Standing Rules
DUES
Annual Dues are payable in advance on or before January 1. Dues for each membership category are as follows:
Contributing $30+
Family $25
Individual $20
Student$10
Publications
Houston Archeological Society Journal
The JOURNAL is published a minimum of one time per year and contains archeological reports of local and general interest contributed by HAS members and non-members and approved by the JOURNAL Editor.
The JOURNAL Editor will provide information on the format, etc. to contributing authors.
Original distribution of the JOURNAL will be by bulk mail. Extra copies of each issue may be obtained at cost plus postage if ordered prior to printing.
Back issues may be purchased at a price determined by the HAS Board of Directors. Purchasers must pay postage if copies are mailed.
The JOURNAL Editor is appointed by the President.top
The PROFILE
The PROFILE is mailed to members each month and combines information on the monthly meeting program and business items with current short articles of archeological interest to the members.
The PROFILE editor is appointed by the President.
Special Publications
Special Publications may be offered for sale occasionally. Generally, these cover such activities as Society projects or research by individuals too lengthy to be published in the JOURNAL.
Printing of Special Reports funded by the Society must be approved by the Board of Directors.
Meeting Time and Place
The Houston Archeological Society usually meets on the second Friday of each month at 7:30 p.m. at M.D. Anderson Hall at the University of St. Thomas.
Programs and Honorariums
Programs of archeological interest are presented at monthly meetings and are arranged by the Vice President, who is authorized to extend an honorarium to guest speakers. The amount of the honorarium is determined yearly by the Board of Directors in line with the current financial capabilities of the Society. top
Library
The Society will maintain a library of archeological publications under the direction of the Librarian who is appointed by the President.
Society members may check out publications through the Librarian for a period of one month. Books are available at the monthly meeting.
New publications will be added to the Library as funds permit. Donations of books of archeological interest are welcomed by the Society.
The Librarian will maintain a complete set of all HAS publications in the Library.top
Fieldwork
The Houston Archeological Society provides organizational support through which individuals may receive training and participate in fieldwork. The Society sometimes lends support through participation in projects sponsored by other archeological organizations or educational institutions and occasionally carries out Society sponsored projects. HAS sponsored projects require the following:
a. Care of Society field equipment.
b. Scheduling of field activities.
c. Obtaining signatures on liability release forms from participants.
d. Announcing field work schedules at meetings and in monthly meeting announcements.
e. Providing logistical support to the project director. top
Laboratory Activities
The Lab Director is appointed by the President from September to September and will be responsible for the following:
a. Scheduling and supervision of laboratory sessions for the processing of artifacts and other collected or excavated materials from Society field projects and also material made available for study by private individuals or institutions.b. Instruction of Society members on proper lab techniques.
c. Maintenance of lab equipment and supplies.
d. Maintenance of records of archeological materials in the lab and lab activities.
e. Conducting workshops on topics of general interest related to laboratory study of artifactual material.
f. Release of archeological materials to the designated curator when processing and studies are complete.
Lab sessions (date and time) will be announced in monthly meeting notices and at meetings. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Lab Director. top
FIELD WORK and LABORATORY ACTIVITIES - FUNDING
The current annual budget provides limited funding for field and laboratory work. A separate fund is maintained to pay special expenses for Board approved projects. This fund, the Field and Laboratory Donors Fund (FLD) is maintained as a separate ledger account in the general HAS bank account. Monies in this account shall be used to support field and laboratory projects only and are not transferable.
Funds for the FLD account are obtained by soliciting Board-approved potential donors. Donors may designate how their funds are to be used on field and laboratory projects. Undesignated funds will be spent on field and laboratory projects at the discretion of the Board of Directors.
Disbursements for Board approved projects from the FLD account will require a written application to the Board and Board approval. The request for funds and the Board decision will be noted in The PROFILE. top
Publicity
A Publicity Director is appointed by the President to provide detailed information about the Society to the public, other archeological organizations and the news media. top
Non-Profit Organization
The Houston Archeological Society is recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and by the State of Texas as a tax exempt, scientific and educational organization. The following rules must be followed by the Society and its members unless the decision is made to cancel the nonprofit status:
- Contributions, bequests, legacies and gifts to the Society are deductible by donors but membership dues are not deductible.
- The Society is not required to pay state sales tax on items purchased for use by the organization. However, tax must be collected by the Society on sales of taxable items, for example t-shirts, publications, etc. (Since this was approved by the membership, the collection of sales taxes by the Society has been revoked by the Office of the Comptroller, State of Texas.) top
Emergency Advisory Committee
An Emergency Advisory Committee, appointed by the President and composed of qualified volunteers, will be available to provide assistance in the recognition of significant archeological resources in the Houston area and to make recommendations for the proper handling of these resources. After being contacted, members of this committee will move promptly to visit the site, judge its significance and recommend steps for preservation of the resource. top
Amendments
Amendments to the Standing Rules may be adopted by a majority vote at any regular business meeting. top
Adopted August 10, 1984
Amended September 9, 2005