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Research Committees

Statutes

Adopted in July 1994; revised July 2010, April 2013

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of the group shall be the Research Committee on Clinical Sociology. The
Research Committee, founded in 1982, is part of the International Sociological Association.

ARTICLE II PURPOSE

The aims of the Research Committee shall be to:

  • advance knowledge in all areas of clinical sociology throughout the world;
  • provide a common meeting ground for clinical sociologists and others interested in clinical sociological knowledge;
  • encourage international cooperation in clinical sociology research;
  • promote training and educational opportunities to further the development of clinical sociology;
  • develop bonds with other disciplines and other specializations in sociology.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

A. General:
Membership in the Research Committee shall be open to all sociologists, students of sociology, social scientists and allied professionals who share an interest in the purposes of the group. All members of the Research Committee shall also be individual members in good standing of the International Sociological Association. There are no affiliated members (individuals or organizations).

B. Voting rights:
Each regular member shall have one vote at meetings, elections and other proceedings of the Research Committee.

C. Postal and/or Electronic Discussion and Voting:
The President of the Research Committee may initiate postal and/or electronic discussion of matters which arise between regular meetings and may, if she or he deems the issue an appropriate one, hold a postal and/or electronic vote which leads to a decision. This decision is subject to any provisions that are in place for regular meetings about numbers participating and majorities.

D. Membership dues:
All dues, fees and subscription rates shall be established by the Executive Board. All rates must take into account the economic diversity of the membership of the Research Committee. Executive Board members shall determine the membership fees (in person or by post/email) before or at each World Congress. The membership fees shall be specified on the RC46 webpage of the International Sociological Association. Members are expected to pay dues in a timely manner. Members who do not pay their ISA or RC46 dues will be dropped from membership one month after the date their dues were to be paid. Board members who do not pay their ISA or RC 46 dues on time may, at the determination of the Executive Committee, be immediately dropped from membership.

E. Representation:
No member of the Research Committee shall use the fact of membership, such as listing in the membership directory, as an indication of special competence of any kind.

F. Membership Benefits
All regular members shall be entitled to participate in the scientific activities of the Research Committee and receive, free of charge, the newsletter or its equivalent issued by the Research Committee.

ARTICLE IV OFFICERS

A. General:
The officers of the organization shall be a President, one or more Vice Presidents and a Secretary-Treasurer. The officers constitute the members of the Executive Committee of the Research Committee's Executive Board (see article V). The officers shall be elected every four years at the World Congress or, if the Board finds that there are extenuating circumstances, in the two months prior to or after the World Congress.

B. Duties of officers:

1. The President:

a. The President shall preside at all Executive Board and membership meetings of the organization, chair Executive Committee functions, initiate and facilitate election processes and perform all duties assigned to her/him by the Executive Board
b. The President with the concurrence of the Executive Committee shall solicit and/or appoint Research Committee members to serve on various task forces and committees as deemed necessary to the functioning of the Research Committee.
c. The President or her/his representative shall be the Research Committee's representative at all meetings of the International Sociological Association's Research Council and the Assembly of Councils. If the President is unable to be the representative, the President shall appoint the representative. The representative is expected to be an officer or, if that is not possible, a member of the Executive Board.
d. The President or her/his representative shall oversee the permanent records of the Research Committee.
e. The President or her/his representative shall oversee the development and distribution of the Research Committee's newsletter. The newsletter or an equivalent must be provided to the membership at least twice annually.
f. The President or her/his representative shall oversee the development of the program for the World Congress, a mid-term conference1 and all other meetings of the Research Committee.

2. The Vice-President:

a. A Vice-President(s) shall assume the duties of the President in her/his absence and aid the President as she/he determines.
b. A Vice President shall assume all duties assigned to her/him by the Executive Board.
c. A Vice-President may serve as an Alternate Delegate to the International Sociological Association Research Council and the Assembly of Councils.

3. The Secretary-Treasurer:

a. The Secretary-Treasurer shall oversee the funds of the Research Committee and their expenditures at the instruction of the Executive Board and make a report at least every two years about the financial condition of the Research Committee to the Executive Board and to all those attending RC46 business meetings at the conferences of the Research Committee.
b. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the news of membership meetings to the membership.
c. The Secretary-Treasurer may serve as the Alternate Delegate to the International Sociological Association Research Council and the Assembly of Councils.

C. Terms of office:
The President's term of office will be four years. The President cannot directly succeed herself /himself in that office. The terms of other officers will be for four years. An officer, other than the President, has the possibility of succeeding herself/himself in that office for no more than one additional full term. Each person proposed for an office, including a returning officer, must be elected to that office. An officer can run for a different office that will begin immediately after(1)

D. Nomination and selection of officers:
Notification of an election and call for self-nomination shall be sent to each regular member of the Research Committee at least six weeks prior to a World Congress. The regular members of the Research Committee will vote for the officers from its own ranks in accordance with the guidelines in Article V. Vacancies shall be filled temporarily at the discretion of the Executive Committee. An election for the vacated office will be held during the business meeting of the next conference of the Research Committee.

E. Termination of officers:
There may be times when an elected officer has, for an extended period of time, not fulfilled the duties of that office. The Executive Board, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, has the right to first send a warning and then terminate an officer who is not fulfilling her/his duties. If the officer does not pay either the ISA or RC46 dues on time, the Executive Board has the right to immediately remove this person from the office.

ARTICLE V EXECUTIVE BOARD

A. General:
The Executive Board shall transact the general business of the Research Committee and establish the necessary policies to do so. The Board shall have such powers and duties as are not otherwise provided for in these Statutes.

B. Executive Committee:
The officers of the Research Committee shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Board.

C. Nominations Committee
The Executive Committee plus the former president of the Research Committee serves as a Nominations Committee. The president of RC46, or her/his representative, serves as chair of the Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee circulates a call for nominations, may solicit nominees and puts forward a list of candidates. If a Nominations Committee member is being considered for a position or she/he has another kind of conflict of interest with some nomination duties, that Nominations Committee member is expected to let the Nominations Committee chair know about the problem at the earliest possible moment. If there is a conflict of interest regarding a position or positions, the Nominations Committee member must not take part in the discussions or decisions regarding that position or positions. In a situation where one or more members of the Nominations Committee have a conflict of interest, the chair of the Nominations Committee may appoint one or two other Research Committee members to join the Committee.

D. Duties of Executive Board members:
Duties include but are not limited to attendance at all meetings of the Executive Board and membership meetings of the Research Committee; demonstrated activity on behalf of the Research Committee which includes undertaking a major responsibility; demonstrated activity on behalf of clinical sociology and meeting all the requirements specified under duties of Regional Representatives. Before or at each World Congress, the Executive Board shall determine (in person or by post/email) the membership fees.

E. Meetings and voting:
The Executive Board shall meet at all of the major conferences of the Research Committee and at other times and places that it may decide. Whenever possible, the Executive Board shall try to reach decisions by consensus. When consensus cannot be achieved, a simple majority of those voting shall prevail. In the case of equal votes, the President of the Research Committee shall have the deciding vote. Twenty percent (20%) of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum. Proxy voting is acceptable as long as a vote is written and directly submitted to a member of the Executive Committee. At the initiation of the President of the Research Committee, voting may be conducted using postal or electronic means in addition to the in-person meetings that are held at all major conferences. Voting for the executive board (including officers) will usually take place at the research committee’s business meeting at the World Congress.

F. Candidates for Executive Board members:
The Executive Board, including the officers, shall have at least 5 but no more than 12 members. A Research Committee member suggests herself/himself as a candidate. To ensure the participation of all members of the Research Committee, nomination shall be done by mail/email. To this end, the President or her/his representative, shall prepare and send a call for nominations and a nomination form to all members at least 12 weeks before the day of election. Candidates shall each return, by a specified deadline that is at least 4 weeks before the day of election, the nomination form (including information about past RC46 activities) and provide a brief CV. A candidate must confirm she/he is prepared to accept the respective position on the Board in case she/he is elected and to remain a regular member in good standing for the duration of the mandate. Eligibility for the Executive Board (including the officers), includes current membership in the International Sociological Association and the Research Committee, demonstrated activity (including having met any past Research Committee responsibilities and showing initiative) on behalf of the Research Committee and clinical sociology, as well as past attendance and active participation in Research Committee meetings and activities. Candidates must be willing to attend and participate in all future Executive Board meetings and Research Committee functions and meet all responsibilities connected with one’s elected position. Executive Board members are expected to represent the diversity of the membership in terms of geography, gender and area of specialization. The elected Board shall contain no more than three members from any one country. The Executive Board is expected to include at least some members who have not served during the previous full term.

G. Election of Executive Board members:
The election of Executive Board members shall take place every four years at the World Congress or, if there are extenuating circumstances, within two months before or after the World Congress. The membership will be given information about proposed Executive Board members.

H. Terms of office of Executive Board members:
There is no maximum number of terms that a member may serve on the Executive Board. Each Board member is elected for a four-year term. Board members seeking an additional term must respond to the call for nominations and stand for re-election. Officers are members of the Executive Board and succession rules are spelled out in Article IV.

I. Termination of Executive Board membership:
There may be times when an elected Board Member has for an extended period of time not fulfilled her/his duties of Board membership. The Executive Board has the right to first send a warning and then the Board may, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, (2) terminate Board membership if a Board member does not fulfill her/his duties. If a Board member does not pay either the ISA or RC46 dues on time, the Executive Committee has the right to immediately remove this person from the Board.

J. Presidential Advisory Board:
Former presidents of the Research Committee, if they wish to do so, will be members of the Presidential Advisory Board. The Presidential Advisory Board members are not members of the Executive Board, but they have all the rights of Executive Board membership (including full voting rights) and are invited to participate in all Executive Board meetings. Former presidents may run for any office (in accordance with Article IV), but they may not run for general Executive Board membership. Any former president who is elected to a Research Committee office cannot be a member of the Presidential Advisory Board while holding that office.

ARTICLE VI REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES

The Executive Committee may decide to appoint Regional Representatives. Research Committee members may nominate themselves for these positions or be nominated by the Executive Board. Regional Representatives will have specified terms as determined by the Executive Committee. There is no fixed limit as to the number of Regional Representatives. There is no limit to the number of terms that a Regional Representative may serve. Regional Representatives will take an active part in their designated region to:

  • bring new members to the Research Committee
  • disseminate information about Research Committee activities
  • identify researchers who could organize sessions and/or otherwise participate in the International Sociological Association conferences
  • identify issues of concern to the Research Committee
  • identify new issues and creative lines of inquiry for further research in clinical sociology.

ARTICLE VII MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS

The Research Committee shall have a business meeting in conjunction with each Research Committee conference. Notification of this meeting shall be made to all members in a timely manner. Proxy voting is acceptable as long as a vote is written and directly submitted to the President or another member of the Executive Committee. At the initiation of the President of the Research Committee, voting may be conducted using postal or electronic means in addition to the in-person business meetings that are held at all major conferences.

ARTICLE VIII AMENDMENTS

The Executive Board is entitled to propose amendments to these Statutes. Amendments to these Statutes also can be proposed by any member of the Research Committee. Such proposals shall be considered by the Executive Board and submitted to the membership for approval if they are presented in the form of a petition signed by at least ten members of the Research Committee from at least three different countries or if they have the approval of the Executive Committee. Any proposal from members must be received by the Executive Board at least five months before the date of a vote. The proposal will be submitted to all RC members, together with an explanation of its rationale, at least four months before a vote. The Board shall be entitled to propose amendments to be circulated at least one month before a vote. The vote may be held at an RC46 business meeting or be conducted using postal or electronic means. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Research Committee members is required to amend the Statutes.

ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS

In the event of dissolution, all the remaining assets and property of the Research Committee shall, after necessary expenses thereof are paid, be distributed to the International Sociological Association.

(1) According to the International Sociological Association (Essential to all RC Statutes 2012), “several sessions at the meeting of another association, co-sponsoring a meeting with another association or having several sessions in conjunction with several different associations, preferably not all in the same part of the world, are acceptable alternatives to a free standing conference.” completing her or his term. A person who has been president can run for the same office only if there will be at least one full term before holding that office again. A person who has been a vice president or secretary-treasurer for two terms (whether full or partial) can only run again for the same office if there will be one full term before holding that office again.

(2) This vote does not include the vote of the Executive Board member whose removal is proposed.