Constitution of the Canadian Association of Slavists / CAS
Constitution de l'Association Canadienne des Slavistes / ACS

• Aims

  • 1] The Canadian Association of Slavists is an organization of teachers and scholars in the field of Slavic and related studies in Canada for the purpose of improving and advancing such studies:
    • a) The activities of the Association shall be carried out without purpose of gain for its members and any profits or other accretions to the organization shall be used in promoting its objectives.
    • 2] The CAS will use various methods to achieve this, among which may be:
      • a) General meetings of CAS at which ideas will be exchanged, experience pooled, textbooks and other teaching aids considered, teaching methods expounded and papers on learned subjects read, etc.
      • b) The issuing of a publication or publications which will include articles on learned subjects pertaining to Slavic and related studies contributed primarily by members of CAS, but by decision of the Editors, also by other writers. Surveys, reports, book reviews, etc., on matters of interest may also be published.
      • c) Radio broadcasting, public speaking, representation at meetings of other societies, etc.
      • d) The establishment of a file, held by the Secretary-Treasurer of CAS, of the names, addresses, and qualifications of prospective candidates for teaching positions in Slavic and related studies in Canada.
      • e) Concerted effort in making application to government agencies, foundations, private individuals, etc., for promoting the aim of the Association.
    • 3] English and French are the official languages of CAS.

• Membership

  • 4] Active membership shall be open to any bona fide teacher on a regular institutional appointment of Slavic and related studies in a recognized educational institution in Canada, of university, college or secondary school standing, to recognized scholars, and persons professionally engaged in research in Central and East European Affairs, as well as to professional librarians in Slavic or related fields. Voting power will be confined to active members.
    • 5] a) Associate membership shall be open to all persons interested in the aims and activities of CAS, but such members will not have the power to vote at CAS meetings nor be elected to any office.
    • b) The Executive, usually on the advice of an ad-hoc advisory committee chosen for this purpose, may appoint Honorary Members for life, from amongst members of the Association of long standing, or from amongst others active in the field of Slavic studies in Canada. Suggestions of appropriate candidates for honorary membership should be made in writing to the President and have the support of at least three members. Honorary members shall receive the CAS publication gratis.
  • 6) Membership in CAS exists in the following categories:
    • a) Regular membership
    • b) Student, retired, unemployed membership
    • c) Joint membership - available to any two members who wish to receive only one copy of Canadian Slavonic Papers and the CAS Newsletter, while retaining the right of each to vote, hold office, present papers and be eligible for grant assistance
    • d) Life membership
    • e) Joint Life membership - under the conditions described in c)
    • f) Associate membership
    • g) Affiliated organizational membership
    • h) Sustaining membership
    • i) Honorary membership
  • 7] Any member may resign, if s/he so desired, by writing to the Secretary-Treasurer.
  • 8] The Executive may suspend the privileges of any member for cause until the next general meeting of CAS, at which time a two-thirds majority vote will decide whether the membership should be canceled.
  • 9] Membership shall be canceled for two or more years' arrears in dues without reasonable cause after two written appeals, with automatic readmission upon paying back membership fees.
  • 10] The Secretary-Treasurer shall, on demand on any member, furnish the list of the membership of CAS.

• Executive

  • 11] The Executive of CAS/ACS shall consists of one member ex officio and eleven members elected by a majority vote at the general meeting, as follows.
    • a) President - elected every two years
    • b) Immediate Past President - ex-officio, with office tenure of two years
    • ) Two Vice Presidents - elected annually
    • d) Secretary-Treasurer - elected for three years
    • e) Chair of the Programme Committee - elected annually
    • f) Editor of Canadian Slavonic Papers - elected for five years
    • g) Four Members at Large - elected annually and eligible for re-election. As far as is possible, these should be nominated with due consideration for the balance of different disciplines and geographical areas on the Executive as a whole.
    • h) Graduate student represenatative - elected annually. The student representative shall be lelected for a one year term by and from the student membership of CAS/ACS by mail ballot prior to the AGM from among nominations received by the CAS nominating committee. All bona fide students shall be eligible for nomination and in the event that the student representative graduates during the term of his/her mandate, s/he complete his/her term of office.
    • i) The Editor shall normally be elected one year in advance of the time when s/he begins his/her term of office, to allow for necessary advance planning. The Executive, upon the suggestion of the Editor, shall be empowered to appoint such associate and assistant editors and other editorial staff as it deems necessary from time to time.
  • 12] The general meeting is empowered to appoint an Honorary President/Presidents each year.
  • 13] In case of death or resignation of a member of the Executive the President will fill the vacancy ad interim until a proper election by mail can be held. In case of death or resignation of the president the Vice President assumes his/her duties until the next annual meeting. The President is further empowered, as the need arises, to appoint representatives for the Association on outside bodies, or to substitute for himself; with the proviso that s/he shall report on such appointments to the general meeting.
  • 14] Retiring presidents of CAS shall form an Advisory Board, with an individual tenure of three years, in addition to two year tenure on the Executive in the capacity of the immediate Past President. The Advisory Board, of which the senior member will be chair, will act as a body for the Executive,to consult when the latter deems necessary. The Board, as a group, may introduce recommendations at general meetings of CAS. The Advisory Board shall normally receive the agenda and minutes of all Executive Meetings, which they may, if they so desire, attend, without the right to vote.
  • 15] In all matters not specifically covered by constitutional clauses, the President and the Secretary-Treasurer may take provisional action until the next meeting of CAS.

• Meetings

  • 16] Executive meetings of CAS may be called at any time by the President. If, owing to distance, it is impractical to hold such meetings, the business of CAS may be conducted by correspondence; the President and the Secretary-Treasurer shall be empowered to take action on all routine matters.
  • 17] General meetings of CAS are called by the President as the need arises, except that one general meeting must take place every calendar year. Notice of such meeting must be mailed to all members at least one month prior to the meeting. Annual general meetings of CAS will normally take place in the same locality and time period as the meetings of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, organized by the Canadian Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences. A two-thirds majority vote of active members present at the annual general meeting is required to amend the Constitution.
  • 18] In special cases papers and reports may be presented in languages other than the official ones.

• The Standing Committees of the Association

  • 19] Nominating Committee:

    The Nominating Committee shall consist of the outgoing President and two other members elected annually for the coming year. The committee shall call for written nominations and, where practicable, publish its slate of candidates in advance of the annual meeting. (Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the business meeting.) The Nominating Committee should also encourage members who may be interested in serving on committees of the Association to make their names known to its Chair.

  • 20] Programme and Arrangements Committee:

    The Programme and Arrangements Committee shall consist of three members of the Association, elected annually. Its chair should preferably be a member of the university at which the next annual meeting will be held.

  • 21] Grants Committee:

    The Grants Committee shall consist of the Secretary-Treasurer and one or two other members appointed by the Executive. The purpose of this committee shall be to offer the Association's support to members who are requesting aid:
    • a) from the federal granting agencies for travel to international conferences,
    • b) from the Association in order to attend the Annual Meeting,
    • c) from federal granting agencies and other foundations for grants in aid of research and publication.

  • 22] International Relations Committee

    • Purpose

      • a) To act as the national body representing Canadian Slavists on international organizations with which affiliation has been established by the Canadian Association of Slavists.
      • b) When so requested by the CAS executive the IRC will examine the status of CAS relations with international organizations and will make recommendations to CAS through the CAS executive on adherence to new organizations and any changes in relations with other organizations.

    • Membership

      The Committee will consist of a Chair, a Secretary, and as many members as there are eligible Canadian representatives to the constituent ruling bodies of international organizations with which CAS is affiliated.
      • A. Officers
        • 1]
          • a) The Chair will serve for a period of five years (renewable once). When a vacancy is expected, the Nominating Committee of CAS will submit at least one nomination to the next AGM of CAS.
          • b) The Chair will not be a representative of Canadian Slavists to an international organization except as a temporary replacement for one of the members of the IRC.
        • 2] a) The Secretary-Treasurer of CAS will normally be the Secretary of the IRC.
        • b) The Secretary will not be a representative of Canadian Slavists to an international organization except as a temporary replacement for one of the members of the IRC.

      • B. Members
        • 1]
          • a) The members will be the individual Canadian representatives to international organizations with which CAS has established relations,
          • b) They will be responsible on the IRC for relations with those organizations to which they are representatives and they will report through the IRC to CAS on those organizations,
          • c) Membership will normally be for a period of five years or for a period to include one appropriate congress of the international organization to which members are representative, whichever period is less. Membership will normally terminate after such an international congress. Members will not normally have their membership renewed beyond a second term.
          • d)
            • i) Members of the IRC will be chosen by a nominating committee consisting of the Chair of the IRC, the President of CAS, and the Chair of the CAS Nominating Committee. All selections to membership of the IRC will be presented to the next AGM of CAS for ratification.
            • ii) Where subsidiary Canadian organizations of a parent international organization exist, the nominee to the IRC will normally be the chief officer(s) of that Canadian organization.
            • iii) Where is deemed appropriate, a slate of Canadian candidates can be presented to the international organization for a final selection.
        • 2] Members of CAS who hold office to international bodies as individuals rather than as delegates of CAS can be asked to sit on the IRC as non-voting members at the discretion of the IRC.

    • Meetings and Reports

      • 1] The members are required to report at least once a year in writing to the Chair of the IRC. The Chair will prepare an annual written report (which will be published in the CAS Newsletter). The Chair, or his/her designate, will also present a verbal report to the AGM of CAS.
      • 2] The Committee will normally meet once a year, in conjunction with the Learned Societies.

  • 23] Advisory Board

    • Membership

      The Advisory Board to consist of the retiring 'Immediate Past President' for a term of three years, (i.e. there will be three such members) and five elected members, each elected for a period of five years, renewable once. These five members should be long-standing members of the Association, represent the disciplinary and geographical diversity of the membership and have extensive experience of and service to CAS.

    • Function

      • 1] The members of the CAS Advisory Board are NOT members of the CAS Executive. They will, however,
        • a) be sent all material distributed to the CAS Executive,
        • b) be invited to comment in advance on all issues scheduled to be discussed by the CAS Executive, and
        • c) be invited to attend all CAS Executive meetings as non-voting participants.
      • 2] The Advisory Board will periodically (normally once every three years) prepare a 'State of the Association' brief for discussion by the Executive of CAS. This brief should outline the board's perception of the current status of the Association and the perspectives for future development. For the purposes of preparing and collating such a report the Board may elect an ad-hoe coordinator.
      • 3] The Advisory Board will act, as and when appropriate, individually or collectively, as a lobbying group for the Association in its relations with Canadian governments, various Canadian government and professional agencies as well as individual universities, in accordance with guidelines to be developed by the Advisory Board and approved by the Executive of CAS.

  • 24] Committee on Exchanges

    • 1] The mandate of the Committee on Exchanges is to monitor existing exchanges between Canada and the USSR/Eastern Europe and to promote exchanges in this field;
    • 2] The Committee on Exchanges will consist of three members of CAS, each serving a three-year term; one member of the Committee will be elected each year.

  • 25] Fund Raising Committee

    The Fund Raising Committee shall consist of the President, the Immediate Past President (chair), one Vice President, one member selected from the Members at Large, and one from the Advisory Board. The Committee's duty is to organize fund raising campaigns among members of CAS, various foundations and charities, financial institutions and businesses, and to seek other possible donors and sponsors.

  • 26] Fund Management Committee

    • Purpose

      The Fund Management committee shall oversee the use of the CAS Fund so as to further the interests and objectives of our Association as a whole.

    • Membership

      The Committee shall consist of the Immediate Past President (chair), the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Editor, Canadian Slavonic Papers.

    • Responsibilities

      Members of the Committee shall:
      • a) serve as signatories for the CAS Fund account and be responsible for all financial transactions,
      • b) invest the monies in the CAS Fund for maximum yields,
      • c) recommend to the Executive disbursements of Income from investment in accordance with Revenue Canada guidelines for registered charities,
      • d) complete and file annual tax reports with Revenue Canada.