Statutes
The English Statutes are a translation of the Dutch version of the Statutes which is legally binding
STATUTES
Name
1. The name of the association is: ATGENDER.
Registered office
2. The association is seated in Utrecht.
Duration
3. The duration has been entered into for an unspecified period of time.
Purpose
4. The purpose of this association is:
a. To provide a professional association for academics in the interdisciplinary field of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies, Feminist Research and professionals that promote women’s, sexual and LGBTQI rights, equality and diversity in Europe.
b. To advance and disseminate the knowledge and experience from the field of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies, Feminist Research, women’s, sexual and LGBTQI rights, equality and diversity in Europe and beyond.
c. To develop and support international cooperation in Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies and Feminist Research in Europe and beyond.
d. To support and sustain the institutionalization of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, Queer Studies and Feminist Research.
e. To support the development of education and training programs in Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies, Feminist Research, women’s, sexual and LGBTQI rights, equality, and diversity.
f. To strengthen the visibility of the field of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies and Feminist Research within national, regional, and European funding agencies for research and education.
g. To foster exchange and cooperation between the academic community and feminist, women’s, LGBTQI organisations, documentation centers and libraries, policymakers and NGOs, and ambassadors for women’s, sexual and LGBTQI rights, equality and diversity in profit and non-profit organizations.
h. To support students and young researchers with an interest in Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies and Feminist Research.
i. To confront institutions of power, recognize past and present inequalities, and solidarize with struggles against intersecting oppressions.
Actions
5. This association will try to reach its purpose through:
a. Organizing an international academic conference on feminist research every three years.
b. Distributing a regular electronic or paper newsletter to its members.
c. Giving access to an electronic mailing list and a website, which might, among other things, provide a database of members and their expertise.
d. Promoting academic journals in the field of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies and Feminist Research.
e. Delivering policy recommendations in the field of education, research, and broader issues relating to women’s, sexual and LGBTQI rights, equality, and diversity.
f. Providing a platform for students and young researchers with an interest in the field of Women’s, Gender, Transgender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies and Feminist Research.
Budget
6. The budget of this association exists of:
a. contributions by members;
b. income from capital or property;
c. proceeds of events organized by the association;
d. subsidies, gifts, testamentary disposition, and legacies;
e. other benefits.
Calendar
7. The association year runs from January first up to and including December thirty-first.
Membership
8.1. The association shall only have full members.
8.2. Membership is open to both individual and institutional members.
8.3. The board of directors can establish additional conditions for membership through the association’s by-laws.
8.4. Membership is not limited to any citizenship, as long as affinity with the association’s purpose is demonstrable.
Membership application
9.1. Those applying for membership are required to provide the association with a written application.
9.2. The board of directors decides on membership.
9.3. Should the board of directors decide not to admit an applicant, it is required to provide the applicant with a written decision including the reasons for its rejection within four weeks.
9.4. In the case of non-admission by the board of directors, the general assembly can still decide to admit the applicant.
Membership duties
10.1. Members are required to pay yearly membership contributions as determined by the general assembly.
10.2. Contributions are due at the start of the association year; canceling membership during the year does not entail restitution of that year’s contribution.
10.3. The contributions of those members not joining at the beginning of the year are prorated.
Membership expiration
11. Membership expires in each of the following cases:
a. resignation by the member;
b. termination by the board of directors in the association’s name;
c. termination by the general assembly;
d. death of the member;
e. the member no longer exists.
Resignation of membership
12. Should a member wish to resign membership, a written resignation should be provided no less than four weeks before the end of the association year.
Termination of membership by the board of directors
13.1. Membership can be terminated if a member does not pay contributions, if any other commitments to the association are not met, or if the association does not choose to extend the membership for any other reason.
13.2. Termination of membership in name of the association is performed by the board of directors; the board of directors is required to inform the member in writing, including the reasons for expulsion.
13.3. The member can appeal against the termination by the board of directors through the general assembly.
Termination of membership by the general assembly
14.1. The general assembly can decide to terminate a membership; it can only do so if the member in question is acting in defiance of the association’s statutes, by-laws, or decisions, or if the member is unreasonably disadvantaging the association.
14.2. Immediately after its decision has been made, the general assembly is required to inform the member in writing, including the reason for termination.
Suspension of membership
15.1. The board of directors can temporarily suspend a member for a duration of up to three months; the board of directors is required to inform the member in writing, including the reasons for suspension.
15.2. While suspended, members cannot benefit from membership privileges, but are still required to pay contributions.
15.3. The member can appeal against the suspension by the board of directors through the general assembly.
Appeals by members
16.1. A suspended member can appeal against suspension with the general assembly within four weeks.
16.2. The general assembly is required to inform the appealing member of its decision in writing and within four weeks.
Board of directors
17.1. The board of directors consists of at least five people, though it also retains its authority if there are less than five people on the board; in that case the board of directors is required to call a general assembly to fill the vacated positions within two months after its number drops below five.
17.2. The general assembly chooses the board of directors from the association’s members.
17.3. The general assembly appoints the chairperson, secretary and treasurer from the board of directors; these positions are required to be filled by three different members; the general assembly is also allowed to appoint a vice-chairperson, vice-secretary, or a vice-treasurer to replace or assist the appointed chairperson, secretary, or treasurer.
17.4. The chairperson, secretary, and treasurer are required to be of age.
17.5. The board of directors or a group of at least five members can nominate candidates; candidates should provide written confirmation of candidacy.
17.6. Nominations not originating from the board of directors should, along with the candidate’s written confirmation of candidacy, be submitted to the secretary of the board of directors at least one week before the general assembly.
Board of directors: suspension and termination
18.1. The general assembly can always suspend or terminate board members.
18.2. If suspension is not followed by termination within three months, the board member is reinstated.
18.3. Any decision to suspend or terminate board members has to be made with a majority of at least two thirds of the present or represented members at the general assembly.
Board of directors: term of office
19.1. The general assembly appoints board members for three years; after that period board members are immediately eligible for re-election, but no more than once.
19.2. Board membership ends when:
a. the general assembly terminates it;
b. membership to the association is terminated;
c. the board member resigns; on resignation, the board member is required to give at least twenty eight days notice.
19.3. Should board membership end due to the passing of the three-year term without the appointment of a successor, the board member remains on the board until the general assembly has appointed a successor or decided that a successor is no longer necessary, unless the board member is no longer reasonably able to fill the position.
Board of directors: meetings and decision-making
20.1. The board of directors meets as often as the chairperson or at least two other board members deem necessary, but at least once every four months.
20.2. Board meetings are announced at least seven days beforehand.
20.3. The board of directors can only make decisions when at least two thirds of its members are present or represented.
20.4. Decisions shall be taken with the simple majority of members present.
20.5. In the event of a tied vote the chairperson reopens the discussion; should the vote tie again, the chairperson has the casting vote.
Board of directors: limited powers
21.1. Without approval by the general assembly the board of directors is not allowed to make decisions that bind the association or have a greater financial stake than (thirty thousand euro) € 30,000.00. Nor the association, nor any third person, is allowed to invoke the lack of approval by the general assembly.
21.2. Without approval by the general assembly, the board of directors is not allowed to enter into agreements concerning buying, transfer or encumberment of real estate, to enter into agreements in which the association commits itself to stand surety or severally co-debtor, makes out a cause for a third party or commits itself to standing surety for the debts of a third party. Only the association itself can invoke the lack of approval by the general assembly.
Tasks of the chairperson, secretary, and treasurer
22.1. The chairperson is responsible for:
– supervising the upholding of the association’s statutes and by-laws, and the performing of the association’s decisions;
– chairing the meetings of both the board of directors and the general assembly.
22.2. The secretary is responsible for:
– (delegating the) management of the association’s archives;
– (delegating the) note-keeping of all meetings;
– (delegating) all of the association’s correspondence;
– (delegating the) writing of the association’s annual report.
22.3. The treasurer is responsible for:
– (delegating the) management of the association’s funds and keeping its financial books;
– (delegating the) collection of receivables and payment of the association’s debts;
– (delegating the) writing of the annual financial report;
– (delegating the) writing of the annual budget.
22.4. The board of directors should ensure the general assembly can always be informed about the association’s financial situation and commitments.
Representation
23.1. The association can also be represented by, apart from the entire board of directors, two board members acting in concert, as long as at least one of them is the chairperson, secretary, or treasurer.
23.2. The board of directors can grant one or more board members a full or partial authorization to represent the association; such an authorization is to be provided in writing. The board of directors is required to disclose to third parties any full authorization through publication in the register of the Chamber of Commerce where this association has been registered.
23.3. A member can grant another member the authority to represent her/him at a general assembly and speak or vote on her/his behalf; such authorization is to be provided in writing; a member can only represent one other member.
Convening the general assembly
24.1. The board of directors convenes the general assembly as often as it deems necessary, but at least once a year.
24.2. The letter of invitation to a general assembly meeting must be sent or handed out at least fourteen days before the date of the meeting.
24.3. Any member has the right to put issues on the agenda of the general assembly; issues can only be included when they are submitted in writing to the secretary at least ten days before the meeting; the secretary is required to distribute these submitted issues in writing to all members at least seven days before the meeting.
24.4. The chairperson and secretary act as chairperson and secretary of the general assembly; if the chairperson or secretary is absent, another board member will act as chairperson or secretary; if no replacement is thus found, the general assembly provides such itself.
24.5. A general assembly can also be convened by the board of directors if at least a tenth of the members demand it; these members need to do so in writing, also providing their reason for calling a meeting; the board of directors is required to convene that general assembly within twenty eight days; if the board of directors has not done so within this time, the members themselves can convene a meeting in the way described in this article or through an announcement in at least one website that is well-frequented by members or through a well-known mailing list or otherwise appropriate online channel; in that case a participant in that case the general assembly itself will provide for chairing and taking notes of the meeting
24.6. Only members are allowed to be present at the general assembly, unless the general assembly decides to invite certain non-members.
Voting rights and quorum during general assembly
24.7. If the board in the invitation for the general assembly has offered this option, members are able to cast their vote by electronic means, provided (i) the conditions for using the means of communication, such as the connection, the security etc., have been announced in the invitation, (ii) the member can be identified (iii) the member can directly follow the proceedings of the general assembly and (iv) if this option has been offered, the member can participate in the discussions.
24.8. If the board has offered this option in writing, votes can be cast in advance of the general assembly through an electronic means of communication to a designated email address, but not earlier than the thirtieth day before the date of the general assembly. These electronically cast votes are counted equally to those cast during the general assembly.
Voting rights and quorum during general assembly
25.1. Only members have the right to vote. Natural persons have one vote in the general assembly. Institutions have three votes in the general assembly.
25.2. Unless the statutes stipulate otherwise, the general assembly takes its decisions with a majority vote.
25.3. The general assembly can only make decisions when at least a tenth of the members are present or represented.
25.4. If the required number of members is not present or represented at a general assembly, a new meeting can be convened at least fourteen but at most twenty eight days afterwards, at that meeting – regardless of the number of present or represented members— decisions can be made on the same agenda issues as the previous meeting with a majority of at least two thirds of the votes.
25.5. Votes on persons have to be made in writing, but when none of the members objects, the general assembly can also make its decision by acclamation.
25.6. If votes on persons not dealing with elections are tied, a revote is called; if votes tie again, the motion is rejected.
25.7. In elections any votes on persons should be made by an absolute majority; should none of the candidates reach a majority, a revote is held between those persons with the highest number of votes, taking care that there is at least one more candidate on the ballot than there are vacancies; this revote is decided by the majority of votes.
25.8. Votes on business are made by a show of hands, unless the board of directors or the general assembly decides on a written vote.
25.9. In the event that votes on business tie the motion is rejected.
25.10. Blank and invalid votes do not count.
25.11. All written votes should be held with unsigned, closed notes.
Standing orders
26.1. The board of directors can make by-laws, which need to be confirmed by the general assembly.
26.2. By-laws can be changed through decisions of the general assembly.
26.3. In exception to article 25.2., the general assembly decides on approval of/changes to the by-laws through a theretofore called general assembly in which at least a tenth of the members is present or represented, and with a majority of at least two thirds of the vote. Article 25 applies in all other situations.
26.4. By-laws must not contravene the law or the association’s statutes.
Conferences
27.1. The association will organize an international (academic) conference every three years.
27.2. Further regulations concerning the triennial conference can be set in the by-laws.
Annual accounts
28.1. Annual meetings will be held within six months of the expiration of the association year.
28.2. The agenda for the Annual meetings should include the following items:
- the annual accounts;
- the report of the auditing committee and the appointment of a new auditing committee; c. the provision of any vacancies;
- the determination of the annual contribution.
28.3. The annual accounts should include: the annual report of the board of directors, a financial balance sheet, an overview of income and expenses, as well as comments on these items.
28.4. During the annual meeting, the treasurer should provide accountability for her/his financial administration; when the general assembly has assessed the annual accounts the treasurer is dismissed.
28.5. Before approving the annual accounts, the general assembly can decide to have an accountant or other specialist check the accounts.
Budget
29.1. Within three months of the expiration of the year of accounts the board of directors sets a budget for the coming calendar year and distributes it among the members; this budget should be accompanied by comments and explanations.
29.2. The general assembly is required to confirm the budget set by the board of directors before the end of the association year.
Committees and working groups
30.1. Both the general assembly and the board of directors are allowed to initiate committees or working groups.
30.2. The general assembly annually appoints an auditing committee of three members without seats on the board to study the accountability of the board of directors; this auditing committee reports its findings to the general assembly.
Donors to the association
31. Donors to the association are persons or institutions that have declared themselves willing to annually contribute to the association; the general assembly will yearly set the minimal amount of this contribution.
Dissolution and amendment to the statutes
32.1. The general assembly can decide to amend the statutes or dissolve the association; such a decision can only be made in a theretofore called general assembly in which at least two thirds of the members are present or represented, and a majority vote of at least two thirds is in favor of amendment or dissolution.
32.2. Should the quorum mentioned in article 32.1 not be present or represented, the board of directors can convene a general assembly in the above-mentioned manner, to be held at least fourteen but at most twenty eight days after the first meeting; in that second meeting said decision can only be made through a unanimous vote, irrespective of the number of members present or represented.
32.3. A meeting as designated in article 32.1 should be convened by the board of directors at least twenty days beforehand, informing the members that an amendment to the statutes or dissolution of the association is on the agenda.
32.4. The board of directors should disseminate the proposed amendment to the statutes to the members at least fourteen days before the meeting or make the amendment available for inspection by members, until the end of the day of the meeting.
Liquidation of the association’s assets
33.1. After the decision has been made to dissolve the association, the board of directors is appointed liquidator of the association’s assets, unless the general assembly decides to appoint another body.
33.2. Liquidation should be performed in observance of the demands of article 2:23 a through c of the Burgerlijk Wetboek (civil code).
33.3. Any remaining financial assets should be allocated by the general assembly in accordance with the purpose of the association.
33.4. After liquidation, the annual accounts and other documents will be kept for at least seven years in the care of the person appointed to do so by the general assembly; within eight days of liquidation that person is required to inform the Chamber of Commerce of her or his duties.