Research Committees

Research Committee 53 was formed as a body of the ISA in 1998 in accordance with Article Four of the Statutes of the ISA. It is based on four years of work in the framework of Working Group 03 established in 1994, and four years of work in the framework of Thematic Group 03, established in 1990. The current version of the statutes was accepted by the RC53 Board in 2012, amended on 2/5/2014, and approved by the RC53 membership by full vote in June 2014.

Membership

1. Members shall either be regular members or affiliated members 1.1. Regular members shall be individuals or institutions in good standing within the ISA 1.2. Affiliated members shall be individuals or institutions interested in the activities of RC 53, who are not members of the ISA

2. All regular and affiliated members of RC 53 shall be entitled to vote as individual members in the discussions about organisational matters at the General Meetings according to the principle "one member, one vote" that means that one institution also has one vote

3. All regular and affiliated members of RC 53 shall be entitled to 3.1. participate in the scientific activities of the Research Committee

3.2. vote in RC 53 elections 3.3. receive the newsletter issued by RC 53 free of charge

4. All regular and affiliated members of RC 53 shall be obliged to 4.1. uphold the present Statutes of RC 53 and to adhere to the stipulations of the present Statutes 4.2. conscientiously fulfil the tasks entrusted to them by the General Meeting or other bodies of RC 53 4.3. pay their fee for the respective period (i.e. 4 years). This fee shall be fixed by the Board of the Research Committee at each General Meeting for both individual members and organisations. The respective amounts to be paid shall be specified in the By-Laws to the present Statutes.

5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall 5.1. organise the General Meetings and the meetings of the Board of RC 53 in co-operation with the President 5.3. assist the President in organising the work of the Board and observe the fulfilment of its decisions 5.4. collect the membership fees and other incomes 5.5. keep financial documentation 5.6. prepare the financial report to the Board to be accepted by the General Meeting 5.7. realise the financial relations between RC 53 and the ISA

Nomination Procedure

6. To ensure participation of all regular and affiliated members, nomination shall be done by email. To this end, the Secretary shall prepare a form to be sent to all regular and affiliated members by April 1 in Congress/election years together with a list of all regular and affiliated members of RC 53

7. All regular and affiliated members of RC 53 shall be entitled to nominate candidates for the Board until May 1 in Congress/election years. Nominated candidates shall be regular members of RC 53. They shall confirm their preparedness to accept the respective position on the Board prior to the election in case they are elected and to remain a regular member in good standing for the duration of their mandate, and shall return the nomination form to the Secretary, together with a brief curriculum vitae or biography to share with RC 53 members.

8. The Secretary shall prepare a ballot listing all nominated candidates along with the respective positions on the Board. In case of several nominations for the same position, the nominated candidates shall be listed in alphabetical order. The ballot shall be available to all regular and affiliated members of RC 53 electronically or by email at least two weeks before the election day.

9. Regular and affiliated members shall register their vote electronically or by email to the designated electoral officer(s), or regular and affiliated members may submit their ballots in printed paper form at the Business Meeting at the World Congress.

10. Each member of the Board must at all times be:

a) a member in good standing of the ISA in accordance with the ISA Statutes, and
b) a member in good standing of RC53.

11. Temporary vacancies in the Board between consecutive ISA World Congresses may be filled by appointment by the President, in accordance with ISA Statute 4.5.

12. The places of any Board member not in good standing with either the ISA or RC53 may be declared temporarily vacant by the President, at the President’s discretion, and the vacancy filled according to 11.

One of the Board members, identified by the Board, will assume the responsibilities of the President of the Board in the case of the death, incapacitation, resignation, or other inability of the incumbent to carry out the responsibilities of the office of the President.

13. Members of RC53 are obliged to pay their fees for the respective period (i.e. four years). The fee for the different types of membership shall be fixed by the Board at each General Meeting. The membership fees shall be specified in the By-Laws to the present Statutes

14. A position of Publications Officer / Newsletter Editor shall be elected or appointed by the Board and will provide an electronic newsletter or equivalent to the membership at least twice annually.

15. Provision for at least one business meeting of the available regular members in good standing for every 4-year World Congress cycle.

16. The Board shall identify the themes and topics for at least one mid-term conference (or RC53 Section of the Forum program) and take responsibility for the organization of those sessions.

17. Pairs of candidates may but are not obliged to be nominated for the position of Secretary/Treasurer, to function as Co-Secretaries/Treasurers.

Amendments to statutes and by laws

14. Any proposal for amendments to the Statutes or By Laws may be made by any member of the Board, or by any five members in good standing of RC 53.

14.1 Such a proposal may be reviewed by the Board on an as-needed basis to suit the needs of the RC 53.
14.2 The proposal will be circulated to all RC53 Board members, together with an explanation of its rationale.

The proposed amendments will be put to a vote of the RC 53 Board Members and adopted if approved by a two-thirds majority of the Board.

By Laws

Membership Fee

The membership fees are fixed as follows: in line with ISA practice, membership fees are collected for a period of four years, i.e. $ 50 for members from "category A" countries, and $ 20 for members from all other countries and student members. For a list of "category A" countries see currently valid ISA membership form.