By-Laws Article 1-8

Article 1: Membership

Any person interested in any aspect of the study of Copepoda is eligible for membership of the WAC. Applicants for membership must send an application form by mail to the General Secretary, and pay the annual dues two years in advance to the Treasurer. The Executive Council confers on those who have completed these processes the status of a member.

Article 2: Governing body

The governing body of the WAC shall be the quorum of membership assembled at business meetings during periodic symposia. Should such meetings be impossible, the membership shall exercise its authority by mail ballot, organized by the Executive Council.

Article 3: Officers

The officers of the WAC shall be: a President, a Vice-President, a Past President, a General Secretary, a Treasurer, a Local Secretary, an Editor, a Webmaster and up to five Council Members, comprising the Executive Council. The term of office of all officers will be coincident with the interval between two successive meetings of the WAC. The President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Treasurer and Council members shall be elected by the membership. The Local Secretary, Editor and Webmaster shall be appointed by the new President. After completion of one elected term as President, the President will serve a second term as Past President. All officers shall be eligible for re-election, but the Vice-President and Council Members shall serve not more than two consecutive terms.

Article 4: Executive Council

The Executive Council shall determine general policy on the basis of input from the membership and shall conduct the business affairs of the WAC. The Executive Council is chaired by the President of the WAC. In his absence, the Council is chaired by the Vice-President and in his absence by the General Secretary.

Article 5: The Treasurer

The Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the WAC and shall present an annual report at the end of each calendar year to be included in the first issue of the newsletter of the succeeding year.

Article 6A: The Local Secretary

The Local Secretary shall be appointed by the Executive Council during the WAC meeting from among members living in the locality designated as the venue for the next meeting. The Local Secretary shall take a leading role in organizing that meeting, in close cooperation with the President and the Executive Council.

Article 6B: The General Secretary

The General Secretary shall prepare and receive applications for membership and assist the President in running the WAC.

Article 7: Auditors

Two auditors shall be appointed by the new President. The Auditors shall audit the accounts of the Treasurer and report the status of the accounts at the busniness meeting of the WAC.

Article 8: Nominations

Nominations for any office, with the exception of those of the Local Secretary and Past President, may be made in writing by any two members of the WAC in good standing not later than two months in advance of an election. The proposer must ascertain that each candidate is willing to stand for office and serve if elected. Additional nominations may be made by a Nomination Committee appointed by the Executive Council and during business meetings of the WAC.

By Laws Article 9-15

Article 9:

Elections Elections shall be conducted by direct ballot at the business meetings of the WAC. Should the interval between meetings exceed five years, the Executive Council shall arrange a mail ballot election. In that case the Executive Council shall mail ballots to the membership in an issue of the newsletter before October 1 in the election year. A brief biographical sketch of each candidate shall accompany the ballots. The Executive Council shall appoint a scrutinizing committee of three to count and record votes received by November 1. The candidates receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected. When the vote results in a tie, the Executive Council shall vote to resolve it. Should a tie still persist, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

Article 10: Finance

The expenses of the WAC shall be paid from the funds of the WAC, within the limits of its budget. The capital and income of the WAC shall be devoted solely to the furtherance of the objectives of the WAC, as stated in its constitution.

Article 11: Dues

The annual dues shall be fixed by the Executive Council. They shall be payable in the currency used by the treasury of the WAC or by International Money Order in advance before January 1 to the Treasurer. Dues may be paid two years in advance. At the discretion of the Executive Council, dues of some members may be waived or reduced.

Article 12: Newsletter

The WAC shall publish a newsletter entitled MONOCULUS. This newsletter shall be published at least once a year. The responsibility for its publication shall devolve upon an Editor, appointed by the Executive Council for a period equal to the interval between successive meetings. The Editor may be one of the officers of the Executive Council and shall be eligible for re-election.

Article 13: Meetings

The WAC shall sponsor an international symposium every three years, if possible. The purpose of these conferences shall be the promotion of the Association's objectives. They will also provide a platform for the conduct of the Association's business, including nomination and election of officers, adoption of by-laws and amendment of the constitution and/or by-laws. All business decisions shall be taken by the vote of the membership quorum. Financial responsibility for the conferences shall rest with the local organizers. Article 14: Amendments The constitution and by-laws of the WAC can be amended only by two-thirds majority of members in good standing present at a business meeting or voting in a mail ballot. Amendments may be proposed by any two members in writing to the General Secretary for the appropriate transmission to the membership.

Article 15: Dissolution

In the event that WAC is dissolved for any reason, the surplus funds remaining after payment of debts and liabilities shall be transferred to some institution or organization approved by the Executive Council that has objectives similar to those of the WAC. Any outstanding liabilities at dissolution shall be shared equally among the members.

Approved amendments to the WAC By-Laws:

1. Composition of the Executive Council

The workload of the Executive Council continues to grow rapidly. In addition to conducting normal WAC business affairs, the EC has instituted a system of student grants and prizes, has opened a WAC website, and has made plans for an electronic version of Monoculus. In order to continue to launch new initiatives for the benefit of copepodologists everywhere, we recommended to the WAC membership that the Council be enlarged. We proposed to add one additional elected Council Member and to institute the post of immediate Past President (who will serve for one term after completion of his/her term as president).

The role of Past President provides important continuity between successive Executive Councils. The proposed change, which has been approved during the last business meeting held in Taiwan, required amendment of Article 3 of the WAC By-Laws.

Amendment of "Article 3: Officers"

The officers of the WAC shall be: a President, a Vice-President, a Past President, a General Secretary, a Treasurer, a Local Secretary and up to five members, comprising the Executive Council. The term of office of all officers will be coincident with the interval between two successive meetings of the WAC. The Local Secretary will not be an elected officer, but be appointed by the Executive Council. After completion of one elected term as President, the President will serve a second term as Past President. At each meeting half of the slate of officers shall be replaced. All officers of the Executive Council shall be eligible for re-elections.

2. Nominations

The Executive Council wishes to ensure that elections are as open and transparent as possible. The previous version of the By-Laws stated in Article 7, that "Nominations for any office may be made in writing by any two members of the WAC not later than six months in advance of an election." Most previous Executive Councils have experienced difficulty in gaining sufficient nominations in advance and, in practice, it has often been necessary to solicit nominations during the opening few days of each conference. This is allowed under the current By-Laws which also state that "Additional nominations may be made by a Nomination Committee appointed by the Executive Council and during business meetings of the WAC."

The Executive Council hopes that the development of a WAC website will facilitate the nomination process since we will be able to post nominations on the website, as soon as possible after they are received, so that members can view them. We also proposed to reduce the time limit for receipt of posted nominations from six months to two months in advance of an election.

Approved amendment of "Article 7: Nominations."

Nominations for any office, with the exception of those of Local Secretary and Past President, may be made in writing by any two members of the WAC in good standing not later than two months in advance of an election. The proposer must ascertain that each candidate is willing to stand for office and serve if elected. Additional nominations may be made by a Nomination Committee appointed by the Executive Council and during business meetings of the WAC.

These amendments to Articles 3 and 7 of the By-Laws were placed before, and approved by the WAC members at the business meeting held in Taiwan last July.

Geoff Boxshall, Past President, WAC

Approved amendments to the WAC By-Laws 18 July 2008 in Pattaya, Thailand

1. Proposal addition of an auditor post

The President explained that it is a general practice for an organization such as the WAC to have Auditors, and proposed the creation of this position. The appointment of Auditors is clarified in a new Article 7. He also proposed the amendment of the current Article 3, to clarify which positions are to be elected by members and which are to be appointed by the President.

Amendment of “Article 3: Officers”

The officers of the WAC shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Past President, a General Secretary, a Treasurer, a Local Secretary, an Editor, a Webmaster and up to five Council Members, comprising the Executive Council. The term of office of all officers will be coincident with the interval between two successive meetings of the WAC. The President, Vice-President, General Secretary, Treasurer and Council Members shall be elected by the membership. The Local Secretary, Editor and Webmaster shall be appointed by the new President. After completion of one elected term as President, the President will serve a second term as Past President. All officers shall be eligible for re-election, but the Vice-President and Council Members shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.

Amendment of “Article 7: Auditors”

Two Auditors shall be appointed by the new President. The Auditors shall audit the accounts of the Treasurer and report the status of the accounts at the business meeting of the WAC.

(Addition of this Article 7 makes the current Articles 7-14 slide to Articles 8-15)

2. Proposal to amend by-laws about Membership

The President commented that the current process to become a WAC member is out-of-date and needs to be simplified.

Amendment of “Article 1: Membership”

Any person interested in any aspect of the study of Copepoda is eligible for membership in the WAC. Applicants for membership must send an application form by mail to the General Secretary, and pay the annual dues two years in advance to the Treasurer. The Executive Council confers on those who have completed these processes the status of a member.

Shin-ichi Uye, Past President, WAC