Constitution
II. PURPOSE
III. MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTION
IV. MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY
V. OFFICERS
VI. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
VII. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
VIII. ELECTIONS
IX. RESOLUTIONS
XII. AMENDMENTS
I. NAME
The name of this association is the Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics.
II. PURPOSE
SPCL is organized in the interest of the academic community and not for profit. Its object is the study and documentation of pidgin and creole languages worldwide, together with other languages or dialects of other languages influencing them or influenced by them. The Society adheres to standard ethical guidelines for fieldwork.
III. MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTION
1. There shall be two types of membership: regular members and student members.
2. Any person may become a regular member by payment of dues.
3. Any undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in the regular academic year as a candidate for a degree in a recognized college or university may become a student member with [amended August 7, 2014] payment of dues. Student membership in the Society requires that the individual submit a verification of student status.
4. Any individual or institution may subscribe to the publications of the Society.
5. All regular SPCL members may optionally [amended August 7, 2014] subscribe to the Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages; the subscription fee includes the annual dues established by the Executive Council. Students who do not wish to subscribe to JPCL may become members by sending an electronic request for membership to the Executive Secretary, who will then add their name to the SPCL mailing list [amended August 7, 2014]
6. Any individual member who has paid dues for twenty years and who has retired from the regular exercise of the profession may, by vote of the Executive Council, be eligible for reduced dues without losing any of the rights of membership.
7. Only members may vote and hold office in the Society. A person need not be a member of the Society in order to submit to the Editor of JPCL items for publication consideration. However, only members may offer to the Program Committee papers for oral presentation at meetings of the Society.
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IV. MEETINGS OF THE SOCIETY
The Society shall meet at such time and place as the Executive Council shall determine. There shall be an annual Business Meeting. In years when the Society schedules more than one meeting, the Executive Council shall determine in advance at which meeting the Business Meeting will be held.
V. OFFICERS
1. The officers of the Society shall be a President and a Vice President. The Vice President shall have the additional title of President-Elect.
2. The President shall serve for two years. The President shall preside at the meetings of the Society and Executive Council, shall appoint such nonelective committees as may be required, and shall present an annual report to the Society, which shall be issued to all members in good standing.
3. The Vice-President shall serve two years and shall perform the functions of the President in the latter’s absence. The Vice President shall succeed to the presidency at the end of the meeting which concludes the President’s term of office.
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VI. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
1. There shall be an Executive Council, composed of the Officers, the Executive Secretary, the treasurer [amended January 9, 2016] the Editor of JPCL, the immediate Past President [amendment January 5, 1995], and three members-at-large, each elected by members in good standing present at the annual/biennial meeting, for a term of three [amendment January 10, 1998] years, one post falling vacant each year.
2. The Executive Council shall convene at the time of the annual Business Meeting and at such other times as may be desirable and convenient. No member of the Executive Council may be represented by a proxy. Five members shall constitute a quorum. The Executive Council shall have power to take any action that the Society itself could take, but all its acts must be reported to the Society via electronic mail or at the next Business Meeting. The meetings of the Executive Council shall be open for observation, but without the right to speak or vote, to any member of the Society. The Executive Secretary may ask the Executive Council to vote upon specific questions by electronic mail and shall do so at the request of any other member of the Council. If a majority of the Council votes for or against any measure thus submitted, that vote shall be decisive.
3. The Executive Council shall direct the activities of the Society within the general policies determined by the membership.
4. Any elective position that falls vacant between Business Meetings shall be filled at the next Business Meeting.
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VII. EXECUTIVE SECRETARY AND TREASURER [amended January 9, 2016]
1. The Executive Council shall appoint an Executive Secretary and a Treasurer [amendment January 9, 2016] under such arrangements as the situation may require. The Executive Secretary and the Treasurer [amendment January 9, 2016] shall hold office for four years, and may be reappointed. The Executive Secretary shall have the functions of a secretary and shall serve as secretary of the annual Business Meeting and of the meetings of the Executive Council. The responsibilities of the Executive Secretary shall include keeping the records of the transactions of the Society which are not the responsibility of the Editor or Publisher of JPCL, an up-to-date electronic mail list of scholars interested in the study of pidgin and creole languages, and such functions as may be assigned by the President and the Executive Council.
2. The Treasurer shall be the chief fiscal officer responsible for managing all matters pertaining to payment of membership dues and the financial accounts of the Society [amended January 9, 2016]. The Treasurer [amended January 9, 2016] will prepare an annual financial report for the annual meeting. An electronic copy of this report is to be sent to members of the Executive Council at least 10 days prior to the Business Meeting.
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VIII. ELECTIONS
1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the immediate Past President and two members elected by the Society at its Business Meeting for a two-year term each. One member shall be elected each year. The immediate Past President shall chair the Nominating Committee.
2. The Nominating Committee will provide nominees for the Society’s elective offices. These are Vice President/President-Elect and members-at-large of the Executive Council. Not less than 60 days before the Business Meeting the Nominating Committee shall report to the President its nominees. Within 30 days of receiving this report the President shall inform the Society membership by electronic mail of the Committee’s nominations. Elections shall occur during the Business Meeting. Additional nominations from the floor may be made at that time.
IX. RESOLUTIONS
Any resolution on political or social matters not clearly and immediately related to the purpose of the Society shall be submitted to a referendum vote via electronic mail of the members in good standing. A simple majority of those voting within the time limit set by the Executive Council shall prevail.
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X. RESPONSIBILITIES
The Executive Council shall have responsibility for screening papers, for the scholarly content of the Society’s meetings, and for general policies on the form of the meetings. Titles and descriptions (abstracts) of papers to be read before the Society at its meetings must be submitted to the Executive Committee beforehand, and its disposition of such papers shall be final.
The Executive Secretary shall have the responsibility of sending out calls for papers and for setting deadlines for the receipt of abstracts. For a meeting of the Society, the Executive Committee shall evaluate abstracts, and the President shall have the responsibility of tabulating these evaluations and, on the basis of them, determining which papers will be accepted for presentation at the meeting. The President shall be responsible for constructing the meeting schedule.
XII. AMENDMENTS
Any proposed amendment to the Constitution will be voted upon at the Society's business meeting. A proposed amendment must be submitted to the Executive Secretary no fewer than 30 days prior to the business meeting. It must be supported by at least 10 members, in print or by electronic submission. Upon receipt of the amendment, the Executive Secretary will then notify the membership electronically via the SPCL website that the amendment has been proposed for consideration at the forthcoming business meeting. At the business meeting, an amendment must have the approval of a simple majority of the members voting.
This Constitution was initially drafted by Professor Glenn Gilbert, a founding member, and has been amended as indicated in the body of the document.
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