Council Meeting Minutes July 25, 2004

Minutes/Out-Going Council Meeting
Trondheim, Norway
July 25, 2004

Outgoing Council

Present
Frank Vanclay (President)
David Hansen (Secretary/Treasurer)
Phil McMichael, RSS
Reidar Almas (Local Arrangements Chair)
Marit Haugen (Local Arrangements Co-Chair)
Mark Shucksmith (Program Chair)
Anita Brumer, ALASRU
Heather Aslin, AON
Stewart Lockie, AON
Hilary Tovey, ESRS
Haruo Kuroyanagi,
Hugh Campbell, AON
Imre Kovach, ESRS

Apologies
Bernardino Mata G, ALASRU
Abdoulaye Sene (Africa)
Goran Djurfeldt, ESRS
Atsushi Kitahara, ARSA
Rosiady Sayuti, ARSA
Diego Pineiro, ALASRU

Incoming Council

Present
Oakla Cho, ARSA
Paul Milbourne, ESRS
Bettina Bock, ESRS
Hans Bakker, RSS
Lynda Cheshire, AON

Apologies
Yoshio Kawamura, ARSA
Alessandro Bonanno, RSS
Surichai Wun’Gaeo, ARSA
Ray Jussaume, RSS
Garbriela Martinez D., ALASRU
Luciano Martinez V, ALASRU
Henrique de Barros, ALASRU

Others invited
Guoqing Li, ARSA
Regina Karega, OSSREA
Tai-Hun Kim, KRSS
Joo-sook Kim, KRSS
Ki-Whan Chung

Others present
Bonita Rubio, ALASRU
Ana Maria Aragones, ALASRU
Cesar Ramirez, ALASRU

Frank Vanclay formally opened the meeting at 14:00. He briefly introduced those present and then reviewed an informal meeting that was held during the morning with the Korean delegation that proposes to host the XII World Congress in 2008. He explained the procedure he intended to use for voting on motions and sought approval from everyone to proceed in that manner.

Marit Haugen and Reidar Almas reported on preparations for the current World Congress. Marit Haugen indicated that the Local Arrangement Committee had established a division of labor which included four different groups, each tasked with specific duties: (1) Finances; (2) Excursions; (3) Logistics and Publicity; and (4) Social Arrangements. She indicated that this organizational structure had worked well. Reidar Almas reported that the Congress was likely to generate a surplus. Coordination of local arrangements activities with those of the Programme Committee had gone very well. The same had been the case for coordination between this Committee and the IRSA Executive Committee.

Mark Shucksmith and Lynda Cheshire reported on the programme. They noted that over 800 abstracts were submitted and over 550 participants had registered. Mark Shucksmith indicated that the programme has been structured to maximise participation by attendees. He then recognised the essential contributions made by Lynda Cheshire to program organisation while he underwent surgery and recovered from it. She picked up where he left off and kept the process moving forward. Some problems were experienced with participant withdrawals, but they have been resolved. The programme may reflect some problems with regional balance and gender balance due to withdrawals, but they were unavoidable and have been addressed to the extent possible.

Motion: Mark Shucksmith, Lynda Cheshire, Reidar Almas and Marit Haugen be congratulated for their efforts. (Passed with acclamation)

Frank Vanclay then turned to the minutes of the last Council Meetings held in Rio de Janeiro in August, 2000 and in Brisbane in August, 2002, both of which had already been approved by Council via e-mail. There were no additional comments on the minutes.

Dave Hansen presented the IRSA Quadrennial Report which describes major activities of IRSA since the last World Congress. (See appendix).

Motion: The IRSA Council accepts the Quadrennial Report. (Passed)

Dave Hansen was then requested to present the Treasurer’s Report. This Report shows that IRSA currently has a balance of over $35,000 in its checking and savings accounts. He presented a letter from Linda Lobao, Past RSS President, certifying that she had reviewed the IRSA accounts and that they are in order.

Motion: The IRSA Council accept the Treasurer’s Report as presented. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then requested Dr. Ki-Whan Chung, the proposed Local Arrangements Chair for the 2008 World Congress, to present an overview of the Korean bid. Dr. Chung tabled a very detailed, professionally produced formal proposal outlining all aspects of the planned Congress. He indicated that they would like to hold it in Seoul, Korea. It will be hosted by the Korean Rural Sociology Society (KRSS) in collaboration with the Korean Rural Economic Institute (KREI). He identified the proposed Programme Chair, (Yoshio Kawamura), Programme Co-Chair (Cheong), and Programme Deputy Chair (Jussaume) and indicated that the preferred time for the World Congress would be from June 22-28, 2008. The proposed Congress theme is “Envisioning a Prosperous Rural Future in a Globalizing World.” Ki-Whan Chung then reviewed elements of the proposed organisation and implementation of the World Congress, indicating that they will be similar to those of the XI World Congress. They expect to host about 1,000 participants, many of whom will come from Asia. The proposed budget is balanced and includes the provision of revenues from registration fees, sponsors, and other sources. Ki-Whan Chung assured everyone that personal safety is not an issue, noting that Korea has had extensive experience in organising successful large international conferences.

Frank Vanclay indicated that he had the opportunity to visit Korea in June 2004 when he attended the RC24 Environmental Sociology conference. While in Seoul, he had the opportunity to meet with the Korean delegation, inspect the proposed facilities, and discuss finer points of the proposal. He indicated that he was very impressed wth what he has seen, and he strongly recommended that the proposal be accepted by Council. Several Council members expressed their satisfaction with the proposal and congratulated the Korean delegation for their efforts. Issues that were raised in ensuring discussion included clarification of which costs will be covered by registration fees, the potential need to vary registration fees to reflect ability of delegates from lower income countries to pay, and the most appropriate dates for the Congress.

Frank Vanclay mentioned that the issue of holding the Congress in a city a 10,000,000 represented something of a paradox, given that we represent a “rural” perspective. He also noted that the use of a very large convention center was also new. He suggested that Council accept the bid in principle with the understanding that details can be worked out in the future.

Motion: Korea be recognized as the location for the 2008 World Congress and the Executive Committee finalise a Memorandum of Understanding for the hosting of the Congress. (Unanimously Passed)

Frank Vanclay then asked for a discussion of the proposed dates of the Congress. European Council members indicated that late August was best for them because of other commitments. AON members indicated that this timing would be difficult for them because they will be teaching then. Following length discussion on various dates, Frank Vanclay recommended that the Korean delegation consider holding the Conference during the first week of July. This recommendation was approved by the Council.

Frank Vanclay then asked Council to recognise and thank the Korean delegation for their efforts in preparing such an excellent proposal and for their presentation to Council. Council did so by providing Ki-Whan Chung and other members of the Korean delegation with an enthusiastic round of applause.

He also announced that Ki-Whan Chung now automatically becomes a member of the In-Coming Council as Local Arrangements Chair and that Yoshio Kawamura now automatically becomes a member as In-Coming Programme Chair.

Frank Vanclay brought up proposed changes to the Constitution. He noted that the Executive Committee has been able to road test the proposed changes by applying many of them to IRSA activities during the past two years. The following motions for alterations in the Constitution were considered by the Council:

Motion: The IRSA Council approves the replacement of ‘elect’ with ‘nominate’ in Article 6(b) of the Constitution. (Passed)

Motion: The IRSA Council approves the exemption of the Secretary-Treasurer in Article 7(c ) of the Constitution. (Passed)

Hilary Tovey raised a concern about wording in Article 12(b) of the Constitution, noting that the wording Probi Viri was sexist. She also mentioned that she had made this point at the 2002 Council Meeting in Brisbane and had through that we had agreed to fix it then.

It was moved that the IRSA Council approve a change to Article 12(b) deleting the words “to be known as the Probi Viri Council, and”. (Passed)

Motion: The Constitution as amended be approved and recommended to the General Assembly. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then discussed proposed additional changes to the By-laws. The following motions for change were considered and approved by Council:

Motion: IRSA Council approves the inclusion in By-law 2 of a procedure to provide a waiver of dues payments to regional associations in cases of hardship (Passed)

Motion: IRSA Council approves a change to By-law 4 to specify that the manner of vote counting will be by the Preferential Counting method (with the understanding that Council members need not vote for everyone on an election slate. (Passed)

Motion: IRSA Council approves mention of the Out-Going President in By-law 6. (Passed)

Motion: IRSA Council approves a change to By-law 2 so that it reads as follows:

“The membership fee for Regional Organisations claiming membership of IRSA under Article 3 b(1) of the Constitution shall be set at the time of joining and shall be negotiated with them according to their size and capacity to pay. The membership fee shall be levied for the four year period from one World Congress to the next. The Rural Sociological Society (RSS) shall pay a total fee for the four year period of $4,000. The European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) shall pay a total fee for the four year period of $1,200. The Australian and Oceanic Network for rural social research and community development (AON) shall pay a total fee for the four year period of $400. The Latin American Rural Sociology Association (ALASRU) shall pay a total fee for the four year period of $200. The Asian Rural Sociology Association (ARSA) shall pay a total fee for the four year period of $100. The fee may be paid in a single payment or may be paid in either 2 or 4 installments at the determination of the member association. If the payment of the prescribed fee represents a major difficulty for a regional organisation, it may apply in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer for a fee waiver. These prescribed fees shall be reviewed by the Council at the Out-Gong Council meeting at each World Congress.

The membership fee for an Associate Organisation claiming membership of IRSA under Article 3 b(2) of the Constitution and for Special Interest Groups joining IRSA under Article 3 b(3) shall be set at the time of their joining and shall be negotiated with them according to their size and capacity to pay. For these two categories of membership, the fee shall be levied for the four year period from one World Congress to the next. As an indicative guide, except where there is regional disadvantage, organizations with a membership of greater than 800 members, the total fee for the four year period shall be $600. In the case of organisations with between 200 and 800 members, the fee shall be a total of $400, and in the case of organizations with less than 200 members, it shall be a total of $200. The fee may be paid in a single payment, or may be paid in either 2 or 4 installments at the determination of the member association. If the payment of the prescribed fee represents a major difficulty for the regional organization, it may apply in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer for a fee waiver. These prescribed fees shall be reviewed by the Council at the Out-Going Council meeting at each World Congress.

Individual membership of IRSA a provided for in Article 3 b(5) of the Constitution shall be US$20 for the period from one World Congress to the next.

In the case of all categories of membership, dues shall be payable in advance.”

Motion: IRSA Council approve that the By-laws as amended be approved and recommended to the General Assembly. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then introduced proposed changes to the Procedural Manual, which were presented as a series of motions to be passed by the Council.

Motion: IRSA Council approves the Secretary-Treasurer as someone entitled to reimbursements in the Reimbursement Section of the Procedural Manual. (Passed)

Motion: IRSA Council approves a range of other cosmetic and grammatical changes to the Procedural Manual as tabled by President Frank Vanclay at the Council meeting of 25 July 2004. (Passed)

Motion: The Procedural Manual as amended be approved and forwarded to the General Assembly for noting. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then initiated discussion of possible nominees for the position of Editor of the Elsevier published book series, “Research in Rural Sociology and Development (RRSD)” which is published with endorsement by RSS, IRSA and ESRS. He asked for names of candidates for this position. Considerable discussion ensued regarding the organisation of the editorial dimension of this series, including the role of board members. Council noted a list of possible candidates presented by Frank Vanclay. Hilary Tovey suggested that some comment about the role of the Editorial Board needed to be conveyed to Fred Buttel.

Motion: The IRSA Council recommends that members suggest additional names for the position of Editor to Frank Vanclay during the current IRSA Congress, and that the issue of what names to be put forward and/or statement to make to Fred Buttel be resolved by the Executive Committee. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then brought up the possibility that papers from the XI World Congress be posted to the IRSA website. He noted that this topic had been discussed at the informal meeting held that morning. Various pros and cons for this activity were discussed. Some indicated that posting articles would encourage additional use of the IRSA website, and others indicated that it would facilitate World Congress participation by some since they might find it easier to obtain support for attendance if they could show that their papers would be posted on the website. Others argued against the proposal, indicating that there could be major quality, liability and other troubling issues associated with it.

Motion: The IRSA Council recommends, in principle, that conference papers be published on the website and entrusts the Executive Committee to finalize any remaining concerns. (Passed)

Frank Vanclay then brought up some issues that should be of concern to us in the future. One is to develop relationships with rural sociology in Africa. The Organisation of Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA) is a logical point of contact for doing so. He argued that IRSA should consider Africa as the potential site for the 2012 World Congress. He strongly encouraged the In-Coming Council to approve this suggestion. He then mentioned the development of proposals for World Congresses. It is important in the future that proposals be nurtured by the IRSA Executive Committee. He noted that the Executive Committee needs to link with sponsors to provide real subsidies and discounts that will enable greater attendance at the World Congresses. The capacity of IRSA Executive Committee to work with sponsors needs to be strengthened. IRSA also needs to increase opportunities for rural sociologists to publish their research. He then suggested that the Executive Committee, with advice from Council, continue to make the IRSA website a more useful resource.

Frank Vanclay then thanked Dave Hansen, Secretary/Treasurer, for the support given to him during his term as President. He indicated that the Council has accomplished much during the past four years. He thanked Council for its support of his agenda, and for working with him to accomplish concrete objectives during his administration.

The meeting was formally closed at 16:05.

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