Governance

The proposal to amend the constitution to allow any NASW member to serve as an officer did not pass. But the NASW Board is setting up a new ad hoc advisory committee to propose paths forward.

Thank you to the 700 members who took the time to participate in the recent votes on the NASW bylaws. The final vote, shown below, is that the general housekeeping updates to the bylaws overwhelmingly passed. The proposed Article IV amendment, which would have allowed any NASW member to be an officer, did not pass. The most important takeaway, however, is not which option prevailed, but how close the margin was.

On October 29, during the membership meeting, NASW members will be voting on amendments to the bylaws, including a set of revisions stemming from periodic review and an amendment proposed last year by 39 petitioners. Members should review the changes and come prepared to vote. If you are unable to attend, you may register your choices on the proposed amendment and bylaw revisions online, by responding to your individual proxy invitation sent on October 13. Student and honorary members are welcome to attend the membership meeting but may not vote. Read more to review the proposed amendments.

We are pleased to announce the results of the recent NASW elections. The new board will take office on Oct. 28, prior to the ScienceWriters2016 meeting. The current board will continue to serve until then.

Election of the 2016-18 NASW board takes place this year, online or in-person, in September. In addition to four officers, the board consists of 11 members at large. The nominating committee of Melissa Blouin, Richard Harris, Robin Marantz Henig (chair), Virginia Hughes, Rob Irion, Apoorva Mandavilli, and Emily Sohn has assembled an outstanding slate of candidates.

The Board of the National Association of Science Writers is responsible for the operation and continued well-being of the organization as a whole. That is why we feel a need to weigh in on the sometimes-rancorous debate now underway over the proposed constitutional amendment regarding officer positions, which will come to a vote in the fall. We as a board are unanimous in our opposition to the amendment.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Constitutional Review went above and beyond in their service to NASW, producing a report earlier this month that suggests that the organization is at a critical juncture.

Later this summer, members will elect new officers and 11 Board members for a two-year term. The Nominating Committee has recruited and accepted nominations for a slate of four officers as well as 21 Board candidates who will compete for 11 at-large seats.

Last May, when The Authors Guild launched its Fair Contract Initiative, the NASW board voted to add our name in support. As part of the initiative, last week The Authors Guild published an open letter to members of the Association of American Publishers demanding improved book-author contracts and requesting meetings with publishers to discuss “what publishers can do to ensure this business is fair and profitable for those who create the works that sustain it.” As co-signers of the letter, along with more than two dozen U.S. and foreign author groups, we urge you to learn more about the initiative and share the open letter.