Bylaws

I. NAME AND OBJECTIVES

1. The general body of the International Youth Nuclear Congress (“IYNC”) is also called the IYNC Network (“Network”). The mission of the IYNC is:

We, as representatives of the new generation of professionals in the nuclear field agree to seize the opportunity of IYNC 2000 by creating an international network, the “International Youth Nuclear Congress”, to:

• Develop new approaches to communicate the benefits of applications of nuclear science and technology, including nuclear power as a low carbon energy source, as part of a balanced energy mix;
• Promote further peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology for the welfare of mankind and sustainable development;
• Transfer knowledge from the current generation of leading scientists to the next generation and across international boundaries; and
• Provide a platform and create building of professional networks that will open up future opportunities.

One of the major activities of the IYNC Network is to organize biennial meetings to be held in various locations around the globe in years ending with an even number (“general Congress meeting”).

II. MEMBERSHIP

1. IYNC does not have a fixed membership. It is generally intended that participants in IYNC will be young professionals and students having a professional and/or educational interest in the fields of nuclear science and technology.
2. IYNC “Participant” shall refer to any person who has participated in any IYNC activity or event (such as a general Congress meeting) or has expressed an interest in working towards the goals of IYNC.

III. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

IYNC is governed by a Board of Directors (“the Board”). The Board shall have the authority to decide strategic matters for IYNC. The Board shall meet at such times as it may determine. Items requiring the approval of the board include:

• Selection of the location of the next Congress;
• Selection of location of the next Mid-term Board meeting
• Election of executive officers;
• Nomination of appointed officers;
• IYNC Network budget;
• IYNC Congress budget;
• Appointment of National Representatives and Special Representatives to the Board;
• Committee terms of reference;

1. Membership

Each member of the Board must be < 40 years old when appointed or re-elected. The Board shall consist of:

A. National Representative

One representative from each country is involved with IYNC. As a definition of country, IYNC follows the list of Member States of the United Nations (UN). Each National Representative shall serve a term of up to 2 years, as determined by each country. The number of terms a representative may serve is not limited.

B. Special YGN Representative

Special YGN representatives may be appointed to the board. Special YGN representatives may represent special/organisational and existing YGNs, not including YGNs already represented by National Representatives. For example, this may include but is not limited to a representative of a professional, non-national YGN such as the IAEA, WANO or others. Each Special Representative shall serve a term up to 2 years, as determined by each YGN. The number of terms a representative may serve is not limited.

C. Members-At-Large

Committed and qualified individuals can serve on the Board as a Member At-Large. Except in the case of no candidates being nominated, Members-At-Large will be limited to serving 2 terms.

D. Executive Officers as defined in Section IV of these Bylaws.

E. General Co-Chairs from the local country of current and immediate past general Congress meetings. General Co-Chairs must be <38 years old when appointed.

F. In the case any board member is inactive in carrying out their duties and responsibilities, including participation in the decision-making process of the Board, the Executive Officers shall examine the situation and report it to the Board. Following such a report, the Board shall take appropriate actions, including suspension of membership and eventual expulsion of such a member.

2. Selection of Board members

A. National Representatives: The Executive Secretary shall confirm proper selection of National Representatives. National Representatives shall be selected by the first appropriate criteria of the following list:

a. Selected by a young professional or young generation branch of a nuclear society or by a young professional group within the country; in the case that more than one such organization wishes to participate in selecting a National Representative, the selection shall be made by a consensus of these groups.

b. Selected by the dominant nuclear society within the country; in the case that more than one such organization exists, the selection shall be made by a consensus of these groups.

c. If neither of the previous types of organizations exists, the Board shall have the power to nominate and approve a national representative for a given country as per Section VIII.

B. Special YGN Representative: A special representative may apply for a position of the board by direct request to the Network President or Executive Secretary. The board will then vote on a decision to include the special representative as a member of the board as per Section VIII.

C. Members At-Large: Any person active in IYNC for at least one year, even if not present at the general Congress meeting, is an eligible candidate for a Member At-Large position. The Executive Officers shall determine the eligibility of candidates before asking the Board to approve the candidate by a vote as per Section VIII. Examples of active participation include but are not limited to;

• Volunteered on an IYNC committee
• Managed an aspect of the technical program (workshop, panel, plenary etc)
• Been a member of the conference organising committee
• Participated in at least one board meeting as an active member/non-observer

Candidates from a country that does not have a national representative to IYNC are welcome. The Secretary shall review the eligibility of all candidates, and provide a list of eligible candidates to the Board. The number of MAL from one country shall not exceed

2. The country of a MAL is defined as the dominant country of work location.

a. In the event that there are less than 15 candidates for Members-at-Large; the Board shall decide the appropriate course of action.

b. In the event that there are more than 15 candidates for Members-At-Large, the Members At-Large shall be elected by the Board, as per outlined in Section VIII. The 15 candidates receiving the most votes will be elected as Members At-Large. These new board members assume their office at the close of the general Congress meeting.

D. Executive Officers: Executive Officers shall be elected / appointed as per outlined in Section IV of these Bylaws.

E. General Co-Chairs: General Co-Chairs shall be determined as per outlined in Section VI of these Bylaws.

IV. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

1. General

Executive officers shall serve a 2-year term. The executive officers are:

A. Network President:

The Network President shall not serve more than one term. The Network President must be < 38 year old when elected.

B. Network Vice President:

The Network Vice President shall not serve more than one term.

C. Treasurer:

The Treasurer shall not serve more than two terms.

D. Executive Secretary:

The Executive Secretary shall not serve more than two terms.

E. Network Immediate Past President.

The Network Immediate Past President shall serve for one term until a successor assumes the office at the completion of the successor’s term as President.

F. Appointed officers.

These officers are appointed by the Network President and approved by the Board as outlined in Section VIII. Appointed officers shall serve a 2-year term. They are:

• Project Chair
• Webmaster
• YGN Liaison Officer
• Communication Officer

The Network President may appoint additional officers as needed, but only the officers listed above shall be recognized as Board members.

2. Responsibilities

A. Network President: Responsible for general management of the organization.

B. Network Vice President:

• Responsible for assisting the Network President in the general management of the organization.
• Deputize for the Network President in his/her absence.

C. Treasurer:

• Responsible for management of financial records of IYNC in accordance with U.S. regulations for non-profit organizations.
• The Treasurer shall file all required forms with the Internal Revenue Service and California Franchise Tax Board, prepare annual financial statements, and work closely with the Financial Chair of each general Congress meeting.
• The treasurer shall finalize a budget for approval within two (2) months of the approval of Appointed Officer nominees.

D. Executive Secretary:

• Responsible for recording and distributing minutes of all Board meetings.
• Responsible for keeping an updated list and contact information for all Board members
• The Executive Secretary shall run elections for Board members and elected officers as described elsewhere in this document.

E. Immediate Past Network President: Assist the elected officers by providing continuity between terms.

3. Selection

The Network President shall be elected at each Congress by a vote of the National Representatives and General Co-Chairs of the previous General Congress Meetings only, as per Section VIII.

Candidates for officers must have participated in a general Congress meeting and a Board meeting OR been active with IYNC activities for a minimum of one year.

With the exception of the Network President, the executive officers shall be elected by the incoming Board by November 30.

The election of the Vice President, Executive Secretary and Treasurer may be held electronically and coordinated by the Executive Secretary currently in office, except in the case that the Executive Secretary is a candidate for Elected Officer.  In this instance, the Incoming or Outgoing Network President, as deemed appropriate by the Officers, shall coordinate the election. The candidate selected by the Board as per Section VIII will be declared the winner. New officers will be announced no later than November 30 with the new officers assuming their positions immediately following completion of the election unless other date(s) is/are deemed appropriate by the outgoing Elected Officers and accepted by the affected incoming Elected Officer(s), with the transition complete no later than January 1.

The incoming Network President selects and appoints other Executive Officers. Those officers shall take office on the same date as the other officers.

V. IYNC COMMITTEES

1. Committees shall be established on an ad-hoc basis to support functions of the Board and the Executive Officers.
2. Establishment of a committee shall be proposed by the Network President with a clear definition of its Terms of Reference, and shall be approved by the Board.
3. Chairperson of the Committee shall be an existing member of the Board, and shall be nominated when the Network President proposes its establishment.
4. At least 5 members shall be on a committee, and at least half of the committee should be existing members of the board. Members of the committee, except the chairperson, shall be appointed by the Network President.

The IYNC supports gender equality and understands the benefits of a diverse team. As such any IYNC committees are required to be comprised of a diverse team of 40:40:20 gender ratio. That is, any of these committees must have 40% male-identifying members, 40% female-identifying members and the remaining 20% of any gender.

VI. GENERAL CONGRESS MEETINGS

General Congress Meetings are known as “IYNC2000″, “IYNC2002″, “IYNC2004″, etc. The general Congress meetings are sponsored by IYNC every two years in different locations. In the event that it is not possible to hold a Congress in a specified year, the Board shall determine how to resolve the situation.

1. Selection of Location: Each General Congress meeting will be decided from proposals submitted by hosting organizations, and the decision shall be made by the Board as per Section VIII. The outgoing Board will make the selection based on the key factors of geographical diversity and the strength of the local hosting organization.
2. Voting Rules: Consecutive Congresses should not be hosted by the same continent. In the case there are no suitable bid(s), the Board has the right to accept bids from all continents.
3. Congress Executive Committee
4. A Congress Executive Committee will be formed for each general Congress meeting (“the Ex-com”). The Ex-com will consist of the following positions:

• Network President as General Co-Chair
• General Co-Chair from local country
• Technical Program Chair
• Finance Chair
• Registration Chair
• Corporate Sponsorship Chair
• Communications chair

Additional members can be added to the Ex-com as needed (e.g. publications chair, public relations chair etc). . Volunteer members of the Ex-com are recruited by the Network President and General Co-Chair, with the goal of forming an internationally balanced committee. The final composition of the Ex-com is approved by the Officers and transmitted to the Board.

4. Local Organizing Committee

An Organizing sub-committee will be formed with local members to handle all logistical arrangements. The General Co-chair from the local country is the chair of this sub-committee.

5. Financial Arrangements

Each general Congress meeting has its own budget and is considered separate from the Network. The Local Organising Committee should propose the best approach to managing finances internationally (e.g. establishing a dedicated account in the host country and determining which currency to operate with) which shall be negotiated with and agreed by the executive officers. If initial funding support for the Local Organising Committee is required, the Board will be required to approve this. The budget for the general Congress Meeting must be approved by the Board as per Section VIII. Any substantial changes must be re-approved by the Elected Officers. Details of profit sharing and acceptance of the responsibility for potential losses shall be subject to an individual agreement between the Board and the sponsoring organization.

Mid-Term Board of Director Meeting

The mid-term Board of Directors meetings are sponsored by IYNC every two years in different locations. This meeting should be held in the year between major congresses. In the event that it is not possible to hold a mid-term meeting in a specified year, the Board shall determine how to resolve the situation.

1. Selection of Location: Each mid-term board meeting will be decided from proposals submitted by hosting organizations, and the decision shall be made by the Board as per Section VIII. The outgoing Board will make the selection based on the key factors of geographical diversity and the strength of the local sponsoring organization.
2. Voting Rules: Consecutive mid-term board meetings should not be hosted by the same continent. In the case there are no suitable bid(s), the Board has the right to accept bids from all continents

VII. FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS

1. IYNC shall be operated as a not-for-profit organization. No dues or subscription is required for membership in IYNC.
2. The fiscal year of the IYNC shall coincide with the calendar year.
3. IYNC will accept financial contributions from international organizations, but solicitation and acceptance of such contributions shall be limited to those activities that are consistent with the objectives of IYNC.
4. No part of the net earnings of IYNC shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, officers or other private persons, except that IYNC shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and expenses incurred. The IYNC can also make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in this paragraph.

No substantial part of the activities of IYNC shall be propaganda or lobbying to influence legislation, and IYNC shall not participate or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of these bylaws, IYNC shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law) or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

VIII. DECISIONS

1. The Officers shall strive to make decisions and resolve issues brought before it by consensus. When a consensus is not feasible, decisions shall be made by a majority (most voted option) vote of the Officers. In the case that any Officer abstains and the result of the vote is a tie, the decision shall be made by the Network President and the Board of Directors shall be notified.
2. The Board shall strive to make all decisions by consensus. When a consensus is not feasible, decisions shall be made by a majority vote of the Board.

A. Decisions may be made electronically or at any meeting. Any item subject to the decision by the Board shall be notified to the Board at least 30 days prior to the vote. Organization of a meeting of the Board shall be announced to the Board at least 60 days prior to the meeting.

B. A quorum is required in order for a vote to be valid.

a. For a vote either in person or by electronic voting, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the Board members.

b. For the election of Network President, a quorum shall consist of a majority of National Representatives and General Co-Chairs of the previous General Congress Meeting.

c. In the absence of a quorum, a deciding vote will be held within 7 days of the failure to achieve quorum. All Board members will be given a minimum of 5 days notice of the deciding vote and the decision will be made by a two-thirds majority vote of those Board members who vote, regardless of considerations of quorum.

C. The Board members who are not able to attend a vote in person may request a proxy vote. A proxy vote requires proof either in writing or a reproducible electronic communication clearly specifying the intent to assign a proxy vote. In the case of electronic votes, proxy votes shall not be allowed. A person must also be eligible to hold a position on the board to be designated a proxy (i.e. they must be <40 years old)

D. Absent votes are considered abstentions and are not considered when determining majority.

E. When a vote of the Board of Directors is required, the vote of each board member shall count as 1 vote.

F. A given person may hold two or more positions on the board, but must only cast a single vote. In the event that one of the positions held is that of a National Representative, the board member in question must cast their vote in their capacity as a National Representative.

G. The voting method to be adopted is specified in the Operating Rules and Procedures.

IX. CHANGES TO THESE BYLAWS 

1. These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Board or by electronic mail by two-thirds majority vote of National Representatives provided that a quorum is reached and that the amendment be submitted in writing to all members of the Board at least 30 days in advance of the vote. Electronic mail shall constitute written notice.

X. OPERATING RULES & PROCEDURES

1. Operating Rules and Procedures shall be enacted by the Board to provide guidance in implementing the Bylaws.
2. Adoption and amendment of the Operating Rules and Procedures shall be decided by the Board as per Section VIII.

XI. DISSOLUTION

1. Upon the dissolution of IYNC, assets shall be distributed to another organization pursuing similar goals. If that organization is based in the United States, such organization will be exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of that Section of the Code or corresponding section of any future federal tax code. If that organization is based outside the United States, the organization will have a comparable status in its home country.