Message from the Secretary

Lou Burnett

Proposed Changes to the SICB Constitution and Bylaws. At its January 6, 2008 meeting in San Antonio, the SICB Executive Committee proposed a number of changes to the SICB Constitution and Bylaws. These changes and the rationale for each change have been posted on the SICB web site since January. A Discussion Board is available for members to ask questions and make comments. This requires members to login (see below). Voting will occur on a ballot that will be distributed later in the spring (around May 1). Approval requires an affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members voting.

The Society Secretary is charged with overseeing elections and any measures placed on the ballot. As our rules have been adjusted over the past several years to accommodate advances in electronic communication, we lose a little bit of the traditional interactions we once had, especially with ballot measures such as the proposals for bylaws revisions that are now before us. In the "old days," we would publish the proposals in the paper newsletters that were mailed to members, we would discuss them at the Society business meeting, and then vote. Ultimately, only a very small segment of the society voiced their opinions and voted. Today, our talented webmaster has set up an electronic "Discussion Board" on our web site that allows members to make comments and ask questions about the proposed bylaws changes. This is the first time we have done this and while it is not quite the same as the discussions that used to take place at the business meetings, all members can participate in the discussion, not just a few, and all members can vote. As always, we welcome your feedback on the process and suggestions for making it better.

SICB Web Site Matures. As we grow into our new web site, we are finding more and better ways of serving SICB members and promoting the goals of the Society. Here are some examples.

1. Member Directory. Membership has many benefits, however, now only members can access the SICB directory. This requires that members know their SICB ID number, which is sent to members in many of the emails from SICB headquarters, or you can retrieve your number through the SICB web site under the Members tab and click on Retrieve Member Number.

2. Journal. Another member benefit is access to our wonderful journal Integrative and Comparative Biology (through the Publications tab); issues go all the way back to the very first American Zoologist in 1961.

3. For Students. Students are very important to SICB and have their very own tab on the SICB web page. Under the "For Students" tab we have developed a number of resources and we continue to look for better ways to serve our student members.

4. SICB Calendar. A calendar of many SICB activities, especially administrative activities for Society-wide and divisional officers, is available on the web under the Resources tab.

5. Elections, Elections, Elections. Every year the Society elects a number of Society-wide and divisional officers and a full schedule of these elections is available under Resources > Elections. Furthermore, we have posted a list of people that have been candidates for offices in the past. This greatly helps nominating committees. This list is not entirely complete and we will continue to update it.