ARTICLE I: NAME
Section 1.
The name of this organisation is the Council for International Congresses of Entomology (CICE).
It supersedes the former Permanent Committee for International Congresses of Entomology.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
Section 1.
The purpose of the Council is to provide continuity and direction for the International Congresses of Entomology (ICE), and to serve as the Entomology Section of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). It may also encourage the holding of smaller inter-Congress meetings. Particular functions of the Council are set forth in Article VIII.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
The Council shall consist of not more than twenty-seven (27) voting members, who shall represent as wide a field as possible both geographically and by entomological discipline. Membership of the Council shall be limited to distinguished entomologists who are interested in the welfare and future of the ICE. In addition, CICE should aim for gender equality. Information of CICE is made public through its internet site.
Section 2.
Members shall be elected to the Council by procedures set forth in Article VII. Terms of members who are elected in the interval between Congresses shall begin upon election and end at the close of the final Plenary Session of the second Congress following. Terms of members elected during a Congress shall begin with the close of the Final Plenary Session of that Congress and end at the close of the Final Plenary Session of the second Congress following.
All members have the option to extend their service on the Council for a further congress to the third Congress following, but may not be re-elected after the third Congress.
Section 3.
Honorary Members of the International Congresses may not serve on the Council. The Chair of Council may invite Honorary Members to attend Council meetings, but without the option of voting. Any member of the Council who is appointed to Honorary Membership shall be deemed to have resigned from the Council, effective upon ratification of the appointment.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES DURING CONGRESSES
Section 1.
The officers of the Council shall be a Chair, a Deputy Chair, a Secretary-General, and a Treasurer. They shall be elected by the Council by procedures set forth in Section 2 of this Article, and shall serve from the close of the Final Plenary Session of the Congress at which they are elected until the close of the Final Plenary Session of the next Congress. The Chair and Deputy Chair shall not serve for more than two consecutive Congresses. Notwithstanding other Articles in this Constitution, the Chair at the end of his/her term will remain an ordinary member of Council until the end of the following Congress. The Secretary-General and the Treasurer shall not serve for more than three consecutive Congresses.
Section 2.
At the first business session of the Council at a Congress, the Chair shall call for nominations for the offices of the Council, indicating in each case whether a current office holder remains eligible and willing to continue. Any member of the Council may nominate a candidate for each position. To be valid each nomination must be seconded by another member of the Council.
At the close of nominations, the Chair shall declare any unopposed candidate elected, and shall set the time, before the Final Plenary Session of the Congress, at which the election to each contested position will take place. At the time set by the Chair, members of the Council, whether present at the Congress or participating remotely online, shall vote for the candidates by secret ballot. A majority of votes cast shall be required for election.
If no candidate for a particular contested office receives a majority of votes cast on the first ballot, the members shall immediately cast a second ballot to choose between the two candidates who received the greatest numbers of votes for that office on the first ballot. A tie for second place on the first ballot shall be broken by lot drawn by the Chair so that the second ballot shall contain only two names.
Nominations and elections for officers may be conducted by emails and virtual meetings at the discretion of the Chair, following the principles described in the previous paragraph.
Section 3.
If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair in the interval between Congresses, the Deputy Chair shall become Chair for the remainder of the term. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Deputy Chair, Secretary-General, or Treasurer, the vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term by appointment by the Chair, subject to approval by the Council. In the event that a person is elevated from the office of Deputy Chair to the office of Chair, or is appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of Deputy Chair, Secretary-General, or Treasurer, the partial term thus served shall not limit eligibility of the person to serve for the consecutive full terms specified in Section 1 of this Article.
Section 4.
The Chair shall preside at all sessions of the Council. The Chair shall report to the Opening and Final Plenary Sessions of the Congress on such matters as the welfare of Entomology and the Congresses, and the activities of the Council including changes in its membership and officers. The Chair shall be responsible for the affairs of the Council in the interim between Congresses, subject to the advice and consent of the Council on matters of policy.
The Chair shall solicit invitations for sponsorship of the next Congress, and shall perform other duties specified in this Constitution. The Chair should inform Council members periodically of the affairs of the Council.
Section 5.
The Deputy Chair shall serve as Chair in the absence of the Chair, and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Chair
Section 6.
The Secretary-General shall support the Chair in the strategic and administrative coordination of the Council and shall keep the records and minutes of the Council. In consultation with the Chair, the Secretary-General shall prepare and distribute a tentative agenda for each meeting of the Council at least one week before the meeting. The Secretary-General shall maintain and distribute to the Council annually, if there are any changes, a roster of Council members and Honorary Members of the ICE, together with their current addresses. The Secretary-General shall perform other duties specified in this Constitution and as may be delegated by the Chair. The Chair may request the Secretary-General to give a portion of the account of the affairs of the Council at the Final Plenary Session of a Congress, and may delegate duties to the Secretary-General in connection with the affairs of the Council in the interval between Congresses.
The Treasurer shall administer the funds of the Council as directed by the Council, maintain appropriate financial records, and present an accounting of the finances of the Council at the first session of the Council at each Congress. The Treasurer shall report periodically to the Chair, the Secretary-General and the Council on the financial affairs of the Council, and shall perform other financial duties specified in this Constitution and as may be delegated by the Chair or the Council.
ARTICLE V: COUNCIL MEETINGS AND INTERIM TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS
Section 1.
The Council shall hold at least two business sessions during each Congress. All members of the Council, whether present in the Congress or participating remotely online, should attend the business sessions. In the interval between Congresses, the Chair may call for virtual meetings as needed.
Section 2.
A majority of the Council members attending a Congress or a virtual meeting shall constitute a quorum. Except as provided otherwise in this Constitution, a majority of members voting shall be required to pass any motion. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted.
Section 3.
In the interval between Congresses, the Council may also conduct its business by electronic ballot in the following manner: the Secretary-General, at the direction of the Chair, shall send to the last known email address of each member of the Council either a ballot paper by email, including as an attached electronic document, or a link to an electronic voting form or other online voting system, for decision on any matter requiring a vote of the Council. It will be the continuing responsibility of each Council member to provide the Secretary-General with a current email address. If no response is received from a member within two weeks, the Secretary-General shall resend the voting materials to the member. If no response is received within one week after the voting materials are resent, the member shall be deemed to have abstained from voting.
An electronic ballot shall be valid only if more than half of all serving members of the Council submit a response, including an abstention. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, a majority of the valid votes cast shall be required to pass the motion. Abstentions shall count towards the quorum but shall not be counted as votes cast. In the event of a tie, the motion shall not be passed. Failure to respond on five consecutive occasions to emails, together with their reminders, sent by either the Secretary-General or the Chair, will be taken to signify that a member wishes to tender their resignation, unless the member has notified the Chair or Secretary-General of a leave of absence or other exceptional circumstances, or the Council determines otherwise.
Section 4.
Working committees. The Chair may entrust Committees of the Council with performance of specific tasks/duties. The members of a committee shall be appointed by the Chair.
ARTICLE VI: FINANCES OF THE COUNCIL
Section 1.
Funds of the Council shall be administered by the Treasurer as directed by the Council. Unless C-ICE has legal status as a not-for-profit organisation, the funds shall be deposited with a body such as a national society, museum, or institution approved by the Council and whose accounts are subject to professional audit at least annually. If C-ICE acquires legal status as a not-for-profit organisation, the funds may instead be held in a bank account in the name of C-ICE, approved by the Council, and the accounts of C-ICE shall be subject to professional audit at least annually. Funds for the Council may be obtained from such sources as grants, donations and levy collected by the Organising Committee for the Congresses (see Article IX, Section 6). The Treasurer shall maintain appropriate financial records and shall report on the finances of the Council to the Chair and the Council as required.
Section 2.
The expenses of the Chair, the Secretary-General, and the Treasurer may be paid from Council funds to enable these officers to attend ICE and General Assemblies of the International Union of Biological Sciences, provided that support for travel to Congresses shall take precedence over support for travel to Assemblies if funds are limited. Expenses of other members of the Council, except for those of the Deputy Chair when acting instead of the Chair, shall not be paid from Council funds.
ARTICLE VII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTION TO FILL VACANCIES ON THE COUNCIL
Section 1.
Vacancies. A vacancy on the Council shall occur when a member's term expires, or when a member has resigned, or died. Vacancies may be filled either by the Council at a Congress, or by email ballots, or ballots at a virtual meeting.
Section 2.
Nominations. Any two members of the Council may nominate a candidate for any vacancy that exists on Council. Each nomination, whether for an email ballot, a ballot at a virtual meeting, or an election during a Congress, shall be conveyed to the Secretary-General by email and shall be accompanied by a curriculum vitae describing the candidate's qualifications for service on the Council. A letter of support from at least one recognised academic society is desirable for each nomination.
Section 3.
Time of nomination. The call for nominations shall be issued by the Chair at least two months before the ensuing election event. All nominations shall be sent by email to the Secretary-General at least one month prior to the election. At least one week before the election, the Secretary-General shall distribute to members of the Council voting information indicating the number of vacancies and containing the names of the candidates, along with their curriculum vitae and any supporting documents.
Section 4.
Elections. Elections shall be conducted by ballot at a virtual meeting, or a Council meeting during a Congress or by emails. The members of the Council shall indicate as their first priority whether they wish to proceed with the election or they wish to defer decision until the next election. In either case they should indicate their choice of the candidates or they should indicate that they do not wish to cast any or all of their votes in favour of any or all of the candidates.
Such negative votes will be taken into account when determining whether a candidate has received a majority vote.
Each member shall cast only one vote for any candidate, but will have as many votes to cast as there are vacancies for which candidates have been nominated. A majority of the votes cast shall be required for election but if five (5) members vote for deferment to the next election this will take precedence over other decisions.
If no candidate for a position receives a majority of votes cast on the first ballot, the members shall immediately cast a second ballot to choose between the two candidates who received the greatest number of votes for the position on the first ballot. A tie for second place on the first ballot shall be broken by lot drawn by the Chair so that the second ballot shall contain only two names.
When not all positions are filled by a majority vote the nominators of unsuccessful candidates may request a further ballot at the next election event. An election to fill a vacancy expected to result from ratification of the appointment of a Council member shall be void if the appointment is not ratified.
Section 5.
Adjunct (non-voting) Members to the Council. The Council may invite up to seven (7) well-deserving entomologists to serve as non-voting Adjunct Members. This initiative aims to enhance geographic and gender representation within the Council. Any current Council member may recommend candidates for Adjunct Membership by submitting the candidate's CV to the Chair. The Council officers will then formally nominate these candidates for election.
The election process will adhere to the principles outlined in Section 4.
Each Adjunct Member serves a term of one Congress (four years), commencing at the conclusion of the Congress during which they are elected and ending at the close of the subsequent Congress. The election of Adjunct Members is conducted separately from the election of full members, with neither election affecting the other.
ARTICLE VIII: FUNCTIONS OF THE COUNCIL
Section 1.
The Council shall receive and evaluate invitations for the next Congress. The Council will solicit bids for a future Congress in the year following the Congress that is two Congresses ahead of the one being planned, with a final decision to be made by the end of that year. The Council shall recommend to the Final Plenary Session of each Congress the place and time of the next Congress.
The “place” refers to the country in which the Congress will be held. The selection of a country depends on receipt of an invitation from the appropriate national academic society(s) or other body(s) representing the entomologists of that country. The location within a country is chosen by the bid team and stated in the bid document. The “time” refers to the year in which the Congress will be held.
Congresses are traditionally held at intervals of four years, but the interval between one Congress and the next may be adjusted based on recommendation by the Council and approval by a Congress at its Final Plenary Session. The exact dates of a Congress are set by the sponsoring body.
Section 2.
The Council shall provide advice to the body sponsoring a Congress, on structure, length and scope, and on other matters pursuant to Article IX.
Section 3.
The Council shall nominate one member of Council to serve on the Organizing Committee of the Congress. This member shall serve as a full member of the Congress Organizing Committee.
Section 4.
The Council shall appoint Honorary Members of the International Congresses, pursuant to Article X.
Section 5.
The Council shall award the Certificates of Distinction and Certificates of Merit during a Congress. The Chair shall call for nominations of candidates for these certificates from the national entomological societies and members of the Council about two years before the next Congress. Candidates for the awards of the Certificates are then selected by the Council according to the appropriate guidelines.
Section 6.
The Council shall receive and act on proposed resolutions at the Congresses, pursuant to Article XI.
Section 7.
The Council shall be the Entomology Section of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). The Chair of the Council and the Secretary-General of the Council shall serve the Section as President and Secretary, respectively.
Section 8.
The Council shall undertake such other duties, including duties laid upon it by a Congress, as may be necessary to implement this Constitution. The Council shall attend to any business arising from the affairs of past or future Congresses provided that the Council shall not be required to assume responsibility for the debts of the sponsoring body of any Congress.
ARTICLE IX: RELATIONSHIPS WITH SPONSORING BODIES
Section 1.
The Council shall provide advice as needed to anybody or bodies sponsoring each Congress, including advice on the exact dates and location of the Congress, financing of the Congress, and election of the President of the Congress; however, except as specified otherwise herein, each Congress shall remain responsible for its affairs (see also Article VIII, Section 3).
Section 2.
The Organising Committee of each Congress shall be supported by at least one recognised academic institution or national academic society.
Section 3.
Subject to concurrence by the Council in any proposed major changes in the scope and number of Sections at a Congress, each Congress is responsible for division of the Scientific Program into Sections and for the content of its program.
Section 4.
The President and Secretary of each Congress shall be invited to attend and take part in discussion at meetings of the Council during a Congress, but shall not thereby become voting members of the Council.
Section 5.
The Organising Committee of each Congress is requested to send an electronic copy of the Congress Proceedings to the Secretary-General of the Council for distribution among members of the Council.
Section 6.
During its deliberations on the time and place for the next Congress, the Council will set a levy to be included in the registration fees for the next Congress. The amount and structure of the levy will be discussed and agreed with each bidder before the successful bid is announced during the Final Plenary Session. The Organising Committee of the Congress will collect the levy and transfer it to the Treasurer of the Council within six months after the close of the Congress. The Local Organising Committee will provide complimentary registration to all members of the Council at the time of the Congress.
Section 7.
The Council shall make a current copy of the Constitution available to the Secretary of each Congress for publication in a principal announcement of that Congress.
ARTICLE X: APPOINTMENT OF HONORARY MEMBERS OF THE CONGRESSES
Section 1.
Honorary Members of the CICE shall be appointed for life by the Council. Each appointment shall be announced at, and thereby ratified, by the next Plenary Session convened after the Honorary Member is appointed.
Section 2.
Honorary Members shall be appointed from among entomologists who have made outstanding contributions to entomological knowledge, who have influenced entomology substantially both within and outside their own countries or regions, and who have made important contributions to the ICE.
Section 3.
Honorary Membership appointments shall be so arranged that, as of the date of ratification, there shall be not more than seven (7) Honorary Members below the age of seventy-five (75) years.
Section 4.
International Congresses. The Congress may, at its discretion, invite any or all Honorary Members to attend a Congress at the expense of the Congress.
Section 5.
At the first business session of the Council at a Congress, the Chair shall call for nominations of candidates for Honorary Membership. In so doing, the Chair shall indicate the number of Honorary Memberships that will be available to persons below the age of seventy-five (75) as of the date of ratification, and shall designate a future business session of the Council at which the nominations will be considered. Any two members of the Council may nominate a candidate or candidates. Each nomination shall be conveyed to the Secretary-General in writing, and shall be accompanied by a statement of the candidate's qualifications for Honorary Membership. This information shall be distributed to Council members attending the Congress not later than the day before the business session of the Council designated for their consideration. The Secretary-General shall prepare a ballot paper listing the names of the candidates. The ballot paper shall be distributed to members of the Council at the business session designated by the Chair. An affirmative vote of three-quarters of the members in attendance at the business session shall be required for appointment to Honorary Membership. If the required majority is not attained to fill available vacancies a special meeting at which a further vote is taken may be called on the instruction of the Chair. At the discretion of the Chair, appointments of Honorary Memberships may be conducted by email ballots or ballots at a virtual meeting.
ARTICLE XI: RESOLUTIONS
Section 1.
The Council shall consider and recommend action by a Congress on properly presented resolutions, whether such proposals are initiated within the Council, or adopted by a Section of the Congress, or made by any group of twenty (20) or more persons in attendance at the Congress.
Resolutions must be relevant to Entomology, or to the business of the Congress, and shall not be political in nature. An individual who wishes a Section to adopt a proposed resolution should give notice of intent to the organisers of the Section in sufficient time (preferably before the Sectional program is drawn up) to enable the Section to arrange for the proposed resolution to be discussed during a meeting of the Section.
Section 2.
The Secretary-General will receive proposed resolutions for consideration by the Council up to forty-eight (48) hours after the Plenary Opening Session of the Congress, and shall cause the proposal submitted to be announced to the Congress. Proposed resolutions must be announced to the Congress by posting or through other media, such as a daily news bulletin.
Section 3.
Any comments to resolutions announced must be submitted in writing to the Secretary-General no later than forty-eight (48) hours before the start of the Final Plenary Session of the Congress.
Section 4.
The Secretary-General shall announce the recommendations of the Council on each proposed resolution at the Final Plenary Session of the Congress.
Section 5.
A resolution will be deemed adopted if a majority of participants attending the Final Plenary Session indicate their support by a show of hands. The Council shall take subsequent action required by resolutions of a Congress, insofar as such action is necessary and is consistent with this Constitution.
ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS
Section 1.
Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any two members of the Council, and shall be adopted if two-thirds of the Council members casting votes in favour thereof at a business session of the Council at a Congress, or by votes at a virtual meeting or by email ballot in the interim between Congresses.
Section 2.
An amendment shall become effective upon adoption, unless a later time is specified in the amendment itself.