By-Laws

Section 1. Duties of Officers

  1. The president
    1. Shall preside at all meetings of this organization and perform all duties ordinary to his office.
    2. Shall be privileged to call a special meeting of the active/senior active membership or the Executive Council.
    3. Shall represent this organization in all official capacities.
    4. May serve ex-officio on all committees.
    5. Shall appoint an audit committee when deemed necessary by the Executive Council.
    6. Shall serve until his successor is duly elected and installed.
  2. The Vice-President
    1. Shall assume all duties of the president in his absence.
    2. Shall be the Program Chairman and be responsible for formulating the program brochure.
    3. Shall ascend to the position of president in due order.
    4. Shall serve until his successor is duly elected and installed.
  3. The Secretary
    1. Shall keep all records of the organization.
    2. Shall notify all officers and committee members of their election or appointment.
    3. Shall notify all new members of their election to the organization.
    4. Shall be responsible for registration and admission to all meetings.
    5. Shall provide copies of the minutes of all meetings to all members of the Executive Council.
    6. Shall be responsible for the printing and delivery of the program brochures to the membership by the current accepted delivery method.
    7. Shall serve until his successor is duly elected and installed.
  4. The Treasurer
    1. Shall collect all monies due the organization from any and all sources and shall deposit such funds in a bank authorized by the organization.
    2. Shall pay out all monies authorized by the Executive Council or the organization at large.
    3. Shall perform all other duties ordinary to his office.
    4. Shall serve until his successor is duly elected and installed.
  5. The Directors
    1. Six (6) directors shall be elected on a rotational basis.
    2. Two (2) directors shall be elected each year to serve for a three (3) year term.
    3. Shall be part of the Executive Council.
    4. Shall serve until his successor is duly elected and installed.
  6. The Executive Council
    1. Shall be composed of all elected officers, the directors, the immediate past-president, and the local arrangements chairman.
    2. Shall constitute a committee to handle all business and render all decisions in an ad interim capacity between the regular meetings.
    3. Shall have the authority to waive dues and attendance requirements in extenuating circumstances.
    4. Vacancies on the Executive Council may be filled by the council.
    5. Eight (8) members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 2. Term of Office

The term of office for all officers shall be two (2) years. The directors shall be elected for three (3) years on a rotational basis.

Section 3. Dues and Assessments

The annual dues and assessments shall be recommended by the Executive Council and presented to the membership for approval at any regular business meeting and shall require majority vote of the voting membership present for passage. Such dues and assessments shall be due and payable upon order of the voting membership. At the present time, annual dues for the active membership shall be established at $400.00. Senior Active membership dues shall be one-half (1/2) the Active Membership dues. Dues are to be received no later than May 1 of each year to avoid a late penalty. Any member who has been in good standing for twenty (20) years who is disabled and unable to return to practice may have his membership dues waived until his disability is alleviated or if the member is unable to return to practice. The member may assume the retired status after reaching the age of fifty (50) if requested in writing and is granted this status by the Executive Council. Possible extenuating circumstances may be taken into consideration by the Executive Council on the disability matter.

Section 4. Standing Committees

There shall be the following committees, the members of which shall be nominated by the president in consultation with the vice-president, and elected by the Executive Council for a two (2) year period.

  1. Membership Committee
  2. Program Committee
  3. Local Arrangements Committee
  4. Any other committees so elected by the Executive Council

Section 5. Membership Committee

The immediate past-president shall be chairman of this committee which shall be responsible for final recommendation to the voting membership of names:

  1. For active membership
  2. For senior active membership
  3. For honorary and other designates to the organization
  4. For the removal from membership

Section 6. Program Committee

The program committee shall have charge of arranging and presenting all programs at the regular meetings and at any special meetings, and shall make recommendations to the Executive Council for specific speakers. The vice president shall be chairman.

Section 7. Local Arrangements Committee

The local arrangements committee shall be in charge of making all physical and social arrangements for any scheduled meeting.

Section 8. Classification of Membership

  1. The Active Membership shall consist of dentists who are active members in good standing in the East Tennessee Division (First, Second, and Third Districts) of the Tennessee Dental Association, have attended two (2) consecutive regular Academy seminars and agree with the objectives of the Academy. The Active membership dues shall start after they have been elected into membership. All the regular staff of the Active members may attend the meetings with them with no additional fees. This classification shall be composed of those accepted for active membership by the organization, and they shall have the privilege of voting and holding office. They are required to attend one (1) meeting per year unless a valid excuse is provided in writing for all pertinent absences. The active membership is presently limited to eighty-five (85) members. Nominations for active membership shall be endorsed by two (2) members in good standing, of the Academy, and presented to the Secretary on or before the date designated by that office. The Secretary shall transmit all properly prepared nominations to the Membership Chairman for a recommendation to the Executive Council. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Council shall be required for presentation to the membership for election which requires a simple majority of the voting membership present for selection.
  2. The Senior Active Membership shall consist of dentists who have been active members in good standing for twenty (20) consecutive years, who have attained the age of sixty (60), who are active members in good standing in the Tennessee Dental Association, and who have requested this status in writing. All their regular staff may attend the meeting with them with no additional fees. They shall have full voting privileges and are exempt from mandatory attendance and may hold office under special circumstances if authorized by the Executive Council.
  3. The Retired membership shall be composed of dentists who have been active members in good standing for at least twenty (20) years and have attained the age of fifty-five (55) and who have retired from the practice of dentistry, or who are disabled after having been a member in good standing for twenty (20) years and having attained the age of fifty (50) and are unable to return to the practice of dentistry and have requested this status in writing and have been granted this membership change by the Executive Council. They are not allowed to bring a guest except their spouse or significant other. There will be no fee for them.
  4. The Honorary membership shall be composed of any member in good standing of the American Dental Association who are deemed worthy of this status and are nominated by a three-fourths (3/4) majority of the Executive Council and are elected by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members present. They may attend without paying a fee.

Section 9. Prospective Members and Guests

  1. Members are encouraged to invite guest doctors (limit of two (2) per meeting) to all regular meetings unless a meeting is specified for members only. The guest doctor must be a member in good standing of the American Dental Association, or a member in good standing of another quality dental organization recognized by the American Dental Association and accepted by the Academy. The guest doctor must be accompanied by the inviting member and is allowed to bring two (2) auxiliaries at the established fees, which are presently $400.00 for the guest doctor and $200.00 for each auxiliary and this may be changed for any meeting by the Executive Council.
  2. Doctors who are associates of active/senior active members may attend any regular meeting for a fee equal to the member’s annual dues per meeting which is presently $400.00. They are limited to two (2) auxiliaries at the established fee of $200.00 each if the auxiliaries are not part of the member’s staff. C. A prospective member must attend two (2) regular consecutive paid meetings to be eligible for membership. His/her membership dues shall start after he/she is elected into active membership. (If elected at the July meeting, they will owe one-half (1/2) the dues.)

D. Members may invite a guest doctor who has been graduated for five (5) years or less to attend one (1) meeting without charge. This practitioner must be the guest of an active/senior active member. The meeting shall not be open to their auxiliary. Members may only bring one such guest to each meeting.

Section 10. Termination of Membership

Members may be removed from membership for the following reasons:

  1. Not being a member in good standing of the Tennessee Dental Association.
  2. Non-payment of dues after notification of delinquency. Annual dues shall be due by May 1 of each year to avoid a late penalty of $100.00 unless waived by the Executive Council. If the dues are not paid by May 1 of the year, the member must be notified by the secretary, by any accepted means at his disposal, of their delinquency. If the dues plus the delinquent charge (unless waived) are not received by June 1 of the year, they will be dropped from membership after two (2) proper second notifications prior to June 1. C. Not attending at least one (1) meeting per year without valid excused for each of the missed meetings.

D. For any action deemed detrimental to the organization by the Executive council and a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership present. The member must be notified in writing by certified mail and given ample time to respond to the Executive Council.

Section 11. Annual Dues

  1. For Active members are presently $400.00 and may be changed by a majority vote of the membership present at a regular meeting.
  2. For Senior Active members are one-half (1/2) the active membership dues which presently are $200.00.
  3. Shall be due and payable by May 1 of the year.
  4. May be increased by a majority vote of the voting membership present when recommended by the

Executive Council upon paper notification prior to the meeting if possible. Extenuating circumstances may make it necessary to be presented at the business meeting from the Executive Council’s recommendation.

Section 12. Meetings

There shall be two (2) regular business meetings each year which shall be open only to the active/senior active and nonvoting retired members. The first meeting each year shall be designated the Annual meeting. Special meetings of the Academy may be called by the President, the Executive Council, or by a 1/3 majority of the voting membership, providing ample notification (at least thirty (30) days) is given.

Section 13. Nomination and Elections

Officers and directors shall be nominated and elected at the annual meeting.

Section 14. Amendments

Amendments to the by-laws can be made after proper notification by a majority vote of the voting membership present and voting. Suspension of all rules may be required by or to the chair and sustained by a majority vote of the voting membership present for voting.

Section 15. Rules of Order

Except as herein provided, this organization shall be governed by Robert’s Rule of Order.

Section 16. Code of Ethics

The code of ethics of this organization shall be that consistent with the American Dental Association, and prevailing accepting practice.

Constitution

Article I – Name

This organization shall be known as The East Tennessee Academy of Dental Practice Administration.

Article II – Objectives

The objectives of this organization shall be:

  1. To promote the study of the administration and function of the dental practice so that better quality dental treatment may be available to more people.
  2. To research and study all phases of dental practice administration.
  3. To engage in any other projects as may be accepted by the Executive Council as pertinent to the function of the organization.
  4. To encourage the highest professional and ethical standards among its members.

Article III – Membership

Membership in the organization shall consist of four (4) classes:

1, Active

  1. Senior Active
  2. Petired/Honorary
  3. Honorary

Article IV – Officers

The officers of the organization shall consist of a president, a vice-president, a secretary, and a treasurer. In addition, there shall be six (6) directors, elected by the active/senior active membership, who, with the named officers, the immediate past-president, and the local arrangements chairman shall constitute the Executive Council.

Article V – Quorum

A quorum shall consist of one-third (1/3) of the active/senior active membership.

Article VI – Amendments

The constitution may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast at any regular meeting or special meeting, providing that such proposed amendments shall have been presented by proper accppted notification method to all active/senior active members at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting at which it is to be considered unless Roberts Rules of Order is invoked to suspend the rules in order to expedite the business at hand by a simple majority vote of the members present.

Article VII – Finances

Methods for the collection of dues, assessments or other costs shall be presented by the Executive Council and voted upon when necessary by the active/senior active membership.

Article VIII Official Publications

Article VIII – Official Publications

The organization shall have at least two (2) official publications each year. They may be in the form of program brochures to be submitted to the membership by the current accepted notification method at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled meeting dates.