1 . NAME: The name of the organization shall be the Chinese
American Food Society hereinafter referred to as the Society.
2. OBJECTIVES: The
objectives of the Society shall be to bring together professionals
who are interested in food science and technology and in Chinese
culture in order to stimulate, encourage, and foster the progress
and development of food science and technology worldwide.
3. HEADQUARTER: The
headquarter of the Society shall be located in a convenient location
in North America where the business of the Society can be conducted
effectively and efficiently.
4. SOCIETY CHAPTERS:
Chapters of the Society may be formed in various locations as
deemed necessary. Each Chapter shall have its written By-Laws
which are consistent with those of the Society.
5. MISSION:
5.1. The Society shall promote the
advancement of food science and technology, endorse applications
of food science and technology, and encourage the exchange of
information related to food science and technology scientists
from other countries.
5.2. The Society shall hold or sponsor
scientific symposia, workshops, or conferences to stimulate and
promote the communication and interaction of its members.
5.3. The Society shall publish materials
related to food science and technology.
5.4. The Society shall participate
in international conferences related to food science and technology
and keep a close contact with other related organizations.
5.5. The Society shall involve in
the establishment of regulation or legislation related to food
science and technology.
5.6. The Society shall strive to increase
the interactions among its members and improve communication between
the society and the communities.
6. MEMBERSHIP:
6.1. CLASSIFICATION AND QUALIFICATION
6. 1. 1. PROFESSIONAL MEMBER: A Professional Member shall be
a resident or citizen of the United States or Canada with close
relation to Chinese culture or heritage and meeting one of the
following qualifications:
(1) a person holding a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a field
of food science or food technology or other related fields.
(2) a person having actively engaged in food science or food
technology profession for a period of at least 3 years and with
a 4-year college degree.
6. 1. 2. STUDENT MEMBER: A Student
Member shall be a person who is enrolled in an institution of
higher learning in North America and is pursuing programs of study
in food science and technology or a field closely related thereto.
6. 1. 3. ASSOCIATE MEMBER: An Associate
Member shall be a person interested in food science and technology
or food business and the activities of CAFS but is not classified
as a Professional Member or Student Member.
6. 1. 4. LIFETIME MEMBER: A Lifetime
Member shall be a Professional Member in good standing and has paid the lifetime
membership dues.
6. 1. 5. CORPORATE MEMBER: A Corporate
Member shall be a which has paid the annual corporate membership
dues.
6. 2. Dues: The membership dues in
each class shall be specified by the Executive Committee. The
Executive Committee shall notify members concerning any change
at least six months prior to the effective date. The membership
dues may include but not limited to annual dues, initiation fees,
certificate fees, etc. All annual dues shall be paid on calendar
year basis and collected before the new calendar year with the
exception of new members. A new member pays the initiation fee
and one half of the appropriate membership dues if he/she joins
the Society prior to July 1st, and only pays for next year's dues
if he/she joins after July 1st.
A member whose dues are not paid by July 1st shall be suspended.
If such fees are not paid by July 1st for two successive years,
the membership will be cancelled. An initiation fee plus membership
dues will be required for re-instatement.
6. 3. APPLICATION: An application
for membership or change of membership classification must be
made on an official application/correction form and submitted
to the Treasurer with appropriate payment.
6. 4. PRIVILEGES
6. 4. 1. All active Professional Members and Lifetime
Members shall have the voting right. Student, Associate, and Corporate
Members do not have the voting right.
6. 4. 2. All members have the privileges
in receiving newsletters and publications of the Society and participating
in various activities organized or sponsored by the Society.
6. 5. OBLIGATION: All members shall
honor the By-Laws of the Society, support the programs of the
Society, and pay the membership dues.
7. ORGANIZATION:
7. 1. MEMBER ASSEMBLY: The Member
Assembly shall be the authoritative governing body of the Society.
There shall be two types of Member Assembly: the Annual Meeting
and the Special Meeting.
7. 2. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: The Executive
Committee shall consist of President, President-Elect, Immediate
Past-President, four (4) elected Directors, one (1) Secretary,
and one Treasurer (1).
The Executive Committee shall conduct the affairs and business
of the Society between Member Assemblies.
7. 3. PRESIDENT: The President shall
be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society, preside the Executive
Committee and Annual meetings, perform other duties and exercise
other power as the Executive Committee shall delegate him/her.
The President may form special ad hoc committees and appoint other
staff during his/her term to assist the affairs of the Society.
The President's duties are to ascertain that programs, meetings,
and other activities of the Society are properly planned and executed,
and to oversee the officers and each Committee in carrying out
their duties.
The President shall serve for a term of one (1) year. The President・s
term ends at the end of the Annual Meeting.
7. 4. PRESIDENT-ELECT: The President-elect
shall assist the President, formulate plans for his/her presidency
including appointing Committee chairperson for each Committee
for the next term, and succeed to the office of the at the end
of the Annual Meeting.
The President-elect usually serves as the chairperson of the
Annual Meeting Committee and performs the duties of the President
in the President・s absence.
7. 5. DIRECTORS: The Directors shall
represent members to serve on the Executive Committee, assist
the President in conducting the affairs of the Society, and be
responsible for submission of matters on behalf of the members
of the Society.
The Directors shall serve for a term of two (2) years and may
be reelected for successive terms.
7. 6. SECRETARY: The Secretary shall
keep the minutes of all meetings of the Society, maintain membership
records, update the Society's directory, and perform all other
duties pertaining to the office of the Secretary. The Secretary
shall serve on the Publication Committees and be jointly responsible
for the Society's newsletters, and other publications.
The Secretary shall serve for a term of one year and may be reelected
for successive terms.
7. 7. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall
collect all membership dues, forward all membership application
forms and address changes to the Secretary, and notify Membership/Public
Relations Committee for delinquent members, keep accounting records,
and supervise over funds, securities, receipts, and disbursements
of the Society subject to the power and duties conferred upon
him/her by the Executive Committee.
The Treasurer shall serve for a term of one year and may be reelected
for successive terms.
8. OTHER COMMITTEES:
The chairpersons of the next term for the following Committees
shall be appointed by the President-elect prior to the beginning
of his/her term of the presidency. Committee members shall be
appointed by each respective chairperson unless otherwise noted.
It is desirable that each committee consists of one or more incumbent
members and some new members.
8. 1. Annual Meeting Committee: The
Annual Meeting Committee shall plan and arrange the Society's
Annual Meeting which may include the banquet, business meeting,
scientific activities, student events, and other social functions.
The Committee shall consist of the President-elect, one Executive
Committee member, and other appointed members. Subcommittees may
be formed to take charge of each different Annual Meeting function.
8. 2. Awards Committee: The Awards
Committee shall review the award programs as approved by the Executive
Committee and establish the categories, criteria, and procedures
for the selection and judging of awards. The Committee shall complete
the final selection of award recipients and forward the selection
results to the President prior to the Annual Meeting.
8. 3. By-Law Committee: The By-Law
Committee shall review the By-Laws and the Society's activities
regarding the compliance and relevance of the By-Laws. It shall
provide authoritative and authentic interpretation of the By-Laws
to the Member Assembly, if requested. The Committee may propose
new amendments as needed subject to the approval by the Executive
Committee and the validation by the Member・s Assembly with a simple
majority vote. Committee shall consist of at least two (2) Past
Presidents.
8. 4. Conference and Workshop Committee:
The Conference and Workshop Committee shall coordinate with outside
organizations or individuals for the planning of conferences and
workshops authorized by the Executive Committee.
8. 5. Employment/Consultation Services Committee:
The Employment/Consultation Services Committee shall gather
employment information for members match experts with potential
clients for technical consultation. This committee liaises with
outside organizations to fill their manpower needs as a free service.
8. 6. Membership and Public Relations Committee:
The Membership and Public Relations Committee shall develop
and execute promotional plans for recruiting new members, provide
information to the media and other organizations, promote the
Society・s technical consultation services, and conduct special
fund raising activities to attract contributions to support the
activities of the society. This committee is the Society・s outreach
arm to promote CAFS and attract contributions for the Society・s
Awards programs.
8. 7. Long Range Planning Committee: The
Long Range Planning Committee shall consist of the President of
the Society and three to five Members with at least one of them
being Past President.
The Committee shall meet as deemed necessary by the President
to assist the President and Executive Committee in long-range
development and planning. The President shall serve as the chairperson
of the Committee.
8. 8. Nomination Committee: The Nomination
Committee shall consist of the Immediate Past-President as the
chairperson and three (3) members. Among them, at least one shall
not be a member of the Executive Committee. Nomination committee
shall follow the guidelines established in 9. NOMINATION and 10.
ELECTION.
8. 9. Publication Committee: The Publication
Committee shall publish and distribute the Newsletters, Directory,
and other materials. This committee shall consist of a Newsletter
editor, the Secretary, the website master and two or more other
members. The newsletter editor should serve as the chairperson
of the Publication Committee.
8.10. Student Affairs Committee: The
Student Affairs Committee shall propose programs related to students
for the Annual Meeting, coordinate with the Membership and Public
Relations Committee for the recruiting of new Student Members,
and assist the Awards Committee in nominating and judging of student
awards. At least one of the Committee members shall be a Student
Member.
9. NOMINATION:
Nomination Committee shall solicit potential candidates from
the membership in the Newsletter or through a special announcement
before a final list is compiled. Any member may suggest names
of candidates for the President-elect, Directors, Secretary, Treasurer,
or other elected officers to the Nomination Committee by submitting
a biographic sketch of each candidate along with a signed statement
of the candidate that he/she is willing to hold office if elected.
Qualification of candidates for the President-elect shall include
but not limited to: (1) at least three-year current Professional Membership
or Lifetime Membership in good standing, (2) served as an elected
office of the society, and (3) good leadership qualification and
administrative experience. Other candidates shall have at least
one-year current Professional Membership or Lifetime Membership in good standing
show willingness to serve CAFS at the time of nomination.
After reviewing each candidate's qualifications, the Nomination
Committee shall prepare a slate of one to three candidates for
each position with the ballot form, voting instructions, biographical
sketches and nomination statements for the annual election at
least two (2) months before the Annual Meeting.
10. ELECTION:
The election shall be conducted by mail or E-mail and the returned
mail ballots and hard copy of E-mail ballots shall be counted
under the supervision of the Nomination Committee. The nominee
receiving the largest number of votes for each position shall
be elected. In case of tie votes, the Executive Committee shall
take appropriate action to break the tie.
Election results shall be conveyed to the candidates and presented
at the Annual Meeting for recognition.
If for any reason that the election is not conducted by mail
before the Annual Meeting, the election may be conducted in Member・s
Assembly when at least 20% of the voting members in good standing
are in attendance.
The Directors shall be elected with their terms staggered in
such a manner as only two of the Directors shall be elected in
any given year.
11. VACANCY:
In case of vacancy of the President due to any reason, the President-elect
shall perform all the duties and shall have the power normally
conferred upon the President.
In case of vacancy of the President-elect due to any reason,
the vacancy shall, until the next election, be filled by the Secretary.
Any other vacancies occurring among the elected officers shall,
until the next election, be filled by members appointed by the
President and approved by the Executive Committee.
New officers should be elected to fill the vacancies as soon
as possible.
12. REMOVAL OF OFFICERS:
An officer may be removed from his/her duty for reasons of irresponsibility
if a resolution for his/her removal is passed by the Executive
Committee or suggested by one-fifth of the voting members in good
standing, and ratified by two-thirds majority of the voting members
in good standing.
13. MEETING:
The Society shall hold one Annual Meeting during the same time
period when the Institute of Food Technologists has its annual
meeting.
The Society may hold a Special Meeting as deemed necessary by
the Executive Committee or requested by at least one-fifth of
the voting members.
The time, and place and programs of the Annual Meetings shall
be recommended by the Annual Meeting Committee and subjected to
the approval of the Executive Committee.
The meeting notice and agenda shall be distributed to each member
not less than 30 days prior to the meeting.
The Executive Committee meeting shall be held at least once a
year before the Annual Meeting and/or any other time when necessary.
A quorum of the Society for the purpose of transacting business
at the Members Assembly shall be 10 percent of the voting members
in good standing, or otherwise noted. A member may appoint as
his/her proxy another member to vote at the Annual Meeting. Proxy
votes shall be counted in determining the number of voting member
in good standing present.
A quorum of the Executive Committee or any other Committees shall
consist of a majority of the membership of the Committee.
The conduct and procedure of all meetings of the Society shall
be governed by standard rules of the procedure as laid down in
"Roberts Rules of Order".
14. FINANCE:
The financial sources of the Society shall come from membership
dues and contribution of individuals or companies.
The fiscal year of the Society shall begin at July 1 and end
at June 30 of the following year.
The balance sheet and a financial statement of cash accounts
of the Society shall be reported at each Annual Meeting.
The Executive Committee shall approve an annual budget submitted
by the President-elect in the Annual Meeting for the coming fiscal
year. The President may request a new budget item or revise the
approved budget during his/her term. However, any budget alterations
must be approved by the Executive Committee.
Use of funds shall be limited to within the guideline of the
approved budget. In no case shall the expenditure exceeds the
budget by 10 percent without a special consent of the Executive
Committee.
15. AMENDMENT:
A proposal for amendments or additions to the By-Laws may be
presented in writing to the By-Law Committee by the Executive
Committee or by a resolution of the Member Assembly. The By-Law
committee will then develop the amendments to the By-Laws. The
final proposal for amendments shall be approved by the Executive
Committee and ratified by a two-thirds majority of the voting
members responding to the ballot. Unless otherwise stipulated,
the amendments or additions of By-Laws shall go into effect at
once.
16. DISSOLUTION:
In the event dissolution of the Society appears desirable or
necessary, the Executive Committee shall adopt a resolution recommending
dissolution of the Society together with a plan for distribution
of assets. The Executive Committee shall transmit the proposals
to the voting members by mail ballot. The procedure for voting
and requirements for approval shall be the same as provided for
amending the By-Laws.
Revised March 20, 2001
Approved by the Executive Committee April 10, 2001
Approved by Membership November. 30, 2001
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