Rules and guidelines for the establishment and administration of regional branches of the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, Limited.

1. In these rules and guidelines:-

‘the Institute’ means the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland, Limited;

2. These rules and guidelines are adopted pursuant to Article 97 of the Articles of Association of the Institute and are without prejudice to the provisions of said Articles of Association. In the event of conflict between the provisions of these rules and guidelines and the provisions of the Articles of Association of the Institute, the Articles of Association shall have precedence.

1. Any resolution proposing the establishment of a regional branch shall be signed by at least ten Full Members of the Institute and submitted in writing to the secretary of the Institute not less than seven days before the date appointed for the holding of a General Meeting or an Ordinary Meeting of the Institute. The Full Members signing such resolution must have a regular involvement in the professional practice of archaeology in the region to be covered by the proposed regional branch. Such resolution must specify the geographical area in respect of which the regional branch is to be established.

2. A resolution referred to in (a) above shall, at the time it is submitted to the secretary of the Institute, be accompanied by signed statements of support for the establishment of the proposed regional branch submitted by at least ten members of the Institute, being persons other than those signing the resolution and who are Full Members or Graduate Members having a regular involvement in the professional practice of archaeology in the region to be covered by the proposed regional branch.

3. If a resolution proposing the establishment of a regional branch, having been validly proposed, is adopted by a General Meeting or an Ordinary Meeting of the Institute, the regional branch in question shall be deemed to have been established on the date of such adoption. The members of the Institute who signed the resolution pursuant to (a) above and the persons who provided signed statements of support pursuant to (b) above shall be deemed to be members of the regional branch so established and shall continue as such until their membership ceases in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Institute or these rules and guidelines.

4. No more than seven regional branches shall exist at the same time.

5. A regional branch shall be based on a recognisable geographical area. Such area need not be precisely defined or be exclusive of the areas of other regional branches, provided that no two or more regional branches shall at any time exist in respect of exactly the same geographical area.

6. Any Full Member or Graduate Member of the Institute with a regular involvement in the professional practice of archaeology in the region covered by a regional branch shall be eligible for membership of that particular regional branch. Associate Members whose place of residence and Student Members whose place of study are, respectively, located in the region covered by a regional branch shall also be eligible for membership of that particular regional branch, as shall Corporate Members based in the region covered by a regional branch. No other persons shall be eligible for membership of a regional branch. Membership of a regional branch shall terminate immediately upon a person or body ceasing to be a member of the Institute. Subject to the preceding, admission to membership of a regional branch shall be regulated by the committee of said branch (as provided for by paragraph 7 of these rules and guidelines) in accordance with such rules and procedures, if any, which may be adopted by the regional branch.

1. Every regional branch shall have as its executive a committee composed of three, and no more than three, persons holding the following offices of the regional branch: Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer.

2. The first holders of the aforementioned offices shall be appointed from amongst themselves by the persons who signed the resolution proposing the establishment of the regional branch. Thereafter the Chairperson, Secretary and Treasurer of a regional branch shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting of the regional branch for a term commencing on the declaration of the result of the election for the office in question and ending on the declaration of the result of the equivalent election at the following Annual General Meeting of the branch. A person elected to one of the aforementioned offices shall be eligible for re-election to that particular office at not more than two succeeding Annual General Meetings of the branch.

3. If no valid nominations for election to a particular office are received by the Secretary of a regional branch the Secretary of said branch shall, following the holding of the elections to other offices, give notice of this to the Annual General Meeting of the branch, and the giving of such notice shall (for the purposes of this paragraph) be deemed to be the declaration of the result of the election to the office in question.

4. Only Full Members of the Institute who are members of the regional branch in question shall be eligible to serve in any of the aforementioned offices. A person shall cease to hold any of the aforementioned offices on ceasing to be a member of the regional branch in question.

5. A person shall not be eligible for election to any of the aforementioned offices unless, not less than seven days and not more than fourteen days before the date of the Annual General Meeting of the regional branch at which the election for the office in question is to take place, a written nomination signed by the person seeking election and at least one other Full Member of the Institute qualified to vote at that particular Annual General Meeting has been received by the Secretary of the regional branch.

6. Other than in respect of the office of Chairperson, vacancies on the committee of a regional branch, whether arising from a person vacating an office in the course of her or his term or by reason of no person being validly nominated for election to an office, shall be filled by co-option to the committee of said branch. A person so co-opted must be eligible to stand for election to the committee. In respect of the office of Chairperson, the Board of the Institute shall, in the event of such a vacancy, appoint a Full Member of the Institute who is a member of regional branch in question to serve as Chairperson. A person co-opted or appointed pursuant to this sub-paragraph shall serve until the declaration of the result of the election the office in question at the succeeding Annual General Meeting of the regional branch.

7. Contested elections to any of the aforementioned offices shall in all cases be by secret ballot and the result shall be determined by simple majority (i.e. a plurality) of the valid votes cast.

8. Subject to the preceding, the filling of the aforementioned offices shall take place in accordance with such rules and procedures, if any, which may be adopted by the regional branch.

1. A regional branch shall hold its first Annual General Meeting within one year of its establishment but not sooner than twenty-eight days after the establishment of the regional branch. Subject to the preceding, a regional branch shall hold an Annual General Meeting each calendar year and such meeting shall take place in the first half of said year.

2. A regional branch may, by the adoption of relevant rules and procedures, provide for the holding of meetings other than annual general meetings.

3. Subject to these rules and guidelines and the Articles of Association of the Institute, a regional branch may regulate and provide for the holding, conduct and powers of its annual general meetings and other meetings according to such rules and procedures, if any, which it may adopt.

4. The Annual General Meeting of a regional branch and any other meeting of the branch shall be called by fourteen days’ notice in writing (at the least) to each member of the regional branch. The notice shall be exclusive of the day on which it is served or deemed to be served and of the day for which it is given and shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting. The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting of a regional branch to, or the non-receipt of notice of such meeting by, any person entitled to receive notice shall not invalidate the proceedings at that meeting. Notice pursuant to this sub-paragraph may be given to any member of a regional branch either personally or by sending it by post to her or him to her or his registered address. Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, prepaying and posting a letter containing the notice, and to have been effected at the expiration of twenty-four hours after the letter containing the same is posted.

9. The speaking and voting rights of a member of a regional branch at a meeting (whether an Annual General Meeting or otherwise) of said branch shall be the same as her or his speaking and voting rights at a General Meeting or an Ordinary Meeting of the Institute as determined by the class of membership of the Institute held by her or him, provided that no member of a regional branch shall be entitled to vote at any meeting of said branch unless all monies immediately payable by her or him to the regional branch as well as to the Institute have been paid. Non-members of a regional branch shall in no circumstances be entitled to vote at a meeting (whether an Annual General Meeting or otherwise) of the regional branch.

10. The Board of the Institute may, in consultation with the members of the Institute (insofar as may be practical), sanction the placing at the disposal of a regional branch of funds or property of the Institute provided that:

1. the regional branch has made written application to the Board of the Institute for the use of such funds or property stating the amount of funds or the particular property required; and

2. the Board of the Institute has considered such application at a Board meeting; and

3. the Board of the Institute is of the opinion that the use to which the regional branch proposes to put the funds or property is in accord with the objects of the Institute as set out in its Memorandum of Association.

11. A regional branch may, by resolution adopted at its Annual General Meeting, require its members to pay membership fees or subscriptions, but such fees or subscriptions shall not exceed one quarter of the amount payable by any particular person as subscriptions or fees for membership of the Institute as determined by the class of membership of the Institute held by her or him. Any funds raised by a regional branch pursuant to this paragraph shall be administered by the committee of said branch and used for purposes in accord with the objects of the Institute as set out in its Memorandum of Association. The committee of the regional branch shall ensure that full account is kept of any funds raised pursuant to this paragraph and shall be responsible for accounting to the Board of the Institute for the use of such funds.

12. The committee of a regional branch may determine, charge and collect attendance fees for conferences, seminars or symposia organised by the regional branch. Any funds raised by a regional branch pursuant to this paragraph shall be administered by the committee of said branch and used for purposes in accord with the objects of the Institute as set out in its Memorandum of Association. The committee of the regional branch shall ensure that full account is kept of any funds raised pursuant to this paragraph and shall be responsible for accounting to the Board of the Institute for the use of such funds.

13. The committee of a regional branch shall also be responsible for fulfilling the responsibilities of the regional branch under Article 101 of the Articles of Association of the Institute regarding informing the Board of the Institute of the activities of the regional branch and providing said Board with an annual financial report and an annual report on the activities of the regional branch and other information on its activities, as required under said Article 101. In addition, the committee of a regional branch shall, if requested by the Board of the Institute, make a presentation to the Annual General Meeting of the Institute regarding the annual financial report of the branch or its annual report on its activities.

14. A regional branch shall not adopt codes of practice or guidelines on professional practice, or any analogous standards, separate to the Code of Practice and guidelines on professional practice of the Institute.

15. A regional branch shall not initiate disciplinary proceedings against, or impose sanctions on, a member of said branch. The Board of the Institute shall have sole authority for dealing with any alleged misbehaviour by a member of a regional branch and shall do so in accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of the Articles of Association of the Institute.

16. Any rules and procedures adopted by a regional branch shall be in conformity with, and subject to, these rules and guidelines and the Articles of Association of the Institute. A copy of such rules and procedures, and any subsequent additions or amendments, shall as soon as adopted by the regional branch be forwarded by the committee of said branch to the secretary of the Institute.

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