Charter of the GSCIS

Dear Members:

The EXCOM has undertaken a GSCIS Charter review in accordance with the mandate of the original charter which reads:
ARTICLE VIII: ADOPTION
The proposed charter shall be reviewed at the earliest opportunity by all persons who have expressed an interest in, and/or have joined the Global South Caucus for International Studies.
The proposed charter shall be voted on by these interested persons and adopted upon a majority vote of those casting a ballot by e-mail.


The (proposed) amended charter is uploaded here for your comment in accordance with new Article VIII. Comments can be made on this blog post or directly by emailing the Chair or any member of the EXCOM. Final approval of the charter will occur at the Business Meeting, San Francisco, 2013. 

Charter of the Global South Caucus of International Studies

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AFFILIATION

The name of this organization shall be: Global South Caucus for International Studies (GSCIS).

The Global South Caucus for International Studies shall be a “component unit” of the International Studies Association. GSCIS shall serve as an advocate and liaison to the ISA for the purposes listed below.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES

1)      provide a channel for networking and the sharing of research, information and ideas among scholars and practitioners of/in the various regions of the south;

2)      promote the ISA as a forum for the dissemination of cross-regional global south research;

3)      encourage south scholars: to participate in relevant ways in the association’s conferences and other activities, and to publish in ISA journals;

4)      promote the recruitment of members from areas and institutions across the global south;

5)      encourage graduate students to work on south issues and regions, and to engage in professional development activities intended to improve the employment opportunities and advancement in the profession of south-oriented scholars;

6)      work with existing ISA sections and committees to achieve these goals.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Any member of the ISA who agrees with the purposes of the Global South Caucus may become a member upon payment of dues. Members are entitled to attend annual meetings, vote, nominate candidates for and hold office within the Caucus, receive newsletters and other publications produced by the caucus, and participate in all activities sponsored by the caucus.

 ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

1. The officers of the Global South Caucus for International Studies shall be as follows: Chair, a Vice Chair who will also serve as the Program Chair, a Vice Chair for Outreach to the South, a Secretary, a Treasurer and a Newsletter Editor.

2. The term of office for the Chair and Vice Chairs shall be two (2) years.

3. The term of office of the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be two (2) years. These two officers may stand for re-election to one other term, with the concurrence of the Executive Council.

4. The term of office of the Newsletter Editor shall be two (2) years. This officer may stand for re-election to one other term, with the concurrence of the Executive Council.

Executive Council

5a. The Executive Council shall consist of all current officers, the immediate past chair of GSCIS serving ex-officio, and five (5) at-large members representing the following areas:

i) Latin America and the Caribbean; ii) South and Southeast Asia; iii) Africa; iv) Middle East/North Africa; v) developing Eurasia and/or North-South. The designation ‘North-South” refers to scholars working on issues linking North America and Europe with the global south.

5b. In so far as is possible, the Caucus shall endeavor to rotate the at-large membership among the various sub-regions of the broader regions of the global south.

6. At-large members shall serve a non-renewable term of two (2) years. However, three at-large members will initially serve a one-year term (renewable for another year by election), in order to allow for rotating terms and the maintenance of institutional memory.

7.  The duties of the officers and Council shall be:

a) Chair: To serve as spokesperson for the Global South Caucus; to make arrangements for and preside at the annual meeting; to serve as liaison between the Caucus and the ISA; to propose initiatives that will further the goals of the Caucus; to select members of and chair the nominating committee; to propose other special committees and tasks.

b) Vice-Chairs: To assist the Chair in carrying out the duties above. In addition, one Vice Chair is responsible for organizing, with input from the Chair and second Vice Chair, caucus representation on the annual ISA Convention Program. Either Vice Chair can serve as Chair in the absence of the Chair. The Vice Chair for Outreach has as additional responsibilities the recruitment of members from the Global South as well as the establishment of linkages between the Caucus/ISA and relevant institutions in the global south.

c) Secretary: To maintain accurate records of all meetings and correspondence of the organization; compile and revise as necessary a membership list; to maintain a permanent file of the records and publications of the GSCIS.

d) Treasurer: to handle the financial affairs of the organization under the direction of the Chair.

e) Newsletter Editor: to produce a newsletter at least three times a year.

f)  Executive Council:  To propose, debate and vote on initiatives in support of the Caucus’s mission; to assist the second Vice Chair in recruitment and outreach; to assist with arrangements for the annual meeting; to set membership dues; to compose and fill vacancies on any committees constituted by the Caucus; to perform other tasks that the membership, assembled at the annual meeting, recommends or that the Council itself initiates.

8. All terms of office end at the annual ISA Convention at which the Caucus will also hold its annual business meeting. The meeting of the Executive Council shall precede the annual meeting.

9. Voting rights: The Chair, Vice Chairs, and members of the Executive Council shall have the right to vote.  The Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Immediate Past Chair sit on the Council ex officio. In the event of a tie, the Council being an 8-member one, the Immediate Past Chair will be permitted to vote in order to break the tie.

10.  Quorum and decisions: Five (5) members of the Council, including the Chair (if absent, the Vice Chair presiding) shall constitute a quorum at Council meetings. Council meetings may be held electronically. Council decisions shall be adopted by a simple majority.

11. Vacancies occurring between elections in all elected offices, except the office of the Chair, shall be filled by action of the Executive Council, and only for the completion of the term of the retiring officer. In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chair, either the Vice Chair shall become chair.

 ARTICLE V: ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting shall coincide with the annual meeting of the International Studies Association, This meeting shall conduct the ordinary business of the GSCIS.

ARTICLE VI: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

The Executive Committee serves as the nominating committee for committees other than itself. For membership of the Executive Committee, a nominating committee composed of three to five members of the Global South Caucus chosen by the Chair shall nominate candidates. Self-nominations are encouraged. The Chair and Vice Chair may also submit their own nominations to the committee.

The two Vice Chairs are each eligible to serve as Chair as is any member who is deemed to have played a sufficiently active role in the caucus.

Candidates nominated should meet the required criteria of geographic and disciplinary diversity. The committee should take into account the contributions of nominees to the Caucus and the ISA.

Bios of prospective candidates shall be e-mailed to members before the annual meeting or before any by-election. Ballots shall be returned by e-mail within a specified period of time. New officers shall be presented to the membership at the annual meeting. 

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS

Proposals to amend this charter may be submitted in writing by any member to the Executive Committee which shall, in turn, vote on the proposal. If a simple majority of the Executive committee approve the amendments, they shall then be submitted to the membership by email for comments. Proposals will be adopted if approved by 2/3rds of the members present at the next annual meeting.