[ISHMap-List] 1. REMINDER: 2018 ISHMap Renewal

[ISHM Membership]

To ISHMap Members, Colleagues and Friends, 

1. REMINDER: 2018 ISHMap Renewal 

To renew your ISHMap membership for 2018 please visit
<http://ishm.elte.hu/?q=membership> the Society's website. 

ALL who support the suggested renewal process should log in to renew (or
<http://ishm.elte.hu/?q=user/register> register to be able to log in) at the
ISHMap website as soon as possible. Please read the explanation and
instructions on the webpage carefully to avoid any misunderstanding. 

We kindly ask you that, after logging in,  check 'MY ACCOUNT', your personal
account - and confirm that you would remain a member for 2018 (tick
appropriate box), give us your contact e-mail address and check and update
information. 

Registrations will be validated after the receipt of your nominal donation
by PayPal, which is considered to be the membership fee for 2018. You do not
need a PayPal account, simply click on the 'Donate' icon on our webpage and
use any major credit card for secure online payment. Note that without this
confirmation we cannot consider your registration - anyone can create a
false account.   

Once you have completed both simple steps we confirm your membership and you
will be granted access to the Members' area on the website - and enjoy
further benefits offered for members only. If you have any problem regarding
the process, please contact the Membership Secretary. 

The established process is the only way how your ISHMap membership status
can be confirmed. Please note that ONLY those who renew/register before
January 15, 2018 will be voting members, and only they can elect new society
officers online and participate in future decisions regarding fundamental
society matters. 

Practical information on this simple and tested, two-step process is
available on this  <http://ishm.elte.hu/?q=membership> society's webpage.
For the democratic renewal of the International Society of the Map (ISHMap)
your membership is substantial in this emergency situation (
<http://ishm.elte.hu/?q=documents> more details here).

  _____  

2 Rectification of information circulated by Prof. Edney 

Prof. Matthew Edney, using ISHMap's e-mail list and other forums, circulates
messages with confusing and incorrect information. In particular, he insists
that he was elected chair of the society.  Please note that the planned
annual general meeting in 2017 had to be postponed and NO such meeting was
held. In fact, only NINE people met in Brasil -and this is what they call a
general meeting. However, the membership was not informed in advance and
even members who participated in the conference could not attend that forum.
That meeting was NOT held in accordance with the Constitution. 

Note that Prof. Edney, who states he represents the society, was actually
NOT elected, but APPOINTED - by a single former Trustee and Treasurer, Dr.
Leif Isaksen. His activity caused all problems and led to the present
emergency. Furthermore, Prof. Edney was elected a Trustee of the society in
2012 and served FIVE consecutive years. According to the Rules (By-Laws) he
could NOT be nominated or elected in 2017. (ISHMap Rules 3.4 'An elected
member, who has served for 5 consecutive year shall not be eligible for
re-election until after an interval of one year.')  Prof. Edney should have
stepped down for a year - how Prof. Török, the founding chair of ISHMap, did
it in 2015. 

Prof. Edney and Dr. Furtado, as Trustees of the society, were kept informed
about the internal problems of the society. Their assistance was asked by
the chair, but they have NOT even replied messages. Despite their ignorance
and minimal activity in society matters now they would like to renew ISHMap
- but why they did not do so earlier as responsible Trustees is not
explained. Anyhow, they accepted the appointments from Dr. Isaksen, who
alone controls the society's former accounts - and who earlier denied the
cooperation with society's officers. 

Any information about the group's meeting on July 9, 2017 in Brasil was
communicated not earlier than NOVEMBER 17, 2017 - coinciding the time when
the new issue of the journal Imago Mundi was published with an ISHMap page
promoting incorrect information. Prof. Török and other Trustees of the
society, who were unable to attend the meeting in Brasil, find this whole
situation not acceptable. They ask for the support of the membership, who
were simply ignored,  and the international scholarly community. Prof. Török
was properly nominated and re-elected in 2016 - but he has no intention to
stand for another election. On the other hand, he thinks that the chair of a
scholarly society should be elected democratically by the  majority of the
membership. 

The renewal process we suggest is based on an online election, which would
guarantee both membership validity for 2018, and the right to vote for all
those who renew or register for ISHMap. This is the way how the
constitutional and personal issues can be solved and the future of the
society can be ensured. In the present, unfortunate situation we all should
consider that we need one society - where members elect officers and they
take the lead. As the online election is open to all who would like to vote
- or to be elected - this solution would serve the interest of all who is
involved and concerned about the the future of the field. Prof. Edney or
anyone else, should he/she renewed his membership, can stand for the online
election in early 2018. 

Anyone will have the majority of votes, he/she can serve as a legitimate
officer thereafter - and the renewal process can be continued by a new
leadership. We respect our members and we think the chance to decide must be
given to all. 

ISHMap Renewal Team 

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