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PROPOSED DRAFT OF BY-LAWS OF THE ISCSC,
(currently under discussion)

ARTICLE I

NAME: According to the Constitution -- the name of the organization is:
The International Association for the Comparative Study of Civilization (ISCSC), which is an independent nonprofit organization.

ARTICLE II

MISSION AND AIMS:
The MISSION and AIMS of The International Association for the Comparative Study of Civilization shall be:

  1. Mission: To provide means of cooperation among all persons interested in the advancement of the comparative study of civilizations.
  2. Creed: Civilizations matter.
  3. Goal: To achieve scholar recognition as the primary source of knowledge and wisdom on the comparative study of civilization.
  4. Strategy: Organizing annual international conferences with scholar leaders of the comparative study of civilization and publishing Comparative Civilization Review, Conference Proceedings & Civilization Book Series.

ARTICLE III

CODE OF ETHICS
The members of this Society pledge themselves by virtue of their membership to:

  1. Assume the responsibility for conduct and behavior designed to serve the cause of truth and justice.
  2. Maintain the highest standards of professional, moral and ethical conduct,
  3. Respect the inherent dignity of mankind and deal justly, fairly and objectively with each individual;
  4. Hold themselves apart from influences intended to benefit their political, personal or financial well-being while influencing their professional judgments.
  5. Support the mission and aims and efforts of this Society.

ARTICLE IV
MEMBERSHIP

1. There shall be five (4) classes of membership: MEMBER, HONORARY, LIFE AND INSTITUTIONAL.

  1. Member: Any member in good standing, who supports the Society’s mission, aims, and pays dues.
  2. Honorary: Those persons who shall have been nominated by a vote of the Advisory Council as having made a significant and outstanding contribution to the Society. Honorary members shall be eligible to attend and participate in all activities of the Society at no cost of registration.
  3. Life: members who;
    1. By reason of retirement, health or personal finances would have to sever their association with the Society, solely because of the inability to pay dues and assessments, may be granted Life membership in the Society.
    2. A Member who has been a Member in good standing continuously for twenty five (25) years may be granted Life membership.
    3. This class of membership is based upon nomination by a majority vote of the Advisory Council.
    4. Life members shall be exempt from all dues and assessments of the Society and shall retain all the rights of Members.
  4. Institutional: members which support the Society’s mission and aims and provide financial support for the Society’s activities.

2. Termination of Membership

Membership may be terminated for conduct which tends to injure the Society, affects adversely its reputation, or which is contrary to or destructive of its objectives. The processing of actions to terminate the membership of a member shall be as follows.

  1. Allegations of injurious conduct shall be submitted in writing (four copies) to the President of the Society. The President wil1 review the complaint and forward the matter to the Chairman of the Committee on Standards and Ethics.  That committee will conduct the necessary investigation of the allegations and shall determine whether the matter should be dismissed or whether the results of the investigation should be presented to the Executive Council for their review and necessary action. No investigation shall be conducted without the knowledge of the member, and all investigations with appropriate material and recommendations shall be submitted to the Executive Council review. If the complaint is against the Chairman of the Committee on Standards and Ethics, the President will then appoint an alternate Chairman of the Committee while the matter is under investigation and/or review.
  2. In all cases the Standards and Ethics committee shall recommend action only after the member has been informed of the nature of the allegations against him/her and has been afforded the opportunity for a hearing before the Standards and Ethics Committee.

ARTICLE: V
OFFICERS

The officers of the Association shall be President, Vice-President-Programming and Organization, Vice-President-International Development, Treasurer, Editors.. The Officers shall be nominated by the Advisory Council and elected by a majority vote at the Annual General Meeting of the Society. Officers may succeed themselves for not more than one additional 3-year term in the same office position.

1. President:
The President shall be elected for a term of three years and shall be the presiding chairman at all official meetings of the Society. He/she shall have general supervision over the affairs and administration of the Society and of the duties performed by other elected officers and appointees.

  1. He/she shall perform such other duties as the Chairman of the Executive Council, or as may be provided by the Constitution and By-Laws. He/she shall represent the Society at official functions and have the authority to designate one of the Vice-Presidents or any other member to act in his/her behalf should the President be unable to be present. He/she shall call special meetings of the Society or of the Executive Council when required to do so by a majority of the Executive Council, or upon written request by one-half of the voting members in good standing in the Society.
  2. He/she shall designate all committees and shall appoint all committee chairmen..
  3. The out-going President shall assume the title of Past-President and shall be a member of the Executive Council for a period of one year.
  4. Past President automatically becomes a member of the Advisory Council.

2. Vice-Presidents:

The Vice-President for Programming and Organization and the Vice-President for International Development shall be elected for a term of three years. The President for Programming and Organization will perform the duties of the President in the President's absence and any other duties requested of them by the President.

3. Vice-President for Programming and Organization:

It will be the duty of this Vice-President to:

  1. Maintain the proper order (including archives) of all resolutions, minutes and proceedings of the Society and of the Councils and Committees.
  2. Conduct correspondence relating to the Society and issue notices of all meetings of the Society.
  3. Keep a current record of the membership and shall perform all duties pertaining to his/her office.
  4. Publish annually a roster of the membership, which shall include the last known address and type of membership held.
  5. Plan and execute the Society’s annual meetings and associated with it coordination activities.
  6. Secure the distribution of the Society’s publications (hard & digital copies) and communiqués to members, libraries, organizations, governments.
  7. Perform other appropriate duties.

4. Vice-President for International Development:

It will be the duty of this Vice-President to:

  1. Promote the Society’s activities among international academic centers, non-governmental organizations, and other associations sharing the same interest with the Society.
  2. Conduct appropriate correspondence and communication contacts, which lead to the growth of membership, participation at the Society’s annual conferences, research and publications.
  3. Perform other appropriate duties.

5. Treasurer:

The Treasurer shall be nominated by the President for a three-year term.

  1. The Treasurer shall be custodian of all funds and securities of the Society, and shall promptly deposit all funds in designated banks.
  2. He/she shall act as financial advisor to the President and Executive Council on all budgetary matters and problems of finance.
  3. He/she shall keep accurate records of receipts and disbursements and shall pay all bills promptly.
  4. His/her records shall be made available upon request of the Audit Committee and shall be audited by them annually, prior to the annual meeting of the Society.
  5. He/she shall make a report to the membership at each regular meeting of the Executive Council and when it is requested by the President to do so.

6. Death or Resignation of Officers:

  1. In the event of death or resignation of any officer of the Society, the President with the consent of a majority of the Executive Committee shall be empowered to select a Member in good standing to serve the unexpired term of the deceased or resigning officer.
  2. In the event of the death or resignation of the President - a Vice President, who has been appointed by the Executive Council, shall perform the duties of the President until the next annual election. If either Vice-President is deceased or resigns. The Board of Directors, by majority vote, will appoint an acting Vice-President for the unexpired term.

7. Editors:

The Editors of the Society’s publications shall be nominated by the Advisory Council and accepted by the Executive Council for five (5) year terms, which can be renewed.

ARTICLE VI
ADVISORY COUNCIL

  1. The Advisory Council will consist of the Past-Presidents. The last-president shall serve as Chairman of the Advisory Council. If he/she cannot do it, then he/she may ask other past-president to serve as a Chairman. A secretary of the Advisory Council will be elected from the members of this Council.
  2. The Advisory Council shall meet at least once in conjunction with each regularly scheduled annual meeting of the Society. Not less than five (3) members constitute a quorum of the Advisory Council.
  3. The Advisory Council shall be the responsible body for the evaluation of the Society’s activities (as the Auditing Committee) and inspiration of the Society’s directions and activities.
  4. The Advisory Council will be responsible for the nomination of

    1. Honorary and Life members of the Society
    2. President and Vice-Presidents of the Society
    3. Editors of the Society
    4. Members of the Civilization Hall of Fame

The nominees shall be voted by the Executive Council.

ARTlCLE VII
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

  1. The Executive Council will consist of the President, two (2) Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and Editors, immediate Past President and nine (9) elected Members from the membership during the Annual General Meeting of the Society if their three (3) year term expiries. The Executive Council shall have no more than fifteen (15) members and the President. The President shall serve as Chairman of the Executive Committee. A secretary of the Executive Committee will be elected from the group of members of the Executive Council.
  2. The Executive Council shall meet at least once in conjunction with each regularly scheduled annual business meeting and shall meet at such other times and places as may be necessary on call of the Chairman of the Executive Committee. Not less than five (5) members constitute a quorum of the Executive Council.
  3. The Executive Council shall be the governing body of the Society and have general supervision of its business and interest, and may direct, confirm, revise, or repeal the action of the President or any officer.
  4. In the interval between regular business meetings of the Society, the Executive Council shall have authority to take such actions as are necessary for the conduct of the Society's By-Laws.
  5. The Executive Council shall make a report of its transactions at the Society’s Annual General Meeting or at any other regularly scheduled meeting when deemed appropriate.

ARTICLE VIII
STANDING COMMITTEES

The following standing committees shall be designated annually by the newly elected President. The President shall appoint the Chairman of each committee. Chairman of Committees will serve for one year. They may succeed themselves for one additional year upon approval of the newly elected President.

A. Program Committee:

  1. Shall consist of at least one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of the Membership Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall plan annual meetings of the Society in terms of its academic programs.
  3. Shall evaluate papers/presentations submissions to annual conferences.
  4. Shall supervise and edit the Society’s website.

B. Membership Committee:

  1. Shall consist of at least one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of the Membership Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall perform investigations as may be required at their discretion to determine the eligibility of membership of all applicants.
  3. Shall plan undertakings leading to the growth and retention of membership.
  4. Shall present its nomination for admissions to the membership during the business meeting at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Society.

C. Ethics Committee:

  1. Shall consist of one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of the Committee on Ethics. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties. This Committee shall devise and hold under continuing review the development of a Code of Ethics.
  2. The Chairman of this Committee will receive from the President all written complaints, charges of allegations which have been levied against the Society’s members. It is the responsibility of this Committee to expeditiously, fairly and impartially undertake necessary investigative actions in order to prove or disprove the charges, complaints or allegations.
  3. The Committee's findings and recommendations will, in turn, be reviewed by the Executive Council, which will make a determination regarding appropriate actions. The Ethics Committee is not authorized to receive or act upon any complaint, charge or allegation which the complainant has not submitted in writing.

D. Auditing Committee:

This Committee’s charge will be carry-out by the Advisory Council. Additional audits may be made at the discretion of the President. The Chairman of Advisory Council shall immediately inform the Executive Council of any discrepancies found during any audit.

E. Means and Ways Committee:

  1. Shall consist of one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of this Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall devise and hold under continuing review the means and ways of the Society leading to its success.
  3. Shall initiate appropriate action towards to better ways of carrying the Society’s mission and aims.

F. Communication Committee:

  1. Shall consist of one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of this Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall edit the Society’s newsletter and secure its distribution to the members and public in agreement with the indicated officers of the Society.
  3. Shall secure and supervise the Society’s technique of Face-To-Face (FTF) and Computer-Mediated-Communication (CMC).
  4. Shall carry-out other duties relevant to the Society’s communication needs.

G. Local Committee:

  1. Shall consist of at least one (1) Member in good standing who shall be the Chairman of this Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall plan and execute local arrangements of the Society’s annual meetings in terms of its logistics and information handlings.
  3. Shall collaborate with the Program Committee in the scope of the conferences business.
  4. Shall perform other activities appropriate for the success of the Society’s annual conference.

H. Constitution and By-Laws Revision Committee:

  1. Shall consist of one (1) Member in good standing. who shall be the Chairman of this Committee. The Chairman may appoint the number of members necessary to enable him/her to perform his/her duties.
  2. Shall be the responsible to assure that the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society are kept up to date by making changes, revisions or amendments when necessary and presenting them to the membership to vote on.
  3. At the direction of the President and the Executive Board, will consider written proposals for revisions changes and amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws from the members of the association.

ARTICLE IX
AMENDMENTS

A. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a favorable vote of the majority of the membership present and voting at a regularly scheduled business meeting of the Society.

B. The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended by a mail ballot upon a majority vote of voting members responding provided that the proposed amendment has been circulated in writing to the voting membership at least thirty (30) days prior to the designated date of the mail vote.

C. Amendments shall take effect immediately when approved unless otherwise stated in the amendment.

ARTICLE X
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The Parliamentary Authority for the Society shall be Robert's Rules of Order (revised) in all instances not covered by the Constitution and By-Laws.

APPENDIX 1

  
 
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