HOPOS: THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR
THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE
STATUTES and BYLAWS
Article I: Purpose
HOPOS, The International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science, is devoted to promoting research on the history of the philosophy of science. We construe this subject broadly, to include topics in the history of related disciplines and in all historical periods, studied through diverse methodologies. We aim to promote historical work in a variety of ways, but especially through encouraging exchange among scholars through meetings, publications, and electronic media.
Article II: Membership and Dues
Section 1: Persons of any nationality who are interested in the history of the philosophy of science are eligible for membership in the Society. The payment of annual dues shall constitute formal recognition of membership.
Section 2: There shall be four classes of membership: full, student, emeritus, and sustaining. Full members are those who pay the annual dues. Student members are graduate or undergraduate students who pay the annual dues at the student rate. Emeritus members are those who have retired from employment and opt to pay the annual dues at the reduced rate set for this class. Full, student, and emeritus memberships shall expire at the end of the calendar year. Sustaining members are those who have contributed major financial support to HOPOS and are granted lifetime membership.
Section 3: Annual dues for the several classes of membership shall be set by the Steering Committee in consultation with the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer. The Executive Committee shall be empowered to reduce or waive dues in extraordinary circumstances.
Section 4: Membership privileges include voting in elections and at the biennial business meeting. They also include being able to serve on the steering committee, the nominations and elections committee, the publications committee, the finance committee, and the external relations committee.
Section 5: Members whose dues are twelve months in arrears shall be dropped from the membership.
Section 6: A list of full members in good standing shall be published at least biennially.
Article III: Officers and Steering Committee
Section 1: The officers shall be a President, a Vice-President who is President-elect, an Executive Secretary, and a Treasurer. The President and Vice-President are ex officio members of the Steering Committee; the Executive Secretary and the Treasurer need not be members of the Steering Committee. The officers shall perform the customary duties of their offices except as otherwise stated.
Section 2: There shall be a Steering Committee consisting of the President, the President-elect, the most recent past President, and six other persons elected by the full members of the Society. The Steering Committee is the responsible agent of the Society and has general charge of the affairs of the Society. Its function shall be to formulate and give effect to the major policies of the Society. All standing committees shall report to the Steering Committee. A proposal before the Steering Committee shall be considered adopted if approved by a majority of the Steering Committee. Voting may be conducted by email or at face-to-face meetings at the biennial meetings of HOPOS. All members of the Steering Committee are expected to check their email regularly, at least once a week, so the question of a quorum is mooted for electronic votes. For the purposes of a face-to-face meeting, a quorum shall consist of five of the nine members.
Section 3: The Vice-President shall be elected by ballot for two calendar years, followed by two calendar years as President and two additional calendar years as Past President, thus serving a total of six years on the Steering Committee. The terms of office of other the elected members of the Steering Committee shall be three years each, so staggered that the terms of two of these members shall expire each year. Incumbents shall be permitted to run for a second contiguous term. Terms shall begin on January 1 and expire on December 31. Vacancies in elective positions may be filled by appointment of the Steering Committee.
Section 4: The Executive Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by the Steering Committee for an indefinite term. The Executive Secretary and the Treasurer shall be responsible to the Steering Committee for administration of their offices.
Section 5: Duties of the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary is responsible for record keeping as specified in Article VII. In addition, the Executive Secretary is responsible for the filing of all legal documents, such as those required for incorporation and for the Society's continued tax-exempt status and any others as directed by the Steering Committtee.
Section 6: Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for financial record keeping as specified in Article VII. In addition, the Treasurer is responsible for the receipt and disbursement of funds under the authority of the Steering Committee.
Article IV: Elections and Meetings
Section 1: Elections and other business of the Society or of the Steering Committee may be conducted by e-mail and by regular post.
Section 2: Each year, two of the steering committee positions will be filled through an election from a set of candidates supplied by a nominating committee. In addition, a new Vice President shall be elected every even-numbered year and a new nominating committee shall be elected in the odd-numbered years. This election will be held at the beginning of every fall semester. An exception to this date may be made for the first election held following the acceptance of these by-laws or by the Steering Committee for some other extraordinary circumstance. The Nominating and Elections Committee shall include at least two candidates for Vice President and at least four candidates for Steering Committee members on the ballots.
Section 3: The chair of the Nominating and Elections Committee, or another election officer to be designated by the Steering Committee, will be responsible for distribution of ballots and for counting returns. An official announcement of the voting period and a ballot with information about candidates will be made in the HOPOS newsletter and on the HOPOS-L discussion list. E-mail votes will be cast to a designated e-mail address. Paper ballots will be returned to the election officer by regular mail. Winners will be announced before December 25.
Section 4: It is understood that there is an ongoing virtual business meeting of the Steering Committee that takes place through email. In addition, the Steering Committee shall be empowered to call face-to-face business meetings of itself or of the entire Society, at least once every two years at the biennial meeting.
Section 5: The Steering Committee shall be empowered to call professional meetings of the entire Society.
Article V: Committees
Section 1: A Nominating and Elections Committee consisting of three members in good standing of HOPOS shall be elected by the members of the society. At least six candidates for the Nominating and Elections Committee, nominated by the Steering Committee, shall be included on the fall ballot in odd-numbered years. Candidates must be members in good standing of HOPOS. Members elected to this committee will serve a two-year term. The committee shall be responsible for nominating candidates for Vice-President/President-Elect and for the Steering Committee and shall conduct elections as described in Article IV.
Section 2: A Program Committee consisting of at least six members shall be chosen early in every odd-numbered year by the Steering Committee. This Committee shall have the full responsibility for creating the program for the biennial meeting. Members of the Program Committee need not be members of HOPOS prior to their selection to serve on this committee. However, they may be encouraged to join. It is recommended, but not required, that the Program Committee be divided into two subcommittees, each of which will be responsible for a different historical period.
Section 3: A Publications Committee consisting of at least three members in good standing of HOPOS shall be appointed by the Steering Committee. The charge of this committee is to seek venues for publication of the best papers from the biennial meetings and to establish an electronic journal. The Committee is also charged with oversight of the HOPOS Newsletter. Membership of this Committee may include, but is not limited to, members of the Steering Committee. Members shall serve renewable two-year terms.
Section 4: The Financial Committee shall be a subcommittee of three members of the Steering Committee chosen by the Steering Committee. This Committee is charged with the oversight of the activities of the Treasurer. The terms of the members of this Committee shall expire when their terms on the Steering Committee expire.
Section 5: The External Relations Committee shall consist of at least three members in good standing of HOPOS, at least one of whom is a member of the Steering Committee, who are chosen by the Steering Committee for renewable two-year terms. The charge of this Committee shall be to seek membership for HOPOS in the American Council of Learned Societies and to establish good working relationships with other relevant professional societies and both public and private funding agencies.
Section 6: The Steering Committee shall be empowered to create any other standing or ad hoc committee that it deems necessary to carry out its business.
Article VI: Execution of Instruments, Deposits And Funds
Section 1. Execution of Instruments. The Steering Committee, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, may by resolution authorize any officer or agent of the corporation to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the corporation, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances. Unless so authorized, no officer, agent, or employee shall have any power or authority to bind the corporation by any contract or engagement or to pledge its credit or to render it liable monetarily for any purpose or in any amount.
Section 2. Checks and Notes. Except as otherwise specifically determined by resolution of the Steering Committee, or as otherwise required by law, checks, drafts, promissory notes, orders for the payment of money, and other evidence of indebtedness of the corporation shall be signed by the Treasurer and of the corporation.
Section 3. Deposits. All funds of the corporation shall be deposited from time to time to the credit of the corporation in such banks, trust companies, or other depositories as the Steering Committee may select.
Section 4. Gifts. The Steering Committee may accept on behalf of the corporation any contribution, gift, bequest, or devise for the nonprofit purposes of this corporation.
Article VII: Record-keeping
Section 1: Minutes of Meetings. Minutes of the biennial business meetings shall be kept by the Executive Secretary. Electronic files of the ongoing Steering Committee meetings shall also be kept by the Executive Secretary, who shall included with the Steering Committee on the HOPOS Steering Committee listserv.
Section 2: Account Books. Adequate and correct books and records of account, including accounts of its properties and business transactions and accounts of its assets, liabilities, receipts, disbursements, gains and losses, shall be kept by the Treasurer.
Section 3: Membership List. A record of the members of HOPOS, indicating their names and addresses and the class of membership held by each member and the termination date of any membership, shall be kept by the Treasurer. This membership list shall be published annually, preferably electronically, so that it may be shared with all members of HOPOS.
Section 4: A copy of the Society's Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws as amended to date shall be kept by the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary shall make these open to inspection by the members of the Society, preferably by posting them on the internet.
Article VIII: IRS 501(C)(3) Tax Exemption Provisions
Section 1. Limitations on Activities
No substantial part of the activities of this corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation [except as otherwise provided by Section 501(h) of the Internal Revenue Code], and this corporation shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of these Bylaws, this corporation shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by a corporation exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 2. Prohibition Against Private Inurement
No part of the net earnings of this corporation shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, directors or trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the corporation shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes of this corporation.
Section 3. Distribution of Assets
Upon the dissolution of this corporation, its assets remaining after payment, or provision for payment, of all debts and liabilities of this corporation shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 510(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Such distribution shall be made in accordance with all applicable provisions of the laws of this state.
Article IX: Amendment of Bylaws
Subject to the power of the members, if any, of this corporation to adopt, amend or repeal the Bylaws of this corporation and except as may otherwise be specified under provisions of law, these Bylaws, or any of them, may be altered, amended, or repealed and new Bylaws adopted by approval of the Steering Committee.
Amended March 18, 2003.