Constitution of AAGUS

THE AMERICAN
ASSOCIATION OF
GENITOURINARY
SURGEONS

CONSTITUTION / BYLAWS / POLICY STATEMENTS

Revised April 2015

**REVISIONS PENDING APPROVAL (AUG 2020)**

CONSTITUTION

1. NAME and PURPOSES:

The legal name of the Corporation is AAGUS, Incorporated. However, the Corporation shall continue to operate under the name of the American Association of Genitourinary surgeons. The purposes of the Corporation are set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. The major purpose shall be to promote the study of diseases of the genitourinary system.

2. PRINCIPAL OFFICE:

The principal office of the Corporation shall be designated from time to time by the council, normally at the professional or academic office of the Corporation’s Secretary.

3. MEMBERSHIP:

The members of the Corporation shall be limited in number, and shall be assigned to one of five classes:

  1. Active Members shall be limited to seventy-five in number, residents of the United States or Canada, and shall be surgeons who have distinguished themselves in Urology.
  2. Fellows shall be Active members who have reached the age of 65, and they shall enjoy all privileges of Active Membership.
  3. International Members shall be distinguished foreign urologists elected by the Active Members and  Fellows and shall enjoy that status for life.
  4. Honorary Members shall be elected to that status upon nomination by the Council after recommendation by the President, based on outstanding contributions to Urology.
  5. Inactive Members are retired Active or International Members who are transferred to this status at their request and approval by the Council
  6. Only Active Members, Fellows and Honorary Members may vote for new members.
  7. Inactive Members may attend meetings provided they pay the registration fee.
  8. Inactive and Honorary Members and not required to pay dues.

4. OFFICERS AND COUNCIL:

  1. The Officers of the Corporation shall be a President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer, elected by the membership, who shall exercise duties customary for those offices. A Historian may be appointed by the President.
  2. The Council shall consist of five persons, including three elected officers: The President, the Vice-President, and the Secretary-Treasurer. The fourth member shall be a Senior Councilor (a candidate for progression to Vice-President in the following year). The fifth member shall be a Junior Councilor (a younger member who will serve a three year term).  The Council will meet from time to time upon the call of the President, and it proceedings shall be reported to the Membership. The Secretary-Treasurer serves for a period of five years after which he/she becomes a Senior Councilor for one year, Vice President for one year and then President.

5. COMMITTEES:

The standing committees of the Corporation shall include the following:

  1. The Membership Committee consisting of five Active Members or Fellows, geographically diverse and otherwise representative of the Corporation’s members, serving for staggered five-year terms, one elected each year by the membership after nomination by the Nominating Committee. The President and Secretary will serve ex officio. Nominations to membership must be received by the Secretary at least 150 days prior to the next Annual Meeting.  The Committee shall investigate the credentials of prospective new members recommended by existing members to the Secretary, or suggested by Committee members.    Candidates shall be proposed by the Committee to the membership for election, upon 90 days’ written notice prior to the Corporation’s Annual Meeting.  The Committee shall prepare a slate of proposed new members to be approved by the membership with a vote of 2/3rds of present voting members.
  2. The Awards Committee, consisting of the two Immediate Past Presidents, the President, the Vice President, and the Junior Council Member.  The committee shall be chaired by the most senior (first serving) Past President. The Committee shall recommend all award recipients for approval by the Council.
  3. The Nominating Committee will consist of three members who will serve for staggered three-year terms. Each year, one new Committee member will be appointed by the President immediately after the President takes office. The Committee will propose candidates to fill vacancies among elected officers, and propose a new member for the Membership Committee. It will also propose members for positions such as the AAGUS representative to the American Board of Urology, American College of Surgeons, and other such offices when positions need to be filled.
  4. The Council shall act as the Bylaws Committee and be authorized to appoint such ad hoc committees as may be necessary from time to time.

6. ANNUAL MEETING and PAPERS:

  1. The Annual Meeting of the Corporation shall be at a date and time assigned at the previous Annual Meeting, and shall ordinarily last for three days’ duration, unless altered by vote of the Council.
  2. Guests may be invited to the Annual meeting if they are serious candidates for membership. No more than 15 guests may be invited per meeting, and no more than one per member.   Proposed invitations must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer and  approved by the Council.
  3. Papers to be presented at the Annual Meeting must be pre-approved by the Council upon submission of an abstract (of no more than 100 words) to the Secretary-Treasurer at a time designated by the Secretary.

7. ELECTION, DUES, AND EXPULSION:

  1. Election of new members shall take place at the Annual Meeting, and shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members  voting.  A quorum for such vote shall be one-half of the Active Members.
  2. Dues to be assessed to each class of members shall be determined by majority vote of the membership upon recommendation of the Council.   Members may be expelled for non-payment of dues.
  3. Expulsion may be recommended by the Council and approved by a majority vote of the membership, for members who are in default of their dues, who without excuse fail to attend the Annual Meeting, who fail to exhibit an active interest in urology, or for other just cause.  At the discretion of the Council, any Fellow or International Member who is absent from two consecutive meetings may forfeit his/her membership, unless he/she is able to provide satisfactory reasons for such absences to the council.  When an Active Member has been absent from one meeting of the Association, he/she will be notified in writing by the Secretary-Treasurer that his/her absence from the following meeting will constitute a forfeiture of his/her membership unless a valid excuse for his/her absence is received and accepted by the Council.

8. AMENDMENTS:

This Constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote for the membership, after notice of proposed amendment at least 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting.  Ratified amendments will be effective immediately following the Annual Meeting.

BYLAWS

SECTION I: DUES
  1. Active members shall pay the annual dues suggested by the Council and passed by the majority vote of the members present at the Annual Meeting.
  2. The dues of the Fellows shall be decided in the same manner.
  3. International members shall be assessed a lesser fee, determined by Council.
  4. A member in arrears for more than one year may be dropped from the roll by vote. A member in arrears for more than two years shall be dropped from the roll.
  5. No one shall be considered an Active, International Member or Fellow  until dues are paid, and election shall be void if such dues are not paid within three months of the time of notification.   He/She shall be notified to this effect.
SECTION II: THE COUNCIL

The Council shall meet at the call of the President as often as the business of the Association may require. They shall keep a record of their proceedings to be read at the Annual Meeting.

SECTION III:  PAPERS AND TRANSACTIONS

The title and a 100-word or less abstract submitted for papers to be presented at the Annual Meeting shall be forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer at least three months before the meeting date.

Publication of the Transactions shall be under the direction of the Council.

SECTION IV: ORDER OF BUSINESS

The order of business for the first day shall be as follows:

  1. Ready of the minutes
  2. Report of the Council
  3. Report of Committees
  4. Appointment of Nominating Committe
  5. Appointment of  Auditing Committee
  6. Announcement of candidates to be considered by the Membership Committee

The order of business for the second day shall be as follows:

  1. Necrologies
  2. Report of the Auditing Committee
  3. Report of the Membership
  4. Election of Members
  5. Report of Nominating Committee
  6. Election of Officers
  7. Selection of time and place for the next meeting
  8. Induction of new officers
  9. Adjournment.

Miscellaneous business may be transacted before the scientific session of the third day of the meeting. Retirement of old and induction of newly-elected officers is to take place just before the final adjournment.

SECTION V: GUESTS
  1. No residents or fellows in training may be invited to the meetings.
  2. North American urologists should be invited only if they are serious candidates for membership.
  3. Guests shall be limited to twenty percent of the Active membership.
  4. Members may invite only one guest per year.
  5. Nomination for guests must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer in time for a decision by the Council at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association.
  6. The Proposal should consist of a detailed letter from the nominator and either a curriculum vitae or a list of publications derived from the Cumulative Index.
  7. Guests and their spouses will be assessed the assigned meeting registration fee.

 

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF GENITOURINARY SURGEONS, INC.

POLICY STATEMENT

Revised March 2015
Guests
  1. No residents may be invited to the meetings.
  2. United States urologists should be invited only if they are serious candidates for membership.
  3. Guests shall be limited to 20% of the Active Membership (15 per meeting).
  4. Members may invite only one guest per year.
  5. Nominations for guests must be received by the Secretary in time for a decision by the Council at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association.
  6. The Nominating proposal should consist of a detailed letter from the nominator, a mini-CV of candidate form, and either a curriculum vitae or a list of publications derived from the Cumulative Index.
  7. Guests and their spouses will be assessed the assigned registration fees that apply to active members and their significant others.
Program

Titles of proposed papers and motion pictures accompanied by a one-hundred (100) word or less abstract (one table or figure allowed) must be received by the Secretary-Treasurer before the deadline of November 15. Please list all authors with their degrees and note who will be the presenter. Guests who are co-authors of papers may present only with the approval of Council upon written request of the member submitting the paper. The abstract should be informative yet succinct to aid the Council in construction of the program and the members who wish to participate in the discussion.

Candidates

Nominations for Active Membership must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer before the deadline of November 1 to assure compliance with the Constitution and Bylaws. The nomination must consist of a detailed letter accompanied by a candidate’s current curriculum vitae (including date of birth, office and home address, and spouse name) and bibliography and a mini-CV of candidate form (filled out by the nominator). Two seconding letters are also required. Nomination for International Members must be accompanied by similar documentation and must be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer before the deadline of November 1. All candidates for membership, either Active Membership or International Membership, must have attended a prior meeting as a guest.

Requests for Reinstatement of Membership (Inactive to Active/Fellow/ International Status
At the 2014 meeting, the Council determined that such requests be granted by the Secretary/Treasurer with subsequent approval by the Council. The requester would be required to pay dues for the year of the request (and subsequent years) and registration fees for any meetings attended (rules for attendance at subsequent meetings would be those appropriate to requesters new status (active/fellow/international, etc)

Presidential Appointments
During the annual Presidential appointment of a new member for the Nominating Committee, the president should not nominate a member who might be considered a potential candidate for Senior Councilor during his/her tenure of the Nominating Committee.

 

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