ARTICLE 1: NAME AND REGISTERED ADDRESS
 
1.1            The name of the Society is the European Society of Psychology Learning and Teaching,

                 shortened as ESPLAT (hereafter  the “Society” in this document).

1.2            The address of the Society is registered as ESPLAT c/o EFPA, EFPA Head office, Grasmarkt                         105/39, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium.

1.3            The Society is an international non-profit association (AISBL, Association internationale sans                     but lucratif).

 

 

ARTICLE 2: AIM AND ACTIVITIES
 
2.1            The aim of the Society is to advance the learning and teaching of scientific psychology at all                       educational levels on the basis of scientific evidence, within Europe and beyond.

2.2            The Society seeks to undertake the following activities: 
                    a.  to represent psychology teaching and learning at European and international levels;
                    b.  to provide forums to encourage communication and academic exchange between                                          researchers and teachers in psychology;
                    c.  to give input to European policy development and participate in the implementation of                                    European policies related to teaching and learning of psychology;
                    d.  to support Society members and their activities at national and international level;
                    e.  to help Society members to build a European identity based on common values and goals,                            diversity, multilingualism, mutual respect and collaboration, mobility, and service to                                      society;
                    f.   to encourage the dissemination of knowledge about teaching and learning of psychology

                           in Europe.

 

ARTICLE 3: ADMISSION CONDITIONS AND CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP
 
3.1              There are three categories of membership: Regular, Associate, Student.

3.1.1           Regular members must hold a psychology degree from a University or College, or a                                     University or College certificate in the teaching of psychology. Regular members are entitled                       to vote in the election of Executive Committee (EC) members and the General Assembly (GA),                       and can be elected onto the EC. There must be a minimum of three regular members in the                         Society at any one time. The founders of the Society will be the first regular members.

3.1.2           Associate members are those who are interested in the teaching and learning of psychology                       and support the aims of the Society but who do not hold a relevant qualification. Associate                           members are not entitled to vote in Society elections, nor be elected onto the EC.

3.1.3           Student members are either those who are actively working toward a degree or certificate in                     psychology or those who have a psychology undergraduate degree and are actively working                       toward a higher (master’s, doctoral) degree in a related field. All student members must be                         registered as a student at a university or college. Student members are entitled to vote in the                     election of the Student Representative on the EC, and can be elected onto the EC as Student                         Representative.

3.2              Rules and Conditions for Membership application and exclusion.

3.2.1           Applications for membership are submitted through the official ESPLAT website or as part of                     the registration process for the ESPLAT conference. The Executive Committee is responsible                       for the approval of all membership applications.

3.2.2           The membership begins when the Society has received the first membership fee from the                           applicant and, additionally, in the case of Regular or Student members, when the appropriate                     documentation has been received and verified.        

3.2.3           Membership will be renewed automatically unless notification of termination of membership                     is made at least one month prior to the payment date.

3.2.4           In case of severe misconduct, a member can be excluded by decision of the EC, or, if the                               misconduct relates to an EC member/s, by decision of a specially-formed working group.

3.2.5           Membership status ends under one of the following conditions: by resignation, by exclusion                         (see 3.2.4), in the event of dissolution of the Society, or upon the death of the Member.
 

ARTICLE 4: GENERAL ASSEMBLY (GA) AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (EC)
 
4.1               The General Assembly (GA) is the meeting of all members, typically to be held at the biennial                      ESPLAT conference, and includes all categories of membership.

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4.1.1           All Regular and Student members are entitled to vote at the General Assembly. Votes are by                       simple majority. In the case of an equal vote, the President (or if they are not present, the                             President-Elect) has the casting vote.

4.1.2           Tasks of the General Assembly

4.1.2.1        The GA decides on any amendments or revisions of the Statutes

4.1.2.2        The GA considers the biennial report of the Executive Committee for approval

4.1.2.3        The GA concludes the nomination of applications for membership and expulsion from                                    membership.

4.1.2.4        The GA considers the accounts of the Society and approves them.

4.1.2.5        The GA fixes the fees in accordance with the financial regulations.

4.1.2.6        The GA elects a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary General, a Secretary Treasurer and                       any other members of the Executive Committee. The GA can discharge any of them as well. 

4.1.2.7        The GA can include any other item on the agenda.

4.1.2.8        The GA can dissolve the Society.

4.1.3           A notification and agenda for the General Assembly should be sent out to all Society

                   members at least two weeks in advance of the General Assembly meeting.

4.1.4           The GA can propose amendments to the Statutes of the Society at any time and these should                     be submitted to the EC in writing. These will be considered and reviewed at the next available                     meeting of the EC. Any amendments require approval of at least two-thirds of the voting                               members of the Society; in most cases, a balloting system will be used for voting.

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4.2              The Executive Committee (EC)

4.2.1           The EC members will comprise: President, President-Elect, Secretary General, Secretary                             Treasurer, Conference Officer, and Student representative. The term of office for EC members                     will typically be two years unless other circumstances apply. EC members, except for the                             President and President-Elect, can be re-elected for a second term. There will be a minimum                     of three and a maximum of seven EC committee members.

4.2.1.1        The President will act as Chair and preside at all meetings of the EC. They will oversee all                           discussions, decisions, and activities of the EC. The President signs or co-signs official                                 correspondence, resolutions, or documents with the Secretary General. The President should                     serve as the editor for the biennial report and present this to the General Assembly.

4.2.1.2        The President-Elect will serve as Vice-president 1 and preside over any meetings of the EC if                      the President is unable to attend. The President-Elect will then take on the role of President                        immediately following the term as President-Elect. If the President is absent, the Vice-                                  President 1 can provide the co-signature.

4.2.1.3        The Secretary General will serve as Vice-President 2, and is responsible for keeping an                                archive of agendas, minutes, and records of EC meetings and all records of ESPLAT including

                    membership details. The Secretary General signs or co-signs official correspondence,         

                    resolutions, or documents with the President. If the President and Vice-President 1 are

                    absent, Vice-President 2 can provide the co-signature.

4.2.1.4        The Secretary Treasurer serves as chief financial officer of ESPLAT and is responsible for all

                   financial matters of the Society.

4.2.1.5        The Conference Officer will be responsible for organizing and overseeing all conference duties

                   for the upcoming ESPLAT conference. The conference planning and hosting is done

                   independently of the EC, though the EC will provide guidance where needed. 

4.2.1.6        The Student representative is the contact person for student interests and activities relevant

                   to ESPLAT.

4.2.1.7        One person in the EC will act as a communication officer to the PLAT journal.

4.2.2           Nominations and elections for the EC

4.2.2.1        All members of the EC are nominated and elected by eligible voting members of the Society.

4.2.2.2        At least six months before an EC member leaves the EC, there will be a call for nominations

                   for positions on the EC in the years in which those terms of office expire. All candidates have

                   to declare in advance their willingness to serve if elected. Six weeks before the election, the                         EC will draw up a list of nominated candidates to go to a ballot vote. In those cases where

                   there are no nominations, the EC member should remain in post until a new EC member is

                   elected.

4.2.2.3        The EC can decide to carry out the election online.

4.2.2.4        The candidate receiving the largest number of votes for each position on the EC will be

                   declared elected. The results of the election will be announced to members.   

                                       
4.2.3           Meetings and Decisions of the EC

4.2.3.1        The Executive Committee will meet around the time of the General Assembly, whenever the   

                   interests of the Society require it, or when at least one EC member requests a meeting.

4.2.3.2        The EC meetings that will be around the same time as the General Assembly will be hosted at                     the ESPLAT conference venue. EC meetings can be held online when possible or at any place

                   in Europe indicated by the invitation to the meeting.

4.2.3.3.       The quorum is half the total number of EC members. Votes are by simple majority. In the case

                   of an equal vote, the President (or if they are not present, the President-Elect) has the casting

                   vote. 

 

ARTICLE 5: CONFERENCES
 
5.1              There should be a biennial conference (ESPLAT), whether organized independently or in

                   conjunction with other national or international conferences, unless in exceptional

                   circumstances that would prevent a conference being possible. ESPLAT conferences will

                   include a formal Meeting (General Assembly) of members and an EC meeting. 

5.2               The EC will provide support for the planning and organisation of the ESPLAT conferences. 

 

ARTICLE 6: COMMUNICATION
 
6.1             A Society website will be the primary means through which communication about Society

                  issues and events will be delivered. Other social media may be used to develop the Society and

                  its membership on a professional basis.
 
6.2            An emailing list will be used (either independently, or via the Society website) to communicate

                 to the membership when appropriate.
 
December 2018