North Carolina Archaeological Council Constitution

A. Name

The name of this organization shall be "North Carolina Archaeological Council."

B. Purposes

1. To provide an opportunity for the professional archaeologists working in North Carolina to share their efforts, information, and knowledge, and to improve and coordinate their professional activities in those matters that are appropriate and for the benefit and advancement of archaeology, especially in North Carolina.
2. To cooperate with and advise other organizations working in related and allied fields for the maximum protection of archaeological resources.
3. To encourage publication of archaeological research and to distribute and disseminate information concerning archaeological matters in North Carolina.
4. To encourage maintenance of the highest standards of academic teaching and research in archaeology and to relate this to the general public.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

A. Membership on the Council is open to professional archaeologists residing or working in North Carolina who are approved by vote of the Council. A professional archaeologist is defined as one who holds a graduate degree in Anthropology with specialization in Archaeology, or its equivalent. A professional archaeologist must have either affiliation to an institution, agency, or corporation with interest in the archaeology of the State of North Carolina or be an independent consulting archaeologist or research archaeologist with interest in the archaeology of the State of North Carolina.

B. To become a full member, an individual must fulfill all of the following criteria:

1. The individual must have at least an MA in anthropology or archaeology, or related field.
2. The individual must have recognized research interests in North Carolina.
3. The individual's primary professional application must be the practice or teaching of archaeology or he/she must be otherwise engaged in archaeology in North Carolina.

C. To become an associate member an individual must fall into at least one of the following categories:

1. Be a recognized professional with the ability to supply input to archaeological problems, i.e., be in an allied field.
2. Be an archaeologist with occasional research interests in North Carolina.
3. Be a graduate level student in anthropology or archaeology at a North Carolina college or university.

D. A membership committee shall be established to review all applications for membership, and this committee shall present its recommendations to the full members of the Council for a vote. Member status shall be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of members at a duly constituted meeting. Only full members shall have a vote in the affairs of the Council, and be able to hold office in the Council. Both full and associate members of the Council shall receive all Council information and have a voice in Council affairs. Associate members of the Council shall not have a vote. The membership committee shall be able to recommend that a person be accepted as a full member, a person be admitted as an associate member, a person be denied membership, or that all the full members of the Council review the applicant.

E. Membership in the Council will be terminated one month after the Secretary-Treasurer's written notification for non-payment of annual dues.

F. An individual who does not meet criterion B-1 under Article II (MA in anthropology or archaeology, or related field, but meets all other membership criteria, may qualify as a full voting member of the Council after special consideration an approval by both the Council’s Membership and Executive Committees. To be considered for this exception, the applicant must demonstrate a lengthy record of progressive employment (minimum of 7 years) and/or experience in professional archaeological research or administration, and demonstrate that his/her experiences and competency are comparable to other professionals with degrees in the field. A request for membership with this exception shall be considered by the Membership Committee, and this committee shall present its recommendation (either acceptance as a Full Member, acceptance as an Associate Member, or denial of membership) to the Executive Committee for consideration. The Executive Committee shall consider the request and present its recommendation (either acceptance as a Full Member, acceptance as an Associate Member, denial of membership, or that all the full members of the Council review the application) along with the recommendation of the Membership Committee, to the full members of the Council for deliberation and a vote. A vote of two-thirds or more of a quorum of Full Members, as specified in D above, is required for approval.

A. Between stated meetings, the affairs of the Council shall be managed by the Executive Committee.

B. The Executive Committee shall consist of six (6) members: Chairman of the Council, Vice-Chairman of the Council, Secretary-Treasurer of the Council, and three members elected at large. The State Archaeologist of the North Carolina Office of Archives and History shall serve in an ex-officio capacity to the committee.

A. The Council will meet at least once a year at a place to be determined by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.

B. For conducting official business at Council meetings, a quorum shall consist of the Chairman or member of the Executive Committee designated by the Chairman in his/her stead, and the Council members in attendance. A quorum for the election of members of the Executive Committee shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at a regularly scheduled meeting. The same shall apply to constitutional changes.

C. Roberts' Rules of Order will prevail at meetings when a dispute as to procedure arises.

Bylaws consistent with this constitution shall be adopted at the time this constitution is approved and may be amended as provided herein.

Amendments to this constitution shall be proposed to the Council membership in writing not less than ninety (90) days before a meeting and shall be adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the membership present at a regularly scheduled meeting.

A. Nominations for officers of the Council shall be solicited from the membership at each annual meeting. The nominee receiving a simple plurality shall be declared elected and shall assume office at the close of that same regular meeting.

B. The election of officers and terms of office shall be as follows:

1. Chairman, two (2) years.
2. At large Members of the Executive Committee, three (3) years. At large Members of the Executive Committee will serve staggered terms with one member being elected every third year.
3. Vice-Chairman, two (2) years.
4. Secretary-Treasurer, two (2) years.

D. A tie shall be broken by another balloting of the membership.