By-Laws of the Society
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this society will be the International Lawrence Durrell Society.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
The International Lawrence Durrell Society is a non-profit educational organization. Its purposes are:
1. To promote the study, understanding, and appreciation of the works of Lawrence Durrell.
2. To explore critically Lawrence Durrell’s position in twentieth-century literature, modernist and post-modernist, and to help establish his place in the canon of world literature.
3. To sponsor meetings, seminars, and conferences world-wide dealing with Lawrence Durrell.
4. To publish a newsletter and a journal at regular intervals.
5. To establish and maintain an International Lawrence Durrell Society Web site.
6. To support scholarly publications.
7. To undertake such projects as may be decided upon by the Society.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Any person interested in the objectives of the Society shall be eligible for membership and accepted to membership upon payment of Society dues. Honorary membership may be accorded by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE IV: DUES
Annual dues are payable by 1 September of each year, and membership will be dated from 1 September through 31 August. Dues paid on or before 1 March will be retroactive to 1 September; dues paid on or after 2 March will be applied to the following September.
The payment of annual dues shall be a condition of good standing in the Society. Dues payment shall entitle members to receive the newsletter, special announcements and bulletins of the Society.
Changes in the dues structure shall be determined by a majority vote of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
To be eligible for elective office, a person must currently be a member in good standing of the Society and have been so for at least two years. The elected officers of the Society shall be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer, who will be elected for a period of two years, dating from the meetings held in even-numbered years.
Officers other than the Secretary/Treasurer may be elected for no more than two consecutive terms to each office. They shall be eligible for election again after two terms out of office.
The President shall preside at all Society meetings and direct the activities of the Society. The President of the Society shall be an ex officio member of all committees except the Nominations Committee. The President is also responsible for convening and chairing meetings of the Executive Board. the President shall, in a timely manner, inform all Board members of forthcoming meetings of the Executive Board.
The Vice-President shall fulfill all the activities of the President in his/her absence and shall succeed to the office if, for any reason, the president must resign.
The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep accurate records of the transactions of the Society, maintain a membership role, and handle the financial matters of the Society.
ARTICLE VI: BOARD AND COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
To be eligible for a board or a standing committee, a person must be a member in good standing of the Society. Eligibility for ad hoc committees will be determined by the Executive Board.
A. Executive Board
The Executive Board, the advisory council of the Society, shall consist of current officers,
the past presidents of the Society and three members elected at-large from the membership, with the current President as chair. Quorum for a meeting of the Executive Board requires the presence of at least five members (four in addition to the current President).
The Executive Board:
1. Shall be responsible for all matters of Society policy.
2. Shall select conference coordinators.
3. Shall appoint interim officers in an emergency.
4. Shall appoint a Vice President/General Counsel.
5. May designate an archivist who will keep a file of the records and publications of the Society.
6. Shall be responsible for determining the publications policy and activities of the Society.
7. Shall appoint the nominations committee and special committees as needed.
B. Publications Committee
The Publications Committee shall consist of the President of the Society, the editor of
Deus Loci, the editor of the Herald, the web site editor and the main editor of any pending Society-sponsored publication. The senior editor of Deus Loci shall serve as the chair of the Publications Committee.
C. Conference Committee
The Conference Committee shall be composed of a conference coordinator selected by
the Executive Board and other members selected by the coordinator in consultation with the Executive Board. The Conference Committee will be responsible for the call for papers, the program, and the biennial conference itself and will report at regular intervals to the President of the Society.
D. Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee shall select a slate of persons who will stand for the offices of President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer of the Society and the three at-large positions on the Executive Board. The Nominations Committee shall consist of three members chosen biennially by the Executive Board at least three months before the elections. The Nominations Committee will report directly to the membership at the Society meeting for the election of officers. It will be responsible for ensuring a full slate of candidates for each election, and will be responsive to nominations by members at large.
E. Special Committees Ad hoc committees will be appointed by the Executive Board when necessary.
ARTICLE VII: PUBLICATIONS
The editors of Deus Loci, the International Lawrence Durrell Society Herald, the Society web site, and any other Society-sponsored publications shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Executive Board.
ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS
Society meetings will be held during the biennial conference. In non-conference years, meetings may be called by the President at a time and place agreeable to a simple majority of the Executive Board. Society members will be notified of exact times and places of general meetings.
Twenty members of the Society including the officers of the Society shall constitute a quorum at all general meetings.
For meetings of the Executive Board, five board members (four in addition to the current President) shall constitute a quorum. For any other of the Society’s committees, a simple majority shall constitute a quorum.
ARTICLE IX: SOCIETY GOVERNANCE
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order Revised shall govern the Society in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these By-Laws.
ARTICLE X: AMENDMENT OF THE BY-LAWS
Amendments of the By-Laws shall be made only upon recommendation of the Executive Board and with three months’ written notice to the membership at large. Final approval of such amendments will require a two-thirds vote of the members present at any Society meeting. In the event that a quorum shall not be obtained at any given meeting, balloting will be by mail and twenty responses will constitute a quorum.
(Last Revised, July 2008, Nanterre)
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