BYLAWS OF THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN STUDIES INC.
ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. The name of the organization is the Mid-Atlantic Region Association for Asian Studies, Inc. (hereinafter MARAAS).
2. MARAAS is incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey as a nonprofit professional association of persons interested in the development and dissemination of knowledge concerning Asia.
3. For the purposes of MARAAS, "Asia" refers to and is divided into the sub-regions of Northeast Asia, China and Inner Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
4. MARAAS is one of eight regional organizations related by concurrent membership of officers and congruent purposes to the national Association for Asian Studies (hereinafter AAS), and represented in AAS through the national organization's Council of Conferences (COC), but the MARAAS is not subject to the AAS Constitution and Bylaws. The region served by MARAAS includes: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York including New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County; Pennsylvania, the metropolitan Washington, DC area, and West Virginia.
5. The official address of MARAAS shall be designated by its incumbent Executive Secretary with the approval of the Executive Committee. The official archives of MARAAS and its financial records shall be maintained at, or immediately accessible to, that place.
6. Officers of the MARAAS will transfer a copy of their MARAAS records and official correspondence to the Executive Secretary within sixty days of the end of the fiscal year.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES OF MARAAS
MARAAS shall:
1. In general, promote interest in and study of Asian countries and Asian affairs among educators, students, the general public, and opinion leaders in government, the mass media, and other professions;
2. Hold an Annual Conference each autumn in cooperation with an academic institution within the region, and such other meetings and seminars as will further its objectives;
3. Assist public and private cultural and educational agencies and institutions in the MARAAS region in developing programs, disseminating teaching materials on Asia, and encouraging research and publication on Asia;
4. Advance the professional interests of the MARAAS membership, and serve its members professional needs. In fulfillment of these purposes, publish a newsletter and such other materials as the Executive Committee may authorize.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in MARAAS is open to all persons and institutions interested in Asia. A member shall be defined as one who has paid the annual dues established by the Executive Committee.
2. Classes of membership and membership dues are determined by the Executive Committee with the consent of the membership at the Annual Business Meeting. Only dues-paying members shall vote at the Annual Business Meeting and other meetings, or by ballots. (See Art, VIII, 4, 5, 6, and 7)
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS
1. The officers of MARAAS are a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, and an Executive Secretary.
2. All officers shall be elected by ballot and all must be members of the AAS and the MARAAS.
3. The President serves for a one-year term and is the chief executive officer of MARAAS. The President shall:
a. Preside at the Annual Business Meeting and at meetings of the Executive Committee and Advisory Council;
b. Call meetings of the Executive Committee, Advisory Council, and, if they consider it necessary, other committees;
c. Serve as ex officio member of all MARAAS committees;
d. Act as liaison between MARAAS and the AAS, in consultation with the MARAAS representative(s) on the AAS Council of Conferences;
e. Represent MARAAS in its relations with public and private agencies and the general public;
f. Present an Annual Report to the membership on MARAAS activities at the Annual Business Meeting, along with any recommendations for action presented by the Executive Committee. Copies of the Annual Report shall be available for members at the Annual Business Meeting;
4. The Vice-President, who also serves for a one-year term, shall:
a. Assist the President in carrying out their duties;
b. Perform such executive functions as they and the President shall agree upon, with the consent of the Executive Committee;
c. Temporarily perform the duties of the President in the event of sickness or absence, or upon the President's request.
d. Succeed to the office of President upon the expiration of the President's one year term;
e. If the elected President is unable or unwilling to complete their term, they shall be replaced by the Vice President. The following year, the Vice President will also complete their own term as President.
5. The Executive Secretary is elected for a three-year term renewable by action of the Executive Committee. They shall:
a. Prepare the minutes of the Annual Business Meeting and meetings of the Executive Committee and Advisory Council;
b. Maintain a record of meetings of other MARAAS committees, and ensure that copies of the committees’ minutes and records are sent to the President, and others who may be designated by the President;
c. Maintain records of all MARAAS activities and the minutes of all meetings;
d. Maintain an up-to-date membership list;
e. Provide copies of records to Executive Committee members at their request and to others, upon request of the President;
f. Maintain the office of record and the Archives of MARAAS.
6. The Treasurer is elected for a two-year term. They shall:
a. Keep the financial records of MARAAS and disburse funds upon authorization of the Executive Committee or the President (such authorization may be specific or general, to the extent permitted by these Bylaws);
b. Be a member of and assist the Finance Committee in preparing the annual budget of MARAAS (See Art. VII, 8, a);
c. Prepare an annual financial report for the Executive Committee and the membership;
d. Make required reports to federal, state, and local government authorities;
e. Arrange for an audit of MARAAS accounts at the conclusion of his/her incumbency.
7. In the event that an elected officer or at-large Executive Committee member is unable to complete a term of office, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement. Vacancies in officer positions shall be appointed from among the elected members if possible, and the resulting vacancy filled by appointment from the membership, provided however, that a vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President, to serve until his own term as President commences.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The Executive Committee consists of the officers of MARAAS, the immediate Past President during the year following their term, two at-large members and the MARAAS representative(s) to the AAS Council of Conferences. All Executive Committee members must be members of the AAS and MARAAS.
2. The Executive Committee administers the affairs of MARAAS and makes and implements policies. Whatever the Executive Committee deems a major policy decision must be approved by a majority of MARAAS members casting ballots.
3. The Executive Committee shall, among other functions:
a. Appoint standing committees and ad hoc committees and their chairs, and oversee and approve committee activities, as necessary;
b. Appoint the editors of MARAAS newsletters;
c. Receive and act upon reports from officers and committees;
d. Approve an annual budget, modifications thereof, and the annual financial report of the Treasurer;
e. Approve the program for the Annual Conference;
f. Approve expenditure of MARAAS funds;
g. Fill vacancies in MARAAS elective offices (See Art. IV, 7);
h. Upon the recommendation of the Nominations Committee, approve and present to the MARAAS
membership a slate of candidates for election to MARAAS offices.
4. Chairs of standing committees and editors of MARAAS publications may be invited to participate in Executive Committee discussions.
5. End of term of office. The terms of all officers and members of the Executive Committee, except the Treasurer, Executive Secretary, and Member(s) of the AAS Council on Conferences, end at the conclusion of the first or second Annual Meeting following their election, according to their specified terms of office. The terms of the Treasurer and Executive Secretary begin at 12:01 a.m. on January 1 and end at midnight on December 31 of the second or third year following their election, according to their specified terms of office. The end of the term of the Member(s) of the AAS Council on Conferences is determined by the AAS. However, in the event of unforeseen vacancy or absence, incumbents remain in office until their successors are chosen.
ARTICLE VI. ADVISORY COUNCIL
1. The Advisory Council offers advice to the Executive Committee on policies and long-range plans and finance.
2. The President, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, annually appoints up to six members to the Advisory Council for two-year terms. All must be members of the MARAAS. In addition, the two past Presidents prior to the immediate past President are members ex officio.
3. Members of the Advisory Council shall be appointed with due regard for representation of different academic disciplines. They shall include at least one person in an occupation other than education, and at least one person specializing in the affairs of each of the four Asian sub-regions (see Art. I, 3)
ARTICLE VII. COMMITTEES
1. There shall be a standing Nominations Committee. Ad hoc committees may be established by the Executive Committee as need arises, but may not continue in existence for more than two years. Committees in existence for more than two years shall become a standing committee.
2. The President, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, appoints the chairs of committees.
3. The chair of each committee shall make a written annual report on its activities and expenditures to the Executive Committee.
4. The Conference Program Committee serves until the completion of the Annual Conference for which it is responsible. This committee shall:
a. Prepare the program of panels and cultural events of the Annual conference for approval by the Executive Committee;
b. Assist and coordinate its activities with the Local Arrangements Committee;
c. Publish the program book of the Annual Conference;
d. Prepare a final report on the Annual Conference for the Executive Committee.
5. The Local Arrangements Committee serves until the completion of the Annual Conference
for which it is responsible. It shall:
a. Make arrangements with the host institution, including financial assistance for the Annual Conference,
meeting room space, meals, registration, exhibits, hotel accommodations, staffing, and local media
coverage, subject to approval by the Executive Committee;
b. Designate a local coordinator for the Annual Conference and assist the coordinator in the conduct of the Conference;
c. Make arrangements for Conference preregistration;
d. Provide information and materials (cost of meals, accommodations-location and rates, maps, etc.) to the Program Editor for inclusion in the program booklet for the Annual Conference;
e. Assist the Book Exhibit Coordinator and the Annual Conference Program Editor;
f. Provide information to the Conference Program Committee for its final report, including attendance
statistics;
g. In cooperation with the Treasurer, settle all outstanding accounts with the host institution, so that the Treasurer can prepare a final financial report on the Conference.
6. The Publications Committee shall:
a. Serve as the Editorial Board for MARAAS publications. Editors of such publications shall be members
of the Committee;
b. Encourage and facilitate the publication in appropriate existing journals or otherwise of worthy papers
prepared for Annual Conferences, after appropriate peer review;
c. Recommend to the Executive Committee other publication projects to further the objectives of MARAAS;
d. Carry out publication projects or programs approved by the Executive Committee.
7. The Outreach and Publicity Committee shall plan and carry out activities to improve the scope and quality of education and public information on Asia in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
8. The Finance Committee shall include the Treasurer, an additional member of the Executive Committee, and a member of the Advisory Council. The Committee shall:
a. Prepare the annual budget for the fiscal year for approval by the Executive Committee in time for presentation at the Annual Business Meeting (see Art. VIII, 8);
b. Recommend to the Executive Committee categories of membership and levels of dues and other charges, such as Annual conference registration fees;
c. Recommend ways in which financial resources can be mobilized to support MARAAS activities.
9. The Membership Services Committee shall:
a. Recommend to the Executive Committee programs for promoting membership in MARAAS, in consultation with the Outreach and Publicity Committee, and carry out approved programs:
b. Serve as contact point for members with professional needs for assistance, particularly at Annual
Conferences;
c. Recommend to the Executive Committee ways in which members' professional needs can be served by
MARAAS, other than professional placement activities.
10. The Nominations Committee, composed of the MARAAS Presidents for the previous three years, shall:
a. Prepare a list of candidates for election as MARAAS officers and members-at large of the Executive
Committee for consideration and approval by the Executive Committee. The slate is then presented to the membership for a vote by the Nominations Committee (see Art. VIII, 5);
b. In preparing its list, take into account diverse geographic and disciplinary distribution; broad representation of the character of MARAAS membership in terms of institutional affiliation, ethnic origin, gender, age, competence, experience, and availability. In case of a vacancy, the fourth (and, if necessary, earlier) past president shall fill the vacancy.
ARTICLE VIII. MEETINGS, ELECTION, AND DECISIONS
1. The Executive Committee meets at the Annual Conferences of the MARAAS and the AAS, and on at least two other occasions each year. All committees meet at least once each year prior to the MARAAS Annual Conference. Other committee meetings may be called by the committee chairs or by the President, MARAAS.
2. The Annual Conference of MARAAS shall include an Annual Business Meeting of the membership.
3. Dues-paying members present at any business meeting of the MARAAS or its committees shall constitute a quorum; but no decision may be made at an Annual Business Meeting unless at least 20 members, in addition to members of the Executive Committee, are present (see Art. III, 3).
4. All decisions will be made by a simple majority of dues-paying members who vote or by consensus proposed by the chair and accepted unanimously, except that consensus decisions cannot be proposed at Annual Business Meetings. (see Art. III, 3).
5. The election of officers and members-at-large of the Executive Committee shall be by a simple majority of valid ballots submitted to the Executive Secretary by the date designated by the Executive Committee. Slates of candidates and ballots shall be distributed to members preceding the Annual Conference. Only those whose dues are paid for the current year are eligible to vote. The election results will be announced at the Annual Business Meeting and members notified of the results.
6. When a membership decision is needed on a policy question or between Annual Business Meetings, the Executive Committee may submit this issue to eligible voters by ballot. A decision shall be by a majority (a plurality where more than two options are given) of the valid ballots received. The procedure will otherwise be the same as in the previous paragraph (see Art. III, 3).
7. The fiscal year of MAR/AAS shall begin and end on April 1. The treasurer will regularly submit reports to the Executive Committee.
8. Robert's Rules of Order, current edition, shall govern MARAAS proceedings except as otherwise provided in these bylaws.
ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these bylaws must be approved by the Executive Committee and then submitted for approval at the Annual Business Meeting.
ARTICLE X. DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS UPON LIQUIDATION
In the event that MARAAS is dissolved, its assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purpose within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of nay future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. The said allocation of assets shall be made by decision of the Executive Committee at the time of dissolution.
[Approved by the Membership at the Annual Business Meeting, 2015.]