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Constitution

I. Name and Objective

  1. This Society will be known as the International Society for the Linguistics of English (ISLE).
  2. The objective of the society will be to advance and promote research and teaching of the linguistics of English and of the forms and functions of the English language, in all its varieties, both now and in the past.

II. Membership

  1. Any person may become a member of the society by contacting the Secretary and by paying dues.
  2. Only members may vote, hold office in the Society, or present a paper at the Biennial Conference.
  3. Only members may present material to the webmaster for posting on the ISLE website.
  4. There will be the following classes of membership: regular, student, postdoctoral researcher, and emeritus.

III. Meetings

  1. The Society will hold a Biennial Conference, which will bring those working on contemporary English together with those working on the history of English.
  2. There will be a Business Meeting of the Society during the Biennial Conference.

IV. Officers

  1. There will be the following officers of the society elected by the membership: a President, a President-elect, the immediate past President, three Vice-presidents, and a Secretary. The President and President-elect will serve for one term each, from one ISLE Conference to another. The Vice-presidents and the Secretary may serve, without further election, for no more than two terms. The President will preside at the meetings of the Society, serve as chair of the Executive Committee, and appoint a Webmaster, a Treasurer, a Nominating Committee, and such standing and ad hoc committees as the officers deem necessary. The President-elect will stand in for the President on occasions when the President is unavailable and will take office as President at the end of the business meeting at the Biennial Conference.
    Each Vice-president is charged with promoting information-sharing and dissemination in a different division of the Society: a research division, a teaching division and a professional division. Each Vice-president is also charged with managing prizes in his or her domain. The Vice-president for research is charged with helping English language and linguistics researchers and teachers to support existing work and to promote new topics to include in their home institutions and conferences. The Vice-president for teaching is charged with helping to promote English language and linguistics curricula in universities, colleges, and schools. The Vice-president for the profession is charged with helping to promote the public understanding of English language and linguistics world-wide, including assembling/presenting evidence of societal impact, and with encouraging the development of workshops for post-graduate students and postdoctoral researchers on professional issues. The Secretary is charged with conducting elections via the web, soliciting nominations for membership of the Nominating Committee and for Webmaster and Treasurer, keeping the minutes of the Society, and presenting a report to the business meeting of the Biennial Conference.
  2. The Webmaster is charged with maintaining and updating the website.
  3. The Treasurer is charged with soliciting funds for support and maintenance of the website, and for receiving, banking, and disbursing funds, and has fiscal responsibility for dues.

V. Committees

  1. There will be an Executive Committee of the Society consisting of the elected Officers, and also the Webmaster and Treasurer, both of whom are appointed. On the advice of the membership, the Executive Committee is charged with selecting the Webmaster, Treasurer, and the members of the Nominating Committee for appointment by the President. It is also charged with developing policy for the Society, reviewing the budget and financial policies, and calling for proposals to host the Biennial Conference.
    The Executive Committee will manage the affairs of ISLE between Biennial Conferences and may co-opt other members at its discretion. It may also set up sub-committees when it considers that they are required.
    Only elected officers have the right to vote on matters that come before the Executive Committee.
  2. There will be a Nominating Committee consisting of five members who represent the interests of members world-wide. The Nominating Committee will nominate two persons for election to each of the following positions: the President-elect, the three Vice-presidents, and the Secretary. Nominees must agree to be nominated for the position in question. The Nominating Committee is responsible for presenting the slate to the Executive Committee for approval prior to election.
  3. When appropriate, there will be a Prize Committee which is advisory to the Vice-president responsible for prizes. The Committee will be chaired by the relevant Vice-president, and appointed by the President.

VI. Elections

  1. Elections will be conducted by electronic ballot. This ballot will be available on the web not less than six months in advance of the regular Conference. To be valid, votes from members must be received by the Secretary no later than three months prior to the regular Conference.

VII. Dues and contributions

  1. Regular members will pay dues to the Society by March 31st, on (as a minimum) a biennial basis. These are to be collected by the Treasurer. The amount of this subscription is to be approved by the Executive Committee. The Society is free to obtain other contributions.
  2. Dues for students will be waived on presentation of evidence of student status.
  3. Dues for postdoctoral researchers and emeriti will be reduced by 50% on request.

VIII. Amendments

  1. Any proposed amendments to this Constitution must be submitted via the Secretary. They will be considered by the Executive Committee and submitted to the members for vote at the time of the regular election for officers. An amendment must have the approval of two-thirds of the members voting.