Middle East Section By-Laws as amended in February, 1998

 Article I. Name

The Section shall be known as the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association, hereinafter referred to as the Section.

Article II. Mission and Goals

The Mission of the Section is to strengthen and encourage the anthropological study of the Middle East through archaeological, biological, ethnological, and linguistic research; promote the dissemination of this knowledge to a wider audience; and encourage its application to solving human problems.

The goals of the Section are:

1. encouraging anthropological research in and of the Middle East
2. fostering and supporting the development of workshops, seminars, panels, and discussions of Middle East anthropology
3. disseminating anthropological knowledge and fostering the use of anthropological knowledge to solve human problems in the region
4. promoting and facilitating public understanding of the region
5. acting as a point of liaison between individuals and organizations in the Middle East with related interests
6. promoting the widespread recognition and constant improvement of professional standards in Middle East anthropology
7. promoting professional interests of Middle East anthropologies

Article III. Powers

1. This Section may engage in activities within its field that are consistent with the missions of the Association, that are not otherwise reserved by the Bylaws of the AAA, that are no inimical to the Association’s interests, or that are not prohibited by law.
2. The Section shall have an Executive Committee composed of a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary/Treasurer, and other elected or appointed members as set forth in these Rules of Procedure.
3. The Section is empowered to determine its membership dues, consistent with Association policies.
4. The Section shall determine voting requirements in all Section matters.
5. The Section may establish an Advisory Committee to assist in achieving its stated goals.
6. The Section shall adopt and maintain Rule of Procedure consistent with the AAA Bylaws, and shall file a copy with the AAA Executive Office.

Article IV. Membership

1. Membership in the Section shall be open to any member in good standing of the AAA who supports the purposes stated in Article II, subject tot the payment of Section dues.
2. A Section member in good standing shall be eligible to hold elective or appointive office, receive services, participate in the scientific program, and have one vote in nominating and electing Section officers.
3. For just cause, a Section member may be deprived of membership by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee of the Section, subject to appeal of the members at the annual meeting.

Article V. Dues

1. The Section’s Executive Committee shall set the annual dies of Section members and may establish rates for special categories of membership, as approved by the AAA Executive Board.
2. Any member in arrears in the payment area of dues shall lose all membership privileges during the time they are in arrears and until reinstated.

Article VI. Elected Officers

1. The President shall be the Section’s presiding officer, the Section’s representative to the AAA Section Assembly and shall serve on the AAA Executive Board, should the section qualify for service on the Board.
2. The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in the event of absence, death, resignation, or incapacity of the President and shall succeed to the office of President upon expiration of the term of his/her predecessor.
3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have charge of the records of the Section, and shall compile the minutes of the Annual Business Meetings and other special meetings, the reports of officers of the Section, and other reports necessary for the Section’s Annual Report.
4. The Secretary/Treasurer shall work with the AAA to submit a report annually, and shall draft annual budgets for the approval of the Executive Committee not less than 60 days before the Annual Meeting.

Article VII. Executive Committee

1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the Officers, immediate Past President, and six members elected at large from the membership of the Section for staggered terms of three years each.
2. Subject to the directives and limitations imposed by the members of the Section, the Executive Committee shall have authority to execute on behalf of the Section all powers and functions defined in these Rules of Procedure.
3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once annually, at the time of the AAA Annual Meeting, and may meet additionally at the call of the President or a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
4. The Executive Committee shall make all non-elective appointments and may make interim appointments to fill vacancies in any elective office until the next regularly scheduled election.

Article VIII. Annual Reports

At the time of the Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee shall report its activities to the members and to the AAA Executive Board. The report shall include reports on Section finances, publications, committees, and other activities.

Article IX. Meetings

1. The Section shall hold an Annual Business Meeting at the time of the Annual Meeting of the AAA.
2. The place and date of the Annual Meeting shall be disclosed to the Members not less than thirty days in advance of the meeting.
3. New legislation or resolutions proposed by members for consideration at the Annual Business Meeting must be received by the Secretary/Treasurer (if the membership votes to combine the two offices) at least 20 days prior to the meeting to be placed on the agenda.
4. Business conducted at meetings shall be governed by Roberts’ Rules of Order.
5. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee upon written request of 5 percent of the members.

Article X. Quorum

1. Fiver percent of the members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Business Meeting.
2. A majority of members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for transaction business.
3. The business of the Section shall be transacted by majority vote unless otherwise provided by these Rules of Procedure.

Article XI. Nominations and Elections

1. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by the Executive Committee, by a Nominations Committee, or by members of the Section. All candidates shall be members of the Section in good standing.
2. At least two members should be nominated for each vacant office. These nominations shall be made known to the members at least 90 days before the Annual Meeting.
3. Ten members in good standing may propose and additional candidate for any office, provided the nomination is received in writing by the Secretary at least 60 days before the Annual Meeting.
4. The Chair of the Nominations Committee shall inform prospective candidates of the expectations of the office for which they have been proposed. The proposed candidates shall be formally nominated on receipt by the Nominations Committee of a letter indicating their willingness to assume the duties if elected.
5. The Chair of the Nominations Committee is responsible for providing the AAA Executive Office all required information for Section Elections by the date established by the Executive Office.

Article XII. Balloting

1. A member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one ballot in any Section election or referendum.
2. The election shall be conducted by the AAA Executive Office at the time of elections for other AAA Sections.
3. The candidate with the most votes for a contested office shall be elected. The Executive Committee shall hold a runoff election within 90 days to resolve ties.

Article XIII. Referendums

A referendum may be conducted by mail ballot at any time upon initiation of the Executive Committee or upon receipt by the Secretary of a petition signed by 10 members in good standing. A majority of votes shall constitute a favorable vote.

Article XIV. Finances

1. The budget year of the Section shall be that of the American Anthropological Association.
2. The Section shall submit an annual operation budget to the AAA Executive Committee, which, when approved, shall govern Section activities.
3. The income from annual dues and other sources shall constitute a working fund, available for operating expenses.
4. No financial obligations may be assumed by the Executive Committee or by any officer on behalf of the Section.
5. For the purposes of annual budgeting, estimated receipts from annual dues and other sources for the current year may be considered as available funds.
6. The Section may establish a fund balance for a specific purpose(s) as approved by the AAA Executive Board to be administered by the AAA.

Article XV. Amendments

1. These rules of procedure may be amended by the members by mail ballot, provided that a proposed amendment is approved by 2/3 of the votes cast.
2. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee or by five percent of the members in good standing. The Executive Committee shall have the proposed amendment circulated to the members and it shall allow 30 days for the return of the ballots.
3. The amendments and provisions of the Rules of Procedure shall be effective immediately upon adoption or by the date specified in the amendment, and shall supercede and nullify all previous amendments and provisions, unless otherwise specifically provided in the amendment.