Bylaws for the ISSAC Steering Committee

Bylaw 1 (Composition of Committee)

The Steering Committee for the International Symposia on Symbolic and Algebraic Computation (ISSACs) consists of

a.
Three persons who must be elected chairs of well-established organizations with interests in symbolic computation. These members will be referred to as ``organizational members.''
b.
Three members-at-large.

Bylaw 2 (Term of Service)

Each member of the Steering Committee serves a three-year term. Members can only serve a subsequent term after a hiatus of at least three years. If a chair of an organization has served a three-year term and his/her organization's membership continues, the vice-chair (i.e., the person who carries out the chair's duties in case of resignation/incapacity/absence according to the organization's governing rules) is to take the organization's seat on the Committee.

Bylaw 3 (Membership Renewal)

a.
The organizational members nominate at least three candidates for each member-at-large position open for election. Further write-in candidates may be added to the list before the ISSAC business meeting in random order provided each write-in candidate has the endorsement of five persons who have been registered in one or more of the three preceding ISSACs. A person can only endorse a single write-in candidate and not him/herself. The member is then elected by plurality vote at the ISSAC business meeting.

b.
The organizational members under Bylaw 1.a are chosen by the members-at-large. Each organizational membership is reviewed when the three-year term expires, even when the member occupying the position has not served a full three years. If no organization becomes eligible by Bylaw 3.c (below), the members-at-large either reappoint the organization for another three year term, or select a new organization. (Re)appointment is carried out by the continuing or newly elected members-at-large.

c.
An organization (with an elected chair) who has sponsored ISSAC (meaning has taken financial responsibility for no less than 51%) has an automatic right to organizational membership as soon as one opens up.

Bylaw 4 (Chair)

a.
The chair of the ISSAC Steering Committee is chosen every year by the six members of the Committee. This can be by formal ballot, in which every committee member votes for one person. The person with a plurality of votes becomes chair. In case of ties, a run-off election between the persons tied for the chair's office is held.

b.
The Steering Committee Chair is responsible for conducting the business of the Steering Committee, including formal balloting on controversial points. Balloting can be requested by any Steering Committee member, and the vote is binding. The Steering Committee Chair's vote also breaks a tie.

Bylaw 5 (Duties of the Steering Committee)

a.
The Steering Committee is responsible to process requests for holding ISSAC in a location by putting the site proposals up for vote at the ISSAC Business Meeting. The Committee can solicit proposals, and at least one (preferable two or three) site proposal is to be made two years in advance of the proposed meeting. A site proposal must list a Local Arrangements Chair.

b.
The Steering Committee is to assist the Local Arrangements Chair to find financial sponsorship for his/her ISSAC.

c.
The Steering Committee, in consultation with the Local Arrangements Chair, appoints a General Chair. This person may, but need not, be affiliated with the local organizers.

Bylaw 6 (ISSAC Officers)

a.
The General Chair of ISSAC, in consultation with the Steering Committee Chair, appoints one or two Program Committee Chair(s), the Publicity Chair, and a Treasurer, who must all be distinct persons. Additional officers such as Exhibits Chair, Registration Chair, Proceedings Editor, etc., are appointed at the discretion of the General Chair. The General Chair carries the overall responsibilities for the ISSAC meeting. He/she has to either find a substitute or carry out the duties him/herself if a Conference Officers becomes incapable to perform the required work for the Conference.

b.

The ISSAC Program Committee Chair(s), in consultation with the ISSAC general chair, appoints a Program Committee.

c.
The General Chair, in consultation with the Conference Officers, publishes a time table for the Conference. This time table includes the dates at which certain tasks are to be completed, and who is responsible for those task, such as preparing and publicizing the Call for Papers, raising external funds for the Conference, negotiating and signing a contract with the local facility, reviewing submitted papers and announcing decisions, preparing and publicizing the advance program, preparing the final program and the registration.

d.
The Program Committee Chair(s), in consultation with the General Chair, may invite (if in the program) plenary speakers and tutorial lecturers.

e.
No member of the Steering Committee shall serve as General Chair or Program Committee (Co-)Chair. If the General Chair becomes incapable of working on a meeting, the Steering Committee substitutes a new General Chair, who under such extraordinary circumstances can be a member of the Steering Committee.

Bylaw 7 (Format of the Conference)

All changes to the customary ISSAC format and procedures, which are outlined below, can and must be approved by the General Chair and the Steering Committee Chair. The decision of the Steering Committee Chair is binding.

ISSAC is a three day conference to be held in the later half of July. Its subject matter covers symbolic computation in a broad sense, and the conference officers may chose an emphasis subject for a given meeting. ISSAC solicits, reviews, and publishes papers describing original research. The papers are submitted about one half year before the Conference and reviewed by the Program Committee. The Program Committee accepts electronic submissions by electronic mail and submissions by regular mail. The program committee sends submitted papers to at least two specialists for expert evaluation. Authors of rejected papers are given these reports by the experts. Accepted papers are published in Proceedings that are available at the Conference.

Persons serving as Program Committee Chairs cannot submit papers on which they are authors or co-authors. The program committee has between 12 and 20 members.

The program may include no more than three invited plenary speakers, who may publish their presentations as papers in the Proceedings. The core program may be framed in adjacent days by tutorials, workshops, user meetings, and other events.

During the Conference there may be exhibits of commercial products and demonstrations of new software and hardware.

Bylaw 8 (Amendments)

The Bylaws can be amended by ballot at the ISSAC Business meeting. Any amendment needs 2/3 of the vote. Persons who have registered for one or more of the three preceding ISSAC Conferences are entitled to vote by mail before or within one month after the meeting at which the amendment is voted on. Votes are to be sent to the Steering Committee Chair. The Steering Committee is responsible for keeping a record of attendees for at least the past three meetings. The Steering Committee Chair may appoint a Committee member as Secretray for collecting and archiving this record.

Transition from Current Status

The Steering Committee begins work on July 12, 1995. The organizational members with given terms (after which the members-at-large will (re)appoint unless Bylaw 3.c takes effect) are the SIGSAM chair (3 years), the Speaker of the Fachgruppe for Computer Algebra (2 years), and Hidetsune Kobayashi (1 year).

On the ISSAC'95 business meeting three members-at-large for a one, two, or three year term (after which they can be re-elected to complete their three year term) will be elected from Manuel Bronstein, Arjeh M. Cohen, Marc Giusti, Teo Mora, Tomas Recio, and those who are present at the business meeting and wish to be considered for election. The length of term will be determined by lottery.

The Steering Committee honors all decisions already made in regard to ISSAC'96, ISSAC'97, and ISSAC'98.


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Last modified 25 November 2002 by SIGSAM Information Director