AEGS Estatutos/Bylaws* |
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Revised on February 20, 2014
Revised on November 10, 2017
Amended on December 29, 2017**
Revised August 25, 2019
Amended on April 7, 2022**
Revised October 10, 2022
Article I: Name
The name of the association is Association of Gender and Sexuality Studies (AGSS); Asociación de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades (AEGS) in Spanish.
Article II: Purpose
On November – December of 2013, the following motion was approved in order to modify the purpose:
“The purpose of the Association is to promote diffusion, research and critical reflections on the cultural productions of the Americas and the Iberian sphere from feminist studies, gender studies, sexualities and from other categories of analysis relevant to women. The Association will offer the member the opportunity to have a critical space for the presentation of papers, seminars, round tables, special tables and for the dissemination of research through annual meetings, publications and electronic media.”
Former purpose: The purpose of the Association is to promote the dissemination of research and critical reflection on Hispanic literature written by women and their cultural production. The Association will offer members the opportunity to have a critical space for the presentation of papers, seminars, round tables, special tables and/or for the dissemination of research and theory through annual meetings, publications and electronic newsletter.
Article III: Activities
3.1. Annual Meetings
AEGS will hold an annual meeting (conference) that will serve as a forum for the presentation of research papers, panel discussions and round tables, as well perform other Association activities such as: Tributes to distinguished female figures, book presentations, discussion at a General Assembly, gender and profession seminars. The member is invited to submit institutional offers to host the Association. Minimum requirements: secretarial services, office space, equipment and mail. The organizers of the Annual Meeting will work independently while in collaboration with the Executive Committee of AEGS. The decision on congress venues should be made with consultation and vote of the Executive Committee. Once the chair of the conference has been decided by the Executive Committee and made public at the annual meeting, s/he will be unappealable.
3.1.1 Election of conference site
Annually, the secretary will announce a call for proposals (venue, theme, infrastructure, etc.) to organize the conference a year and a half in advance, for example 01/15/2015 for the October 2017 conference. The submission proposal deadline will be one month after the call. The executive committee will reach a decision no later than one month after the deadline of proposal submissions. In the event that the initiative arises from any Executive committee member, s/he will abstain from voting. The chosen location for the conference will be announced through all sources of the organization, listserv, Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, and social media. The selected proposal will be presented by its organizer at the general assembly.
3.1.2. Evaluative criterion of the conference chairperson 1) Institution commitment: provide funds to invite female writers, assembly halls, staff in charge of registration, meals, etc.
2) Framework: hotels, transportation (airport-hotel, hotel-venue of the conference). Also consider the effect of other similar prior/post conferences in the surrounding area, eg. LASA, MLA, etc. The conference should not coincide with other professional conferences;
3) The conference will provide information on private nursery service to participants without any liability for AGSS (AEGS). In the event of surplus funds, 20 percent will be allocated to scholarships that enable attendance to the congresses of Latin American, Spanish and Hispanic writers. The conference organizer should prepare a report justifying the expenses charged to the funds received. This report should be submitted to the Executive Committee no later than 30 days once the conference is over.
3.2. Publicity of books
To facilitate the dissemination of written literature by women and their cultural production, the Association will act as an advertising-agent for those books that have been published by Spanish, Latin American, Afro-Latin and/or Hispanic women within and outside of the United States by means of book reviews in Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, and displaying them during the annual conference.
3.3. Awards
AEGS invites their members to contribute to the following awards: Victoria Urbano Prizes, in their modalities of:
1. Critical Monograph
2. Critical Essay (professors; graduate students)
3. Creative Work (poetry, theater and narrative)
4. Academic Recognition
The requirements for the different awards can be found in the relevant section of the association's page.
Article IV: Members
The Association offers the same participation as a member to any person or institution that is interested in women’s literature and culture of the Hispanic world, and is willing to endorse the purpose of the Association. The following categories of membership are established: regular members including professionals, student members, independent scholars/writers/artists, emerita faculty, honorary members.
4.1. Active members
Active members will be those who actively remain in the Association and satisfy their membership fees.
4.2. Student members
A student member will enjoy all of the privileges as principal members including the right to vote.
4.3. Honorary member
The membership, proposed by the Executive Committee, will grant the title of "honorary member” to distinguished personalities in the field of women’s literature. This “honorary member” shall be granted the right to vote within the Association, and shall be exempt from payment of annual dues.
Special provision: Adelaida López-Martínez is declared an honorary member of the Association for life in recognition of her extraordinary professional work as editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades.
Likewise, all recipients of the PVU of Academic Recognition become honorary members.
4.4. Independent Scholars/Writers/Artists
All writers who support the Association and who do not have a paid academic job can be considered in this category. S/he will have the right to express an opinion and vote. These writers are the basis of our Association and the Association should maintain regular contact with them.
4.5. Attracting new members
The Executive Committee will seek to expand the Association’s membership internationally in such a way that foreign members considered as active members can promote, disseminate, contribute and participate in the enrichment of the Association giving it a global and pluricultural character. The Annual Meeting will be held every three years in at least one foreign country in order to facilitate the exchange already initiated through the electronic means used by the Association.
Article V: Fees and budget
5.1. Membership fees are determined by the Association Executive Committee in its annual meeting, and communicated to all Association members immediately. There are four categories. Definition of all categories are detailed in the Association website.
1. Regular members (professors, professionals)
2. Student members, Independent Scholars and Emerita Professors.
3. Libraries and academic institutions (e-journal only)
4. Libraries and academic institutions (e-journal and printed copy)
5.1.1. Exemption of membership fees
Honorary members will be exempt from membership fees.
5.1.2. Membership fees modification
The fees established for active members, students, member-writers may be modified on the motion of the Executive Committee once the discussion has been presented at the general assembly during the annual meeting. The membership will approve the proposals in general voting at the assembly regarding the modification of fees.
5.2. AEGS Members’ rights
Association members will benefit from the following rights:
5.3 Budget
The revenue generated by individual memberships and institutional subscriptions to the journal will be distributed for the following expenses: (a) production and publication of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades; (b) Victoria Urbano awards; (c) sponsorship for the annual congress; (d) student travel funds to participate in the annual congress; (e) operational and administrative expenses.
The President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, may decide changes in the amounts given in these categories with the goal of sustaining the operational budget of the Association.
Article VI: Government of the Association
The Association shall be administered by the Executive Committee. The committee shall be elected every two years, with exception of the treasurer who is elected to serve a 3-year term. Decisions that may affect the purposes or nature of the Association will have to be ratified by a simple majority of the voting members and not during the General Assembly held at the Annual Meeting. The Executive Committee will meet at least once a year to coincide with the Annual Meeting, and its members will remain in active contact via email. Members of the Executive Committee commit to attend the annual meeting during their service in the committee.
To better manage the Association, the president will assign committees as follows: (a) Victoria Urbano Awards Committees, (b) Student Travel Funds Committee; (c) REGS monographic issue selection committee, and (d) ad hoc committees as needed.
6.1. General Assembly
The General Assembly takes place at the annual conference of the Association. The General Assembly will be a forum for exchange, discussion and debate to promote new ideas, opinions and present relevant matters to the Association. No vote will be taken during the General Assembly, since the Association seeks the membership representation and the vote by all of the member’s affairs that concern the Association and not only those that participate in a specific Annual Conference.
6.2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee will be constituted by the President of the Association, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor in Chief, the Associate Editor, and the Book Review Editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, four spokespersons, in addition to a spokesperson abroad, and the previous President (with the title of Executive Advisor).
The Executive Committee will meet once a year coinciding with the Association’s annual conference.
When the Secretary and the Treasurer fulfill their periods of obligation within the Executive Committee, they will be able to apply as candidates for other appointments within the following Executive.
The Executive Committee will present an annual report to the Association during the General Assembly.
In the event of an unanticipated cancelation of the conference, considering that (except for the Treasurer’s job) the executive committee’s voting is held every two years and that the taking of office coincides with the annual conference, the elected committee will automatically assume its functions on October 15th of the year it has been voted.
Article VII: The functions of the Executive Committee
7.1. Functions of the President
The President will lead the General Assembly, the meetings of the Executive Committee, and any act organized by the Association and will serve as a direct contact with the person(s) in charge of organizing the annual conference. Additionally, the president will have the capacity to call elections and organize a membership vote for any process that may improve the functioning of the Association. The President will order an annual report from different members of the executive committee; will supervise the Association’s economic budget; and will raise the necessary discussion with the Executive Committee concerning important issues in the operation of the Association. Furthermore, the president will implement the decisions reached by the Executive Committee and the membership through the corresponding vote.
The President will have the capacity to name, in consultation with the Executive Committee, commissions that represent the Association in academic meetings such as MLA, AATSP, etc.
The president’s term will be for two years and cannot be nominated for any Executive Committee function until having completed a period of at least four years as a salient president.
7.2. Functions of the Vice President
The Vice-President shall replace the President in his/her functions whenever deemed necessary. S/he will coordinate Association's activities to better promote women’s literature and cultural productions. S/he will research avenues to obtain financial aid for the Association. As president elect, the Vice-President will assume presidency upon completion of two years corresponding to the President’s term, or sooner if any circumstance so requires/necessary.
In order to qualify for the Vice-President position, the candidate must obtain an absolute majority vote from members with the right to vote. The Vice-President will be in charge of the website and the electronic forum of the Association, since this person will remain for the longest term within the Executive Committee. In the event of such person not being able to perform this function, the Executive Committee will choose the appropriate person within the committee.
The Vice-President will be a member of the Executive Committee for six years; two years as Vice-President; two years as President, and two more years as outgoing Chairperson in the role of Executive Director, given his/her administrative experience within the Association.
7.3. Functions of the Treasurer
The Treasurer’s position will be held for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 6 to safeguard the financial stability of the Association. The Treasurer will manage and keep records of the finances of the Association. The Treasurer will process the membership dues and payments incurred by the Association (including but not limited to REGS Journal, Website, Victoria Urbano Awards, grants for graduate students, e-chapters, and other administrative expenses). Payments and reimbursements will be made after consultation with the President. The Treasurer will provide updates related to the Association's accounts, and submit reports to the Executive Committee (at least three times a year). The Treasurer, in consultation with the Secretary, will provide the President with a monthly update on the most up-to-date membership list. The Treasurer's report will be included in the minutes of the General Assembly.
7.4. Functions of the Secretary The secretary will have the responsibility of taking charge and proceeding with the electoral process of Executive Committee members and of any voting process on member's behalf. S/he will be in contact with the Treasurer in order to update the membership list. On the President's motion, s/he will call the Executive Committee meeting(s). S/he will be in charge of taking minutes in the Assembly. S/he will turn over his/her records to the President, so that the President can review the minutes of the assembly. S/he will compare other eyewitness versions of the minutes of the same Executive Committee. The Secretary will send a final copy of the General Assembly's minutes to the webmaster, so that they are included in the Association's webpage. Furthermore, s/he will confirm the results of the election(s). Finally, s/he will be in charge of maintaining and updating the Association's documentary archive.
The Secretary is also in charge of the monthly electronic newsletters and manages the members portal eChapters. She sends announcements to all members following instructions from the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Editors of REGS.
7.4.1 Special Disposition
Mrs. Pat Hollis Smith is declared Honorary Secretary with a lifetime tenure in recognition of her work in favor of the Association since its founding.
7.5. Spokespersons' functions
The Spokespersons will represent different professional ranks, thus selecting Spokespersons to represent graduate students, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Full Professors. In addition, members abroad will choose a fourth spokesperson. The members of the Executive Committee, such as the President of the former Executive Committee, the Editor in Chief and the Book Review Editor of REGS, are not considered spokespersons but rather members participating in the Executive in function of their responsibilities and experience for the betterment of the Association. They will have the right to vote and total participation within the Executive Committee.
The functions of the members of the Executive Committee will be, among others, the following:
7.6. Renewal of the positions of the Executive Committee
Upon ending the Executive Committee’s office term, the nominations for new positions may be nominations or self-nominations directed to the Association’s Secretary. The Secretary will proceed to request in writing from each applicant a small essay on their vision of the post to which they postulate and their proposals for improvement of the Association. The Secretary will circulate this information to every member (by both ordinary mail and email). Then, the voting will proceed by email. Those Association members who do not have access to email should communicate it directly to the Treasurer, providing him/her with their exact address, telephone and fax number. If the Treasurer is in possession of this information, this person will be sent the ballot by ordinary mail or fax. Otherwise, the right to vote will not be exercised. During the electoral process, the Secretary will work closely with the Voting Committee to defend the transparency of the process
7.6.1. Resignations
Any member of the Association may resign at any time, submitting the resignation in writing to the President. The resignation does not give right to compensation of any kind.
7.6.2. Vacancies
Any vacancy that is submitted to the Executive Committee either by resignation of death or any other cause will have to be fulfilled temporarily by the members of the Executive until the corresponding vote is carried out. In the event that a member of the executive committee does not perform the functions for personal (health) or professional (sabbatical) reasons, the executive committee will request candidacies within the membership to cover such positions to be assumed immediately after the corresponding elections. In the event that any member of the executive committee does not carry out the functions of his/her position due to negligence, the executive committee reserves the right to request the resignation of such position with prior written notice. If within a month the member in question has not responded to the letter, s/he will be dropped from his/her duties, and the Executive Committee will request candidacies within the membership to cover such duties that will be assumed immediately after the corresponding elections.
Article VIII: Voting procedure
The voting of matters related to the Association and proposed by the Executive Committee will be conducted electronically. The use of email and digital applications avoids incurring in unnecessary expenses. A copy of the voting outcomes will always be kept by the Secretary and the President. The votes will be kept anonymous, both the Secretary and the President cannot in any case reveal the identity of the voter.
The vote is indispensable in order to comply with statute regulations that require a simple majority of the votes cast by the membership.
Article IX: Bodies of the Association
The official bodies of the Association are the journal Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades and the electronic newsletter (circular).
9.1 Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will publish two issues per year. It will feature short creative works written in Spanish or Portuguese; critical articles on topics that relate to the literature and the Hispanic cultural production of women, gender, sexualities and/or highlight these areas. Scholarly essays will be accepted in Spanish or English. The journal will also include interviews and a book reviews section.
The journal will only publish the contributions of Association members. It is established as editorial policy to give preference to those studies that have followed the latest trends of criticism, in order to reach not only a high academic rigor but also the utilization of a current criticism, which will make the journal recognized by its academic value and by the number of its readers.
9.1.1 Editorial Board
The Editorial Board will include two members of the Executive Committee. One of them will be chosen between the current President and the Vice-President; the other member shall be elected from existing members of the Executive Committee. As long as Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades is considered a refereed journal, the Editorial Board will be part of the review (acceptance or rejection ) of articles, as well as the design of new projects within the journal.
9.1.2 Evaluators
A rotating list of evaluators will be maintained according to different fields of expertise. This list will be updated every year in order to offer the opportunity to a greater number of members to collaborate with the journal.
9.1.3. Publication
The publication of the journal will be administered by the Editor, the Associate Editor and the Book Review Editor. The editorial board member appointed by the Executive Committee will be in consultation with the editor. Members may submit nominations for the editorial board.
9.1.4. Editor
The Editor in Chief of the Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will be elected by absolute and secret majority vote of the voting members. The editor will always participate in the Annual Conference to have a direct presence in the General Assembly, and in the meeting of the Executive Committee, as well as directly interact with the members that convened in the Annual Conference. The Editor in Chief will present his/her annual report during the General Assembly where s/he can receive the necessary questions for the journal.
9.1.5. Special issues
The journal’s special issues topic should be consulted and approved by the members of the Editorial Committee.
9.1.6. Review editor
The term to be book review editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will be three years.
9. 3. Congress proceedings
AEGS will not subsidize the publication of conference proceedings. However, any published proceedings must bear the name of the association as long as an ad hoc committee of three members, committee appointed by the Executive Committee (not including members of the Executive Committee, and one member who does not belong to the association), consider that the level of the proceedings (articles, non-papers) is peer-reviewed and that the editors can carry out a professional editorial work. Editors must submit the manuscript and index within two years.
Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will not be part of the process. Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades could channel the publication of Congress proceedings if pertinent. The decision and funds for the publication of Congress proceedings will be the responsibility of the President of the Conference and Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades could dedicate an extraordinary number to the Conference proceedings.
Article X: Amendments of the Bylaws
Any article of the AEGS Statutes can be amended to a written proposal signed by at least twenty members. Said proposal shall be considered by the Executive Committee and, if approved, it shall submit it to the consideration of the society, so that it may be ratified by a vote of two thirds of the same. Voting will be conducted by email through the Secretary of the Executive Committee. The ratification or approval of an amendment will require that it be voted by simple majority.
Article XI: Association Rules
Both the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly shall follow the parliamentary procedure established in the Robert's Rules of Order.
The latest updates of these bylaws were carried out with the approval of the Executive Committee 2017-2019 and 2019-2021 taking into account and implementing the motions approved at the annual Assembly convened during the Association Congresses in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2017), Chicago, USA (2018), Valencia (2019), and ratified by the members.
Signed:
Eva Paris-Huesca, President 2021-2023
Diane Marting, VicePresident 2021-2023
Giovanna Urdangarain, Secretary 2019-2021 & 2021-2023
Osvaldo Sandoval-Leon, Treasurer 2022-2025
Karla Zepeda, Treasurer 2019-2022
Revised on November 10, 2017
Amended on December 29, 2017**
Revised August 25, 2019
Amended on April 7, 2022**
Revised October 10, 2022
Article I: Name
The name of the association is Association of Gender and Sexuality Studies (AGSS); Asociación de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades (AEGS) in Spanish.
Article II: Purpose
On November – December of 2013, the following motion was approved in order to modify the purpose:
“The purpose of the Association is to promote diffusion, research and critical reflections on the cultural productions of the Americas and the Iberian sphere from feminist studies, gender studies, sexualities and from other categories of analysis relevant to women. The Association will offer the member the opportunity to have a critical space for the presentation of papers, seminars, round tables, special tables and for the dissemination of research through annual meetings, publications and electronic media.”
Former purpose: The purpose of the Association is to promote the dissemination of research and critical reflection on Hispanic literature written by women and their cultural production. The Association will offer members the opportunity to have a critical space for the presentation of papers, seminars, round tables, special tables and/or for the dissemination of research and theory through annual meetings, publications and electronic newsletter.
Article III: Activities
3.1. Annual Meetings
AEGS will hold an annual meeting (conference) that will serve as a forum for the presentation of research papers, panel discussions and round tables, as well perform other Association activities such as: Tributes to distinguished female figures, book presentations, discussion at a General Assembly, gender and profession seminars. The member is invited to submit institutional offers to host the Association. Minimum requirements: secretarial services, office space, equipment and mail. The organizers of the Annual Meeting will work independently while in collaboration with the Executive Committee of AEGS. The decision on congress venues should be made with consultation and vote of the Executive Committee. Once the chair of the conference has been decided by the Executive Committee and made public at the annual meeting, s/he will be unappealable.
3.1.1 Election of conference site
Annually, the secretary will announce a call for proposals (venue, theme, infrastructure, etc.) to organize the conference a year and a half in advance, for example 01/15/2015 for the October 2017 conference. The submission proposal deadline will be one month after the call. The executive committee will reach a decision no later than one month after the deadline of proposal submissions. In the event that the initiative arises from any Executive committee member, s/he will abstain from voting. The chosen location for the conference will be announced through all sources of the organization, listserv, Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, and social media. The selected proposal will be presented by its organizer at the general assembly.
3.1.2. Evaluative criterion of the conference chairperson 1) Institution commitment: provide funds to invite female writers, assembly halls, staff in charge of registration, meals, etc.
2) Framework: hotels, transportation (airport-hotel, hotel-venue of the conference). Also consider the effect of other similar prior/post conferences in the surrounding area, eg. LASA, MLA, etc. The conference should not coincide with other professional conferences;
3) The conference will provide information on private nursery service to participants without any liability for AGSS (AEGS). In the event of surplus funds, 20 percent will be allocated to scholarships that enable attendance to the congresses of Latin American, Spanish and Hispanic writers. The conference organizer should prepare a report justifying the expenses charged to the funds received. This report should be submitted to the Executive Committee no later than 30 days once the conference is over.
3.2. Publicity of books
To facilitate the dissemination of written literature by women and their cultural production, the Association will act as an advertising-agent for those books that have been published by Spanish, Latin American, Afro-Latin and/or Hispanic women within and outside of the United States by means of book reviews in Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, and displaying them during the annual conference.
3.3. Awards
AEGS invites their members to contribute to the following awards: Victoria Urbano Prizes, in their modalities of:
1. Critical Monograph
2. Critical Essay (professors; graduate students)
3. Creative Work (poetry, theater and narrative)
4. Academic Recognition
The requirements for the different awards can be found in the relevant section of the association's page.
Article IV: Members
The Association offers the same participation as a member to any person or institution that is interested in women’s literature and culture of the Hispanic world, and is willing to endorse the purpose of the Association. The following categories of membership are established: regular members including professionals, student members, independent scholars/writers/artists, emerita faculty, honorary members.
4.1. Active members
Active members will be those who actively remain in the Association and satisfy their membership fees.
4.2. Student members
A student member will enjoy all of the privileges as principal members including the right to vote.
4.3. Honorary member
The membership, proposed by the Executive Committee, will grant the title of "honorary member” to distinguished personalities in the field of women’s literature. This “honorary member” shall be granted the right to vote within the Association, and shall be exempt from payment of annual dues.
Special provision: Adelaida López-Martínez is declared an honorary member of the Association for life in recognition of her extraordinary professional work as editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades.
Likewise, all recipients of the PVU of Academic Recognition become honorary members.
4.4. Independent Scholars/Writers/Artists
All writers who support the Association and who do not have a paid academic job can be considered in this category. S/he will have the right to express an opinion and vote. These writers are the basis of our Association and the Association should maintain regular contact with them.
4.5. Attracting new members
The Executive Committee will seek to expand the Association’s membership internationally in such a way that foreign members considered as active members can promote, disseminate, contribute and participate in the enrichment of the Association giving it a global and pluricultural character. The Annual Meeting will be held every three years in at least one foreign country in order to facilitate the exchange already initiated through the electronic means used by the Association.
Article V: Fees and budget
5.1. Membership fees are determined by the Association Executive Committee in its annual meeting, and communicated to all Association members immediately. There are four categories. Definition of all categories are detailed in the Association website.
1. Regular members (professors, professionals)
2. Student members, Independent Scholars and Emerita Professors.
3. Libraries and academic institutions (e-journal only)
4. Libraries and academic institutions (e-journal and printed copy)
5.1.1. Exemption of membership fees
Honorary members will be exempt from membership fees.
5.1.2. Membership fees modification
The fees established for active members, students, member-writers may be modified on the motion of the Executive Committee once the discussion has been presented at the general assembly during the annual meeting. The membership will approve the proposals in general voting at the assembly regarding the modification of fees.
5.2. AEGS Members’ rights
Association members will benefit from the following rights:
- Have access to issues of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades.
- Submit manuscripts in order to be considered for publication in Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades.
- Submit works to the Victoria Urbano Awards.
- Present a work in the Association’s Annual Conference, being that it is continually accepted by the committee’s conference organizer.
- Vote on the motions presented by the Executive Committee.
- Vote in order to elect the members of the Executive Committee.
- Present suggestions for the change and improvement of the Association through ordinary mail and email.
- To serve in the governance of the Association.
5.3 Budget
The revenue generated by individual memberships and institutional subscriptions to the journal will be distributed for the following expenses: (a) production and publication of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades; (b) Victoria Urbano awards; (c) sponsorship for the annual congress; (d) student travel funds to participate in the annual congress; (e) operational and administrative expenses.
The President, in consultation with the Executive Committee, may decide changes in the amounts given in these categories with the goal of sustaining the operational budget of the Association.
Article VI: Government of the Association
The Association shall be administered by the Executive Committee. The committee shall be elected every two years, with exception of the treasurer who is elected to serve a 3-year term. Decisions that may affect the purposes or nature of the Association will have to be ratified by a simple majority of the voting members and not during the General Assembly held at the Annual Meeting. The Executive Committee will meet at least once a year to coincide with the Annual Meeting, and its members will remain in active contact via email. Members of the Executive Committee commit to attend the annual meeting during their service in the committee.
To better manage the Association, the president will assign committees as follows: (a) Victoria Urbano Awards Committees, (b) Student Travel Funds Committee; (c) REGS monographic issue selection committee, and (d) ad hoc committees as needed.
6.1. General Assembly
The General Assembly takes place at the annual conference of the Association. The General Assembly will be a forum for exchange, discussion and debate to promote new ideas, opinions and present relevant matters to the Association. No vote will be taken during the General Assembly, since the Association seeks the membership representation and the vote by all of the member’s affairs that concern the Association and not only those that participate in a specific Annual Conference.
6.2. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee will be constituted by the President of the Association, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor in Chief, the Associate Editor, and the Book Review Editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades, four spokespersons, in addition to a spokesperson abroad, and the previous President (with the title of Executive Advisor).
The Executive Committee will meet once a year coinciding with the Association’s annual conference.
When the Secretary and the Treasurer fulfill their periods of obligation within the Executive Committee, they will be able to apply as candidates for other appointments within the following Executive.
The Executive Committee will present an annual report to the Association during the General Assembly.
In the event of an unanticipated cancelation of the conference, considering that (except for the Treasurer’s job) the executive committee’s voting is held every two years and that the taking of office coincides with the annual conference, the elected committee will automatically assume its functions on October 15th of the year it has been voted.
Article VII: The functions of the Executive Committee
7.1. Functions of the President
The President will lead the General Assembly, the meetings of the Executive Committee, and any act organized by the Association and will serve as a direct contact with the person(s) in charge of organizing the annual conference. Additionally, the president will have the capacity to call elections and organize a membership vote for any process that may improve the functioning of the Association. The President will order an annual report from different members of the executive committee; will supervise the Association’s economic budget; and will raise the necessary discussion with the Executive Committee concerning important issues in the operation of the Association. Furthermore, the president will implement the decisions reached by the Executive Committee and the membership through the corresponding vote.
The President will have the capacity to name, in consultation with the Executive Committee, commissions that represent the Association in academic meetings such as MLA, AATSP, etc.
The president’s term will be for two years and cannot be nominated for any Executive Committee function until having completed a period of at least four years as a salient president.
7.2. Functions of the Vice President
The Vice-President shall replace the President in his/her functions whenever deemed necessary. S/he will coordinate Association's activities to better promote women’s literature and cultural productions. S/he will research avenues to obtain financial aid for the Association. As president elect, the Vice-President will assume presidency upon completion of two years corresponding to the President’s term, or sooner if any circumstance so requires/necessary.
In order to qualify for the Vice-President position, the candidate must obtain an absolute majority vote from members with the right to vote. The Vice-President will be in charge of the website and the electronic forum of the Association, since this person will remain for the longest term within the Executive Committee. In the event of such person not being able to perform this function, the Executive Committee will choose the appropriate person within the committee.
The Vice-President will be a member of the Executive Committee for six years; two years as Vice-President; two years as President, and two more years as outgoing Chairperson in the role of Executive Director, given his/her administrative experience within the Association.
7.3. Functions of the Treasurer
The Treasurer’s position will be held for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 6 to safeguard the financial stability of the Association. The Treasurer will manage and keep records of the finances of the Association. The Treasurer will process the membership dues and payments incurred by the Association (including but not limited to REGS Journal, Website, Victoria Urbano Awards, grants for graduate students, e-chapters, and other administrative expenses). Payments and reimbursements will be made after consultation with the President. The Treasurer will provide updates related to the Association's accounts, and submit reports to the Executive Committee (at least three times a year). The Treasurer, in consultation with the Secretary, will provide the President with a monthly update on the most up-to-date membership list. The Treasurer's report will be included in the minutes of the General Assembly.
7.4. Functions of the Secretary The secretary will have the responsibility of taking charge and proceeding with the electoral process of Executive Committee members and of any voting process on member's behalf. S/he will be in contact with the Treasurer in order to update the membership list. On the President's motion, s/he will call the Executive Committee meeting(s). S/he will be in charge of taking minutes in the Assembly. S/he will turn over his/her records to the President, so that the President can review the minutes of the assembly. S/he will compare other eyewitness versions of the minutes of the same Executive Committee. The Secretary will send a final copy of the General Assembly's minutes to the webmaster, so that they are included in the Association's webpage. Furthermore, s/he will confirm the results of the election(s). Finally, s/he will be in charge of maintaining and updating the Association's documentary archive.
The Secretary is also in charge of the monthly electronic newsletters and manages the members portal eChapters. She sends announcements to all members following instructions from the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Editors of REGS.
7.4.1 Special Disposition
Mrs. Pat Hollis Smith is declared Honorary Secretary with a lifetime tenure in recognition of her work in favor of the Association since its founding.
7.5. Spokespersons' functions
The Spokespersons will represent different professional ranks, thus selecting Spokespersons to represent graduate students, Assistant Professors, Associate Professors, and Full Professors. In addition, members abroad will choose a fourth spokesperson. The members of the Executive Committee, such as the President of the former Executive Committee, the Editor in Chief and the Book Review Editor of REGS, are not considered spokespersons but rather members participating in the Executive in function of their responsibilities and experience for the betterment of the Association. They will have the right to vote and total participation within the Executive Committee.
The functions of the members of the Executive Committee will be, among others, the following:
- Support the work of the journal by requesting contributions, providing ideas, searching for information on the web that may be of interest to the Members of the Association, and identifying contributor reviews and cultural notes.
- Support the work of the committees (awards, votes and mentoring) and serve as a bridge with the organizers of the Annual Meeting.
- Support the Treasurer and/or the Secretary regarding any specific function.
- Supervise the representativeness of the Association in entities such as MLA, MMLA, RMMLA and SCMLA, among other organizations.
- The spokesperson representative of the members abroad will be in charge of promoting the Association abroad. He/she will be in charge of maintaining contact with these members, identifying their problems and suggestions, and informing the Executive Committee of them at least twice a year.
- The spokespersons will also perform other functions that they consider or the president considers relevant. Among them are the implementation of motions and the updating of statutes.
7.6. Renewal of the positions of the Executive Committee
Upon ending the Executive Committee’s office term, the nominations for new positions may be nominations or self-nominations directed to the Association’s Secretary. The Secretary will proceed to request in writing from each applicant a small essay on their vision of the post to which they postulate and their proposals for improvement of the Association. The Secretary will circulate this information to every member (by both ordinary mail and email). Then, the voting will proceed by email. Those Association members who do not have access to email should communicate it directly to the Treasurer, providing him/her with their exact address, telephone and fax number. If the Treasurer is in possession of this information, this person will be sent the ballot by ordinary mail or fax. Otherwise, the right to vote will not be exercised. During the electoral process, the Secretary will work closely with the Voting Committee to defend the transparency of the process
7.6.1. Resignations
Any member of the Association may resign at any time, submitting the resignation in writing to the President. The resignation does not give right to compensation of any kind.
7.6.2. Vacancies
Any vacancy that is submitted to the Executive Committee either by resignation of death or any other cause will have to be fulfilled temporarily by the members of the Executive until the corresponding vote is carried out. In the event that a member of the executive committee does not perform the functions for personal (health) or professional (sabbatical) reasons, the executive committee will request candidacies within the membership to cover such positions to be assumed immediately after the corresponding elections. In the event that any member of the executive committee does not carry out the functions of his/her position due to negligence, the executive committee reserves the right to request the resignation of such position with prior written notice. If within a month the member in question has not responded to the letter, s/he will be dropped from his/her duties, and the Executive Committee will request candidacies within the membership to cover such duties that will be assumed immediately after the corresponding elections.
Article VIII: Voting procedure
The voting of matters related to the Association and proposed by the Executive Committee will be conducted electronically. The use of email and digital applications avoids incurring in unnecessary expenses. A copy of the voting outcomes will always be kept by the Secretary and the President. The votes will be kept anonymous, both the Secretary and the President cannot in any case reveal the identity of the voter.
The vote is indispensable in order to comply with statute regulations that require a simple majority of the votes cast by the membership.
Article IX: Bodies of the Association
The official bodies of the Association are the journal Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades and the electronic newsletter (circular).
9.1 Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will publish two issues per year. It will feature short creative works written in Spanish or Portuguese; critical articles on topics that relate to the literature and the Hispanic cultural production of women, gender, sexualities and/or highlight these areas. Scholarly essays will be accepted in Spanish or English. The journal will also include interviews and a book reviews section.
The journal will only publish the contributions of Association members. It is established as editorial policy to give preference to those studies that have followed the latest trends of criticism, in order to reach not only a high academic rigor but also the utilization of a current criticism, which will make the journal recognized by its academic value and by the number of its readers.
9.1.1 Editorial Board
The Editorial Board will include two members of the Executive Committee. One of them will be chosen between the current President and the Vice-President; the other member shall be elected from existing members of the Executive Committee. As long as Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades is considered a refereed journal, the Editorial Board will be part of the review (acceptance or rejection ) of articles, as well as the design of new projects within the journal.
9.1.2 Evaluators
A rotating list of evaluators will be maintained according to different fields of expertise. This list will be updated every year in order to offer the opportunity to a greater number of members to collaborate with the journal.
9.1.3. Publication
The publication of the journal will be administered by the Editor, the Associate Editor and the Book Review Editor. The editorial board member appointed by the Executive Committee will be in consultation with the editor. Members may submit nominations for the editorial board.
9.1.4. Editor
The Editor in Chief of the Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will be elected by absolute and secret majority vote of the voting members. The editor will always participate in the Annual Conference to have a direct presence in the General Assembly, and in the meeting of the Executive Committee, as well as directly interact with the members that convened in the Annual Conference. The Editor in Chief will present his/her annual report during the General Assembly where s/he can receive the necessary questions for the journal.
9.1.5. Special issues
The journal’s special issues topic should be consulted and approved by the members of the Editorial Committee.
9.1.6. Review editor
The term to be book review editor of Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will be three years.
9. 3. Congress proceedings
AEGS will not subsidize the publication of conference proceedings. However, any published proceedings must bear the name of the association as long as an ad hoc committee of three members, committee appointed by the Executive Committee (not including members of the Executive Committee, and one member who does not belong to the association), consider that the level of the proceedings (articles, non-papers) is peer-reviewed and that the editors can carry out a professional editorial work. Editors must submit the manuscript and index within two years.
Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades will not be part of the process. Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades could channel the publication of Congress proceedings if pertinent. The decision and funds for the publication of Congress proceedings will be the responsibility of the President of the Conference and Revista de Estudios de Género y Sexualidades could dedicate an extraordinary number to the Conference proceedings.
Article X: Amendments of the Bylaws
Any article of the AEGS Statutes can be amended to a written proposal signed by at least twenty members. Said proposal shall be considered by the Executive Committee and, if approved, it shall submit it to the consideration of the society, so that it may be ratified by a vote of two thirds of the same. Voting will be conducted by email through the Secretary of the Executive Committee. The ratification or approval of an amendment will require that it be voted by simple majority.
Article XI: Association Rules
Both the meetings of the Executive Committee and the General Assembly shall follow the parliamentary procedure established in the Robert's Rules of Order.
The latest updates of these bylaws were carried out with the approval of the Executive Committee 2017-2019 and 2019-2021 taking into account and implementing the motions approved at the annual Assembly convened during the Association Congresses in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2017), Chicago, USA (2018), Valencia (2019), and ratified by the members.
Signed:
Eva Paris-Huesca, President 2021-2023
Diane Marting, VicePresident 2021-2023
Giovanna Urdangarain, Secretary 2019-2021 & 2021-2023
Osvaldo Sandoval-Leon, Treasurer 2022-2025
Karla Zepeda, Treasurer 2019-2022
* AEGS es una entidad sin fines de lucro registrada como tal en los Estados Unidos de Norteamérica. Para efectos de su existencia como entidad legal y entidad fiscal (pago de impuestos), todos los documentos oficiales de AEGS--tales como los Estatutos (Bylaws en inglés)--deben someterse y publicarse en inglés.
** Los estatutos de la Asociación se revisan y editan cada vez que hay mociones aprobadas por la mayoría de los miembros votantes de AEGS. La relación de mociones aprobadas desde 2008 hasta el presente se encuentran en el PDF al inicio de esta página.
Past Bylaws
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