By-laws of fund

I. Purpose

The purpose of the Rubis-Fuller Research Fund is to provide financial support to the scientific research efforts in the Northern Virginia Chapter (NVC) of the Archeological Society of Virginia (ASV). This will enhance the level of archaeological knowledge among the Chapter’s members through the recommended recipient’s sharing the results with the Chapter.

The Rubis-Fuller Research Fund was established through a generous donation from the family and firends of both Dave Rubis and Patricia Fuller. Dave Rubis, a Chapter volunteer was committed to the use of scientific methods in archaeology who developed new techniques that greatly enhanced the Chapter's archaeological efforts, particularly at Cactus Hill. Patricia Fuller was a longtime chapter member who volunteered on many sites and held Chapter offices.

II. Name

The fund will be known as The Rubis-Fuller Research Fund.

III. Finances

The Fund will be funded through a legal, self-sustaining contributory fund. The ASV is a certified 501 ( C ) tax exempt organization.

Contributions will be made by voluntary donations; the Chapter intends the Fund to be self-sustaining. Chapter funds may supplement the fund, if desired. The use of Chapter funds to sustain the Rubis-Fuller Research Fund will be approved by the Chapter’s membership. The Chapter will be informed about a pending vote through the Datum Point, the Chapter’s monthly newsletter.

The Chapter Treasurer will maintain accurate, current financial records of contributions to any awards made from the fund, and will include this information as part of a financial report required under the Chapter by-laws.

No more than $300 will be awarded in any calendar year. The Chapter Officers retain the right to accept a part of the proposal. A higher amount may be recommended, under exceptional circumstances, where the potential benefits to the Chapter are deemed to justify the higher level of funding.

All proposed awards will be approved by the Chapter membership. This approval will be sought through the usual voting procedures of the Chapter. A notice in the Datum Point will precede the vote and a period of discussion will follow the call for vote.

The following are examples of how the fund award might be used:

· Dendrochronology

· Carbon analysis

· Pollen analysis

· Ethnobotanical and faunal analysis

· Soil analysis

· Phytolith analysis

· Neutron analysis

· Analysis of wood or cloth

· Forensics

· Carbon-14 (C14) dating

While these are examples, they are not meant to limit applications; all legitimate scientific research efforts will be considered for the Rubis-Fuller Research Fund award.

IV. Administration

The Rubis-Fuller Research Fund will be maintained and amended in accordance with the by-laws of the Chapter, or by a simple majority vote of the membership at a general meeting if the by-laws do not apply.

V. Eligibility

Preference will be given to research efforts supporting NVC projects/sites and to NVC members. Preference will also be given to individuals who have not received an Rubis-Fuller Research Fund award within the last calendar year.

Applications will be received between January 2 - September 15. If no application is received by September 15^th, no award will be given. Any applications received after the deadline will be returned to the applicant with a letter encouraging reapplication in the following January.

Chapter Officers retain the right to place inquiries and ask for further explanation regarding the research efforts, its goals or the application in general.

VI. Commitments of the Fund Recipient

A recipient of the award must:

· Provide the Chapter Treasurer with an accounting of the research fund expenditures on a form to be provided by the Chapter, with appropriate documentation;

· Give the Chapter a copy of the research results, in an appropriate format;

· Write an article for the Datum Point with in three months of receiving the results of the research testing. This article will describe the item(s) being tested, the methodology of testing, the anticipated results, the actual results, and the manner in which the results will be incorporated into the project’s continued research and/or its reporting. This article will be 150 – 300 words in length;

· An oral report will be given at the monthly meeting, when the written report is handed to the Chapter.

The Rubis-Fuller Research Fund recipient(s) will agree to these commitments, in writing, at the time of the award.

VII. Application and Selection Process

The Rubis-Fuller Research Fund procedures for applying will be announced in the January, April, and August issues of the Datum Point.

The applicant must submit, by September 15^th, a complete application using the form provided by the Chapter, including a description of anticipated results and benefits towards the research of the project/site.

The Chapter Officers will review all applications and evaluate them, with particular attention to the anticipated future benefits to be derived by the Chapter, as a result of the research efforts.

If the application is rejected a letter will be sent to the applicant. The applicant may resubmit another application (before September 15^th). Since there is no limit on the number of recipients (see Section III) applicants need not be concerned with expiration of research materials. Awards may be dispensed at any time of the year, so long as the application is received before the deadline.

The recommended recipient(s) will be announced no later than the November issue of the Datum Point, and the Chapter’s approval will be sought. If no applications are approved by the deadline, it will be reported in the Datum Point.