The CP Organizing Commitee is seeking to put the CP organization on a more formal and democratic footing. To that end, we have formulated an interim set of rules for a new organizing committee, and plan to hold elections shortly. Further details will be forthcoming. The interim rules were derived from those used by the TABLEAUX conference. This process is not intended to rule out other possible options for the future (e.g. the formation of an ACM SIG).

Rules Governing the Constraint Programming Organizing Committee

1. The Constraint Programming Organizing Committee (CPOC) consists of six elected members, the conference and program chairs of the current and the previous CP conference, and an elected secretary and treasurer. The elected members serve for three year terms or until resignation.

    

   
   
2. The responsibilities and obligations of the CPOC are to:
   • Select venues for future CP conferences
   • Select program and conference chairs for future CP conferences.
   • Make decisions concerning the future of the CP conference series
   • Revise these Rules as appropriate
   • Promote constraint programming in general
   • Call a business meeting at each CP conference. At the meeting the President shall report on the activities of the CPOC during the previous year.

    

   
   
3. The responsibilities and obligations of the secretary are to:
   • Prepare minutes of the business meeting
   • Distribute an electronic newsletter
   • Run elections

    

   
   
4. The responsibilities and obligations of the treasurer are to:
   • Take charge and care of the funds of the CP conference
   • Provide the conference chair with seed money
   • Collect surplus from the running of the conference
   • Settle any accounts aproved by the CPOC

    

   
   
5. The CPOC appoints among its members a President and Vice President to conduct its duties and represent the CPOC.

    

   
   
6. The members of the CPOC will be elected by the CP community. Votes may be cast in person, by mail, fax or electronic mail. The CP community consists of all people that have been registered participants in at least one CP conference and all members of the current CP program committee. The returning officer will be the current secretary. Votes by mail, fax or electronic mail should be sent to the secretary in the week preceding the CP conference. All other votes will be collected at the business meeting.

    

   
   
7. Any member of the CP community (under article 6) not already an elected or ex officio member of the CPOC can stand for election to the CPOC. An elected member can simultaneously hold an ex officio position on the CPOC (e.g. as an elected member and as the current CP conference chair).

    

   
   
8. Transitional path. The first CPOC will be elected in the month following CP-2002. The election will be overseen by the current de facto president, Gene Freuder. Members of the CP community (under article 6) should send their votes (preferably by email) to the acting secretary, Francesca Rossi in the weeks following the CP-2002 conference. The list of candidates will be announced shortly after CP-2002. Votes are required to arrive on or before October 14th 2002. In order to ensure that two members should be elected in each subsequent year, the term of the six elected members of the CPOC in the first elections will be: a 3 year term to the two candidates that received the highest vote total, a 2 year term for the next two candidates, and a 1 year term for the last two. Ties will be broken by the toss of a coin.