1.1.
Definition
DipCon:
the annual Diplomacy Convention of North America.
It hosts the annual General Meetings of other Diplomacy organizations,
upon the
request of the organizations involved.
1.2
Purpose
The
DipCon Society exits for the purpose of selection a site for each
successive DipCon,
and for electing an Administrative Committee to manage the Society's affairs
between DipCons, as provided for under Articles 2 and 3.
1.3
Membership
Each
Diplomacy player who has registered for an is attending a DipCon is considered a
member of that year's DipCon society.
Membership in any other organization may not be considered qualifying or
disqualifying in this regard.
No absentee
votes may be cast.
(See Note 1st end of Charter.)
2.1
Meetings
The
DipCon Society will meet at least once at each DipCon to select the site and
host convention for the following year's DipCon.
This meeting will take place not
earlier than the second day of the host Convention.
It will be at a time and a place which will have been publicized at least
one day in advance, and have been posted and announced at the Diplomacy
Tournament.
2.2
Bids
Any
individual or group wishing to bid for the following year's DipCon will be given
sufficient
time, not to exceed 15 minutes, to present that bid to the Society. (See Note
2).
2.3
Definition of Regions
For
the purposes of DipCon Administration and rotation of the convention sites, the
United
States and Canada will be divided into four regions.
The names and boundaries of these regions are detailed below and shown on
the map in Appendix
A.
Appendix A is considered an integral portion of this section and the
Charter.
Region
I (Eastern): All States and Provinces bordering on the Atlantic Ocean from
Virginia north, including Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and that part of
Ontario east of 84 degrees West Longitude, except the three counties
listed in Region
II.
Region
II (Central): The five Old Northwest Territory and seven North Central States,
plus Kentucky, Manitoba; plus Essex, Kent and Lambton Counties in Ontario
(Windsor area), plus all of Ontario west of 84 degrees West Longitude.
Region
III (Western): Saskatchewan, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New
Mexico and all States and Provinces lying to the west, including Alaska,
Hawaii and
Yukon Territory.
Region
IV (Southern): The eleven states from North Carolina and Florida west
to Oklahoma and Texas, plus Puerto Rico.
2.4
Rotation
The
DipCon site must be rotated among the Regions.
For any given DipCon year, host conventions from two regions may bid for
the Contention with votes cast at full strength, as follows (see 2.6 for bids
from outside these Regions).
2003:
Regions I and II
2004:
Regions II and III
2005:
Regions III and IV
2006:
Regions IV and I
The
regional eligibility will then continue to rotate in the above sequence.
The site for
the DipCon cannot be within the same State or Province during two
consecutive years, unless no other suitable site for the next DipCon can be
located.
2.5
Voting
Voting
will normally be in the open, by show of hands.
If more than two bids are
submitted, the lowest‑ranking bid will be eliminated in successive
ballots until two bids remain.
The winner between those two finalists will be determined by majority
vote. If
one bid received an absolute majority of the votes during any ballot it will
win. The
Society may elect to vote by secret ballot.
It may also elect to use the preferential ballot, giving weighted votes,
in descending order of preference, to the several bids.
Voting by proxy or absentee ballot will not be permitted.
2.6
Out of Rotation Bids
A
bid may be submitted from outside the Regions which would normally be eligible
to bid under the provisions of Section 2.4. However, in counting votes for any
such bid, each vote in favor will count as only one‑half of a vote.
2.7
Committee Selection
Upon
completion of the balloting and selection of a site for the following year's
DipCon, the Society will elect new members of the Administrative
Committee.
2.8
No Bids Submitted
The
DipCon Society may by a majority vote choose note to accept any bid presented
for the site of the DipCon under consideration.
If no acceptable bids are made the society will instruct the
Administrative Committee on its preferences for the site of the next DipCon, and
the Committee will make all the necessary arrangements.
3.1
Committee Selection
& Responsibilities
The
Administrative Committee will consist of three members elected by the DipCon
Society to manage the Society's affairs from the end of one DipCon until the end
of the
next DipCon. The Administrative Committee in office at the start of a DipCon
remains responsible for all matters within its jurisdiction for the length of
that DipCon. The
outgoing Administrative Committee will retain responsibility for the
distribution of
any assets earned at that DipCon.
The outgoing Chairman will advise the incoming Chairman of the exact
distribution of said assets no later than 60 days prior to the next DipCon.
3.2
Committee Chairman
The
DipCon Society may designate one of the Committeemen to serve as Chairman,
or allow the Committeemen to elect their Chairman from among themselves.
3.3
Committee's Duties
The
Committee has the complete responsibility for making all preparations for the
upcoming DipCon.
The Committee will select one of its members to keep the hobby at large
informed of the upcoming DipCon through a newsletter.
The Committee will coordinate with the host group, if any, to arrange for
necessary publicity, selection of a Tournament Director and scoring system,
arrangements for time and place for the Tournament, the DipCon Society meeting,
and any other activities the Committee deems proper.
The Chairman will prepare a report of the activities of the DipCon
Society no later than 45 days after the DipCon has ended, and this will be
published in the Society newsletter.
3.4
Chairman
The
Chairman of the Committee will act as presiding officer at the DipCon Society
meeting. If he is unable to attend the convention, he will appoint another
person to preside.
3.5
Substitutions & Inquiries
If
any member of the Committee is unable to continue his function, he will nominate
his own successor. If he does not, the Chairman will do so.
If the Committee fails to function, its powers devolve upon the North
American Diplomacy Federation, who must appoint a new Committee within one month
of that time. If
the NADF inquires as to the Committee's progress, and does so twice in
succession with receiving a reply it may consider the Committee as no longer
performing its function. (Such inquiries must be not less than 10 days apart,
and one week must be allowed for each reply.) Copies of these inquiries should
be posted on the NADF website at the time the inquiries are made.
3.6
Committee Archives
The
Committee Chairman maintains the Archives of the Committee.
He must turn these over to the new Committee at each DipCon.
If he is unable to attend, he must turn the archives over to someone who
will be attending.
This must be done not less than one week before the first day of DipCon.
4.1
Amendment submissions
(a)
Any member of the DipCon society may propose amendments to
the Charter
during the meeting specified in Section 2.1
(b)
Any member not in attendance may submit an amendment by having it
published at least one month in advance in the official newsletter of the DipCon
Society. The
Chairman is obligated to publish any such amendments, but may at his discretion
combine like amendments as long as he does not make substantive changes
in the text of the amendments.
Persons submitting excessively long amendments may be charged the cost of
publication. If
payment is requested and refused, the Chairman is no longer obligated to publish
or introduce that amendment.
4.2
Procedures
Ordinary
parliamentary procedure applies to the consideration of all amendments.
An amendment is considered adopted if a 2/3 majority of Society members
present and voting vote in favor of it.
Voting by proxy of absentee ballots will not be permitted.
4.3
Ratification
All
amendments approved must then be ratified at the next DipCon held in any Region
other than the one in which they were adopted.
Amendments are ratified by a majority
vote, and become effective at the end of the DipCon at which they were
ratified.
1.
Section 1.3 'Players' are defined as those persons who participated in
the Diplomacy Tournament
as GM's, Directors or assistants as well as those who actually played.
For all practical purposes, anyone who registered for DipCon will be
considered a 'player'.
2.
Section 2.2 The 15 minute time limit does not include time used for
answering questions raised from the floor.