Constitution

CONSTITUTION OF THE NEW YORK SOCIETY FOR THORACIC SURGERY
Article I – Name
Section I. This society shall be known as the New York Society for Thoracic Surgery.
Article II – Object
Section 1. The object of this Society shall be to encourage investigations of the physiology and pathology of the thorax and its contents, to stimulate the study of the etiology, symptomatology, pathology and treatment of diseases affecting the thorax and its contents, and to discriminate such knowledge.
Section 2. The Society shall hold at least three scientific meetings every year in which free discussion shall be emphasized, and shall undertake such other activities as the Society as a whole may decide. The publication of suitable presentations is to be encouraged.

Article III – Membership
Section 1. There shall be four classes of members: Honorary, Senior, Active and Non-Resident. Admission to the Society shall be by election. Membership shall be limited, the limits on the respective classes to be determined by the By-laws.
Section 2. Election to Active and Honorary membership shall be for life, subject to the provisions of Section 3 following. Active members shall become Senior members at age 65. Senior members shall not pay dues.
Section 3. Membership may be voluntarily terminated at any time by members in good standing. The officers of the Society, acting as a Board of Censors, may recommend the expulsion of a member on the grounds of moral or professional delinquency, and shall submit his name, together with the grounds of complaint, at any of the regularly convened meetings, after giving the member so accused ample opportunity to appear on his own behalf.
Section 4. The membership classes shall be expanded to include “Junior” members. This class of members shall be reserved for physicians training in studies of physiology, pathology, and treatment of diseases affecting the thorax and its contents. Junior members shall be non-voting and exempt from initiation fees, annual dues, and special assessments. Candidacy for Active Membership is expected upon completion of medical training.
Section 4A. A Junior Member has a maximum term of 4 years, after which the Junior member may apply for full active membership. After such time a Junior member will be removed from membership in the society.
Section 5: The membership classes shall be expanded to include “Associate” members. This class of membership shall be reserved for non-physicians involved in the studies of physiology, pathology, and treatment of diseases affecting the thorax and its contents. Associate members shall be non-voting and exempt from initiation fees and special assessments. These members shall pay Annual dues at nominal assessment determined by the Council.

Article IV – Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary- Treasurer. These three officers shall be the governing body of the Society, and shall have full power to act in all matters except the following:
(a) They may not alter the initiation fees or annual dues, nor levy any general assessments against the membership, except that they may, in individual cases, remit annual dues or assessments.
(b) They may in no way change the Constitution or By-laws.
(c) They may neither elect new members nor alter the status of existing members other than to apply to provisions of Article III, Section 2.
Section 2. Officers shall be elected at the executive session of the May meeting of the Society and shall take office immediately following this meeting. The President and Vice President shall be elected for a one year term of office and may be reelected indefinitely.
Section 3. Vacancies occurring among the officers during the year shall be temporarily filled by the President, subjected to the approval of the Society at the next regularly convened meeting.
Section 4. There shall be a Council of nine consisting of the Officers of the Society, the Editor of the Proceedings of the Society, who shall be appointed by the President with approval of the Council and be a non-voting member, the three immediate past Presidents of the Society, the Chairman of the Membership Committee, and the Chairman of the Program Committee. The duties of the Council shall be defined in Article IV, Section 5, of the By-laws.
Section 5. (added 5/2020) The Council may determine that convening a Meeting is impossible, illegal, inadvisable, or commercially impracticable as a result of circumstances outside of the Council’s control (including, without limitation, natural disaster, terrorism, pandemic or similar public health crisis), and as a result of such circumstances, the Council may conclude that it is in the best interest of the Society and its membership to cancel the Annual Meeting. In the event of such cancellation, the Council may call for a special election of the Officers and Directors whose terms are then expiring or for which a vacancy has occurred or will occur due to the incumbent’s unavailability or unwillingness to serve an additional term until his or her successor can be qualified and elected. The Council may determine the method and manner of conducting such special election, provided, however, such procedures shall require, at a minimum, for (i) communication of the slate prepared by the Nominating Committee to all members eligible to vote, (ii) voting to remain open for at least fourteen (14) calendar days from the date upon which the slate is distributed to voting members, (iii) the slate to be approved by not less than a majority of those submitting a ballot to be effective.
Article V – Committees
Section 1. The President is empowered to appoint a Membership Committee on Program and Transactions, a Committee on Constitution and By-laws, and such other Committees as may in his opinion be necessary. All such committees shall render their report at the Executive Session of the Society. Members of committees shall serve for a certain period of time designated in Article V of the By-laws.
Section 2. There shall be a Nominating Committee of three, the chairperson elected by the Society.
Section 3. (added May 2020) In the event a Meeting is cancelled pursuant to Article IV, Section 5, in lieu of presenting its report at the business session of the Meeting, the Nominating Committee will circulate its slate of nominees for Officers and Directors for terms then expiring or for which vacancy has occurred to all members via such method as designated by the Board pursuant to the special election procedures in place at such time.

Article VI – Finances
Section 1. The fiscal year of the Society shall extend from May 1 through April 30. The books shall be kept on this basis.
Section 2. Members shall contribute to the financial maintenance of the Society through the medium of initiation fees, annual dues, and special assessments. The amount of annual dues and membership fees shall be determined by the By-laws. Special assessments may be charged against members as determined by the By-laws. If, at the end of any fiscal year, there be a deficit in the funds of the Society, the President may direct the Secretary to send out notices to that effect, and assess Active and Associate Members the necessary amount so that no deficit be carried over from one fiscal year to the other. The Society may in any regular convened meeting vote a special assessment for any purpose whatever and such special assessment shall become obligatory against the classes of members affected thereby.
Section 3. To meet the current expenses of the Society, there shall be available all revenue derived from annual dues, initiation fees, special assessments.
Section 4. Active Members who have been delinquent in dues payment for more than 4 years will be given written notice. If the dues are not paid, they will be removed from membership in the society.
Section 5. Associate Members who have been delinquent in dues payment for more than 2 years will be given written notice. If the dues are not paid in full, they will be removed from membership in the society.