Article I. Name:

The name of this organization shall be the Hegel Society of America.

Article II. Purpose:

The purpose of the Hegel Society of America is to promote the study of the philosophy of Hegel, its place within the history of thought, its relations to social, political, and cultural movements since his time, and its relevance to contemporary issues and fields of knowledge. In addition to the study of the thought and significance of Hegel the Society has as its purpose the furtherance of original philosophical thought which has its basis in the philosophy of Hegel or which treats issues in the style, manner, or method of Hegel.

Article III. Membership:

The membership of the Society will originally consist of the participants in the 1968 Wofford Symposium on "Hegel and the Philosophy of Religion." Any person may be admitted to membership by the Council, subject to confirmation by the Society at the next meeting and shall continue a member so long as he pays dues as determined in the by-laws.

Article IV. Officers:

There will be a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and four councilors. This group shall be known as the Executive Council.

Article V. Elections:

Section 1: The president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer shall be elected biennially on even years. No president shall fill two terms in succession. Should vacancies occur, the Executive Council shall appoint replacements until the next slated election.

Section 2: The councilor shall serve four year terms, two being elected each even year except that four will be elected upon the adoption of this constitution for one two year term.

Section 3: All officers will be elected by a simple majority of the society present at the biennial business meeting. The president will appoint a nominating committee at the opening session (before the reading of the first paper) of the biennial meeting. The nominating committee shall nominate at least two persons for each office, including councilors. Other nominations may be made from the floor.

Article VI. Duties of Officers:

Section 1: The president shall preside at all plenary sessions of the society and at all meetings of the Executive Council. He shall have general charge of the business of the society.

Section 2: The vice-president shall be vested with all the powers and perform all the duties of the president in case of the absence or disability of the president and may be assigned other duties by the Executive Council or by the president.

Section 3: The secretary shall keep a list of members and a record of proceedings of both plenary sessions and Executive Council meetings. Minutes of the plenary sessions shall be distributed to the membership prior to the regular meeting. Copies of the minutes of the Executive Council shall be made available to members on demand. See also article eight.

Section 4: The treasurer shall receive donations and dues and disburse the society's funds acting in behalf of the Executive Council. He shall keep a written record of receipts and expenditures and make a report at the regular meetings.

Section 5: Councilors shall assist in the operations of the affairs of the society in matters of program, policy and public relations.

Article VII. The Executive Council:

The Executive Council shall meet at such times and places as it may determine or at special meetings called by the president. At all meetings, five members shall constitute a quorum. The Executive Council may conduct its business by mail. It shall run the business of the society between regular plenary sessions except that it should not take action on amendments to the constitution. It shall arrange the programs and accommodations for the meetings and discuss and plan such other activities in accord with the purpose of the society as it sees fit. It shall authorize expenditures. The Executive Council shall appoint persons to any vacancy that shall occur on the Executive Council on a pro tem basis.

Article VIII. Annual Meetings:

The meeting of the society, consisting of a program and a business meeting, shall be held at a time and place determined at the previous meeting, or by the council. At least four weeks prior to the meeting the secretary shall send each member a notice of it, including the program of the discussion meeting and an agenda of the business meeting. Special meetings for discussion may be called by the Council.

Article IX. Parliamentary Authority:

The parliamentary authority for the conducting of all meetings of the society shall be Robert's Rules of Order.

Article X. Proposed By-Laws:

By-laws may be proposed by the Executive Council or by petition of any ten members, and shall be adopted by a majority vote of the members at a plenary meeting, or, in case of a mail vote, by two-thirds of those replying within one month of the inquiry's being sent out.

Article XI. Amendments:

Amendments may be acted upon at the annual business meeting if a quorum of the membership is presented provided that the amendments have been presented in writing to the members at the time of the announcement of the meeting. If a majority of members in good standing is not present, or if ten members present so petition, amendments can be adopted by a two-thirds majority of those replying to a mailed ballot within a month.

By-Laws

By-Law 1: The annual dues shall be five dollars, normally to be paid on March first, and covering the year following that date. Persons joining after March first shall owe dues the next March first, except that persons paying first dues within the three months prior to any March first shall not owe dues again until the second March first following that one. Dues for students will be $3.00. The rate of membership dues for two years shall be $9.00 and the rate for three years shall be $12.00.

By-Law 2: The Editor of The Owl of Minerva, the official publication of the Hegel Society of America, shall be elected by the Executive Council to serve for a term of two years. In fulfilling the duties of this office, he shall be given a free hand in all matters pertaining to the selection, editing, and arranging of material to be published, excepting information regarding HSA itself, such as membership policy, notices of meetings, and other announcements, the content and arrangement of which shall be cleared with the President of the Society or someone duly empowered by the HSA Constitution to authorize such policy or announcements.

By-Law 3: The collection and disbursement of funds in connection with the financing of any activity sponsored in whole or in part by the Society shall be handled by the Treasurer, and applications for grants to finance any activity sponsored in whole or in part by the Society shall bear the signature of the President (except where the Vice-president is acting in his place, as in the case of serious illness) and the Treasurer.