During my time as Secretary of the Society, it has became apparent that there were several aspects of the Constitution under which we are meant to operate which no longer worked. I have sought therefore to rewrite the Constitution in the hope that we will have a document that will work well for the Society for the foreseeable future and make the task easier for all Office Bearers.
In the first place the Council, which was very important in the early days of the Society, has not functioned as an effective controlling body. For example in one matter on which I sought response from Council Members, only one Member responded out of about 40. The Executive Committee [or just the Executive] has had to act as both Council and Executive in recent years. In the light of feedback from the members of the present Executive, including the Immediate Past President and the Founding President, I am convinced there is agreement the time has come to disband the Council and to transfer its functions and powers to an enlarged Executive.
Since the establishment of the IES Gold Medal and the setting up of an Awards Committee to manage that Award and the subsequent Silver Medals, Young Investigator Award and establishment of Fellows of the Society, it has become increasingly clear that we were no longer functioning with a single Awards Committee, as laid down by the Constitution, but several committees. The time has clearly come for this to be regularised so that the Constitution matches what we know works well. The Awards Conditions and the structure of Awards Committees are included as By-Laws with the provision that variations can be made by a vote of at least five members of the Executive.
I have taken the opportunity to undertake a certain amount of redrafting of some clauses in the Constitution to simplify them and to make them more internally consistent. Articles I - III remain as before with some minor amendments only. The acronym EPR is used in preference to ESR in the Constitution.
Major Changes.
Article IV Council and Officers becomes Article IV Executive Committee and Officers. All references to Council have now become references to Executive Committee [or Executive]. The Executive is to be increased to eight members instead of five through the addition of two further Vice-Presidents and the Editor of the EPR Newsletter who will be a non-voting member. The role of the President has been more clearly defined. The three Vice-Presidents are to be chosen on a geographical basis, notionally Asia [or Asia-Pacific], the Americas and Europe [including the UK and Ireland]. As agreed by the Executive, during a three year term the Vice-Presidents will take year long turns as Senior Vice-President so that in the event of resignation, death etc of the President, the designated Senior Vice-President will assume the Presidency. The role of the Treasurer is spelt out more fully with particular reference to annual reporting of audited accounts to the membership through the first EPR Newsletter each year.
There is a new Article VI on Awards which is quite minimal for the details regarding awards have been placed in the By-Laws and these can be changed by decision of the Executive Committee whereas changes to the Constitution require a two thirds majority of those voting. It makes sense to give the Executive discretion where it is to do with the operation of the Society within its general purposes.
In the light of the new Article VI on Awards, that on Standing Committees becomes Article VII. The number of Standing Committees has been reduced to the Elections Committee and the Awards Committees which have grown up in recent years. The Nominating Committee has been removed and its functions transferred to the Executive as covered in clause 1 of Article VII. This revision also provides a necessary opportunity to consider how to allow for voting by electronic mail, bearing in mind that this may represent for many an unwelcome loss of confidentiality. Voting by ordinary mail will still of course be possible.
With regard to Fees clause 1 [of what is now Article IX] has been extended to require a vote of the membership by simple majority if it is proposed to increase fees by more than 20% and this should happen 12 months in advance.
Article X, Miscellaneous Provisions, has been subject to some minor editing and, in clause 7, inclusion of ballot by electronic mail as an option for amending the Constitution.
Article XI, Affiliation to the International EPR (ESR) Society, has been amended slightly and the original clause 10 regarding fees becomes clause 4 of Article IX as it seemed to be out of place under 'Affiliation'.
By-Laws: Unlike the Constitution, where changes must be approved by a two-thirds majority of members who vote in a ballot, By-Laws may be made [and changed] by the Executive. The By-Laws attached to this proposed new Constitution concern Awards only. Indeed the present Executive decided it was necessary to create a new Silver Award category for Instrumentation starting in 1999 decoupling Physics and Instrumentation. Thus the Physics/Instrumentation Silver Medal is now two separate awards, a Silver Medal for Physics/Materials Science and a Silver Medal for Instrumentation.
This draft revised Constitution has been vetted by the Executive, the Founding President and a number of senior members of the Society. It is our hope that all members will vote for the changes that bring the Constitution into line with what has become necessary practice.
John Pilbrow, Secretary IES
The objectives of the SOCIETY shall be:
a) To advance and stimulate knowledge of the principles, recent developments, and applications of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) or Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectroscopy;
b) To communicate information and news about EPR and its applications among its members and to serve as a clearing house on EPR among scientists in academia, government, and industry by means of the official Bulletin or Newsletter of the Society in either hard copy form or accessible through the SOCIETY's Website;
c) To encourage appropriate and useful application of EPR in a wide variety of fields including physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, geology, and other disciplines;
d) To provide a central voice for the EPR community by promoting support for research and development utilising EPR through interaction with other societies, government funding agencies, and international scientific organisations;
e) To stimulate educational programs on EPR and related spectroscopies through organisation of schools, workshops, courses, and seminars;
f) To foster scientific interaction among EPR spectroscopists throughout the world and to engage in any lawful activities which further this end;
g) The SOCIETY is to be international in scope and is to cover the entire
range of disciplines that use EPR.
1. The SOCIETY shall consist of Regular Members, Student Members, Postdoctoral Members, Associate Members, Emeritus Members, and Institution Members.
a) Regular Members. Any person who has made a personal contribution to the advancement of EPR or its applications shall be eligible to become a Regular Member.
b) Student Members. Any student actively engaged in EPR research or its applications shall be eligible to become a Student Member.
c) Post-doctoral Members. Any person engaged in EPR research or its applications and holding a post-doctoral position shall be eligible for this status of membership for up to three years. The period may be extended to a maximum of six years upon action by the Executive Committee on the basis of an application to the Secretary that documents continuation as a post-doctoral fellow beyond three years.
d) Associate Members. Any person supporting the objectives of the SOCIETY, and who is not eligible as a Regular Member, shall be eligible to become an Associate Member.
e) Emeritus Members. Any person whose professional activities qualify him/her for status as a regular member and who holds emeritus status or the equivalent.
f) Institution Members. Any institution supporting the objectives of the SOCIETY shall be eligible to become an Institution Member.
2. Admissions. Persons satisfying the required conditions may become Members of the SOCIETY, in the appropriate category, on making written application to the Secretary of the SOCIETY and on paying the membership fee established for that category.
3. Rights and Privileges. All Members of the SOCIETY shall have the right to attend any meeting of the SOCIETY and to participate in the discussion, to receive the official communications of the Society, to hold office, and to vote on candidates for office and on matters of policy.
4. Termination of Membership. Membership of the SOCIETY may be terminated
by resignation in writing, or, as provided in Article VIII, by non-payment
of membership fees.
1. Executive Committee. The management of the SOCIETY, including its day-to-day operations shall be vested in an Executive Committee, henceforth referred to as The Executive. The Executive shall consist of the President, the Vice-Presidents, who shall be three in number, the Immediate Past President, the Secretary and the Treasurer, being the elected Officers of the SOCIETY, and the Editor of the Official Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY as a non-voting member. The composition of the Executive shall provide for a balanced international and geographical distribution, as well as a proper balance of researchers in different branches of EPR.
a) The Executive shall seek to meet at least once per year, normally during a suitable scientific conference or at some other time. On-going business may be transacted by mail, which may include electronic mail, between meetings. The Executive will determine its own rules of conduct of business.
b) The quorum for a meeting of the Executive shall normally be four but members unable to attend, having regard to the agenda previously circulated, may give their proxy to the President or another member present.
2. President. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the SOCIETY and shall normally chair meetings of the Executive and any General Meetings of the SOCIETY. The President shall direct the general affairs of the SOCIETY and execute such other duties as many be determined by the Executive or by resolution of a properly constituted General Meeting of the SOCIETY. The term of office of the President shall be three years, and any person may serve only one term as President, except that if one of the Vice Presidents succeeds to the office as a result of the death, disability, or resignation of the President, such service shall not be counted as a regular term..
3. Vice President(s). The Vice Presidents shall be three in number, to provide for a balanced international and geographical distribution, and will carry out any duties assigned by the President and the Executive. The term of office shall be three years. The Vice-Presidents, during their terms of office will, in turn, be designated Senior Vice-President for periods of twelve months, to carry out the duties of the President in the absence of that person. The Senior Vice-President shall immediately assume the office of President in the event of the death, disability, or resignation of the President. The Executive shall determine the order in which the three Vice-Presidents shall take their turn as Senior Vice-President.
4. Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President shall remain a full member of The Executive for a period of three years following his/her term as President.
5. Secretary. The Secretary shall maintain all the records of the SOCIETY, shall keep the minutes of SOCIETY meetings, and be responsible for the distribution of all essential information to members. The term of office of the Secretary shall be three years, subject to re-election for no more than two further periods of three years.
6. Treasurer. The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the SOCIETY, collect all dues and disburse funds in accordance with the direction of the Executive and shall maintain proper books of accounts for the SOCIETY. The Treasurer shall provide an Annual Audited Financial Statement, which shall include reports of funds held on behalf of the Society by all Regional Treasurers, which shall be published in the first Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY of each year, covering the previous calendar year. The Treasurer shall also ensure requirements relating to incorporation and taxation exemptions are complied with. The term of office of the Treasurer shall be three years, subject to re-election for no more than two further periods of three years.
7. Editor of the Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY. The Editor of the Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY, henceforth referred to as the Editor, who shall be appointed by the President, shall be a non-voting member of the Executive. The term of appointment as Editor will be determined by mutual agreement between the President and the Editor.
8. Nominations for the positions of all Office Bearers are governed under Section VII 2.
1. General Meetings of the SOCIETY shall be held during suitable scientific meetings at least once every three years. All participants at that scientific meeting may attend and speak at such meetings, and may vote. The President of the SOCIETY, or the President's designate, shall chair any General Meeting.
2. Quorum. The Quorum for a General Meeting shall be at least 20 Members in attendance. By decision of the Executive any matter deemed to be of major impact on the SOCIETY shall be submitted to the Membership for a mail ballot.
1. Awards made by The Society are governed by the By-Laws appended to the Constitution and, apart from clause 2 of this section, may be altered by resolution of the Executive.
2. The President shall have the power of veto over any Award.
1. In addition to the Executive, there shall be the following Standing Committees:
2. Elections Committee.
The Elections Committee shall consist of a Chairperson and two other members from different institutions appointed by the Executive to serve for three years. Members of the Elections Committee may not be candidates in the elections as Officers of the SOCIETY. The Elections Committee shall conduct all elections and mail ballots of the SOCIETY. Mail ballots may include use of electronic mail.
3. Awards Committees.
There shall be a Committee responsible for each of the Awards of the Society. The Committees, appointment to Awards Committees and responsibilities of the Awards Committees are provided in the By-Laws.
a) No member any of the Awards Committees may be a candidate for any Award of the SOCIETY for which their particular Committee is responsible.
b) Office Bearers of the Society may not be candidates for any Award of the SOCIETY throughout the duration of their appointments.
1. Nominations for all positions of Office Bearers shall be made by the Executive that shall have regard to geographical and international distribution of nominees. Nominations may also be made by at least ten paid-up members of the Society, in writing to the Secretary, and received by a date specified with appropriate notice in the official Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY. Where there are one or more nominations for any position, the Elections Committee shall conduct the election according to the provisions following in clauses 2 and 3. The Members may vote on ballot papers distributed to them by the Secretary. The ballot papers shall be returned to the Office of the SOCIETY in signed, sealed envelopes by mail. Mail ballots must be received prior to a date specified by the Secretary after consultation with the Elections Committee. Alternatively, Members may vote using electronic mail and should send their vote directly to the Chair of the Elections Committee by the closing date for the election.
2. On receipt of all the ballots for an election, the Secretary shall turn over the ballots to the Elections Committee, which shall open the ballots, tally the votes, including those communicated by electronic mail, and prepare a report of the election, which shall be circulated to members of the SOCIETY.
3. Elections will be held every three years. In the event that an Office of the Society becomes vacant due to any cause, the Executive shall be responsible to find a replacement for the position who shall serve until the next normal election for that position.
1. Fees. The fees (annual subscriptions) for the various membership categories of the SOCIETY shall be determined by the Executive except that proposed increases of more than 20% shall be put to a ballot of all Members 12 months in advance. Members may vote on ballot papers distributed to them by the Treasurer or by e-mail. The ballot papers shall be returned to the Office of the SOCIETY in signed, sealed envelopes by mail by the closing date. Those members who wish to vote using electronic mail may do so by sending their vote to the Office of the SOCIETY by the closing date for the ballot.
2. Waiver of Fees. The Treasurer may waive the membership fee of a Member for good reason. If because of currency restrictions in a Member's country, Members may have the alternative option to pay their dues in the currency of their country or region to a Regional Treasurer in that country or region who has been appointed by the SOCIETY.
3. Non-payment of Fees. A Member who has not paid the appropriate membership fee by three months after the expiration of the membership period shall be sent a notice of pending termination of membership. If the fee has not been paid by six months after the expiration of the membership period, that person shall cease to be a Member of the SOCIETY. The official Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY will continue to be sent, or be available electronically, for a period of 12 months whilst efforts are made by the Treasurer to encourage the person to reinstate their membership and to pay any outstanding fees.
4. All members of the Society in developed countries shall pay the standard
membership fee (or its local equivalent) per annum. The Treasurer is empowered
to set lower levels of fees from those countries or regions for which payment
of the full membership fee would cause undue hardship to Members upon application
from an appropriate group of Members or intending Members. Members in countries
or regions who benefit from this arrangement will receive the full privileges
of membership notwithstanding. It will be the responsibility of the Executive
to monitor the situation from time-to-time and to pursue the long-term
aim for all members to pay the full fee.
1. Incorporation. The Council may arrange for the SOCIETY to be incorporated in a particular country or state, if it is deemed advantageous to do so. If, for the purposes of incorporation, the SOCIETY requires a Board of Directors or Trustees, then the members of the Executive shall be the Directors or Trustees.
2. Office of the SOCIETY. The Office of the SOCIETY shall be established at an address determined by the Executive.
3. The Financial Year of the SOCIETY shall be the same as the calendar year.
4. Audit. The accounts of the SOCIETY shall be reviewed annually by appropriate independent professionals. A report shall be presented to the Council and reported to the membership in the official Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY.
5. Divisions. The Executive may approve the formation of Divisions to encompass specialised areas of scientific interest within the EPR field, and shall determine the conditions of operation of such Divisions.
6. Affiliations. The SOCIETY may maintain affiliations with other appropriate organisations as determined by the Executive and governed by Article XI.
7. Amendments. Any provision in the constitution may be amended, or repealed by two-thirds majority of the Members casting ballots in a mail ballot (which may include electronic mail).
8. By-Laws. By-Laws, which define procedures that may be required but which are distinct from the Constitution, may, from time to time, be changed or established by five members of The Executive voting in favour.
9. Dissolution. The SOCIETY may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of those Members casting ballots in a mail ballot (which may include electronic mail). The assets of the SOCIETY will be distributed in a manner determined by the Executive and in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation, in a manner that is consistent with the non-profit status of the SOCIETY.
1. Affiliation to The International EPR(ESR) Society can be applied for by any local EPR/ESR Society already in existence or which is about to be formed.
2. In any affiliation The International EPR(ESR) Society remains the sovereign Society, and the affiliated Society shall be subject to all of its rules and By-Laws. It may, if so wished, establish further rules of its own.
3. The object of affiliation is to allow local societies to benefit from being associated with the world-wide EPR/ESR community represented by The International EPR(ESR) Society, and from its contacts, publications, publicity and advertisements.
4. The role of the affiliated society is to extend the influence and availability throughout the world of The International EPR(ESR) Society, and to provide those services most appropriate to the local membership, for example in helping to arrange Conferences and Summer Schools.
5. In accepting affiliated societies, The International EPR(ESR) Society shall be mindful of their possible impact on similar societies already established in the same general area of the world. No Society will be accepted as an Affiliated Society which might affect the well-being of pre-existing Affiliated Societies, or the interests, including financial interests, of The International EPR(ESR) Society itself.
6. The decision as to whether to apply for affiliation must be made by the local Society under its own rules and regulations.
7. The local Society will normally be responsible for the dissemination of information concerning The International EPR(ESR) Society to its members and for facilitating communications of individual members with The International EPR(ESR) Society.
8. To be accepted as an Affiliated Society, at least one half of the members of the local society should be belong to The International EPR(ESR) Society. However, membership of a local Society by an individual is not a prerequisite for membership of The International EPR(ESR) Society.
9. Each Affiliated Society is required to provide a local Treasurer responsible for collecting the dues from its members in local currency and transferring the total in a single currency exchange at least once a year to the Treasurer of the International EPR Society.
10. All publicity for Conferences, Summer Schools or other activities arranged locally will be published free of charge in the Official Bulletin or Newsletter of The International EPR(ESR) Society.
11. The International EPR(ESR) Society will be pleased to allow its name to be used in assisting the organisation and funding for such meetings. Direct financial support will not be available from the IES The International EPR(ESR) Society. The organisers will be able to request information from The International EPR(ESR) Society database to aid in the arranging and advertising such meetings.
- - - - - End of Constitution - - - - -
Awards
1. A Gold Medal shall be awarded, normally annually, for distinguished contributions to EPR (ESR) Spectroscopy.
2. Four Silver Medals shall awarded, normally annually, for significant contributions to EPR (ESR) Spectroscopy in the areas of Biology/Biomedicine, Chemistry, Physics/Materials Science and Instrumentation.
3. A Young Investigator Award shall be made, normally annually, for outstanding contributions to EPR (ESR) Spectroscopy by a young scientist in any of the categories listed in clause 2. Nominees should be under the age of 35 years and will ordinarily be at the post-doctoral level. Only in exceptional circumstances will either doctoral candidates or junior faculty members be considered for this Award.
4. Fellowship of the Society may be conferred on individuals who have made influential and distinguished contributions to the practice of EPR (ESR) Spectroscopy and its welfare over a long period.
5. All nominations are to be sent to the President.
6. The President, the Vice-Presidents and the Immediate Past President shall together be responsible for preliminary vetting of nominations, to ensure that inappropriate nominations are not pursued and that overlap between medal categories is dealt with before forwarding nominations to the separate Awards Committees.
7. Nominations shall be be invited from all IES Members via the official Bulletin or Newsletter of the SOCIETY.
8. Nominations may also be sought by the Executive from one or more kindred Societies as determined from time to time.
9. All nominations must be accompanied by a 100-150 word citation in support of the nomination and, in the case of the Young Investigator Award, nominees will be asked to provided copies of two recent published papers which in their judgement represents their best work.
10. No Award Committee Member may vote on the nomination of a collaborator or member of their own research team. Appointment to Awards Committees is governed by Article VII, Sec. 4.
11. The Executive may, at its discretion, liaise with other Award Committees and communicate, in confidence, names of those under consideration for the IES Gold Medal award in any year.
It is noted that these By-Laws are subject to Article VI Sec. 2 which states "The President shall have the power of veto over any Award".
Awards Committees
1. Committees for Silver Medal Awards, each consisting of a Chairperson, and three other members, shall be appointed by the Executive.
2. The Gold Medal Award Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, to be appointed by the Executive, and the Chairpersons of the Silver Medal Award Committees as ordinary members.
3. Membership of all Awards Committees shall be for a period of three years. In the case of Silver Medal Committees, terms of office will be staggered to ensure turnover of one ordinary position every year. It shall be the responsibility of the Secretary to advise members of Awards Committees as to their terms of office.
4. Members of all the above Awards Committees may be re-appointed for only one additional three-year term.
5. The Committee responsible for the Young Investigator Award and the
appointment of Fellows of the Society shall consist of The President, the
Vice-Presidents and the Immediate Past President.
Please record my vote regarding adoption of the Revised Constitution as published in the EPR Newsletter, Volume 10 No. 2 as the Constitution of the International EPR Society.
NOTE:
A vote in favour supported by two thirds of those members who cast a vote will enable the Society to operate in accordance with its rules.
A vote against by more than one third of members who cast a vote will put the Officers of the Society in an unenviable position that would make it impossible to carry out many of the functions of the Society in accordance with the rules.
I AM IN FAVOUR OF THE REVISED CONSTITUTION:Name & Address:
Post airmail by 30 September, 1999 or FAX to Ms. Becky Gallivan, IERC, University of Illinois at Urbana, 190 MSB, 506 South Matthews, Urbana IL 61801, USA; Fax: 1-217-333-8868.
Signed:
Date:
OR
If you wish to vote by email, send your message to ierc@uiuc.edu, attention
Ms Becky Gallivan. Your e-mail message must contain the same information
as on the voting paper - your YES or NO must be clearly stated and your
name and affiliation must be provided.
Ballot for the Election of New IES Officers
The election of its major Officers is an important occasion in the life of the Society, for the responsibility to maintain and develop it will be primarily theirs during the next three years. The President, the Chairman of the Nominations Committee and the Editor of the Newsletter have requested nominations through the pages of the Newsletter over the past few editions, and the Nominating Committee is now able to make its recommendations for the new officers, which are given below.
Please Vote for One Person for Each Office
President: John R. Pilbrow, Monash Univ., Australia
Or Write in:
Vice President:
Hiroaki Ohya-Nishiguchi, Yamagata Technopolis Foundation, Japan
Or Write in:Secretary: Haim Levanon, Hebrew Univ., Jerusalem, Israel
Or Write in:Treasurer: Chris Felix, Medical College of Wisconsin, USA
Or Write in:
After completing ballot, return it by 30 September 1999 to :
IERC
Room 190 Medical Sciences Building
506 South Mathews Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801
USA
or you may fax it to the IERC at: 1-217-333-8868