Member Login
Search

Section for Allergy/Immunology in Rhinology (AIR)

The American Rhinologic Society (ARS) here establishes a Section for Allergy/Immunology in Rhinology (AIR) and adopts the following Rules and Regulations to govern its purposes and activities.

Article I.
Purpose

The purpose of the ARS is to advance the science and art of medicine as it relates to the care of people with rhinologic diseases and disorders. The Section for Allergy/Immunology in Rhinology (AIR) is formed to support rhinologists interested in allergy and immunology as they work to advance those purposes. The AIR Section will function in an advisory role to the Board of Directors, the membership, and committees of the ARS. More specifically, the AIR Section will help the ARS:

  1. Fully utilize the resources and talents of those members with expertise, practical knowledge, and interest in allergic/immunologic conditions relating to rhinologic conditions in their efforts to advance the purposes of the ARS.
  2. Support the full integration of rhinologists with allergy immunology expertise, practical knowledge, and interest into the activities of ARS by:
    1. advocating for rhinologists with allergy/immunology interest in ARS leadership and committee positions.
    2. fostering research collaborations and mentoring for rhinologists with allergy/immunology interest.
    3. promoting allergy/immunology topics in educational programming and planning.
  3. Facilitate communication regarding the topic of allergy/immunology as it relates to the subspecialty of rhinology.
  4. Support advocacy efforts related to allergy/immunology issues and practice (e.g. billing/coding concerns, allergen compounding in office, etc.)

Article II.
Membership

The AIR Section will be composed of active members of the ARS with an interest in allergy/immunology who wish to participate.

All other members of the ARS are welcome to participate in any open meetings of the Section and its committees, but may not vote or serve in any official capacity (e.g. as committee chairs or the Governing Council (GC)). Members of the ARS Executive Committee will have a standing invitation to attend all AIR business meetings and meetings of the AIR GC in order to discuss ARS matters that may be of interest to the AIR membership, facilitate communication between the AIR and the ARS, and provide perspective from the ARS leadership.

Article III. Officers
Governing Council

Section 1. Election/Designation of Governing Council Members/Officers
At the ARS Annual Fall Meeting, beginning in 2019, the Section will elect from amongst its members one Chair, one Chair-Elect, one Information Officer/Secretary, and one Financial officer. Such election will be by majority vote of all section members who choose to vote at the meeting. The Financial Officer will be subject to final approval by the ARS Board of Directors. The AIR officers listed above, along with the Immediate Past Chair, will constitute the AIR Governing Council (GC) – for a total of 5 GC members. A term will be for one year. The Chair may serve one term. The Information Officer/Secretary and Financial Officer may serve two consecutive terms maximum.

Nominating process: Any member of the AIR may run for only one office of the GC at any one time. Elections will be held at the AIR Business Meeting, which will take place in conjunction with the ARS Annual Fall Meeting. The Information Officer/Secretary may receive nominations for all positions 14 or more days in advance of the AIR Business Meeting. The proposed ballot will be circulated to AIR members electronically at least one week in advance of the AIR Business Meeting. Officers eligible for another term will be listed on the ballot as “incumbent” unless they do not wish to run for a second term. Nominations may be received from any AIR member. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Section 2. Terms of the GC Members.
Term limits are listed above in Section 1 Election/Designation of Governing Council Members/Officers, as well as below under the description of each GC office. The GC member terms (as specified below) will be begin immediately after the ARS Annual Fall Meeting in the year the members are elected. In the event that a member of the AIR GC is unable to complete his/her term and a vacancy ensues, the AIR GC may appoint an interim officer to serve until the next Annual Meeting, at which time an election will be held to fill the position for any remaining time in the term.

Section 3. Chair.
The Chair will preside at all meetings for the AIR Section and will report on the recommendations and actions of the Section to the ARS Board of Directors. The AIR Chair, or Chair-Elect if the Chair is not available, will attend the Board of Directors meetings as a non-voting guest and will present an update on the Section of the AIR to the ARS Board of Directors. The Chair will maintain the integrity of the Section and will be responsible for executing all initiatives on behalf of the section. The Chair will coordinate the Annual Business Meeting of the Section in conjunction with the Annual ARS Annual Fall Meeting. The term of the office of the Chair will be one year.

Section 4. Chair-Elect
The Chair-Elect will execute all of the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence. The Chair-Elect will also serve as a liaison to the ARS President-Elect regarding planning of the program for the Annual Fall Meeting and the Spring Meeting, as well as to the Program Chairs of the Summer Sinus Symposium, specifically to advise on inclusion of allergy/immunology topics in the meetings and any issues pertaining to the AIR section. The term of the Chair-Elect is one year.

Section 5. Immediate Past Chair
The Immediate Past Chair will remain a member of the AIR GC for an additional one-year term following his/her term as Chair. The Immediate Past Chair will be responsible for increasing membership of the Section and encouraging active participation by Section members. The Chair or Chair-Elect may delegate duties to the Immediate Past Chair on a temporary basis.

Section 6. Information Officer/Secretary
The Information Officer/Secretary will be responsible for the record keeping of the Section activity, the establishment and maintenance of section communications, and the maintenance of the current membership database, with the assistance of the ARS staff. The Information Officer/Secretary will be responsible for communications regarding GC elections prior to the Section Annual Business meeting. The Information Officer/Secretary will serve as Chair of the AIR Information and Communications Committee. The term of the Information Officer will be one year, renewable once with a maximum of two terms.

Section 7. Financial Officer.
The Financial Officer will be the AIR liaison to the ARS Development Committee to encourage funding attainment for ARS and AIR events/projects. The Financial Officer (working with the AIR Chair and Chair-Elect) will develop a yearly budget for AIR initiatives/events and present this budget to the Treasurer of the ARS if additional funds are requested for AIR events. The Financial Officer will work closely with the ARS Treasurer and BOD to provide oversight and approval of funding for all AIR events. The Financial Officer will provide an annual report to the Treasurer of the ARS detailing the financial status and activities of the AIR. The Financial Officer’s term will be one year, renewable twice for a maximum of two terms.

Section 10. Responsibilities of the GC.
The GC will serve as the executive body of the Section, will deliberate and conduct business on behalf of the Section, and will be responsible for managing the affairs of the Section with respect to all matters not specifically required of the Section members. The powers of the GC are established by and subject to approval by the ARS Board of Directors. Each GC member will be responsible for compiling a written report of actions and information on at least an annual basis to be submitted to the AIR Section Chair.

Article IV.
Section Representation

Section 1. Representative to the Board of Directors.
The Chair of the AIR Section will represent the AIR at the ARS Board of Directors meeting as a non-voting guest. The Chair of the AIR will present an update to the BOD at each board meeting, including a financial update.

Section 2. Representatives to other medical professional organizations.
When appropriate, the Chair of the AIR or designee may represent the AIR to the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), the AAO-HNS Board of Directors, or any other medical professional organization. The GC of the AIR, when appropriate, will provide recommendations and suggestions for potential appointees to other medical organizations as needed.

Article V.
Meetings

Section 1. Dates and Places
The AIR Section will conduct its Annual Business Meeting during the Annual/Fall ARS Meeting at a place and time determined by the Chair. The GC members will attend all meetings of the Section for AIR. The Chair and four or more GC members may call additional meetings in person or by teleconference at their discretion.

Section 2. Quorum
Attendance to the regularly scheduled business meeting of the Section is open to all members of the AIR. Non-AIR members may attend AIR business meetings but may not vote. Attendance by a majority of the members of the GC will be sufficient to establish a quorum for conducting business at any meeting of the GC.

Section 3. Voting
Any two members of the AIR or any committee representative of the AIR Section attending a meeting of the Section will have the power to propose resolutions. Any member in good standing may second recommendations and vote on any matter before the respective body. There will be no proxy voting. Non-AIR members who are members of the ARS may attend AIR business meetings but may not vote.

Section 4. Notice of Resolutions
Resolutions for consideration at the AIR Annual Meeting must be submitted in writing including via email to the AIR Information Officer/Secretary no less than 30 days prior to such meeting.

Article VI.
Resignation or Removal of Members

Section 1. Resignation
Any member of the AIR Section may resign by giving written notice of her resignation to the Information Officer/Secretary.

Section 2. Removal.
The GC may vote by majority vote of all GC members to remove a GC member if deemed in the best interest of the AIR. Failure to maintain membership in the ARS with paid dues will result in automatic removal from the AIR including committees or the GC.

Article VII.
Amendments to Rules and Regulations

Proposals for amending or repealing these rules and regulations, or for adoption new rules and regulations, may be presented and acted upon at any Annual or special meeting of the GC of the AIR Section by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the voting members present; providing that written notice of such proposed action will have be made available to each member of the section at least 14 days before the meeting at which such action is to be considered. The ARS Board of Directors must approve any amendments to this charter by majority vote.

Article VIII.
Rules of Order

The most recent edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order” will govern the meetings of the Section for AIR and the GC.

(version 7.10.2019)