Southern APS BY-LAWS

1. Dues. Members and associate members will pay dues of $5.00 per year and student members $3.00 per year. Retired plant pathologists are considered honorary members and are exempt from payment of dues.

2. Graduate Student Research Award. The Southern Division, APS, will recognize outstanding research by graduate students by presenting a monetary gift. The certificate will indicate the name of the winner, date, and place of presentation, and will bear the inscription, "Southern Division of the American Phytopathological Society Graduate Student Research Award." There will be a monetary gift for the first, second, and third place award winners.

Students competing for the award must (1) either be enrolled as a regular student in a graduate program in the Southern Division or have been an enrolled student in a graduate program in the Southern Division within six months of the abstract submission deadline, (2) be a member in good standing of the Southern Division at the time the paper is presented; (3) be sole or senior author of the paper; and (4) present the paper at a meeting of the Southern Division, APS. The paper must deal with research in plant pathology that has been performed while in pursuit of a degree at a college or university in the Southern Division. The Secretary-Treasurer will send out details of procedures to be followed in submitting a paper for consideration for the award at the time he or she sends out the annual call for titles and abstracts of papers to be presented at the Divisional meeting.

The judging committee for the award will consist of the Past President (Chair), the Vice-President, the Councilor or their representatives, and two (2) active divisional members appointed by the President. No individual will sit as a judge of a paper by one of his or her own students. Selection of the winner will be based on (1) content (manner in which data were obtained); (2) originality of the research; and (3) presentation of results. The committee may present more than one award or decline to give an award if, in their judgment, none of the papers presented are worthy. The program will be arranged so that all papers competing for the award will be presented prior to the last paper session. The award will be presented by the President of the Southern Division, or his or her representative at the annual meeting.

3. Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award. This honor is granted to a member of the Southern Division of the American Phytopathological Society in recognition of distinguished contributions to Plant Pathology. Any member who has made outstanding contributions to the science of Plant Pathology and who is a member of the Southern Division and the parent society is eligible for nomination. The contribution may be in research, teaching, extension, or any other aspect of plant pathology in either academic or non-academic environment. This award will consist of a plaque and a monetary gift. The plaque will bear the name of the winner, date, and place of presentation and inscription "Southern Division of the American Phytopathological Society Outstanding Plant Pathologist Award." The award may be made annually except when meetings are held in conjunction with the parent society. Any active member of the Southern Division may nominate a candidate. The nomination must be accompanied by a statement - preferably no longer than 3 to 4 pages, double-spaced - giving name, position, affiliation, and critique that includes the nature, scope and relevance of the contributions that qualify the nominee for our consideration. An accurate biographical sketch of the candidate not exceeding 1,000 words should accompany the nomination. Copies should be sent to the chairperson of the award committee. The award committee shall consist of five members, one each representing teaching, cooperative extension service, research, industry-regulatory, and administration. Members will be appointed by the Southern Division president to serve 5-year terms. The person with the shortest term to serve will be chair. Each year the president will appoint a new member for 5 years from the same area (Extension, teaching, etc.) as the outgoing chair, thus forming a rotating committee. Members may be appointed by the president to complete the term of any vacated positions.

Nominations and supporting information must be received by members of the award committee at least one month prior to meeting of the Southern Division. Nominations will be considered for a period of three years from the year of initial submission. The persons nominating candidates will be given the opportunity to update nomination statements for candidates being reconsidered.

4. The program for all meetings will be arranged by the President-Elect and will consist of scientific and business sessions.

5. The Councilor of the Southern Division will assume office at the first meeting of the American Phytopathological Society following the election, at the time the new officers of APS assume office. Other officers of the Division will assume office at the end of the first meeting of the Division following their election or appointment.

6. The Committees of the Southern Division, APS, are (1) The Archives Committee, (2) The Local Arrangements Committee, (3) The Membership Committee, (4) The Finance Committee, (5) Graduate Student Award Committee, and (6) Outstanding Plant Pathologist Committee.

7. These By-Laws may be amended at any annual meeting provided the amendment is approved by the Executive Committee and receives a plurality of affirmative votes of members voting at a regularly scheduled business session. The By-Laws may also be amended by mail ballot provided the amendments receive approval by the Executive Committee and a plurality of favorable votes among those cast on a ballot sent to all members eligible to vote.