Mission

Section 1.01
The mission of the Asian Semiotic Association (ASIA) shall be to promote the science and practice of semiotics and to facilitate interaction and communication among Asian semioticians and other semioticians interested in Asian semiotics.

Activities

Section 2.01
The activities of the Association shall include sponsoring periodic conferences, establishing committees or working groups for the study of particular problems, disseminating information through printed and electronic communication, and such other activities as may be approved by the Board of Directors or the Board of Officers.

Section 2.02
The administrative language shall be English, but with the approval of the Board of Officers, additional languages may be permitted for presentations at the ASIA conferences at the discretion of the local organizing committee.

Section 2.03
The President-elect shall be responsible for the organization of the Association’s Conference, its venue, and finances in consultation with the Executive committee.

Section 2.04
The Past-President will be responsible for publishing the Proceedings from the Association’s conference.

Governance

Section 3.01
The Board of Directors, broadly representative of the membership, determines Association policies and has final authority over the affairs of the Association.

Section 3.02
The Board of Officers, which serves as the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, administers the operations of the Association under the oversight of the Board of Directors.

Section 3.02
The President will be responsible for correspondence among Board members, calling for nominations for the Board and the Elections, and for long-range planning for the Association.

Membership

Section 4.01
Membership categories. The Association shall consist of four categories of members:
(1) Full Members; (2) Fellows; (3) Student Members, and (4) Honorary Members.

Section 4.02
Full Members of the Association shall be semioticians who are eligible for membership in their national or regional semiotic organizations.

Section 4.03
A Fellow shall be a distinguished semiotician who has made substantial contributions to applied semiotics. Candidates for Fellow status must be qualified for Full Member status in ASIA and must have at least five years of professional experience. A Fellow is also a Full Member and pays the same dues as other Full Members unless the Board of Directors directs otherwise.

Section 4.04
A Student Member shall be a student in good standing in an appropriate academic program.

Section 4.05
The Board of Directors may designate, as an Honorary Member, an individual who, although not a semiotician, has made outstanding contributions to applied semiotics.

Section 4.06
All new applications for Membership will be processed by the Secretariat. The annual dues for membership shall be fixed by the Board of Directors. The membership year will be from July to June.

Termination of Membership

Section 5.01
Membership in the Association shall be brought to an end by
(a) resignation
(b) non-payment of dues for three consecutive years
(c) by a decision of the Board of Directors in the best interests of the Association
An individual whose membership has been terminated shall be notified of the termination, and may appeal that decision in writing to the Board of Directors.

Affiliate Organisations

Section 6.01
The Board of Directors may accept, as an Affiliate Organization, any national, regional, or international semiotic organization with purposes consistent with those of ASIA. Affiliate organizations may, with the approval of the Board of Officers, participate in ASIA activities.

Board of Directors

Section 7.01
The Board of Directors shall have final authority over the affairs and funds of the Association.
Members of the Board of Directors must be Full Members in good standing, except that the President of the Student Division shall serve ex officio on the Board of Directors.

Section 7.02
The Board of Directors shall consist of the Officers of the Association, that is, President, the President Elect, the Past President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and any additional officers approved by the Board of Directors; the Presidents of the Divisions; and not less than 16 and not more than 32 Members-at-large. Members of the Board of Directors are elected for a term of three years, and may be elected for ONE sequential term if the Board of Directors so determines. Following two consecutive terms, there must be at least one term of Office period lapsed before a past Officer can re-nominate for the same Board position.

Executive Committee

Section 8.01
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President Elect, Past President, Secretary and Treasurer and any additional officers approved by the Board of Directors for specific functions. Members of the Executive Committee shall be ex-officio voting members of the Board of Directors.

Section 8.02
On the recommendation of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors may appoint one or more additional members to the Executive Committee for a limited term to carry out specific functions needed by the Association.  Such additional officers will serve for the period approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 8.03
The terms of office are as follows: The President, President Elect, and Past President serve for 2 years and are not eligible for re-election. The Secretary and the Treasurer serve for 2 years, and may be re-elected for ONE additional 2-year period if the Board of Directors so determines. Following two consecutive terms, there must be at least one term of Office period lapsed before a past Officer can re-nominate for the same Board position.

Section 8.04
The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, shall exercise general administrative management of the affairs of the Association.

Section 8.05
In the intervals between meetings of the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to take such actions as are necessary for the conduct of the Association’s business. Actions taken on behalf of the Board of Directors between regular meetings shall be reported to the Board of Directors at the next regular meeting and are subject to confirmation by the Board of Directors.

Elections

Section 9.01
Executive Committee. The Board of Directors shall elect, according to rules of procedure that it shall determine, a President Elect, a Treasurer and a Secretary. Those officers, along with the President and Past President and any additional officers approved by the Board of Directors for specific functions shall comprise the Executive Committee. The President Elect cannot be from the same country as the President.

Section 9.02
Board of Directors: New Members-at-large of the Board of Directors shall be chosen from among Full Members and Fellows of the Association and elected by the current members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors may also select one or more Student Members to serve on the Board of Directors in addition to the President of the Student Division.

Section 9.03
Rotation. The initial Board of Directors shall be elected, in 2006, so that half of the members are elected for 3 year terms and half for four year terms.  At the end of their terms, members may be elected for one additional 3 year term.  At the conclusion of 3 terms, the member shall retire, but may be elected to the Board of Directors again after a lapse of four years.

Section 9.04
Nominations. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee to prepare for the Board of Directors a list of nominees who are dues-paid Full Members or Fellows of the Association to replace retiring members of the Board of Directors. This list shall include nominations made by members of the Board of Directors, the Presidents of ASIA Divisions, and dues-paid Full Members or Fellows of the Association. The Secretary shall announce the call for nominations at least 90 days prior to the election. Each nomination for the Board of Directors must be endorsed by two other dues-paid Full Members and forwarded in writing to the Secretary of the Association at least 45 days before the ASIA conference at which the election is to take place, together with the consent, in writing, of the nominee.

Section 9.05
Voting. The vote for the election of members of the Board of Directors shall be by secret ballot at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors. Such meeting shall normally take place at the time and place of the Asian semiotic Association conference.

Section 9.06
Additional Members. The Board of Officers may, at any time, recommend to the Board of Directors the election, via mail or electronic vote, of any dues-paid Full Member or Fellow of the Association as a temporary Member-at-large of the Board of Directors, either to fill a vacancy or as an addition to the Board of Directors, provided always that the total number of members of the Board of Directors does not exceed the maximum specified above. Any member so elected shall serve only until the next Board of Directors meeting, but shall then be eligible for regular election.

Divisions

Section 10.01
Divisions may be organized to represent major scientific and professional interests that lie within the association. Each Full Member is entitled to join two divisions. Student Members are entitled to join two divisions in addition to the Student Division.

Section 10.02
A division may be established whenever 50 or more members petition for it and the Board of Directors approves. A division may be dissolved by the Board of Directors when the number of members in the division falls below 25 members or when the division votes to recommend dissolution. Divisions must comply with the ASIA Constitution and Rules of Procedure.

Section 10.03
A division shall have a President and a Secretary and such other officers as it may determine. Each division may draw up and maintain its own Bylaws and Rules of Procedure consistent with ASIA’s Constitution and Rules of Procedure and submitted to the Board for approval.

Section 10.04
Each division is entitled to receive, from the ASIA general dues, funds to be allocated by the Board of Directors for each member of the division in good standing with the Association. These funds shall be distributed to the divisions by the Treasurer.

Section 10.04
In each even numbered year, and no later than April 1, each Division shall submit to the Board of Directors a report that covers the activities of the Division during the preceding two years. The Secretary General shall notify all Divisions of the report deadline no later than January 10. No distribution of funds from the ASIA general dues shall be made to a Division that has not submitted its report for the previous two year period except by specific authorization by the ASIA President.

Meetings

Section 11.01
The Board of Directors shall meet regularly at each ASIA conference. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may take place at the occasion of the International Congress of semiotics or at such other times determined by the Board of Officers, but no elections shall take place except at ASIA conferences. If a special need arises, the Board of Directors may take action by mail or electronic communication in the interval between ASIA conferences, but such actions must be ratified at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Finances

Section 12.01
Payment of expenses shall be made by the Treasurer who shall have the power to receive funds, to open banking accounts, to sign checks in the Association’s name, and, with the approval of the Executive Committee, to make appropriate investment of the Association’s funds.

Section 12.02
In the absence of the Treasurer, the President or the Secretary are authorized to approve payment of funds in the Association’s name. Assistant Treasurers may be authorized by the Treasurer to carry out certain duties, provided that they work under the direction of the Treasurer.

Section 12.03
An audit shall be conducted at the conclusion of the Treasurer’s final term of office or at other times to be determined by the Executive Committee.

Section 12.04
The annual dues for membership shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.

Life of the Association

Section 13.01
The life of the association shall be indeterminate. The association may be chartered, registered or otherwise certified in various countries, but shall have its Secretariat at the address of the Secretary, or a nominated Member of the Board Executive. The termination of the Association can only be determined by a majority vote of the Board of Directors in a meeting attended by at least half of the Board of Directors plus one. The Board, in considering termination, shall seek comments from the general membership at least six months in advance on the advisability of doing so.

Section 13.02
If the Board of Directors should decide to terminate the Association, it may allot the net assets of the Association to one or more semiotic associations or other bodies recognized as being in the public interest and pursuing aims consistent with those of ASIA. Announcement of such a decision must be made to the membership at least 90 days prior to termination.

Amendments

Section 14.01
Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by members of the Board of Directors, the Board of Officers, or any member of the Association. Amendments, which must be received by the Secretary at least 90 days before they are to be acted upon, and approved by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors at a regularly scheduled meeting, shall become part of this Constitution.