At GEPANC, we are free to think, express and/or exchange our opinions and/or points of view. These regulations are not meant to restrict these freedoms, but to serve the fundamental principles that are at the heart of our need of intellectual exchanges and debates in absolute conviviality and mutual respect. In other words, the moral meaning of GEPANC founds the rules of operation that we consider essential for its maintenance as a group of reflections and studies free, on the one hand, of all active and political obedience, and animated, on the other hand, by a democratic climate.

1. GEPANC :

1.1 - The GEPANC's Constitution is built on its founding declaration available on its Web site at the following adress : http://www.com.ulaval.ca/gepanc/Founding_declaration.html.

2. THE MANAGEMENT :

2.1 - GEPANC is managed by an Executive Board, which is elected at each three-year general business meeting..

2.2 - The general business meetings are held during the congresses of the International Political Science Association (IPSA). A general business meeting may be adjourned and continued via the GEPANC's forum, if a majority of the present members so decides.

2.3 - Between general business meetings, 5 members or more may propose a resolution to the members via the GEPANC's forum. The resolution is adopted if a majority of the members so decide.

2.4 - In addition of academic leadership, the Executive Board :

a.) organizes the three-year general elections and all other votes ;
b.) hears the complaints made by the members and arbitrates conflicts ;
c.) manages the membership.

3. GEPANC'S MEMBERSHIP :

3.1 - The founding declaration of GEPANC founds also the membership proceedings. An application form and the constitution of the group are available on its Web site, at the following address : http://www.com.ulaval.ca/gepanc/gepanc_regulation.html.

3.2 - There are four kinds of members :

a.) working members : they pay the fees and are social scientists ;
b.) affiliated members : they come from other disciplines and want to share their knowledge with other members of the group ;
c.) honorary members : they are invited as public figures to participate in the GEPANC's discussions ;
d.) life time members : they founded the group and pay all the fees.

3.3 - Upon reception of the application for membership, the Executive Board must consult all the members of the Gepanc via the forum and answer applicants not later than 7 days after an uncontested application. The Executive Board's decision must also be sent to the other members of the group.

3.4 - If, during these 7 days, the application is challenged by not less than 5 members, a vote will be taken on such application. Such vote is opened during that 7-day period and closed 7 days after. The application is accepted only if it is approved by a majority of the voting members.

4. RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF MEMBERS :

This section protects the rights and liberties that all members consider essential for preserving GEPANC as a free and democratic research group. It includes the following rights :

- fundamental freedoms ;
- democratic rights ;
- legal guarantees ;
- equal rights.

Any interpretation of these rights and freedoms must comply with the objective of promoting the maintenance and the valorization of GEPANC.

4.1 - Fundamental freedoms

4.1.1 - Each member of the GEPANC enjoys full academic freedom.

4.1.2 - Academic freedom is incompatible with propaganda messages and words of hatred and/or racism.

4.2 - Democratic rights

4.2.1 - Any member of the Gepanc is eligible to Executive positions, in conformity with the dispositions of regulation articles regarding this matter.

4.2.2 - Only working members and life time members should vote.

4.3 - Legal guarantees

4.3.1 - Each member has a right to his/her private/professional life, reputation, honor, dignity, and to the security of his/her person. Under no circumstances should there be an infringement of these rights.

4.3.2 - Each has the right to protection against arbitrary and unjustified expulsion from the group..

4.3.3 - Anyone would have committed an infringement to the GEPANC's rules has the right :

a.) a. to be informed without unusual delay of the exact infraction of which he/she is being accused ;
b.) to full and fair defence ;
c.) to be heard within a reasonable period ;
d.) to be presumed innocent until he is declared guilty by the Executive Board ;
e.) not to be denied, without just cause, of his/her rights as a full member while his/her case is under investigation.

4.3.4 - The non-published texts and reflections exchanged by the GEPANC's members remain their exclusive property. However, all the texts published by GEPANC belong to the group.

4.4 - Equal rights

4.4.1 - With the exception of the right to vote expressed in the article 4.2.2 of these rules, all members of the GEPANC have equal rights and duties, without any discrimination, particularly based on race, national origin or ethnicity, color, religion, sex, or age.

5. VOTING PROCEDURES :

5.1 - Anyone is eligible to vote if he/she is a working or life time member of GEPANC on the opening day of the vote.

5.2 - All subscription requests are put on hold during the vote.

5.3 - The Executive Board of the GEPANC is responsible for handling the votes and disclosing the results without delay.

5.4 - The results of all votes become effective as soon as they are announced.

6. DISCIPLINARY MEASURES :

Disciplinary measures can be taken toward any member who is found guilty of disseminating :

6.1 - A message that contains false insinuations or statements with dishonest intentions. False insinuations are all shrewd and subtle ways of ascribing, without explicit statement, something untrue to one or several GEPANC members.

6.2 - A message that alludes to the private or professional life of a member of the group.

6.3 - A message that contains language which is deemed racist, sexist, defamatory, injurious, insolent or threatening toward one or several members of GEPANC;

6.3.1 - Racist are all remarks that judge a member on the basis of race, national origin or ethnicity, age, color, religion, sex or physical deficiencies;

6.3.2 - Sexist are all remarks that judge a member on the basis of gender;

6.3.3 - Defamatory are all allegations or imputations of facts that attack the honor and reputation of a member or members to whom the fact is imputed;

6.3.4 - Injurious are all outrageous remarks that are not based on facts and all serious and deliberate offenses;

6.3.5 - Insolent are all acts or remarks that attack one or several members personally, not for their ideas;

6.3.6 - Threatening are all remarks that openly declare or suggest the intention of causing harm to one or several members as a form of intimidation.

7. COMPLAINT PROCESS :

7.1 - Complaints must be officially forwarded to the Executive Board by writing or to Ge.Panc@com.ulavala.ca by electronic mail.

7.2 - Complaints must be based on evidence and discussed. They must include :

a.) a detailed description of the event when the rules of GEPANC were allegedly violated;
b.) an explanation of why the accused member should be considered guilty.

7.3 - If the accused member is also member of the Executive Board, he is immediately and temporarily suspended from the Board. The remaining Board members must then proceed on the case. If the accused Board member is convicted, he loses his position on the Board and a by- election has to be held.

7.4 - If two or more Board members are among the litigants, the case will be judged by the GEPANC's membership.

7.5 - The Executive Board must proceed with all the officially submitted complaints within 7 days. Whenever many complaints are generated following the same affair, the Executive Board may extend the 7-day time limit to a reasonable extent and inform the membership about that.

7.6 - Upon reception of a complaint, the Executive Board must let the accused member know what he is being accused of and forward him/her a copy of the complaint and the relevant regulation.

7.7 - In order to insure the accused a full and complete defence, the Executive Board must allow the accused :

a.) to indicate whether he/she contests the complaint issued against him/her;
b.) to voice his/her means of defence;
c.) to provide proof of his/her defence;
d.) - to provide further details regarding the complaint filed against him/her.

7.8 - The member so accused of violating a rule must, unless the Executive Board acknowledges exceptional circumstances, forward his own version within 48 hours after being notified of the complaint by the Executive Board.

7.9 - The accused that neglects to follow up on the notification from the Executive Board may, after examining the file, be declared guilty of the alleged infraction and receive a final and executable sentence.

7.10 - Once the complaint process has been initiated, the litigants must refrain from publicly commenting on the affair until the Executive Board has reached a decision. Any breach of this rule can in turn generate another complaint process.

7.11 - The Executive Board has the power to issue a sentence that is appropriate to the severity and repetition of offense, including public excuses, a definitive and public expulsion from GEPANC and/or conditions for re-admission.

7.12 - Disciplinary measures pronounced by the Executive Board may be modified or nullified by the vote of majority of the GEPANC members, if such a vote has been initiated by at least 10 members of the Gepanc. The Executive Board may also change its judgment and sentence if new facts are submitted to it.

8. MISCELLANEOUS :

8.1 - Any member of GEPANC may propose an amendment to the present Constitution by sending it to the Executive Board three months before the general business meeting. A vote will be held if 5 members or more support that proposal.

8.2 - In case of incompatibility between the present Constitution and the rules of the IPSA (International Political Science Association), with which the GEPANC is affiliated, the IPSA rules prevail over.

8.3 - GEPANC can be dissolved only by a vote of 75 % of its members.

8.4 - The list of the GEPANC members, their biographical summaries and whereabouts are available on the following adress : www.com.ulaval.ca/gepanc/Members_Directory.html.

9. TRANSITIONAL MEASURES :

9.1 - The present Constitution will become effective as soon as approved of by the acting Executive Board.

9.2 - Since July 2003, the acting Executive Board is composed of :

- Lise Garon, Chair ;
- Hassan Bakr Hassan, El-Mostafa Chadli and Azzedine G. Mansour, Vice-Chairs.