European Systemic Functional Linguistics Association

CONSTITUTION (modified 14 July 2016)

1. Objectives

The European Systemic Functional Linguistics Association (ESFLA) is a not-for-profit organization whose objectives are:

to promote, in a European context, scholarship and research in Systemic Functional linguistic theory and related fields;
to organize the holding of an annual European Conference on Systemic Functional Linguistic theory and related fields;
to maintain a website that provides information about the Association and its upcoming meetings, and publishes the minutes of the AGMs.

2. Membership of the Association

Any person who attends one of the Association’s annual conferences automatically becomes a member of the Association. There are no membership fees.

3. Annual General Meeting of the Association

An AGM will be held at the annual conference each year. If no Association conference is held in a given year, but a conference of the International Association of Systemic Functional Linguistics (ISFLA) is held in Europe that year, the AGM will be held at the ISFLA conference. Where no ESFLA or ISFLA conference is held in Europe in a given year, the AGM will be delayed until the following year.

A quorum will be 12 members of the Association. At the meeting the Chair and the Treasurer will give annual reports to the members of the Association, and these reports will be published on the Association website. A motion proposed at the AGM will be considered passed if it is supported by two thirds of the members present.

4. Structure of the Association

The Association will be run between AGMs by a Committee consisting of the Executive, the elected representatives and Ex-officio members. The Executive will consist of the Chair and the Association’s Treasurer. The elected representatives will consist of four members of the Association, each representing a different region of Europe. The Executive and elected representatives are the Office Bearers of the Association.

Ex-officio members of the Committee will be the immediate past ESFLA Chair, the immediate past Conference Chair, the present Conference Chair, the upcoming Conference Chair, the Web-Manager and two assistant treasurers.

The Committee will be empowered to co-opt up to three additional members as needed for special projects. In the case of a vacancy after the election, the Committee may appoint a member until the next election.

4.1 Terms of Committee members: The Executive and elected representatives will be elected, normally for three years, at an AGM of the Association. In the case of no AGM being held in a year when an election is due, the Executive and elected representatives will remain in post and the election will be held the following year.

4.2 Nominations for Committee members: Elections will normally be held every three years (but see 4.1 above). At that time, nominations may be submitted to the Chair, in advance of the AGM, in writing with the signatures of two ESFLA members and the written consent of the nominee. Nominations may also be made during the AGM, either from the floor, or, for members not present, in writing with the signatures of two ESFLA members. In both cases, the nominee must voice his/her consent to the nomination to the ESFLA Chair before the election takes place, otherwise the nomination is void. Nominations can come from either i) Committee members, or ii) ordinary members who have attended at least three previous conferences of the Association. If there is more than one nomination for any office, the Executive will arrange a ballot.

5. Duties of the Committee

The Committee is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Association.

These duties include:

arranging the venue for the up-coming conference,
advising the organizer of the up-coming conference,
administering the assets of the Association, and
convening the AGM at the annual conference.

5.1 Committee meetings: The Committee will meet annually prior to the AGM. In addition, the Committee will maintain contact during the year in order to deal with any issues and/or emergencies that arise.

5.2 Sub-Committees: The Committee may set up permanent and/or ad hoc sub-committees as needed. It will be open to the Executive on the advice of the Committee or the AGM to create any such sub-committees needed. Sub-committees for special projects are empowered to co-opt additional members from outside the existing committee structure when needed.

6. The Association’s Finances

The Association does not collect membership fees. However, where the Association Conference has a surplus of funds, the Association requests that the surplus be passed to the Association, where local conditions allow. Also, the Association welcomes contributions from benefactors to support its objectives.

The Association will maintain a bank account. The Committee will have discretion to use the funds to support the Association’s work in carrying out its objectives.

7. Modification of the Constitution or Dissolution

A proposal to modify or dissolve the Constitution may come from any Committee member or ordinary member who has attended at least three previous conferences of the Association. The proposal will be voted on at the AGM, and it will be passed if it is supported by at least two thirds of the members present.