MWSPR ByLaws

1.	Membership will be limited to individuals who hold faculty positions at the time of their nomination at the various pediatric teaching institutions in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and western Pennsylvania, as well as the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada. Members who subsequently move from the defined geographic area may maintain active membership status.
2.	Emeritus membership will be limited to those individuals who are officially "retired" or have reached their 65th birthday by the time of the annual meeting. Emeritus membership may be granted at the request of the individual or at the discretion of the Council. Emeritus members shall not vote or hold office.
3.	Privileges of Members in Good Standing
	a.	Members may sponsor abstract communications to the Society's annual meeting.
	b.	Active members may vote at the annual business meeting of the society.
	c.	Active members may nominate individuals to membership in the society.
	d.	Active members are eligible to hold offices in the Society. In determining the slate of nominees, the committee should give consideration to diversity, including age diversity.
4.	Application for Membership Each applicant must be nominated and seconded by an active member of the Society who are neither officers nor members of the Council and whose dues are in good standing. The nominator shall complete an application form distributed by the Secretary-Treasurer. The nominee must have made a scientific contribution, as documented by first authorship of at least one published paper in a refereed scientific journal. A copy of at least one such publication should be submitted along with the two letters of recommendation and current curriculum vitae that includes a bibliography and review of academic activities. If a candidate is a member of the national Society for Pediatric Research and/or American Pediatric Society, a letter from the candidate indicating desire for membership and a current curriculum vitae will be sufficient. All applications will be reviewed and voted on at the annual Council meeting.
5.	Annual meetings will be held at a location selected by the Executive Committee within the geographic region defined under #1. The annual meeting will include a general membership business meeting as well as a meeting of the Council.
6.	The term of office for Secretary-Treasurer shall be 5 years. This person will attend all meetings of the Council and general membership and record all proceedings of the meetings. The Secretary-Treasurer shall give notice of all meetings to the members. This person shall have custody of the funds of the Society and shall keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements. The Secretary-Treasurer shall also disburse the funds of the Society as directed by the Council and render an annual financial report to the Society.
7.	The president shall serve for one year and shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the MWSPR presiding over the Council meetings and annual business meetings. He shall also serve as the Chief Executive of the Program Committee for the annual meetings. He shall be responsible for processing applications for new members and distributing them for review by the Council prior to its annual meeting.
8.	The President Elect shall serve for one year and shall assist the president in any way. He shall automatically assume the presidency at the end of his term.
9.	Resignation Any officer or Council member may resign at any time. Such resignation shall be made in writing and shall take effect at the time specified therein or if no time is specified at the time of its receipt by the President or Secretary.
10.	Committees
	a.	Nominations Committee This committee will consist of the three immediate past presidents of the Society. The Chairman of this committee will be the most immediate past president. This committee will nominate a slate of officers and Council members for election at the annual meeting.
	b.	Program Committee The Program Committee for the annual meeting shall consist of the three officers of the Society.
11.	Dues Yearly dues will be assessed at a rate set by the Council of the Society at the annual meeting. Dues must be paid in full by the time of the annual meeting. Dues in arrears for two consecutive years will result in the automatic deletion of any member from the roles of the Society. Reinstatement of members terminated for nonpayment of dues shall occur only after payment of dues for the two years they were in arrears plus the dues of the fiscal year in which the former member seeks reinstatement.
12.	A quorum at all duly constituted meetings of the Society or Council shall consist of those members who are present at the time of such meetings.
13.	Fiscal Year The fiscal year of the Society will be from November 1 to October 31.
14.	Amendments An amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws may be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer or proposed at the annual business meeting of the Society. The proposed amendment will be reviewed by the council and if approved by a majority vote, shall then be presented for a vote at the following annual meeting. Amendments must have the support of 75% of the members present at the annual meeting.
15.	Abstract Selection Abstracts for presentation shall be selected by an equitable method determined by the President and Council of the Society. The method of selection shall be a matter of public record. Data in the abstracts, at the time of its submission, must not have been presented at any previous national meetings.

Revised October 2004