Constitution of the ACL Special Interest Group on Computational Phonology (1994-2006)*

I. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The purpose of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) Special Interest Group on Computational Phonology (the SIG) shall be to promote interest in computational phonology; to provide members of the ACL with a special interest in computational phonology with a means of exchanging news of recent research developments and other matters of interest in computational phonology; and to sponsor meetings and workshops in computational phonology that appear to be timely and worthwile, operating within the framework of the ACL's general guidelines for SIGs.

II. ELECTED OFFICERS

The elected officers of the SIG shall consist of a President, a Secretary and up to four others, together forming the Executive Committee. The President and Secretary shall be members in good standing of the ACL. The term of all elected officers of the SIG shall be two years. The President shall remain a member of the Executive Committee for the subsequent term to provide continuity.

The duties of the President shall be:

1. To have primary executive authority over actions and activities of the SIG.
2. To be primarily responsible for communication with the Executive Committee of the ACL, and to prepare a written report on the activities of the SIG for the Executive Committee of the ACL, for presentation to the ACL at its Annual Business Meeting.
3. To designate a Liaison Representative, who shall be be primarily responsible for communication with members of the SIG and answering inquiries about the SIG.
4. To designate a Newsletter Editor for the SIG, who shall be responsible for compiling a quarterly electronic newsletter.
5. To designate a Resources Manager for the SIG, who shall be responsible for maintaining an FTP directory for housing papers, programs and the membership directory.

The duties of the Secretary shall be:

1. To maintain a membership roster of the SIG.
2. To be responsible for any moneys awarded to the SIG by the ACL; to collect and manage any dues that may be required by the organization; and to present a written annual report on the SIG finances to the Executive Committee of the ACL.

III. MEMBERSHIP

Membership is open to anyone who professes an interest in computational phonology. Membership will be terminated on request, or automatically if no reply is received within 6 months of posting an annual membership list update message.

IV. ELECTION OF OFFICERS

All officers of the SIG shall be elected by a vote of the membership. Elections shall take place at least two months before the expiration of the terms of the officers to be elected, with at least 4 weeks notice of nominations to SIG members. Each nomination must be seconded by two SIG members and must provide evidence that the nominee will serve if elected.

Where there is only one nominee for a given position, the nominee will be declared elected. If there is more than one nominee for any position a vote shall take place. Votes may be entered by electronic or physical mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Executive Committee. Any nominee receiving a majority of the votes will be declared elected. The new positions will become active immediately after the announcement of the results, and the previous officers will remain active for three months to ease the transition.

V. REFERENDA

A change to this constitution, or a motion on any other matter, may be initiated by five members (petitioners) in writing or by agreement of the President and Secretary (on the suggestion of a member or otherwise). The motions will be put to the members within six months of receipt of a petition, if the petitioners so request. Otherwise, constitutional amendments and other motions will be put to the vote in conjunction with the regular elections.

Members will be given notification at least three months in advance of any referendum, and further motions or amendments proposed by two members shall be accepted up to two months before the close of voting. Votes may be entered by electronic or physical mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Executive Committee and agreed to by the petitioners. All members shall be notified of the date of the referendum and the proposed motions and amendments at least four weeks prior to the close of voting, and results shall be notified to the members within four weeks of the close of voting.

Any change to this constitution requires a two-thirds majority of those eligible to vote and is subject to approval by ACL. Any other matter requires a simple majority of those actually voting.

Notification shall signify dispatch of mail by the medium, and to the address, last notified to the secretary.

VI. DUES

Subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the ACL the SIG may levy annual membership dues, where the rate is determined by the Executive Committee. In certain circumstances, the Executive Committee may decide to waive the fee.

This constitution was compiled by Steven Bird in May 1994 and approved by the Executive Committee of the ACL in August 1994 and served as the consitution until 2006 when it was amended.