Model Constitution for ISCA SIGs

This model follows from the ISCA by-laws on SIGs. It is intended to cover the main requirements, without being too heavy-handed, and may be modified to suit the circumstances of any individual SIG. However, each SIG's constitution must be approved by the ISCA Board, as part of the general process of acceptance for a SIG.

CONSTITUTION OF THE ISCA SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP ON TOPIC / REGIONAL BRANCH FOR REGION

1. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (for Special Interest Groups on TOPIC)

   The purpose of the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) Special Interest Group on TOPIC (the SIG) shall be to promote interest in TOPIC; to provide members of ISCA with a special interest in TOPIC with a means of exchanging news of recent research developments and other matters of interest in TOPIC; to sponsor meetings and workshops in TOPIC that appear to be timely and worthwile, operating within the framework of ISCA's by-laws for SIGs; and to provide and make available resources relevant to TOPIC, including text and speech corpora, analysis tools, analysis and generation software, research papers and generated data.

   STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (for Regional Branches)

   The purpose of the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA) Regional Branch for REGION (the RB) shall be to promote interest in Speech Communication in that particular region; to provide members of ISCA in REGIONwith a means of exchanging news of recent research developments and other matters of interest in Speech Communication; to sponsor meetings and workshops in Speech Communication that appear to be timely and worthwile, operating within the framework of ISCA's by-laws for SIGs; and to provide and make available resources relevant to Speech Communication, including text and speech corpora, analysis tools, analysis and generation software, research papers and generated data.

   (Replace SIG with RB in the following articles)

   
   

2. ELECTED OFFICERS

   The elected officers of the SIG shall consist of a Chairperson, a Secretary and [any such other officers as the organizers of the group may deem advisable to carry out the duties of the organization - fill in specifics here]. The Chairperson and Secretary shall be members in good standing of ISCA.

   The term of all elected officers of the SIG shall be two years. They can be re-elected but consecutive appointments are limited to four successive terms.

   The duties of the Chairperson shall be:

   • to have primary executive authority over actions and activities of the SIG;
   • to prepare an annual written report on the activities of the SIG for the ISCA Board before July 1st each year;
   • to designate a Liaison Representative for the SIG.

   The duties of the Secretary shall be:

   • to maintain a membership list of the SIG;
   • to be responsible for any funds awarded to the SIG by the ISCA Board;
   • to collect and manage any dues that may be required by the organization;
   • to present a written annual report on the SIG finances to the ISCA Board.

   The Liaison Representative shall be primarily responsible for communication with members of the SIG, answering enquiries about the SIG, and communication with the ISCA Board.

   
   

3. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

   All officers of the SIG shall be elected by a vote of the membership. The vote shall take place at least [time period] before the expiration of the terms of the officers to be elected, with at least 4 weeks notice of nominations to SIG members.

   In the event of a casual vacancy, an extraordinary election shall be held for an officer to complete the current term of office. Candidates must be nominated by two members, must accept nomination, and must be members in good standing of ISCA.

   Votes may be entered by electronic or physical mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Chairperson and agreed to by all candidates. Nominations shall be called at least three months prior to the election, and shall close two months prior to the election. All members shall be notified of the election date and the nominations at least four weeks prior to the close of voting, and results shall be notified to the members within four weeks of the close of voting.

   Notification shall signify dispatch of mail by the medium and to the address last notified to the secretary.

   [Each SIG can establish procedures for conducting elections, subject to approval by the executive committee. The main idea is to come up with something definite that is fair, reaches all the members, and is reasonably easy to administer, and to write it down here.]

   
   

4. DUES

   [Not all SIGs may want to charge them. However, if it is desired that the SIG produce mailings, a newsletter, etc. it may be necessary to charge some amount to defray expenses.]

   Subject to the approval of the ISCA Board the SIG may levy annual membership dues, where the rate is determined by [state the means here: small SIGs may make this a matter for their Chairperson and Secretary, others may want to put it to a vote; there is flexibility here].

   
   

5. REFERENDA

   A change to this constitution, or a motion on any other matter, may be initiated by five members (petitioners) in writing or by agreement of the Chairperson, and Secretary (on the suggestion of a member or otherwise). The motions will be put to the members within six months of receipt of a petition, if the petitioners so request. Otherwise, constitutional amendments and other motions will be put to the vote in conjunction with the regular elections.

   Members will be given notification at least three months in advance of any referendum, and further motions or amendments proposed by two members shall be accepted up to two months before the close of voting. Votes may be entered by electronic or physical mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Chairperson and agreed to by all petitioners. All members shall be notified of the date of the referendum and the proposed motions and amendments at least four weeks prior to the close of voting, and results shall be notified to the members within four weeks of the close of voting.

   Any change to this constitution requires a two-thirds majority of those eligible to vote and is subject to approval by the ISCA Board. Any other matter requires a simple majority of those actually voting.

   Notification shall signify dispatch of mail by the medium and to the address last notified to the secretary.

   
   

6. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

   In providing and making available any resources as defined in Clause I, and especially any held and distributed electronically, the SIG shall follow proper procedures with respect to matters like copyright, registration and data protection as is appropriate to each case. Furthermore, where the SIG may be deemed the proprietor of a resource, as the SIG is a subordinate body of ISCA it is understood that ISCA is ultimate proprietor and therefore other members of ISCA who are not members of the SIG may have access to the SIG's resources and the ISCA Board may itself make available such resources even to non-members. The SIG shall not enter into any formal or potentially legally binding contracts without the approval of the ISCA Board (or the ISCA Treasurer acting under delegated powers). The SIG shall not enter into any financial commitments for such resources without ensuring that the moneys required are available.