MERC ORGANISATION AND ELECTION
14 November 2013, based on EAA Committee, last revised 13 March 2016.
Governance of Committee
1. The governing body of MERC shall be the Committee. The Committee shall supervise, control, and direct the affairs of MERC.
2. Only Full Members of the EAA (European Association of Archaeologists) shall be eligible for election to the Committee.
3. The Committee shall normally consist of three Officers (Chair, Treasurer and Secretary) and twelve Ordinary Members. In addition, the Committee shall elect a Deputy Chair from its membership, who is also an Officer.
4. Officers and Ordinary Members shall be elected to the Committee for a period of four years. One Officer and four Ordinary Members shall retire from the Committee each year at the Annual MERC Forum held during the EAA annual meeting. No individual shall serve on the Committee for more than two consecutive periods. They shall become eligible for re-election after an interval of four years.
5. The Committee shall be empowered to make co-options to fill the places of elected members who do not complete their full four-year terms of office. This co-option will be effective until the following Annual Committee Meeting, at which point the vacancy will be filled by election as described in the Rules of Election.
6. The Committee shall be empowered to co-opt up to three further Ordinary Members in any one year for reasons that will assist the work of the Committee. Such co-options will be renewed annually, normally at the Annual MERC Forum, for up to four years.
7. The Committee shall normally hold one meeting each year. Dates and locations of meetings shall be proposed by the Chair and approved by the Committee or a majority of the Committee.
8. Meetings shall normally be chaired by the Chair or Deputy Chair; the Secretary and then Treasurer if they are absent.The quorum for a Meeting of the Committee shall be half of its Members plus one, including at least one Officer. Decisions shall be made by simple majority vote. In the event of a tied vote, the chair of the meeting shall have the casting vote. The Committee may delegate the conduct of its business to the Chair and other Officers between meetings.
9. The Secretary shall be responsible for the preparation of meetings of the Committee and the Annual Committee Meeting,and together with the Chair shall oversee the proper recording of the proceedings of meetings and shall ensure that decisions of the Annual Committee Meeting and the MERC Forum are implemented.
10. Committee members are expected to attend at least one in three meetings, and those missing three meetings in a row will normally lose their position on the Committee.
Rules of Election
1. The Committee and the EAA members shall be entitled to nominate one or more candidates for election to each vacant position on the Committee. The Committee will encourage a broad geographical representation with respect to age, institutional affiliation, and gender where relevant. EAA communications will be used to communicate with MERC-registered EAA members, while Facebook will be used to also communicate with non-EAA members.
2. Candidates (EAA members only) should be nominated at least 60 days in advance of the MERC Forum. Nominations will be circulated through the EAA at least thirty days before the MERC Forum.
3. Each EAA Member shall be entitled to vote for one nominated candidate for each vacant position on the Committee. Voting shall be by secret ballot, by sending an email to the Secretary. The Secretary will be responsible for the counting of votes received and shall present and certify the candidates with the most votes at the MERC Forum.