INTEREST GROUPS
Formation and Dissolution
Activities
How to Establish an Interest Group
Interest Group Council
Funding
a. Interest groups reflect specific subject interests, geographical areas, or address other matters of common concern.
b. Ten or more members, by signed petition to the Board, may request recognition as an interest group. Board approval as to the establishment of an interest group is based upon (1) whether a proposed interest group compliments the mission of the Society; (2) its relation to existing interest groups; or (3) other factors relative to the financial well-being of the Society and the success of its programs.
c. Interest group membership is flexible, consisting of Society members who attend interest group meetings; these programs are open to all conference attendees. Interest group members elect their own chairs who, unless otherwise specified, serve a renewable four-year term. Interest group chairs, like other officers and committee chairs, must be current members of the Society.
d. Interest groups renew their mandates at the end of each four-year period [9/02]by resubmitting a signed petition to the Board. (As in b. above)
e. The Interest Group Council, consisting of all chairs of interest groups within the Society, meets at annual spring conferences for organizational/informational purposes and to coordinate activities. Council meetings are chaired by a council coordinator, an elected member of the Board appointed by the President.
f. Any interest group shall be automatically dissolved if it fails to meet at the annual conference for four consecutive years without notifying the Interest Group Coordinator of exceptional circumstances. [9/03]
g. The Board may revoke the interest group status of any group upon the recommendation of the group itself, or for cause that the group in question has been conducted in a manner contrary to the purposes of the Society, or if its continuing existence might be detrimental to the best interests of the Society.
a. Interest groups should provide regular forums for the exchange of information and ideas specific to their area of interest. Such forums provide a unique opportunity for outreach that is often not found in other activities of the annual conference. An interest group session at the annual spring conference may be organizational, programmatic, or provide an informal forum for the exchange of information and opinions among members; it may also offer several of these options within a single session.
b. The conference program committee will allot space on the program for half of the Interest Groups each year. Proposals for Interest Group sessions will be submitted through the regular conference program process. Space will be given to the interest groups who submit requests by the deadline for conference proposals, with preference given to groups who did not have a formal place on the program at the previous conference. While the content of interest group sessions is not formally evaluated by the program committee, the program chair and committee determine the position, length, and location of sessions on the conference program. Once accepted by the program committee, the session will be listed in the program. Interest group sessions are customarily scheduled simultaneously with other conference events.
c.Interest groups are also encouraged to propose regular sessions or papers as annual conferences, either by themselves or in alliance with other groups. These are submitted for review by the deadline for program proposals and will be judged without bias on the same criteria as other proposals before the program committee.
d. Interest groups are encouraged to establish their own homepages on the Society's web site, linked to the Society's homepage; as well as to submit periodic reports to the Bulletin on interest group activities and concerns. In years when an interest group does not have a formal place on the conference program, it is encouraged to meet informally.
e. In between conferences, it is the responsibility of interest group chairs to coordinate communication between members of their respective groups, and to inform the Interest Group Council coordinator of any ongoing developments.
f. Publications proposed by interest groups must be submitted to the Publications Committee for review if the Society's name is to be used. Following approval of the Board upon recommendation by the Publications Committee, the following wording should be used: "Prepared by the [name] Interest Group of the Society for American Music."
g. Any cooperative ventures of interest groups involving other organizations, or other public activities in which the Society's name is displayed, require prior permission from the Society President and/or Board. Any financial commitment must receive prior approval. All public announcements will state that the activities have been initiated by "[name] Interest Group of the Society for American Music."
3. How to establish an Interest Group: Information for interim spokespersons and newly-elected chairs
a. Discuss the possibility with the Interest Group Council Coordinator. Consider whether the topic or area of concern of the proposed interest group might logically fit within the sphere of activity of an existing interest group.
b. Submit a signed petition to the Board requesting recognition as an interest group. This may take the form of a paper document, signed by ten or more Society members; or ten letters or emails. Duplicate all materials for your personal files and forward originals to the Interest Group Council Coordinator, together with a memo as to who will act as spokesperson until a chair can be formally elected. The Council Coordinator then informs the President that the petition requirement has been met. The President, in consultation with the executive committee, may decide to recognize the new interest group pending formal approval by the Board. At this point the new interest group will be considered eligible to request time and space for an organizational meeting at the next annual conference of the Society. However, no funding is to be allocated to the group until the issue may be considered in conjunction with the standard process of drawing up a budget for the next fiscal year.
c. As designated spokesperson, you are responsible for setting up an organizational meeting at the next annual conference and insuring that a chair is duly elected. You should notify petition-signers and other interested individuals that this meeting will take place. Unless you met the deadline for conference session proposals, this initial meeting will not have a formal place on the program.
d. Plan to attend the Interest Group Council meeting at the annual conference. Get on the Interest Group Council listserv.
e. After the initial meeting of the interest group, the newly-elected chair notifies the council coordinator of the official name of the new group. The coordinator passes on this information to the editor of the Directory and the Bulletin, and the Society's web page, so the name may be added to the official list of interest groups.
f. Submit a brief report to the Bulletin editor describing the topic and proposed activities of the new group.
h. Remember to send a copy to the Interest Group Council coordinator of any correspondence involving interest group matters. Keep the coordinator informed of ongoing activities of your interest group.
4. Interest
Group Council
The Interest Group chairs meet annually to discuss topics of mutual interest.
The chair of this group is the Interest Group Coordinator, usually a member
of the Board who is appointed to the position.
a. An individual budget line, funded by donations and by occasional Board allocations (for conference-related expenses) is established for each interest group within the Society. At the end of a fiscal year any unused interest group funds are carried over to its budget line for the subsequent year. Interest groups may receive donations from individual Society members (e.g., at the time of membership renewal), or from outside sources. Any extensive fund-raising activities on the part of individual interest groups must be coordinated through the Society's Development Committee.
b. Interest groups proposing conference activities requiring additional funding beyond their own resources may consult with the designated Program Chair before the deadline for paper submissions. (See Activities, Section b above). If a plan merits conference funding, the Program Committee may choose to propose its inclusion as a special event rather than as an interest group session, thereby including the costs in the overall conference budget.
c. As a general practice, interest group funds may not be used either to defray Society members' annual dues, or an honoraria for Society members' presentations at Society conferences, or for registration fees, travel, or other conference-related expenditures by Society members.
d. In the event of the dissolution of an interest group, any funds remaining in its budget line revert to the Society's general funds in the absence of any specific action by the Board stipulating an alternative allocation of funds.