COUNCIL CORNER

D. Richard Cobb – Councilor

Happy New Year!

In this “Council Corner” report, I want to share with you the key actions that the ACS Council will be taking at the upcoming Spring National Meeting in San Francisco. I do this so that any of our Rochester Local Section members have the opportunity to express themselves to me and, in turn, guide me on how to vote on these decisions.

This is a very busy meeting coming up, and here are the key items up for Council action:

SELECTION OF THE TWO FINAL CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT-ELECT IN THE 2017 ELECTION FROM THE FOUR NOMINEES:

From the four nominees (Bonnie A. Charpentier, Mark D. Frishberg, Anne M. Gaffney and Willie E. May), the Council will select the final two candidates to appear on this year’s ACS election ballot (not counting any petition candidates). If you have any input of whom you would prefer as the two final candidates, please let me know. For your information, Mark Frishberg used to be a member of and Councilor for the Rochester Local Section before he moved out of the area.

APPROVAL OF THE PROCEDURES FOR THE REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS AND PETITION FOT THE REMOVAL OF OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS:

There have already been procedures in place for the removal of officers, and we have a section on that within our own Local Section Bylaws. This proposal now brings for the petition to be used and the procedure to use, which would now also allow for the removal from office of a Councilor or Alternate Councilor. The wording that allows for such removal is similar to that for other officers – A Councilor or Alternate Councilor may be removed from office, via petition, for “neglect of duties, misconduct, or conduct that tends to injure the Local Section or Division that they represent, or the SOCIETY or to adversely affect its reputation or that is contrary to or destructive of its objects”. The process, after a petition signed by at least five members of the Local Section or Division, is handled by the ACS Council Policy Committee who holds hearings, etc. and could take up to two months to complete.

CONTINUANCE OF ACS COMMITTEES:

Using the a 5-year review process, the ACS Committee on Committees (ConC) is proposing the continuation of the following ACS Committees:

  • Committee on Chemists with Disabilities
  • Project SEED
  • Public Relations and Communications
  • Women Chemists Committee

2018 MEMBERSHIP DUES:

Using the calculator for proposed ACS dues, which has been used since 1986, the projected 2018 baserate dues for a full ACS Member will be $171.00. Any Division or such membership will be on top of that amount. The increase is again based on the base rate dues, from the previous year, and adjusted for the change in the Consumer Price Index, Urban Wage Earners, Services Category – which for year-end 2017 (dues last year was a base rate of $166.00) was 3.05%.

DISTRIBUTION FORMULA FOR DIVISION FUNDING:

Every three years, the Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) is required to bring before Council a formula for allocating dues funds to the divisions. The newest proposal would allocate those funds in the following manner:

  • Innovative Project Grants (IPG’s) = 10%
  • Base amount = 15%
  • Per Member = 12.5%
  • Number of attendees at oral sessions during a National Meeting = 31.25%
  • Number of Division Members at National Meetings = 15.625%
  • Number of Division posters presented at National Meetings = 15.625%

It is expected that at the 2018 Spring Meeting, DAC will bring forth a proposed update to this formula that would also give credit for Divisional programming at Regional Meetings.

PETITION FOR A CHANGE IN A LOCAL SECTION NAME:

The Council will be asked to approve a name change for the Santa Clara Valley (California) Local Section. They have petitioned for a new name which would be the Silicon Valley Local Section.

PETITION ON THE RIGHTS OF MEMBER AFFILIATES:

This proposal further clarifies the rights of any Affiliate Members, should a Local Section’s Bylaws allow for such. One key area is that the petition would allow a Local Section Affiliate Member to vote in the Local Section elections, but not allow them to vote for Councilor or Alternate Councilor. They are also not allowed to hold an elected position or serve as a voting member of the Executive Committee. Affiliates can, however, serve as Committee Chairs. There would also be a tightening up of rights for Division Affiliates.

Please note that the Rochester Section Bylaws do allow for Affiliate Members, and wisely states that their rights shall align with those outlines by the National ACS. Thus, we would not have to change anything in our Bylaws with this change. However, we have to keep in mind that the addition of the fact that Affiliate Members cannot vote for Councilor or Alternate Councilor, separate ballots would have to be used for those in that category in years when we elect those positions.

REVISION TO THE CHARTER BYLAWS FOR INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL SCIENCE CHAPTERS:

The Council will be asked to approve the revisions made to the template for Charter Bylaws for those Chapters of the Society that are outside of the United States.

As I have stated previously, I believe it is important for you to know what your Councilors are doing and how they are serving you – the ones who honored us by electing us to the positions we hold.

Please remember that I, and Todd Pagano, areyour voices on the national level. If you have any input on the dues level now and potential increase, or any other key decisions noted above, please let Todd and I know your thoughts before March 1st.

Feel free to contact me at , or Todd at with any input, ideas or questions.

D. Richard Cobb