CONSTITUTION OF SENSEVAL

I. Statement of Purpose

The purpose of SENSEVAL shall be: 

  • To organise activities for the evaluation of word sense disambiguation programs.
  • To promote interest in the Lexicon and Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD). 
  • To provide members of the ACL and ACL-SIGLEX having a special interest in WSD with a means of exchanging news of recent research developments and other matters of interest.
  • To sponsor meetings and workshops on WSD and related themes that appear to be timely and worthwhile. 

SENSEVAL will operate as a grouping within ACL-SIGLEX, which itself operates within the framework of the ACL's general guidelines for SIGs. 

II. Membership

Membership is open to anyone who professes an interest in WSD. Membership will be terminated on request, or automatically if no reply is received within 6 months of posting an annual membership list update message.

III. Elected Officers

The elected officers of SENSEVAL shall consist of a Chair, a Secretary, and up to seven other members. At least two members shall be students, and at least one shall be from each of Europe, America and Asia. The Chair and Secretary shall be members in good standing of the ACL. 

The term of all elected officers of SENSEVAL shall be 3 years. 

The duties of the Chair shall be:

  • To have primary executive authority over actions and activities of the SENSEVAL.
  • To prepare a report on the activities of SENSEVAL for the Elected Officers of ACL-SIGLEX, for presentation to ACL-SIGLEX as its meetings.
  • To designate such other officers as may be needed from time to time to fulfill the goals of SENSEVAL, in particular a returning officer as specified in Sections IV and VI below. 

The duties of the Secretary shall be: 

  • To maintain a membership roster of SENSEVAL. 
  • To be responsible for any moneys awarded to SENSEVAL; to collect and manage any dues that may be required by the organization; and to present a written annual report on SENSEVAL finances to the Elected Officers of ACL-SIGLEX. 
  • To maintain, in consultation with the Chair and other committee members, a document stating the aims of the group and the names and affiliations of the current committee members, suitable for sending to prospective members and other inquirers. 

The duties of all members shall be: 

  • To organise evaluation and workshop activities.
  • To communicate with members of SENSEVAL. 
  • To answer inquiries about SENSEVAL. 
  • To ensure that up-to-date information of relevance to SENSEVAL members is available from SENSEVAL website. 

    IV. Election of Officers 

    All officers of SENSEVAL shall be elected by a vote of its membership. Elections shall take place at least two months before the expiration of current terms of office. In the event of a casual vacancy, an extraordinary election shall be held for an officer to complete the current term of office. Candidates must be nominated by two members, must accept nomination, and must be members in good standing of SENSEVAL. 

    Votes must be entered by electronic mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Chair and agreed to by all candidates. Nominations shall be called at least two months prior to the election, and shall close one month prior to the election. All members shall be notified of the election date and the nominations at least three weeks prior to the close of voting, and results shall be notified to the members within four weeks after the close of voting. 

    Notification shall signify dispatch of email to the address last notified to the secretary.

    V. Dues 

    Subject to the approval of the Elected Officers of ACL-SIGLEX, SENSEVAL may levy annual membership dues, where the rate is determined by the ACL-SIGLEX Elected Officers. In certain circumstances, the SENSEVAL Committee may decide to waive the fee. 

     VI. Referenda

    A change to this constitution, or a motion on any other matter, may be initiated by five members (petitioners) in writing or by agreement of the Chair and Secretary (on the suggestion of a member or otherwise). The motions will be put to the members within six months of receipt of a petition, if the petitioners so request. Otherwise, constitutional amendments and other motions will be put to the vote in conjunction with the regular elections. 

    Members will be given notification at least three months in advance of any referendum, and further motions or amendments proposed by two members shall be accepted up to two months before the close of voting. Votes may be entered by electronic mail, and votes arriving by the notified closing date will be counted by a returning officer appointed by the Chair and agreed to by all petitioners. All members shall be notified of the date of the referendum and the proposed motions and amendments at least four weeks prior to the close of voting, and results shall be notified to the members within four weeks of the close of voting. 

    Any change to this constitution requires a two-thirds majority of the SENSEVAL membership and is subject to approval by ACL-SIGLEX. Any other matter requires a simple majority of those actually voting. 

    Notification shall signify dispatch of email to the address last notified to the secretary. 


    This constitution was modelled on the SIGLEX constitution and drafted in July, 2001.


    Adam.Kilgarriff@itri.bton.ac.uk