EPA By-Laws

By-laws of the Eastern Psychological Association, Inc. 

ARTICLE I NAME: The name of this Society shall be the Eastern Psychological Association, Incorporated (hereinafter referred to as the Association).

ARTICLE II PURPOSE: The Association has as its purpose the advancement of the science of Psychology through Meetings for the presentation of reports and discussions of scientific work having theoretical and practical significance.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

1. MEMBERS shall be persons desiring affiliation with the Association in accordance with the purpose of the Association as stated in Article II and demonstrating such scientific qualifications as are signified by one of the following: [a] having made recognized contributions to psychological science, as shall be determined by the Board of Directors; or [b] having completed one full year of graduate study in an accredited university, the major part of which study shall have been in psychology.

2. LIFE MEMBERS shall be Members of the Association who have achieved retirement status, who have been paid Members of the Association for the previous ten (10) years, and who apply to the Executive Officer for such status.

3. ASSOCIATE MEMBERS shall be non-voting Members of the Association who, having shown a commitment to scientific psychology or the teaching of psychology, have been nominated by a faculty member who is a Member of the Association or a secondary school principal. They may be upper division undergraduates, graduate students, or secondary school teachers.

4. FELLOWS shall be Members or Life Members elected by the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Membership Committee for their significant and sustained contributions to the science of psychology in the areas of research, application, teaching, mentoring, practice or service.   Fellows must have seven years of relevant experience following the doctoral degree (or ten years following the master’s degree); demonstrate past and future commitment to EPA involvement; and be nominated by any member of EPA or be self-nominated.  As part of the review of nominees, the nominator must provide a CV for the nominee and a letter of nomination that identifies the work done by the nominee that demonstrate the following:
 
1. Involvement with EPA or anticipated work that clearly denotes a commitment towards playing a leadership role in the Association by contributing to the annual meeting. 
2. Contributions to advance the field of psychology in the areas of research, application, teaching, mentoring, practice or service. 
 
Additional supporting materials may also be submitted by the nominator or requested at the discretion of the Board.

5.  UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT.  For any Fellow found guilty of unprofessional conduct by a university or professional society, EPA will remove that Fellow’s name from the EPA website listing of Fellows until EPA’s own review of the allegations and actions of other organizations has been completed.  Reinstatement of Fellow status shall be contingent on the final determination of the Board of Directors.

6. APPLICATION: Application for membership in any category shall be submitted electronically through the Association’s website as prescribed by the members (herein capitalized when designating the body of the Members), through its Board of Directors (herein referred to as Directors) and shall attest to the qualifications prescribed in this Article. A membership application shall contain sufficient information to verify that an applicant meets the qualifications for membership under [a] or [b], above.

7. ELECTION: The Executive Officer of the Association shall elect to membership, in the name of the Members, and at any time, an applicant whose membership qualifications under ARTICLE III §1, §2, §3, or §4 have been verified. Such election shall become void if the initial dues have not been paid within two (2) months after notice of election by the Executive Officer.

8. PRIVILEGES: Members shall have equal rights to submit scientific reports and equal privileges of discussion in the meetings of the Association. Members shall have equal rights of voting and holding office according to these By-Laws. Members may bring to the attention of the Officers, Directors, and Members such matters as they may deem necessary. On request a list of the membership shall be available to members, at a cost specified by the Executive Officer, exclusively for noncommercial use. Associate Members with an E.P.A. sponsor may only submit posters for presentation at the annual meeting. Submissions of one paper and/or one poster to the annual conference from EPA Fellows will be accepted without peer review when the Fellow is presenting author.

ARTICLE IV MEETINGS: The primary purpose of the Association is to conduct annual Meetings consisting of scientific programs. A Business Session shall be scheduled at each Meeting. Also opportunities may be provided for educational and professional services to the membership, and for the scheduling of Meetings on special psychological topics.

1. ANNUAL MEETING: The Annual Meeting of the Members shall be held during the Spring on a date and at a place approved by the Board of Directors. In an emergency, the location and date of the Meeting can be changed by a vote of the Directors. The Program of the Annual Meeting shall be made available electronically by the Executive Officer to all Members not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the Meeting. Printed versions of the Program of the Annual Meeting will be available at the meeting for all Members attending.

2. SPECIAL MEETINGS: Special Meetings shall be held on call of the majority of the Members present and voting at a Business Meeting, or on call of the Directors, or on a written request submitted to the Executive Officer and signed by one-tenth (1/10) of the total membership. The Executive Officer shall designate a convenient time and place for Special Meetings, and the program of a Special Meeting shall be emailed by the Executive Officer to the last known email addresses of all Members not less than twenty (20) days prior to the Special Meeting.

3. SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM: The scientific program at any Meeting shall be under the direction of the Program Committee. Presentation of papers, posters, and symposia shall be by Members and by others approved by the Program Committee when sponsored as Guests by Members. The Program Committee shall include in the program of a Meeting all scientific papers or topics of discussion submitted by Members that meet the scientific standards and technical requirements established by the Program Committee and approved by the Members through the Directors.

4. BUSINESS SESSION: Unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws, such business as the Directors recommend shall be transacted in a Business Session of a Meeting for which a quorum shall consist of fifty (50) Members. Additional items of business in accordance with these By-Laws may be introduced by those Members attending. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the Business Session.

ARTICLE V BOARD OF DIRECTORS: There shall be a Board of Directors (herein referred to as Directors), which shall consist of the voting Officers (President, President-Elect, immediate Past President, Treasurer, and Executive Officer) and nine (9) Members-at-Large. Ex-officio nonvoting Members of the Board shall be the Historian, and Chair of the Program Committee.

1. TERM OF OFFICE OF MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Members-at-Large shall serve terms of three (3) years, beginning and ending with the fiscal year. Three (3) of the nine (9) Members-at-Large shall be elected annually to fill vacancies left by those Directors whose terms shall have expired. Members-at-Large shall be ineligible for reelection for three years upon completion of their term as Director.

2. MEETINGS: Meetings of Directors shall be held at a convenient time and place designated by the Executive Officer on call of an Officer or on written request to the Executive Officer by a Director. The President of the Association shall be the Chair of the Directors and the Executive Officer of the Association shall be its Secretary. A quorum at any Meeting of the Directors shall consist of a majority of the voting Officers and Directors.

3. DUTIES: Unless otherwise specified in these By-Laws, it shall fill position vacancies caused by an incumbent's death, disability, or resignation. It shall be responsible to the Members for the conduct of Meetings and shall exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Association as authorized by these By-Laws. It shall bring to the attention of the Members such matters as it deems necessary.

4. DUTIES OF INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The At-Large Directors, by virtue of their scientific standing and visibility, lend credibility and support for the Association's goals, especially by active participation in its governance, by facilitation and improvement of its annual scientific meetings, and its other professional and educational undertakings, and in efforts to ensure its financial stability by recruiting members, exhibitors, and advertisers.

[a] Meeting Attendance. Directors participate in the Annual Meeting of the Board, the annual Business Session, and ad hoc and standing committees as appointed by the President, Executive Officer, or Board.

[b] Scientific Program Facilitation. Directors help maintain the high scientific quality of the Meetings by providing recommendations for content and presenters to the program committee, and by participating in Meetings as discussants, organizers of sessions, presenters, session chairs, sponsors, and in other ways as requested by the Program Committee.

[c] Professional and Educational Activities. Directors help maintain and enhance the professional and educational mission of the Association by active efforts to encourage colleagues, students, publishers, and others to utilize the exhibits, and, thereby, lend their scientific stature to building a strong financial, and membership base for the future.

ARTICLE VI OFFICERS: The Officers shall be the President, President-Elect, the Executive Officer, the Treasurer, the immediate Past President, the Historian, and the Program Committee Chair.

1. TERMS OF OFFICE: The President, President-Elect, Past President, and Program Committee Chair shall each serve a term of one (1) year. The President is ineligible for reelection to that office. The Program Committee Chair shall serve a term of three (3) years (renewable), by mutual agreement between the Program Committee Chair and the EPA Board of Directors.  The Treasurer shall serve for a term to be determined by the Board. The Executive Officer's and Historian's terms of office shall each be five (5) years. Terms of all officers shall begin and end with the fiscal year, June 1 through May 31.

2. PRESIDENTS DUTIES: It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all Meetings of the Association, to act as chair of the Directors, to exercise general supervision over the affairs of the Association, to perform all such duties as are incident to the office or as may properly be required by the votes of the Members or the Directors under the authority of these By-Laws. He/she shall appoint a member to serve with her/ him on the expiration of the presidential term as a member of the Elections Committee for the following year as prescribed in Article VII, § 2 of these By-Laws. He/she shall take responsibility for the duties of the Executive Officer, Treasurer, Historian, Program Committee Chair, and Board Members in case of the death, disability, or resignation of any of these officers until the appointment of a successor under the authority of these By-Laws. She/he shall bring to the attention of the Members and the Directors such matters as he/she deems necessary.

3. DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT: It shall be duty of the President-Elect generally to fulfill the duties of Board members and specifically to be the understudy of the President. The President-Elect will also oversee the election of the Fellows.

4. EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S DUTIES:

[a] It shall be the duty of the Executive Officer to keep the current records of all Meetings of the Directors and of the Association, to file and hold subject to call by the Directors or Members all current records, reports of committees, and Proceedings, to conduct all official correspondence, to issue all programs of Meetings, to receive applications for membership, to issue notices of acceptance into membership, and to serve as Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee.

[b] She/he shall have custody of all property of the Association except records of permanent value which are to be given to the Historian to be stored in a manner to be made available to any individuals desiring historical information concerning the society, and those assets which are in the custody of the Treasurer.

[c] She/he shall have responsibility for the collection of membership dues, registration fees at the Annual Meeting, and all other receivables of the Association, shall deposit all receipts in banks approved by the Directors, and shall have further responsibility for authorizing the expenditure of funds for duly declared purposes of the Association as provided by the By-Laws and as approved by the Members through the Directors.

[d] She/he shall maintain a full and complete record of all money received and of all property of the Association, and shall within a reasonable time exhibit the books upon request to any Member of the Association. In cooperation with the Treasurer, he/she shall submit an interim financial report for the current fiscal year at each Annual Meeting and at any Special Meeting where such is requested by the Directors or by the Members. She/he shall present for each fiscal year a financial report, as approved by the Treasurer to the Members through the Directors.

[e] She/he shall perform such other duties as are required by a vote of the Members or the Directors under the authority of these By-Laws. He/she shall perform the duties of the President in case of the death, disability, or resignation of that officer until the appointment of a successor under the authority of Article Vlll, §3 of these By-Laws. She/he shall represent the Association in any situation where specific provision is not contained in these By-Laws. By virtue of this authority, he/she shall appoint a Member to act as her/his agent where it is impossible or inadvisable for him/her to do so. She/he shall bring to the attention of the Members and the Directors such matters as may be necessary.

5. DUTIES OF THE TREASURER:

[a] It shall be the duty of the Treasurer, in cooperation with the Executive Officer, to recommend a budget (which may include a contingent fund) for the succeeding year at each Annual Meeting and at any Special Meeting where such is requested by the Directors or by the Members. He/she shall review all financial statements of the Association. She/he shall bring to the attention of the Members and the Directors such matters as may be necessary.

[b] He/she shall have authority to sign checks and drafts on behalf of the Association for the disbursement of funds as designated by the Executive Officer and in accord with the provisions in the By-Laws and the approval by the Members through the Directors.

[c] She/he shall invest surplus funds in securities as authorized by the Directors and be responsible for their custody, and shall promptly report and transmit to the Executive Officer interest earned by such securities.

[d] He/she shall maintain a full and complete record of all disbursements, cash on hand, and securities held in custody, shall within a reasonable time exhibit the books upon request to any Member of the Association

6. DUTIES OF THE HISTORIAN: It shall be the duty of the Historian to insure that all permanent records of the Association are retained in such a manner that they can be made available to any individuals desiring historical information concerning the society . She/he shall annually add to the permanent records information regarding the affairs of the Association for that year.

7. DUTIES OF THE PAST PRESIDENT: The Past President shall serve as the Chair of the Elections Committee and shall fulfill the duties and obligations of Board members.

8. DUTIES OF THE PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIR: The Program Committee Chair shall be appointed by the Board of Directors in consultation with the members of the Committee, shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors during her/his term of office, and shall be responsible for directing the activities of the Program Committee as authorized in Article VIII, § I. When possible he/she shall have served at least one year on the Committee.

ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES: Specific tasks and responsibilities of the Association shall be conducted by such standing committees as are hereinafter provided by these By- Laws and such special committees as may be established by votes of the Members or the Directors.

1. PROGRAM:

[a] Membership: The Program Committee shall consist of members appointed by the Board. The size of the Committee shall be determined by the Board and altered as it deems necessary. Each member shall serve a three-year term. The Chair of the Committee shall be appointed by the Directors in consultation with members of the Committee and shall be a non-voting member of the Board during her/his term of office. The Chair shall serve a three-year term that could be renewed by mutual agreement between the Program Committee Chair and the Board of Directors. The President and the Executive Officer shall be ex-officio members of this Committee.

[b] Duties: The Program Committee shall solicit the scientific program from the Members by an official Call for Papers to be issued by the Executive Officer not less than one hundred twenty (120) days prior to an Annual Meeting. The Committee shall transmit the scientific program to the Executive Officer not less than forty (40) days prior to a Meeting, shall direct the scientific program of a Meeting, and shall perform such other duties as are prescribed in Article VIII, § 3. The Committee shall make its report to the Members through the Directors and at the Annual Business Session.

2. ELECTIONS: The Elections Committee, consisting of the Past President as Chair, the Executive Officer, and one Member appointed by the Board, shall represent the Members in counting and reporting nominations and elections as prescribed in Article VIII, § 1 of these By-Laws. The Elections Committee shall make its report to the Members.

3. LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS

[a] Membership: The Committee on Local Arrangements for the Annual Meeting, consisting of the Executive Officer as Chair and at least two (2) additional Members usually from the institution or locality where the Annual Meeting is to be held, shall be appointed by the Directors each year.

[b] Duties: The Committee on Local Arrangements shall have charge of all local arrangements for the Annual Meeting and it shall work in coordination with the Program Committee in the preparation of the Program. It shall report to the Members through the Directors. The Executive Officer shall make the local arrangements for Special Meetings.

4. MEMBERSHIP: The Membership Committee, consisting of the President-Elect as Chair, the President, the Executive Officer, and one Member appointed by the Board, shall have charge over the process for nominating members to Fellow status.

ARTICLE VIII NOMINATION AND ELECTION: The President, President-Elect, Past President, and Members-at-large of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the Members. An email containing a link to an electronic ballot shall be employed. The Treasurer shall be elected by the Members present at the Business Session of the Annual Meeting. The Executive Officer, Historian, and Program Committee Chair shall be elected by the Directors.

1. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF PRESIDENT-ELECT AND MEMBERS- AT-LARGE OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

[a] At least one hundred and twenty (120) days prior to the Annual Meeting, the Executive Officer shall solicit nominations via email from all Members. Each member may nominate one candidate for President- Elect and one candidate for each vacancy among the Directors. The nominations shall be counted by the Elections Committee ninety (90) days prior to the Annual Meeting. The Elections Committee shall report to the Executive Officer the nominees for President-Elect and for Directors, ranked according to number of nominations each received.

[b] The Executive Officer shall ascertain that all nominees are Members of the Association and are willing to stand for office. The name of any nominee found to be ineligible or unwilling to stand for office shall be removed from the list of prospective candidates.

[c] Not fewer than two (2) nor more than nine (9) nominees for President-Elect, and not fewer than two (2) nor more than four (4) nominees for each vacancy among the Directors (totaled) shall appear on an election ballot. Names of the Members who have received the greatest numbers of nominating votes shall be listed by the Executive Officer on the final election ballot in alphabetical order for President or Directors. But a nominee eligible to go on the ballot for both President- Elect and Director shall choose one office to stand for, and the next ranked nominee for the other office shall be included. The final election ballot will be made available electronically by the Executive Officer to the Members not less than twenty-eight (28) days prior to the Annual Meeting.

[d] The election ballot shall be counted by the Elections Committee, with the lowest preferential rank counted as one (1) and the highest as the number equal to the total number of candidates for that office included on the ballot. The count shall be made not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the Annual Meeting.

2. APPOINTMENT OF THE TREASURER: The Directors shall be responsible for appointing a candidate to the position of Treasurer.

3. VACANCIES:

[a] In case of a vacancy in the office of Executive Officer, Treasurer, or Historian by death, disability, or resignation, the Directors shall appoint a Member to act until the next meeting of the Association, when such vacancy shall be filled as prescribed in §2 of this Article.

[b] In case of vacancies on the Board of Directors due to death, disability, or resignation of the President, President-Elect, or Members- At-Large, the Board shall examine the Election results in the last Board Election and, after eliminating those persons elected to full Board terms in that election, appoint the remaining Member with the next highest number of votes to the first such vacancy, the remaining Member with the second highest number of votes to the second vacancy and so on. In the event that a sitting Board Member is elected President the Board shall elect a person to fill the year's vacancy on the Board by the procedure specified in the preceding sentence.

4. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF MEMBERS TO FELLOW STATUS: The President-Elect, on behalf of the Membership Committee, shall mail a letter to all EPA Members (not Associates) requesting nominations for next year’s Fellows. The Membership Committee will also accept self-nominations. These solicitation letters shall be mailed no later than the 45 days prior to the annual meeting. The committee will compile this list of nominees and present this to the Board of Directors at the annual meeting for their consideration. A formal vote by the Board of Directors should take place no later than 30 days following the Annual Meeting. Invitations will be sent to nominees no later than August 1, and a newly elected Fellows list will be provided to the Executive Officer by the end of the calendar year for inclusion in the next Program.

ARTICLE IX FISCAL MATTERS: The fiscal year of the Association shall close on May 31.

1. DUES AND GUEST FEES:

[a] The Board of Directors may recommend at the Annual Meeting, for the approval of the Membership, changes in the amount of dues and Guest fees for the next fiscal year.

[b] Dues shall be payable on or before January 15th of the fiscal year. Non-payment of dues by a Member for three (3) consecutive years shall constitute automatic resignation.  Non-payment of dues by a Fellow for three (3) consecutive years shall constitute forfeiture of Fellow status and future eligibility.  

2. DUES EXEMPTION:

[a] Parents, spouses/domestic partners, and children of Members when introduced by the Member upon registration at a Meeting of the Association shall have the privileges of Guests with payment of a nominal guest fee.

[b] Life Members shall be exempt from dues but shall be encouraged to make financial contributions to the Association. They shall retain all the rights and privileges of Members of the Association.

ARTICLE X AFFILIATIONS: The Association may establish affiliation with and have representation in the Councils of other organizations which have interests compatible with the goals of the Association. Affiliation shall be authorized by a two-thirds vote of the Members present and voting at a Meeting, provided a petition for affiliation has been presented to the Members through the Directors at least one (1) year prior to final action. Such affiliation shall be discontinued when action by the affiliated organization is deemed by the Board of Directors contrary to the interests and purpose of the Association.

ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS AND REFERENDA:

1. The Association may by vote of two-thirds of the Members present and voting at any Meeting adopt such By-Laws or amendments to By- Laws as are consistent with the Association's Certificate of Incorporation and are deemed necessary for the management of the affairs of the Association, provided a full statement of the proposed By-Laws or amendments to By-Laws has been sent to the last known addresses of all Members not less than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the Meeting.

2. By-Laws or amendments to By-Laws may also be adopted by electronic ballot. In this case, the Executive Officer shall establish a suitable deadline for the return of ballots and send by email a copy of the proposed changes to the last known email address of each Member. Changes shall be adopted if two-thirds of the Members responding are in favor of the proposed changes.

3. When approved by the Members, By-Laws or amendments to By- Laws shall go into effect at the beginning of the fiscal year.

4. Resolutions relating to any position to be taken by the Association shall be decided by an electronic ballot of the Membership. A referendum may be initiated in one of three (3) ways:

[a] action of the Board of Directors,

[b] a simple majority vote of those Members voting at the Business Session, and

[c] by a petition signed by ten per cent (10%) of the Membership and submitted to the Executive Officer.

The ballot shall contain pro and con position statements. The results of a referendum shall be decided by a simple majority of those voting.

Adopted at the Annual Business Meeting in Atlantic City, 4/6/40, and amended at the Annual Business Meetings at Brooklyn College, 4/19/41; Temple University, 4/16/48; Springfield, MA, 4/18/49; Brooklyn College, 3130/51; Atlantic City, 3128152; New York City, 4/12/57; and by mail ballot. on 12/3/58; 12/2/61; 12/1/65; 12/1/69; 3/31/72; 3/31/75; 3131179; 3/31/89, 3/31/90, and 3/31/95; by electronic balloting 8/15/05; and at the Annual Business Meeting in Manhattan, 3/3/13; and at the Annual Business Meeting in Manhattan, 3/5/22.

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