Section 1. This organization shall be known as the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, hereinafter referred to as the Association.

Section 1. The purpose of the association shall be the advancement of veterinary anatomical science.

Section 1. The membership shall consist of Active Members, Members Emeriti, Honorary Members, and Corporate Members.

Section 2. Anyone having an active interest in veterinary anatomy shall be eligible for election as an Active Member.

Section 3. A member who has retired from active teaching or research shall be eligible as a Member Emeritus.

Section 4. A worthy individual who has made significant contributions to the field of veterinary anatomy shall be eligible for election as an Honorary Member.

Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, President-Elect, Corresponding Secretary, and a Membership Secretary who shall also act as a Treasurer (Membership Secretary-Treasurer).

Section 2. The officers of the Association and the immediate past President shall form the Executive Committee.

Section 3. The President-Elect, Corresponding Secretary, Membership Secretary-Treasurer and, when necessary, the President shall be elected by a mail ballot, the results of which shall be reported at the official meeting held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Section 4. The elected officers shall take office at the close of the meeting at which they were elected and shall serve for two years through the second official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA Convention or until the installation of their successors.

Section 5. The President-Elect, upon expiration of his term of office shall become President of the Association and shall serve as President until the close of the second subsequent official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA Convention or until installation of his/her successor.

Section 6. Only Active Members in good standing shall be eligible to hold elective offices.

Section 1. One official meeting of the Association will be held each year. This official meeting shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). A second meeting may be held in conjunction with the American Association of Anatomists (AAA). Business conducted at the meeting held in conjunction with the AAA shall not be binding to the Association, but agenda items may be generated for the official meeting.

Section 2. Only Active Members in good standing and Members Emeriti shall be entitled to vote.

Section 1. Any three or more members may propose amendments to the Constitution by submitting the same to the Corresponding Secretary at least ninety (90) days prior to the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention. Notice of proposed amendment(s) and mail ballots shall be distributed by the Corresponding Secretary to all members at least sixty (60) days before the said meeting. An affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members voting shall constitute adoption. The said mail ballots must be returned to the Corresponding Secretary and must be postmarked at least ten (10) days before date of the said official meeting. The returned ballot must bear a date and voting member's signature.

Section 2. In an emergency declared by the Executive Committee, the Constitution may be modified without delay or advance notice by a mail ballot if 70% of those members who return their ballots agree to the change and if the Executive Committee agrees unanimously at which time the said modifications agreed to shall take effect immediately.

Notwithstanding any provision of the Constitution which might be susceptible to a contrary construction:

Section 1. The Association shall be organized exclusively for scientific and educational purposes.

Section 2. The Association shall be operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes.

Section 3. No part of the net earnings of the Association shall or may under any circumstances inure to the benefit of any private individual.

Section 4. No substantial part of the activities of the Association shall consist of carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.

Section 5. The Association shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 6. The Association shall not be organized or operated for profit.

Section 7. The Association shall not:

A. Lend any part of its income or corpus, without the receipt of adequate security and reasonable rate of interest to:

B. Pay any compensation, in excess of a reasonable allowance for salaries or other compensation for personal services actually rendered to:

C. Make any part of its services available on a preferential basis to:

D. Make any purchase of securities or any other property, for more than adequate consideration in money or money's worth, from:

E. Sell any substantial part of its securities or other property, for less than an adequate consideration in money or money's worth, to: or

F Engage in any other transaction which results in a substantial diversion of its income or corpus to:

any member, officer, member of the Executive Committee, or substantial contributor to the Association. The prohibitions contained in this Section do not mean to imply that the Association may make such loans, payments, sales or purchases to anyone else, unless such authority be given or implied by other provisions of the Constitution.

Section 1. Upon dissolution of the American Association of Veterinary Anatomists, the Executive Committee shall distribute the assets and accrued income to one or more organizations as determined by the Committee, but which organization or organizations shall meet the limitations prescribed in Section 1 to 7, of Article Vll, immediately preceding.

Section 1 - Active Members

Applications for membership shall be made on appropriate forms supplied by the Membership Secretary-Treasurer and shall be endorsed by two members. The completed application form shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Membership Committee by May 1, in order to allow the Membership Committee due time to consider each application. The Membership Committee shall make its recommendations to the members for final action at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 2 - Members Emeriti

At the end of each calendar year the Membership Secretary-Treasurer shall supply the Chairman of the Membership Committee with the names of the members eligible to be elected as Members Emeriti for due consideration by the Membership Committee and recommendations to the members for final action at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 3- Honorary Members

Nominations for Honorary Membership, accompanied by appropriate supporting data and letters of recommendation, shall be submitted by members to the Chairman of the Membership Committee by May 1, thereby allowing adequate time for consideration by the Membership Committee which shall make its recommendations to the members for final action at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 4- Dues and Assessments

A. Dues of the Association shall be determined by the Executive Committee and ratified by the membership at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention. A member in arrears in dues payment for two years shall forfeit membership in the Association, but he/she may be reinstated on payment of arrear dues or he/she may reapply for membership in the Association. The Membership Secretary-Treasurer will send dues reminders to delinquent members. Honorary and Emeritus members are exempt from payment of dues.

B. Members who belong to the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists (WAVA) may, it they elect, pay WAVA dues to the Membership Secretary-Treasurer who will forward their dues to the Treasurer of the WAVA.

C. Assessments of members, to meet necessary operating expenses or the cost of special projects of the Association which exceed available funds, may be authorized by the members at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 1 - Nominations

The Nominating Committee shall call for written nominations six (6) months prior to the meeting held in conjunction with the American Veterinary Medical Association. A written nomination must be signed by five (5) nominators and include written certification that the nominee is willing to serve if elected. The Committee is responsible for the generation of a slate of officers that shall consist of at least two (2) nominees for each of the offices of President-Elect and President when necessary. A slate consisting of at least two (2) nominees each is also required for the positions of Corresponding Secretary and Membership Secretary-Treasurer, unless the Corresponding Secretary and/or Membership Secretary-Treasurer agree(s) to accept an additional term which does not extend his/her tenure beyond a fifth year. The Nominating Committee shall finalize their slate of officers four (4) months prior to the AVMA meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a profile of each candidate d a ballot. Both shall be submitted to the Corresponding Secretary at least sixty (60) days prior to the AAVA meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 2 - Election

Elections shall be conducted by mail ballot. The Corresponding Secretary shall distribute the candidate profiles and ballots to the general membership 45 days prior to the AAVA meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention. The ballots shall be returned to the Corresponding Secretary no later than then (10) days prior to the AAVA meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention. The results of the mail ballot shall be determined by an Election Committee, an Ad Hoc Committee. This committee shall certify and report the results at the business meeting of the AAVA held in conjunction with the AVMA. This report shall become a routine agenda item for this meeting . The candidate for each office receiving the largest number of votes cast for that office shall be elected.

Section 3- President

The President shall preside over the official meeting, act as Chairman of the Executive Committee, appoint all Committees, and perform such other duties as may properly devolve upon the President.

Section 4- President-Elect

The President-Elect shall preside in the absence of the President, and when so acting, shall perform the duties of the President. In the event the President, due to death or other cause, can no longer perform his duties, the President-Elect shall assume the office of the President.

Section 5- Corresponding Secretary

The Corresponding Secretary shall record the proceedings of the Association and shall perform such other duties (including publishing the AAVA newsletter) as are not specifically related to the duties of the Membership Secretary-Treasurer. The Corresponding Secretary shall normally serve more than one term, but usually not more than five consecutive terms of office.

Section 6 - Membership Secretary-Treasurer

The Membership Secretary-Treasurer shall be a member of the membership committee and maintain membership records. He/she shall receive and have charge of the funds of the Association and update the Membership Directory. The Membership Secretary-Treasurer shall normally serve more than one term, but usually not more than five consecutive terms of office.

Section 1 - Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall:

A. Transact all urgent business for or on behalf of the Association between official meetings.

B. Be authorized to hold a mail ballot if such action is deemed necessary or desirable.

C. Report at the official meetings.

D. Arrange the agenda for the official meeting and send copies to the members one month before the official meeting.

Section 2 - Appointment of Committees

The President shall appoint:

A. A Membership Committee.

B. A Nominating Committee consisting of three members, including the immediate Past-President as chairman.

C. Standing committees.

D. Ad hoc committees.

Section 3 - The Membership Committee

This committee shall:

A. Design appropriate membership forms.

B. Notify all departments, on or before April 1, to encourage the application of new members.

C. Pass on the qualifications of each applicant and submit recommendations for final action by members at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention.

Section 4- Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee shall provide a slate of candidates for the leadership of the AAVA, including all candidates duly nominated by the membership.

Section 5 - Standing Committees

Standing Committees shall be established and charged (or dissolved) by motion and majority vote of members present at an official meeting.

Section 6 - Ad Hoc Committees

Ad Hoc Committees shall be established by the president and serve at his/her pleasure.

Section 7- Reports of Committees

Each committee shall prepare typewritten copies of its report in duplicate to be presented to the President at his/her request prior to an official meeting.

Section 1 - Quorum

The members present at an official meeting shall constitute a quorum for all items of business properly put on the agenda. For all other business that comes before the official meeting a quorum shall consist of one-fourth of the members of the Association.

Section 2 - Agenda

Requests by members to have items of business put on the agenda shall be in the hands of the Executive Committee not less than sixty days before the official meeting.

Section 3 - Majority

Two-thirds of those voting shall constitute a majority.

Section 4 - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution or the By-Laws.

Section 5 - Mail Ballot

Urgent business between meetings shall be put to a vote by mail ballot provided a written request for such action is received from one-fourth of the members, or if the Executive Committee deems such action necessary.

These By-Laws may be amended by two-thirds of the Members present at the official meeting held in conjunction with the AVMA convention, provided that the proposed amendment was submitted in written form to the members at least sixty days before the meeting.