Cephalopod International Advisory Council - Bylaws
Founded in 1983, the aims of CIAC are to stimulate, accelerate and influence
the direction of cephalopod research, to provide help and advice on aspects
of cephalopod biology, including those relevant to the management of the
increasingly important cephalopod fisheries and to spread information on
past and current research.
The means by which the aims will be achieved include:
- The holding of "CIAC Workshop/Symposia" every 2-3 years and the
publication of the results in book, printed, or electronic format.
- The organization of "CIAC Joint" meetings with fisheries organizations,
societies, or laboratories for exchange of information and usually the
publication of papers and/or training manuals.
- The endorsement of meetings or symposia organized by any cephalopod
workers who provide evidence to CIAC of the value and feasibility of
a meeting being planned.
- The production of a Newsletter, which will be distributed via Internet.
- The publication and updating of a "Directory of English Translations
of Research Publications in Other Languages", a
"List of Cephalopod Workers of the World", a
"Computerized Bibliography of Cephalopod Research",
"Keys for the Identification of Cephalopods", and
"State of the Art" papers in selected areas of research.
Organization and Rules of CIAC
Introductory note
The Cephalopod International Advisory Council (CIAC) meets at every
Workshop/Symposium that it plans and conducts, and that is designated as
a "CIAC Workshop/Symposium".
These "Council Meetings" may be divided into several continuous sessions.
The objectives of these meetings are to plan and implement the aims of the
Council as described above.
At all CIAC Workshops/Symposia there will be an "Open meeting", presided
over by the President or Executive Secretary of CIAC, to which anyone
interested in CIAC and its aims may come and speak on subjects of relevance
to CIAC, at which participants will be asked for nominations for
membership of Council, and at which proposals for CIAC Workshops/Symposia
may be made.
Rules of CIAC
- The Council will consist of 18 established members each elected for
2 terms. Two of the members should be graduate students, postdoctorals,
or early career researchers (further referred to as "students") with
the same rights as the other Council members. A quorum will comprise
10 (ten) members.
- Within this membership, two Officers will be elected, including a
President and an Executive Secretary, both normally elected for one
term but both able to be re-elected for a second term, in the absence
of other candidates or by re-election against other candidates.
- Each "term" will extend from the end of one Council meeting to the end
of the next.
- "Council meeting" is defined as a formally convened session or sessions
with agenda during a CIAC Workshop/Symposium.
- Nomination and election process.
- Nominations, to replace vacancies on Council, will be solicited
from the floor at the Open meeting.
- All nominations require a proposer and seconder, either of
whom should deliver a short recommendation of the nominee.
- Prior to nomination the nominee must have agreed to serve if
elected; otherwise his/her nomination is provisional until
acceptance has been notified to the Executive Secretary in writing.
- New members will be elected by a secret ballot at a Council
session that will normally be held at the end of a CIAC
Workshop/Symposium. Retiring members of Council shall vote in
this election.
- In electing new members consideration must be given to both
the geographic and research fields of prospective candidates
in order to maintain representation of the various fields of
research and the international character of the Council, as
well as to respond to new interests and directions of the
cephalopod research community.
- Ex-members of the Council are eligible for re-election to the
Council after an interim of one term (normally three years).
- Officers will normally be elected from members with at least
one term's experience on Council.
- The Executive Secretary can begin his/her two terms of office
from his/her election as secretary irrespective of his/her
previous term on CIAC.
- The President and Executive Secretary can be re-elected after
one term out of office. This paragraph does not supersede the
regulation that members other than the President and the
Executive Secretary cannot serve more than two consecutive
terms.
- At least 8 (eight) people should be elected on the CIAC each term.
- Election will be by a majority vote of Council. Names of nominees
will be put in alphabetical order on ballot sheets.
Council members will vote by ranking their preferences
numerically from 1 to n. The President and Executive Secretary
will count and total the rank results. The newly elected members
will be the appropriate number of people (for replacing retiring
members) with the smallest totals. In the event of a tie, Council
members will discuss the merits of each of these candidates and
revote on those in the tie. The alphabetical list of elected
members will be posted immediately after the last Executive
Council session and the successful candidates will be informed
by the Executive Secretary.
- One new student member shall be voted on to the Council at each
formal meeting of CIAC, which is held every three years at CIAC
sponsored Workshops/Symposia. In this way, there will be one
standing and one new student member for each three years. The
procedure for electing student members shall be as follows: the
current student representatives will serve as a nominating
committee and will place on a ballot the names of 4 (four)
students of their choice to be voted on by the entire Council;
prior to nomination the student nominees must have agreed to
serve if elected. Additional student nominations may be
made from the floor at the open Council meeting.
- Five (5) Reserves will be elected, of which one (1) will be a
student. The newly elected Reserves will be the four (4) full
and one (1) student nominees with the next smallest totals after
the newly elected Council Members. Reserves are non- voting
members of Council. They function to replace any full Council
Members should they resign, be voted off Council, or otherwise
be incapacitated. Reserves serve for one (1) term.
- By a 2/3 majority vote of those in attendance at a Council meeting
(or at least 10 voters) any current members of CIAC can be voted off
CIAC if they have moved out of
cephalopod research or for any other compelling reason.
- Council Meetings should take place every 2-3 years, whether or not
any Extraordinary Meetings are held between.
- People not on CIAC may be invited to attend a Council Meeting or any
of its sessions after a majority vote of Council or at the agreement
of the President and the Executive Secretary.
- An "Extraordinary Council Meeting" can be called as required at the
discretion of the President in conjunction with the Executive Secretary,
or of the majority (10 or more) of Council. All members must be invited
beforehand and at such a meeting rules cannot be changed.
- All sessions of Council Meetings and Open Meetings must have an agenda
circulated in advance.
- Local Chairpersons shall be appointed by CIAC to host and organize CIAC
Workshops/Symposia. These people may be members of Council or shall be
invited to become "Ex-Officio Members" of Council
(with no voting rights) for one term starting at the end of the
previous CIAC meeting. The Newsletter editor, if not already a member of
Council, shall be invited to become an "Ex-Officio Member".
- Endorsement of meetings requires that all CIAC members be consulted.
- Change of Rules.
- Where two or more Council members want the rules of CIAC to be
changed, a committee of at least three members shall be appointed
by the President at a regular Council Meeting.
- Any recommendations must be posted for at least 48 hours before
the final Council session or, if between CIAC Meetings, they
must be circulated with the agenda for the next meeting.
- Proposals for changes of rules cannot be voted upon until the
Council session following the presentation of the committee's
recommendations.
- "Lifetime Achievement Award (Honorary Membership) of CIAC" may be
conferred, by a vote at a Council Meeting, on any individual who has
made an outstanding contribution to cephalopod research and/or the
ideals and aims of CIAC. This will have the normal privileges of
ex-officio membership and a free issue of the Newsletter each year.
Last modified: Mon Aug 21 12:37:43 BST 2000