Midwest American Academy of Religion

American Academy of Religion
(National Organization)

BYLAWS AND PROCEDURES of THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION, MIDWEST REGION
Revised: 7/16/08
Approved by the Board of Directors 9/15/08

ARTICLE I. Name, Affiliation, and Regional Boundaries

The name of this organization shall be the American Academy of Religion, Midwest Region (MAAR). It shall be one of nine regional organizations affiliated with the national corporation, the American Academy of Religion (AAR). The MAAR’s geographical boundaries (the Midwest Region) shall be determined by the AAR Board of Directors.

ARTICLE II. Purposes

The purposes of the MAAR shall be to carry out the purposes of the AAR at the regional level: to encourage scholarship and research, stimulate effective instruction, and promote publication in the field of religious studies and to encourage, develop, and support the scholarly study of religion at all levels of education primarily in, but not limited to, the Midwest Region (AAR Bylaws Article II).

ARTICLE III. Membership

Section 1. Definition and Dues
All dues-paying members of the AAR who reside within the Midwest Region shall be, by virtue of their membership in the AAR, members of the MAAR. In accordance with AAR Bylaws Article IX, Section 4, the MAAR shall not levy additional membership dues.

Section 2. Eligibility
All members of the MAAR shall be eligible to participate in the Annual Meeting, nominate Section Chairs, and nominate and vote for Vice President and Regionally Elected Director. All non-student and graduate-student members of the MAAR shall be eligible to serve as Section Chairs. All non-student members of the MAAR shall be eligible to serve on the Executive Committee. In accordance with AAR Bylaws Article XI, Section 3, only AAR members who reside within the Midwest Region shall be eligible to vote on the business of the Midwest Region. Likewise, residence in the Midwest Region shall be necessary to be eligible to be elected as an Officer or Section Chair in the Midwest Region or to remain in that position.

ARTICLE IV. Executive Committee and Officers

Section 1. Officers and General Duties
The Executive Committee shall be constituted by the four elected Officers of the MAAR: Past President, President, Vice President, and Regionally Elected Director. All Officers shall attend the MAAR Annual Meeting, including the Board of Directors Meeting and the Business Meeting, and shall fulfill their duties according to Article IV, Section 2, below.

Section 2. Terms and Duties of Officers

Section 2.a. The Vice President shall be elected to a term of two years, which begins at the conclusion of the MAAR Annual Meeting at which his or her election is announced and ends at the conclusion of the MAAR Annual Meeting at which his or her successor’s election is announced. The Vice President then shall succeed to President. The Vice President shall serve as Program Chair of the Annual Meeting of the MAAR, which shall include creating the annual meeting schedule and program. In unusual circumstances, the Vice President shall preside at meetings at which the President is absent. If the Regionally Elected Director’s term ends the same year the Vice President’s term ends, the Board may vote to extend the Vice President’s term one additional year in order to avoid excessive turnover on the Executive Board.

Section 2.b. The President, previously elected as Vice President, shall serve a term of two years and then shall succeed to Past President. The President shall preside at the Board of Directors Meeting and the Business Meeting, both of which shall be held during the MAAR Annual Meeting. If the Regionally Elected Director’s term ends the same year the President’s term ends, the Board may vote to extend the President’s term one additional year in order to avoid excessive turnover on the Executive Board.

Section 2.c. The Past President, previously elected as Vice President and then serving as President, shall serve a term of two years in an advisory capacity to the Board of Directors.

Section 2.d. The Regionally Elected Director (RED) shall be elected to a term of three years, which shall begin and end on June 1, and shall be eligible to be elected to one additional three-year term. By January 1 of the third year of his or her term, the RED shall inform the President in writing regarding whether he or she desires to be elected to another three-year term or intends this to be his or her final year as RED. The RED’s primary duty shall be organizing the planning for the annual regional meeting each spring. This shall include: booking the conference space; arranging for the conference catering; dealing with book vendors; printing the conference program; negotiating group rates with the conference hotel; booking the keynote speaker and arranging the speaker’s hotel and travel; negotiating special rates for transportation to the conference; booking shuttle services if needed; planning the Board of Director’s annual dinner; updating the conference web site; providing directions, housing resources and other conference logistical information to members; providing welcoming materials and nametags; issuing and publicizing the conference call for papers to the membership; overseeing both online and on-site conference registration; signing all contracts; and arranging for conference liability insurance. The RED also shall manage all the finances for the region, including budgeting for the conference, cutting all checks to vendors, speakers, caterers and conference center providers, and paying out conference awards. In accordance with AAR Bylaws Article XI, Section 5, the RED shall maintain a record of the MAAR’s meetings and shall file minutes, an official written report, and complete financial statements annually with the AAR national board and office. The RED shall work closely with the head of the Regions Committee and the AAR Regions Staff Liaison to implement national guidelines at the regional level and shall attend two national Board Meetings per year.

Section 3. Election of Officers

Section 3.a. Eligibility to nominate, elect, and serve as an Officer shall be determined according to Article III, Section 2, above. Otherwise, in the nominating and electing of Officers there shall be no discrimination on account of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, age, physical disability, or marital status.

Section 3.b. The process for electing a new Vice President or Regionally Elected Director shall be as follows:
1. By early January of the final year of the Vice President’s or RED’s term, the President shall distribute a Call for Nominations to the MAAR membership; members may nominate themselves or others.
2. The President shall request each nominee to submit a short c.v., a statement of justification and purpose, and an endorsement by a colleague.
3. The Board of Directors shall review nominees’ materials and select up to three nominees as candidates.
4. By March 1, the President shall distribute candidates’ materials to the MAAR membership.
5. Elections shall be held either by electronic (online) voting before the Annual Meeting or by paper ballot during the Annual Meeting.
6. The President shall not vote in the election of an Officer, unless there is a tie vote, in which case the President shall vote to break the tie.
7. The President shall announce the name(s) of the newly elected Officer(s) during the Annual Meeting.

Section 4. Vacating of Offices and Appointment of Interim Officers
If an office is vacated by death, wrongdoing or neglect of duty (certified by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors), resignation, or change of residence to outside of the Midwest Region, then the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Board of Directors, shall appoint an Interim Officer. The Interim Officer shall serve through the next Annual Meeting, at which time the vacated office shall be filled either by succession according to Article IV, Section 2, or by an election according to Article IV, Section 3. Appointment as an Interim Officer shall not prejudice that person’s eligibility to be a candidate for that office at the next election.

Section 5. Executive Committee Meetings
Officers primarily shall conduct their business by email and telephone, but by mutual agreement they may meet as they determine doing so to be in the MAAR’s interests, such as during the AAR Annual Meeting or the MAAR Annual Meeting. At these meetings, three Officers shall constitute a quorum to conduct business.

ARTICLE V. Board of Directors, Sections, and Section Chairs

Section 1. Board Members and General Duties
The Board of Directors shall be constituted by the Executive Committee (Officers) and the Section Chairs. All members of the Board of Directors shall attend the MAAR Annual Meeting, including the Board of Directors Meeting and the Business Meeting. The Board’s duties shall include:
1. Overseeing the Annual Meeting, including reviewing and improving the process by which the Annual Meeting is planned and conducted.
2. Determining Annual Meeting dates, locations, themes, and plenary speakers.
3. Annually reviewing the MAAR budget and overseeing the Regionally Elected Director’s management of funds.
4. Soliciting and reviewing Section Chair candidates and electing new Section Chairs as required.
5. Soliciting nominees for Vice President and Regionally Elected Director as required.
6. Creating and formulating charges to Standing or Ad Hoc Committees, determining how members of such committees shall be appointed, and receiving and acting upon reports from such committees, as required.
7. Regularly reviewing the Bylaws of the MAAR and revising the Bylaws as required.
8. Reviewing and reformulating as necessary the MAAR’s purposes and guiding the MAAR in the fulfillment of such purposes.

Section 2. Definition and Organization of Sections
Sections of the MAAR shall be defined by those fields, areas, or topics within the study of religion that are represented by the scholarship and teaching of the majority of MAAR members. This majority shall be determined by the number and types of paper proposals submitted for presentation at the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors shall review Sections annually and determine whether the creation of a new Section, deletion of a current Section, or reorganization of Sections is appropriate, based on membership needs. Any member of the MAAR may submit to the President a request with justification for the creation of a new Section, which shall be considered by the Board of Directors.

Section 3. Terms of Section Chairs
Each Section Chair shall be elected to a term of three years and shall be eligible to be elected to one additional three-year term. Section Chair terms shall begin at the conclusion of the previous Section Chair’s term, which typically shall be immediately following the MAAR Annual Meeting of the final year of the previous Chair’s term or by the deadline for submission of proposals for the following year’s meeting. Before the end of his or her three-year term, the Section Chair shall inform the President in writing regarding whether he or she desires to be elected to another three-year term or intends this to be his or her final year as Section Chair.

Section 4. Duties of Section Chairs
Each Section Chair shall review the proposals submitted to his or her Section and create panels and paper sessions from those proposals for the Annual Meeting. He or she shall submit the panels and sessions to the Vice President/Program Chair by the deadline agreed upon by the Board of Directors. Section Chairs shall be encouraged to cultivate participation in the MAAR by, for example, soliciting presiders and respondents for their sessions at the Annual Meeting. If a Section Chair does not arrange for presiders or respondents, he or she shall preside over his or her Section’s sessions.

Section 5. Election of Section Chairs

Section 5.a. Eligibility to nominate, elect, and serve as a Section Chair shall be determined according to Article III, Section 2. Otherwise, in the nominating and electing of Section Chairs there shall be no discrimination on account of gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, ideology, political affiliation, age, physical disability, or marital status.

Section 5.b. When a Section Chair nears completion of one three-year term and wishes to serve a second three-year term, the Board of Directors shall determine by majority vote whether the Chair shall serve another term.

Section 5.c. The process for electing a new Section Chair shall be as follows:
1. The President shall distribute a Call for Nominations to the MAAR membership; members may nominate themselves or others.
2. The President shall request each nominee to submit a short c.v., a statement of justification and purpose, and an endorsement by a colleague or faculty advisor.
3. The President shall distribute nominees’ materials to the Board of Directors.
4. The Board of Directors shall review nominees’ materials and shall elect by majority vote via email or paper ballot the new Section Chair.

Section 6. Vacating of Section Chairs and Appointment of Interim Chairs
If a Section Chair is vacated by death, wrongdoing or neglect of duty (certified by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors), resignation, or change of residence to outside of the Midwest Region, then the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Board of Directors, shall appoint an Interim Section Chair. The Interim Chair shall serve through the next Annual Meeting, at which time the vacated Chair shall be filled by an election according to Article V, Section 5. Appointment as Interim Chair shall not prejudice that person’s eligibility to be a candidate for that Section Chair at the next election.

Section 7. Board of Directors Meetings
The Board of Directors shall meet regularly at the time of the MAAR Annual Meeting. Ten members of the Board shall constitute a quorum to conduct business. The President, in consultation with the other Officers, shall develop the agenda, which he or she shall distribute at the meeting. Proposals to add items to the agenda shall be submitted in writing to the President at least 72 hours before the meeting.

ARTICLE VI. Committees

The Board of Directors shall establish, provide charges to, review, and eliminate Standing Committees, including determining how positions on committees shall be filled, as the Board deems necessary to manage the activities and fulfill the purposes of the MAAR. The Executive Committee shall authorize Ad Hoc Committees and appoint members as it deems necessary. Each committee shall respond to the charges given to it by the Board of Directors or Executive Committee and shall initiate proposals and recommendations to the Board of Directors to further the achievement of the purposes of the MAAR. Each committee shall maintain a record of its meetings, actions, and recommendations and provide reports to the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VII. Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meeting

Section 1.a. An Annual Meeting of the MAAR shall be held in each calendar year at a time and place within the Midwest Region determined by the Board of Directors. According to AAR Bylaws Article XI, Section 2, the dates of the MAAR Annual Meeting shall not conflict with those of the AAR Annual Meeting, and typically shall be in late March or early April.

Section 1.b. Attendance and participation in the MAAR Annual Meeting shall be open to all members of the AAR and non-members, regardless of their residence.

Section 1.c. All who attend the Annual Meeting shall pay a registration fee to cover the costs of the meeting, to be determined by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may waive a participant’s registration fee in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis, such as for the plenary speaker or other significant invitees. Section Chairs who wish to have the registration fee for one of their sessions’ participants waived shall submit their requests to the Regionally Elected Director at least six weeks before the Annual Meeting.

Section 1.d. The procedure for planning the Annual Meeting shall be as follows:
1. At their Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors shall:
a. Determine the theme, plenary speaker, dates, and location of the following year’s Annual Meeting;
b. Appoint one or more members of the Board to write the Call for Papers, which later shall be approved by the Executive Committee;
c. Determine the deadline for submission of proposals to the MAAR OP3 system, which typically shall be in mid-December, and the deadline for Section Chairs to submit their panels and sessions to the Vice President/Program Chair, which typically shall be in mid-January.
2. Following the Annual Meeting, as required, the Regionally Elected Director and the President shall begin planning the following year’s Annual Meeting with the site coordinator, including making arrangements for the plenary speaker.
3. By July 1 the RED shall distribute the Call for Proposals to the regional membership, post it on the regional Web site, and submit it for publication in Religious Studies News.
4. After the submission deadline, each Section Chair shall review the proposals submitted to his or her Section; organize panels and paper sessions; solicit the participation of scholars, such as panelists to fill out sessions, presiders, and respondents, as required; confirm with participants their audio-visual and other requests; submit his or her panels and sessions to the Program Chair by the deadline; and inform those who submitted proposals of their acceptance or rejection.
5. By early February the Program Chair shall create the Annual Meeting schedule and program booklet, which shall be reviewed by the Board of Directors.
6. By mid-February the RED shall post the program booklet and other Annual Meeting information, such as accommodations, on the MAAR Web site and shall make online registration available to the membership.
7. During the Annual Meeting, the RED shall be responsible for distributing name tags and program booklets to registered participants and managing on-site registration.
8. Following the Meeting, the RED shall distribute an electronic survey requesting feedback from those who attended.

Section 2. Business Meeting
An annual Business Meeting of the MAAR shall be held during each Annual Meeting and shall be open to all who are attending the MAAR Annual Meeting, although only members of the MAAR shall be able to vote on regional matters, if required. The purpose of the Business Meeting is to inform members of actions taken by the Board of Directors, announce the results of the election of Officers, and present paper awards and for any other business that may properly arise. If the election of Officers does not occur via electronic (online) voting before the Annual Meeting, then the election of Officers shall occur by paper ballot during the Business Meeting.