San Diego Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
BY-LAWS
Article I – Name
This association shall be called the San Diego Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, hereinafter referred to as the SDACAP in these by-laws. The SDACAP is a regional organization of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and provides representation and supports the activities of the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (CalACAP).
The association shall have an office at such a place as the business of the SDACAP shall require and as designated by the Executive Committee.
Article II – Purposes
The objectives of the SDACAP are:
1. To provide a forum for the discussion and exchange of ideas regarding the mental health resources and psychiatric needs of children and adolescents and their families in the County of San Diego and the State of California.
2. To provide a scientific forum for discussion of advancements in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.
3. To communicate with other professional groups concerned with the health, welfare, and education of children (so that services and service delivery systems can be enhanced).
4. To further medical contributions to the knowledge and treatment of mental health problems of children and adolescents.
In carrying out these objectives, no part of the income of the association shall inure to the private benefit of any donor, member, officer, director or employee of the association other than as reasonable compensation for work or services rendered or to the benefit of any other corporation or individuals except as appropriate beneficiary of one of the purposes above stated.
The SDACAP shall not engage in a transaction of the type prohibited by the Internal Revenue Code, and no substantial part of the activities of the SDACAP shall consist of carrying on propaganda or otherwise attempting to influence legislation or participating in or intervening in a political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
In furtherance of these purposes, the SDACAP is committed to the concept of continuing education as a means of maintaining and improving competence in child and adolescent Psychiatry.
Article III – Amendments
These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the eligible members of the SDACAP responding to mail ballot. Amendments may be initiated by either:
1. Being proposed to or by the Executive Committee with a majority of the Executive Committee voting in favor of submitting it to the entire eligible membership for a mail vote; or
2. Being submitted in writing by five active members of the SDACAP to the secretary at least 15 days before an annual meeting. The amendment shall be presented at the annual meeting, and a majority of the eligible members present at that annual meeting must vote in favor of submitting it to the entire eligible membership for mail vote.
Article IV – Membership
Section 1. Membership in the SDACAP shall be by election by SDACAP members following approval of the Executive Committee and initiated by application unless otherwise provided herein.
a. There shall be six classes of membership in the SDACAP:
(1) Active members
(2) Affiliate members
(3) Trainee members
(4) Honorary members
(5) Life members
(6) Inactive members
b. Active, affiliate and trainee members shall be required to pay dues.
Section 2. Election to Membership
a. All members of SDACAP must be members in good standing of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
b. The Membership Committee shall make a determination for each applicant as to his of her eligibility for membership in the SDACAP and the appropriate class of membership. The Membership Committee shall then submit nominations to the Executive Committee stating its view on both eligibility for membership and the class of membership recommended.
c. Election to membership of active and trainee applicants and any change in membership category shall be by two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee.
d. Following approval by the Executive Committee, the names of candidates for Affiliate membership shall be circulated to all members of the SDACAP by the Secretary-Treasurer for written comments. No sooner than one month after circulation of the namesof the Affiliate candidates, the Executive Committee shall elect Affiliate members by a two-thirds vote.
e. Election to Honorary or Life membership shall be decided as outlined in Sections 6 and 7 respectively.
Section 3. Active Membership
a. Election to active membership in the SDACAP may be extended upon application to any physician who meets both (1) and (2) of the following qualification:
(1) Shall:
(a) Have been certified in child and adolescent psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or
(b) Have completed two years of training in a child and adolescent psychiatry-training program accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education and have completed general psychiatry training.
(2) Shall demonstrate, through documentation, that his or her major professional interests and activities are in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry. This may include any combination of the following activities:
(a) Clinical practice with children and adolescents
(b) Teaching of child and adolescent psychiatry
(c) Training of physicians for the eventual practice of child and adolescent psychiatry
(d) Research in child psychiatry or childdevelopment
(e) Psychiatric consultation to agencies concerned with the treatment, education, health, and welfare of children and adolescents
(f) The administration of (i) a child psychiatry clinic, (ii) a department or division of child psychiatry in a general or pediatric hospital, (iii) a psychiatric hospital or residential treatment center for children, or (iv) child psychiatric or child mental retardation programs at a community, state, regional or national level, regardless of whether such facilities or programs for children and adolescents are public or private.
b. Active members shall be:
(1) Eligible to hold office as president, president-elect, secretary-treasurer, Delegate and Alternate Delegate,
(2) Eligible to serve on and chair any committee of the SDACAP and,
(3) Have the power to vote on any and all issues considered by the SDACAP at its business meetings and by mail ballot.
Section 4. Affiliate Membership
a. Election to affiliate membership in the SDACAP may be extended upon application to any person who is not eligible for active membership, but who is making contributions in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry as defined in Article IV, Section 4 (a) (2). The evaluation of such contributions shall be made by the Membership Committee and validated by at least two members of the SDACAP who are familiar with the applicant’s work.
b. Affiliate members shall be eligible to participate in all of the activities of the SDACAP except that they shall not:
(1) Have the power to vote
(2) Be eligible to hold office in the SDACAP or
(3) Be eligible to chair committees of the SDACAP.
Section 5. Trainee Membership
a. Election to trainee membership in the SDACAP may be extended upon application to:
(1) Any physician who has been accepted for training in child and adolescent psychiatry in a residency or fellowship training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education OR
(2) Any physician who has been accepted for general psychiatry training in an accredited program OR
(3) Any medical student who is matriculated in an accredited medical school.
b. Trainee members shall be eligible to participate in all of the activities of the SDACAP except that they shall not:
(1) Have the power to vote
(2) Be eligible to hold office in the SDACAP or
(3) Be eligible to chair committees of the SDACAP
c. Trainee membership shall be terminated upon the individual’s termination of training status.
Section 6. Honorary Membership
a. Invitation to honorary membership may be extended to persons who have made outstanding contributions to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry, child and adolescent development, or child and adolescent mental health. Invitation to honorary membership shall be initiated by the Executive Committee and election shall be by two-thirds vote of a mail ballot.
b. Honorary members shall not have the power to vote or to hold office and shall not be required to pay dues.
Section 7. Life Membership
Any active member or affiliate member in good standing for at least ten years who has reached the age of 65 years or whose age plus active membership equals 95 shall be raised by the Executive Committee to the status of Life Membership (if an Active Member) or to Life Affiliate Membership (if an Affiliate Member) with all the privileges of his or her membership class and thereafter shall not be required to pay dues.
Section 8. Inactive Membership
a. Inactive membership in the SDACAP may be granted by the Executive Committee upon application and on the recommendation of the Membership Committee to any member in good standing who:
(1) Establishes inability to pay dues as a consequence of hardship, illness or retirement, or
(2) Is no longer devoting a major proportion of his or her professional time to the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.
b. Inactive members shall be entitled to register as members of the annual meetings of the SDACAP but shall not be eligible for any other privileges of membership and shall not be required to pay dues. Any inactive member may apply to the Membership Committee for reinstatement to his or her former membership class at any time subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
c. Inactive membership shall be granted for a designated period of time not to exceed two years.
Section 9. Termination of all classes of Membership
a. Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the Secretary-treasurer but such resignation does not relieve the member so resigning of the obligation to pay any dues, assessment or other charges theretofore accrued and unpaid.
b. Default in the payment of annual dues for the fiscal year in which they are assessed shall automatically terminate membershipunless provision is made for payment.
c. If at any time a member falls out of good standing with AACAP and/or SDACAP, the Executive Committee of SDACAP will make appropriate decisions regarding local membership.
d. Whenever the Executive Committee finds by a majority vote of its members that there is reason to believe that a member of the SDACAP may be unsuited for continued membership, the President shall appoint an ad hoc committee to investigate the matter and report its findings and recommendations to the Executive Committee.
1. If after due consideration of the ad hoc committee’s findings and recommendations the Executive Committee finds by a majority vote that there is sufficient basis to pursue the matter further, the member shall be informed in writing that a hearing will be held to determine whether there is good and sufficient reason for the member’s dismissal from membership in the SDACAP.
2. The notification shall be sent to the member at least 30 days prior to the scheduled hearing, shall summarize the basis for the Executive Committee’s determination that he or she may be unsuited for membership and shall invite the member to attend the hearing with the right to counsel and to present to the Executive Committee reasons why he or she believes there should not be a dismissal.
3. At such a hearing there shall be present at least two-thirds of the members of the Executive Committee.
4. At any time within 30 days following the hearing, the Executive Committee shall vote by closed ballot to determine whether there is good and sufficient reason for dismissal of the member.
5. If two-thirds of the Executive Committee vote that such reasons do exist, the member shall be dismissed from membership in the SDACAP and shall be promptly so notified in writing.
6. If less than two-thirds of the members of the Executive Committee vote for dismissal, the member shall not be dismissed and shall be promptly notified in writing that cause for dismissal has not been found.
Article V – Officers
Section 1. The SDACAP shall have a President, President-elect, Secretary-treasurer, Member-At-Large, Delegate, and Alternate Delegate to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Regional Assembly.
Section 2. The SDACAP shall:
a. Elect a President-elect and Secretary-treasurer, at each annual business meeting in an odd-numbered year, by a majority of votes, for a term of two years.
b. Elect a Delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Assembly of Regional Organizations of the AACAP at each third annual business meeting, by a majority of votes, for a term of three years.
All officers shall hold their offices until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Vacancies occurring in any of the offices shall be filled by the Executive Committee for the remainder of the term of office and until successors are duly elected and qualified.
Section 3. President
The president shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the SDACAP. He or she shall preside at all meetings of the SDACAP. He or sheshall have general supervision, direction and active management of business of the SDACAP, and he or she shall have general powers of supervision and management usually vested in the office of the President of a non-profit corporation. The president shall not be eligible for re-election until a period of four years have elapsed following expiration of his or her term of duty.
Section 4. President-Elect
The President-elect shall become President at the expiration of his or her term. During the absence or disability of the president, the President-elect shall exercise all the functions of the President. The President-elect shall be Chairperson of the Program Committee unless otherwise designated by the President.
Section 5. Secretary-treasurer
The Secretary-treasurer shall keep the records of the SDACAP under the supervision of the President, including the permanent records of all minutes of meetings of the SDACAP. He or she shall have charge of all such additional books and papers as the Executive Committee may direct. He or she shall in general perform all such duties as are incidental to the offices of Secretary and Treasurer of a non-profit corporation. The Secretary-treasurer shall circulate minutes of the Executive Committee within 14 working days to the SDACAP membership after certification of the minutes by the President.
a. The Secretary-treasurer shall have the custody of all the funds and property of the SDACAP during any period that a bank or trust company shall not be employed as custodial of such funds and property.
b. He or she shall take any such steps as may be necessary to collect monies becoming due to the SDACAP.
c. When necessary and proper, he or she shall endorse on behalf of the SDACAP all checks, notes or other obligations and evidences of the payment or money payable to the SDACAP or coming into its possession and shall deposit the funds arising there from together with all other funds of the SDACAP coming into his or her possession in such banks as may be selected by the Executive Committee.
d. He or she shall enter regularly in the books belonging to the SDACAP and keep an accurate account of all money received and paid on the account of the SDACAP together with all other business transactions.
e. He or she shall be subject at all times to the direction and control of the President and Executive Committee.
f. He or she shall be assisted by an executive assistant selected by the Executive Committee.
Section 6. Delegate and Alternate Delegate
The delegate and Alternate Delegate to the Assembly of Regional Organizations of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) shall represent the SDACAP in all matters of business transaction at the Assembly meetings. The Delegate or Alternate Delegate shall have the full power to vote on all Assembly matters. He or she shall report on AACAP activities at each meeting of the Executive Committee and at the Annual Business Meeting of the SDACAP.
Section 7. Removal for Office
Any officer may be recalled from office by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee whenever in its judgment the best interests of the SDACAP would be served thereby and when such recall shall be affirmed by a two-thirds vote of the SDACAP membership with voting rights through mail ballot. Recall of an officer may also be initiated by a petition of at least fifty percent of the voting members, with a two-thirds vote of the SDACAP voting membership required for removal from office.
Article VI – Executive Committee
Section 1. General Powers
The management of the SDACAP shall be invested in its Executive Committee.
Section2. Membership
The members of the Executive Committee shall be the officers of the SDACAP designated in Article V and the past-President for a period of two years following his or her presidency.
Section 3. Meetings
Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by or at the request of the President or any other two members of the Executive Committee. Regularly scheduled meetings of the Executive Committee will be held (the fourth Wednesday) monthly.
Section 4. Notice
Notice of any other meetings shall be given at least five days previously thereto by phone or by written notice delivered by mail, fax, or e-mail to each member of the Executive Committee at his or her address as shown by the records of the SDACAP.
Section 5. Quorum
A majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Section 6. Vacancies
Any vacancy occurring in the Executive Committee or any elected office shall be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. A member elected to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the unexpired term of the predecessor in office. By a majority vote, the Executive Committee may authorize any officer to temporary fulfill the duties of any office when the incumbent officer is unable to do so.
Section 7. Additional Responsibilities
a. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for developing and disseminating information pertaining to the mental health needs of children in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry for the use of other professionals and the public.
b. The Executive Committee shall carry out liaison with other professional organizations at the local, state, regional and national levels.
c. The Executive Committee shall monitor developments in the community and bring them to the attention of the SDACAP.
Article VII – Committees
Section 1. Establishment
The President shall have the authority to appoint any committee, which in his or her opinion is necessary for the conduct of the business of the SDACAP including a chairperson and committee members. In addition to ad hoc committees appointed at the discretion of the President, there shall be four standing committees: a Nominating Committee, a Membership Committee, a Program Committee, and a By-Laws Committee. The appointments to each committee shall be for a period of two years except for ad hoc committees, which shall have a defined tenure.
Section 2. Nominating Committee
a. The nominating committee shall consist of at least 3 active members of the SDACAP.
b. The Nominating Committee shall propose a slate of candidates for each elective position for each election and shall be responsible for distributing nominations to the membership by mail at the designated time.
c. The report of the Nominating Committee shall be filed with the Secretary-treasurer at least twenty days prior to the date set for the election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall mail such nominations to all members of the SDACAP within three days of filing. This shallinclude the names of all persons whose terms are expiring and those nominated by the Nominating Committee to be their successors. Included therewith shall be a copy of this section of the by-laws. Five members of the SDACAP may make nominations of any other eligible members for election to office. Such nominations shall be in writing with a written acceptance by the nominee and shall be filed with the Secretary-treasurer at least seven days before the election date.
d. The nominating Committee shall act as a board of tellers in tallying the election results at the annual meeting (falling on each odd numbered year).
Section 3. Membership Committee
a. Unless otherwise designated by the President, the chairperson of the Membership Committee shall be the Secretary-treasurer.
b. The Membership Committee shall consist of at least three members.
c. The Membership Committee shall initiate or receive applications for membership in all classes within the SDACAP.
d. The Membership Committee shall evaluate each application on its merits and submit its recommendation, including the class of membership to the Executive Committee.
e. The Membership Committee shall review on request application for transfer from one status of membership to another and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.
Section 4. Program Committee
a. Unless otherwise designated by the President, the chairperson of the Program Committee shall be the President-elect.
b. The Program Committee shall consist of at least three members.
c. The Program Committee shall organize and make arrangements for the scientific and business meetings of the SDACAP, subject to the direction of the President.
Section 5. By-laws Committee
a. The By-laws Committee shall consist of at least three activemembers of the SDACAP.
b. The By-laws Committee shall receive and evaluate suggestions for changes in the by-laws from any officer or member of the SDACAP.
c. The By-laws Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee for changes or additions to the by-laws in accordance with Article III.
Article VIII – Meetings
Section 1. Annual Meeting
One annual meeting shall be held each year in addition to other meetings as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Business Meeting
At each annual meeting of the SDACAP, there shall be a business meeting at which time the officers shall make a report to the membership of business transacted during the year by the Executive Committee. At each election meeting, the teller shall announce the results of balloting, and new officers shall be installed at that time. Matters of importance to the membership shall be brought to the attention of the Executive Committee at the annual meeting.
Section 3. Parliamentary Procedure
The business of the SDACAP shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order (current edition), except where otherwise specifically provided by the by-laws.
Section 4. Quorum
A quorum at a business meeting shall consist of all of the active members present.
Section 5. Special Meeting
Special meetings of the members may be called either by the President, the Executive Committee, or not less than one-fourth of the members having voting rights. The notices for such meetings shall be delivered to the membership by mail at least 7 days prior to the day of the meeting.
Article IX – Finances and Records
Section 1. Dues
a. The membership shall be assessed such dues as are necessary for conducting the affairs of the SDACAP.
b. Recommendations for changes in annual dues shall be submitted by the Executive Committee for approval by a majority vote of the membership at the annual business meeting.
c. Dues shall be payable in advance of the fiscal year upon billing by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
d. When dues are received in the SDACAP office, the Executive Committee must forward the appropriate dues to Cal-ACAP per protocol.
Section 2. Fiscal Year
The fiscal and business year of the SDACAP shall commence on the first day of January and end on the last day of December in each year.
Section 3. Books and Records
The SDACAP shall keep correct and complete books and records ofaccount and shall also keep minutes of the proceedings of its business meetings, Executive Committee, and committees having any of the authority of the Executive Committee and shall keep at the registered or principal office a record giving the names and addresses of the members entitled to vote. All books and records of the SDACAP may be inspected by any member, or his or her agent or attorney for any proper purposes ay any reasonable time.
Section 4. Contracts
The Executive Committee may authorize any officer or officers, agent or agents of the SDACAP in addition to the officer so authorized by these by-laws to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the SDACAP, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances.
Section 5. Checks and Deposits
a. All checks, drafts, and/or other orders for the payment of money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of the SDACAP, shall be signed by such officer or officers, agent or agents of the SDACAP and in such manner as shall from time to time be determined by resolution of the Executive Committee or otherwise provided in these by-laws. In the absence of such determination bythe Executive Committee, such instruments shall be signed by the President or President-elect of the SDACAP.
b. All funds of the SDACAP shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the SDACAP in such banks, trust companies or other depositories as the Executive Committee may select.
Section 6. Gifts
The Executive Committee may accept on behalf of the SDACAP any contribution, gift, bequest or devise for the general purpose or for any special purpose of the SDACAP.
Last Revision February 2007 - SD ACAP Executive Council
