ARTICLE I – NAME

 

The name of this organization shall be the American Society for Dental Ethics Section of the American College of Dentists and hereinafter shall be referred to as the Section or this Section. The American Society for Dental Ethics, a Section of the American College of Dentists, is an organization open to those who are concerned with professional and ethical issues in oral health practice, dental education and research.

 

ARTICLE II – MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

 

The Mission of the Section is to support professional ethics in dentistry as the foundation of oral health care. The members of the Section are dedicated to the ongoing study of ethical issues, ethics education, and the development of the profession to promote integrity and ethical practice in service of patients, community, and society.  

 

The Objectives of the Section shall be to: 

1. foster thoughtful discussion of, and scholarly reflection on, ethical issues facing dentists, other oral health care providers, dentistry and the allied dental professions in the areas of education, practice, research, and service;

2. encourage and assist oral health care practitioners, and develop and nurture their professional competence to better serve their patients, the public, and the oral health professions; 

3. uphold integrity and honor in the dental profession; 

4. support and promote the Mission, Purposes, and Objectives of the American College of Dentists;

 

ARTICLE III – ORGANIZATION

 

Section A – This Section, as chartered by the American College of Dentists, is a non-profit and voluntary organization.

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Section B – This Section may be dissolved either on official request of its own or for cause by the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists. Dissolution of this Section shall not affect any individual rights and obligations of Fellowship in the American College of Dentists.

 

Section C – In the event of dissolution of this Section for any reason, after payment of its due obligations and indebtedness, the surplus funds and property of the Section shall be turned over to the American Society for Dental Ethics, if and when it re-forms.

 

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP

 

Section A – Membership in this Section shall be open to those who are concerned with professional and ethical issues in oral health practice, dental education and research as specified in the Bylaws of the American College of Dentists.

 

Section B – Forfeiture or resignation of Fellowship in the American College of Dentists shall automatically result in forfeiture or resignation from the Section.  In addition, for non-Fellow members of the Section, forfeiture or resignation from the American Society for Dental Ethics Section shall automatically result in forfeiture from the College.  

 

ARTICLE V – OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

 

Section A – The officers of this Section shall be known as the Board of Directors: President, President-elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Immediate Past President and four Members-At-Large.  The officers shall be elected to serve a term of two (2) calendar years. The term of office shall be from July 1 to June 30th of the succeeding year.  An appointed Executive Director, if so designated, will serve as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be responsible for the business management of the Section, including arrangements for the Section’s Annual Business Meeting.  Only the Secretary-Treasurer and Members-At-Large may be reelected to consecutive terms.

 

Section B – The President shall be the chief executive officer and preside at all meetings.

 

Section C – In the absence of the President, the President-elect will assume the duties and responsibilities of the President.

 

Section D – The Secretary-Treasurer shall be in charge of all financial records and shall ensure compliance with all applicable IRS rules and regulations. Duties include custody of Section funds and disbursement of said funds as approved by the Board of Directors. 

 

If an Executive Director is appointed, that person shall serve as liaison with the Executive Office of the American College of Dentists and, in conjunction with the Secretary-Treasurer, shall submit the Annual Section Report to the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists. In the absence of an Executive Director, the liaison activities with the College Executive Offices and the responsibility for the minutes of the Section meetings shall become those of the Secretary-Treasurer.  

 

Section E – The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall consist of the President, the Immediate Past President, the President-elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer.  An Editor and/or Executive Director may be appointed by the Board of Directors (see Section A above) to serve as ex officio member(s) of the Executive Committee. Only members elected to the Board of Directors will be voting members of the Executive Committee. A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be three (3) members.

 

Section F – Standing committees may be established by majority vote of the Section upon recommendation of the Executive Committee and be dissolved by the same power.

 

Section G – Special committees may be created by the Executive Committee for specific purposes and be dissolved by the same power.

 

Section H – A Liaison to the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to serve a term of two years.  The Liaison will be a voting member of the ASDE Board of Directors and is eligible to be reappointed to consecutive terms.  The Liaison will represent the Section in an ex officio capacity at meetings of the Board of Regents. Travel costs of the Liaison will be borne by the Section. 

 

ARTICLE VI – DUES

 

Section A – The dues of this Section shall be determined by the Board of Directors. The Executive Office of the College shall be informed of the dues amount by August 30th of each year.

 

Section B – The fiscal year shall begin on January 1st of each year.

 

ARTICLE VII – MEETINGS

 

Section A – An Annual Business Meeting of the Section shall be held in accordance with the Bylaws of the American College of Dentists.

 

Section B – Meetings other than the Annual Business Meeting may be called by the Board of Directors, with due notice to the Section membership.

 

Section C – Ten percent of the Members of this Section, in good standing, may petition the President for a special meeting.

 

Section D – Ten percent of the Members of this Section, in good standing, shall constitute a quorum for transaction of business at the Annual Business Meeting or at a special meeting.

 

Section E –Balloting by electronic form may be employed by the Board of Directors when deemed appropriate and in the best interest of the Section.

 

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS

 

Section A – Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed by any Member of the Section, to be forwarded to the Board of Directors for consideration. The Board of Directors shall forward its recommendations to the Members of the Section at least thirty (30) days prior to any vote by the membership.

 

Section B – Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Members.

 

Section C – Amendments shall not become operative until approved by the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists.

 

ARTICLE IV – RULES OF ORDER

 

In cases where specific provisions have not been made, the code of parliamentary procedure specified in the Bylaws of the American College of Dentists shall apply.

 

ARTICLE X – EFFECTIVE DATE

 

These Bylaws supersede previous Bylaws and were approved by the Board of Regents on April 6, 2016.