SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION
of the
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICS TEACHERS

CONSTITUTION

April 1979 (Amended 1987, superseded 2006)

The name of this organization shall be the Southern California Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

ARTICLE II. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Association shall be the advancement of the teaching of physics and the furtherance of appreciation of the role of physics in our culture.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

1. The membership shall consist of three classes: regular members, emeritus members, and sustaining members.
2. There may be admitted as regular members any individual members (regular, student, or emeritus) of the American Association of Physics Teachers, teachers of physics in secondary schools, colleges, and universities, and others whose admission will promote the objectives of the Association.
3. There may be admitted as emeritus members those who have been regular members for at least 5 years, who have reached the age of 60 years, and who have retired from regular, gainful occupation because of age or disability.
4. There may be admitted as sustaining members corporations and institutions which wish to further the work of the Association and whose admission is recognized as promoting he objectives of the Association.
5. The privilege of voting and of holding office shall be limited to regular and emeritus members.
6. The Secretary shall receive applications for regular and emeritus membership, and shall admit to membership those whose applications are found to be in order.
7. Corporations and institutions shall be admitted to sustaining membership by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

1. The officers of the Section shall be a President, a Vice President, a Vice President for High Schools, a Secretary, a Treasurer, an Editor, a Historian, a Test Administrator, and a Section Representative to the National Council of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
2. The President shall have executive responsibility for the overall operation of the Section, and shall preside at the Section meetings.
3. The Vice President shall share the executive duties with the President, and shall serve as program chairman for each meeting.
4. The Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President for High Schools, Editor, Historian, and Test Administrator shall have duties, in detail, as assigned by the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall maintain membership and address records and prepare official correspondence. The Treasurer shall maintain Section funds and keep a record of dues payments. The Vice President for High Schools shall actively involve high school teachers in the Section activities. The Editor shall publish and mail the bulletins of the Section. The Historian shall maintain a record of Section activities, past and present. The Test Administrator shall coordinate the annual High School Examination sponsored by the Section.
5. The duties of the Section Representative shall be to represent the Section in the National Council of the American Association of Physics Teachers at the annual Council meeting and to exercise all the duties, rights, and privileges pertaining to membership in that body. A Section Representative unable to attend a meeting of the Council may be represented by an alternate designated by the Executive Committee. The Section Representative is expected to attend all AAPT National meetings, to promote the Section at the National level, and to promote the National AAPT at the Section level.
6. The term of office for the Section officers shall be one year, and re-election to the same office shall be permitted on a yearly basis. To provide for continuity in Section policies, the Nominating Committee shall endeavor to arrange staggered terms so that some officers shall repeat in office when others are replaced. In particular the Section Representative should be a person who can assume the duties over a period of at least several years. The new slate of officers shall assume their duties at the end of the academic year in which they are elected and shall serve until their successors assume office.
7. A vacancy in one of the Section offices shall be filled by majority vote of the Executive Committee, pending the next regular election.
8. The Executive Committee may, by majority vote, establish a new position with an officer's title for the purpose of furthering the Section's activities. /The President may appoint a person to fill this position. This position shall be of duration not longer than one year without being established as a permanent position by the membership.

ARTICLE V. COMMITTEES

1. The Section shall be governed by an Executive Committee consisting of the elected officers and the immediate past President. The Committee shall meet at the call of the President, who shall be, ex-officio, chairman of the Committee.
2. There shall be a Nominating Committee, appointed by the President on or about January 1 of each year. It shall be the duty of this committee to obtain the consent of at least one nominee for each elective office, and to present a slate of such nominees at the annual Spring meeting.
3. Other committees may be appointed by the President or the Executive Committee, or by action of the membership at any business meeting. The term of appointment shall be for one year or less as specified at the time of the appointment.

ARTICLE VI. ELECTIONS

1. Officers of the Section shall be elected at the annual business meeting by a majority vote of those members present at the meeting.
2. Nominations to all offices shall be made by the Nominating Committee but nominations may also be made from the floor providing the consent of the nominee has been obtained in advance.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS

1. The Annual Meeting shall be held each year in the Spring, at a place to be chosen by the Executive Committee.
2. Other general meetings may be arranged by the Executive Committee.
3. Notice of the time and place of the Annual and other general meetings shall be sent by the Editor to all whose names are on the membership list.

ARTICLE VIII. DUES

1. The Section dues shall be set to cover only the necessary expenses and shall be decided upon by vote of the membership as the occasion arises.
2. For the purpose of reckoning dues the membership of each member shall date from the first day of September.
3. Emeritus members pay no dues.
4. The Section is solely responsible, through its officers, for its assets, debts, and contracts.

ARTICLE IX. SECTION BOUNDARIES

1. The boundaries of the Section shall be those which define Southern California.
2. The U. S. Postal Service ZIP Codes defining the Section are as follows: Those whose first three digits are between 900 and 935, inclusive.

ARTICLE X. NONDISCRIMINATION

The Association shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, or sex.

ARTICLE XI. NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution, this Association shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an association exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law, or (b) by any association contributions to which are deductible under section 170 (c) (2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law.
2. This Association shall continue forever unless a two-thirds majority of the members voting in a mail ballot conducted in such a manner as the Executive Committee may prescribe shall vote to dissolve the Association. A proposal to dissolve the Association may be submitted for vote by the Executive Committee at any time. In the event that the Association is dissolved, the Executive Committee, after paying or making provision for payment of all liabilities of the Association, shall dispose of all assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association to such charitable, educational, or scientific organization or organizations as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization or organizations under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law, except that in the case of funds granted by an agency stipulated otherwise, disposition shall be made in accordance with the provisions contained in the pertinent grant documents.

ARTICLE XII. AMENDMENTS

1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of those voting in a mail ballot, conducted under the direction of the Executive Committee.
2. A proposed amendment, recommended by the Executive Committee or by petition signed by at least 5 per cent of the voting membership, must be submitted to vote within twelve months after receipt of the amendment.