Published in Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 119(1-4), 2-6 (2006).

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of the organisation is the International Solid State Dosimetry Organisation.

The organisation shall be hereinafter referred to in this document as ‘ISSDO’.

ARTICLE II: AIMS AND PURPOSES

The ISSDO shall operate solely and exclusively as a non-profit organisation with the aims of promoting, assisting in the organisation of, and ensuring the continuity of the triennial conference known as ‘The nth International Solid State Dosimetry Conference’, referred to hereinafter as the ‘Conference’. The purpose of the Conference is to provide a forum for the discussion of issues relating to solid state dosimetry. Training courses, such as a ‘Summer School’, may be included in the Conference-related activities.

The ISSDO shall achieve these aims by ensuring financial security for the Conference by underwriting the Conference to within preset limits in the event of financial loss by the Conference, selecting the venue of each Conference, providing Start-Up Funds and Support Funds for the Local Organising Committee for each Conference if requested, providing additional assistance, where possible, as requested by the Local Organising Committee of each Conference, selecting the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee for each Conference and selecting the mode of publication, the refereeing standards and the publishers, of the Proceedings of each Conference.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

Membership enumerated and terms of office

Definition: ‘One term’ is the period between the last day of one Conference to the next-to-last day of the next Conference, inclusive.

The ISSDO shall consist of four (4) Executive Officers (the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson, the Treasurer and the Secretary), a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of twenty-two (22) Members-at-Large, and the Immediate-Past-Chairperson (IPC). The ISSDO shall make every reasonable effort to maintain a maximum membership of 22 Members-at-Large.

The Chairperson shall serve in this capacity for one (1) term only at the end of which he/she will become the IPC.

The Vice-Chairperson shall serve in this capacity for one (1) term only, at the end of which he/she automatically becomes the Chairperson. Since the Vice-Chairperson will be selected from the Membership-at-Large and may have already served one or two terms in that capacity, the Vice-Chairperson/Chairperson/Immediate-Past-Chairperson is allowed to serve five (5) consecutive terms in the ISSDO (i.e. 2 as a Member-at-Large, 1 as Vice-Chairperson, 1 as Chairperson, and 1 as Immediate-Past-Chairperson).

The Treasurer will serve in this capacity for one (1) term. Thereafter an election will be held to select a Treasurer. The outgoing Treasurer may stand for re-election. There is no limit to the number of terms the Treasurer may serve. If the previous Treasurer is not re-elected he/she will revert to the Membership-at-Large and serve in this capacity for the remaining terms he/she still had to serve at the time when he/she was elected, after which he/she will not be eligible for re-election to any position on the ISSDO until one (1) full term has passed.

The Secretary will serve in this capacity for one (1) term. Thereafter an election will be held to select a Secretary. The outgoing Secretary may stand for re-election. There is no limit to the number of terms the Secretary may serve. If the previous Secretary is not re-elected he/she will revert to the Membership-at-Large and serve in this capacity for the remaining terms he/she still had to serve at the time when he/she was elected, after which he/she will not be eligible for re-election to any position on the ISSDO until one (1) full term has passed.

The Members-at-Large shall each serve in this capacity for no more than three (3) consecutive terms.

Membership-at-Large will be staggered. Thus, an average of seven (7) Members-at-Large, plus the outgoing IPC will retire from the ISSDO at each Conference. To replace them, a number of new members bringing the total of Members-at-Large up to twenty two (22) will be elected. Outgoing Members-at-Large will be ineligible for re-election into any position on the ISSDO for one (1) full term.

The IPC will serve in this capacity for one (1) term only, to be replaced by the retiring Chairperson. The retiring IPC will not be eligible for re-election to any position in the ISSDO until one (1) full term has passed.

Elections

If there are more candidates than vacancies for Membership-at-Large there will be an election. In this case the Members-at-Large of the ISSDO will be elected from the candidates by majority vote of the attendees of each Conference. To be eligible to vote, a person must be registered for the Conference and in attendance on the day of the vote. No proxy votes will be admitted. Voting will occur on the next-to-last day of each Conference. If there are fewer candidates than vacancies for the Membership-at-Large, an election is not necessary and the candidates are accepted unless an election is requested by any of the members.

To be eligible for membership of the ISSDO, a candidate for election must be proposed in writing by one (1) current member of the ISSDO, and one (1) non-member. Any individual (member or non-member) may propose up to a maximum of two (2) persons for membership.

Nominations for Vice-Chairperson can be made by any member of the ISSDO. The persons nominated must be members of the ISSDO serving his/her first or second term. The Chairperson and Treasurer are ineligible for nomination. Selection of the persons nominated will be by majority vote of the membership of the ISSDO, except that those persons nominated cannot vote. Voting will take place on the next-to-last day of the Conference, inclusive, at a meeting of the old ISSDO membership. Similarly, in the event that the Vice-Chairperson declines to accept the Chair, nominations for Chairperson can be made by any member of the ISSDO. The person nominated must be a member of the ISSDO.

Executive Officers are ineligible for nomination. Selection of the persons nominated will be made by majority vote of the membership of the ISSDO, except that those persons nominated cannot vote. Voting will take place on the next-to-last day of the Conference, inclusive, at a meeting of the old ISSDO membership. Similarly, in the event that the Secretary and/or the Treasurer resign(s) from office, nominations for Secretary and/or Treasurer can be made by any member of the ISSDO. The person(s) nominated must be (a) member of the ISSDO. The other Executive Officers are ineligible for nomination to Treasurer or Secretary. Selection of the persons nominated will be made by majority vote of the membership of the ISSDO, except that those persons nominated cannot vote. Voting will take place on the next-to-last day of the Conference, inclusive, at a meeting of the old ISSDO membership.

For any vote (whether elections or not) taken by the ISSDO during any official meeting of the ISSDO (whether during the Conference or not), the term ‘majority vote’ shall be taken to mean ‘majority vote of those ISSDO members present at the meeting at the time of the vote’. When circumstances require a vote of the ISSDO at any other time, ‘majority vote’ shall be taken to mean ‘majority vote of the full ISSDO membership, as solicited by mail’. In the latter event, solicitation of the vote will be made by the Chairperson, by the Vice-Chairperson (in the event that the Chairperson has resigned or has been otherwise removed from office.), by the Treasurer (in the event that the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson have resigned or have been otherwise removed from office.), by the Secretary (in the event that the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the Treasurer have resigned or have been otherwise removed from office.), or by a designated Member-at-Large, in the event that all Executive Officers have resigned or have been otherwise removed from office. In all cases ‘majority vote’ means the majority of those who vote.

To be eligible for Executive Office it is not necessary that the person be in attendance at the Conference. In the event that the new Chairperson is not in attendance, the outgoing Chairperson shall chair the ISSDO meetings, in a non-voting capacity.

Resignations

Any member of the ISSDO who resigns from the ISSDO may not stand for re-election to any position on the ISSDO until one (1) full term has passed.

Should the Chairperson resign before completing his/her term of office, the Vice-Chairperson shall automatically assume the Chair and serve out the remainder of the previous Chairperson's term of office, followed by his/her scheduled term as Chairperson. In this event there will be an election to replace the Vice-Chairperson in accordance with Article III, B (3).

Should the Vice-Chairperson resign, an election for Vice-Chairperson will be held, as per Article III, B (3). Should the Vice-Chairperson decline to accept the Chair after serving their term as Vice-Chairperson, elections for both a Vice-Chairperson and a Chairperson will be held in accordance with Article III, B (3). If the Vice-Chairperson declines to accept the Chair, this shall be considered resignation from the ISSDO.

Should a Member-at-Large resign, or, for any reason other than that described in Article III, A (8), the number of Members-at-Large falls below twenty-two (22), new Members-at-Large may be nominated by any member of the ISSDO in order to fill the vacant positions. Selection of the new Member(s)-at-Large will be by majority vote of the current membership of the ISSDO.

Vote of no confidence

Any Executive Officer may be removed from office by a vote of no-confidence by the membership of the ISSDO. A simple majority is required for the vote of no-confidence to be passed. Once passed, the officer in question must revert to ordinary Membership-at-Large. An election for a new officer must then be held as soon as possible. If the Chairperson has been removed from office by a vote of no-confidence, the Vice-Chairperson will automatically assume the Chair and serve out the remainder of the previous Chairperson's term of office, followed by his/her scheduled term as Chairperson. In this event there will be an election to replace the Vice-Chairperson, as per item Article III, B (3).

Committees appointed by the ISSDO

General Provisions

All ad hoc committees appointed by the ISSDO shall at all times report to the Chairperson of the ISSDO.

Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)

This committee is appointed by the ISSDO. The SAC for each Conference shall consist of between twenty (20) and thirty (30) persons. One (1) will be the Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee (LOC); this person will also act as Chairperson of the SAC. Of the remaining persons up to two-thirds shall first be selected by the ISSDO and the remainder shall then be selected by the LOC. Membership of either the ISSDO or the LOC will not be a restriction to membership of the SAC. Selection of the SAC will be held at a joint meeting of the ISSDO and the LOC no later than 1 year in advance of the Conference. The function of the SAC is to review abstracts submitted to the Conference, accept or reject the abstracts, decide upon the topics to be addressed, select invited speakers and, in accordance with the standards agreed upon by the ISSDO and the Editors of the Journal in which the Proceedings will be published, arrange for the review of papers submitted for inclusion in the Conference Proceedings, and make final selection thereof.

Election Committee (EC)

The Chairperson of the ISSDO will appoint an Election Committee consisting of two (2) Members-at-Large of the ISSDO and one (1) member of the LOC. The EC shall be responsible for organising the vote for membership of the ISSDO.

ARTICLE IV: FINANCES

Income

The ISSDO is empowered to receive financial support from donations, grants and the Conference registration fee levy. The levy will be a portion of the registration fee for the Conference. The registration fee will be decided upon by the LOC. The amount of the levy will be decided by the ISSDO in consultation with the LOC.

The income will be used by the ISSDO to raise a fund, to be kept in a designated bank account. The ISSDO's mandate will be to maintain the ISSDO's fund at a viable amount to enable it to carry out its Aims and Purposes, as described in Article II. The ‘viable amount’ will be decided upon by the ISSDO membership. It will be reviewed each year and changed, if required.

Expenditure

Underwriting: The ISSDO will ensure financial security for the Conferences by underwriting the Conference, and related activities such as training courses, to within preset limits in the event of financial loss by the Conference. The preset limits will be set by the ISSDO in consultation with the LOC.

Start-Up Funds: Start-up funds will be provided to the LOC upon receipt of a written request from the Chairperson of the LOC to the Chairperson of the ISSDO. The amount provided will be decided upon by the ISSDO.

Support Funds: Support funds will be provided to the Local Organisers for the express purpose of assisting young scientists, invited speakers and others to attend the Conference, and related activities such as training courses. The request for support funds must be made in writing by the Chairperson of the LOC to the Chairperson of the ISSDO. The criteria for selecting the awardees of the support money will be set by the LOC and these criteria will be made known to the ISSDO. The amount provided will be decided upon by the ISSDO. Additional Support Awards may be given at the discretion of the ISSDO. Majority agreement of the full membership of the ISSDO is required before these discretionary Support Awards can be made.

Mandatory Costs: Bank charges, accountants fees, lawyers fees, and other mandatory costs will be paid by the Treasurer from the ISSDO bank account, as required.

Fiscal year and financial reporting

The Fiscal Year of the ISSDO shall begin on September 1 and end on August 31.

The Treasurer of the ISSDO shall submit a detailed account of the ISSDO finances (income and expenditures) to the full ISSDO membership annually. In the years when the Conference is held this shall be done at least three (3) weeks in advance of the Conference. At any time, however, any member of the ISSDO will have the right to inspect ISSDO accounts (or a detailed report of the ISSDO income and expenditures), to be so provided by the Treasurer within a reasonable time of such a request.

ARTICLE V: LIMITATIONS ON ACTIVITIES

No part of the net earnings of the ISSDO shall be put to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, officers, or other private persons, except that the ISSDO shall be authorised to make those payments and distributions in furtherance of the Aims and Purposes, as described in Article IV, B.

No part of the activities of the ISSDO shall be carrying on of propaganda or otherwise influencing legislation, and the ISSDO shall not participate in, or intervene in, including the publishing of statements, any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for political office.

ARTICLE VI: CONFERENCE VENUE

Proposals

Criteria to be considered by the ISSDO in the selection of the venue include the proposed conference location, the economics of participation, an appropriate local sponsoring organisation, and a proposed budget. It is desirable that potential conference participation be maximised and that, over the long term, the conference be held in different parts of the world where significant work has been carried out in the solid state dosimetry arena. It is also desirable that training courses, such as a ‘Summer School’, be offered as part of the Conference-related activities.

In all cases, a formal, written proposal for the venue of the next conference, transmitted to the Chairperson of the ISSDO, is required. A Call-for-Proposals will be announced in the 1st and 2nd Circulars of the forthcoming Conference. The proposal must address the criteria noted above, and must be submitted to the Chairperson of the ISSDO no later than a date prior to the Conference as announced by the ISSDO. A representative of the proposed venue is also expected to give a verbal presentation of the proposal to the ISSDO at the current Conference and to answer questions as may be required by the ISSDO. If, in the judgment of the ISSDO, no appropriate conference venue proposals are received, the ISSDO reserves the right to solicit specific proposals.

Specific points which must be addressed in each proposal will be made available by the ISSDO on request.

Selection

The selection of the winning proposal for the venue of the next Conference will be decided by majority vote of the old membership of the ISSDO in attendance at the conference meeting at the time of the vote.

If no proposal is submitted or if a majority vote is not achieved in favour of any of the proposed venues, the procedure for the selection of the next Conference venue will be decided by majority vote of the old membership of the ISSDO in attendance at the conference meeting at the time of the vote.

ARTICLE VII: PROCEEDINGS PUBLICATION

Bids

Invitations to publishers to bid on the publication of the Proceedings of each Conference will be made in time for the first joint meeting of the ISSDO and the LOC. Bids received which were not invited will also be considered. Aspects to be considered include: (1) fee for the Proceedings, including mailing; (2) time schedule for publication; (3) publication of the conference Abstract booklet including fee and time schedule; (4) number of allowed pages and fee for exceeding the page allowance; (5) details regarding restriction of lengths of contributed and invited papers; (6) minimum number of copies of the Proceedings to be purchased by the Conference Local Organisers; (7) number of free copies of the Proceedings; (8) details of allowed content of the Proceedings, including contributed and invited papers, Editorial, Author Index, Participant List, List of Contents, Committee Reports, etc.; (9) details of the editing and reviewing procedures.

Selection

The selection of the publishers and publication vehicle shall be decided by simple majority of the membership of the ISSDO, in agreement with the LOC, excluding those ISSDO members who have a conflict of interest in the outcome (e.g. employees, honorary editors or editors-in-chief (but excluding editorial board members) of the bidding publishers.

ARTICLE VIII: DISSOLUTION

In the event of liquidation or dissolution of the ISSDO, whether voluntary, involuntary, or by operation of law, the ISSDO shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all liabilities of the ISSDO, distribute assets of the ISSDO to one or more organisation exempt from taxation. As long as the bank account for the ISSDO resides in the United States the distribution of assets will take place according to the provisions of section 501 (c) (3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1954, or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law, as they in their sole discretion may determine. If the bank account resides in a country other than the United States the distribution of assets will take place in accordance with the appropriate court of the country in which the bank account of the ISSDO is then located, exclusively to such exempt organisations as said court determines.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

Any Article, or part thereof, of this Constitution may be altered, amended, or repealed by the members of the ISSDO by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those voting, as long a majority of the full membership votes in favour of the amendment.