User:CharlieHuang/XKQS Constitution

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Constitution of the Xi Kang Qin Society

NOTE: in the following regulations, the pronoun 'he' shall, unless the context dictates to the contrary, be read as including 'she'.

The name of the Society shall be THE MOST RESPECTFUL THE FELLOWS OF THE XI KANG QIN SOCIETY ASSEMBLED (至尊嵇康琴社雅士大全集) or THE XI KANG QIN SOCIETY (嵇康琴社) in abbreviated form, named after Xi Kang, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.
The Society will be a learned society and shall concern itself with the study of the guqin (or qin) in all its forms – performance, research, practice and history — and any other genres of music who falls under the Society's interests.
The Society shall award membership in the form of a Fellowship by diploma to those it deems worthy.
The membership of the Society shall comprise:
- FELLOWS, who shall be qin players and are elected by Fellowship consensus in accordance with Statute II;
- ORDINARY MEMBERS, who shall be in sympathy to the Society's aims and are those who do not fulfil the Fellowship criteria.
All Fellows, and only Fellows, may use the post-nominal designation FXKQS, and wear the Society's academicals as prescribed in Regulation I.
There shall be a Council of Management and shall comprise TWO Fellows. The following officers shall be elected: Rector and Registrar. Other posts may be created as need dictates, appointed by the Council, who shall sit on the Council ex officio. The term of all Council positions shall be permanent until the Fellow resigns from his post. The terms of office may be limited in future if the Society membership increases.
In the event of a member resigning from the Council, the post may be filled by co-option, but the person so co-opted shall be subject to Fellowship approval.

The Council shall have executive power over all matters relating to the Society, subject to the powers held by the Fellowship described elsewhere in this Constitution. Power is execised by either majority vote or Fellowship consensus depending on the situation which will be decided by the Council. All motions must be ratified by the Council before they come into force.
Each Officer shall have a role and duties as defined by Statute I.
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A website shall be set up and maintained by the Registrar.
It shall be proper for the Society to act in an advisory capacity in matters relating to the qin; also to those who wish to learn qin themselves. NB: any member is at liberty to act in a private advisory capacity, but must make it plain that he does not act in this case for the Society.
In the event of the Society being disbanded, such assets as remain over shall be given to an organization specified by the Fellowship.
This Constitution, having been ratified by the Society, may only be altered by further consultations with its members.
Election to Fellowship is for life but any member found guilty of conduct which, in the view of the Society, causes the Society to be brought into disrepute, shall be subject to such penalty as the Council shall deem fit, up to and including removal from the Roll of Members and/or deprivation of Fellowship. In all such cases, the member in question shall have the right of presenting a defence to the Council.
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There shall be no charge for admission or election to Fellowship.

Statute I: Duties of Officers

The duties of the several Officers shall be as follows:

(a) Rector: shall act as titular head of the Society; shall chair all meetings of the Society; shall have a duty of care for the promotion and well-being of the Society;

(b) Registrar: shall act as secretary to meetings of the Society as required; he shall be responsible for the keeping and maintaining of the Roll of Members; he shall maintain the Society’s Facebook website; he shall present new Members, Fellows and Fellows honoris causa for admission.

Statute II: Fellowship Criteria

Other than the Fellows that are admitted upon foundation of the Society, the critera applies to all future applications.
These criteria are given as a general guide, but each application will be considered on its own merits. It is particularly stressed, that, while the guide-line experience in qin music is stated as three years, less experienced candiates who feel they have satisfied the criteria in other respects are encouraged to apply.
Candidates who do not fulfil the criteria may opt to be elected as an Ordinary Member instead. Ordinary Members who fulfil the criteria in future may proceed to Fellowship on approval of the Council.

Applications for the award of Fellowship are made to the Registrar who will forward them to Council for consideration. Normally a decision will be made within one week of application.
Candidates may be proposed by Fellows. For such proposals no further evidences are usually required. Council may, however, ask for evidences in such cases.
Candidates who are not proposed by an existing Fellow must, at the time of initial application, provide evidence in support of their application. These maybe from referees who need not be existing Fellows but should be persons capable of attesting to the musical contribution in qin music of the candidate or maybe from a publicly published work (either online or in hard form).
As Fellowship is awarded in recognition of services to and/or work in qin music (which includes academic as well as performance based work), candidates with less than three to four years experience are not normally accepted since they would not normally have acquired sufficient experience to qualify.
A formal, examined qualification in music is not a prerequisite. However, a candidate without such a qualification would be expected to show evidence of a greater degree of practical contribution to the world of music than a formally qualified candidate.
Candidates may submit a detailed exposition of their qin work to the Registrar in support of their application. The exposition should note details and dates of any positions or memberships held. A brief explanation of how the candidate feels that (s)he made a positive contribution should also be given.

A Council member may grant Fellowship to anyone who they deem worthy of such, who clearly already fulfills the Fellowship critera, at his discretion without the need of election. In such a case, the Fellowship is deemed to be by law (de jure).
These criteria are subject to change in the future on approval of the Council.

Regulation I: Academic dress

The academicals of the Society shall be as follows:

Gown: a black stuff gown of the master's shape with two crescent cuts 8½" long 1" deep 3½" from the bottom edge either side of the boot of the sleeve with a line of Cambridge doctor's lace set 2" from the bottom edge, with strings and inverted T-shaped armhole; a black gown of a traditional bachelor's or master's shape; or any suitable black academic gown to which the Fellow is entitled;
Hood:

[Foundation Fellows and Officers] a cream raw or ottoman silk full-shape hood of the Durham doctors’ shape [f4] lined and bound along the cowl in cherry pink silk satin;
[Fellows] a burgundy-vermillion peony brocade simple-shape hood of the Burgon shape [s2] lined and bound white silk;

Cap: a black stuff, silk gauze or velvet Chinese scholars’ square cap of a traditional form (Rujin, Zhuangzi jin or Dongpo mao); or an ordinary black cloth square mortarboard [h1].

Officers may wear an Officers gown of the Oxford lay type pattern [d4], black corded artificial silk. Sleeves cut in the shape of the head of a Zhongni (i.e. Confucian) style guqin (i.e. like the Fellows gown) with a horizontal strip of Cantab lace in place of the bridge and seven buttons directly behind the lace at the back of the sleeve in place of the tuning pegs. Oxon gimp lace trimmed around armholes, around the flap collar and down the facings and Cantab strings at the back of facings.
Officers may wear white tie and bands with their academic dress.
The Society academicals maybe subject to change in the future.
The wearing of the academicals of the Society is voluntary and is only required when the Fellow chooses to wear them for certain appropriate situations which require academic dress to be worn such as attending Congregations of other learned societies that allow it.

DRAFTED on 9th November 2007
REDRAFTED and RATIFIED on 13th December 2007
EDITED on 20th January 2008
EDITED on 20th March 2008
EDITED on 1st April 2008
EDITED on 26th May 2008
EDITED on 1st July 2008