Consitution

Consitution

Constitution of the Commission on Volcanogenic Sediments

Status, Name and Visual Identity

  • The name of the commission is Volcanogenic Sediments, abbreviated as CVS.
  • CVS is a Commission of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI). 
  • CVS is a scientific non-profit association.
  • CVS is neutral regarding politics and religion.
  • The formal Visual Identity of CVS shall be through the logo at the header of this constitution.

Aims

  • The aim of the CVS is to provide a forum for researchers with common interests in all sedimentological aspects of volcanic phenomena, from the genesis, transport, deposition and diagenesis of all volcanogenic sediments. 
  • The commission will achieve this aim by:
    • Promoting advances in volcanology related to the commission theme through a website and social media platforms;
    • Fostering communication among commission members through our web page, periodic newsletters, social media account(s), and broader community listservs.
    • Holding workshops, short-courses, meetings, seminars, and field trips on volcanogenic sediments.
    • Sponsoring conference sessions at relevant national and international meetings.
    • Boosting the organization of working groups to study specific topics when necessary.

Scope

  • The scope of CVS is broad; from ash clouds to debris avalanches, from process to product, from hazard analysis to constructing facies models, from modern to ancient systems, from purely volcanological to purely sedimentological perspectives.

Ethics and Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI)

  • The commission is committed to support justice, equity, equality, diversity, and inclusion, and to be non-discriminatory.
  • CVS will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or age.
  • The commission has a Code of Conduct which all members and participants in events are expected to comply with.
  • The commission supports open science.

Membership

  • Standard membership is open to all persons with an interest in CVS.
  • A register of all members will be kept by the Secretary. 
  • Members may resign at any time in writing to the Secretary.
  • All members are expected to abide by the Code of Conduct. Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking either the CoC, or the ethics policy below, may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the commission.
  • Members are encouraged to be members of IAVCEI. This is not a prerequisite for membership to CVS but priority may be given for IAVCEI-sponsored events.

Board of Officers and Committee

  • The commission is managed by a committee of volunteers and is composed of at least 3 members.
  • The permanently defined roles that must be taken on by committee members are:
    • Two Co-leads
    • Secretary
  • The following additional roles may be taken on by committee members:
    • Early Career Researchers representative
    • Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity officer
    • Webmaster
    • Social Media Officer
    • Regional Leads
  • Other roles can be added at any time to the committee and committee members can hold more than one role.
  • Committee roles are advertised to the members’ list and widely through other channels. In the case of more than one eligible candidate, election to the committee is decided by a members’ vote. Ordinary officers normally sit for 2-4 years.
  • The committee can co-opt for a specified period up to 3 non-voting members.
  • The Co-leads are elected by the committee. Co-leads normally sit for 3 years, with an overlap to ensure consistency.
  • Any committee member not attending a meeting without apology on more than 3 consecutive occasions will be contacted by the Secretary and asked if they wish to resign.
  • We aim to have at least 30% of the committee be composed of Early Career Researchers (as defined by IAVECI). We aim to be inclusive of geographic region, gender, ethnicity and discipline speciality.
  • Commission leaders and officers should be IAVCEI members, and are encouraged to promote IAVCEI membership within their Commission. In the case of inter-Association (joint) Commissions, mandatory IAVCEI membership only applies to the IAVCEI leader(s) and/or representative officers.

Meetings

  • The committee meets at least four times a year online or in person. An additional meeting can be requested at any time by any member of the committee.
  • All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to.
  • If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the Chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote.

Constitution alteration

  • Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary by email. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting.
  • Any change or amendment to the constitution requires a unanimous vote of the committee.