ARTICLE I. MEMBERSHIP

All members of the American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades,

subscribing to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Louisiana Section as

evidence by payment of current Section dues unless exempted by

Honorary or Life Membership and who are resident in the Branch Area,

shall be Subscribing Members of the Branch. All members of the

American Society of Civil Engineers of all grades, whose addresses are

within the boundaries of the Branch as defined by the Society and are not

Subscribing Members as defined above, shall be Assigned Members of the

Branch. The General Membership is comprised of all Subscribing and

Assigned Members.

ARTICLE II. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

There shall be a President who shall preside at all meetings of the general

membership and of the Board of Directors. The President shall also

represent the Branch on the Louisiana Section Board by attending all

regularly scheduled Section Board Meetings.

The President-Elect shall discharge the duties of the President in his

absence.

There shall be a Vice President.

There shall be a Treasurer who shall collect and deposit all dues, monies,

and funds of the Branch in a financial institution approved by the Board of 2

Directors, and shall disburse Branch funds as authorized by the Board of

Directors.

There shall be a Secretary who shall keep minutes of all meetings of the

Board of Directors, shall keep a record of all general membership,

Technical and Nontechnical meetings, and shall issue notices for all

general membership meetings and shall conduct the correspondence of the

Branch as directed by the President and/or the Board of Directors.

There shall be three Directors, one of whom shall be the immediate living

Past President. The other two shall be elected at large. If the immediate

Past President is unable or does not wish to be a Director, all three

Directors will be elected at large.

For purpose of succession, the following is the rank of the officers:

President, President-Elect, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Directors.

ARTICLE III. RESPONSIBILITY OF BRANCH OFFICERS

Attendance at General Membership Meetings and Branch Board Meetings

is the responsibility of each Branch Officer.

An Officer may be removed from office for poor attendance at Branch Board Meetings, failure to perform the duties assigned to that office or other justifiable reasons. If in the opinion of the Branch Board, an Officer should be removed, the Board shall direct the President to advise that Officer that the Board will vote to remove said Officer at the next scheduled Board Meeting. With an affirmative vote by a majority of the Branch Board, excluding the Officer in question, the Officer shall be removed from Office.With Board approval the President may appoint an individual to serve the remainder of the dismissed Officer’s term or leave the position vacant. If the position is left vacant, the President shall assign the responsibilities of the vacant position to the remaining Branch Officers.

ARTICLE IV. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The Annual Meeting shall be held annually during the month of

September on a date and at a place designated by the Board of Directors

during their term in office. One General Membership meeting for the

election of officers (hereinafter called the Election Meeting) shall be held

in May of each year. A minimum of two (2) other general membership

meetings shall be held each calendar year.

Notice of each general membership meeting shall be sent by mail to each

Subscribing and Assigned Member of the Branch.

“Roberts Rules of Order” shall govern at all general membership

meetings.

The President of the Branch shall preside at all general membership

meetings which he attends. In the absence of the President, the next

ranking officer shall preside at the meeting.

ARTICLE V. BOARD MEETINGS

A meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held regularly at the time,

place and day designated by the President. At the discretion of the

President, the general membership may be notified of the time, place, and

day designated.

Branch Board Meetings shall be held at least every two (2) months. A

minimum of six (6) Board Meetings shall be held each year.

The President shall preside at all Branch Board Meetings which he/she

attends. In the absence of the President, the next ranking Officer shall

preside at the Board Meeting.

“Roberts Rules of Order” shall govern at all Branch Board Meetings.

Under special circumstances, when an issue is deemed by the President to

be urgent to Branch activities, and a Board Meeting can not be scheduled,

the President may poll the Branch Board Members by telephone, mail or

other means deemed appropriate by the President. If a simple majority of

the Board Members cast an affirmative vote for the motion proposed by

the President, the motion shall be considered adopted. The President shall

introduce the motion at the next scheduled Board Meeting for ratification

by the Board and entry into the minutes of the Branch.

Under special circumstances, when an issue is deemed by the President to

be urgent to Branch activities, and a Board Meeting can not be scheduled,

the President may poll the Branch Board Members by telephone, mail or

other means deemed appropriate by the President. If a simple majority of

the Board Members cast an affirmative vote for the motion proposed by

the President, the motion shall be considered adopted. The President shall

introduce the motion at the next scheduled Board Meeting for ratification

by the Board and entry into the minutes of the Branch.

Under special circumstances, when an issue is deemed by the President to

be urgent to Branch activities, and a Board Meeting can not be scheduled,

the President may poll the Branch Board Members by telephone, mail or

other means deemed appropriate by the President. If a simple majority of

the Board Members cast an affirmative vote for the motion proposed by

the President, the motion shall be considered adopted. The President shall

introduce the motion at the next scheduled Board Meeting for ratification

by the Board and entry into the minutes of the Branch.

ARTICLE VI. NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF OFFICERS

A Nominating Committee to propose candidates for the offices established

by the Branch By-Laws shall consist of the three latest living Past

Presidents of the Branch who reside in the Branch. The candidates

proposed by the Nominating Committee shall be designated the official

nominees.

The Nominating Committee must obtain the consent of each candidate to

serve if elected. All candidates for office must be members in good

standing to be eligible for office.

A candidate for the office of President-Elect must have served at least one

year on the Branch Board of Directors immediately preceding the election.

Once elected President-Elect, an individual will automatically become

President of the Branch the following year unless that individual can not

or decides not to serve as President. If the President-Elect does not serve

as President, the position of President will be filled by election. In this

case, only those Members presently serving on the Branch Board of

Directors are eligible for the position of President.

The immediate Past President of the Branch is automatically a Director at

Large of the Branch Board of Directors. This position is not elected,

unless the Past President can not or decides not to serve. Should the Past-

President decide not to serve as a Director, the position will be filled by

election.

The President, President-Elect and Vice President are not eligible for re-

election to the same office in which they are presently serving.

Election of Board Members for the year beginning October 1 shall be held

at a General Membership Meeting held in May of that year.

The Secretary shall notify the Membership in writing of the Official

Nominees as selected by the Nominating Committee and the date, time

and location of the Election Meeting two (2) weeks prior to the Election

Meeting.

After the receipt of the Official Nominees, a Subscribing Member may

nominate any qualified Member to oppose one of the Official Nominees

for any elected office by either writing or telephoning the Chairman of the

Nominating Committee, or by making the nomination from the floor at the

Election Meeting. The Subscribing Member shall obtain the consent of

the individual being nominated prior to making the nomination.

If opposing nominations are received, the Chairman shall contact each

opposing nominee to verify that the individual is willing to serve in the

position for which he/she is being nominated. The Nominating

Committee shall then meet to determine whether the opposing nominees

fulfill the requirements for being a nominee.

At the Election Meeting, If no valid opposing nominations are received for

a given elected position, the Chairman of the Nomination Committee shall

read the name of the Official Nominee for that elected position and declare

the nominee elected by virtue of no opposition. If, however, a valid

opposing nomination has been made for a given elected position, the

Chairman shall read the name of the Official Nominee, stating that he/she

is the Official Nominee, followed by the name of each opposing nominee.

When an opposing nominee exists, the election of that position shall be by

secret ballot.

The Nominating Committee shall act as election commissioners and shall

conduct the election at the Election Meeting.

ARTICLE VII. TECHNICAL COMMITTEES

Technical Committees are defined as those committees that are dedicated

to the purpose of providing technical conferences or programs to the

Membership of the Branch in a particular discipline of Civil Engineering

(i.e. Structures, Geotechnical, Environmental, Transportation, etc.) in

order to improve the technical competence of the Engineering community.

The Technical Committee shall provide leadership to the Engineering

community in its particular discipline of Civil Engineering.

A Technical Committee shall be governed by a Steering Committee

comprised of no less than three (3) people.

The Steering Committee of each Technical Committee shall develop and

adopt bylaws to direct the business of the Committee. The bylaws shall be

submitted to the Branch Board of Directors for approval. Upon approval

of the bylaws by the Branch Board of Directors, the bylaws are considered

officially adopted.

The Technical Committee Steering Committee shall select a candidate for Chairman of the Committee and shall recommend the individual to the President of the Branch for approval by the Branch Board of Directors. If the President agrees with the selection, the President shall ask the Branch Board to approve the individual as Chairman of that Technical Committee for the President’s term in office.. If the individual recommended to be Chairman of the Technical Committee is either unacceptable to the President or Branch Board, the Steering Committee shall select a new candidate for recommendation to the President.

The Chairman of each Technical Committee shall attend Branch Board

Meetings to report the activities of the committee. If the Chairman can not

attend a Board Meeting, the Chairman shall either send another Steering

Committee Member to represent the Technical Committee or provide a

written report to President of the Branch prior to the Board Meeting.

The Chairman of each Technical Committee shall inform the President of

all Steering Committee Meetings. The President or his appointee may

attend any Steering Committee Meetings as the President deems

necessary.

The Chairman of each Technical Committee shall inform the Branch

Secretary and any other officer designated by the President of all

Technical Committee Conferences and Activities.

Technical Committees may collect dues, charge admission for technical

programs or use other means to raise money to support the activities of the

Technical Committee. All monies collected by a Technical Committee

shall be used as directed by the Steering Committee of that Technical

Committee for the activities of that Committee, unless the Branch Board

of Directors intercedes.

All monies collected by a Technical Committee are designated for use by

that Technical Committee. However, the monies are considered assets of

the Branch, and therefore, the Branch Board may decide to use these

assets for other Branch activities should the need arise.

With approval from the Branch Board of Directors, a Technical

Committee may establish a bank account separate from the official Branch

account. If a Technical Committee decides to establish a separate bank

account, the Technical Committee shall provide the Branch Treasurer with

a written financial statement showing the sources of all income and all

expenditures. This financial statement shall be provided at least once

every three (3) months, with one statement, showing the full accounting

of the Committee for the previous Branch Year (October 1st to

September 30th), being provided by October 14th of each year.

The Branch Board of Directors may direct a Technical Committee, which

has established a separate bank account, to close the separate bank

account. Upon such notification, the Technical Committee shall close the

account and return the monies to the Branch Treasurer for deposit in the

official Branch account.

ARTICLE VIII. NONTECHNICAL COMMITTEES

The President shall determine which Nontechnical Committees are

necessary during his/her term as President and shall appoint a Chairman,

who shall be confirmed by the Branch Board, to direct each activities of

the Nontechnical Committee.

The Chairman of each Nontechnical Committee shall be responsible for

recruiting the other members of his committee. However, the Chairman

may request the assistance of the Branch Board in identifying potential

candidates for membership on the Committee.

The Chairman of each Nontechnical Committee shall attend Branch Board

Meetings to report the activities of the committee. If the Chairman can not

attend a Board Meeting, the Chairman shall either send another Member

of the Nontechnical Committee to represent the Committee or provide a

written report to the President of the Branch prior to the Board Meeting.

The Chairman of each Nontechnical Committee shall attend Branch Board

Meetings to report the activities of the committee. If the Chairman can not

attend a Board Meeting, the Chairman shall either send another Member

of the Nontechnical Committee to represent the Committee or provide a

written report to the President of the Branch prior to the Board Meeting.

The Chairman of each Nontechnical Committee shall inform the President

of all Committee Meetings. The President or his appointee may attend

any Committee Meetings as the President deems necessary.

The Chairman of each Nontechnical Committee shall inform the Secretary

and any other officer designated by the President of all Committee

Activities.

If the President determines that the Chairman of a Nontechnical

Committee is not performing his/her duties satisfactorily, the President

may replace the Chairman. The new Chairman shall be approved by a

majority vote of the Branch Board.

Nontechnical Committees shall be encouraged to develop outside funding

for their activities. However, a Nontechnical Committee may receive

financial support from the Branch for an activity provided that the

Committee satisfies the following provisions:

• (a) The Nontechnical Committee provides a written proposal to theBranch Board outlining the activity to be undertaken and the

  associated cost;

• (b) The Treasurer certifies that the Branch has the assets available to provide financial assistance to the Nontechnical Committee; and
• (c) The proposal receives an affirmative vote of the majority of theBranch Board Officers present at a Branch Board Meeting.

ARTICLE IX. PAST PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL

All Past Presidents of the Branch who still reside in the Branch and are

Subscribing Members shall be members of the Past President’s Council.

The Past President who most recently served as President and who still

resides in the Branch shall be the Chairman of the Council.

The Past President’s Council shall study those activities, policies and

accomplishments of the Branch as deemed appropriate or as directed by

the President, and offer to the Board of Directors, through its Chairman,

the benefits of its deliberations, knowledge, experience and judgement.

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS

By-Laws may be adopted or amended only by the following procedures:

• (a) The proposed By-Laws or Amendments shall be submitted by mail
  to the general membership along with an announcement of a
  meeting to consider the proposed By-Laws or Amendments, at
  least 14 days prior to the meeting.
• (b) The proposed Bylaws or Amendments shall receive an affirmative
  vote by a majority of the Subscribing Members voting at the
  meeting called for said purpose.
• (c) To become effective, it shall receive the approval of the Board of
  Directors of the Louisiana Section and the National Society.

ARTICLE XI. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

If the Branch is dissolved in order to become a Section, the assets

remaining after the payment of all outstanding debts of the Branch shall

become the property of the new Section.

Upon dissolution of the Branch for any other reason, the assets remaining

after the payment of the debts of the Branch, shall be distributed to an

entity that qualifies under the provisions of Section 501 (c)(3) of the

Internal Revenue Code, as they now exist or as they may hereafter be

amended, as the Board of Directors shall have designated. In the absence

of such designation all assets shall be conveyed to the American Society

of Civil Engineers.

The New Orleans Branch recognizes that the interaction between geotechnical engineers and
other disciplines is of paramount importance to the success of a project. The purpose of
Geotechnical Activities Group is to foster the exchange of the professional and technical
knowledge and enhance geotechnical engineering practice and the professional interaction
between geotechnical engineers and professionals practicing in the other Civil Engineering and
Architectural disciplines.

ARTICLE II. FUNCTION

Meetings.   The Group s primary function will be the organization and

presentation of technical sessions in the New Orleans area. The Group will

attempt to address geotechnical subjects of interest to the entire Civil

Engineering and Architectural Community.

Practice. The Committee may review current events, regulations, policies

and proposals set forth by governmental, educational and regulatory

bodies, and policies being developed by the National American Society of

Civil Engineers, the Louisiana Section and the New Orleans Branch as

these affect Geotechnical Engineering practice, in particular, the practice

of Civil Engineering, in general. The purpose of such review would be to

identify the consensus opinion of practitioners and formally communicate

such opinions with appropriate recommendations to the ASCE New

Orleans Branch Board of Directors.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Geotechnical Activities Group is open to all members

of the American Society of Civil Engineers in the New Orleans area and

any individual who has a professional interest in geotechnical engineering.

ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION

Steering Committee. The Geotechnical Activities Group will be

administered by a steering committee. The steering committee will

organize meetings and provide liaison between the general membership of

the Committee and the New Orleans Branch Board of Directors. The

number of members on steering committee will be variable and comprised

of the following:

• (a) Representatives of the private sector of the New Orleans Area,who specialize in geotechnical engineering.
• (b) Representatives of Tulane and University of New Orleans, who instruct in geotechnical engineering.
• (c) Representatives of the government agencies of the New Orleans Area, who specialize in geotechnical engineering.

Officers. The steering committee will elect on an annual basis the

following:

• (a) Chairman. The Chairman will call and direct steering committee meetings, attend New Orleans Branch Board of Directors meetings reporting Group activities and needs to the Board.
• (b) Budget Chairman. The budget chairman will prepare the annual budget for the Group. He will also account for Committee expenditures, receipts and assets and provide an annual financial report to the New Orleans Branch Board of Directors.
• (c) News Letter Editor. The editor will edit and publish a newsletter informing the Branch membership of the Group s activities. Officers will be selected from voting members of the steering
  committee.

Voting Members. Voting members of the steering committee will be one
designated member from each New Orleans area geotechnical firm
participating in the Group’s activities, one member from the University of
New Orleans, one member from Tulane University and one member from
each governmental agency participating in the Group’s activities.

ARTICLE V. FINANCING.

The Budget Chairman will prepare an annual budget and submit it to the New Orleans Branch Board of Directors at the Board’s first meeting in each fiscal year.

ARTICLE I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of the Structures Committee is to promote interaction and

exchange of the ideas between those individuals who are involved with the

practice of structures. The purpose of this Committee is to foster the

exchange of the professional and technical knowledge and enhance

structural engineering practice and the professional interaction between

structural engineers, architects, and other related technical disciplines.

ARTICLE II. FUNCTION

Meetings. The Committee’s primary function will be the organization and

presentation of technical sessions and programs. The Committee will

arrange meetings, seminars and workshops dealing with the analysis,

design and construction of structures. Sub-committees shall be formed to

deal with specific material such as steel, concrete or timber.

Practice. The Committee may review Structural Engineering practice

related current events, regulations, policies and proposals set forth by

governmental, educational and regulatory bodies, and policies being

developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The purpose of

such review would be to identify the consensus opinion of practitioners

and formally communicate such opinions with appropriate

recommendations to the ASCE New Orleans Branch Board of Directors.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

Membership in the Structures Committee is open to all members of the

American Society of Civil Engineers and any individual who has a

professional interest in the field of structural engineering.

ARTICLE IV. ORGANIZATION

Steering Committee. The Structures Committee will be administered by a

Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will organize meetings and

provide liaison between the general membership of the Committee and the

New Orleans Branch Board of Directors. Steering Committee members

shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Steering Committee. The

number of members on the Steering Committee will be variable and

comprised of representatives of the private sector, representatives of

Tulane and University of New Orleans, and representatives of the

government agencies of the New Orleans Area

Officers. The steering committee will elect on the annual basis the

following officers who will be elected from voting members of the

Steering Committee:

• (a) Chairman. The Chairman will call and direct steering committee meetings, attend New Orleans Branch Board of Directors meetings reporting activities and needs to the Board. The Structural Committee Chairman shall be appointed by the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
• (b) Vice Chairman/Budget Chairman. The budget chairman will prepare the annual budget for the Committee. He will also account for Committee expenditures, receipts and assets. Also he will provide an annual financial report to the New Orleans Branch Board of Directors.
• (c) News Letter Editor. The editor will edit and publish a newsletter

  informing the Branch membership of the Committee’s Activities.

Voting Members. Voting members of the steering committee will be one
designated member from each New Orleans area geotechnical firm
participating in the Group’s activities, one member from the University of
New Orleans, one member from Tulane University and one member from
each governmental agency participating in the Group’s activities.

Corresponding Members. A Corresponding Member shall be an

individual whose professional qualifications shall exhibit an exceptional

level of structural expertise, but whose geographic location of career

responsibilities precludes him from regular participation in Steering

Committee activities. Corresponding Member shall be appointed by the

Steering Committee.

General Membership. All members who are not on Steering Committee

and are not Corresponding Members, shall be General Members of the

Structural Committee.

Term. Steering Committee Members and Corresponding Members shall

serve for a period of two years.

ARTICLE IV. FINANCING

The Budget Chairman will prepare an annual budget and submit it to the New Orleans Branch Board of Directors at the Board’s first meeting in each fiscal year.