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Constitution

Home 9 About 9 Constitution

Constitution of the International Glaciological Society

[As approved at a Special General Meeting held in Cambridge, England on 6 January 1962 and amended on 22 February 1968, 1 January 1972, 6 April 1977, 31 July 1985, 5 July 1989, 14 October 1992, and 5 November 2021.]

Name

The name of the Society shall be ‘The International Glaciological Society’.

Object

The objects of the Society shall be:

  • to stimulate interest in and encourage research into the scientific and technical problems of snow and ice in all countries;
  • to facilitate and increase the flow of glaciological ideas and information;
  • to publish the Journal of Glaciology, Annals of Glaciology, Ice and other such publications as the Council from time to time determine;
  • to sponsor lectures, field meetings and symposia.

Branches

The Society shall encourage the establishment of branches in any country or region to foster the objects of the Society.

Membership

  • The Society shall consist of Ordinary Members, Junior Members, Corporate Members and such other categories as the Council shall from time to time determine,
  • Ordinary Members shall be individuals of any country who are qualified in the scientific or technical aspects of snow and ice, who shall be admitted on payment of an annual payment to be determined by the Council.
  • Junior Members shall be individuals under thirty years of age, who shall be admitted on payment of a reduced annual payment to be determined by the Council. Junior Members shall not be required to become Ordinary Members until the first day of January following their thirtieth birthday. Full-time students over the age of thirty shall be eligible for Junior Membership if their student status is fully validated.
  • Corporate Members shall be organizations which desire to support the objects of the Society by payment of an annual payment to be determined by the Council.
  • Honorary Members shall be elected by the Council in recognition of eminent contributions to the objects of the Society, and shall not exceed twelve in number.

The Society shall promote and support diversity and inclusion within its Membership and its governing bodies. Members of the Society are expected to abide by the ‘Core Values’ and ‘Scientific Code of Conduct’ of the Society. The Society’s officers and committees shall take these values into account when considering the Society’s matters such as nominations to Council, appointment of editors and committee members, and eligibility for awards.

Payments

Payments shall be payable in advance and shall be due on the first day in January each year.

Management

The affairs of the Society shall be managed by a Council and a Secretary General appointed by the Council.

The office of the Secretary General shall be in the United Kingdom.

Officers

The Officers of the Society shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, and a Treasurer.

Composition of the Council

The Council is the main governing body of the Society and shall consist of the following trustees:

  • The Officers
  • The Immediate Past President
  • Ten Elective Members

This Council shall have power to co-opt not more than three extra trustees. Six elected or co-opted trustees of the Council participating in a council meeting shall form a quorum.

The Society’s Chief Editor and the chairs of standing committees appointed under Article 10 shall be ex-officio members of the Council. They shall not act as trustees of the Society nor have the power to vote.

The Council may invite whomever Council deems relevant to the matters at hand, to attend meetings of the Council.

In this document the expression ‘meeting’ includes, except where inconsistent with any legal obligation:
● a physical meeting
● a video conference, an internet video facility or similar electronic method allowing simultaneous visual and audio participation, and
● telephone conferencing
● or any combination thereof.

Decisions on any Council voting matters shall be determined by a simple majority of the votes cast. In case of a tie the President has the casting vote.

Elections of the Council

The Officers and Elective trustees of the Council shall be Members of the Society and shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with Article 15. Officers and Elective trustees shall hold office for a term not exceeding three years without further election. At least one-third of the Elective trustees shall retire each year and shall not be eligible for immediate re-election. If necessary, the order of retirement of trustees elected on the same date shall be decided by ballot or electronic voting in Council. The names of Members nominated by the Council for such election shall be sent to all Members of the Society at least ten weeks before the Annual General Meeting. Any Member may propose other candidates for election, but such nominations, supported by at least ten Members of the Society, must reach the Secretary General five clear weeks before the Annual General Meeting. No person, with the exception of the Treasurer, shall serve on the Council for more than nine consecutive years without a break of one year. The progress of a President to the position of Immediate Past President shall not be interrupted.

The Council shall have the power to appoint one or more Members of the Society to Posts other than those referred to in Article 7. The Council may appoint Committees for which any Members of the Society shall be eligible.

The Council shall have the power to fill, until the next Annual General Meeting, any vacancy occurring among the Officers or the rest of the Council. For the purpose of Article 9 such service shall not be counted.

The Council shall appoint an IGS Chief Editor who shall be responsible for the scientific journals published by the Society. The IGS Chief Editor shall hold office for three years and be eligible for reappointment. The IGS Chief Editor shall make recommendations to Council for Associate Chief Editors and Scientific Editors, as appropriate. Any other publications such as books and monographs shall be dealt with by the appropriate committee of the Society.

Annual General Meetings

An Annual General Meeting shall be held at a date to be determined by the Council to receive the Statement of Accounts for the preceding calendar year, to elect Officers and other Elective trustees of the Council for the ensuing year, to appoint Auditors for the current year, and to transact any other business as determined by Council. Any Member may propose other matters, supported by at least ten Members of the Society, but such matters must reach the Secretary General five clear weeks before the Annual General Meeting. Twelve Members of the Society shall form a quorum. At least four weeks’ notice shall be given of the Annual General Meeting and at least two weeks before this Meeting the Secretary General shall send a copy of the Agenda to each Member of the Society. A Statement of Accounts shall be available in the Secretary General’s office for inspection by any Member during the two weeks preceding the Annual General Meeting, and a copy shall be sent to any Member on request.

Special General Meetings

Ten or more Members of the Society may at any time call a Special General Meeting by giving notice in writing to the Secretary General stating the motion or motions to be brought forward. A Special General Meeting shall be held at a time to be determined by the Council and shall take place within twelve weeks of receipt of such notice by the Secretary General. Not less than eight weeks’ notice shall be given of a Special General Meeting.

The notice of the Meeting shall state the business to be transacted and no business other than that specified in the notice shall be transacted at such a Meeting, at which twenty-one Members shall form a quorum.

Voting

Election of auditors and approval of officers’ reports shall be adopted if approved by a majority of those Members present and voting at a General Meeting.

Any decision, inclusive of any amendments, at a General Meeting, other than the election of auditors and the approval of officers’ reports or a change in the Constitution, shall be adopted if approved by a simple majority of those Members voting either in person or by correspondence vote at a General Meeting.

A correspondence vote includes post, fax, or electronic mail to the Secretary General, or a vote cast through any suitable electronic voting system and must be received at least one week prior to the meeting unless voting occurs through an electronic voting system that allows casting a vote during a General Meeting.

For these purposes, each Corporate Member represented shall be entitled to one vote.

Ballots for the election of the Council shall be circulated to all Members three clear weeks before the Annual General Meeting.

Changes in Constitution

Any alteration in the Constitution proposed by the Council or favoured by a majority at a General Meeting shall be submitted to all Members and shall be adopted if approved by a two-thirds majority of those properly casting their correspondence vote as defined in Article 15 by a specified date which shall be not less than eight weeks after the issue of ballot papers.

Resignation

A Member may at any time resign from the Society by notifying the Secretary General in writing, but resigning Members shall be liable for any payment due.

Expulsion

If, in the opinion of the Council, any Member shall have acted in a manner prejudicial to the interests or good name of the Society, the Secretary General shall be instructed to write to that Member stating the nature of the offence, together with the name of informant, or source of information, and asking for an explanation. After allowing a reasonable time for a reply, the Council, providing not less than six are agreed, shall have the power to expel that Member from the Society. The Council shall also have power to remove from the Membership List the name of any Member whose payment is in arrears.

Contingent Authority of the Council

The Council shall have full power to deal with any matter affecting the Society’s interest that is not provided for in this Constitution.

The Council may establish Terms of Reference to define additional procedures of operation.

 International Glaciological Society
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November2021