Constitution of the INSL

International Network for the Study of Lyric

I. Name

1 The name of the association shall be “International Network for the Study of Lyric” (hereafter: INSL).

2 The Constitution will be made available on the INSL website.

II. Purpose

1 The purpose of the INSL shall be to promote, stimulate and encourage the interdisciplinary study of lyric theory, lyricology, poetry, and verse in their various forms, media, and functions.

2 The association shall conduct activities solely for scholarly purposes. It is a nonprofit association.

3 In furtherance of the aforementioned purpose, the INSL shall, among other things:

  1. create and maintain an information infrastructure including a INSL website as well as associated web portals, e-mail lists and digital repositories enabling individuals and research groups to exchange information and to coordinate their activities;
  2. facilitate the exchange of ideas and concepts among different disciplines and languages;
  3. arrange for conferences on the theory of lyric from time to time, including the INSL conference every two years;
  4. support regional and special interest groups within the INSL;
  5. liaise with other associations, networks, research centres and groups and assist them in the coordination of their activities in the field of research on lyric;
  6. be entitled to do all other lawful things necessary to advance said purpose, including preparation and submission of grant application

III. Membership

1 Membership will be open to all persons, subject to approval by the Executive Board.

2 The Executive Board may, at its discretion, confer Honorary Membership on persons who have rendered distinguished service to the study of the theory of lyric.

IV. Meetings

1 The INSL shall hold General Meetings at times and places to be decided by the Executive Board, with the proviso that a General Meeting shall take place at the time of the INSL conference every two years. No less than twelve (12) weeks’ notice shall be given of the General Meeting.

2 Other General Meetings may be called by the Executive Board or at the written request of no fewer than twenty (20) members. Prior notice of no less than three (3) weeks shall be given for other General Meetings.

3 This Constitution, except for this Clause and the dissolution provisions, may be amended by a resolution passed by two-thirds of the Members of the INSL present (or represented by proxy) at a Meeting called for that purpose, provided no amendment be made that would cause the INSL to cease to exist as a nonprofit association.

V. Voting

Each Individual Member of the INSL is entitled to one (1) vote. Votes may be cast in person at a General Meeting or by a written and signed proxy forwarded to a Member who attends the Meeting; no Member shall be allowed to accept more than two (2) proxies.

VI. Executive Board

1 Except as otherwise provided by these By-laws, management of the INSL will be entrusted to the Executive Board. The Executive Board consists of three (3) elected members. Members of the Executive Board shall be Members of the INSL. Normally, the organizer of the next INSL conference will be a member of the Executive Board.

2 Election to the Executive Board takes place by a vote of the General Meeting at the time of the INSL conference every two years. Vacancies on the Executive Board shall be filled by election and the result declared at the same General Meeting. All Members of the INSL are eligible for election to the Executive Board. Nominations by INSL Members who are not members of the Executive Board must be followed by a statement from the nominee confirming his or her willingness to serve. Nominations must reach the Secretary on or before the published deadline for nominations, which shall be no less than eight (8) weeks prior to the General Meeting.

3 Elected Members of the Executive Board normally serve for two (2) years, with one (1) or more of their number retiring at the time of each election. Retiring Members are eligible for immediate re-election for a further term in office of two (2) years, with a maximum of three consecutive terms.

4 The quorum for meetings of the Executive Board consists of the three (3) elected members of the Executive Board.

5 The Members of the Executive Board shall appoint a President, a Vice-President and a Secretary from among their ranks immediately after the election. The Board will strive to represent the range of the membership. The officers will normally come from at least two different continents.

6 The President’s home institution serves as the official headquarters for the INSL during the given period. The President is responsible for maintenance of the INSL website and mailing list.

7 The Members of the Executive Board shall appoint from among their ranks, no later than six (6) months after election, the organiser and host of the next INSL conference.

8 A member may only function in a particular office for up to 48 months in total. It is possible for several members to share one role. Past members may serve as advisory members by appointment of the Executive Board without vote in the Board.

9 The Executive Board is entitled to add up to three (3) Members to its number by appointment in order to further the aims of the INSL by majority vote of the Board. The total number of the Board Members shall not exceed seven. Appointed Members will be voting Members of the Executive Board but are not required to form the quorum. Appointed membership in the Executive Board expires at the first General Meeting subsequent to appointment unless renewed by the Executive Board for a maximum of one (1) additional term in office. A term served as an appointed Board Member counts as a regular term, in that the election at a members’ General Meeting of a previously appointed Member is considered a re-election.

10 In the event that an elected member of the Executive Board cannot fill his/her term of office, the Board member shall present his or her resignation to the President in writing. Upon the acceptance of such a resignation, the President may appoint a Member to fill the vacant position on the Executive Board.

11 The Executive Board may set up Subcommittees, Regional Branches and Specialist Groups at its discretion to further the purposes of the INSL.

VII. Dissolution

If, upon dissolution of the INSL, there remain, after the satisfaction of all its debts and liabilities, any assets whatsoever, said assets shall not be paid to or distributed among the Members of the INSL but shall be assigned or transferred to some other nonprofit organisation or organisations whose purpose is similar to the purpose of the INSL, with such organisation or organisations to be determined by the Members of the INSL at or before the time of dissolution.

This Constitution was accepted at the founding meeting of the INSL held in Freiburg/Switzerland on October 15, 2015. It was amended at the Members’ Meetings at Boston University on June 8, 2017 and at Université de Lausanne on June 5, 2019.