CONSTITUTION of the SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ON SLAVIC STUDIES
(adopted by the Members at the Annual Meeting of Members, March 3, 2001)
(revised by the Members at the Annual Meeting of Members, February 25, 2022)
Preamble
In order to promote scholarship, education, and in all other ways to advance scholarly interest
in Russian, Soviet, and East European studies in the Southern region of the United States, this
constitution for the Southern Conference on Slavic Studies is established. The Conference is
an affiliate of the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (formerly American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies).
Article I: Membership
Membership in the Conference shall be open to all persons involved in the field of the
Conference's concerns. All Members who have paid their annual dues shall be eligible to vote
and to hold Conference offices. Membership dues shall be paid on a calendar year basis. The
amount of annual membership dues shall be determined by the Executive Council and
approved by a majority of the Members voting at the Annual Meeting of Members.
Article II: Annual Meeting of Members
An Annual Meeting of Members shall be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the
Conference. The place of the Annual Meeting of Members shall be determined by a vote of
the Members; the date and time of the Annual Meeting of Members shall be determined by the
Executive Council. The Annual Meeting of Members shall be during the annual meeting of the Conference. A
quorum at the Annual Meeting of Members shall consist of those Members of the Conference present at the Annual
Meeting of Members.
Article III: Executive Council
(a) The property and business of the Conference shall be conducted and managed by an Executive
Council which shall consist of five (5) members (the President, the President-Elect, the
Secretary, the Treasurer, and the most recent past President) and six (6) Members-at-Large elected
by the Members at the Annual Meeting or by direct postal or electronic ballot. Each of the
Members-at-Large shall be elected for a term of three (3) years. The Executive Council shall
meet at least once each year during the annual meeting of the Conference.
(b) If a vacancy on the Executive Council occurs, the President may nominate candidates to fill the
vacancy and the Executive Council will select an individual to fill the vacancy. The term of any
member of the Executive Council who is elected to fill a vacant position on the Executive
Council shall serve until the next Annual Meeting of Members, at which time the Members
shall elect an individual to fill the unexpired term of the vacant position.
(c) Members of the Executive Council may be elected to other offices in the Conference after their
terms on the Executive Council have been completed, but they may not be elected to the same
office on the Executive Council until three years from the expiration of their last term of
service on the Executive Council have passed.
(d) A quorum of the Executive Council shall consist of a majority of the members of the
Executive Council.
(e) All actions of the Executive Council shall be reported to the Members of the Conference. Any
decision or action taken by the Executive Council may be reversed by a majority vote of the
Members voting at the Annual Meeting of Members. Any decision or action taken by the
Executive Council must be submitted to a vote and ratification by the Members at the next
Annual Meeting of Members upon submission of a petition signed by twenty (20) or more
Members.
(f) A member of the Executive Council may be removed from his or her office by a vote of two-thirds
(2/3) of the Members voting at any Annual Meeting of Members. Notice of intention to
remove a member of the Executive Council shall be communicated to Members in the notice
of the Annual Meeting of Members.
Article IV: Officers
(a) The officers of the Conference shall be the President, the President-Elect, the Secretary, and the
Treasurer. The President-Elect, the Secretary, and the Treasurer shall be elected by the Members at
the Annual Meeting or by direct postal or electronic ballot.
(b) The President shall serve a term of two (2) years and shall not stand for election to any office in
the Conference for a period of three (3) years following the expiration of his or her term. The
President-Elect shall serve a term of two (2) years in that office and shall then automatically
become President for two (2) years. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall serve a term of three (3) years each in that
office and may be re-elected.
(c) In the event that the President-Elect is unable to succeed to the Presidency as provided in the
preceding paragraph, a new President shall be elected by the Members at the Annual Meeting
or through special direct postal or electronic ballot. In case of such a special election, the
Nominating Committee provided for in Article V shall nominate at least two candidates for the
office of President.
[OFFICE OF PRESIDENT AMENDED BY A 2/3 VOTE IN MARCH 2011 AT WASHINGTON/ALEXANDRIA MEETING TO CHANGE PRESIDENT’S TERM AND PRESIDENT-ELECT’S TERM TO 2 YEARS].
[OFFICE OF SECRETARY-TREASURER AMENDED BY A 2/3 VOTE IN FEBRUARY 2022 AT RICHMOND, VIRGINIA MEETING TO SEPARATE SECRETARY-TREASURER INTO SEPARATE POSITIONS].
[POSITION OF WEB COORDINATOR CREATED BY VOTE OF MEMBERSHIP AT RICHMOND MEETING IN FEBRUARY 2022].
Article V: Committees
(a) The normal standing Committees of the Conference are:
1. Local Arrangements Committee. The President shall appoint the chair of the Local
Arrangements Committee, who shall in turn appoint the other members of the
committee. The chair and members of the Committee shall serve terms of one (1) year.
2. Program Committee. The President shall appoint the chair of the Program Committee,
who will in turn appoint the other members of the Committee, taking care to insure
that the various disciplines represented within the Conference are also represented on
the Committee. The chair and members of the Committee shall serve terms of one (1)
year.
3. Nominating Committee. The chair and members of the Committee shall be appointed
by the President and shall serve terms of one (1) year.
4. Student Achievement Award Committee. The chair and two members of the
Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall serve terms of one (1) year.
5. Senior Scholar and Outstanding Service Awards Committee. The chair and members
of the Committee shall be appointed by the President and shall serve terms of one (1)
year.
(b) Unless otherwise specified, the President shall determine the number of members on each
Committee of the Conference. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the President may re-appoint
any Committee chair or member to a new term upon the expiration of his or her original term.
(c) The Executive Council may establish such additional standing committees as it deems
necessary. The President may appoint such additional ad hoc committee as he or she deems
necessary. The President shall appoint the chairs and members of any such new standing or ad
hoc committees.
Article VI: Resignations
Any officer, committee chair, or committee member may resign his or her position at any time.
Resignations shall be submitted to the President in writing.
Article VII: Amendments
This constitution may be altered, amended, or repealed by two-thirds of the members voting at
an Annual Meeting of the Members.
Article VIII. Purposes
The Conference shall be organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and
scientific purposes as those terms are defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1954. The Conference shall not, other than as an insubstantial part of its activities,
engage in activities that are not in furtherance of these purposes. The Conference may not
attempt to influence legislation as a substantial part of its activities and it may not participate at
all in campaign activity for or against political candidates. The Conference may accept
contributions that further the purposes specified above.
Article IX. Limitations on Earnings
None of the earnings of the Conference may inure to the benefit of any Officer or Member of
the Conference or any other individual.
Article X. Assets
The assets of the Conference are dedicated exclusively to the purposes specified in Article VIII.
In the event of the dissolution of the Conference pursuant to Article XI, the residual assets of
the Conference will be distributed to one or more charitable organizations (as defined in
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954) or to the Federal, State, or local
government to be used exclusively for public purposes.
Article XI. Dissolution
The Conference may be dissolved upon a vote by two-thirds of the Members voting at an
Annual Meeting of Members, in which case the Executive Council shall be responsible for
winding-up the affairs of the Conference.
