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DALLAS ECONOMISTS' CLUB
OPERATING RULES (BY-LAWS)
JANUARY 2009

 

ARTICLE I – PURPOSE

The purpose of the Dallas/Fort Worth Association for Business Economics (DABE) is to bring together business economists in the Dallas metropolitan area to discuss the economics of their own industries, to share economic knowledge, and to contribute to one another's understanding of the broad issues of the local, national and world economy. The Association may sponsor activities related to the general field of economics.

ARTICLE II –MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership shall consist of three classes – active, emeritus and junior.

a. Active membership shall be open to professionals who utilize economics in their professions as well as those professionals who have an interest in business economics. Members should have a desire to participate and a willingness to lead informed discussions on economic topics in their areas of specialization.

b. Emeritus membership shall be available to former active members who, by reason of retirement (to be interpreted broadly), are no longer primarily engaged in the field of economics. Active members can choose to become Emeritus members. It is the member's responsibility to communicate that decision to the Board. It is the Board's responsibility to review and evaluate Emeritus membership requests on a case-by-case basis. Emeritus members shall have all the privileges and obligations of active members, except that (1) they shall pay one-half of annual active member dues, (2) they shall not hold office and (3) they shall not vote.

c. Junior Membership shall be available to individuals that have graduated in the current or previous calendar year from an undergraduate degree program in economics or related fields. It is the Board’s responsibility to review and evaluate junior membership applications on a case-by-case basis. Junior members shall have all the privileges and obligations of active members, except that (1) they shall pay one-half of annual active member dues for the 12 months post graduation and (2) they shall not hold office for the 12 months post graduation.

i. If attending the holiday party, junior members will be charged the full event fee in addition to their one-half annual active membership dues to recoup holiday party expenses.

2. Classification of members as active, emeritus or junior shall be reviewed each year by the elected officers of the Association and the Chairman of the Membership Committee.

3. A candidate for active or junior membership shall:

a. Complete the Association provided application form, which shall be submitted to the Secretary or Chairman of the Membership Committee by the candidate or the candidate's sponsor.

b. Attend one regular Association meeting at which time the candidate will be introduced as a prospective member. The Membership Committee will then make a recommendation to the Board based on information from the sponsor and the application. The applicant becomes a member only if the Board votes to allow the applicant to become a member.

c. The Chairman of the Membership Committee or the Association Secretary shall notify the applicant of the Association’s action. If elected to membership, the new member shall be provided with a copy of these Operating Rules and a Membership Directory.

d. New members will be responsible for introducing themselves to the Association and briefly describe how they use economics in their work/activities.

ARTICLE III – OFFICERS

1. The officers shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and the immediate Past President. These officers shall comprise the Association’s Board. The duties of officers shall be as follows:

a. The President shall preside at meetings and shall have general supervision over the current affairs of the Association.

b. The Vice President, working closely with the Executive Committee, shall have direct responsibility for all programs of meetings including arrangements for meals and meeting places. The Vice President shall also exercise the functions of the President in his/her absence.

c. The Secretary has the responsibility of keeping records of, member and guest attendance, sending out meeting notices, providing an annual membership directory and updating the Association’s Handbook annually.

d. The Treasurer has the responsibility of keeping records of dues paying members and to receive, deposit and disburse funds of the Association with the approval of the Executive Committee.

2. At the discretion of the Nominating Committee, the office of Secretary and the office of Treasurer may be combined into a single office of Secretary-Treasurer.

3. Election of officers: The election of new officers shall be in December of each year. The new officers shall take office beginning with the January meeting. For continuity, it is recommended that at least one former officer be elected a new officer.

ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES

1. Committees shall be established with the following duties:

a. Executive Committee - The officers of the Association shall constitute the Executive Committee. This committee shall be responsible for the continuing welfare and general policies of the Association, subject to instructions by vote of the members. The President shall call and preside at meetings of the Executive Committee.

i. The Executive Committee may also be referred to as the Board.

b. Membership Committee: The Membership Committee shall consist of a Chairman and two other members, one of which is the Secretary of the Association. Application for membership and reinstatement requests should be forwarded to this Committee. The Membership Committee will nominate new members only after it has investigated to insure that the new member is qualified and will make a contribution to the Association. This committee should actively seek and invite to the meetings professionals who utilize economic analysis in the Dallas area or professionals who have an interest in business economics whom they feel should be members. At such time as active membership reaches 80, the Membership Committee shall have the responsibility to review with and to report to the entire Association membership recommendations on the status of the membership limit.

c. Nominating Committee: The Nominating Committee shall consist of the current President, who shall be Chairman, and two other members. It shall present to the members, at the October meeting of the Association, a suitable slate of officers for the next calendar Association year.

d. Education Committee: The Education Committee and the current President shall have responsibility for coordinating the Arthur A. Smith Memorial Luncheon honoring outstanding graduating students majoring in economics. The luncheon is usually held in April. The Education Committee will consist of Chairman and Committee members.

2. Other Committees. The President of Executive Committee may establish permanent or temporary committees as necessary. .

3. Except specified above, the President shall appoint the chair of each committee. The chairperson shall appoint other members of the committee from among the organization’s regular membership.

ARTICLE V - MEETING OF MEMBERS

1. Eleven meetings per year shall be the objective. Meetings shall have a program in line with the purpose of the Association.

2. All members of the Association are expected to participate actively in meetings and other activities of the Association. Not only should they be prepared to discuss economic trends in their own industry, but their cooperation is expected when called upon by the President to lead discussions in other areas of economics. All members should also be alert to possible outside speakers for the Association.

3. In order to insure a free flow of ideas and discussions, the meetings are considered off-the-record and confidential. All publicity concerning the activities of the Association should come from the Executive Committee and take into consideration the off-the-record nature of the meetings.

4. Insofar as possible, regular meetings of the membership shall be held on the third Friday of each month at a place to be designated by the Secretary of the Association. Every effort shall be made to announce well ahead of time any deviation from this procedure.

5. The Treasurer shall be obligated to pay from Association funds the charges of the restaurant or Association at which each luncheon meeting is held.

6. Members are expected to participate actively in the programs and affairs of the Association. Success of the Association depends entirely upon the willingness of each member to participate in discussions on economic topics to the limit of his abilities. Members are also urged to distribute, to members of the Association, reports of other written material on subjects pertaining to the group's area of interest.

ARTICLE VI – DUES

1. Dues shall be established annually upon recommendation of the Executive Committee/Board Dues shall be established for the calendar year beginning in January at a level that is sufficient to meet the Association’s expected level of operating expense including a small subsidy to help defray the cost of the monthly luncheon meeting. Dues for new members will be prorated by the number of months remaining in the calendar year.

2. Dues are considered past due after the first meeting or the end of January. New member dues are considered past due 30 days after induction.

ARTICLE VII - AMENDMENTS

The Operating Rules (By-Laws) of the Association may be amended at any regular meeting by two-thirds of the votes cast or by two-thirds of those voting in a ballot by mail or email.

[Text prepared by Harry Glenos, August 2, 1989 revised by Dan Miller, January 1999, revised by Valerie Warm-Pelan, March 2002, revised by Jessica Heer, January 2009.]