17 th IRSCL CONGRESS

13-17 AUGUST
DUBLIN, IRELAND

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
MINUTES

1. Welcome by Chair

Rolf Romøren (Chair) welcomed members to the meeting.

2. Minutes of General Membership Meeting 2003 (South Africa)

The meeting accepted the minutes of the 2003 General Membership Meeting.

3. President's Report

The President, Kimberley Reynolds, presented her report.

3. Treasurer's Report 2003-2005

The Treasurer, Anne de Vries, presented his report.

4. General Business

(i) Proposals for changes to the by-laws

The following proposed changes to the by-laws were passed unanimously:

Current by-law

5.1. Every member is obliged to pay annual dues, the minimum being determined in each case by the General Membership Meeting. Members who have retired from employment or are full-time research students, shall pay 50 percent of the individual membership dues. The institutional membership fee is double the fee for individual membership.

Proposed amendment:

5.1. Every member is obliged to pay annual dues, determined by the General Membership Meeting.

5.2. Members who have retired from employment or who are full-time research students shall pay 50 percent of the individual membership dues. Normally they will be required to pay for two years' membership .

5.3 Affiliated members and institutional members shall pay double the fee for individual membership.

Current by-law

7.7. The General Membership Meeting elects the President and the other Members of the Executive Board by simple majority.

Proposed amendment:

7.7. Any member may nominate candidates for the Executive Board. Candidates must be members in good financial standing. N ominations must include written consent by the candidate. Candidates may nominate themselves.

7.8. Nominations must be received by the Executive Board one month before the General Membership Meeting.

7.9. The General Membership Meeting elects the President and the other Members of the Executive Board by simple majority. The Board Member elected with the largest number of votes automatically becomes Vice-President, unless he/she declines.

Current by-law

8.3. The primary purposes of the General Membership Meeting are to:

- accept the report on the past two year period and the Treasurer's report;
- elect the Executive Board;
- discharge the members of the Executive Board;
- determine the minimum annual membership dues;
- decide on changes in the by-laws;
- dissolve the Society, if necessary.

Proposed amendment:

8.3. The primary purposes of the General Membership Meeting are to:

- accept the report on the past two year period and the Treasurer's report;
- elect the Executive Board;
- discharge the members of the Executive Board;
- determine the annual membership dues ;
- decide on changes in the by-laws;
- dissolve the Society, if necessary.

(ii) Proposal concerning annual membership fees

The meeting unanimously approved the following changes to the membership fee structure:

As from January 1, 2006, the annual membership fees will be:

Individual members US $ 35.00
Retired members & fulltime research students $ 17.50 (Normally they will be required to pay two years at a time. )
Affiliated members & institutional members $ 70.00

If a member wants to pay by bank transfer or by cheque, (s)he is expected to pay the bank costs charged in the country of residence of the treasurer.

(iii) Congress 2007: Kyoto, Japan

The President reported briefly on preparations for the 2007 Congress in Kyoto and indicated that a fuller report would be provided by representatives of the Congress Committee at the banquet.

(iv) Congress 2009

The president informed the meeting that negotiations were underway regarding the 2009 Congress and that members would be informed at a later time.

 

5. Election of New Board (Scrutineers: Justyna Deszcz-Tryhubczak and Okiko Miyake)

The election of the 2005-2007 Board was held with the following results:

President: Kimberley Reynolds

Board: Clare Bradford
Dan Hade
Ariko Kawabata
Mavis Reimer
Morag Styles

Members agreed that the new Board should select the Vice-President. The meeting supported the principle that the Board should include members for whom English is not a first language, and applauded the President's efforts to ensure that the Board was representative of the membership. The President will continue to emphasise the importance of this principle in newsletters, on the website and through personal contacts.

6. Closing remarks

The President thanked members for their attendance and concluded the meeting.