This being from the hand of Piperbarbus Ullerius Venator - Civis et Paterfamilias
And was presented to the government at V Ides Ianuary 2752 AUC - being 20 January 1999 CE
This sodalis was accepted by the Senate of Nova Roma and announced by the Consuls at II Ides February 2752 AUC, being 17 February 1999 CE
The Dictator, Flavius Vedius Germanicus confirmed the existence of the sodalis during his term of service.
The Sodalis pro Coqueror et Coquus (Sodalis hereafter) shall be devoted to the research into and preparation & enjoyment of, the beverages, foods and dining methods of Roma Antiqua, those of cultures with which she came into contact, those of Nova Roma and the host cultures of Nova Roma's Cives. The main emphasis of all efforts will be Roma Antiqua, with an eye to the future of Nova Roma. The Sodalis shall provide a forum for improved communication and exchange of information between the brewers and cooks of Nova Roma, and to the benefit of the general population. The Sodalis shall also strive to act as a training ground for Cives considering service as Curule Aediles. The Sodalis shall strive to help the members to improve in their skills of research, preparation and presentation, thereby helping all Romans to increase their enjoyment of drink, food, feasting and celebration.
A: The head of the Sodalis shall be styled as Dominus and shall be responsible for the encouragement of activities that promote the stated purposes of the Sodalis. He shall be accountable to the Senate and Consuls of Nova Roma, providing them with an annual report. He shall be solely responsible for scheduling the official activities of the Sodalis and for appointing a member to oversee said activities. The Dominus is responsible for governing the duties of the other officers. The Dominus shall be responsible for completing the duties of all offices not filled.
B: The secretary of the Sodalis shall be styled as Scriptor and shall be responsible for keeping an history of the Sodalis, a directory of Sodalis membership and a record (including minutes of meetings) of activities (Annals hereafter). He shall be charged with publishing a newsletter, in a regular and timely manner, not to be less than three times per year. The Scriptor shall keep clear records of any and all costs involved in the production and custody of the Annals and the newsletter, and shall provide this information quarterly to the Dominus and Nummus Vigil.
C: the Treasurer of the Sodalis shall be styled as Nummus Vigil and shall be responsible for keeping clear and open records of any and all income and expenses that the Sodalis may generate. He shall be required to submit an annual report to the Senate and Consuls, with quarterly reports to the Dominus and the Scriptor, so the membership shall receive the information in the newsletter.
D: the Dominus, Scriptor and Nummus Vigil shall constitute the council or Concilium of the Sodalis. As such, they will be charged with administering the Sodalis to the benefit of Nova Roma.
E: An event chairman for the Sodalis shall be styled as Breva Aedile and shall be responsible for planning, organizing and overseeing an official activity of the Sodalis. He shall make a report of the proceedings, which will be submitted to the Concilium.
F: Sodalis officers shall be selected by a simple majority vote of the members. Elections shall be held in August for the Dominus and in February for the Scriptor and Nummus Vigil. The term of office is one year, starting one month after election. An officer may succeed himself no more than twice. An officer may not run for an office the term of which overlaps a currently held office. Officers must be Citizens of Nova Roma.
A: Any proposed amendment shall be published on the Nova Roma list, the Nova Roma bulletin board, in the "Eagle" and in the Sodalis newsletter not later than one month prior to the official meeting at which the motion is to be considered.
B: The members present shall discuss the proposal at said official activity, and a vote shall be taken. If the proposal gains a two-thirds majority approval of those present and of those voting in writing, it shall be forwarded to a Praetor Urbanus for review and advice, then to the Consuls for confirmation. If the government approves, the change shall be published in the same manner as the original proposal, and shall take effect one month thereafter.
This charter became effective upon the approval of the Senate and announcement by the Consuls of Nova Roma. The decision was announced on II Ides Februarius 2752 AUC, being also 17 February 1999 CE. The Dictator, Flavius Vedius Germanicus, confirmed the existence of the Sodalis during his term in office.
A: Any citizen of Nova Roma may become a member of the Sodalis by submitting such request by regular or electronic mail to the Scriptor. The Scriptor will enter said person into the directory upon confirmation. This membership request should include both Roman and host community identities and valid contact information: e-mail, regular mail or both. A telephone number is optional. Indicate information to be included in the published directory upon application and any interests/skills dealing with the purposes of the Sodalis. The individual member is responsible for any contact information updates.
B: Membership may be revoked by a unanimous decision of the Concilium (confirmed by a Consul on advice of a Praetor Urbanus), by removal from citizenship in Nova Roma or by request of the member. Said course of action may be undertaken following a long period of inactivity or for the good of the Sodalis and Nova Roma.
C: All Sodalis business, especially amendments and elections (for which identifying codes will be issued by the Dominus), must be conducted at an official activity, which may be an on-line chat. A minimum of two such activities will be held each year, in August and February (the first election shall be held in August 2754 AUC, being 2000 CE). A meeting agenda will be published not later than 1 month ahead of time for election and governance issue meetings at which the Concilium must preside, (this will allow time for votes in writing) and 2 weeks for all other activities. The Concilium is encouraged to keep the business part of meetings as brief as possible and members are encouraged to attend them when possible.
D: Unofficial Sodalis activities are encouraged to take place frequently: cooking, brewing, eating, conversing, etceteras... Anyplace, anytime - members are encouraged to send short reports.
E: A member's right to vote at a meeting is not transferable. Any member unable to attend a meeting may submit an opinion and vote in writing. Any votes posted (regular or electronically) less than 7 days before a meeting, and received after the meeting, will be void.
F: All members are hereby encouraged to share their knowledge and enthusiasm by teaching, writing for the Sodalis newsletter, the "Eagle," the list and developing ideas for sodalis activities.
A: Officers may appoint deputies as necessary. All officers and deputies should attend all official activities, as practicable.
B: Nominations for officer positions should be submitted to the Scriptor 6 weeks in advance of the election meeting. The Dominus will validate the nominee's Roman status and acceptance of said nomination. Those nominee's names will be published as previously stated. A member may nominate himself. Write-in candidacies are not allowed.
C: When the Dominus and one officer are of the opinion that the other officer should be removed for misconduct, and have exhausted all reasonable means to resolve the issue, they must appeal to the Consuls, with advice of the Praetors Urbanus. They shall report to the membership in the next newsletter, a replacement will be appointed and the office will be filled in due course of the next election cycle.
D: If the Scriptor and Nummus Vigil deem the Dominus as being a detriment to the Sodalis and have exhausted reasonable means to resolve the situation, they may appeal directly to the Consuls, on advice of the Praetors Urbanus. If the Dominus is removed, the Consuls on advice of the remaining officers will replace him. The situation will be reported in the next newsletter as in the preceding paragraph.
E. The removed officer has a right to petition the Senate. They have no reciprocal burden to hear the appeal.
F: Caput Provincialis, provincial chapters, are encouraged. Each Caput should have a contact person to be styled as Sodalis Vicarius (name of province), in re: Sodalis Vicarius Germania. A sodalis officer may also be a Sodalis Vicarius. The Vicarius shall be responsible for coordinating sodalis activities within their province with the Concilium and Breva Aedilae.
A: The Sodalis newsletter shall be known as "Fabulae Mensa" or "Table Tales." All articles should be related to the purposes of the Sodalis: beverages, food, methods, dining, entertainment and so forth. All official business will be published in the newsletter. All articles must have sources stated, either as a researched piece or as a "home-grown" recipe, method, story, etc. And all copyright laws will be observed.
B: while the Scriptor is primarily responsible for editing and formatting the content of the newsletter, the author is responsible for the substance of any article.
C: The newsletter will be self-supporting, independent of the Nova Roman treasury, save a donation to the good of the nation each year with the annual report. Initially this support will be by a solicitation of the membership, and thereafter by subscription. Membership in the Sodalis will not depend upon ability to donate.
D: The newsletter will be sent to subscribers. Complimentary copies shall be sent to new members and to the Temple of Vesta (in lieu of an historical archive in Nova Roma, until such time that a repository is available). Copies for sale will be made available. The rate of subscription and cost of single issues will be determined by the Concilium.
A: Any proposed amendment shall be published on the Nova Roma list, the Nova Roma bulletin board, in the "Eagle" and in the sodalis newsletter not later than one month prior to the official meeting at which the motion is to be considered.
B: The members present shall discuss the proposal at said official activity and a vote shall be taken. If the proposal gains a two-thirds majority approval of those present and of those voting in writing, it shall be forwarded to a Praetor Urbanus for review and advice, then to the Consuls for confirmation. If the government approves, the change shall be published in the same manner as the original proposal, and shall take effect one month thereafter.
These bylaws became effective upon the approval of the Senate and announcement by the Consuls of Nova Roma. The decision was announced on II Ides Februarius 2752 AUC, being also 17 February 1999 CE. The Dictator, Flavius Vedius Germanicus, confirmed the existence of the Sodalis during his term of office.