The European Society for Textual Scholarship

Bylaws

I. Membership

1. Voting Membership. Members shall pay dues each year as determined by the Board and will receive the official publication of the Society, Variants: the Journal of the European Society for Textual Scholarship.

2. Honorary Membership. Honorary Members of the Society may be elected at the Annual Meeting upon the recommendation of the Board. Honorary Members do not pay dues.

II. Board and Officers

1. Officers. All members of the Board and of the Nominating Committee are officers of the Society. Only members of the society are eligible to serve as officers. Any member of the Society may be nominated to become a member of the Board or a member of the Nominating Committee. To be eligible as President, Secretary or Treasurer one must have previously served at least one year as a member of the Board. No person may simultaneously hold more than one office.

2. The Board. The Board is the controlling authority of the Society. The President shall report on its actions and policies at the Annual Meeting. Normally, the number of elected members is 12. Decisions of the Board shall be by a simple majority of voting members present. A tie vote shall be construed as a failure to pass the measure proposed.

3. The President. The President is the presiding Officer of the Society. The President chairs the meetings of the Board and the Annual Meeting. The President serves as the executive director of the Sociey (see II.12).

4. The Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining all non-financial records and documents of the Society, including the minutes of meetings of the Board and the Annual Meeting. In the absence of the President, the Secretary chairs the meetings of the Board and the Annual Meeting.

5. The Membership Secretary. The Membership Secretary is responsible for maintaining the membership list and all records of past and present members.

6. The Treasurer. The Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the accounts and financial records of the Society, in accordance with the decisions and policies of the Board.

7. The immediate Past Program Chair is an ex officio voting member of the Board.

8. A representative of the Society for Textual Scholarship shall be an ex officio voting member of the Board.

9. The European Society for Textual Scholarship will name a representative to be an ex officio voting member at meetings of the Board of the Society for Textual Scholarship.

10. The Program Chair(s) of the Annual Conference shall be ex officio members of the Board for the duration of their service (see VII.3).

11. The Editor(s) and Review Editor of Variants will be responsible for the production of Variants (see VIII.3 and VIII.4).

12. The Nominating Committee. A Nominating Committee shall be constituted to ensure that there is always, at least, one candidate for every opening. The Nominating Committee shall consist of three members, one of whom is the immediate past president. The three members of the Nominating Committee will serve overlapping terms of three years. Members of the Nominating Committee who have served a full term may not be elected again for the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will be chaired by its longest serving member. Past presidents of the society become members of the Nominating Committee until replaced by the next ex-president. The other two members of the Committee shall be elected directly by the membership. Members of the Nominating Committee are not members of the Board. The Nominating Committee may approach individual members to request their participation. The Nominating Committee may not veto any nominations and will ensure that every member of the Society can stand as a candidate. The Nominating Committee may not reveal how nominations were made.

13. Removal. Any officer may be removed for cause by a majority vote of the entire Board.

III. Annual Meeting

1. An Annual Meeting shall be convened at a time and place determined by the Board, for a report on the actions of the Board and the other Committees of the Society and for the transaction of other business as provided for in the Constitution and these Bylaws.

2. Each person holding a voting membership shall have one vote.

IV. Board Meetings

1. The Board shall meet each year in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. There may be other meetings in places previously agreed by the Board.

2. When a meeting is impractical, the President may ask the Board to decide particular matters by mail ballot or its equivalent.

V. Elections

1. The President, Secretary and Treasurer serve for a period of 3 years.

2. Starting in 2006, the Board Members will be elected for terms of four years. All current members of the Society may nominate themselves for positions as part of the Board. Each of the nominees must be supported by, at least, one other member of the Society. The Board will appoint all officers.

3. The term for members of the Board is 4 years. Current members of the Board can be nominated for a second term in accordance with 2 (with the support of a current member of the Society) (See V.2).

4. Members of the Board shall not seek re-election for a third term, but they can be nominated again after a break.

5. The names and brief vitae of all nominees for the positions shall be submitted to the membership for election by mail ballot or its equivalent.

6. The President and another member of the Society (not standing for election) shall count the votes and inform the membership of the results.

VI. Other Committees

1. The Board shall establish and appoint other Committees as required.

2. All actions of such Committees shall be subject to review and approval by the Board.

VII. Annual Conference

1.The Society shall sponsor a Conference every year, at a time and place determined by the Board.

2. The Board shall appoint the Program Chair(s), who will have the primary responsibility for the Conference. The Program Chair(s) may be assisted by a Program Committee, appointed by the Program Chair(s) with the approval of the Board.

3. The Program Chair(s) shall be ex officio members of the Board for the duration of their service.

4. The Program for the Conference shall be subject to review and approval by the Board.

5. All speakers, respondents, and chairs at the Conference must be members of the Society and must pay the registration fee, except for individuals specially invited by the Program Chair(s) in consultation with the Board.

6. Non-members of the Society may attend the Conference upon payment of a registration fee.

VIII. VARIANTS

1. The Editor(s) of Variants: the Journal of the European Society for Textual Scholarship shall be appointed by the Board, normally for a renewable term of 3 years, to commence on January 1st of the year following appointment.

2. The Editor(s) shall be responsible for the regular publication of Variants. The Editor(s) may be assisted by one or more Book Review Editor(s) and one or more Associate or Assistant Editor(s), subject to review and approval by the Board.

3. The Editor(s) of Variants shall be ex officio voting members of the Board.

4. The Book Review Editor of Variants shall be an ex officio member of the Board.

5. The Board retains final authority over all matters concerning Variants.

6. See appendix about the production of Variants.

IX. Amendments

1. The Board may propose amendments to these Bylaws, to be ratified by the majority vote of members in good standing present at the Annual Meeting.

2. The Board shall receive proposed amendments submitted by members of the Society. All proposed amendments must bear the signatures of at least fifteen members in good standing and be received in the Office of the Society at least thirty days in advance of the annual meeting.

3. The Board shall determine if a proposed amendment so submitted shall be presented for adoption at the Annual Meeting.

4. A member proposing to the Board an amendment not submitted for ratification at the Annual Meeting may request that the amendment be presented at the Annual Meeting. The majority vote of the members in good standing present shall determine whether a proposed amendment so presented shall be submitted for ratification to the full membership by mail ballot. The assent of the majority of the members in good standing voting by mail ballot shall be necessary for the ratification of any amendment so presented.

X. Matters not contemplated in these bylaws

1. The Board shall make decisions about any matters arising not contemplated by these bylaws. .

Last updated April 8th, 2006
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