Note: This is a draft version of the SCE constitution that has been circulated among SCE members in the years 1986-1987. Members were invited to comment on this draft. Due to technical reasons neither the original version of the proposal nor other proposals have ever been adopted by the SCE members. The SCE X (2000) board invites members of the Societas Caucasologica Europaea to carefully read this draft and to comment on it (W.Schulze@lrz.uni-muenchen.de). The board intends to edit all relevant proposals to change (parts of) the constitution or to add passages. The board will distribute these comments among the SCE members before the business meeting of the SCE (during SCE X (2000)) and will put the question of adopting a constitution for the Societas Caucasologica Europaea on the agenda of the business meeting in Munich.
 

Article I: Name and Purpose.

1.1. This Society shall be known as Societas Caucasologica Europaea.
1.2. Its purpose is the advancement of the study of the languages and cultures of the Caucasus in the widest sense.
1.3. The seat of the Societas is

Article 2: Members.

2.1. All those who are engaged in research in the fields mentioned in article 1.2 are eligible for membership in the Societas.
2.2. Applications for membership, endorsed by two members of the Societas,
shall be sent to the Secretary, who submits them to the biennial business meeting for final decision.
2.3. The dues and the dates prescribed for paym ent shall be fixed by the biennial business meeting. The dues are payable to the Treasurer. If a member does not pay her/his dues within the time prescribed, she/he shall forfeit her/his rights of membership while the default continues, but these rights shall be restored to her/him on the payment of arrears.
2.4. Members may offer papers for presentation at the Colloquia (Conferences) of the Societas. They may participate and vote in the business meeting of the Societas, and hold offices in the Societas.

Article 3: Officers.

3.1. The Societas is governed by an Executive Board, consisting of a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, a Secretary and two Deputy Members. They shall be elected at the business meeting of the Societas held at the biennial Colloquium
(Conference) and take office at the end of the Colloquium (Conference). The Board shall serve for two years.
3.2. The Board shall hold regular meetings at th e time and place of the biennial Colloquium (Conference) of the Societas. Any member of the Board shall have the right to bring up questions for consideration and action of the Board. All decisions of the Board shall be by simple majority vote; in case of a tie, the vote cast by the President shall be decisive.
3.3. Between the biennial business meetings the Board shall have power to take action in cases for which no specific provision is made in this Constitution. But
all its a cts must be reported to the next business meeting, that shall have the right to annul acts of the Board. The President may on his own initiative, and shall at the request of any other member of the Board, ask the Board to vote on specific questions by mail.
3.4. The Board shall have the right to appoint a sub-committee for special purposes.
3.5. The President, or, in his stead, the Vice-President shall preside at the meetings of the Board and the business meetings held during her/his period of office. She/he shall present a report on the activities of the Societas during her/his period of office at the business meeting held at the end of that
period.
3.6. The Secretary shall keep the records of the Societas.
3.7. The Treasurer shall keep the fiscal records and administer the funds of the Societas.
3.8. A vacancy on the offices of the Vice-President, the Secretary or the Treasurer shall be filled by one of the two Deputy Members of the Board for the remainder of her/his period of office according to the decisions of the Board.

Article 4: Elections.

4.1. The Board shall act as a nominating committee. It shall nominate at least one person for each office to be filled at the biennial business meeting. The Secretary, having ascertained that each person con sidered f or nomination will serve if elected, shall at least two months befor e the meeting mail to the voting members notices of these nominations. Any regular member of the Societas may nominate an eligible member of the Societas as a candidate for an office to be filled. If the Secretary receives not later than three weeks before the meeting six or more letters of nomination of the same person for the same office, she/he shall inquire whether this person will serve if elected. If this person agrees to do so, she/he shall have equal standing with the persons nominated by the Board.
4.2. The Secretary shall present all nominations for election to the biennial business meeting. If there are two or more nominees for any office, a voting for that office shall be by a secret ballot.

Article 5: Fiscal Policy.

The funds of the Societas shall be used exclusively to cover expenditures related to the Colloquia (Conferences) of the Societas.

Article 6: Meetings.

6.1. There shall be a Colloquium (Conference) on scholarly matters relating to the languages and cultures of the Caucasus every second year, at such a time and place as shall be determined by the business meeting of the preceding Colloquium (Conference). The business meeting of that Colloquium (Conference) shall elect the chairman of a Program Committee, who shall appoint a local committee and make other necessary arrangements at the place where the Colloquium (Conference) will be held.
6.2. There shall be a regular business meeting of the Societas at the time and place of the biennial Colloquium (Conference).
6.3. The business meeting shall appoint an Editor of the proceedings of each Colloquium (Conference). The editor shall in consultation with the Program Committee decide which of the papers presented at the Colloquium (Conference)
shall be included in the proceedings, and shall be responsible for their publication.

Article 7: Dissolution.

The Societas may be dissolved by a vote in favour of dissolution coast by nine- tenths of the voting members. Such a vote shall take place by mail. Upon dissolution the assets of the Societas shall be disposed of a determined by a
simple majority of the voting members.

Article 8: Amendments.

Any five members, acting jointly or separately, may propose amendments to the Constitution. Such proposals shall be made i n writing not later than one month prior to the business meeting and address ed to the Secretay, who shall submit them to the next business meeting . If such a proposal receives four fifths of the votes cast at the meeting, it shall be considered adopted. If it receives less than four fifths but more than half of the votes cast, it shall be submitted to the entire voting membership by mail. An amendment shall be adopted if two thirds of the votes received by the Secretary within two months from the date on which the proposal is mailed to the membership are in favour of the amendment. An amendment thus adopted shall become effective immediately, and the Secretary shall notify all members of the Societas of the changes that have been introduced in the Constitution as a result of the amendment.

Article 9: Text of the Constitution.

The Executive Board has the right to ask the biennial business meeting to adopt a translation of the Constitution into another language than English. In case of dispute the English version shall be the binding.
 

Last changes: 3.8.99

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