Home page > About IMA > Statutes
Statutes
IMA Constitution as accepted during the 2nd IMA Business Meeting, Budapest, August 22, 2010 and amended during the 2nd IMA Business Meeting, Frankfurt, September 5, 2012
Name
The name of the organization shall be The International Mineralogical Association.
Objectives
The object of the Association shall be to further international cooperation in the mineralogical sciences. To this end the activities of the Association shall include:
(a) The promotion of intercourse among mineralogists of all nations by organizing meetings and field excursions and by sponsoring publications of mineralogical interest.
(b) The maintenance of Commissions to examine and report on certain aspects of mineralogical practice and of committees to expedite other matters.
(c) The participation in action with other international groups having mineralogical interests.
Membership
(a) The members of the Association shall be mineralogical societies recognized as societies representing mineralogists of individual countries or other bodies of mineralogists representing individual countries. In what follows the words Member Society shall be deemed to include such a representative body. Only one Member Society from any one country may join. Applications for membership should be submitted to the Council which has power of decision.
(b) Each Member Society shall select a permanent Representative (who may be the chairman of a local committee for IMA affairs) to whom shall be sent any communications the Council may have to address to Member Societies. One of his (the Representative’s) major tasks is to make sure that the members of his society are informed about current IMA affairs; this may be done through notices in his Mineralogical Journal, through distribution of mimeographed material to the individual members of his Society, and by announcements at the meetings of his Society.
(c) Individual membership Persons eligible for such membership shall be qualified to practice mineralogy and must subscribe to the objectives of the Association as laid out in the constitution. Individual members shall not have voting rights at any meeting but shall be eligible to attend and speak at business meetings. Other privileges shall be those granted and modified from time to time by the Council of the Association.
Administration
The work of the Association shall be conducted by (A) the Business Meeting of Delegates and by (B) the Council.
A. Business Meeting
(a) Ordinary Business Meetings of Delegates [see (c)] shall be held as often as deemed necessary by the Council, but at least once every two years. Notice of Business Meetings shall be given to Representatives at least six months in advance. Business to be transacted at such meetings shall include:
(i) The reading and approval of the minutes of the previous Meeting
(ii) Reports from the Officers
(iii) Reports from the chairmen of Commissions, Working Groups and Committees and from other persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by the Association
(iv) Presentation of and voting on amendments to the Constitution (see Article 8)
(v) Elections
(vi) New business.
(b) Business Meetings shall be held during the four-yearly General Meetings of the Association, and at a meeting (or meetings) run by another organization, chosen by Council, in the intervening years. There shall be two Business Meetings at each event, called hereafter the 1st and 2nd Business Meetings.
(c) Each Member Society is represented at Business Meetings by Delegates nominated by the Society not exceeding in number the balloting power of that Society, calculated on the basis of national membership using Table 1. The Secretary of IMA must be notified of the names of Delegates at the Business Meeting and if possible not less than 30 hours before. In the event that a Delegate is unable to attend the meeting, the Member Society may nominate an Alternate who may provide his/her credentials to the IMA Secretary at the Meeting. The balloting power of each Member Society may be vested in one or more of its Delegates or Alternates. The balloting power of each Member Society shall be determined by the group under which it joins the Association as shown in Table 1.
| Group | A | B | C | D | E | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Membership | <50 | 51-99 | 100-249 | 250-499 | 500-999 | >1000 |
| Balloting power | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Subscription multiplier D | 0.5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
The subscription of Member Societies is currently D x 60 US dollars
(d) All members of Member Societies, and individual members, may attend Business Meetings, and may contribute to the discussions, but only Delegates and Alternates have voting rights.
(e) Voting at all elections shall be by ballot. Voting in connection with other matters may also be conducted by ballot if asked for by at least one third of the Delegates present. When voting is not by ballot, decisions shall be taken by a show of hands and by a simple majority of votes (1 Delegate = 1 vote). Voting on motions of which Representatives have received previous notice can be passed by a simple majority. Motions of which Representatives have not received previous notice shall require a two-thirds majority for passing.
(f) An extraordinary Business Meeting shall be called by the Council at the written request of one quarter of the Representatives. Notice of such a meeting shall be given to the Representatives as soon as possible, and the meeting shall take place between six and twelve months thereafter.
(g) Except for the purpose of dissolving the Association (see Article 9) a quorum at Business Meetings shall exist when Delegates from at least 1/4 of the Member Societies are present.
B. The Council
(a) The Council consists of the President, the First and Second Vice-Presidents [as defined in (d) and (f) below], the Secretary, the Treasurer, a Communication Officer, the Retiring President and five ordinary Councillors. The first seven of these will hereafter be referred to as the Officers. The President, 1st Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Communication Officer form the Executive Committee.
(b) A person occupying any of the above posts must be a member of a Member Society. Any one person shall not hold more than one position simultaneously. The five ordinary Councillors must be from different Member Societies, but individuals can be from the same Society as an Officer.
(c) The Council shall meet annually, at General Meetings and in intervening years at an appropriate meeting of their choice.
(d) The President shall be a distinguished mineralogist selected by a vote of Council from a list of candidates proposed by Member Societies and by IMA Councillors. He or she will serve as First Vice-President for two years, President for two years, and as Retiring President for two years. The President shall begin and end his/her term of office at a meeting at which a Business Meeting of the Society will be held, and will be expected to present a Plenary Lecture (to be known as ‘the IMA Presidential Lecture’) at the meeting marking the end of his/her term of office. Council will encourage publication of the lecture as ‘The IMA Presidential Lecture’ in a journal agreed by the President and Council.
(e) The First Vice-President, Council and Officers shall be elected at a Business Meeting of the Association. In the event of an extraordinary vacancy arising between meetings, such a vacancy may be filled by resolution of Council.
(f) The President and First Vice-President shall be from different National Societies.
(g) The Second Vice-President shall be the Chairperson of the organizing committee of the forthcoming General Meeting.
(h) With the exception of the First Vice-President, the President, and the Retiring President [see (d)] members of the Council shall normally hold office for four years (or until their successors have been duly elected). The President and First Vice-Presidents are not eligible for re-election to the same office. Other officers are immediately eligible for re-election.
(i) The Council shall be responsible to the Association at its Business Meetings for the conduct of the affairs of the Association and shall have authority to act for the same between the Business Meetings.
(j) The members of the Council shall decide among themselves on the most suitable methods of conducting their business.
(k) At meetings of the Council the quorum shall consist of five members including at least two of the Officers.
Finances
(a) Money received by the Association as annual subscriptions from Member Societies, individual members or from any other source shall be held in custody by the Treasurer and must primarily be used to defray the outlay incurred in the conduct of tasks by the members of the Council, the Officers of Commissions and Working Groups, or other persons authorized to act on behalf of the Association. Items that may normally be charged as expenses and that shall as far as possible be met are office and travel expenses and remunerations for special services rendered to the Association. The Association is under no obligation to pay expenses that have been incurred without the sanction of the Treasurer.
(b) If after discharge of expenses funds in excess of US $ 500 (or its equivalent) are available, the Treasurer shall open and maintain a bank account which shall stand in the name of the Association subject to the signature of one member of the Executive Committee and one other member of the Council.
(c) The accounts of the Association shall be balanced as of December 31, each year by the Treasurer and presented to the Council. At the Business Meeting two Delegates (not members of the Council) shall be elected or appointed to audit and report on the accounts submitted by the Treasurer. Besides receipts for ordinary expenditure, the Treasurer will supply these auditors with
(i) a notarized statement from the bank showing the actual balance as of the latest practicable date, and
(ii) a similarly-dated notarized statement from the bank listing the securities in any safe-deposit box maintained for the Association. These auditors shall also scrutinize the votes cast by the Delegates in ballots during the meeting.
(d) Each Member Society shall pay annual dues based on the Group to which it belongs (computed as indicated in Article 4A,b). These dues shall be paid in advance on January 1, of each year. The value of the unit shall be fixed at each Business Meeting.
(e) If any Member Society is in default with its dues for two years and fails to comply with a request for payment by the Treasurer, it automatically adopts the status of a Nonvoting Member. Moreover, the Council shall be empowered to delete the name of the Member Society from the list of members. Any Member Society which pays its dues for three or more years in advance shall be entitled to a reduction (say 10%) of dues to be paid. It is pointed out that many professional societies have such conditions.
(f) The Member Society shall be reinstated in the membership of the Association and again assume the rights and duties of members after having paid all outstanding dues.
(g) Individual members shall pay annual dues which may be set from time to time by the Council, but which shall not exceed l /3rd of the single Unit of dues paid by the member societies.
(h) Individuals delinquent in the payment of dues shall have their membership privileges suspended by the Secretary and/or Treasurer until such times as all their arrears are paid in full. An individual who is delinquent in paying his dues for two successive years shall cease to be a member of the Association.
(i) Money received and disbursed by the Commissions and Working Groups are deemed to constitute part of the Financial transactions of the Association and as such must be reported annually to the Treasurer. The Council may direct in appropriate circumstances that monies generated by Working Groups and/or Commissions may be used for the general purposes of the Association.
Domicile and representation
(a) The legal domicile of the Association shall be the place where the Secretary conducts his business.
(b) The official representative of the Association is the President or an individual appointed by him.
(c) All contracts and agreements involving the Association shall be signed by two members of the Executive Committee.
Commissions and other activities of the Association
The lines on which the Commissions are to be constituted and run, as well as directions to be followed by those responsible for the other activities of the Association (see Article 2) shall be laid down in regulations approved from time to time by the Business Meeting and contained in the By-Laws.
Amendments
The constitution can be amended only at Business Meetings. Amendments may be proposed by the Council or by a Representative whose proposal shall be received by the Secretary at least fifteen weeks before the Business Meeting. Notice of proposed amendments shall be given to the Representatives at least ten weeks before the date of the Business Meeting. Voting shall be by ballot and a two-thirds majority of the balloting power of the Delegates present at the Business Meeting shall be required to effect such a change in the statutes.
Dissolution of the Association
(a) The International Mineralogical Association can be dissolved only at an extraordinary Business Meeting called for the purpose on the lines laid down by the present constitution. A motion to dissolve the Association shall be considered as carried only if in a vote by ballot the total number of votes cast amounts to at least three quarters of the total balloting power of the Member Societies and that of the votes cast in favour of dissolution amounts to at least three quarters of the balloting power of the Delegates present at the meeting.
(b) In the event of dissolution of the Association, its property shall be disposed of as a gift to such other Organization as may be considered by the Delegates present of most benefit to the Mineralogical Sciences.
General Meeting
(a) The General Meeting is a stand-alone meeting held every four years at a venue approved at least six years in advance by Council and by a Business Meeting. It shall be organized on behalf of IMA by an Organizing Committee put in place by a Member Society or by a collaborating group of Member Societies. The venue will normally be in the country of the Member Society or in the country of one of a group of Member Societies from a particular region. The membership of the organizing committee must be communicated to Council for approval before the preceding General Meeting.
(b) The final programme of the General Meeting, including choice of topics for sessions, session covenors, invited and plenary lecturers, the organization of accommodation, field excursions and social programme, and the advance promotion of the meeting, is the responsibility of the Organizing Committee. It should, however, make every effort to obtain suggestions for the scientific programme from the Commissions and Working Groups of IMA, and ensure that session convenors and invited speakers are drawn from the international community. Council should be kept informed of the development of the programme, and the final programme should be made available to Council at least three months prior to the meeting. Publicity for the meeting should be sent to Member Societies, who will circulate information to their members, and it should be advertised at appropriate intervals in Elements magazine.
Business Meeting
Business Meetings will be held during General Meetings and at least once, during the intervening period, at a meeting organized by another organization, at the discretion of Council. There shall be two Business Meetings, the 1st and 2nd Business Meetings, at each event. The programme of the Business Meetings shall be circulated to the Representatives at least three months before the meeting. Any Representative, any Commission and any Working Group of the Association may propose business to be transacted at the Business Meetings. Such proposals shall reach the Secretary four months before the meeting and shall be included in the agenda. The Council shall be empowered to invite chosen individuals to attend the Business Meeting. The name and balloting power of each Delegate, and the names of any Alternates, shall be made public by the Secretary before the Business Meeting. The minutes of the meeting shall be circulated to the Representatives within three months after the meeting.
Council
When the Council is to be elected, nominations for the various offices shall be made by the outgoing Council and the Secretary shall circulate these to the Representatives at least ten weeks before the date of election. Delegates shall be entitled to make additional nominations for these officers, provided that at least three Delegates nominate the same person for a particular office and provided these are posted and presented to the Secretary not less than 30 hours before the election. No Delegate shall nominate more than one person for a particular office and no Delegate may nominate more than three persons in total.
Commissions
(a) The Association shall maintain as many Commissions to carry on its work as shall be decided by the Business Meeting. A new Commission shall be initiated as a Working Group.
(b) Each Commission may submit to the Secretary of the Association proposals for the chairman and secretary of the Commission. The Council will present slates of officers for all Commissions at an early session of the Business Meeting. Delegates shall be entitled to make additional nominations, provided that at least three Delegates nominate the same person for a particular office, and provided that these nominations are prominently displayed at the General Meeting and presented to the Secretary of the Association not less than 30 hours before the election. No Delegate shall nominate more than three persons in total to Commissions and Working Groups. Elections, normally for a period of four years, shall be made at the latest session of the Business Meeting. This procedure is also valid for the election of other officers if the special work of a Commission requires them. Commission Officers are eligible for re-election.
(c) The members of the Commissions shall be chosen by the Member Societies which are entitled to appoint one in each Commission. Ex officio the chairman and secretary of each Commission shall not be deemed to represent their Member Societies; they are, however, eligible so to be selected. After each election of the chairman and secretary, Member Societies must confirm or replace their Commission Members.
(d) Supernumerary members may be co-opted by the chairman of a Commission for intervals not exceeding the four- year periods laid down for other members.
(e) The Commissions shall be responsible to the Business Meeting, but shall in general have freedom to determine their own rules of procedure, their method of work and the dates and places of their meetings. They shall, however, hold a meeting at the time and place of the Business Meeting of the Association.
(f) Article 12 (f) The chairman of each Commission shall submit an annual report on its activities to the Secretary of the Association each year. The Secretary of the Association shall distribute copies of all activity reports to the Delegates prior to the Business Meeting. The chairman of each Commission shall submit a second report on activities during the General Meeting to the Secretary of the Association, not more than four weeks after the last Business Meeting. The Secretary of the Association shall send copies of the activity reports to the Representatives along with the minutes of the Business Meeting.
(g) As soon as possible after the expiry of a period of seven years from coming into being, the achievements, performance and current relevance of each IMA Commission shall be reviewed by the Council who shall make a recommendation for continuation or termination. This recommendation shall be voted on by the Delegates at the next Business Meeting of the Association. In the event that a Commission is continued, it will come up for review again every 8 years thereafter. If, however, a Commission is terminated, the affairs of that Commission shall be wound up by its officers and a final report shall be circulated to the Delegates at the next Business Meeting. All archival material relating to the Commission shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Association for preservation.
(h) If a two-third majority of the Council deem it necessary, Council has the power to replace the officers of a Commission (Chair, Vice-Chair and/or Secretary) at any stage during the years intervening between business meetings. Replacements may not necessarily be from existing members of a commission.
Working groups
(a) The Association may set up Working Groups to assist in carrying out its work. Working Groups may be proposed by Council or by groups of individuals who wish to advance a new field of mineralogy within IMA.
(b) Each Working Group may submit to the Secretary of the Association proposals for the chairman and secretary of the Working Group. The Council will present slates of officers for all Working Groups at an early session of the Business Meeting. Delegates shall be entitled to make additional nominations, provided that at least three Delegates nominate the same person for a particular office, and provided that these nominations are prominently displayed at the General Meeting and presented to the Secretary of the Association not less than 30 hours before the election. No Delegate shall nominate more than three persons in total to Commissions and Working Groups. Elections, normally for a period of four years, shall be held at the latest session of the Business Meeting.
(c) Chairmen of Working Groups, thus appointed, will be entitled to invite such other members of the Working Group as they deem appropriate. They should aim to build a nucleus of enthusiastic experts in the field of the Working Group, while endeavouring to maintain as wide an international membership as possible.
(d) The chairman of each Working Group shall submit an annual report on its activities to the Secretary of the Association each year. The Secretary of the Association shall distribute copies of all activity reports to the Delegates prior to the Business Meeting. The chairman of each Working Group shall submit a second report on activities during the General Meeting to the Secretary of the Association, not more than four weeks after the last Business Meeting. The Secretary of the Association shall send copies of the activity reports to the Representatives along with the minutes of the Business Meeting.
(e) The term for each Working Group, its chairman and secretary, will normally be four years, but the Association may at its Business Meeting, re-establish any Working Group for a further period of four years.
(f) If a two-third majority of the Council deem it necessary, Council has the power to replace the officers of a Working Group (President, Vice-President and/or secretary) at any stage during the years intervening between business meetings. Replacements may not necessarily be from existing members of a Working Group.
Revision
Revision of the By-Laws shall be by the procedure established for amendments (see Article 8), except that a revision is enacted by a simple majority of the balloting power of the Delegates present.
Time Table
Dues Payment: Before December 31 (yearly).
Report of the Commissions: Not over 4 weeks after the Business Meeting.
Business Meeting (Proposals): 4 months before B.M.
Business Meeting (Program): 3 months before B.M.
Amendments (Proposals): 15 weeks before B.M.
Amendments (Notice): 10 weeks before B.M.
Elections (Nominations by Council): 10 weeks before B.M.
Elections (Nominations by Delegates): 30 hours before B.M.
Business Meeting (Minutes): 3 months after B.M.
