STATUTE

OF THE SLOVAK ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF ENGLISH

 Article 1

Name of the Association

This civil association is hereby set up in accordance with Act 83/1990 Coll. on associating citizens as amended. Its name will be "The Slovak Association for the Study of English" (hereinafter referred to as "the SKASE").

  Article 2

Association Domicile

 The domicile of the SKASE will be at Prešov University in Prešov. The address of the SKASE will be: Prešovská univerzita, Ul. 17. novembra č. 1, 080 78 Prešov. The SKASE Council may decide to change both the SKASE domicile and address at any time.

 Article 3

The SKASE Objectives and Activities

 The SKASE is open to all professionals, teachers, and researchers in higher education in Slovakia in the sphere of English language, Anglophonic literatures, cultures and life, and institutions of the English speaking countries. The SKASE Council must approve membership of experts from abroad.

The SKASE, being a legal subject, is a voluntary, independent, non-profit-making and apolitical association. It will perform its activities on the principles of democracy, independence, and openness. The SKASE may affiliate with organisations of similar character into higher forms of associations.

Its objective is to support interest in the English language, literature written in the English language, culture, life and institutions of the English speaking countries on the university level and assist in this way education and research in the field. The SKASE aspires to increase the level of the field by providing support for intellectual co-operation and exchange of information, experience, and ideas by means of creating a network of professionals.

Another tool of the SKASE for reaching these objectives is organising seminars, conferences, and colloquia, which shall extend the possibilities for co-operation among university teachers, researchers, and other experts in the field. One of the priorities of the SKASE shall be publishing volumes of scholarly papers in both electronic and/or hard copy forms. The SKASE will avail itself of every opportunity to reach its objectives through its own Internet site.  

 Article 4

Membership in the SKASE

            Membership in the SKASE will consist of regular members and honorary members. Anybody showing professional or any other interest in English studies on the university level may become a member of the SKASE.

            Persons, desiring to become members and agreeing with the SKASE Statute, and approved by the SKASE Council provided they pay their annual membership fees as agreed by the SKASE Council, may become members of the SKASE. The SKASE Council at their convention shall approve new members of the SKASE. Membership will be registered in the SKASE membership list. Becoming a member will be subject to paying the membership fee in the respective calendar year.

            In accordance with the SKASE objectives, participation in conferences, seminars, colloquia, and the SKASE volumes of papers shall not be formally limited to the members of the Association.

            Any other organisations and institutions, sharing the SKASE objectives and desiring to participate in the performance thereof, shall be entitled to become donors to the SKASE after complying with financial and any other conditions as determined by the SKASE Council.

            The SKASE honorary membership status shall be proposed by the SKASE Council and approved by the General Meeting for those members whose contribution to the performance of the SKASE will be in any way exceptional. Honorary members will not be bound to pay any membership fees and will enjoy the rights equalling those of the ordinary members of the SKASE.

SKASE members shall be entitled to do the following:

- participate in the SKASE activities,

- submit proposals and recommendations as to the SKASE performance,

- exert both passive and active rights of vote in electing the SKASE bodies.

SKASE members shall be obliged to do the following:

- observe the SKASE Statute,

- pay their respective membership and other approved fees regularly and in due time.

Membership in the SKASE may be become terminated by member resignation, his/her death or exclusion. The SKASE member may be excluded by the SKASE Council in cases of failure to observe basic membership obligations, for their failure to pay membership fees, and for any other serious breach of the SKASE Statute.

 Article 5

Association Bodies

 The SKASE bodies will be comprised of the following:

 A. General Meeting

           B. Association Council

           C. Executive Board

  The SKASE General Meeting:

- shall be the supreme body of the SKASE members. As a matter of rule, the General Meeting shall convene every two years. The General Meeting shall usually, but not exclusively, convene during a conference or any other academic venture of the SKASE and shall be part of its agenda. The SKASE Council shall convoke the General Meeting no later than one month prior to the date of the respective venture. The General Meeting shall have a quorum if attended in person or by proxy by 51 per cent or more of the SKASE members. The motion approved by the majority of members shall be considered adopted;

 - shall approve the SKASE Statute, any changes of and amendments to it, and shall take into consideration any bylaws which may become adopted by the SKASE Council between individual meetings;

- shall discuss and approve the SKASE report on performance and budget and take into consideration the SKASE budget proposal for the period to come;

- shall elect and revoke the SKASE Council members for the period of two years;

- shall decide on any merger with another association, on dissolution of the SKASE and dealing with its property;

Two weeks prior to the date of the General Meeting, the President of the SKASE shall send on behalf of the SKASE the report on the SKASE Council performance and the General Meeting agenda approved by the SKASE Council. In co-operation with the Council and upon a motion from them, the President shall chair the General Meeting, which shall approve the President's report by voting. Similarly, the report of the cashier on the SKASE budget and the SKASE Council's candidate list shall be sent and approved. Proposals for the SKASE Council candidates must be delivered to the SKASE Executive Council no later than one month prior to the date of the General Meeting.

            Those members who for whatever reason cannot appear in the General Meeting personally, may be represented by proxy, him/her being any other present member of the SKASE. No SKASE member present at the SKASE General Meeting may have more than 9 votes apart from his/her own.

            The General Meeting shall vote on the SKASE Council candidates. The members shall hand over their voting slips personally and the members who are not present shall deliver them in a sealed envelope.

 Extraordinary General Meeting

            If need arises or upon a motion presented by one half of the SKASE members, the SKASE President may convoke the extraordinary General Meeting, which shall follow the same principles as any regular general meeting.

 The SKASE Council

             The activities of the SKASE shall be managed by the SKASE Council consisting of 9 members, who are elected by the General Meeting for a period of two years. The Council members may become candidates for membership in the Council repeatedly. Should a position in the SKASE Council become vacant, the Council shall co-opt a substitute member for the period until the next General Meeting.

             The SKASE Council shall deliberate on any basic issues pertaining to SKASE activities. The SKASE Council shall be responsible for the performance of the SKASE, which they shall administer in accordance with legal standards and regulations effective in the Slovak Republic and with this Statute. The SKASE Council shall submit to the General Meeting the report on their performance and finance and budget proposal.  The SKASE Council shall convoke the General Meeting sessions. The SKASE Council shall propose to the General Assembly any changes of and/or amendments to the SKASE Statute and shall adopt the SKASE bylaws. The SKASE Council shall intermittently discuss the SKASE activities and financial reports and activity plans. The SKASE Council shall approve the amount of membership fees and the mode of their payment. The SKASE Council shall approve the applications for regular membership and shall propose honorary membership in the SKASE. The SKASE Council is the body of appeal in disciplinary proceedings and shall decide on the termination of membership in the SKASE.

 The SKASE Council Meetings

            The SKASE Council shall convene at least once a year. It shall be convoked by the President or upon the request of one half of the Council members. In voting, the SKASE Council shall make decisions by plain majority of votes. In case of equality of votes, the President's vote shall be decisive. The SKASE Council meetings may also take place in virtual form by means of electronic mail or Internet. The SKASE Council decisions taken at virtual meetings shall have equal validity with those of standard meetings.

 The SKASE Executive Committee

            The SKASE Council will make proposals for and elect from among its members four members to the Executive Committee, namely: the SKASE President, the SKASE Secretary, the SKASE Cashier, and the SKASE Editors-in-Chief of the volumes of papers.

            The President of the SKASE is a statutory representative of the SKASE. Members of the SKASE Executive Committee shall be responsible for the SKASE performance; they shall have the right to act on behalf of the SKASE in relation to third persons. Their membership in the SKASE Executive Committee shall be for a period of two years and shall be renewable.

 Article 6

The SKASE Organisational Units

            No organisational units shall be set up within the SKASE unless proposed by the SKASE Council and approved by the SKASE General Meeting.

  Article 7

The SKASE Principles of Economy

             The principle of economy of the SKASE as a civil association shall be governed by the generally binding legal regulations and special regulations of the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic.

            The chief sources of the SKASE funds shall be the following:

- membership fees, income from educational, research, scientific, cultural, sporting, social, and other types of activities,

- contributions from self-government bodies, state subsidies, international grants, and support programmes,

- donations from sponsors.

            The SKASE may own both movable and immovable property required for securing its own activities. On the basis of contractual relations, the SKASE may make use of state or any other property, in which it shall be obliged to exert appropriate care, protect and cultivate it. The SKASE shall cope with the property in accordance with the generally binding legal regulations, regulations of the respective institution, and its own bylaws.

            As the need may arise, the SKASE shall enter into contracts on the performance of work with both physical and legal entities.

            Any financial means collected by the SKASE must be handed over to the cashier who shall register them. The SKASE financial means shall predominantly be used for organising academic ventures, conferences, seminars, colloquia, and for the SKASE publications.

            The funds mentioned above shall also be used for covering material and other costs related to regular performance of the SKASE, for financial and material support of the members´ participation at scientific conferences, for social welfare purposes, charitable and volunteering activities and other activities as approved by the SKASE Council.

            The SKASE shall guarantee for its budgetary policy by its own property. Personal guarantees of the SKASE members are excluded. Should the SKASE be dissolved, the SKASE Council shall appoint a receiver who in full extent shall perform settlement of property and shall inform the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic of the SKASE having been dissolved.

 Article 8

Termination of the Association

             The Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic may dissolve the SKASE or the same may be decided upon by the two-third majority of the SKASE members present or represented at the General Meeting, which contains the item of dissolution in its agenda. In such a case, the General Meeting will appoint from among the SKASE members a receiver and the SKASE property, if any, will be handed over to non-profit-making organisations as approved by the General Meeting.

Article 9

Temporary Stipulations

            Until the date of the first General Meeting of the SKASE, the members of the steering committee setting up the SKASE shall enjoy the same rights as the SKASE elected bodies.

            The SKASE Statute shall become effective as of the date of registration in the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic or as of the date of complying with the obligation to file a notice.

            This Statute has been prepared in two equal copies, of which each shall enjoy the validity of the original, and are meant for the purposes of registration.

            Any matters not regulated herein shall be governed by the generally binding legal regulations valid in the Slovak Republic and the regulations issued by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, by the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic, and any other authorities of the Slovak Republic participating through their respective regulations, standards, and laws in other activities of civil associations.