Statutes

OF THE CZECH ASSOCIATION FOR DIGITAL HUMANITIES, registered association

I. Objectives and activities of the Association

• § 1

The Czech Association for Digital Humanities, a registered association, (hereinafter referred to as the “Association”) is an association of students, researchers and other stakeholders whose goal is to support the development of digital humanities in educational and research institutions, in various societies, and among the wider public in the Czech Republic. The Association cooperates with the Czech as well with foreign associations and institutions engaged in similar activities.

• § 2

For its presentation, the Association also uses the English name “Czech Association for Digital Humanities” and the acronym CzADH.

• § 3

The focus of the study and research interests of the Association is primarily on the following areas of social sciences and the humanities to which the Association wishes to contribute:

1. The use of digital methods and tools for scientific research and the presentation of its results.
2. Retrieving, storing, linking and accessing data in digital form with an emphasis on their utmost openness.
3. Legal and ethical aspects of digital research and data management.
4. Pedagogical applications of digital technologies.
5. Research into history, usage and the impact of digital technologies in the life of society, individuals, and in fine arts.
6. Teaching digital knowledge and skills, especially with regard to their research application.
7. Theoretical reflection of digital humanities.
8. Promotion and popularization of digital humanities among professional and lay public.
9. International cooperation in the field of digital humanities.
10. Supporting the working framework of the digital humanities at various institutions and organizations.
11. Applied research of digital humanities.

• § 4

The Association uses the following activities in particular to achieve these objectives:

1. Organizing scientific conferences at regional, national or international level, or their co-organization with other institutions, if appropriate.
2. Mediation of training and educational activities in the field of digital humanities.
3. Scholarly publishing.
4. Disseminating information and news on activities in the field of digital humanities at regional, national or international level.
5. Granting awards for activities in the field or in the interest of the digital humanities.

II. Scope, seat and organizational structure of the Association

• § 5

The Association operates throughout the Czech Republic. Its headquarters are located at Jilská 236/3, 110 00, Prague 1.

Membership in the Association

• § 6

1. Membership of the Association has three forms:
   a) individual membership,
   b) collective membership,
   c) honorary membership.
2. Applications for membership must be submitted in writing via the application form addressed to the Executive Committee.

• § 7

1. Any individual over the age of 18 may be admitted as an individual member of the Association.
2. The Executive Committee shall decide on the acceptance or exclusion of each member.
3. Each member shall have the right:
   a) To participate in elections and to be elected to all bodies of the Association.
   b) To participate in all activities of the Association.
   c) To preferentially obtain expert information from the sources of the Association.
4. Each member has an obligation, within his or her capacity, to assist in the realization of the Association’s objectives and to fulfill the obligations arising from the resolutions of its General Meeting.
5. Membership in the Association shall be terminated by the member’s voluntary resignation, by exclusion, or upon death.
6. The Executive Committee shall proceed to exclude a member that acts on behalf of the Association in a manner other than that foreseen by its statutes and its Mission Statement or that violates professional or generally valid ethical principles, despite the admonition by the Chair or his/her authorized representative. Likewise, a member may be excluded who has not paid membership fees for more than two years and would not respond to reminders.

• § 8

1. A legal entity or a clearly defined component of a legal entity may be accepted as a collective member of the Association
2. The Executive Committee shall decide on the admission or exclusion of each collective member.
3. Each collective member has the right to determine one natural person with whom it is in labor contract or in a similar relationship and who will represent it with the Association.
4. The natural person designated by the collective member to represent it will be registered in the list of members and she shall be subject to the rights and duties of individual members as appropriate.
5. Each collective member has the right to revoke the natural person representing it with the Association.
6. Collective membership is terminated by voluntary resignation, by exclusion of a legal entity, or a clearly defined component of a legal entity, due to a change of its focus to an activity other than that foreseen by the Statutes of the Association and its Mission Statement, by the termination of activities of the legal entity, or clearly defined part of a legal entity, or in case of non-payment of membership fees for more than one year.
7. The Executive Committee shall proceed with the exclusion of such a collective member or its representative that acts on behalf of the Association in a manner other than that foreseen by its statutes and a Mission Statement or that violates professional or generally valid ethical principles, despite the admonition by the Chair or his/her authorized representative.
8. When a collective membership ceases to exist, the natural person who represents the collective member shall be deprived of all membership rights.

• § 9

1. An individual who has earned considerable merit in the development of digital humanities in the Czech Republic or around the world, or who has significantly contributed to the development of the Association’s activities may become an honorary member of the Association.
2. The honorary member of the Association may, with her or his consent, be a person nominated by at least three members of the Association’s Executive Committee and approved by unanimous resolution of the Executive Committee, or a person nominated by a majority of the members of the General Meeting.
3. The honorary member is relieved of the obligation to pay membership fees and has the right to publicly address the General Meeting of the Association, but does not take part in the vote. Honorary membership is not limited in time. The abolition of honorary membership is possible only for serious reasons, and only by an unanimous resolution of the Executive Committee.

General Meeting

• § 10

1. The General Meeting is the supreme body of the Association. It consists of all members of the Association. It is convened at least once per calendar year.
2. Members of the Association may attend the General Meeting in person or by remote technical means. In the case of participation by remote technical means, the Working Committee shall specify specific conditions in the invitation to the General Meeting that will enable the identity of the participants to be verified.
3. The exclusive powers of the General Meeting include:
   a) The election of the Management and of the Audit Committee.
   b) The approval of the Statutes of the Association and their amendments.
   c) Confirmation or revocation of any decision taken by the Executive Committee.
   d) The decision to dissolve the Association or to merge it with another association.
4. The General Meeting, along with the Management, specifies the course of the Association’s activities charted out in the Statutes. In particular, it is involved in the creation of the Association’s program and in the evaluation of its activities.
5. The General Meeting, along with the Audit Committee, oversees the Association’s management.
6. The General Meeting reaches quorum in the presence of an absolute majority of all members of the Association; or after half an hour has elapsed since the official start of the session that has been declared in advance, the quorum is established by any number of the members present.
7. The General Meeting decides by a simple majority. In case of equality of votes, the vote of the Chair is decisive.
8. Apart from the session of the General Meeting, the members of the Association may also adopt resolutions per rollam, by correspondence using technical means, e.g. by e-mail. Proposal to be voted upon may be submitted by the Management of the Association or by at least ten members of the Association. Organization of a per rollam voting is administered by the Management of the Association or by a person appointed by them. The proposal must include, at the very least, the text of the resolution, all information needed for its assessment, or the indication where it is published, and an indication of the deadline for the members of the Association to cast their vote. This deadline must not be less than 10 business days. The Management of the Association shall notify the members of the Association in writing or in another appropriate way, about the result of the vote and, if a resolution was adopted, the notification shall also include the full content of the resolution as it was adopted. When voting per rollam, the decision is adopted if the absolute majority of all members of the Association express themselves in favor of the resolution.

Management

• § 11

1. The Management of the Association are: the Chair, the Vice-Chair and the Executive Committee, elected in a secret ballot by the General Meeting for a period of fouryears. The statutory body is the presidium, formed by the Chair and the Vice-Chair, who are also members of the Executive Committee and represent the Association externally. Each of them can do so independently. The Executive Committee shall have at least five members. For the same term, up to three alternates can be elected. If the number of members of the Committee falls below five, they shall co-opt a new member from among the alternates or they shall call for a General Meeting.
2. The list of candidates for the election of the Chair, Vice-Chair, the members of the Executive Committee, and the alternates shall be prepared by the Executive Committee. The candidate must be a member of the Association. Any member of the Association can nominate a candidate upon the latter’s agreement.
3. The Executive Committee shall be convened and managed by the Association’s Chair or Vice-Chair.
4. The Executive Committee adopts the Mission Statement of the Association and sets the amount and due date for membership fees. The Executive Committee convenes the General Meeting. It is obliged to convene the General Meeting as soon as at least one quarter of the members of the Association with the right to vote so request.
5. The Executive Committee shall act in the presence of an absolute majority of its members. Adoption of a resolution shall require a majority of the present members of the Executive Committee. In case of equality of votes, the vote of the Chair shall be decisive and, if she or he is not present, the Vice-Chair’s vote. If alternates are present, they have an advisory voice. The Executive Committee may also adopt decisions per rollam; in such case, a resolution is adopted if majority of the Committee’s member express themselves in its favor within the stipulated deadline. In the event of equality of votes, the Chair’s vote shall be decisive, and if she or he has not voted, the Vice-Chair’s vote.
6. If the seat of the Chair of the Association is vacated, the rights and duties of the office are assumed by the Vice-Chair  until a new Chair is properly elected.
7. Any member of the Association can be authorized by the Chair, Vice-Chair, or by the Executive Committee to carry out specific tasks for the benefit of the Association.

Audit Committee

• § 12

1. The General Meeting elects a three-member Audit Committee for four years. The list of candidates is administered by the Executive Committee. Any member of the Association can nominate a candidate upon the latter’s agreement.
2. The Audit Committee monitors the financial management and compliance with the regulations by the  Association’s bodies and submits its report to the General Meeting. If the General Meeting approves the monitoring report, it will confer its approval to the Executive Committee.
3. The Chair of the Association, or the Vice-Chair, shall inform the members of the Audit Committee about the calls for meetings of the Executive Committee. The latter shall take part in the meeting at their discretion or when summoned by the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Association.

Thematic groups

• § 13

1. Members of the Association who are interested in narrower forms of cooperation in specific thematic fields, may propose a formation of a thematic group. Upon the motion by the Chair of the Association, the Executive Committee establishes and dissolves thematic groups and appoints and recalls their heads.
2. Heads of the thematic groups may request to participate in the meetings of the Executive Committee, or they may be summoned to do so by the Chair of the Association. They may participate either in person or through a designated representative. In the meeting of the Executive Committee, they have an advisory voice.

III. Register of Members of the Association

• § 14

1. The Register of Members of the Association shall compulsorily include the following details of natural persons:
   a) the name, surname, date of birth, employment,
   b) the delivery address for the purposes of the printed and electronic correspondence, if possible, also the phone number,
   c) records of payments of membership fees and the type of membership.
   A member is required to notify the Association without unnecessary delay about the details referred to in points a) and b) and about any changes made to them.
2. The Register of Members of the Association shall compulsorily include the following details for a legal entity or a clearly defined component of a legal entity:
   a) the name, the registered office and identification number,
   b) the delivery address for the purposes of the printed and electronic correspondence, if possible also the phone number,
   c) records of payments of membership fees.
   A collective member is required to notify the Association without unnecessary delay about the details referred to in points a) and b) and about any changes made to them.
3. An entry into the Register of Members shall be made on the basis of the decision to admit a member. The data are to be deleted after the cessation of membership. Entries and deletions in the Register of Members are performed by a member of the Association authorized by the Executive Committee.
4. The Register of Members is not publicly available and is to be used only for the needs of the Association’s Management. Data from the Register can only be published with the consent of the listed members.

IV. Final Provisions

• § 15

1. In the event of termination of the Association, the liquidator shall, within the scope of the relevant legislation, take care of the property and settlement of claims and debts of the Association.
2. After all commitments have been settled, a transfer of all assets of the Association will be offered free of charge to another legal entity of a non-profit nature whose objectives are close to the objectives of the Association. If an agreement with another legal entity is not reached, the property will be transferred to the Council of Scientific Societies at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

• § 16

These Statutes come into force upon approval by the General Meeting on November 18, 2021.

November 18, 2021 in Prague