The CG Society is governed by its statutes and the bylaws that complement the statutes. The complete documents can be found on our documents page; note that only the Dutch version of the statutes is legally binding. This page summarizes the most important rules and regulations.
The CG Society has the goal to promote scientific research in Computational Geometry and Computational Topology by organizing the free, international exchange of knowledge, experience, and ideas in these research areas. The Society seeks to achieve this goal, among other things, by organizing socially safe meetings for its members, bringing about publications, and using all appropriate means of communication.
Everyone interested in studying Computational Geometry or Computational Topology is welcome to become a member of the Society. Membership is free of costs1 and can be terminated by the members at any time. The privacy policy governs which data the Society keeps about its members.
All members of the CG Society are bound by its Code of Conduct (CoC). The Code of Conduct committee (CCC) of the Society adjudicates cases of potential Code of Conduct violations. Based on the findings of the CCC, the board of the CG Society can suspend or terminate membership for members found guilty of Code of Conduct violations. Suspended members cannot attend events organized by the Society.
The CG Society is governed democratically, and its members can vote on decisions related to the CG Society (see below). For the first 90 days, members are trial members, and have no voting rights yet (but can attend CG Society events). This is a standard precaution against a hostile takeover. After these 90 days, trial members become full members, which includes voting rights. The Board can terminate membership when the member cannot be reached for a prolonged period of time.
1 §8 of the Statutes allows the CG Society to charge an annual contribution. However, as specified in the bylaws, this contribution is set to € 0. Should the need arise, the CG Society can amend the bylaws, via a 2/3rd majority vote, and charge a contribution.
There is an annual general assembly which all members may attend. This assembly needs to take place in the first half of the year, for financial bookkeeping reasons. During the general assembly, the Board reports on the current state of the CG Society, items relevant to the CG Society may be discussed, and the members may vote on decisions related to the CG Society. The list of topics, and decisions to vote on, will be announced prior to the general assembly. This may include appeals to membership suspensions, and elections for vacancies in e.g. the Board or in committees. Every (non-suspended, non-trial) member has a single vote, and votes are confidential. The general assembly is held fully online.2 After a general assembly, during which proposals for votes are discussed, there is a two-week voting period during which Belenios is used for online, asynchronous voting.
2 Unfortunately, Dutch law does not allow for fully online general assemblies yet. But, it is allowed to cast votes electronically before a general assembly; such votes are then counted as cast during that general assembly. Hence we implement this legally by calling two general assemblies, two weeks apart. The first general assembly is meant for discussion and reports, while the second general assembly is solely dedicated to voting. After the first assembly, we will open Belenios votes on all items that need a vote. There will be a two week voting period during which all regular and board members of the society can cast a vote. These votes are then officially counted and published during the second general assembly. Generally only the board members need to attend this second assembly (but of course all members are welcome to attend).
Day to day governing of the CG Society is done by its Board. The Board consists of at least three members: a Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Board members serve for a term of at most 4 years, after which they are not eligible for re-election for a period of 21 months. The Board is chosen from the CG Society members. When there is a vacancy, members can nominate members as candidates. All (non-suspended, non-trial) members can then vote electronically on the candidates as described above.
The Society has various committees that perform some of the tasks relevant to the Society. This includes at least an Audit Committee (which examines the financial report of the Board), the SoCG Steering Committee, the Code of Conduct Committee, and local organization committees tasked with organizing events of the CG Society.
There is a Code of Conduct Committee (CCC) that decides on possible violations of the Code of Conduct. The CCC follows the procedures set out in Section 8 of the bylaws, which is based on the earlier findings of the taskforce established by the CG Week SC. The Code of Conduct Committee is appointed by the Board. It is not possible to be a member of the Board and the Code of Conduct Committee simultaneously.
The discussions of the Code of Conduct Committee are confidential. Its members do not share any information about cases that are brought to them and about the following proceedings with the Board or with anybody else outside the Code of Conduct Committee. After deliberations, the Code of Conduct Committee decides by anonymous voting whether the defendant should be suspended, warned, or neither. The maximum duration of a suspension is ten years.
The official rules of the CG Society are specified in its Statutes and its Bylaws. The general assembly can decide to change the Statutes, the Bylaws, and the Code of Conduct. Changing these documents requires at least a 2/3 majority (with respect to all members eligible to vote).