There has been a request for a posting of the materials accompanying the
bylaws vote materials. These are appended at the end of this message,
and include: cover letter, description of proposed changes, statements
pro and con the proposed name change, rationale for the proposed change
to the size of the executive board, text present on ballot. Some of the
textual formatting will be lost. =20
All of you who are ABRF voting members have received or will receive the
entire packet. While some votes have apparently already been received by
the ABRF Business Office, some of us received our ballots only yesterday,
and some have not yet received them. Wait a few more days to see if you
receive your ballot. If you do not receive a ballot by the middle of
next week, contact Delores Frances at abrf@faseb.org, 301-571-8300(tel),
or 301-530-7049(fax). The membership list was recently reviewed. There
are approximately 580 voting members and 220 nonvoting associates. Most
of the associates are employed by vendors and manufacturers, who cannot
vote according to ABRF bylaws. Approximately 100 individuals who could
be voting members checked off the associate's box on their renewal forms.
If you would like to change to voting status, contact Delores Francis as
well. There is ample time to send in your vote.
One person expressed concern that a name change is inevitable. Quite the
contrary. Bylaws provisions are not approved by a simple majority of
those voting, but by a large majority of the membership. This is noted
in the cover letter, and in the bylaws posted on our web site (see
below). A majority of members might vote for the name change, but by an
insufficient number to approve the change. No change at all is
intrinsically the favored result. The executive board encourages
everyone to vote, but does NOT make a voting recommendation on the name
change issue. The result will be whatever a large majority of the
membership wants. This is an excellent opportunity for reflection. =20
Sincerely,
Ruth
<underline><bigger><bigger>Cover Letter:
</bigger></bigger></underline>Dear ABRF Member:
Enclosed is a ballot for your vote on two changes to the ABRF By-laws.=20
The proposed bylaws changes are detailed on the enclosed page.=20
The first issue is a vote to change the name of the ABRF from the
Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities to the Association for
Biomolecular Research and Technology. The name change issue was brought
up by some ABRF members in an open letter published in the June, 1996
issue of ABRF News, and again by research group representatives at their
fall meeting in St. Louis (ABRF News, December, 1997). The Executive
Board felt it timely to bring this important issue to the membership, and
has prepared "pro" and "con" arguments in the accompanying documents.=20
Regardless of the outcome of this vote, the ABRF mission statement
remains unchanged: "to promote and support resource facilities, research
laboratories, and individual researchers regarding operation, research,
and development in the areas of methods, techniques, and instrumentation
relevant to the analysis and synthesis of biomolecules." =20
The second bylaws issue would extend the length of the term of executive
board members to four years instead of three, providing for greater
continuity of leadership. The size of the ABRF executive board is small
compared with other societies. With a four year term, the size of the
executive board would increase to eight members, providing more
participants in the enlarged palette of activities that have been
undertaken by the ABRF and its members. The Executive Board recommends
approval of this change.
It is important that you cast your vote on these issues, since we would
like the name change issue to represent the opinion of as many of our
members as possible. For changes in the bylaws to occur, at least 25% of
the members must vote, with at least 60% of the voters approving of the
changes.* Please mark and sign your ballot, and mail it in the envelope
or fax it to the ABRF Business Office by June 30, 1998.=20
For the Executive Board,
Ruth Hogue Angeletti
*Current bylaws may be viewed at
http://www.abrf.org/ABRF/Bylaws/98bylaws.html=0C
<underline><bigger><bigger>Proposed By-laws changes:
</bigger></bigger></underline>The following shows the By-laws changes for
which approval is sought. For each of the sections to which changes are
proposed, the present wording and changes are shown below. Text to be
deleted is indicated by the strikeout (in email by brackets), and text to
be added is in bold. Statements in favor and against the proposed
association name change are presented, and a rationale for the change in
executive board term. =20
I. Proposed Association Name Change:
(Title) By-laws of The Association for Biomolecular Research and
Technology [of Biomolecular Resource Facilities]
Article I (Purpose), Section 1. The Association for Biomolecular
Research and Technology [of Biomolecular Resource Facilities] has been
organized for the following purposes:
Article II (Offices), Section 1. Registered Office. The registered
office of Association for Biomolecular Research and Technology [of
Biomolecular Resource Facilities ](hereinafter called the Association) in
the State of Delaware shall be in the City of Dover, County of Kent, and
the registered agent in charge thereof shall be Paracorp, Incorporated. =20
Rationale:
The Executive Board has prepared "pro" and "con" arguments on this issue,
printed on the reverse side of this sheet. =20
II. Proposed Changes to Term and Size of Executive Board:
SECTION 2. Number and Term of Office. The Executive Board shall consist
of eight [six]persons, who shall be the members of the Executive Board of
the Association. The Executive Board shall be divided into four (4)
[three (3)] classes, known as Class A, Class B, and Class C and Class D,
each class elected in successive years. Each member of the Executive
Board shall be elected to a term of four (4) [three (3)] years,
commencing on January 1 following the election and ending December 31 of
the fourth year [after the following year, except that the term of office
of the initial members of the Executive Board in Class A shall expire on
December 31 of the year such members of the Executive Board are first
named, and the term of office of those of Class B shall expire one year
thereafter.]
Rationale:=20
Extending the length of the term of executive board members to four years
instead of three, would provide for greater continuity of leadership and
increasing the members to eight from the current six. In the growth and
development of the ABRF in the past 12 years, our members have increased
in number and diversity, while the scope of the interesting and important
scientific, educational and public policy activities in which we
participate has greatly enlarged. Since the executive board shepherds
these activities and plans for the future of the ABRF, the increased
commitment to these activities has underscored the need for continuity of
leadership in the executive board. Extending the term of the executive
board members to four years would provide for continuity by making it
possible to have not only a president, but a president-elect and
past-president on the board. It would also provide greater continuity
for the secretary/treasurer post, which is even more important now for
maintaining our ability to serve our members needs. The size of the ABRF
executive board is small compared with other societies. With a four year
term, the size of the executive board would increase to eight members,
providing more participants in our enlarged palette of activities.=20
<underline><bigger><bigger>Pro and Con Statements on the Proposed Name
Change
</bigger></bigger></underline>
<underline>The Association Should Change Its Name
</underline> The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities was
founded by individuals who recognized a need for communication and
dissemination of information among those who direct resource facilities.=20
Establishment of our association over a decade ago has lead to the
successful accomplishment of these original goals. These individuals had
the foresight to recognize that the implementation of state-of-the-art
technology was vital for biomolecular research.
Success brings change. The society now includes individuals who are not
directors of resource facilities. In fact, the latter individuals are
now a minority. We should be more inclusive of our present membership,
and the name of a society should reflect the membership and its goals.=20
Our mission statement includes "resource facilities, research
laboratories, and individual researchers" interested in the technology of
biomolecules. We have many international members (approximately 25% of
our members), where biomolecular analysis and synthesis are not carried
out in resource, or core, facilities. Many of the members that we have
actively recruited, both in academia and in the biotechnology industry,
do not work in core facility environments. The proposed name is also
more inclusive of those who develop the technology that resource
laboratories implement. =20
The name Association for Biomolecular Research and Technology focuses on
our common interests, not who we are. It includes those who develop
technology as well as those who implement technology. The term
"research" emphasizes that we carry out research studies on biomolecules,
an activity unique among scientific societies, and that we are key
scientists in understanding biomolecules. The term "technology"
underscores our focus on technology and methodology, also unique among
scientific societies.=20
Only a name change is proposed, not a change in our mission or focus.=20
Our Research Groups and our annual meeting will continue to focus on
topics that are central to the operation and science of core
laboratories. The majority of our public policy efforts are and will
remain focused on issues that will directly benefit resource
laboratories. In the public policy arena, and even with our peers, we
often have to explain what and who we are. With the new name, The
Association for Biomolecular Research and Technology, it will be clear as
to what are our interests and goals, who we are, and will enhance our
efforts to gather additional support for our mission. The proposed name
should bring added recognition and status to the Association as a
professional science organization. =20
The Association for Biomolecular Research and Technology is a name that
can unite all of our members in their focus on biomolecular technologies.
We propose that the Association's name be changed. =20
<underline>The Association Should Not Change Its Name
</underline> The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities is an
historical name that has served our Association well for more than a
decade. We have used this name to describe ourselves from our early days.
During this period the Association has grown from a small group of mostly
North American researchers to a much larger group with significant
international membership and broader technology interests. The
Association has had three successful independent meetings, has given its
name to an award that recognizes outstanding contributions to technology
development, has established formal relationships with other professional
associations, and has recently sent representatives to national funding
policy meetings. These accomplishments clearly demonstrate that <bold>the
Association's name has not impeded its growth and its recognition as a
professional organization</bold>. We do not feel it will be an impediment
in the foreseeable future.
There are much larger professional organizations with broader interests
and with more expansive and all-inclusive names, and we join them because
of their broad bases. However, for many of us, ABRF's appeal is its
emphasis on the development and application of technologies in resource
laboratories, whether these are core facilities as traditionally defined
or whether these are laboratories with unusual technological abilities
that occasionally help other laboratories solve scientific problems.
<bold>Representation of resource laboratories gives the ABRF its unique
niche among professional associations and makes it more meaningful for
many of us than the larger, broad-based organizations.</bold> The
Association should remain focused on resource facilities and the complex
technologies they make available to a larger group of researchers, and it
should not blur this focus by adopting a broader name. As long as
representing the interests of resource facilities is a priority for the
Association, there is no compelling reason to remove this term from the
Association's name.
Removing "resource" and "facilities" from the Association's name is an
ineffective way to address the issue of how resource facilities are
perceived. "Resource" does not have a pejorative connotation, and
laboratories "facilitate" scientific discovery when they put complex
technologies within the grasp of researchers who do not have the
necessary expertise. Removing these words is inconsistent with the
Association's efforts to enhance the status of resource facilities.
"Research" and "technology" are already part of the ABRF logo, and so
there is no need to incorporate these words into the name.
<bold>"Research" and "technology" should remained balanced with the
Association's commitment to resource facilities.
</bold>
A name change is unnecessary and risks losing the recognition for the
Association that we have worked so hard to achieve. We propose that the
Association's name remain unchanged.
<bigger><bigger>BALLOT=20
</bigger></bigger>1998 Proposed Changes to ABRF Bylaws
Circle either Approve or Disapprove for each issue.
1: Change to name of Association
Change name to Association for Biomolecular Research and Technology=20
Approve Disapprove
2: Changes to term and size of Executive Board=20
Change to Article IV, Section 2 such that the Executive Board will
consist of eight persons, not six, and the term of each from three years
to four. =20
To accomplish a transition to this change, the term of current members
of the Executive Board will also be changed to four years. For any
current members who will be unable the serve four years, the Executive
Board may appoint a replacement to serve any remainder of their term
according to Article IV, section 6 of the ABRF Bylaws. =20
Approve Disapprove
BALLOT MUST BE RECEIVED BY JUNE 30, 1998