The Scandinavian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (SSAC)

Name: The name of the Society is The Scandinavian Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Objectives: The Society shall facilitate the acquisition and distribution of knowledge in the fields of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology. The most important venue for this is the annual scientific meeting of the Society.

  1. Any doctor or scientist engaged in clinical practice, research and/or development within the fields of infectious diseases and clinical microbiology can apply to the board for membership in the Society. Young scientists, i.e. members below 35 years, are offered an "SSAC young scientist" membership. Corporate members are accepted as non-voting members. The General Secretary is empowered by the board to accept new members into the Society whereas only the full board can reject an application. A list of new members shall be presented to the board prior to the annual general meeting and to members at the annual general meeting.
  2. The business of the Society shall be conducted by the board.
  3. The fiscal year of the Society is from June 1 – May 31.
  4. The official language of the Society is English.
  5. The board shall consist of the Chairman, the Chairman-Elect, the General Secretary,  the Honorary Treasurer, the immediate Past-Chairman and at least 4 other members elected from the ordinary membership. The board appoints a Meetings President and an "SSAC young scientist" to serve on the board for the time preceeding the SSAC meeting they have been appointed to arrange. The Chairman and the Chairman-elect should represent different countries. The following countries shall each have at least one member on the board: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The meetings president and the "young Scientist representative" are appointed by the board and are responsible for the upcoming SSAC scientific meeting on behalf of the Society.
    Five members of the board form a quorum.
    Ordinary members of the board are appointed for three years. Ordinary members can be re-elected for one more three year term. The General secretary and the Honorary Treasurer are eligible for two more three year terms.
    Candidates for the new board should be nominated no later than 6 weeks before the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Nominations to the board can be made by any two ordinary members of the Society. If more than one nomination is received, the Society shall proceed to election by ballot at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
  6. Members shall pay dues as suggested by the board and approved by the annual general meeting (AGM).
    The fee for the "SSAC young scientists" is half that of ordinary members. Ordinary members and young scientists are offered a lifetime membership at a fee which is 10 times the annual fee.
    The annual fee of  corporate members is 100 times that of the annual fee of ordinary individual members.
    Any member whose dues are in arrears, i.e. has failed to pay the annual fee two consecutive years, will be removed from the "SSAC list of members" (http://www.ssac.nu/members/members.html). Any member who otherwise ceases to fulfill conditions for membership and who has been notified about the fact shall be removed from the "SSAC list of members".
  7. The Society shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) once every calendar year. The AGM shall be chaired by a meetings chairman proposed by the board and approved by the AGM. The agenda of the AGM shall be structured as follows:
     

    It shall be posted on the SSAC website at least three weeks prior to the meeting. Notice of proposals to be included on the agenda must have reached the General Secretary at least 6 weeks before the meeting. At the AGM, the Chairman and General Secretary shall make their reports. The Honorary Treasurer shall present the statement of accounts, which must have been duly approved by a certified accountant and a member of the Society who is not on the board. Officers and members of the board shall be elected at the AGM. Extraordinary general meetings may be held either at the discretion of the Board or upon a written and signed request by at least 50 ordinary members. At least six weeks´ notice shall be given. Each ordinary member who is present at an AGM or an extraordinary general meeting shall have the right to vote on the proposals.

  8. The bylaws of the Society can only be altered by a majority vote consisting of at least 20 ordinary members present at the AGM. Proposals for changes in the bylaws of the Society should be submitted to the board 3 months before the AGM and posted on the SSAC website not less than six weeks before the meeting. All other decisions at an AGM require a simple majority.
  9. Once a year the SSAC arranges an annual scientific meeting which alternates between the nordic countries. The scientific program is the joint responsibility of the Meetings President and the SSAC board. A preliminary budget for the meeting shall be presented to the board by the Meetings President no later than 12 months preceeding the meeting and a final proposal no later than 6 months before the meeting. When the board approves the budget the Society takes the full economic responsibility for the meeting.
  10. Committees and Working groups of members under the auspices of the Society may be formed by either the AGM or the board for any purpose related to the objectives of the Society.
  11. Meetings of the Society are private and the business of the Society may not be communicated to the press without a decision of the board.
  12. A decision to dissolve the Society can only be made if two consecutive AGM so decide with at least 2/3 majority on both occasions. The assets of the Society should in this case be entrusted to the SSAC Foundation.

Proposal of 10.11.1988 with amendments of the board, November 10, 1988 and January 30, 1989. Approved by the AGM, November 3, 1989.
With amendments approved by the AGM, October 6, 1995 and November 15, 1996.
With amendments approved by the AGM, 25.10.2001.
With amendments approved by the AGM, 15.08.2005.