ISE Constitution

Preliminary

In this Constitution, these terms are designated:
"Officers" and "Board Members" refers to current Members of the ISE Executive Committee.

The Society shall be known as the "International Society for Ethnopharmacology" (ISE), the formal organization of international scientists dedicated to interdisciplinary study of the physiological actions of plant, animal, and other substances used in indigenous medicines of past and present cultures.

The objective of the ISE shall be the promotion of Ethnopharmacology as a scientific research discipline in any manner appropriate to the purpose.

Membership

The ISE shall consist of Members. The acceptance of Membership shall be deemed to imply an agreement to be bound by all the existing Regulations of the ISE.

Membership is open to scientists interested in Ethnopharmacology. Evidence of interest shall include publication on any aspect of Ethnopharmacology, as books produced by scientific presses and/or articles in professional, peer-reviewed journals, research and related activities on Ethnopharmacology, including Applied Ethnopharmacology. Members are encouraged to present original papers of scientific merit at the meetings of the ISE.

Candidates for the Executive Committee should detail their qualifications in a curriculum vitae that includes publications and scientific papers presented at professional meetings.

Members will pay an annual membership fee, the amount of which will be determined periodically at a General Meeting of the ISE. An additional fee will entitle the Member to a reduced-cost individual subscription to the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

Any Member whose membership fees are overdue is no longer entitled to ISE benefits.

Honorary Members may be elected on an ad hoc basis.

Meetings

Scientific Meeting
The ISE shall convene a Scientific Meeting every two years for the presentation and discussion of papers, at a time and place to be decided by the Executive Committee. Written proposals can be submitted by prospective Meeting hosts at any time, and will be judged by the Executive Committee. Should the authors of an approved proposal be unable to establish the availability of sufficient funds in the first three months of planning, they should advise the President that they wish to be released from the responsibility. At that juncture, ISE authorization will be rescinded, and other proposals will be considered.

The objective of the Scientific Meeting is to encourage the dissemination of recent research and work-in-progress to a body of peers and to interested participants.

The program shall be arranged by the local organizer(s) in collaboration with the ISE Executive Committee. A minimum of five Members of the ISE Executive Committee will be included on the Scientific Committee that develops the theme and scholarly/research content of the program.

The local organizing committee is responsible for raising funds sufficient to cover conference costs, including preliminary circulars, and will cover the registration fees and travel & accommodation costs for ISE Board Members who are active in the development of the scientific program and who also present papers at the Meeting.

General Meetings
The Executive Committee shall meet both during and at the close of the Scientific Meeting.
The President shall chair all meetings of the ISE and of its Executive Committee, or shall appoint an agent to act in her or his place.
A General Meeting of Members will be held at the close of the Scientific Meeting.

Language

The official language of the ISE shall be English, for meetings and in correspondence.

Exceptionally, other languages (French, German, Italian, and Spanish) might be permitted for the presentation of conference papers and in ISE publications.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee of the Society shall consist of the President, Past President, Honorary President (Past past President), President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and up to seven additional Board Members.

A Candidate for the Executive Committee may be, with his or her written consent, proposed to the Executive Committee. In the event that more candidates are proposed than existing open positions, election will be by secret ballot of the Executive Committee.

The President and the Treasurer are authorized to represent the ISE in any legal capacity.

The President-Elect shall hold office for two years beginning on the day succeeding the General Meeting at which the election was ratified, and as President for the subsequent two years. Any Member of the ISE may submit to the Executive Committee a written proposal that outlines his or her vision for the next Scientific Meeting, including the character and extent of institutional and other support.

The President will remain on the Executive Committee as past President for two years following her or his term as President, and for two more years following that as Honorary President. An interim President may be named by the Executive Committee in the event that the office becomes vacant through resignation or otherwise.

The secretary shall be elected at the General Meeting. He/she shall record minutes of all meetings and other official matters as they transpire; and shall receive written nominations for Officers and Board Members, and proposals for future Scientific Meetings.

The treasurer shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and elected at the General Meeting. She/he will collect ISE membership dues and related monies, hold funds in account for the Society, forward JEP subscription monies and subscribers’ labels to Elsevier Scientific, and report the status of accounts to the Executive Committee.

Up to seven Board Members shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and elected at the General Meeting. Not more than two Board Members shall reside in any one country; one of them shall be a student.

Auditors

Two auditors shall be proposed by the Executive Committee and elected at the General Meeting. The Auditors shall review accounts with the Treasurer.

Voting
Voting in the Executive Committee and at the General Meeting shall be by a simple majority of those present, except when amendment of the Constitution or dissolution of the Society is at issue, in which cases a two-thirds majority of those present shall be required. The President shall have a casting vote at any meeting. The quorum for an Executive Committee Meeting shall be four Members. A General Meeting can not be held unless there are present at least two ISE members not of the Executive Committee.

Monies Accruing

All monies accruing to the Society shall be used in pursuance of the Purpose of the Society as stated. Monies shall not be used in any way for the remuneration of the Officers or Board Members, except for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in attending Meetings, in which case decisions will be the discretion of a majority of the Executive Committee, as funds permit.

Scholarships & Awards

To stimulate research in the field of ethnopharmacology, the Society will establish scholarships and awards, the specifications of which will be regulated by the Executive Committee.

Publications

The Executive Committee will nominate a Publications Committee to oversee the Society's requirements for the diffusion of information directly pertinent to the Society.

Amendments to the Constitution

Proposed amendments must be supported by at least five Members or by the Executive Committee and submitted in writing to the Secretary or the Executive Board.

Any Member may submit a written counter-proposal to the Secretary, at least three weeks before the next General Meeting.

Last update: 2007-12-20