2018 Vote: Proposed changes to MARS Bylaws

New Military Archives Section Bylaws

This proposed 2018 version of the Bylaws simplifies the governance of the Section, expands leadership opportunities, ensures continuity in leadership, increases MARS’ efficiency, and brings the Section in-line with SAA Section rules.

What follows below is a summary of the proposed changes and some of the reasoning behind them. Please see the attached document for the proposed Bylaws in their entirety. Deleted text is struck-through and added text is underlined in the document, so you can clearly see the proposed changes.

1. Simplifying Section governance and increasing leadership opportunities: There will be one committee that oversees the Section’s functions: the Steering Committee. The committee is made up of four (formerly three) elected officers, as well as the heads of working committees and/or working groups.

2. Changes to officer positions: The MARS officer positions will now consist of the Chair, Vice Chair/Chair Elect, Secretary, and the Communications Liaison. To ensure continuity from one board to the next, the officers’ terms will be staggered and the Vice Chair will succeed to the Chair position during the second year of his/her term.

3. Increasing MARS’ efficiency: Previously, the MARS Bylaws required a quorum vote during the annual meeting to create committees or working groups, which are supposed to be the ‘working arms’ of the Section. These proposed bylaws allow the Steering Committee to create committees and working groups. By doing so, MARS can be much more nimble and responsive to concerns in the military archives’ community.

Other changes include the removal of Section VI.b. (which is no longer standard SAA practice), and a provision for Special Elections (should an officer be unable to fulfill his/her term).