ELSJ Constitution
Last revised July 2021
Chapter 1: General Provisions
| Article 1: | This society shall be called the English Linguistic Society of Japan (henceforth the ELSJ). | |
| 2. | This society was founded on November 20, 1983. | |
| 3. | This society shall be housed at the institution with which the President is affiliated. | |
| Article 2: | The purpose of the ELSJ shall be to contribute to the progress and development of synchronic or diachronic studies on English and linguistic theory. | |
| Article 3: | In order to achieve the purpose of Article 2, the ELSJ shall: | |
| 1) | Hold annual conferences and other research presentation meetings. | |
| 2) | Issue journals, newsletters and other publications. | |
| 3) | Engage in other activities deemed necessary by the ELSJ. | |
Chapter 2: Membership
| Article 4: | The members of the ELSJ shall consist of sustaining members, regular members, student members, supporting members, and lifetime members. | |
| Article 5: | Regular members shall agree with the intent of the ELSJ and gain membership in the society through designated procedures. | |
| 2. | A regular member can become a sustaining member through designated procedures. In addition, the officers specified in 1 to 3 of Article 9 shall be considered to be sustaining members. | |
| 3. | A sustaining member shall return to regular member status when the member becomes 68 years old. | |
| 4. | A regular or a sustaining member may become a lifetime member through designated procedures in the year they reach the age of 66. Lifetime member regulations are separately specified. | |
| Article 6: | Supporting members shall be the organizations that agree with the intent of the ELSJ and give financial assistance to the ELSJ, and subsequently gain membership in the society upon approval of the board of directors. | |
| Article 7: | The membership dues shall be specified separately. | |
| Article 8: | Rights and duties of the members are as follows: | |
| 1) | Members are entitled to receive all printed materials and CDs published by the ELSJ, such as English Linguistics, the conference proceedings JELS, the Conference Program booklet, and Newsletters. | |
| 2) | Members are allowed to make presentations at the annual Conferences and the International Spring Forums, submit articles to English Linguistics and JELS, and apply for the ELSJ Awards. | |
| 3) | Members have the rights and duties of participation and cooperation in the management of the ELSJ. In addition, all the members are entitled to express their opinions on the ELSJ to the president, the secretariat, and other officers and committees by mail, in writing, or in person. | |
| 4) | Members must pay membership dues before the end of each fiscal year. Note that a member who does not pay membership dues for two years shall lose membership automatically at the end of the second fiscal year. | |
| 5) | Members are subject to the Guidelines for Deterring Misconduct in Research Activities of the ELSJ. Should an act of misconduct be identified, Article 3 of the Guidelines shall apply. | |
| 6) | Failure to comply with the Guidelines for Deterring Misconduct in Research Activities of the ELSJ or other forms of inappropriate behavior may result in suspension from ELSJ membership. Suspension periods are decided based on the deliberations of the board of directors. | |
Chapter 3: Officers
| Article 9: | The ELSJ shall establish the following offices: | |
| 1) | President | |
| 2) | Directors | |
| 3) | Councilors | |
| 4) | Auditors, Chair of the Editorial Board, Members of the Editorial Board, Chair of the Conference Organizing Committee, Members of the Conference Organizing Committee, Chair of the Public Relations Committee, Members of the Public Relations Committee, Chair of the ELSJ Awards Committee, Members of the ELSJ Awards Committee | |
| 5) | Advisers | |
| 6) | Secretary-General | |
| 7) | Chair and Members of Committees which may be organized through deliberations of the Directorial Board | |
| Article 10: | The president shall be elected by the board of directors from among the membership of the society, and shall be no more than 65 years old at the time of assumption of office. The term of the presidency shall be two years, and the president may not serve more than two terms consecutively. | |
| 2. | The president represents the ELSJ, presides over the management of the ELSJ, and chairs meetings within the ELSJ. | |
| 3. | If the president becomes unable to perform the duties of office, the secretary-general shall convene an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors immediately in order to deal with the situation. | |
| 4. | Decisions regarding the selection of a president in an emergency situation shall be left to the discretion of the board of directors. | |
| Article 11: | The secretary-general shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the board of directors. | |
| 2. | The term of the secretary-general shall be two years, and the secretary-general may not serve more than two terms consecutively. | |
| 3. | The secretary-general is eligible to attend meetings of officers, such as the board of directors and the board of councilors, and can participate in discussions. | |
| 4. | The secretary-general may have clerks and part-time assistants upon approval of the president in order to carry out the business of the ELSJ. | |
| Article 12: | The directors shall be elected from among the councilors and appointed by the president. | |
| 2. | Directors shall serve two two-year terms and may not immediately be reappointed. Directors shall be no more than 65 years old at the time of assumption of office. | |
| 3. | The directors shall constitute the board of directors. | |
| Article 13: | The auditors shall be appointed by the president with the approval of the board of councilors. | |
| 2. | Auditors shall serve one two-year term and may not immediately be reappointed. Auditors shall be no more than 65 years old at the time of assumption of office. | |
| Article 14: | The councilors shall be appointed by the president on the basis of rules specified separately. | |
| 2. | Councilors shall serve a two-year term and may be reappointed. Councilors shall be no more than 65 years old at the time of assumption of office. | |
| 3. | The councilors shall constitute the board of councilors. | |
| Article 15: | The editorial board shall be organized on the basis of the rules of the editorial board, and the chair shall be elected from among the members. | |
| 2. | Members of the editorial board shall serve two two-year terms and may not immediately be reappointed. | |
| 3. | The chair of the editorial board shall serve one two-year term and may not be reappointed. | |
| 4. | The rules of the editorial board shall be specified separately. | |
| Article 16: | The conference organizing committee shall be organized on the basis of the rules of the conference organizing committee, and the chair shall be elected from among the members. | |
| 2. | Members of the conference organizing committee shall serve one three-year term and may not immediately be reappointed. | |
| 3. | The chair of the conference organizing committee shall serve one year and may not be reappointed. | |
| 4. | The rules of the conference organizing committee shall be specified separately. | |
| Article 17: | The public relations committee shall be organized on the basis of the rules of the public relations committee, and the chair shall be elected from among the members. | |
| 2. | Members of the public relations committee shall serve two two-year terms and may not immediately be reappointed. | |
| 3. | The chair of the public relations committee shall serve one two-year term and may not be reappointed. | |
| 4. | The rules of the public relations committee shall be specified separately. | |
| Article 18: | The awards committee shall be organized on the basis of the rules of the awards committee, and the chair shall be appointed by the president. | |
| 2. | The chair of the awards committee shall serve one year and may not be reappointed. | |
| 3. | The term of office of members of the awards committee shall be specified in the rules of the awards committee. | |
| 4. | The rules of the awards committee shall be specified separately. | |
| Article 19: | Approximately half of the members of the board of directors, the editorial board, and the public relations committee shall be elected every two years, and approximately a third of the members of the conference organizing committee shall be elected every year. | |
| Article 20: | Advisers shall be individuals who have contributed to the ELSJ and who have been approved by the board of directors. | |
| Article 21: | When a vacancy arises due to resignation or other circumstances in the course of a term of office, the term of the replacement officer shall be the remainder of the original term. | |
Chapter 4: Meetings
| Article 22: | Meetings of the board of directors shall be convened by the president. | |
| 2. | The board of directors shall not hold a meeting unless a majority of its members are present. | |
| 3. | Decisions shall be reached by a majority of the members present, with the chair serving as tie-breaker as needed. | |
| Article 23: | A meeting of the board of councilors shall be convened once a year by the president. An extraordinary meeting, however, can be called at any time if the president deems it necessary. | |
| 2. | The procedures of the board of councilors shall be subject to sections 2 and 3 of Article 22. | |
| Article 24: | The board of councilors shall approve the financial accounts of the ELSJ upon the request of the board of directors. | |
| Article 25: | A general meeting shall be convened once a year by the president. | |
| Article 26: | The minutes of meetings shall be prepared and preserved by the secretariat. | |
Chapter 5: Accounting
| Article 27: | The expenses of the ELSJ shall be funded by dues, subsidies, contributions and other sources. | |
| Article 28: | The fiscal year of the ELSJ shall begin on the 1st of April and end on the 31st of March of the following year. | |
| Article 29: | The proposed budget of the ELSJ shall be decided by the board of directors and reported to the board of councilors and the general meeting of the ELSJ. | |
| Article 30: | The financial statements of the ELSJ shall be prepared within approximately one month after the end of each fiscal year and, after inspection by the auditors and approval by the board of directors, they shall be reported to the board of councilors and the general meeting of the ELSJ. | |
Chapter 6: Supplementary Provisions
| Article 31: | The detailed regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this constitution shall be decided by the board of directors and implemented by the president. | |
| Article 32: | Any amendment to this constitution shall be decided by the board of directors and reported to the board of councilors and the general meeting of the ELSJ. | |