The Constitution.The Loess Focus Group was founded in 1961 as the Loess Sub-commission of the International Union for Quaternary Research and its name was changed to the Loess and Pedostratigraphy Working Group (LPWG) in 2021.
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CONSTITUTION OF THE LOESS AND PEDOSTRATIGRAPHY WORKING GROUP
1. Name
1.1 The name of the organisation shall be the Loess and Pedostratigraphy Working Group and will hereinafter be referred to as “the Group” or “LPWG”. 1.2 The Group is affiliated with the International Union for Quaternary Research, hereinafter referred to as “INQUA”, through the Stratigraphy and Geochronology Commission hereinafter referred to as “SACCOM”. 1.3. The affairs of the Group shall be managed by an executive committee, hereinafter referred to as “the Committee”. 2. Aims 2.1. The aims of the Group shall be to advance the study and understanding of global loess and palaeosol deposits by: ● holding public meetings, conferences, seminars, fieldtrips, and workshops; ● representing the interest and promoting the study and understanding of loess and palaeosol deposits nationally and internationally; ● liaising with INQUA in terms of representing the interests of loess and palaeosol research internationally; ● publishing papers and other communications in such a way as may be found most convenient; ● encouraging research and teaching in loess and palaeosol research; ● such other means as the Committee may think desirable. 3. Membership 3.1. Membership of the Group shall be open to all interested in furthering the objectives of the Group. 3.2. Any member who shall, in the opinion of the Committee, be acting or have acted inconsistently with the objectives of the Group or have been found in breach of the Code of Conduct may be suspended until the next General Meeting or have their membership from the Group revoked by resolution of a simple majority of the Committee. 3.3. If a relevant member is also a member of the Committee the member shall not be entitled to vote in the decision in relation to their proposed suspension or termination pursuant to regulation [3.2] above. 4. Equal Opportunities Policy 4.1. The Group will ensure that resources and support is available to all members and that no member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, disability, marital status, creed, social class, ethnicity, age or sexual orientation or is disadvantaged by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be relevant. 5. General Meetings and Special General Meetings 5.1. A meeting of the LPWG (“General Meeting”) will coincide with the INQUA Congress and LPWG’s Scientific “Loessfest” meetings. All members of the Group will be eligible to attend. 5.2. The secretary shall make all arrangements for the general organisation and conduct of meetings. 5.3. At least six months notice of the General Meeting shall be given to Group members. The quorum for the General Meeting shall be two thirds. 5.4. All meetings shall be chaired by the president, or in their absence one of the vice-presidents, or if they are also absent, the secretary. 5.5. The General Meeting shall: ● Receive a report on the activities of the Group; ● Elect officers during the INQUA meetings, to manage the affairs of the Group according to the guidelines stipulated above; ● Receive plans and proposals concerning future activities and governance of the Group. 5.6. All proposals and decisions shall be subject to approval by the members and contested issues shall be resolved by vote of members attending the General Meeting. 5.7. The secretary shall arrange for the minutes of the proceedings of the General Meetings and any specific General Meeting to be recorded. 5.8. Meetings may be convened to determine specific issues as required by this Constitution at any time (“Special General Meetings”) on giving not less than 6 months’ notice to Group members. Special General Meetings shall otherwise be held in accordance with the procedures for General Meetings set about above. 6. Management 6.1. The Committee shall include the following officers: A president, three regional vice-presidents, a secretary, and three early career research (“ECR”) members. All officers will hold office for up to four years. The president serves only one term, and the new president will be elected from among the current vice-presidents. 6.2. Both regional vice-presidents and ECR members will be elected from different geographical regions to ensure that loess regions, matters and issues are well represented at the Committee meetings. 6.3. Officers are eligible for election as members of the Committee on completion of their term(s) of office. Members except the president shall be eligible for re-election, but may not serve more than two consecutive four year terms. 6.4. The Group shall agree formal representation on the committees of appropriate scientific organisations, such as INQUA, or other relevant organisations. 6.5. Other Committee posts which may be required and determined from time to time will be created and filled at the discretion of the president. 6.6. A member of the Committee shall cease to hold office if they: ● Become incapable, by reason of mental or physical illness or injury, of managing and administering their own affairs, determined by an independent medical authority; ● Are absent without the authorisation of the Committee from all their meetings held within a period of one year and the Committee resolve that his or her office be vacated; or ● Notify the Committee of their wish to resign. 7. Election of the Committee 7.1. Elections will take place online prior to the General Meeting held at INQUA. 7.2. The outgoing president(s), secretary, and ECR representatives shall act as returning officers to oversee the elections. 7.3. New members of the Committee shall be elected by ballot. Members of the Group may submit applications to the current Committee during the six months prior to the relevant General Meeting providing that each application is supported by at least two members of not less than one year's standing. 7.4. Candidates’ applications will be circulated via newsletter and published online a month prior to the vote. All votes shall be held under secret ballot administered by the returning officers. 7.5. There will be no casting vote: in the event of a tie between the final two candidates for a post, votes will be re-cast. 7.6. If during the period between elections any vacancies arise in the members of Committee, the Committee shall have the power to fill the vacancy or vacancies until the election of next year’s Committee by co-optation. 7.7. Upon election into office each Committee member must sign a declaration agreeing to abide by and enforce the Constitution and the Code of Conduct and stating that they are aware of the responsibilities of the office that they hold. 8. Roles of the Committee 8.1. The president shall: ● Liaise with relevant INQUA and SACCOM bodies and represent the interests of the Group. ● Bear overall responsibility for operations of the Group but they shall consult the Committee on all matters of general policy; ● Chair all meetings of the Committee, General Meetings of the Group and arrange for appropriate representation when this is not possible; and ● Decide on the location and date for the next General Meeting. 8.2. The regional vice-president shall: ● Be the representative for loess matters in their geographical region (and adjacent areas if not covered by the other regional vice-presidents); and ● Be responsible for the meetings taking place in their region. ● Support the President in his duties as required. 8.3. The Secretary shall: ● Maintain a register of the members of the Group; ● Give notice of meetings of the members and the Committee; ● Draw up the agenda for and minutes of those meetings; ● Produce and maintain regular newsletters; ● Operate and update the Group’s web page; ● Maintain and update the Constitution, Code of Conduct, and By-laws; ● Other duties as agreed with the Committee. 8.4. The Early Career Representatives (graduate and postgraduate researchers within 8 years of receiving their last degree) shall: ● Be the representatives for ECR loess matters in their geographical region (and adjacent areas if not covered by the other Regional Vice-President). ● Liaise with ECR members of the community in their respective regions and report to the Committee. ● Support the ECR members of the Group. 9. Committee Meetings 9.1. Committee meetings may only be called by the president or secretary, and will occur biannually. 9.2. If half or more Committee officers request, in writing, that a meeting be called, the president, or in the event of the president’s absence, the secretary, shall call the requested meeting. 9.3. At least one week’s notice must be given of an upcoming Committee meeting, and the agenda for the meeting shall be circulated at least 48 hours in advance of the time of the meeting. 9.4. The quorum for a Committee meeting shall be four members of the Committee and shall include at least one of the president, vice-president, or secretary. 9.5. A Committee meeting must be chaired by the president, or a vice-president. 9.6. Committee decisions shall be taken by vote, whereby: ● Each Committee officer has one vote at Committee meetings; and ● Voting is by simple majority. If there is a tied vote then the chair shall have the casting vote. 9.7. The minutes of the Committee meeting must be taken by the secretary, or by a Committee officer designated by the Committee. The secretary or Committee officer taking the minutes must circulate them to the Committee within a week of the meeting. 10. Alteration of the Constitution, By-Laws, and Code of Conduct 10.1. The Constitution, By-Laws, and Code of Conduct shall not be altered, amended or rescinded except by a special motion during a General Meeting (“Special Motion”). 10.2. In order to pass a Special Motion shall require a two-thirds majority vote. 11. Dissolution of the Group 11.1. The Group can only be dissolved through the following procedures: ● A motion of dissolution of the Group, together with a full explanation of the reasons and letters of support from at least twelve members of the Group, should be submitted to the Secretary; ● The secretary of the Group shall convene a Special General Meeting of the Group to consider the motion. ● If the SGM finds the case to merit a fuller consideration by the membership, a ballot (electronic) will be arranged for a vote on the motion. A two-thirds majority of the voting members will be required to proceed to dissolution. |