Forming a Section

Upon formal petition of 100 or more dues paying and complimentary candidate members or the minimum number of members of the College as evidenced by participation in a Member Interest Group (MIG), and completion by MIG leadership of the corresponding form, the designated authority appointed by the President will help facilitate development of the section and submit a recommendation to the Board of Directors regarding the application. The Board of Directors may then charter a section of membership.

The recommendation will include:

1. The form as submitted by the Member Interest Group applying for section status
2. Prospective section objectives
3. Description of the subject area that will be addressed by the section
4. Description of how the establishment of a section will further the College’s ability to meet its objectives
5. Proposed first-year activities.

The Board of Directors, at their discretion, may make an exception to change the number required for a section from 100 to any number it deems appropriate. The section application form must designate who originated the request.

The Board of Directors will approve a charter for a section, by 2/3 vote. The designated authority appointed by the President will use the following criteria when reviewing a section charter:

1. The objectives of the section will assist and be consistent with furthering and supporting the stated mission, values, objectives, strategic priorities, or policies of the College.
2. The objectives of the section will be related to the clinical or administrative practice of emergency medicine.
3. Qualifications for section membership will not be based on sex, age, race, religion, or any other protected demographic.
4. Membership in a section cannot be limited by geography or employment by a single entity, or intentionally exclusive to any specific segment of ACEP membership. 
5. Sections may not duplicate chapters, MIGS, or membership categories that currently exist.

Upon approval of the Board of Directors, members of the MIG will be notified of the decision. Along with this notification, each member will be sent an invoice for the section dues. Upon receipt of the dues payment, the member will be considered a member of the section. Following Board approval, a MIG will officially become a section when 100 or more dues paying and complimentary candidate members or the minimum number of petitioners set by the Board have paid their section dues.

When an approved section fails to attain the required 100 dues-paying and complimentary candidate members during the period of one year following the Board of Directors approval date, the charter for that section may be revoked, and it will remain a MIG. Section dues paid by those members will be credited toward their membership renewal. In order for the section to be reconsidered for a charter, the MIG must maintain at least 100 members for a period of 12 months before they may reapply and will be reconsidered by the Board of Directors.

In the event two or more existing sections agree to merge, the officers of each section must survey their members to determine their interest in such a merger. If a majority of respondents in each section are in favor of a merger, the officers of the individual sections should develop objectives for the new section. The section leaders must then submit a recommendation to the Board of Directors for a merger of the sections.

The Board sets minimum dues for activities supported by the College.

The mechanisms for increasing project funds available to sections may be found in the Section Manual. 

Procedures for Approved New Sections of Membership

Each section of membership will be subject to the following procedures:

1. Once the section reaches the official membership total required by the Board of Directors, the section chair (originator of the section) will submit draft operational guidelines to their staff liaison and ACEP’s legal department for review. The draft operational guidelines will be submitted to the section membership for adoption, and thereafter submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. Sections are encouraged to follow the template in the Section Manual.
2. The individual who originated the section application will serve as the section chair from the time the section reaches the official membership total required by the Board of Directors through the first annual meeting of the section. Thereafter, each section will elect a section chair utilizing a section nominating committee for the term specified in the section’s operational guidelines. The cycle will coincide with the dates of the annual Scientific Assembly.
3. The originator/chair will appoint interim leadership for the section who will serve through the first annual meeting of the section until they can meet and hold elections, per the section’s operational guidelines.
4. The section chair may be appointed by the College president to serve as a voting member of a College committee. The section chair and section members may apply through the usual College process for membership on any College committee. Section membership and section activities will be the criteria by which such appointments will be made.
5. The section chair will complete the College’s Conflict of Interest disclosure form on an annual basis.
6. Section chairs are invited to attend Board of Directors meetings at their own expense. Section chairs will receive all minutes of Board, Council, and Steering Committee meetings, etc.
7. Sections will have input into ACEP policy, meetings, and products through College planning processes and normal committee participation.
8. Sections may develop policy statements or information papers for consideration by the College utilizing the process established by the Board of Directors.
9. Requests for additional services beyond the basic member benefits package must be directed to the executive director.
10. The section will appoint a member to be responsible for communications, including updating of the section website at least twice yearly.
11. The section chair or communications lead is responsible for keeping the College informed of section activities via copies of agendas and minutes, which will be posted on the College’s Web site.
12. All efforts on the part of a section to raise funds outside of dues mechanisms must be approved in advance by the College and meet the criteria established by the College.
13. Rules governing use of the ACEP name and logo, approved by the Board of Directors, will apply to all uses of the section name and the ACEP name and logo. Use of the section name on any publication, correspondence, or for any other purpose, must always clearly indicate that the section is a subcategory of national ACEP membership. In addition, use of section initials should always be preceded by ACEP.