General Business Meeting (online):
The General Business Meeting will take place online on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
TIME: 18:00 (CET) | 12:00 PM (Eastern) | 11:00 AM (Central) | 9:00 AM (West Coast)
The GBM Agenda includes these attachments:
Zoom link to be received via email upon registration (top left on this page)
Meeting Agenda
- Officers’ Reports (attachment will circulate no later than June 11) and other updates
- Action Item: Revisions to Association By-Laws (circulated May 14, found below for convenience and on the website)
- New Caucus proposal
- Discussion and polling of attendees on issues including but not limited to
- By-Laws: additional revisions
- Affiliations with learned societies
- AAIS and Service
- AAIS Book Prize categories
- Italian Culture
- Format/publication
- Editorial team
- General Discussion
- AAIS 2025: March 13-15, UPenn, Philadelphia,
- Keynote Activities 2025
- Executive Council Conference Series 2025
Proposed By-Laws Revisions (see attachment)
General Business Meeting 2024
At the General Business Meeting we will be seeking concurrence for the following motions brought by the Executive Council:
- Motion 1: to revise the Association By-Laws Article V (Elections) to reflect current practices.
- Motion 2: to revise the Association By-Laws Article VII (Meetings of the Association) to reflect current practices.
Rationales for proposed changes:
General explanation:
Language needs to be revised to reflect current practice in both Articles.
Articles V and VII are linked because of the current lack of distinction made between different “meetings”. The By-Laws sometimes use “meeting” or “annual meeting” to refer to the Association’s annual “conference” and other times to refer to the Business Meeting, sometimes referred to as the “General” Business Meeting.
Explanations specific for each Motion:
Motion 1
Article V: Elections
The By-Laws, which go back to the time of snail mail ballots, feature antiquated language concerning balloting and elections.
In addition to correcting the language to reflect current online voting practices, proposed revisions make clear who oversees balloting and, on the assumption that electronic balloting is simpler and more efficient than tallying mail-in ballots, reduces the time required before the General Business Meeting,
The 2022 Nominating Committee recommended
- clarifying who conducts/oversees the election to protect any current officer who may be standing for re-election
- reducing the time of balloting to broaden the base of nominations as well as increase participation. The current motion seeks to address this in part.
The 2022 Nominating Committee made several other suggestions for which we seek input at the 2024 General Business Meeting, and which will be circulated with the GBM Agenda.
Motion 2:
Article VII: Meetings of the Association
The By-Laws are not as clear as they could be about the category of “meetings.” Where once the General Business Meeting was always held at the conference, since 2020, it has been held online, which has increased participation.
The proposed changes do not eliminate the possibility for the General Business Meeting to be held in person at the annual conference but make clear that the GBM differs from the “annual meeting”, as By-Laws sometimes refer to the conference.
PROPOSED REVISIONS
Article V: Elections.
Currently reads:
3. Elections shall be by secret ballot, sent by mail to all voting members of the Association at least 60 days before the Annual Meeting of the year in which the officers are to be elected. All ballots are to be returned to the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee and tallied at least 30 days before the Annual Meeting.
Proposed changes as highlighted:
3. Elections, conducted by the Nominating Committee, shall be by secret electronic ballot by mail made available to all voting members of the Association at least 45 60 days before the General Business Meeting of the year in which the officers are to be elected. All ballots are to be returned to the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee and tallied at least 30 days before the General Business Meeting.
II. Article VII – Meetings of the Association.
Currently reads:
1. The Conference Director will post on the conference website an agenda for the Annual Meeting (including the General Business Meeting) at least 30 days prior to convocation.
2. A quorum shall be a majority of the members present at the General Business Meeting.
3. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted at annual meetings.
4. The annual meeting of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Council shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order
Proposed changes as highlighted:
Article VII – Meetings of the Association
1. The Executive Council Conference Director will post on the Association conference website an agenda for the General Business Meeting(including the General Business Meeting) at least 30 days prior to convocation.
2. A quorum shall be a majority of the members present at the General Business Meeting.
3. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted at the General Business Meeting annual meetings.
4. The General Business Meeting annual meeting of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Council shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
