Policies and Procedures

Spanish Version

I. Mission Statement

District III of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is comprised of physicians from Delaware, the Dominican Republic, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It is a professional organization dedicated to promoting safe, quality health care for all women.

It will strive to reach this goal by:

Bringing educational programs to its membership, encompassing newer concepts in the treatment of diseases and cutting edge technology
Establishing a partnership with our patients, to make safety a priority in every aspect of our practices and encouraging all our physicians to participate in our safety initiative
Taking a leadership role as an advocate for women’s health, including issues that go beyond the usual scope of practice such as equal rights, protection from violence, and patient safety
Encouraging research through mentoring and funding of Fellow, Junior Fellow, and Medical Student projects
Educating the community at large and the legislative bodies to the reality of the health needs of women, in collaboration with women’s groups throughout the tri-state area and the Dominican Republic
Serving as a voice for the obstetrician-gynecologist at both the local and national levels so that they may continue to practice quality medicine without unreasonable interference
Supporting legislative activities that promote the best possible health care for women
Encouraging future physicians to enter the specialty
Encouraging young physicians in training, at all levels, to take a more active role in district and section activities

II. Introduction

A. This is the Policy and Procedures (P&P) Manual for District III (the District) of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). It serves as the operating guide for the business of the Fellows and Junior Fellows of the District and replaces any other version and bylaws. This manual shall be consistent with and adherent to ACOG Bylaws at all times. The information that needs to be updated on a regular basis may be found in the Appendixes* which may be added to, changed or removed by a vote of the District Executive Committee or the Advisory Council.

B. The District is governed by the Executive Committee and the Advisory Council. The Executive Committee is made up of the officers of the District who are the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary and Immediate Past District Chair. The Advisory Council includes the Executive Committee; the Section Chairs, Vice Chairs, Treasurers or Secretary/Treasurers; Junior Fellow Chair, Vice Chair and any consultants, representatives, or advisors appointed by the District Chair. The Advisory Council shall have voting and non-voting members and shall meet as noted elsewhere in this manual.

C. The District office is maintained at the ACOG national office in Washington, DC. and is staffed by the District III Project Manager who meets with and reports to the Advisory Council.

D. The District is composed of its four Sections; Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Dominican Republic. Each Section may have an office to facilitate the business of their Section. These offices are staffed by contract to ACOG and function as part of the District, reporting to the Section Chair and Section Advisory Councils.

E. Each Section shall have business meeting of their respective Advisory Councils as needed or called by the Section Chair. The Sections may also have scientific meetings as directed by the Section Advisory Councils. These meetings shall be in compliance with the District guidelines regarding the timing of these meetings as relates to the Annual District Meeting.

F. The District shall hold an Annual Business Meeting to transact the business of the District. The timing and location of this meeting shall be determined by the District Advisory Council. The Junior Fellows shall hold a separate business meeting and elections as noted elsewhere in this manual.

III. Brief Overview of National, District III, and the Four Sections of District III: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the Dominican Republic

A. Geography and Map of District

Dominican Republic

B. ACOG Corporate Structure

ACOG is a non-profit corporation, organized under Illinois law. It is a single corporate entity that includes its Districts and Sections. All limits placed on ACOG activities by law apply to its Districts and Sections. Similarly, any action at the District or Section levels is attributable to ACOG as a whole. ACOG Bylaws prohibit its Districts and Sections from engaging in activities or promulgating policies and procedures that conflict with its Bylaws, policies or procedures.

C. Tax-Exempt Status

As a 501(c)(6) organization, the College is only exempt from sales tax in Indiana.

All purchases must be made on behalf of the College and not for the personal use or benefit of any employee or member. Sales tax must be paid on purchases made by the College in all other states that collect sales tax.

D. District Dues

The District shall set and collect dues as determined by the Advisory Council subject to Executive Board approval. While the Districts and Sections have control of the funds, the monies are held at the national office in Washington, DC since ACOG is a single corporate entity. As a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization this allows ACOG to keep and have detailed financial records that are subject to periodic review.

IV. Membership in the District

Fellows in all categories whose official address is within District III are automatically members of District III except members of the Armed Forces District who opt to remain in that District.

A. Fellows

Fellows shall have the right to vote at all Section, District and National meetings and to hold office.

B. Junior Fellows

Junior Fellows shall have the right to vote at all District and National Junior Fellow meetings and to hold office therein.

C. Honorary, Life, and Associate Members

Honorary, Life, and Associate Members shall not be eligible to vote at Section, District, or National meetings, hold office, nor shall they be requested to pay dues or special assessments.

D. Adjunct District Members

Any member of another obstetric and gynecologic society in the District who is not eligible to be and has not been a Fellow in the College may be elected to non-voting membership in the District. Adjunct members of the District shall not be members of the national organization of the College, and they shall not be eligible to hold office in the District. They may take part in District activities not in conflict with the foregoing definition of the status of adjunct members.

E. Associate Members and Educational Affiliates

Associate Members and Educational Affiliates of District III are elected following the national guidelines and have all the rights and privileges that the National office has given their status. District III encourages the inclusion of other health care professionals dedicated to improving the health care for women in ACOG and in District III.

V. Officers of District

A. Overview

District III officers have a fiduciary responsibility to act reasonably and in the best interest of the District and ACOG. To be eligible for election or appointment to, or continued service in, a District III officer position, a Fellow’s principal place of business must be in District III. No Fellow may serve simultaneously in more than one elected office of the College, including the National, District and Section level. The District Chair and Vice Chair shall serve in their respective offices for a term of three years and may not succeed themselves. They shall assume office at the next District meeting following their election. A Fellow may serve only one term as District III Vice Chair and one term as District III Chair. ACOG has defined a "term" as serving more than 18 months and one day or more in that office.

B. Officers

The officers shall consist of the District III Chair, District III Vice Chair, District III Secretary, District III Treasurer, and District III Assistant Secretary, and the Immediate Past District III Chair. National bylaws state that only District and Section officers shall be voting members of the District Advisory Council. Voting members (7) of District III Advisory Council consist of the District III Chair, District III Vice Chair, District III Secretary, District III Treasurer, District III Assistant Secretary, the Immediate Past District III Chair, District III Section Chairs, District III Section Vice Chairs, and the District III Junior Fellow Chair.
If a District officer retires or, in the opinion of the District Advisory Council, and subject to ACOG Executive Board Guidelines, a District officer other than the District Chair has failed or is unable to fulfill the duties, the District Advisory Council shall elect a replacement to complete the unexpired term. When the officer is the District Chair, the Vice Chair shall replace the Chair to complete the unexpired term. See Appendix J.

C. Method of Election

District III Officers are elected in accordance with procedures established by the ACOG Executive Board, see Appendix A.

D. District III Officer Responsibilities

Fulfilling the responsibilities of a District officer position is critical to the successful governance of the District. Therefore, if a District officer fails to fulfill his/her responsibilities, including attending Section meetings, the District may decide not to reimburse for registration at the Annual District Meeting.

1. District Chair

a. National Level

Serve as a member of ACOG’s Executive Board with responsibility for the general management of the College.
Attend all Executive Board and CDC meetings and act on Board matters by mail, fax, phone, or e-mail in the interim between meetings.
Submit reports and recommendations to the Executive Board.
Attend three Council of District Chairs (CDC) meetings per year.
Attend the annual CDC retreat.
Represent the CDC on at least one ACOG committee or council.
Attend the Executive Board Orientation meeting as District Chair Elect.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.
Maintain communication with the national office and inform staff of relevant correspondence requiring official responses.
Keep abreast of the College’s policies to ensure the District’s policies are not contrary to the College’s policies.
Recommend District members to national committees and councils.
Represent the interests and concerns of the District III constituency.

b. District Level

Serve a term of three years as Chair of District III.
Consider problems arising in the District and act upon them.
Call and preside at the District Annual Business Meeting and other meetings of the District.
Call and preside at the meetings of the District III Advisory Council.
Serve and direct the Executive Committee of District III in order to transact District III business between meetings of the Advisory Council
Appoint members of District to standing and ad hoc committees.
Encourage recruitment and other activities of Junior Fellows in District III.
Review and evaluate, as necessary, applicants for Fellow, Corresponding Fellow and Associate Member.
Direct the staff of the District III office.
Recommend or select District III members or a Section for the following:
- Wyeth-Ayerst Section Award
- Outstanding District Service Award
- President’s Community Service Award
- Donald F. Richardson Memorial Prize Paper Awards
- ACOG Annual Congressional Leadership Conference
- Fellow Section Officer Orientation
Convey pertinent material from Executive Board meetings and other venues from the National to the District level through verbal or written reports.
Attend District III Annual District Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.
District Chair may serve as the Program Chair when the ADM is combined with other Districts.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

C. Section Level

Direct and coordinate the activities of the Section Chairs in District III.
Attend Section meetings on a periodic basis.

2. District Vice Chair

A. National Level

Keep informed about the purposes and policies of the College and the conditions in District III relating to these policies.
Attend the Executive Board Orientation meeting as Vice Chair Elect.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College's media policy, see Appendix D.

B. District Level

Serve a three-year term as Vice Chair of District III.
Attend meetings of the District III Advisory Council.
Serve on the Executive Committee of the District in order to transact District business between meetings of the Advisory Council.
Assist the District III Chair.
Replace the District III Chair to complete the unexpired term when, for any reason, the District III Chair is unable to serve in the capacity as District III Chair.
Serve as District III Annual Meeting General Program Chair.
Serve on site selection committee and make visits as necessary.
Coordinate District activities with ACOG Meetings management or other selected management company chosen by the District.
Attend District III Annual District Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

3. District III Secretary

A. National Level

Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.

B. District Level

Serve a three-year term as District Secretary.
Give notice of all meetings of the District, of proposed amendments, and of any matter authorized by the District Advisory Council.
Keep minutes of all meetings and attendance records of members.
Attend meetings of the District Advisory Council.
Attend meetings of the District III Executive Committee as called by the Chair.
Be responsible for reviewing and updating the District III Policies and Procedures Manual
Coordinate the Interim District III Advisory Council Meeting.
Attend District III Annual District Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

4. District III Treasurer

a. National Level

Keep informed about the policies of the College relating to District finances.
Comply with financial transaction processing and reporting standards defined for the District.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s policy see Appendix D.

b. District Level

Serve a three-year term as District Treasurer. Term to start January 1 of the year following the taking of office by the District Chair.
Attend meetings of the Executive Committee of the District Advisory Council.
Provide authorization for all financial transactions affecting the District.
Attend National Treasurer’s Meeting.
Ensure the investment allocation between short-term and long-term equity investments is reasonable and conforms to the College’s investment policies.
Develop a financial plan for the District and track the District’s financial activities against this plan. 　
Ensure the District’s financial activities are in compliance with College policies and generally accepted accounting principles.
Attend District III Annual District Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

5. District III Assistant Secretary

a. National Level

Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.

b. District Level

Attend the District III Advisory Council Meetings
Attend the District III Executive Committee meetings.
Attend District III Annual District Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

6. Immediate Past District Chair

a. National Level

The Immediate past District Chair who has retired from the Executive Board during the calendar year preceding the first meeting of the Committee shall serve as the Nominating representative from the District on the committee. The Nominating Representative may serve no more than three (3) consecutive years in this position.
Attend all Committee on Nominations meetings

b. District Level

Serve as a voting member of both the District Executive Committee and the District Advisory Council.
Attend District Executive and Advisory Council meetings.
Attend, represent and interact with District members at the Annual Meeting to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs..
Serve as Chair of the District Nominating Committee when appropriate.
Attend Section meetings as requested by the District Chair

VI. Officers of the Sections

A. Overview

Section officers have a fiduciary responsibility to act reasonably and in the best interest of the Section and ACOG. To be eligible for election or appointment to, or continued service in, a Section officer position, a Fellow’s principal place of business must be in the Section he or she represents. No Fellow may serve simultaneously in more than one elected office of the College, including the national, District, and Section level.

The Section Chair and Vice Chair shall serve in their respective offices for a term of three years and may not succeed themselves. They shall assume office at the next annual district business meeting following their election. A Fellow may not serve more than one term as Section Vice Chair and one term as Section Chair without written approval of the Executive Board upon recommendation of the District Advisory Council. ACOG defines a "term" as serving more than 18 months and one day or more in that office.

B. Officers

The Section officers shall consist of the Chair, Vice Chair and such other officers as may be required by the Sections. Section voting members are as defined in the Section P&P manual. National bylaws state that when a Section Advisory Council is authorized, section officers shall be the only voting members of the Section Advisory Council.

C. Method of Election

Section officers are elected in accordance with procedures established by the ACOG Executive Board, see Appendix B.

D. Section Officer Responsibilities

1. Section Chair

a. National Level

Keep informed about the purposes and policies of the College and the conditions in the Section relating to these policies.
Maintain communication with the national office and inform staff of relevant correspondence requiring official responses.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.
Attend the Fellow Section Officers Orientation meeting

b. District Level

Serve as a member of the District III Advisory Council.
Consider problems in the Section and submit reports and recommendations to the District III Chair and the District III Advisory Council.
Attend District III ADM to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.

c. Section Level

Serve a three-year term as Section Chair.
Coordinate the activities of the Fellows and Junior Fellows so that the Section exerts a strong influence to improve the health care of women at the local level.
Stimulate interest in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology and the College among medical students, residents, nurses, and other health personnel in the Section.
Review and evaluate, as necessary, the qualifications of applicants for Fellow, Corresponding Fellow and Associate Member.
Appoint Section committees as necessary, and be an ex-officio member of all such committees.
Preside at meetings of the Section Advisory Council when such council is authorized by Section operating policies and procedures.

2. Section Vice Chair

a. National Level

Keep informed about the purposes and policies of the College and the conditions in the Section relating to these policies.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.
Attend the Fellow Section Officers Orientation meeting

b. District Level

Serve as a member of the District III Advisory Council.
Attend District III ADM to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.

c. Section Level

Serve a three-year term as Section Vice Chair.
Attend meetings of the Section Advisory Council.
Assist the Section Chair.
Replace the Section Chair to complete the unexpired term when, for any reason, the Section Chair is unable to serve.

3. Section Secretary

a. National Level

Attend the Fellow Section Officers Orientation meeting
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.

b. Section Level

Serve a three-year term as Section Secretary.
Give notice of all meetings of the Section.
Keep minutes of all meetings and attendance records of members.
Attend meetings of the Section Advisory Council when such council is authorized by Section operating policies and procedures.
Provide applications to prospective members on request.

4. Section Treasurer

a. General Requirements

Serve a three-year term as Section Treasurer.
Attend the Fellow Section Officers Orientation meeting.
Attend the National Treasurers’ meeting.
Represent the College as an official spokesperson in accordance with the College’s media policy, see Appendix D.

b. National Level

Comply with financial transaction processing and reporting standards defined for the Section.
Implement policies of the College relating to the finances of the Section, as required by the College.

c. District Level

Work with the District III Treasurer to ensure adequate funding for Section activities.
Keep informed about District III investments on behalf of the Sections.
Attend meetings of the District III Advisory Council when such council is authorized by District Operating policies and procedures.
Attend District III ADM to meet with Fellows of the Districts to determine their needs.

d. Section Level

Attend meetings of the Section Advisory Council when such council is authorized by Section operating policies and procedures.
Maintain accounts and disbursements for the Section.
Provide authorization for all financial transactions affecting the Section.
Ensure the investment allocation between short-term and long-term equity investments is reasonable and prudent.
Develop a financial plan for the Section and track the Section’s financial activity against this plan.
Ensure the Section’s financial activities are in compliance with College policies.

F. Section and Operating Policies and Procedures

Section operating policies and procedures may be adopted by approval of the Section Officers or Section Advisory Council, subject to approval by the District Advisory Council.

VII. Junior Fellows

A. Officers

Junior Fellows have a District Chair, District Vice Chair, and District Secretary/Treasurer.

B. Support

District III is committed to having a strong Junior Fellow membership and providing continuing medical education for Junior Fellows through the promotion of active participation of Junior Fellow Section and District III officers in the affairs of the District.

C. Awards

See appendix F and G.

Williams Prize Paper eligibility requirements (this is new and comes from an Exec Committee meeting before we left for the DR)
Must be a JF member of the College
Must be a Resident in the year submitted
Must be or have been a Resident in Dist III
Must work in Dist III
Must be a principal author

D. Reimbursement

See appendix G.

E. Method of Election

District Junior Fellow Officers are elected in accordance with procedures established by the ACOG Executive Board, see Appendix C.

VIII. District Advisory Council

The Advisory Council of District III "shall consist of the district officers, section chairs, section vice chairs and such other representatives as selected by the council." District and section officers shall be the only voting members of the district advisory council.

A. Members

The Advisory Council shall consist of the District Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, and Immediate Past District Chair; Section Chairs, Vice Chairs, and Treasurer or Secretary/Treasurers; Junior Fellow Chair, Vice Chair, and any advisors, consultants, or representatives appointed by the District Chair. The Council will have voting and non-voting members.

Voting members include the District Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, Immediate Past District Chair, Section Chairs, Vice Chairs, and the District Junior Fellow Chair (15). Voting by proxy is prohibited.
Non-voting members include all other advisors, consultants, or representatives appointed by the District Chair, other invited Section officers, past District Chairs and Junior Fellow officers.

B. Purpose of Meeting

District III Advisory Council meetings provide an opportunity to disseminate information from National ACOG and District III to the Sections and to share information and education among the parties. In addition, Advisory Council meetings serve to identify topics and needs of Sections to be brought to the attention of the National College and, when necessary, be addressed by the College’s Executive Board for appropriate action.

C. Duties and Responsibilities

The Advisory Council, through its District Chair, shall be responsible to the Executive Board for the management of the affairs of the College within the District. It's duties shall include the following:

To meet at least annually.
To transact all business District business arising in the interim between Annual Business Meetings of the District, as is necessary to carry out the objectives of the College within the District.
To manage, control, and conserve the property interests of the District.
To fix District and Section dues of Fellows, subject to the approval of the Executive Board.
To define the duties of District officers.
To create standing and ad hoc committees of the District and provide any necessary definition of committee duties.
To vote by mail or electronic means when necessary.
To manage the affairs of a Section when both the Section Chair and Vice Chair are unable to act.
To replace a Section officer, other than the Section Chair, who, in the opinion of the Council and subject to Executive Board guidelines, has vacated or has failed or is unable to fulfill the duties of the office. When the officer is the Section Chair, the Vice Chair shall replace him or her to complete the unexpired term.
To review, for approval or disapproval, a proposal by the Section to adopt Section policies and procedures.
To receive the slate of Section officers as determined by the Section Nominating Committee.

D. Frequency of Meetings

The Advisory Council shall meet at least annually as consistent with ACOG Bylaws. The timing and frequency of these meetings shall be determined by the Council.

E. Reports for Meetings

Reports from each Section and District III officer are required for the Advisory Council meeting. These reports must be submitted to the District Administrative Office one month prior to the meeting date to allow all reports to be reproduced and disseminated to all District III Advisory Council members for their review prior to the Advisory Council Meeting.

District III may use a modified Consent Agenda for each meeting. An is required in front of each item that will be part of the consent agenda and not discussed during the meeting. There will be no discussion of marked items unless an item is requested to be removed from the Consent Agenda at the start of the Council meeting when the consent portion of the agenda is approved. Please note that minutes of a meeting do not constitute a report. A statement will appear on the agenda sheet that marked items are part of the Consent Agenda. "No Report" will indicate that a report was not received by the agenda mail date.

F. (former E) Parliamentary Authority

All District III Advisory Council meetings shall be conducted according to the current Rules Of Order established by ACOG Bylaws. At District III Advisory Council meetings, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the members of the Council.

G. Meeting Attendance

Failure of an officer or member of the Advisory Council to attend three consecutive meetings may be interpreted as "inability to fulfill the duties of the office." The officer or member may be notified in writing by the District Chair or by the Secretary at the Chair’s direction that the officer or member may be replaced unless the officer or member explains the absences to the satisfaction of the District III Advisory Council. The officer or member shall have thirty (30) days after receipt of such notice to respond in writing to the District Advisory Council.

H. Guests

Guests may be invited with the approval of the District Chair. All guests will be non-voting unless other wise indicated.

I. Past District and Section Officers

Past District III and Section Officers are welcome and encouraged to attend District III Advisory Council Meetings as their experience and expertise are recognized to be of great value. Funding for their attendance will be limited to meal functions and will not include per diem and transportation. Prior notice of planned attendance to the District III Chair is required. These past officers will be considered non-voting unless otherwise indicated.

J. National Office

When ACOG Vice Presidents have been designated to attend a District III function, each Vice President should be personally sent an agenda by the Chair indicating which functions he or she should attend and which are optional.

IX. Committees of the District

A. The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee will consist of the District III Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past District Chair.

B. Program Development Committee

This committee will consist of the District III Vice Chair and his or her designees and will be charged with development of the future District III Meeting’s educational programs and site selection.

C. Host Committee

This committee will be appointed by the District III Chair. Its function will be to develop social and educational programs for the spouses and to coordinate these programs with the Fellows’ educational programs. It is anticipated that they will meet at least once prior to each scheduled District meeting. The committee Chair will normally be the spouse of the District Chair.

D. Legislative Committee

This committee will consist of Fellows appointed by the District III Chair. Its function will be to coordinate legislative activities throughout the District and to develop educational programs. The committee will activate and meet as needed The Chair of the committee will be the most recent McCain Fellow or other person as designated by the District Chair.

X. District Activities and Projects in Concert with National

A. Congressional Leadership Conference

District III will fund attendance to the Congressional Leadership Conference by Fellows and Jr. Fellows by the prior agreed to method (see reimbursement guidelines).

B. Federal Key Contact

District III encourages the Fellows of the District to be active in the Federal Key Contact program.

C. McCain Fellowships

Two fellowships, one per District, are awarded each year on a rotational basis. The recipient will live and work in Washington, DC, in close concert with the Department of Government Relations and Outreach, and upon completion of the fellowship, will utilize this expertise to develop ongoing legislative efforts and programs at the Section and District level. The recipient will prepare a monograph of his/her experience and will present this to the Advisory Council at its meeting immediately following the completion of the recipient’s fellowship. The recipients are chosen by the District III Advisory Council.

The McCain Fellowship will be for a minimum of two (2) consecutive weeks, one of which will occur while Congress is in session with the option of one or two additional weeks at the discretion of the District Advisory Council. Compensation will be $5,000 per week.

D. Officer Orientation

District will fund attendance of all incoming Section and District officers one time.

E. Committee on Continuing Medical Education (CCME)

District III appoints a member to serve on the Committee on Continuing Medical Education in accordance with National guidelines.

F. Green Journal Representative

A representative from District III serves on the Green Journal Editorial Board in accordance with national guidelines and may be invited to attend Advisory Council Meetings.

G. National Committee on Nominations:

The Immediate past District Chair who has retired from the Executive Board during the calendar year preceding the first meeting of the Committee shall serve as the Nominating representative from the District on the committee. The Nominating Representative may serve no more than three (3) consecutive years in this position.
In addition to the Nominating Representative, the District Advisory Council shall elect a first and second alternate representatives to this committee.
If the Nominating Representative steps down or is removed from this position he/she shall be succeeded by the first alternate who then becomes the Nominating

Representative unless otherwise indicated. In this setting the second alternate would also move up to become the first and second alternates, respectively.

XI. Other District III Activities and Projects

A. Section Activities

Any Section may request funding up to the current cap per year for a specific activity upon written application to the District III Chair. This activity should benefit the entire section.
District III funds may be available for other special section projects upon written application to the District Chair, who will then submit that application to the District Advisory Council for approval.

B. District III Activities

To enhance communication and networking within the District and the Sections travel by a District officer to attend Section meetings shall be reimbursable by the District. District officers may rotate the responsibility of attending Section meetings.
District Newsletter. The newsletter is designed and written to provide the Fellows and Junior Fellows with news of current College, District, and Section activities and to announce dates of future events of interest. The newsletter is an official document of the College and therefore must not contain material in conflict with College policy or its 501(c)(3) status. To that end, some material may be reviewed by an ACOG official or ACOG General Counsel prior to publication.
District Website. The District website is housed on the ACOG website (www.acog.org). The District III webmaster will place information on the website that can be viewed by the public or by members only. The District III webmaster will coordinate Section websites and, at the Section's request, also be their webmaster. As with the District Newsletter, the website must not contain material in conflict with College policy or its 501(c)(3) status.

XII. Annual and Special Meetings

A. Annual Business Meeting

A meeting of the District, to be known as the Annual Business Meeting, shall be held each year.

B. Time and place of the Annual Business Meeting

The time and place of the Annual Business Meeting shall be determined by the District Advisory Council.

C. Transaction of Business

The election of officers and transaction of other business shall be conducted at the Annual Business Meeting.

D. Special Meetings

The District may have an Annual District Scientific Meeting that may be solo or combined with other Districts as determined by the District Advisory Council. The District has a memorandum of understanding with the College to plan and manage this meeting. The College requires a two (2) year notice to cancel this memorandum. The District Vice Chair shall serve as the General Program Chair unless a special situation is approved. Special meetings of the Advisory Council may be called by the Executive Committee.

XIII. District Awards

See Appendix F.

XIV. District Gifts of Appreciation

The District may give gifts of appreciation as it deems appropriate and in accordance with ACOG National guidelines.

XV. National Awards via District

See Appendix F. 19

XVI. Changes/Amendments to Operating Policies and Procedures Manual

Changes to this document will be made by a vote of the District III Executive Committee and/or a simple majority of the District III Advisory Council.

XVII. Appendixes to District III Policies and Procedure Manual*

*Please contact the District III Program Manager with questions about Appendixes