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1. Definition and Purpose:
The RIA Users' Organization is a group whose members are interested in the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) for the purpose of conducting scientific research and developing new technology. The purposes of this association are:
(a) To work towards the realization and timely construction of RIA
(b) To articulate and promote the scientific case for RIA and its significance to society
(c) To promote and enhance the RIA research and development effort and other RIA related activities to maximize its scientific potential
(d): To act as an advocate for the needs of the RIA users
2. Membership:
The membership of the RIA Users' Organization is open to all practicing scientists, engineers, and students interested in the research and/or technical programs associated with RIA. New members will be added upon receipt of requests submitted on the RIA User’s web site. The membership list is held by the Secretary of the Executive Committee of the RIA Users' Organization.
3. Executive Committee:
An Executive Committee will conduct most of the day-to-day business of the RIA Users' Organization. This committee consists of nine voting members selected from the RIA Users' Organization membership. The members of this committee are expected to articulate the needs and priorities of the users group to the funding agencies and, in the future, to the RIA management. The Executive Committee also provides a direct interface between the funding agencies, the future RIA management and the user community. No two members of the Executive Committee can be from the same institution.
The first election for the Executive Committee will be conducted as follows. The current RIA Steering Committee will appoint a five member nominating committee who are charged with selecting a slate of fifteen candidates for the nine open positions. It is anticipated that nine of the candidates will come from the present RIA Steering Committee, for the purposes of continuity of the present RIA effort, and that the remaining six nominations, subject to the criteria of section 3, will be filled via the procedures outlined in Section 3.
The subsequent election will be held by electronic ballot with the three nominees having the largest number of votes serving for three years, the next three for two years and the next three for one year.
All subsequent elections will follow the procedures established in the following paragraphs. The term of office is three years. Three members of the Executive Committee will be elected annually by an electronic election to be conducted no later than October 15 of that year. The electronic ballot for the election will be distributed prior to October 1 of that year to the membership as of September 1 of that year. The newly elected members of the Executive Committee shall take office on January 1 of the following year. The first election will be held in 2004.
The nominating committee, whose charge will be to propose a slate of at least five candidates for the three elected positions on the Executive Committee will be composed of three Executive Committee members selected by the Executive Committee Chair and approved by the whole Executive Committee. Nominations signed by at least fifteen members of the Users' Organization from a minimum of three different institutions shall also be accepted. Current members of the Executive Committee may be nominated for re-election and can serve for a maximum of two terms.
The Executive Committee will select one of its members to serve as Chair and another to serve as Secretary. Neither the Chair nor the Secretary of the Committee will be from the laboratory where RIA is built. The terms of the Chair and Secretary are for one year and are renewable.
If a vacancy arises on the Executive Committee, the remaining Committee members will select a member of the RIA Users' Organization to serve out the unexpired term. In the event that the Chair's or the Secretary's position becomes vacant, the members of the Committee shall first select a new member as described above, and then proceed with an election to the vacated position. The newly selected Committee member is not a candidate to the Chair's or Secretary's position.
4. Procedures:
(a): The Executive Committee will meet in person or by video or phone conference at least once each quarter of any given year. The minimal quorum for all meetings of the Executive Committee is seven members.
(b): The Executive Committee may, on its own initiative, and shall, upon request of a minimum of 30 members of the RIA Users' Organization from a minimum of five different institutions, submit questions for consideration to the full membership. Issues raised by a majority of those present at an official meeting of the RIA Users' Group must also be presented for consideration to the full membership.
(c): The Users' Organization shall meet at least once a year at a time and place designated by the RIA Executive Committee. This meeting will usually be held in conjunction with a meeting of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society. In addition, the Executive Committee shall organize, and/or assist the RIA project management in organizing RIA-related workshops.(d): The Executive Committee will have regular meetings with the RIA project management in an effort to provide input into matters related to the facility. Such meetings are also necessary to organize timely distribution of information concerning RIA to the Users’ community.
(e): The elections to the Executive Committee will be organized by the Secretary of the Executive Committee.
(f): The Executive Committee of the Users Organization will establish and maintain
close collaboration with all other groups interested in activities related to RIA such as, for example, the RIA Theory Group or groups assembling to design and construct specific instruments for the facility. Such contacts will occur on a quarterly basis at the minimum through exchanges between the representatives of these other groups and the Chair of the RIA Users Organization. It is the expectation that the members of all other groups concerned with aspects of RIA will also be members of the RIA Users Organization so that all individuals involved with all aspects of the RIA program will remain at all times fully informed of all issues that affect them.
5. Amendments:
Amendments to this Charter require a two-thirds majority vote of ballots cast by the membership at large. Proposed changes may be submitted by majority vote at a meeting or workshop, or by petition to the Executive Committee from a minimum of 30 members of the RIA Users' Organization from a minimum of five different institutions.
Appendix A- Acceptance of the Charter of the RIA Users Organization
The final draft of the proposed Charter of the RIA Users Organization will be sent electronically to all those registered on the RIA Users web site. Members will be asked to register a yes or no vote for it by September 8, 2004. The ballots will be collected and tabulated by a person designated by the current RIA Users Group Chair. A simple majority of those voting will be taken as acceptance or rejection of this proposed charter by the community.