Bylaws of the International Society of Protistologists

Preamble

The name of the Society is “International Society of Protistologists, Inc.,” hereinafter called the “Society.”

Article 1 – Membership

The Society is constituted by individual (Section 1-6) and joint members (Section 7)The privileges of individual paid membership include these rights: to vote in elections of all Officers of the Society, and other matters submitted to a vote of the Membership; to hold office; to receive dues notices; to publish a number of pages without charge in The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology (The Journal) each year as established by the Executive Committee; and to receive any other benefits as determined by the Executive Committee. The privileges of joint members are defined in section 7.

Section 1 – Regular Membership
Regular members include all members who do not choose or qualify for other categories of membership. It includes all privileges of individual paid membership listed above.

Section 2 – Student Membership
Include all privileges of Regular Membership. It is available exclusively to undergraduate and graduate students.

Section 3 – Full Privileges Membership
Includes all privileges of Regular Membership plus the right to receive a subscription to the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.

Section 4 – Lifetime Membership
Includes all privileges of Full Privileges Membership and lasts a member´s lifetime.

Section 5 – Emeritus Membership
Emeritus membership shall be available, upon retirement from professional activities to those who have been regular members of the Society for 15 years or more. Emeritus members shall be entitled, for the duration of the member’s life, to membership of the Society for one-half the Regular Membership dues.

Section 6 – Honorary Membership
Distinguished protistologists deemed worthy of Honorary membership in the Society shall be submitted by the Awards Committee to the Executive Committee for consideration. Upon recommendation of the Executive Committee, election to Honorary membership shall require a majority vote of all members present and voting at a duly scheduled annual business meeting of the Society. New Honorary members shall be notified by the Membership Secretary of the honor bestowed upon them and shall be presented with appropriate certification of their membership status and a subscription to The Journal if they so wish. Honorary members shall enjoy all the privileges of Full-Privileges Membership, but shall be exempt from all regular dues and levies claimed by the Society from its members for the duration of the honorary member’s life. The Society Historian (Article 4, Section 6, By-Laws) shall maintain a record of all Honorary Members.

Section 7 – Joint Membership
Individual members of other organizations with which the Society signs agreements according to Article 11 (Affiliation With Other Organizations), Section 1 (Affiliations For The Purpose of Joint Membership), will be considered joint members of the Society only for the duration of the agreement with the affiliate. These joint members will have the following benefits: to receive discounted fees for scientific meetings; and to receive the Society’s newsletter and updates of the status and outcomes of the jointly held activities by the Society and the affiliate. At any time, and if opting to pay the Society’s membership fees, joint members can become individual members of the Society and get benefits of individual membership status such as to be eligible to vote, to be elected, to publish a number of pages without charge in the Journal and to be eligible for travel awards.

Article 2 – Dues

Section I – Dues Schedule
Dues for the several classes of membership shall be reviewed annually and recommended by the Executive Committee. They shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of all members present and voting at a duly scheduled annual business meeting of the Society.

Section 2 – Payment of Dues
Members shall receive notice of dues for the upcoming calendar year, payable no later than January 1 to avoid interruption of benefits and privileges of membership.

Section 3 – Non-payment of Dues
Members in all membership categories who fail to pay applicable dues by the deadline shall be removed from the membership rolls of the Society. They will also lose access to all privileges, benefits and resources associated with membership.

Section 4 – Reinstatement
A member who has been removed from the membership rolls of the Society for non-payment of dues may be reinstated upon payment of dues for the current year or upcoming year, and following confirmation of the category of their membership.

Article 3 – Duties of Officers

The Officers of the Society must be members in good standing of the Society; they are elected by the membership and hold positions by right on the Executive Committee. All Officers have the right to vote on all motions and appointments.

Section I – President
The term of office of the President shall be one year. The President shall continue as a voting member of the Executive Committee for one additional year but shall not be eligible for elective office in the Society during this additional year.

The President:

shall be the Presiding Officer at all business meetings of the Society and the Executive Committee. The President may designate other Society members as pro tem Session Chairpersons or as Presiding Officers at meetings when both the President and the President-Elect are unable to conduct the meeting;
shall designate or re-confirm, in consultation with the Executive Committee, Chairpersons of all committees;
shall, in consultation with the designated committee Chairpersons, appoint members of all standing and ad hoc committees of the Society, as appropriate, except the Nominating Committee (Article 9, Section 1, By-Laws);
shall be a non-voting member ex officio of all committees;
shall appoint representatives of the Society to the council or governing bodies of organizations with which the Society may be associated and which require or allow such representation as appropriate to furtherance of the aims of the Society;
shall represent the Society personally, or through a member or members designated by them, in all matters pertaining to the business, associations, or affiliations of the Society.

Section 2 – President-Elect
The term of office of the President-Elect shall be one year, after which the holder shall automatically assume the office of President.

The President-Elect:

shall assist the President in the performance of their duties and, in the absence of the President, shall act as Presiding Officer over all meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee;
shall be a member of the Program and Meetings Committee (Article 8, Section 4f, By-Laws) and shall recommend symposia, courses, special exhibits, invited lectures, and other scientific activities consistent with the stated aims of the Society.

Section 3 -Vice-President
The term of office of the Vice-President shall be three years. The term of the Vice-President shall not be renewed, but the former Vice President becomes eligible immediately for other elective or appointive office on completion of their term.

The Vice-President:

shall coordinate information from Affiliated and other protistological Societies and transmit this to the Executive Secretary for dissemination to the entire Society;
shall present an annual report on the status of Affiliated and other protistological Societies;
shall act as Chairperson of the International Committee (Article 8, Section 4h, By-Laws).
shall lead on negotiation of contracts with Affiliates

Section 4 – Members-at-Large
Two (2) Members-at-Large shall be elected by the entire membership of the Society to represent their general interests. Members-at-large are members of the Communication and Nominating Committees. The term of office of Executive Committee Members-at-Large shall be two years and shall be filled only by regular election (Article 9, By-Laws). The terms of Members-at-Large should be staggered where possible. The senior Member-at-Large serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee (see Article 9, By-Laws) in the second year of their term. The Members-at-Large shall not succeed themselves but are eligible immediately for other elective or appointive office on completion of their term.

Section 5 –Trainee Member
One (1) Trainee Member shall be elected by the entire membership of the Society to represent the interests of early-career researchers. The Trainee Member may be either a current student or someone who is within four years of the award of a PhD. The term of office of the Trainee Member shall be two years and cannot be renewed. The Trainee Member is eligible immediately for other elective or appointive office on completion of their term.

Section 6 – Awards Committee Chairperson
The term of office of the Awards Committee Chairperson shall be three years and cannot be renewed. The Awards Committee Chairperson is, however, eligible immediately for other elective or appointive office on completion of their term.

Section 7 – Extending terms
In exceptional circumstances, if the normal business of the Society is disrupted for a significant portion of the terms of office of elected and appointed members of the Executive Committee, the President may request that the Executive Committee approves a one-year extension to the terms of office of all Executive Committee members. Such an extension would be voluntary on the part of the Executive Committee member and any resulting vacancies should be filled as indicated in Article 3, Section 8 (By-Laws). For the positions of President, President-elect, Vice-President and Members-at-large, the extension cannot be renewed after the year has elapsed and an election must take place as prescribed in the By-Laws.

Section 8 – Vacancies
A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the President-Elect, who shall complete the unexpired term of their predecessor, and then their expected term as President. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President-Elect, the office will remain vacant until the next regular election when both a President and President-Elect will be elected. In the event of vacancy of both President and President-Elect offices, the Vice-President shall complete the unexpired term of the President. At the next regular election, a President and President-Elect will be elected. In case all three offices become vacant, the Executive Committee shall designate, by simple majority vote, one of the elected members of the Executive Committee to serve as Acting President until the completion of the next regular election when a President, President-Elect and Vice-President will all be elected.

Exceptional vacancy of any duration in any elected or appointed office shall be filled by Executive Committee appointment of an eligible Society member for the unexpired term of the office. Such appointment shall not disqualify the incumbent from immediate subsequent election or appointment to Society office. A vacant position of Past President is not filled.

Article 4 – Appointed voting members of the Executive Committee

The following positions on the Executive Committee are appointed by Officers of the Society (see Article 3, By-Laws). All appointed members of the Executive Committee must be members in good standing of the Society. Appointed members listed in this Article have right to vote on all motions except appointments listed in Article 4 of the By-Laws. Appointed members are installed and may have their appointments renewed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and can be removed from post by a majority vote (conducted as a secret ballot).

Section 1 – Executive Secretary

shall be responsible for recording the minutes of all business meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee and for publication of such minutes;
shall in consultation with the President, prepare an agenda for all meetings of the Executive Committee;
shall notify all members and observers of the Executive Committee of meetings of the Executive Committee other than the annual meeting of the Society at least two weeks prior to the meeting;
shall serve as parliamentarian and be consulted regarding policies and procedures at all meetings of the Society and of the Executive Committee;
shall receive reports from Officers of the Society, committee Chairpersons, and representatives to councils and governing bodies of organizations with which the Society may be associated, and, not later than a week before the date of the regular meeting of the Executive Committee, shall send a copy of each report to each voting member of the Executive Committee (Articles 3 and 4, By-Laws);
shall announce to the membership the time and place of all meetings of the Society and, at the direction of the Executive Committee, shall prepare an agenda for said meetings;
shall upon authorization of the Executive Committee, conduct a vote of the membership of the Society and/or the Executive Committee on all pending proposals in reference to which, according to the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, such a ballot is required or permissible;
shall prepare a current roster of Officers, committees, and representatives of the Society for publication.
shall Chair the Communication Committee
shall have a normal term of office of three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

Section 2 –Membership Secretary

shall Chair the Membership Committee;
shall be responsible for matters pertaining to membership and membership recruitment;
shall report to the Executive Committee and to the annual business meeting of the Society on the status of the Society’s membership;
shall, when directed by the Executive Committee, prepare a Directory of the members of the Society;
shall maintain and make available to others, according to direction of the Executive Committee, an accurate and official list of members in good standing, including the current contact information for each member;
shall review procedures for membership renewal annually and ensure that this process follows the current Society By-Laws and dues schedule;
shall serve as a member of Communication Committee
shall have a normal term of office of three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

Section 3 -Editor-in-Chief of The Journal

shall be in charge of The Journal and shall recommend changes or improvements in the management of The Journal to the Executive Committee for action and/or implementation as appropriate;
shall appoint, under delegated authority from the Executive Committee, such Editors, Associate Editors, Assistant Editors and members of the Board of Reviewers as may be expedient for the editing and managing of The Journal;
shall have a normal term of office of three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

Section 4 – Treasurer

shall take charge of the Society’s funds, in consultation with the Business Advisory Committee, and shall discharge and record all business transactions of the Society, including payments of its obligations, in accordance with the policies and directives of the Executive Committee;
shall submit annually the financial records of the Society for Certified Auditing by a bonded auditing firm;
shall have prepared and give to the Executive Secretary for distribution to the Executive Committee a certified annual audit and shall give a financial report at the annual business meeting. This report shall be made available to members upon request;
shall furnish all appropriate financial reports and statements to Federal and/or State authorities, as required;
shall maintain the official business of the Society for making financial transactions and routine corporate administration;
shall, after consultation with the Business Advisory Committee, propose a budget for the Society in advance of each fiscal year (July 1-June 30) and present this to the Executive Committee at the Annual Meeting for its approval;
shall have a normal term of office of three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

Section 5 – Program and Meeting Committee Chairperson

shall Chair the Program and Meetings Committee (see Article 8, Section 4f, By-Laws).

Section 6 – Historian

shall respond to all questions from Society Officers and members and those sent to the curators of the Society Archive maintained at the library of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC);
shall acquire lists of all information that is updated yearly (e.g. Officers, Executive Committee members, other committee members, meeting places, award winners);
shall remind Officers to submit their papers to the Archive at the end of their terms;
shall remind meeting organizers to submit a program and other documents to the Archive;
shall help to arrange the deposition of photos taken at meetings of the Society in the Archive;
shall maintain lists of all Honorary members of the Society;
shall work with the UMBC Curator to ensure that an accurate index is maintained;
shall submit an annual report to the Executive Committee;
shall have a normal term of office of three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

Article 5 – Duties of the Executive Committee

Section 1 – General Duties
Pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution (Article 4, Constitution), the Executive Committee shall transact business and formulate policies on behalf of the Society in all matters not specifically reserved in the provisions of the Constitution of the Society and/or these By-Laws for action by the entire membership.

Section 2 -Specific Duties

The Executive Committee:

shall officially receive reports from elected Officers, Chairpersons of standing and ad hoc committees, Society representatives to councils or governing bodies of other organizations, and shall act on specific recommendations presented in these reports;
shall fill vacancies, as appropriate, in elective and appointive offices of the Society;
shall consider and approve appointments of Editors and other persons to the Board of Reviewers as recommended by the Editor-in-Chief of The Journal;
shall consider items of new business;
shall perform any and all other duties specifically assigned to it by the Constitution of the Society and/or By-Laws, or referred to it by the membership of the Society.

Section 3 – Voting
Voting members of the Executive Committee shall be the elected Officers listed in Article 3 and appointed voting members listed in Article 4 (By-Laws). A simple majority of these members must vote to constitute a quorum for electronic ballots and in annual Executive Committee meetings. Voting members must recuse themselves where a conflict of interest is identified by the Executive Committee. The same individual may not vote more than once even if they hold multiple positions on the Executive Committee through filling a vacancy, for example (Article 3, Section 8, By-Laws).

Article 6 – Meetings of the Executive Committee

Section 1 – Regular Meetings
The Executive Committee shall meet annually or as deemed necessary (Article 7, By-Laws).

Section 2 – Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Executive Committee conducting urgent business may be called by the President in accordance with their best judgment; notification of such called meetings shall be circulated by the Executive Secretary to all voting members and observers of the Executive Committee, and to such other persons as may be designated by the President, at least two weeks prior to the date scheduled for the meeting. The Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Society by electronic communication when timely action by the Executive Committee is required outside of the annual meeting. Voting on such business shall normally take place within two working days after discussion is completed.

Section 3 – Invitations to Meetings
The President, acting for the Executive Committee, shall invite such duly appointed or elected committee Chairpersons and/or representatives of the Society as are appropriate to anticipated deliberations of the Executive Committee to attend the Executive Committee meeting as non-voting members. All voting members of the Executive Committee attending Annual Scientific Meetings of the Society shall be eligible for reimbursement of travel expenses and registration fees up to the amount set by the Executive Committee.

Section 4 – Annual Reports
The Executive Secretary, acting for the Executive Committee, shall call for and receive from each Society committee Chairperson and/or Society representative appropriate annual reports and shall circulate these reports to each voting member of the Executive Committee at least one week prior to the date of the annual meeting of the Executive Committee.

Section 5 – Absentee Comments
If a member of the Executive Committee is unable to attend its annual meeting, that member may submit comments in writing to the Executive Secretary for presentation to the Executive Committee.

Article 7 – Meetings of the Society

Section 1 – Annual Meeting
The Society shall hold or participate in an Annual Scientific Meeting for the presentation and exchange of scientific information at a time and place designated by the Executive Committee.

Section 2 – Program
The content and arrangements of the Annual Scientific Meeting program shall be determined by the Program and Meetings Committee (Article 8, Section 4f, By-Laws) and the call for contributed papers shall be issued at least four months before the date of the meeting. Every fourth year, the Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with the International Congress of Protistology (ICOP) and the Program and Meetings Committee will work with the International Committee (Article 8, Section 4h, By-Laws) to produce the program for ICOP.

Section 3 – Business Meetings
The Society shall convene a business meeting at least once each year for the transaction of regular and special business. This is customarily held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting.

Section 4 – Notification
The Executive Secretary, acting for the Society, shall notify each member of the Society of the arrangements for the annual business meeting at least one month prior to the opening date of the meeting.

Section 5 – Quorum
The members of the Society present at the annual business meeting shall constitute a quorum for conducting business.

Section 6 – Electronic Ballots
Urgent business requiring the action of the Society at large, in the judgment of the Executive Committee, and arising during intervals between annual business meetings, shall be conducted by electronic ballot circulated by the Executive Secretary to members of the Society in all membership categories. A quorum for such balloting shall consist of votes cast by twenty percent of the Society membership.

Article 8 – Committees

Section 1 – Standing and Ad Hoc Committees
There shall be standing and ad hoc committees to aid the Officers and the Executive Committee in carrying out the stated aims of the Society. All committees shall make appropriate recommendations to the Executive Committee. All committees shall provide an annual report for circulation to the Executive Committee. All members of all committees shall be members of the Society in good standing.

Section 2 – Committee Composition
All committees shall be composed of no less than three members in good standing, excluding the President who shall be a non-voting member ex officio of all committees.

Section 3 – Committee Membership Review
Membership of all standing and ad hoc committees except the Business Advisory Committee, International Committee and Nominating Committee shall be subject to review by each President as they assume office. Members shall be appointed or reappointed by the incoming President, in consultation with the Executive Committee unless stated otherwise

Section 4 – Standing Committees
There shall be the following standing committees:

a. The Constitution and By-Laws Committee:

shall review the Constitution and By-Laws periodically and advise the Executive Committee on matters pertaining to the Constitution and By-Laws;
shall receive from the Executive Secretary suggested amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws proposed by members, evaluate the proposals, and make recommendations concerning their approval to the Executive Committee;
shall incorporate approved amendments (Article 7, Constitution; Article 12, By-Laws) into the Constitution and By-Laws.

b. The Membership Committee:

shall be chaired by the Membership Secretary;
shall be drawn from multiple categories of membership;
shall assist the Membership Secretary in all matters pertaining to membership and membership recruitment, including preparation of a membership Directory.

The Membership Secretary shall, in consultation with members of their committee, determine the responsibilities of each member.

c. The Nominating Committee (see Article 9, Section 1, By-Laws).

d. The Awards Committee:

shall be chaired by a Chairperson elected by the membership of the Society from candidates solicited by the Nominating Committee;
shall solicit nominations for all the various awards for which members are eligible and determine the winners of each award;
shall establish sub-committees for different awards, as needed;
shall advise the Executive Committee on all matters pertaining to awards, including development of new awards and recommendations for financing monetary awards;
may submit to the Executive Committee for its consideration and for presentation at the annual business meeting of the Society names of protistologists, not necessarily members of the Society, who qualify for Honorary Membership under the provisions of the By-Laws (Article 1, Section 6, By-Laws);
shall arrange for an In Memoriam Report and submit it to the Executive Secretary no later than 60 days prior to Annual Scientific Meeting;
shall be responsible for arranging obituaries for eminent members of the Society.

e. The Business Advisory Committee:

shall be chaired by a Chairperson appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the Treasurer, with a normal term of office of three years;
shall advise the Treasurer on all matters pertaining to business transactions and financial affairs of the Society.

f. The Program and Meetings Committee:

shall be composed of a Chairperson, appointed by Officers of the Society from among candidates solicited by the Nominating Committee, the President-Elect, the Executive Secretary, and between one and three members of the Society recommended by the Program and Meetings Committee Chairperson;
shall solicit and recommend venues and organizers for annual meetings to the Executive Committee for approval at least three years in advance;
shall coordinate with the Executive Secretary to notify the membership of arrangements for all scientific meetings and shall issue the call for contributed papers;
shall solicit and evaluate proposals for symposia at which the papers may be presented by members or by scientists introduced by members;
shall, with the consent of the Executive Committee, appoint and liaise with an ad hoc local committee, which shall be responsible for local arrangements such as housing, facilities for scientific sessions, and special transportation;
shall, when the Society meets jointly with another society, act as representative of the Society in discussions with the other society and liaise with the local committee;
shall advise the Executive Committee on registration fee structure for annual scientific meetings.

The Chairperson of the Program and Meetings Committee shall serve as a voting member ex officio of the Executive Committee (see Article 4, By-Laws). The term of office of the Chairperson of the Program and Meeting Committee shall be three years, which may be renewed with the agreement of the Executive Committee.

g. The Committee on Nomenclature, Taxonomy, and Systematics:

shall have a membership of five to seven experts reflecting the diversity of protists and of opinion, as recommended for approval to the President by the Committee Chairperson;
shall review proposals affecting the systematics (nomenclature, taxonomy, and classification) of protists published in relevant journals;
shall engage with the protistology community to seek opinions broadly;
shall communicate, under delegated authority from and on behalf of the Executive Committee, the views of the Society on taxonomy and nomenclature to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, the International Society for Phylogenetic Nomenclature and any such bodies that in the future may be deemed relevant to the taxonomy and nomenclature of protists, summarizing these communications in their annual report;
shall be expected every 5-7 years to publish revisions to the classification of eukaryotes in The Journal; if the revision is a significant change it shall be treated as a special issue of The Journal, with the Chairperson of the Committee on Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Systematics being the Guest Editor.

h. The International Committee:

shall be chaired by the Vice-President of the Society;
shall have the President of the next International Congress of Protistology (ICOP) as its vice-chair and its secretary shall be the Secretary General of the next ICOP, both of whose terms will end upon selection of the site for the following ICOP (see Subsection 9, below). The ICOP President and Secretary General have the responsibility, along with its local organizing committee, for all aspects of organizing and running the next Congress;
shall have its membership appointed by interested national/international protistological organizations, irrespective of their actual status (e.g., Society, Affiliated Society, Section of a Society, or any other title), such that each national organization with between 20 and 99 members shall be entitled to appoint one (1) voting delegate, a group with between 100 and 299 members shall be entitled to two (2) voting delegates, and a group with 300 or more protistologists shall be entitled to three (3) voting delegates. The terms of office of voting delegates shall be determined by their appointing organization;
shall arrange periodic ICOPs, typically every four years, and select the site for the next ICOP upon the acceptance of a bid submitted by a member on behalf of a national organization;
shall, with leadership provided by the Vice-President of the Society, promote the exchange of ideas among protistologists throughout the world;
shall meet using means available to all members, with attendance of the members as a body and/or by mail, telephone calls (such as conference calls), electronic mailings, or other appropriate communication technologies;
shall meet no later than two years after the last ICOP, at which meeting the ICOP President and Secretary General shall outline the tentative program of the Congress and the Committee shall decide on the timing of the Congress;
shall have additional meetings as deemed appropriate by the Vice-President of the Society and/or the ICOP President and Secretary General;
shall meet during each ICOP to receive and vote on bids for the site of the next Congress. In the event more than one bid is submitted, a secret ballot will be taken. A simple majority of all Committee members voting will select the site of the next Congress.

i. Communication Committee:

shall be chaired by the Executive Secretary;
shall be composed of the Executive Secretary, the Vice President, both Members-at-Large, Trainee Member, Membership Secretary, and up to three other members of the Society;
shall be responsible for matters pertaining to electronic resources and activities, including arrangements for paid technical help as needed;
shall oversee the Society’s website and arrange for timely publication on it of material submitted by members;
shall administer the Society’s electronic mailing lists, organize and implement membership votes, and other electronic communications as required;
shall create other electronic resources as required by the Society (e.g. databases) or arrange for them to be established;
shall advise the Executive Committee and the membership of the Society on technological issues;
shall, at the direction of the Executive Committee, serve as technological liaison between the Society and external service providers;
shall keep the Executive Committee informed of innovations in the area of electronic communication and data handling, and devise ways in which these can be used to further the Society’s mission;

Section 5 – New Standing Committees
In addition to the several standing committees listed in the preceding Section, the members of the Society, upon the advice of the Executive Committee, may establish new standing committees to meet the continuing needs of the Society, pending approval by motion at a regular annual business meeting.

Section 6 – Ad Hoc Committees
The President, upon consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint such ad hoc committees as may be needed to perform specific tasks; additional ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the President as need arises.

Article 9 – Nominations and Elections

Section 1 – Composition of the Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall be composed of the two Members-at-Large and three (3) other members that shall be elected by the entire membership of the Society. The term of office of the three members shall be three years and shall be filled only by regular election. Their terms should be staggered where possible. The three members shall not succeed themselves but are eligible immediately for elective or appointive office on completion of their term. The Senior Member-at-Large shall serve as the Chair of the Nominating Committee.

Section 2 – Procedures
Each year the duties of the Committee shall be to actively solicit expressions of interest from members interested to run for any open Society office (Article 3, By-Laws) or for appointed Executive Committee positions (Article 4, By-laws). It shall advertise in advance (at least 2 months before the deadline for nominations) that it will accept self-nominations of members in good standing. When self-nominations are received, they will be added to the ballot with exceptions of those who were rejected by majority vote of the Nominating Committee. Nominating Committee in collaboration with Membership Secretary shall verify that all candidates fulfill all required criteria for given position and remove from the ballot names of those who are not. The Nominating Committee shall nominate no fewer than two (2) members in good standing to the office of President-Elect and to replace any Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee whose term is ending. In those years in which the term of the office of the Vice-President, Trainee Member, or Awards Committee Chairperson end, the Committee shall nominate at least two (2) members in good standing to that office. In those years in which the term of the Executive Secretary, Treasurer, Program and Meetings Committee Chairperson, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, or Historian end, and if the term in question is not renewed, the Committee shall solicit expressions of interest from members in good standing to fill each position.

All nominations shall be transmitted to the Executive Secretary by 1st April prior to the Society business meeting of that year. The Executive Secretary shall liaise with the Communication Committee to ensure that all nominations to general elections are submitted to the Society on an appropriate electronic ballot at least six weeks prior to the Society annual business meeting and allow at least two weeks for voting to take place. The Executive Secretary shall tally the votes and report the election results at the annual Executive Committee and Society annual business meetings. All tied votes shall be resolved by the President. In case of an appointive post, the Executive Secretary will submit all candidates to the Officers of the Society and conduct a secret ballot. Newly appointed Executive Committee members shall be announced together with results of general elections.

Officers of the Society shall be elected by plurality of the vote. The term of newly elected Officers and newly appointed Executive Committee members starts immediately after the Society annual business meeting of the year in which the elections/appointments took place.

Section 3 – Announcement of Election Results
The Executive Secretary shall inform the newly elected Officers of their elections not later than four weeks prior to the annual business meeting of the Society, and record names of all the newly elected Officers in the minutes of the regular Executive Committee meeting.

Article 10 – Publications

Section 1 – The Journal
The official organ of the Society shall be The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, which shall include reports of original research dealing with all aspects of protistology and eukaryotic microbiology.

Section 2 – Board of Reviewers
The term of office of members of the Board of Reviewers shall be three years and may be renewed at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Section 3 – Other Publications
The Society shall publish additional periodical or other scientific works deemed appropriate and valuable for the promulgation of the stated aims of the Society as determined by the Executive Committee. Such additional periodical or irregular publications shall be administered by Society members designated by and responsible to the Executive Committee.

Article 11 – Affiliation With Other Organizations

Section 1 – Affiliations For The Purpose of Joint Membership
The International Society of Protistologists may affiliate, in a form of contractual agreement, with other organizations having interests in protistology for the purpose of establishing joint membership for individuals in the Society and the affiliate. Such affiliations may include specific agreements that establish a shared structure of dues and may also include provisions for jointly held meetings and other activities. Contracts are negotiated by the Vice-President of the Society with an appropriate representative of each Affiliate, they can be concluded for a maximum of 3 years, although they can be repeatedly prolonged by mutual contractual agreement.

Section 2 – Affiliations That Do Not Involve Joint Membership
The International Society of Protistologists may affiliate, in a form of contractual agreement, with other organizations having interests in protistology for the purpose of achieving common aims as long as the agreement does not compromise the standing of the Society relative to Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law. Contracts are negotiated by the Vice-President of the Society with an appropriate representative of each Affiliate, they can be concluded for a maximum of 3 years, although they can be repeatedly prolonged by mutual contractual agreement.

Article 12 – Amendments of the By-Laws

The process of amendment of the By-Laws in whole or in part shall be initiated by a vote of the Executive Committee. The draft approved by the Executive Committee shall be submitted to the members of the Society for consideration. The Executive Committee shall review the By-Laws every third year for needed amendments due to changing needs or laws. Amendments may be made by a simple majority of all Society members voting by secret ballot, following proposal of the amendments at any annual business meeting of the Society.

Minor amendments that do not alter the meaning or intent of the By-Laws may be agreed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and implemented without requiring a vote of the membership. Any such amended By-Law must be ratified subsequently by a majority vote of the membership attending the next annual business meeting of the Society. If not ratified, the relevant By-Law must revert to its previous form.

This By-Laws proposal was discussed and finalized on 26 June 2025 at the Society’s Business Meeting (Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Republic of Korea). Present members unanimously decided to submit this text for final approval by the Membership in a secret ballot.