The 256th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society was held in Boston, MA August 19 – 23 and was attended by 14,235 registered individuals. The Council meeting was held on August 22.
Election Results: Elected Committees of Council
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Ella L. Davis, Lissa A. Dulany, Lisa Houston, and Martin D. Rudd for three-year terms (2019-2021), and Will E. Lynch for a one-year term (2019) on the Council Policy Committee (CPC).
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Allison Aldridge, Christopher J. Bannochie, Mary K. Engelman, Silvia Ronco, and Frankie K. Wood-Black for three-year terms (2019-2021) on the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E).
- By electronic ballot, the Council elected Rodney M. Bennett, Jacqueline A. Erickson, Judith M. Iriarte-Gross, Donivan R. Porterfield, and Carolyn Ribes for three-year terms (2019-2021) on the Committee on Committees (ConC).
Other Council Actions
Amendments to the ACS Bylaws
- A recommendation by the Committee on Membership Affairs that Council approve the Petition on International Chemical Sciences Chapters achieved the two-thirds majority required to amend Bylaw XI, Section 3 accordingly (additions underlined; deletions
struck through):
Affiliations of SOCIETY Local Sections or Divisions shall become effective upon authorization by their governing body, approval by their respective Council committees governing Local Sections and Divisions, and by confirmation by the Council Committee on Constitution and Bylaws acting for the Council, that the provisions of Section 1 of this Bylaw are met.
The changes will become effective upon confirmation by the Board of Directors.
- A recommendation by the Committee on Membership Affairs that Council approve the Petition on International Chemical Sciences Chapters achieved the two-thirds majority required to amend Bylaw IX, Section 4 accordingly (additions underlined; deletions
struck through):
An International Chemical Sciences Chapter shall receive no allotment of funds from the SOCIETY and shall not be entitled to elected representation on the Council. A Chapter may assess its members local Chapter dues to be expended for its own purposes in harmony with the objects of the SOCIETY.
The changes will become effective upon confirmation by the Board of Directors.
Membership Affairs
As of August 21, ACS had 149,584 members, which is a decline of only eight-tenths of one percent from the over 150,000 members in 2017. This year-to-date figure represents an increase of over 1,200 members when compared to the last two years. It was noted that five of last seven months have been respectively the best months for membership since at least 2014. The current membership count positions ACS for a strong close to the year, and there is cautious optimism that total membership will rise for the first time since 2011.
Continuation of Committee
On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees, and the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the continuation of the Committee on Chemical Safety, subject to concurrence by the Board of Directors.
Special Discussion
President Dorhout introduced and led a special discussion on what role(s) ACS should play in preventing sexual harassment in the sciences. He highlighted several recent articles, workshops and studies that have called attention to the issue, notably a symposium, “Science of Sexual Harassment” organized during the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans (Spring 2018) by the Women Chemists Committee and Chemical & Engineering News; and a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine consensus study report: “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine” (2018). He directed Council’s attention to existing ACS codes and initiatives to address sexual harassment, and offered items for discussion and possible action:
- More signs/information at National Meetings regarding our policies and supporting information
- Trained volunteers at national meetings for reporting sexual harassment
- A webinar on preventing sexual harassment for local sections or divisions
A summary of the discussion and additional information will be sent to Councilors at a later time.
Action of the Board of Directors
In light of the recent financial performance of the technical-meeting component of the national meetings, the Board voted to approve an advance member registration fee of $490 for national meetings held in 2019 (i.e., the current advance member registration fee escalated to account for inflation only).