ARTICLE III -- MEMBERSHIP

A. CLASSIFICATION: The members of this Society shall be classified as follows:

1. Active
2. Affiliate
3. Associate
4. Academic Members (non-US/Canadian graduates)
5. Retired
6. Honorary
7. Non-Resident

B. ELIGIBILITY:

The membership of this Society shall be comprised of orthodontists with their principal location of professional activities in the territorial jurisdiction of this Society. The eligibility requirements for active, affiliate, associate, academic and retired members shall be those as specified in the Bylaws of the American Association of Orthodontists for the respective categories of membership.

Membership in this Society requires membership in the respective component organization. Effective with the 1998-1999 dues year, Canadian members are not required to be members of their respective provincial component organizations. U.S. members in this Society who were not component members at the time this change took effect will not be required to become component members.

1. Active Members: To be an active member of this Society, a dentist shall meet the following requisites:

a. Education: Successful completion of the full curriculum of an accredited orthodontic program or successful satisfaction of the educational requirements established by this Society and in effect at the time of completion of education.

b. Pledge: Sign a pledge to adhere to the Principles of Ethics of the American Association of Orthodontists.

c. American Dental Association Membership: Be a member in good standing of the American Dental Association if practice or residence is in the United States or one of its possessions, except those active academic applicants involved only in teaching or research and who are unable to obtain ADA membership because they are not engaged in the practice of dentistry in the U.S. and do not possess a license to practice dentistry in their respective states, who are exempt from this requirement. (An active member who was a member of this Society on May 4, 1983, but not a member of the ADA on that date is exempt from the ADA membership requisite).

d. Type of Practice: Active members shall be in the exclusive practice of orthodontics. Multi-trained specialists and those members who meet the requisites of retired status, but do not request such reclassification, are exempt from this requirement.3

e. Academic Members: Active members who are employed full-time in an orthodontic program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association or the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada shall be designated active academic members and shall have the same privileges as active members. “Full time” means at least four days per week of teaching or research. The duration of such employment must be verified annually by the chair of the orthodontic department (or, in the case of the chair, by the dean) where the applicant is employed. In order to be active academic members they must be designated as either senior faculty (associate professor rank or higher), or junior faculty (assistant professor or lower) by the employing institution.

f. Life Membership Status: Active members who have attained the age of sixty-five (65) years and who have been members in good standing of this Society of at least thirty (30) consecutive years shall be designated life-active members, and shall have the same privileges as active members, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

2. Affiliate Members: To be an affiliate member of this Society, a dentist shall meet the following requisites:

a. Education: Successful completion of the full curriculum of an accredited orthodontic program or successful satisfaction of the educational requirements established by this Society and in effect at the time of completion of education.

b. Pledge: Sign a pledge to adhere to the Principles of Ethics of the American Association of Orthodontists.

c. American Dental Association Membership: Shall be a member in good standing of the American Dental Association if practice or residence is in the United States or one of its possessions. (An affiliate member who was a member of this Society on May 4, 1983, but not a member of the ADA on that date is exempt from the ADA membership requisite).

d. Type of Practice: Shall not be in the exclusive practice of orthodontics (member practices an ADA recognized dental specialty in addition to orthodontics).3

e. Life Membership Status: Affiliate members who have attained the age of sixty-five (65) years and who have been members in good standing of this Society of at least thirty (30) consecutive years shall be designated life-affiliate members, and shall have the same privileges as affiliate members, except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

3. Associate Members: To be an Associate Member of this Society, a dentist shall meet the following requisites:

a. Education: Successful completion of the full curriculum of an accredited orthodontic program1.

b. Pledge: Sign a pledge to adhere to the Principles of Ethics of the American Association of Orthodontics.

c. American Dental Association Membership: Be a member in good standing of the ADA if practice or residence is in the United States or one of its possessions.

d. Term of Status: Associate membership status shall automatically terminate upon the earlier of the following:

1. election to active or affiliate membership in this Society; or

2. December 31 of the first year following completion of the education requirements for active or affiliate membership, unless this Society requests an extension of up to one year in order to complete its review and action on an application for active or affiliate membership.

4. Academic members (non-U.S./Canadian graduates): To be an academic member (non-U.S./Canadian graduates) of this Society, a dentist shall meet the following requisites:

a) Education: Successful completion of the full curriculum of a specialty (graduate) orthodontic program outside the U.S. and Canada.

b) Pledge: Sign a pledge to adhere to the AAO Principles of Ethics.

c) Employment Requirement: Be employed full-time (at least four days per week teaching or in research) in an orthodontic program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Employment must be certified annually by the dean of the dental school where the applicant is employed.

d) Term of Status: Academic members (non-U.S./Canadian graduates) status shall automatically terminate upon the earlier of the following:

1) election to active or affiliate membership in the Society, or

2) termination of full-time employment in an orthodontic program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association.

5. Retired Members: To be a retired member of this Society, a member shall meet the following requisites:

a. Shall have retired from the active practice of orthodontics.

b. Eligibility: Shall have been an active or affiliate member of the Society for ten consecutive years immediately prior to retirement, and shall have requested reclassification by this Society.

c. Life Membership: Those members who have been designated life-active or life-affiliate members, shall be designated life-retired members upon retirement.

6. Honorary Members: To be an honorary member of this Society, an individual shall have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of the art and science of orthodontics and shall be nominated by the Board of Directors or the General Assembly and be elected by the General Assembly. A member who becomes an honorary member may retain all of the privileges of prior membership status.

7. Non-Resident: A non-resident of this Society's territorial jurisdiction may become a non-resident member of this Society, on the following conditions:

a. Non-resident is an active, affiliate, associate, academic or retired member in good standing of the AAO constituent wherein the member resides; and

b. Application for Non-resident membership is approved by this Society's Board of Directors.

C. PRIVILEGES:

1. Except as set forth elsewhere in these Bylaws and policy statements of this Society, all members shall be entitled to all services and privileges as may be provided by this Society to the applicable classifications of membership.

2. Only active members (including life active and active academic status) in good standing shall be eligible to seek or hold office or other elective or appointive position in this Society, or to vote or otherwise participate in the selection of Society officials or the establishment of Society policies.

D. DUES AND ASSESSMENTS:

1. Payment: All dues, application fees, and assessments shall be payable in U.S. currency. The exchange rate for Canadian member dues, application fees and assessments is determined by the AAO Bylaws. All dues shall be due and payable on August 1 of each year. Members failing to pay their annual dues and assessments shall forfeit their membership as provided in these Bylaws.

2. The annual dues and assessments for members of this Society shall be as recommended by the Budget and Finance Committee to the Board of Directors and shall be approved by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Board of Directors.

3. Waiver: A member who has suffered severe financial hardship due to catastrophe or illness and has been so certified by this Society may be exempt from payment of the current year's dues and assessments.

4. Retired Members: Retired members shall be exempt from dues and assessments.

5. Non-Payment of Dues and/or Assessments: On November 1 of each year, the Secretary-Treasurer of this Society shall cause to be terminated the membership of those individuals whose dues and/or assessments for the current year have not been received.

Provided that such action is taken within three (3) years of the date of termination, an individual whose membership has been terminated in accordance with this section may gain reinstatement by paying all back dues and assessments, as well as all current dues and assessments.

E. APPLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE:

1. Application: Application for all classes of membership shall be made on the form prescribed by the American Association of Orthodontists. Applications for active, affiliate or retired membership shall be submitted to the Secretary of this Society. This Society may charge an application fee in an amount to be determined by the Board of Directors. In considering applications, this Society shall afford the applicant a fair procedure before denying membership and shall follow the application and appeal procedures adopted by The American Association of Orthodontists.

a. Nondiscrimination: Nothing contained in the Bylaws of the American Association of Orthodontists or this Society shall operate against eligibility for membership in the American Association of Orthodontists and this Society on the grounds of color, religion, race, sex, age, national origin, political affiliation, or physical disability.

b. Reapplication: Any applicant for membership whose application is denied may reapply one(1) year following the date on which said rejection becomes final. Should this second application be denied, said applicant may file a final reapplication two(2) years after the date on which the rejection of the second application becomes final. Each such reapplication shall be considered as an initial application.

c. Denial of Membership: Nothing herein contained shall prevent this Society from denying membership in any classification, in its discretion to any person who would not, through Society membership, contribute to the general welfare of the public, good of the profession, or to the reputation of this Society, subject to requirements for a fair procedure.

d. Reclassification: The Society reserves the right to reclassify members as a result of any change in the status or type of the practice of such a member.

2. Acceptance of Membership Application:

a. The Secretary shall notify the Board of Directors of the recommendations of the Membership Committee,

b. If the Board of Directors approves the applicant by a majority vote, such approval constitutes election to membership in this Society, and in the component society, and in the American Association of Orthodontists.

3. Relocation from one Jurisdiction to Another:

To retain membership in the AAO, members who move the principal location of their professional activity into the geographical region of another constituent organization must make timely application to such constituent organizations in order to maintain continuity of AAO membership. A constituent organization may waive any or all application requirements for persons transferring from another constituent organization.

Membership may be retained in the original constituent organization during the period required for transfer of membership. Should such transfer of membership be refused, the member has the right of appeal to the AAO Council on Membership, Ethics, and Judicial Concerns for adjudication of the matter. Pending the decision of such an appeal, membership may be retained in the original constituent organization.

Under extenuating circumstances, an application for active or affiliate membership may be made to a constituent organization other than that in which the applicant practices, subject to the following:

a. the applicant must first obtain written permission from the constituent organization in which the applicant practices;

b. if permission is received, application for membership shall then be submitted to the constituent organization in which the applicant desires membership, and;

c. final approval of membership must be obtained from the Board of Trustees of the AAO. Approval of such membership may be denied for any of the reasons set forth in these Bylaws or solely on the grounds that the applicant does not practice within the territorial jurisdiction of the constituent organization to which application for membership is made.

Next: ARTICLE IV -- COMPONENT ORGANIZATIONS