Vote by December 15: 2024 NANOS Bylaws Proposed Amendments

Dear Colleagues:

The NANOS Bylaws Committee and Board of Directors have reviewed the Bylaws and propose the following amendments.  Please review the proposed amendments and click here to cast your vote by December 15, 2024. Pursuant with Article VII, the voting window for the aforementioned amendments is open from December 2 - December 15, 2024.

Below is an overview of the updates.

1. Article II, Section 2: to clarify eligibility for Fellow membership. 
   Reasoning for changes: The Fellowship Committee, in an effort to improve the quality of neuro-ophthalmology training and assure the quality of neuro-ophthalmologists, as well as encourage programs to become and remain AUPO-compliant, suggested this change. The Board was in unanimous agreement. The reason that 2025 was chosen is that at the time this move was made, there were three programs that were still not AUPO-compliant but had pledged to become compliant, and in order to allow them time, the deadline was set for 2025. Additionally, 2025 is the year that all programs must participate in the SF Match, which is a requirement for AUPO- compliance.
2. Article II, Section 11: to clarify eligibility for Student membership.
   Reasoning for changes: Another point raised during the recent Board meeting concerns Student Membership eligibility, which should be clarified to focus on North American applicants only. International students do not qualify for NANOS Student Membership, as this would be difficult to manage and verify.

Additionally, as part of good governance, the NANOS bylaws were reviewed by the lawyer, and the following changes were advised: 

1. Article III, Section 1: to allow a membership meeting via video conference.
2. Article V, Section 8: to allow an Executive Board meeting via video conference.
3. Article VII – Amendments: to clarify the voting language based on our voting precedents and ensure an achievable vote threshold. 

All proposed amendments can be viewed here.

The current procedure for modifying the bylaws is shown here. 

Pursuant with Article VII, the voting window for the aforementioned amendments will commence online from December 2 - December 15, 2024. 

ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended, altered or repealed by the vote of at least two-thirds of the eligible voters, either by physical presence at a meeting or by electronic ballot of all of the eligible voters, provided that any proposed amendment 1) has been submitted in writing to the Executive Board and 2) notice thereof has been provided to each Fellow and other Voting Member at least one month prior to the date on which it will be voted upon. Bylaw amendments may be proposed only by Members of NANOS who are eligible voters as defined by these Bylaws. These Bylaws shall be subject to a complete review every ten years.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP
Section 12 - Voting and Holding Office in NANOS
Only Members in the following classes of Membership are entitled to vote on any matter in person or by proxy during any Annual or Special Business Meeting of the Society or by electronic voting, as provided in Article III, section 6: Fellows, International Fellows, Active Members, International Active Members, Senior Fellow Members, and those Senior Members who had voting privileges in their most recent previous category of Membership. NANOS Fellows and Members who have the right to cast votes in person or by proxy or electronically will be designated as “eligible voters” and the group of eligible voters may be referred to as the “Voting Membership” in these Bylaws and in official Society documents. Voting privileges may be suspended at the discretion of the Executive Board if an eligible voter is found to be in violation of the NANOS ethics statement.

Respectfully submitted,

NANOS Bylaws Committee and NANOS Board of Directors 

Back to NANOS NEWS