I. NAME. This Society shall be known as the International Dreiser Society.
II. PURPOSE. The purposes of the Society shall be the following: 1. To perpetuate Dreiser's name and literary reputation, 2. To publish Dreiser scholarship.To provide forums for the formal and informal exchange of ideas among Dreiser scholars, 3. To meet regularly for the furtherance of our common interests; and 4. To develop an international network of communication among societies of kindred aims and interests.
III. MEMBERSHIP. Membership is available to anyone paying dues. The dues structure will be established in the bylaws.
IV. OFFICERS. The officers of the Society shall be a President, a Vice President (President-Elect), an Executive Secretary-Treasurer, a Recording Secretary and four Directors-at-Large (amended 22 May 2015). Their duties shall be established in the bylaws. The Executive Committee shall consist of the immediate past President and the duly elected officers for the year.
The Vice President will be elected for a four-year term, serving as Vice President for the first two years and automatically becoming President for the next two years (amended 31 May 2002). The Executive Secretary-Treasurer will be elected for an indefinite term, being replaced by the Society at its annual meeting upon recommendation of the Executive Committee.
V. ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
1. Officers shall be elected annually by the members of the Society at the annual business meeting from a slate presented by the Nominating Committee. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. 2. A majority vote of members present shall be necessary for an election. 3. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members of the International Advisory Board. The slate of new officers shall be submitted to the Executive Committee two months before the annual meeting. 4. New Officers will be installed at the conclusion of the annual meeting.
VI. PUBLICATIONS. Members shall receive all regular publications of the Society. Subscriptions may be purchased by nonmembers. Subscription rates will be established in the bylaws.
VII. MEETINGS. The Society shall hold an annual meeting at the American Literature Association Conference for the transaction of regular business, for the election and installation of officers, and for the edification of the Society. The members must be notified of the meeting and business matters at least one month in advance.
VIII. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. Written notice of proposed changes must be submitted to the Executive Secretary-Treasurer not less than two months prior to the meeting at which the proposal is to be made. Not less than one month's notice of any such proposal shall be given by the Executive Secretary-Treasurer to the members. Changes in the constitution may be made only at an annual meeting or at a properly announced meeting for business. Change requires two-thirds majority of voting members present.
IX. BYLAWS. Bylaws may be adopted or changed by a simple majority vole at a properly announced business meeting.
Bylaws of the International Dreiser Society
I. DUES. The annual membership dues for the International Dreiser Society shall be $20.00 in North America ($10 for students) and $30.00 elsewhere. Dues include subscriptions to Society publications.
II. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES. 1. The President of the Society shall preside at the annual meeting and chair all other meetings of the Executive Committee and special meetings of the Society. 2. The Vice President shall be responsible for the program of the annual meeting and shall substitute for the President when necessary. 3. The Executive Secretary-Treasurer shall be in charge of the central office of the Society and keep the records of the Society and receive and have custody of the funds of the Society. 4. The Recording Secretary shall keep minutes of the proceedings of the Society and of the Executive Committee. 5. The Executive Committee shall determine the time and place of the annual meeting and shall be empowered to act for the Society between meetings or in the event of an emergency that prevents the holding of the annual meeting. 6. In order to promote the study of Dreiser worldwide, an International Advisory Board made up of seven members with no less than four members from abroad will be appointed by the Executive Committee to advise the Executive Committee on appropriate forums for the exchange of ideas among Dreiser scholars and to serve as a liaison between our Society and other societies outside the U.S. that have an interest in Dreiser's life and works.
III. PUBLICATIONS. (Amendments of 28 May 2004, 26 May 2006). The publication of the Society is Studies in American Naturalism. The editor(s) is appointed to an indefinite term by the members present at the annual business meeting after consultation with the Studies in American Naturalism advisory board and the executive committee of the Society. Editor(s) may be removed by vote of members present at the annual business meeting after consultation with the advisory board and executive committee of the Society. Duties: to publish Studies in American Naturalism on time; to appoint the advisory board, the book review editor, and any other needed staff member; and to determine the journal's policies on such matters as format, contents, and frequency of issue.
IV. BIBLIOGRAPHY. (Amendment of 25 May 2001.) In connection with the participation of the International Dreiser Society in the University of Pennsylvania Library's on-line republication of the Pizer, Dowell, Rusch 1991 Theodore Dreiser: A Primary Bibliography and Reference Guide (a participation agreed to by the Executive Committee of the Society at its meeting of 25 May 2001), the Society will appoint a committee of Dreiserians with expertise in Dreiser bibliography which will prepare periodic additions of new Dreiser publications to the website of the bibliography (both new editions and Dreiser scholarship) and will also vet all suggestions for corrections of the original bibliography in its website form. This committee will consist of three core members and a number of additional members (as available) with specific responsibility for foreign Dreiser publication and scholarship. The committee will determine its own chair and procedures. An initial committee was named by the Executive Committee on 25 May 2001; as vacancies occur, the Executive Committee will fill them.