Article 1

The name of the Society shall be THE BRITISH SOCIETY FOR ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL PATHOLOGY.

 

Article 2 - Objects

The objects of the Society shall be to promote and encourage the study and practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology and to facilitate communication between pathologists particularly those with an interest in head and neck, oral and dental disease.

 

Article 3 - Membership

 I.      There shall be the following classes of membership:

- Honorary membership
- Life membership
- Ordinary membership

II.      Honorary membership may be conferred by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at the Annual General Meeting on any person of distinction in pathology or dentistry who has contributed to the advancement of oral and maxillofacial pathology.

III.      Nominations for Honorary Membership, which must be in writing, shall be submitted in the first instance to the Council which will make recommendations to be considered at the next Annual General Meeting.

IV.      Life Membership may be conferred on members of the Society who have retired from active work in oral and maxillofacial pathology. Proposals for the award of this category of membership will be considered in the first instance by the Council which will make recommendations to the next Annual General Meeting.

V.      Honorary Members and Life Members will not be required to pay a subscription.

VI.      Persons engaged in the practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology or in teaching or in research in oral and maxillofacial pathology shall be eligible for ordinary membership.

VII.      Nominations for ordinary membership must be proposed and seconded in writing by two members of the Society and submitted to the Secretary. These will be considered by the Council which will report its recommendations at the next Annual General Meeting.

VIII.      Nominations for ordinary membership must be accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae which shall include details of qualifications and of experience in connection with oral and maxillofacial pathology. It would normally be expected that nominees for membership should have complied with Clause vi for not less than two years or should have published at least two papers in subjects related to pathology.

 

Article 4 - Officers

I.      The Officers of the Society shall be a President, an Immediate Past-President or a President-Elect, a Secretary and a Treasurer.

II.      The President shall hold Office until the third Annual General Meeting following his/her assumption of that Office.

III.      The Immediate Past-President shall hold Office until the second Annual General Meeting following his/her assumption of that Office; on completion of the Office of Immediate Past-President, the holder will not be eligible for re-election to the office of President-Elect until the third Annual General Meeting following his/her demission of the Immediate Past-Presidency.

IV.      The President-Elect shall hold Office until the Annual General Meeting next following his election to that Office; nominees for the Office of President-elect should: a) be actively engaged in the study and practice of oral and maxillofacial pathology, and b) past or present members of BSOMP Council.

V.      The Secretary and Treasurer shall each hold Office until the third Annual General Meeting following their election and shall be eligible for re-election.

VI.      The President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by ballot at an Annual General Meeting but the Council may appoint a Secretary or Treasurer to act until the Annual General Meeting following resignation or death of the Secretary or Treasurer.

VII.      Nominations for the Office of President-Elect must be proposed and seconded in writing and countersigned by the nominee and received by the Secretary at least four weeks before the relevant Annual General Meeting.

VIII.      Nominations for the offices of Secretary and Treasurer must be proposed and seconded in writing and countersigned by the nominees and received by the Secretary at least four weeks before the Annual General Meeting at which the Secretary and/or Treasurer are/is to be elected.

 

Article 5 - The Council

I.      The Council shall be the Officers and three elected ordinary members. The three ordinary members, one of whom should normally be a registered trainee, will be proposed, seconded and elected by members of the Society.

II.      The Council shall have the power to co-opt additional members of Council including the person responsible for local organisation of the Annual Scientific Meeting, the organiser of the External Quality Assurance scheme and the Specialty Adviser to the Royal College of Pathologists. Co-opted members of Council shall normally serve one year in the first instance and will be eligible for annual reappointment thereafter.  Co-opted members shall be non-voting members of Council.

III.      Nominations for the three elected ordinary members must be proposed and seconded in writing and countersigned by the nominee and received by the Secretary at least four weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

IV.      The election of the three elected ordinary members shall be by ballot at an Annual General Meeting.

V.      Elected ordinary members shall normally hold Office until the third Annual General Meeting following their election but in the first instance one shall hold Office until the first Annual General Meeting following his/her election and another until the second Annual General Meeting following his/her election.

VI.      Ordinary members shall not be eligible for re-election to the Council for a period of two years following the last period of Office on the Council.

VII.      Four elected members of the Council including at least one Officer shall form a quorum.

 

Article 6 - Duties of the Council

The Council shall conduct the affairs of the Society but may delegate responsibility for organising meetings to the President, Secretary and Treasurer.

 

Article 7 - Meetings

I.      An Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held in every year.

II.      Scientific meetings may be held at any time.

III.      Notice convening meetings shall be sent to members not less than six weeks before the meeting.

IV.      Extraordinary General Meetings may be called by the Council or upon a requisition in writing to the Secretary signed by ten ordinary members.

 

Article 8 - Subscription

I.      The annual subscription of £50 (or £25) shall be payable by 1st October in each year.

II.      The annual subscription will be considered from time to time by the Council which will make recommendations to the appropriate Annual General Meeting.

III.      Any member whose subscription is more than twelve months in arrears shall cease to be a member of the Society.

 

Article 9 -Expulsion

The Council shall have power to expel any member whose conduct shall in the opinion of the Council render him/her unfit for membership of the Society. Before any member is expelled the Secretary shall give him/her twenty-eight days notice to attend a meeting of the Council and shall inform him/her of the complaint made against him/her. No member shall be expelled without first having an opportunity of appearing before the Council and answering complaints made against him/her unless at least two-thirds of the elected Council then present vote in favour of his/her expulsion.

 

Article 10 -Dissolution

I.      The Society shall be dissolved by a resolution at an Annual General Meeting for which a two-thirds majority of members then present has voted in favour.

II.      Notice of any resolution to dissolve the Society shall be sent to members not less than six weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

III.      In the event of the Society being dissolved the Council shall transfer its assets to a charity to be nominated by the Council.

 

Article 11

The Council shall have power to alter the articles but no such alteration shall take effect until the same has been confirmed at an Annual General Meeting by at least two-thirds of the members then present voting in favour of it. Notice of any alteration to the articles shall be sent to members not less than six weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

 

October 2017