New Bylaws | Dhahran GeoScience Society

Article I: Name

The Society shall be called the Dhahran Geoscience Society, a scientific professional society.

Article II: Purpose

The purpose of the Dhahran Geoscience Society is to promote intellectual exchange, personal growth and inclusive public awareness of energy, environmental, mineral and spatial geosciences. The Society supports the work of geoscientists in the exploration for, and development of, energy and mineral resources within the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas. This will be accomplished by the Society’s promotion of activities under three main platforms: 1) technical exchange, 2) professional development and 3) public outreach.
The activities of the Society shall abide by the laws and traditions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Society will not use, directly or indirectly, any technical information for scientific viewpoints that would be considered, in any way, detrimental to the interest of Saudi Aramco, the Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, or any other company or organization in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Article III: Membership

Membership of the Society is open to all earth scientists in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Membership is also open to those pursuing a geoscience or related degree or, subject to the discretion of the Executive Committee, those whose interests conform to the objectives of the Society.
Membership into the Society will consist of the following three classes: Active Members, Student Members, and Honorary Members.
Ethics: Membership of any class shall be contingent upon conformance with the established principles of professional ethics.
Active Member – An individual with a professional degree in the geosciences including all engineering geosciences as well , or someone who is engaged in the practice of teaching the geosciences or whose work is directly related to the geoscience business. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, Active Membership will be given to other persons interested in the technical or financial development of geoscience.
Student Member – Student Membership shall be open to those persons who are graduate or undergraduate students of geoscience and engineering geoscience in good standing at a university. The Student Member has to be a member of a Dhahran Geoscience Society Student Section.
Honorary Member – An individual who has contributed significantly to the Society and/or to the understanding of development of geoscience within the Arabian Peninsula. The determination of Honorary Membership shall be made by the Executive Committee. Honorary Membership shall be for the life of the member and Honorary Members will be exempt from payment of annual dues.
Only Active and Honorary Members shall be eligible to hold office, to vote on matters submitted to the membership. A Student Member shall be entitled to attend the meetings and functions of the Society, to receive its journals, and to purchase its publications on the same terms as an active member. Any Member can petition the Executive Committee on any matter.
Loss of membership may occur to any Member, regardless of classification, when the member resigns from the Society, forfeits membership for non-payment of annual dues, or is expelled from the Society for ethical reasons. A Member may be reinstated by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee following a review of the member’s request for reinstatement, and provided settlement is made of any and all outstanding indebtedness to the Society.

Article IV: Dues

Fiscal Year -The fiscal year will commence on January 1 and end on December 31 of the same calendar year.
The annual dues for Active Members are to be paid in advance of the fiscal year, which begins on January 1. The dues will not be pro-rated for members who join the Society after the start of the fiscal year.
The annual dues will be a minimum of SR75 for Active Members. The annual dues will be a maximum of SR40, or a lower due if set by the Executive Committee, for Student Members. Honorary Members shall be exempted from paying dues. Incentives to attract new members may be announced by Executive Committee.
A statement shall appear in no fewer than three of the monthly newsletters prior to the end of the fiscal year. The statement will serve not only as a reminder to the members to pay their dues, but can be used by the members to remit their annual dues payment and receive appropriate credit.

Article V: Officers

The officers of the Society shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Vice President for Technical Exchange, a Vice President for Professional Development, a Vice President for Public Outreach, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Field Coordinator, and nine Officers serving the three platforms. There will be Officers of Technical Meeting, Technical Publication, Academic Liaison, Professional Meeting, Young Professional, Mentorship Program, Public Event, Social Media and Membership Liaison.
Non-elected officers of the Executive Committee shall consist of elected American Association of Petroleum Geologist Delegate(s) plus Society of Exploration Geophysicists Council representatives (of the Society) and a representative to the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers.
An elected officer must be a member of the Society in good standing at the time of his/her election and during his/her term of service. A non-elected officer must be a member of the Society in good standing at the time of his/her appointment and during his/her term of service. President is deemed as an elected position due to the accession from President-Elect.
The responsibility of directing and governing this Society will be vested in the sixteen (16) members of the Executive Committee. Any responsibility, duty or action for the governing of the Society that is not expressly stated in the Bylaws will be reserved to the Officers of the Society.
The Executive Committee shall consist of the elected and non-elected officers. Voting will be done only by the elected officers who are present at the Executive Committee meeting. The Executive Committee shall have control and management of the affairs, activities and funds of the Society in accordance with its purposes. It will keep the Society Membership reasonably informed of its discussions and decisions via the monthly newsletter and the monthly Society meetings. The normal business matters of the Executive Committee will be determined by a majority open vote of a quorum of its members present. In the event of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.
A vacancy occurring in the office of President-Elect will be filled by a candidate being elected by a special ballot of the membership. The President-Elect will permanently assume the office of President, in case of a vacancy in that office, for the duration of the current term in an “acting” role. An acting President will retain his/her single vote on the Executive Committee as President-Elect. Any other vacancies occurring will be nominated by the Executive Committee.
Any Officer may be removed from Office after a warning, recorded in the minutes, and a subsequent majority vote at an Executive Committee meeting.
Nominees for the President-Elect must have served previously as an officer on the DGS Executive Committee for at least one term.

Article VI: Duties of the Elected and Voting Officers

President– The President shall provide a specific agenda for each business meeting conducted by the Executive Committee and shall conduct the meeting by Robert’s Rules of Order. The President has the general responsibility for the arrangement of special programs and activities of the Society.
President-Elect-The President-Elect will assist the President and Vice-Presidents in formulating and implementing of long-term objectives of the Society. He/She will coordinate with the appropriate Officer, the scheduling of activities, at least one month in advance of the activity date.
Vice President–The Vice Presidents report plans of activities pertaining his/her appointed platform (i.e. Technical Exchange, Professional Development or Public Outreach).
Secretary-The Secretary will record, file and maintain the formal records of all Society and Executive Committee meetings by filing and distributing concise minutes and Executive Committee procedures. In addition the Secretary will attend to correspondence as needed.
Treasurer-The Treasurer receives and disburses all moneys received by the Society and will be the principal recipient of membership dues from each Society member. The Treasurer will present a financial summary at each Executive Committee meeting and will prepare an annual financial report to be submitted to a committee named by the President and to the Society Membership at the May meeting.
Field Coordinator– This Officer is responsible for coordinating the logistics of all kinds of field trips (i.e. Technical and Public) within and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He/She will coordinate and assist in obtaining necessary logistical documents/permits from governmental and other agencies.
Technical Meeting Officer– This Officer will be responsible for all Technical luncheons, courses, workshops, and scope of technical field trips. The Officer is to contact and arrange with potential technical speakers. There must be an assurance for alignment with the disciplines defined for the purpose of the Society.
Technical Publications Officer– This Officer is responsible for Society newsletter and any other Society formal and technical publications including Webinars.
Academic Liaison Officer – This Officer will be responsible for promoting the society’s programs and activities within the local academic community. He/She will also report and advise the Executive Committee on functions that the Society might usefully undertake and support to further the technical and professional development of its members. This Officer will be expected to have an active role on behalf of the Society within the local academic community.
Professional Meetings Officer– This officer will be responsible for all monthly, and other professional, meeting logistics after a speaker is scheduled by the VP of professional development. These responsibilities will include: contacting the venue, informing the members of the event, monitoring the online registrations, organizing the collection of money and tickets at the door and distributing proceedings to the treasurer.
Young Professional Officer– The officer will design an action plan that include different activities and programs targeting the development of young talents (such as the career day, workshops for professional development). He will also work with young professionals interested in connecting with more experienced mentors within the society through the mentorship officer.
Mentorships Officer– This officer will run the mentorship program. The officer will be working closely with the young professional officer to facilitate opportunities for the young members to interact with the more experienced professionals within the society. This officer will also take charge of the professional accreditation program for geoscientists through the society.
Public Event Officer– The Officer is responsible for planning and conducting public events. The event must conform with the inclusive purpose of the Society.
Social Media Officer– This Officer will manage all social media accounts including the Society’s mobile device application and website.
Membership Liaison Officer– The chairman will prepare and distribute notices to the membership regarding activities. Other major responsibilities will be to maintain the notice boards, to pass material to the Social Media Officer and encourage new members to join. The Officer will have the primary responsibility of maintaining membership files and distributing membership cards. He will receive and review all membership applications and will be responsible for collecting annual dues. The dues will be recorded and passed to the Treasurer.

Article VII: Duties of the Non-Elected and Non-Voting Officers

Member-at-Large -The Member-at-Large will be appointed by the Executive Committee. The Member-at-Large is appointed to serve a specific advisory function as required by the Executive Committee. This is an ad-hoc position and may not be required by the Executive Committee.
The Delegate to the House of Delegates of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) will be elected by those members of the AAPG residing locally, as described by and subject to the bylaws of the AAPG. The election will be held in conjunction with the Society’s annual election of officers.
The SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) Council Members representing the interests of the Society are appointed by the Executive Committee.
Representative to EAGE (European Association of Geophysicists and Engineers) is appointed by the Executive Committee, to act as ambassadors of the Society.

Article VIII: Election to Officers

The President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, will appoint in March of each year a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be composed of no fewer than three (3) members of the Society. The Nominating Committee will present to the President the name of at least one candidate for each of the fifteen (15) positions. In the May meeting of the Society, these nominations will be presented to the Members. Additional nominations will be solicited at that time. The next day the candidates will be announced on the website.
An election of new Society Officers by secret electronic ballot will be conducted for two weeks during the month of June. A simple majority of those votes cast shall decide the winner when there is more than one candidate. The results will be announced by the President, to all candidates before announcement both online and at the next Dinner meeting.
The newly established Executive Committee will assume their positions on the first day of January of the following year. The Officers shall serve a one (1) year term from January 1 to December 31 of the same year. The President-Elect will automatically assume the position of President in the succeeding term.

Article IX: Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (hereafter known as The Directors), will be chaired by one of the Vice Presidents who will be appointed by the President of the Society. Saudi Aramco will be represented by three (3) Executive Directors, and other Directors will be senior individuals from the various companies and organizations that contribute the Membership of the Society (e.g. Saudi Aramco, Ministry of Energy, industry and Minerals Resources, the university system and the petroleum service companies).
The Directors will provide guidance and direction in the planning of significant events for the Society Membership, such as field trips, technical symposia, training opportunities, publications etc. The Directors will have no authority in the normal and routine decision making by the voting officers of the Executive Committee.
The Directors will be invited to meet at the call of the Chair of the Board of Directors. The Executive Committee must meet with Directors at least once a year to discuss planned events.
The Chair of the Board of Directors will distribute the minutes of Executive Committee meetings to the Directors. In addition, the Chair will communicate from Directors to Executive Committee.

Article X: Dissolution of Funds

The Society is a nonprofit organization. In the event of the dissolution of the Society, the Society will disburse all funds, remaining after payment of all debts and liabilities, to the Dammam Charity Society (Jamiat Al-Dammam Al-Khairia).

Article XI: Meetings

The Society will hold regular professional geoscience meetings each month of the year except the months of January and Ramadan. The regular meeting dates will be set out by the Professional Meeting Officer and passed by a vote of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee will hold regular meetings at least one time monthly and will meet each month of the year. More frequent meetings of the Executive Committee may occur as deemed necessary by the President or as circumstances dictate. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President or by any three members of the Executive Committee.

Article XII: Quorum

A quorum at a regular Society meeting or a special meeting of the Society shall consist of no fewer than 25% of the members in good standing.
A quorum at a meeting of the Executive Meeting shall consist of no fewer than five (5) voting members of the Executive Committee.

Article XIII: Special Committees

The Executive Committee of the Society shall have the authority to establish, maintain and dissolve Special Committees of the Society. The purpose, officers, and members of the Special Committee will be determined by the Executive Committee and will be announced by the Society Membership via the monthly newsletter and monthly meetings.
An established Special Committee will submit to the Executive Committee an outline of its program and will keep the executive Committee informed of its progress.

Article XIV: Amendments to the Bylaws

These Bylaws of the Dhahran Geoscience Society may be amended, enlarged or reduced by a resolution of the Executive Committee.
A written proposal may be submitted to the Executive Committee if signed by a minimum of ten (10%) of the Members of the Society. The written proposal may be accepted by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
Any proposed change(s) to the Bylaws of the Society will be presented to the Membership at the next Society meeting for reading and discussion. The proposed change(s) can also be published in the monthly newsletter, and posted on the website prior to a vote on the proposed change by the Membership.
A proposed amendment will become part of the Bylaws if the proposed amendment received a two-third (2/3) affirmative vote by the Membership responding to an electronic mail ballot.

BYLAWS