Fast find: Constitution Bylaws
Constitution of the IUISARTICLE 1. Aim and Function of the Union
1.1. The objectives of the International Union of Immunological Societies (hereafter referred to as the Union) are:
1.1.1. to organize non-discriminatory international co-operation in immunology and to promote communication between the various branches of immunology and allied subjects;
1.1.2. to encourage within each scientifically independent territory co-operation between the Societies that represent the interests of immunology;
1.1.3. to contribute to the advancement of immunology in all aspects.
1.2. For these purposes it shall have power:
1.2.1. to set up commissions or committees for special purposes;
1.2.2. to organize international meetings and conferences
1.2.3. to collaborate with other scientific organizations;
1.2.4. to act in all ways as a constituent union of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in accordance with the statutes of that body;
1.2.5. to develop any activity deemed helpful to the forwarding of its declared objectives.
ARTICLE 2. Membership
2.1. Categories
2.1.1. Regular Members - A group representing in a non-discriminatory manner, all immunologists working in a scientifically independent territory may apply for membership. Such a group may consist of a scientific society, a group of such societies or a body especially formed for the purpose of adhering to the Union. Only one such group will be admitted from each scientifically independent territory.
2.1.2. Regional Federations of IUIS Member Societies - Several Regular Members may form a regional group of Societies termed a Federation in this document. Although these IUIS Federations may function on an autonomous basis, their Constitution has to be approved by the IUIS Council and ratified by the General Assembly. Goals and activities of such Federations shall complement but not duplicate IUIS activities. As a rule, such Regional Federations of IUIS Societies shall not levy additional dues from its Member Societies but are entitled to subsidies from IUIS and to seek other independent sources of revenue. The President of each Regional Federation or its representative is entitled to participate as a non-voting member in the deliberations of the IUIS Council. The IUIS is similarly entitled to delegate an officer to the Executive Committee and General Assembly meetings of IUIS Regional Federations.
2.1.3. International Affiliate Members - A group organized for purposes of scientific cooperation by individual scientists or organizations of scientists working in immunology or related disciplines from several scientifically independent territories may apply for affiliation. International Affiliate Members are each entitled to delegate one officer to participate in the deliberations of the IUIS Council. This officer will not have voting rights at Council meetings unless the International Affiliate they represent has paid dues to IUIS, as defined in the Constitution, article 2.2. The IUIS is similarly entitled to delegate an officer to the Governing Council or Committee and General Assembly meetings of International Affiliate Societies.
2.2. Rules for Admission
The rules for admission shall be described in the By-laws of the Constitution and ratified by the General Assembly of the Union.
2.3. Election of Membership
Adhering bodies may be elected to the Union by a two-thirds vote of the Council. When such a majority cannot be achieved, ratification by the General Assembly is required.
2.4 Membership Dues
All members shall pay annual dues at a rate set by Council, payable on the first day of the calendar year of the Union in a currency specified by the Council. Failure to pay dues will result in suspension unless the General Assembly votes otherwise upon recommendation of the Council. Upon recommendation of the Council, a Society that has lost its member status may be treated as an observer. Suspended societies shall be immediately reinstated upon payment of dues. The amount to be paid shall be determined by Council. With the agreement of Council, International Affiliate Members may elect to pay dues at a rate to be set by Council. If such occurs the officer appointed by the Affiliate Member to represent them at Council Meetings will acquire full Council voting rights.
ARTICLE 3. Officers of the Union
3.1. Categories
The officers of the Union shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary-General and Treasurer. The immediate Past-President shall serve as an officer ex-officio, meaning that by virtue of their office the immediate Past President will have voting rights commensurate with their membership of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee of the Union shall be composed of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary-General, the Treasurer and the past President of the IUIS. Council shall have the power to delegate decisions to the Executive Committee.
3.2. Terms of Office
The President shall hold office from the end of one General Assembly to the end of the succeeding one. Similarly, the Vice-President shall hold office for about 3 years, normally then becoming President. The Secretary-General and Treasurer shall hold office for 3 years but may be re-elected for further periods of 3 years for a maximum of approximately 12 years.
3.3. Duties
3.3.1. The President shall be responsible for calling and chairing all meetings of the General Assembly and Council and shall serve as the official spokesperson of the Union.
3.3.2. The Vice-President shall substitute for the President at the request of the latter or if the latter is unable to discharge his/her duties.
3.3.3. The Secretary-General shall be responsible for distributing in a timely fashion all documents required for the functioning of the General Assembly and the Council; for maintaining the non-financial records of the Union; for maintaining contact with all bodies adhering to the Union and other relevant organizations; for preparing at regular intervals a directory of the Regular Member Societies, Regional Federations, International Affiliate Members and the Council, Executive Committee and Members of the General Assembly of the Union.
3.3.4. The Treasurer shall prepare and distribute budgets; shall collect annual dues from adhering members; submit applications for and receive all outside grants; and shall annually submit to the Council an audit for all Union accounts.
3.4. Elections
3.4.1. Nominations. Nominations of candidates for office shall be made by a Committee of three who have been elected by the Council at a meeting approximately one year prior to the triennial meeting of the General Assembly. The President shall serve ex-officio (meaning by virtue of his/her office) as chairperson of the Committee. The Committee shall prepare a ballot containing the name of at least one candidate for each office except in the case of the Vice-President where at least two names must be listed. The consent of nominees must be assured before they are listed. Suggestions for such nominees may be made by Member Societies, Council and General Assembly Members at any time before January 1 of the year of the next General Assembly meeting. The ballot must be submitted to the Secretary-General at least 3 months prior to the election. The Secretary-General will promptly submit the ballot to the Secretary of each society that is a Regular Member of IUIS. The Committee is automatically disbanded upon completion of the election.
3.4.2. Elections. Officers shall be elected by the General Assembly and these elections shall be conducted as defined in the By-Laws. Election of officers shall be by all duly registered delegates of Regular Members and the Officers of the Union, in a secret ballot.
ARTICLE 4. General Assembly
4.1. Jurisdiction
4.1.1. The General Assembly is the controlling and electing body of the Union and represents all adhering bodies of the Union. It elects officers of the Union, as well as its executive committee, the Council. It decides on all changes in the statutes and ratifies changes in the Constitution and By-Laws and in membership where necessary. It shall be guided in all its decisions by the tradition of free international cooperation.
4.2. Membership Categories
4.2.1. The General Assembly shall consist of the officers of the Union and of delegates appointed by the Regular Members, Regional Federations and International Affiliate Members, and the Standing Committees.
4.2.2. Each Regular Member shall have the right to appoint delegates to the General Assembly according to the following formula: bodies representing 100 or less members: one delegate; 101 to 500 members: two delegates; 501-1000 members: three delegates; greater than 1000 members: four delegates. At least 14 days before the General Assembly meets, Regular Members must inform the Secretary General who their appointees to the General Assembly will be. Substitutions and additions will not be allowed unless made more than 14 days before the General Assembly meeting.
4.2.3. Each Regional Federation Member and International Affiliate Member shall be entitled to appoint a single delegate. Likewise each Standing Committee shall be represented by a single delegate. At least 14 days before the General Assembly meets, Regional Federation Members and International Affiliate Members must inform the Secretary General who their appointees to the General Assembly will be. Substitutions and additions will not be allowed unless made more than 14 days before the General Assembly meeting.
4.3. Terms of Office
Delegates to the General Assembly serve from the beginning of one General Assembly meeting until the end of the period before the next meeting. General Assembly meetings will normally be held at the International Congress of Immunology.
4.4. Meetings
4.4.1. The General Assembly shall normally meet at least once every 3 years. If it cannot, or for other reasons, the General Assembly can conduct business by regular mail, electronic facsimile (FAX) or electronic mail (email) correspondence. The quorum shall consist of 50% of the delegates of Regular Members. Voting by regular mail/FAX/email shall follow in principle the same rules used for an actual meeting; "Attendance" on such a vote being counted as the number of responses received at the official office of the Union within 2 months of a ballot being mailed.
4.4.2. Observers may be invited to attend the meetings of the General Assembly at the President's discretion.
4.5. Voting
Where questions requiring a vote arise, decisions shall be made by a simple majority of all delegates present, or contactable by mail/FAX/email if the vote is to be conducted by written correspondence. An exception applies to modification of the statutes where a two-thirds majority vote is required. Other exceptions involve the election of officers (Art. 3, Sec.3.4.2) and councillors (Art. 5, Sec. 5.2.1).
ARTICLE 5. Council
5.1. Membership Categories
The Council shall consist of the Executive Committee of the Union and not more than 16 individuals (ordinary members) chosen by the delegates to the General Assembly of Regular Members of the Union. No more than two ordinary members shall be elected from the delegation of a single Regular Member. As far as possible, the Council should be broadly representative of all aspects of immunology. The ordinary members shall include at least one individual from an adherent Society of each of the Federations of the IUIS and the geographic area of North America (Canada and USA, if they are not part of a Federation). The chairpersons of Standing Committees or their representatives and a delegate from each of the Federations, the geographic area of North America (Canada and the USA - if they are not part of a Federation) and the International Affiliates, shall be members of the Council but without voting rights. All Regular Members may send non-voting observers to meetings of the Council. Additional non-voting observers may be invited at the President's discretion.
5.2. Election
Ordinary members of the Council shall be elected to it by all duly registered delegates of Regular Members and the Executive Committee of the Union present at the General Assembly. The nominations for the Council are submitted by individual member Societies but each of the five Federations of geographic areas may indicate which candidate from their region is their first choice if they so desire. Five Council Members are then elected as follows: Each ballot form must show a vote for at least one candidate from each of the five regions and the candidates with the most votes in each region will be elected irrespective of the number of votes cast for other candidates. The other members of the Council will be those eleven remaining candidates who received the highest number of votes within the constraints of Article 5, Sec. 5.1.1. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Normally such votes will occur at Meetings of the General Assembly at which Members are physically present. Under such circumstances, only those members who are actually in the room at the time of the vote may vote. In the event that the General Assembly cannot convene physically within approximately 3 years, voting by mail/FAX/email will be permissible.
5.3. Terms of Office
The ordinary members of the Council shall serve a term of 3 years and shall not serve for more than two consecutive terms. The Council may appoint individuals for any vacancies that occur. Any such appointee has the same tenure as the individual replaced. However, the two-term limit shall not apply if the appointee has served less than 2 years as a surrogate.
5.4. Meetings
A given Council will normally meet annually for a total of four sessions: the first meeting of the newly elected Council occurring shortly after the meeting of the General Assembly that elected it and the last prior to the meeting of the next General Assembly. Seven ordinary members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.
5.5. Voting
The rules followed by the General Assembly will be adhered to in principle, i.e., all attending the council meeting, except observers, may vote. Postal, FAX or email ballots will similarly follow in principle the rules used by the General Assembly.
ARTICLE 6. Committees, Commissions
6.1. Standing Committees
6.1.1. Standing Committees may be established to conduct activities of an on-going interest to the Union. Such committees may be established or disbanded by the General Assembly or by the Council. Where the action is based on a majority vote of less than two-thirds of the Council, the action must be ratified by the next General Assembly. When established, the Committee's Chairperson is appointed by the President with approval by the Council or General Assembly. The Chairperson appoints the members of the committee who serve at the pleasure of the Chair. The President of the Union is a member ex-officio of all Standing Committees.
6.1.2. The Chairperson of each committee is required to submit an annual report, budget and financial statement to the Council. Committees wishing to publicize their activities or secure outside funds must submit all documents for clearance by the President, or the President's delegate.
6.1.3. Each Standing Committee is represented in the General Assembly and Council by a single delegate.
6.2. Ad Hoc Commissions, Committees
Special working groups designed to meet short-term needs of the Union may be established and disbanded by the President as necessary except for the Nominations Committee.
ARTICLE 7. Legal Responsibilities
7.1. All contractual agreements made between the Union and other parties that have foreseeable consequences involving matters of substance, financial or otherwise, must be countersigned by the President (or the Vice-President specifically delegated to act in the President's stead) and one other Officer.
7.2. No officer, adhering body, committee or individual serving on behalf of the Union by valid action of the latter, shall be individually liable for any corporate debts or liabilities incurred by the Union or its duly constituted committees, commissions, etc.
ARTICLE 8. Financial Matters
8.1. The Treasurer shall prepare a budget at the start of each fiscal year and this budget must be approved by the Council.
8.2. The Treasurer, upon agreement of the President may approve redistributions of expenditures within the budget of up to 25% of the total expenditures. The Treasurer, upon agreement of the President may approve expenditures in excess of those in the budget providing these do not exceed either 25% of total expenditures or 10% of the reserves in the General Fund, whichever is the lesser amount. Redistributions or additional expenditures larger than those specified must be approved by the Council.
8.3. The fiscal year of the Union shall begin on January 1. In the eventuality that it has not been possible to have the Council consider a budget for that year by January 1, the Treasurer may expend funds in the same proportion as was budgeted for the previous year.
ARTICLE 9. Modification of the Statutes
9.1 The present statutes of the Constitution may be modified only by a vote of the
Members of the General Assembly. A majority of two thirds of those voting will be required for the modifications to be implemented. Voting may occur at Meetings of the General Assembly, in which case only those Members who are present may vote, or by mail, FAX or email. If the vote occurs at a meeting of the General Assembly, prior notice of the changes to be discussed must have been given as part of the agenda at least 30 days before the meeting convenes. If the vote is to be by mail, FAX or email, General Assembly Members must have been notified at least 30 days before the ballots are sent out. The members will have 60 days from the date of receiving their ballots to return them. Proposed changes to the statutes must be approved by two-thirds of Council Members, either present at a Council Meeting or responding within 2 months to a mail/FAX/email vote, before submission to a General Assembly vote.
9.2 The present By-laws may be modified only by a vote of the Members of the
General Assembly. A simple majority of those voting will be required for the modifications to be implemented. Voting may occur at Meetings of the General Assembly, in which case only those Members who are present may vote, or by mail, FAX or email. If the vote occurs at a meeting of the General Assembly, prior notice of the changes to be discussed must have been given as part of the agenda at least 30 days before the meeting convenes. If the vote is to be by mail, FAX or email, General Assembly Members must have been notified at least 30 days before the ballots are sent out. The members will have 60 days from the date of receiving their ballots to return them. Proposed changes to the By-laws must be approved by two-thirds of Council Members, either present at a Council Meeting or responding within 2 months to a mail/FAX/email vote, before submission to a General Assembly vote.
Bylaws of the IUISThe Bylaws lay down the general rules whereby the IUIS will be administered and should be used in conjunction with the Constitution of the Union. Bylaws may be changed by a simple majority vote of the Council and the General Assembly as described in the Constitution.
1. Qualification for Membership in the IUIS
Regular Members
An organization representing all immunologists working in a scientifically independent territory as defined in the Constitution Article 2.1.1 (normally a nation) may apply for membership in the IUIS. Application for membership should include a copy of the Constitution of the applicant organization, stating the objectives, the methods for defining and electing individuals as members and the methods for appointing and/or electing officers of the organization. Membership of a society should not be discriminatory in terms of gender, race, religion or academic or professional qualifications held. Applicant organizations should also submit the approximate numbers of the people who belong to the organization. Such applications will be submitted to members of the General Assembly, who will approve membership in the IUIS by a simple majority vote.
Regional Federations of IUIS Member Societies
Several Regular Members may form a Regional Federation (hereafter termed “Federation” in this document) as described in the Constitution Article 2.1.2. New groups of this type may apply for Membership in the IUIS, but no single Regular Member may be a full participant in more than one Federation. New Regional Federation Members should submit their Constitutions as described above for Regular members. Applications for Federation status may be approved by a simple majority vote of the General Assembly. Membership of IUIS will, by agreement of the Federations, normally qualify the new Member for admission to membership of a Federation.
International Affiliate Members
Organizations eligible for membership as International Affiliate Members, as defined in the Constitution Article 2.1.3, may apply for membership in the IUIS and applications should include a copy of the governing Constitution of that organization, as described above for Regular Members. Affiliate membership in the IUIS will be approved by a simple majority vote of the General Assembly.
2. Administration
The IUIS will be administered by its Officers as described in the Constitution Article 3. The Officers will be helped in these matters by a Secretariat, to be based at a location convenient to the Officers. The Secretariat will be charged with distribution of correspondence between the various committees of the Union and with administrative organization of meetings of Council and the General Assembly. It will also be responsible for distribution and collection of voting ballots at physical meetings of the Council and General Assembly.
The major scientific meeting of the IUIS shall be known as the International Congress of Immunology (ICI) and this shall normally be held approximately every 3 years or at other times as specified by the Council of the IUIS. The ICI will be organized for and on behalf of the IUIS. Organization of the ICI shall be approved by the Council of IUIS.
3. Meetings of Governing Bodies
The Council will normally meet physically immediately before the International Congress of Immunology, immediately afterwards and once per year as described in the Constitution Article 5.4.1. Likewise, the General Assembly will normally meet physically at every International Congress of Immunology, usually held once every three years, as described in the Constitution Article 4.4.1. Meetings of the Council and General Assembly will be run according to normal Committee meeting rules (Robert’s Rules of Order).
Observers may be invited to attend the meetings of the Council or General Assembly at the President’s discretion. They will normally not contribute to the discussion unless specifically called upon by the President. Observers shall be seated in an area physically separate from voting delegates.
Votes at physical meetings of the Council will be by show of hands unless, by a majority vote beforehand, Council indicates that a secret ballot is preferred. Ballots for secret voting will be prepared, handed out and collected by members of the Secretariat. Only Members of the Executive Committee, the 16 elected members of Council and a nominated representative of each of the dues-paying International Affiliates as defined in the Constitution Article 2.2 may vote at Council meetings. Other representatives and guests may not vote.
During physical meetings of the Council, only qualified individuals who are actually present at the time of the vote may do so. Voting in absentia or by proxy will not be allowed.
Votes at physical meetings of the General Assembly will be by show of hands unless the Executive Committee indicates that a secret ballot is preferred. In that case, numbered ballot sheets will be prepared, handed out and collected by members of the Secretariat. The names of appointees to the General Assembly will have been given by their individual sponsoring Societies in writing by mail/FAX/email to the Secretariat at least 14 days before the physical meeting of the General Assembly. Members of the General Assembly must be present in order to cast their votes. Absentee votes or votes by proxy will not be allowed.
Voting by the Council or General Assembly will also be allowed by post, FAX or email. Under these circumstances Members will be provided with the information about the vote at the same time as the request to vote. They will then have up to 60 days to return their ballots, to an address chosen by the Executive Committee. This site must be selected so that the votes can be collected and tabulated by the IUIS Secretariat or by an independent party with no affiliation to the IUIS or its member societies. Once tabulated the summaries of the votes will then be sent to the President of the IUIS. By these means the ballots can remain secret.
4. Replacement of Members of Council or the General Assembly
Under some circumstances members of Council or delegates to the General Assembly may be unable to continue their duties. In this case the Regular Member, Federation, Affiliate Member or Committee may propose a substitute in writing to the President of the IUIS, explaining why the substitution is necessary and enclosing a curriculum vitae and description of the qualifications of the nominee. The President will then submit these materials to the members of the General Assembly for their approval by a simple majority vote, as described above.
5. Organization of International Congresses
The IUIS shall normally hold an International Congress of Immunology (ICI) every 3 years. The procedures for deciding the site of this meeting will be as follows. Regular Members or Regional Federations of the IUIS which wish to be considered shall send a letter of intention to submit an application to host the ICI, to the President of the IUIS, normally 7-8 years before the Congress will be held. The Executive Committee of the IUIS will respond by sending the applicant organization a list of questions about the organization and site of the Congress. The applicant organization will reply to this list of questions by a date stipulated by the Executive Committee, normally 7 years before the Congress is to be held. One or more members of the Council may visit the proposed sites. During the Council Meeting before an ICI usually 6 years before the proposed Congress, the Council will consider the various bids, hear presentations from the applicant organizations, and the reports of Council Members who have visited the sites. Council will then vote by secret ballot to choose the site. In the event no site wins by a simple majority at the first vote, a second ballot will be conducted to select between the two applicants gaining the most votes in the first ballot. Council will then submit and explain this choice to the next meeting of the General Assembly. Presentations may be made by applicant organizations. The General Assembly will then vote by secret ballot on the Council’s decision but may override Council’s decision only by a two thirds or more majority. IUIS will then enter into a contractual agreement with the organizers of the Congress, specifying how any excess revenues or risks will be divided.
The International Congresses will be organized by the successful applicant organization, with input from an International Committee. The composition of this committee will be determined by the applicant organization, but will include at least 4 representatives of the IUIS Council and at least 1 representative of the Executive Committee of the IUIS.
6. Solicitation of Funds
The IUIS may seek gifts, contributions, donations and bequests. All funds received by the IUIS shall be dedicated to and invested solely for the purposes of furthering the goals of the IUIS as described in the Constitution Article 1. Council may establish guidelines for the acceptance or refusal of gifts, contributions, donations or bequests, and for the disbursement of funds by the IUIS in such a manner as may, in the judgment of the Council, be consistent with the purposes of the IUIS.