members who are also active members of ITS meeting.
Section 6. Proposals for Nominees. Any C-5 active or affiliate member may submit, in writing, prior to the C-5 annual membership meeting the name of an eligible individual along with an indication of his consent to serve in the office concerned. In addition, the person making the recommendation or the prospective nominee should submit to the Nominating Committee a brief synopsis of his or her Society and Division activities prior to the annual membership meeting. This should be in a format similar to that provided with the official ballot of the tri-societies. Suggestions for the elective offices shall be submitted to a member of the C-5 Nominating Committee. Suggestions for Secretary, Historian and ITS Representative shall be submitted to either the C-5 Chairman or a C-5 Executive Committee member.
ARTICLE VI
Terms of Officers
Section 1. Elected Officers. Terms of elected officers shall begin at the close of the next annual membership meeting following their election. The C-5 Chairman-Elect shall progress automatically to C-5 Chairman and to C-5 Past-Chairman respectively at the close of consecutive annual meetings following his assumption of duties as C-5 Chairman-Elect. His term of C-5 Past-Chairman will expire at the close of the next annual meeting following his assumption of the duties of that office. The term of the C-5 Divisional Representative to the Board of Directors of ASA will expire at the close of the third annual meeting following his assumption of the duties of that office.
Section 2. Appointed Officers. Terms of the C-5 Secretary and Historian will begin upon acceptance of the appointment to the respective office by the C-5 Chairman after consultation with the C-5 Executive Committee. The respective terms will expire at the close of the third annual meeting following their assumption of the duties of their respective office. The terms for the appointed officers shall be staggered so that not more than one appointment is made in any one year.
Section 3. Vacancies. In the event that an office holder resigns or is unable or unavailable to serve, he shall be replaced according to the following procedure:
(a) If the C-5 Chairman cannot serve during his term of office, the C-5 Chairman-Elect shall succeed automatically.
(b) If the C-5 Chairman-Elect cannot serve during his term of office, the candidate who received the next highest number of votes for C-5 Chairman-Elect at the time of the election shall automatically succeed to the office to complete the term.
(c) If the recent C-5 Past Chairman cannot serve during his term of office, he shall be replaced by the most recent past chairman available to serve.
(d) If the C-5 Divisional Representative to the Board of Directors of ASA cannot serve during his term of office, the candidate who received the next highest number of votes shall automatically succeed to the office to complete the term.
(e) If an appointed C-5 officer resigns, his successor shall be appointed to serve the balance of the vacated term.
ARTICLE VII
Duties of Officers
Section 1. Chairman. The C-5 Chairman shall:
(a) Arrange and conduct the C-5 annual membership and Executive Committee meetings.
(b) Accept voluntary papers and develop the C-5 program for the annual ASA-CSSA meetings.
(c) Secure the presiding chairman for each C-5 session on the ASA program.
(d) Submit the program for the annual meeting sessions to the CSSA Chairman-Elect.
(e) Appoint the C-5 Secretary or Historian as vacancies occur.
(f) Arrange for election of the ITS representative when required.
(g) Appoint and charge Division C-5 committees.
(h) Maintain liaison with national and international turfgrass organizations as appropriate.
(i) Represent the C-5 Division at all CSSA Board meetings.
(j) Perform such other duties as are required by this position.
Section 2. Chairman-Elect. The C-5 Chairman-Elect shall:
(a) Assist the chairman with his duties.
(b) Represent the C-5 Division at all CSSA Board meetings.
(c) Perform the duties of the C-5 Chairman in his absence.
(d) Perform such other duties as delegated by the C-5 Chairman.
Section 3. Past Chairman. The most recent C-5 Past Chairman shall:
(a) Advise the Chairman on matters pertaining to C-5 Division program development.
(b) Organize and serve as the Chairman of the C-5 Nominating Committee.
Section 4. Divisional Representative to the Board of Directors of ASA. The C-5 Divisional representative to the Board of Directors of ASA shall:
(a) Represent the C-5 Division at all ASA and CSSA Board meetings.
(b) Report pertinent information from the ASA Board to the Executive Committee of the Turfgrass Division and to the C-5 membership at the annual membership business meeting.
Section 5. Secretary. The C-5 Secretary shall:
(a) Record all business transacted by the C-5 Division at the annual membership and special business meetings.
(b) Make this information available to C-5 members at the annual membership meeting or on other occasions as appropriate.
(c) Maintain a listing of all officers, standing committees and ad hoc committees including membership, tenure of office and committee reports.
(d) Maintain a current active and affiliate membership established.
Section 6. Historian. The C-5 Historian shall maintain the historical record of all C-5 Divisional activities and shall present a written progress report at the annual Divisional C-5 membership business meeting.
Section 7. International Turfgrass Society Representative. The C-5 ITS Representative shall serve as a liaison between Division C-5 and ITS; and shall report, as appropriate, to the C-5 membership any pertinent information or activities of ITS.
ARTICLE VIII
Committees
Section 1. Executive Committee. The C-5 Executive Committee shall consist of the Chairman, the Chairman-Elect, the Immediate Past Chairman and the Divisional Representative to the ASA Board of Directors. The Executive Committee shall have the power to act for the C-5 Division in matters of urgency or when action must be taken before the next annual C-5 business meeting. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the policies of the Division, subject to the approval of the CSSA Board of Directors and formal actions of the C-5 membership.
Section 2. Nominating Committees. The C-5 Nominating committee shall consist of the three most recent Past Chairmen, with the immediate Past Chairman as the Chairman. The Nominating Committee shall provide an opportunity for the members to submit the names of prospective nominees to an elected office providing consent of the nominee to serve in the specified office has been obtained, and that such suggestions are made in writing prior to the annual membership meeting. In addition, the person making the recommendation or the prospective nominee should submit to the Nominating Committee a brief synopsis of his or her’s Society and Division activities prior to the annual membership meeting. This should be in a format similar to that provided with the official ballot of the tri-societies.
Section 3. Standing Committees. All standing committees will have a 1 to 3-year appointment duration. The length of appointment is determined by the Division Chair and should be such as to allow for a staggering of appointments that allow for a diversity of ideas while maintaining continuity of the committee.
A. Education. An Education Committee shall
be maintained by the C-5 Division as a standing committee. The charge of
this committee shall be to develop, promote and support activities specifically
related to turfgrass education (i.e., teaching and/or extension). Particular
attention should be focused on cooperative efforts with other committees (i.e.,
Al, Resident Education), and organizations (i.e. GCSSA,
B. Special Symposia. The C-5 Division shall maintain a Special Symposia Committee which shall study the opportunities and needs for symposia or joint programs developed in cooperation with Division(s) of CSSA, SSSA, or ASA. When a symposium or other special program is deemed advisable, the committee shall work with the C-5 Chairman-Elect to develop the program.
C. Awards and Professional Advancement Committee. The C-5 Division shall maintain an Awards and Professional Advancement Committee whose duties shall be to:
(a) Explore ways and means by which members may gain additional knowledge and proficiency in Turfgrass Science.
(b) Assure recognition of members who have done outstanding work and who deserve special recognition. Specifically, it shall be the responsibility of this committee to prepare and submit nominators of C-5 members, as appropriate, for ASA Fellow and similar intra-society recognition awards.
D. Evening Program. The C-5 Division shall maintain an Evening Program Committee which will be charged with developing a special program on some aspect of turfgrass science that relates to teaching, research, extension or public service. The program can take form as symposia, seminars, workshops, discussion groups, and/or any other mechanism of information transfer deemed appropriate by the committee. The committee shall work with the C-5 Chairman and Symposia Committee in developing the program.
Section 4. Other Committees may be appointed by the C-5 Chairman as he deems necessary or as directed by the C-5 membership at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE IX
Meetings
Section 1. Regular Meetings. Division C-5 shall present one or more programs at each annual meeting of the parent society (CSSA). The annual business meeting of the C-5 membership shall be conducted during one of these meetings.
Section 2. Special Meetings. Joint programs arranged and presented cooperatively with other divisions of CSSA, SSSA, and ASA shall be encouraged, as appropriate, by the C-5 Executive Committee.
ARTICLE X
Conduct of Meetings
Rules of Order. All C-5 business meeting shall be conducted in an accepted professional manner generally following Robert’s “Rules of Order.”
ARTICLE XI
Amendments
Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended, provided that the amendment does not violate the Bylaws of the parent organization by either:
(a) A 2/3 majority of those active and affiliate C-5 members at any annual business meeting, provided that proposed amendment has been mailed to the membership at least 60 days prior to an announced annual C-5 meeting.
(b) A 2/3 majority of those active and affiliate C-5 members returning ballots within 60 days after the date of the original mailing of ballots to the membership/
Section 2. Proposal of Amendments. Amendments may be proposed in writing by:
(a) The C-5 Executive Committee.
(b) Any C-5 member, provided the proposed amendment is submitted in writing and is accompanied by the written endorsement of 6 or more other active or affiliate C-5 members.
