STATUTES
ARTICLE 1 - NAME, AIM AND SEAT1.1 The name of the Association shall be GLOBAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION (GCRA) or any other name selected by the Senate of the Association and ratified by the Assembly of Networks.
1.2 The GLOBAL COMMUNICATION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION - shall have the aim of supporting media and communication researchers from Under Represented Areas, geographically and epistemologically.
1.2 The Association's legal seat is in North Ryde, New South Wales c/o Macquarie University Department of International Communication, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
ARTICLE 2 - SPECIFIC AIMS
The specific aims of the Association are:
2.1 To provide a forum where there can be an inter-civilisational exchange for researchers and professionals in media and communication linked to sub-regional, regional and inter-regional networking.
2.2 To address the research needs of media and communication researchers in areas which are under-represented in internationally published scholarship and international research organisations.
2.3 To recognise regional pride in the different languages and cultures within various regions of the world.
2.4 To encourage the development of research projects within and between Under-Represented Areas (URAs) and ORAs (Over-Represented Areas).
2.5 To document and publish research through provision of translation, publishing and conference attendance mechanisms.
ARTICLE 3 - MEMBERSHIP
3.1 The Association has three categories of membership:
3.1.1 Individual Members:
All individuals who are Media and Communication researchers or postgraduate students may become members and may express that membership through one of the Networks in 3.1.4:
3.1.2 Institutional Members:
All Media and Communication research institutions may become institutional members and may express that membership through one of the Networks in 3.1.4:
3.1.3 Honorary Members:
Scholars and distinguished personalities who do not fall within the above categories may be invited by the President, after approval by the Executive Board, Senate and Assembly, to become Honorary Members under categories designated by the Senate including Honorary Associates, Fellows and Patrons.
3.1.4 Networks:
GCRA Members will participate in GCRA through Sub-Regional and other Networks as identified below:- (1)Africa Central; (2)Africa East; (3)Africa Northern; (4)Africa Southern; (5)Africa Western; (6)Asia Central; (7)Asia North East; (8)Asia South East; (9)Asia South; (10) Asia west; (11)Europe East; (12)Europe Mediterranean; (13) Europe West; (14) Europe CIS; (15) North America; (16)Central America; (17)Caribbean; (18)South America; (19)Australia-New Zealand; (20)Melanesia; (21) Micronesia; (22)Polynesia; (23) Indigenous; (24) Young Scholars; (25) Women Scholars.
3.2 The regulations of membership are the following:
3.2.1 Networks shall be recognised as members by the Senate (majority: two-thirds of the expressed votes). In the case of refusal to admit to membership, the network refused may have recourse to the Assembly which may decide on membership (majority required: two-thirds of the expressed votes).
ARTICLE 4 - GOVERNING BODIES
4.1 The Association has the following governing bodies:
4.1.1 an Assembly;
4.1.2 a Senate;
4.1.3 an Executive Board;
4.1.4 a President.
4.2 Governing Bodies may meet physically or in virtual meeting rooms.
ARTICLE 5 - ASSEMBLY (MEETINGS AND VOTES)
5.1 The Assembly meets ordinarily every second year. It may be convened by the President for an extraordinary meeting if necessary, and it must be convened on request of at least one-third of the Networks identified at 3.1.4.
5.2 Networks are entitled to vote and elect in the Assembly as follows:
5.2.1 Networks (referring to Sub Regions and Special Groups) shall be represented in the Assembly by upto five delegates each, of their own choice, chosen through processes proposed by each Sub-Regional Network and approved by the Assembly;
5.2.2 Each Network will have five votes in the Assembly, to be expressed by available representatives, regardless of how many representatives may be available at any time;
5.2.3 The Assembly votes and elects by a simple majority of expressed votes.
5.2.4 the vote or election will be by ballot if at least five Networks request this before the vote or election, each Network having then the votes according to 5.2.2 (supra).
ARTICLE 6 - ASSEMBLY (TASKS)
6.1 The Assembly shall define the Association's principles of action and in particular make decisions concerning the work-programmes initiated by itself or by the Senate.
6.2 The Assembly shall make decisions concerning the management report, the accounts and the budget proposed by the President of the Association with the comments of the Senate.
6.3 The Assembly shall decide on its internal regulations, and on all matters that have not been assigned to other bodies.
6.4 The Assembly will elect the Senate.
6.4.1 Each Sub-Regional Network bloc of members in the Assembly will together with other Networks from its continental home i.e. either (1) Africa, (2) Asia, (3) Europe, (4) North America, (5) Latin America & the Caribbean or (6) Oceania, elect two continental representative to the Senate.
6.4.2 Other non-geographic Networks in the Assembly each elect one representative to the Senate.
ARTICLE 7 - SENATE (MEMBERS AND MEETINGS)
7.1 The 15 member Senate, under the presidency of the Association's President, shall comprise apart from the President, two representatives from each of the six continental regions identified in 6.4.1 and one representative each from the Indigenous Scholars, Young Scholars' and Women Scholars' Networks.
7.2 The members of the Senate referred to in 7.1 above shall be elected for four years. The members in office may be re-elected. In case of the death or resignation of one of its members, the President shall ask the relevant Networks to nominate a new member for the remainder of the mandate.
7.3 The Senate shall be convened by the President as often as appears necessary, but he is bound to convene it on the request of at least two-thirds of the members.
7.4 The Senate shall decide by a simple majority of votes. Each member of the Senate shall have one vote.
7.5 The Senate will elect by simple majority from among its number, a five officer Executive Board with a four year term of office, the officers being (i) President, (ii) Secretary General, (iii) Treasurer; (iv) Vice President; (v) Vice President.
ARTICLE 8 - SENATE (TASKS)
8.1 The Senate shall:
8.1.1 control the execution of the programmes approved by the Assembly;
8.1.2 give its opinion on the report and on the accounts presented by the President and the Treasurer;
8.1.3 decide on redefinition and admission of networks;
8.1.4 establish the draft budget and present it for approval to the Assembly;
8.1.5 prepare the agenda of the Assembly and the work-programmes which
are to be submitted for the Assembly's approval;
8.1.6 define the organization details of management and financing of Sections and draw up the list of members whose names are to be submitted to the Senate for election to the Executive Board
8.1.7 ratify agreements between the Association and other bodies as provided for in Article 11
ARTICLE 9 - EXECUTIVE BOARD (MEMBERS AND TASKS)
9.1 The Executive Board comprises the President, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and two Vice Presidents
9.2 Voting in connection with the election of the Executive Board may take place through postal voting, electronic voting or voting at conventional meetings;
9.3 The Executive Board shall decide by a simple majority of votes. Each member of the Executive Board shall have one vote.
9.4 Members of the Executive Board may be re-elected. In case of the death or
resignation of one of its members, the Executive Board shall coopt a substitute pending the meeting of the Senate, which shall elect a new member for the remainder of the mandate.
9.5 The Association's Executive Board shall be charged with carrying out the
Association's current business.
9.6 Between the meetings of Senate, the Executive Board shall control the execution of the programmes.
ARTICLE 10 - PRESIDENT
10.1 The President shall represent the Association and ensure the regularity of its action.
10.2 Should the President be unable to exercise his functions, he shall be replaced by the Secretary General until the Senate or Steering Committee elects a new President.
10.3 The President shall be elected for four years, his mandate not being immediately renewable.
10.4 The President shall assign tasks to members of the Executive Board as determined by the Senate.
ARTICLE 11 - NETWORKS AND CO-OPERATIVE AGREEMENTS
11.1 By decision of the Assembly, Networks may be established or commissioned to perform specified tasks consistent with the aims of the Association.
11.2 Each Network shall have a President who shall be elected by the Network and who will be one of the representatives of that Network in the Assembly of Networks for the duration of his presidency.
11.3 The organization, details of management, and the financing of the Networks shall be defined by the Senate.
11.4 A Network may be constituted by a pre-existing or newly-formed Regional or other Association;
11.5 The Association shall also be empowered to conclude agreements with any
person or any international or national institution, organization or association to accomplish tasks consistent with its aims. These agreements must be ratified by the Senate.
ARTICLE 12 - FINANCIAL REGULATIONS
12.1 The financial resources of the Association are chiefly derived from:
12.2 Institutional Membership fees
12.3 Grants, awards, and donations.
12.4 Payment for work undertaken by the Association.
ARTICLE 13 - AMENDMENTS OF THE STATUTES
13.1 Amendments of the statutes must be approved by the Assembly (majority
required: two-thirds of the votes present or represented). The proposals for amendment should be sent to the President who communicates them to the Association's members two months before the Assembly commissioned to examine them.
ARTICLE 14 - CONSTITUTING THE ASSOCIATION
14.1 The Association shall be constituted through the vehicle of the first Constitutive Committee that will consist of those mentioned in Schedule A.
14.2 Constitutive Committee Members may attend by proxy;
14.3 In the absence of an Assembly and Senate constituted according to the Statutes, those attending the Constitutive Meeting in Sydney, Australia, as identified in Schedule A, will be known as the Steering Committee and will take on the role of the Assembly and Senate.
14.4 The Steering Committee will elect the first Executive Board, deciding on its size.
14.5 The Constitutive Committee will be called the Steering Committee until the formation of an Assembly and Senate.
14.6 The Steering Committee and Executive Board will have the responsibility of establishing
the Association under these Statutes within a period of four years.
14.7 If all Regional and Other Networks have not been developed at the time of the first Assembly, the Steering Committee will decide on provisional representation of those Network areas.
ARTICLE 15 - DISSOLUTION
15.1 The dissolution of the Association can only be decided by the Assembly
(majority required: two-thirds of the votes present or represented). The proposal for dissolution should be sent to the President who communicates it to the Association's members two months before the Assembly commissioned to examine it. In the event of dissolution, the assets of the Association, once all debts have been settled, will be devolved according to the rules fixed by the Assembly that voted the dissolution. Without these rules, the dissolution decision shall not take effect.
The above Statutes have been approved by the Constitutive Conference held in North Ryde, at the seat of Department of International Communication on the 26th of September 2001
President: Professor Naren Chitty
Secretary General:Professor Basyouni Hamada