By-laws of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods (as amended September, 2002)
Object
Article 1
The objectives of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods are:
- to create an international link between national societies, associations, and groups for Rorschach and Projective Techniques in order to facilitate scientific exchanges among specialists, practitioners and researchers in the field;
- to ensure publication of an international journal named RORSCHACHIANA and of a newsletter designed to facilitate communication among the membership;
- to safeguard the archives concerning the Rorschach and Projective Methods, and endeavor to make them easily accessible to members.
LEGAL FORM
Article 2
The International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods is a non-profit organization as defined by Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code. It is situated in Switzerland. The address of the Society can be transferred to another country by decision of the Assembly of Delegates on recommendation of the Executive Board.
2.1 The Society does not assume any responsibility for a professional or commercial use of Society membership by individuals. The Society strongly discourages listing membership as a credential that implies professional competence.
2.2 The society recognizes as the only legitimate inkblots constituting the Rorschach Test those produced and published by Verlag Hans Huber of Bern, Switzerland.
Article 3
The International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods is composed of collective members and honorary members.
3.1 Collective Members are societies, associations, federations or groups who wish to become a member of the Society and whose application has been approved according to the procedure described in Article 4 of the present by-laws. They must pay an annual membership fee. A federation is said to exist when more than one society, association, or group from a single country is admitted to membership in the Society.
So as to admit in the Society Rorschach Rorschach specialists who do not belong to a national society, association or group, either because there is no such association in their country, or because the association itself does not wish to belong to the Society, or for other reasons which have to be articulated, a special group is created within the Society for individual members. This group is a member of the Society as are other collective members. Individual members of the group must pay an individual annual fee.
3.2 Honorary members are persons who contribute or have contributed in an outstanding manner to the cause of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods and who have been elected by the Assembly of Delegates on proposal of the Executive Board. Honorary members are exempted of dues.
ADMISSION
Article 4
The procedures for admission are:
4.1 Societies, associations and groups must apply for admission according to the application formula described in the Rules of Procedure. The application is examined by the Executive Board, which makes a conditional decision. The agreement is made definitive by a vote of the Assembly of Delegates, by the vote of a majority plus one of those voting, provided that al least two-thirds of those eligible to vote actually cast their vote.
If the application is received in either of the two years prior to the year in which a Congress will be held, the Board, if finding the organization eligible for admission, will grant provisional admission and subsequently conduct a mail ballot among voting delegates to the Assembly of Delegates so that formal admission as a member organization may occur prior to the next formal meeting of the Assembly of Delegates. If the application is received during the year in which a Congress will be held, action will be taken concerning the application during the meeting of the Assembly of Delegates. In either instance, the admission is made definitive by a vote of the Assembly of Delegates, by the vote of a majority plus one of those voting, provided that at least two-thirds of those eligible to vote actually cast their vote.
4.2 Individual members must apply for admission according to the application formula described in the Rules of Procedure and explicate the reasons for their not belonging to a national society, association or group. Their application is examined by the election committee of the Executive Board which makes the decision.
TERMINATION
Article 5
Membership is terminated by:
a) Resignation
b) Dissolution of the national society, association or group
c) Death in the case of individual members
d) Non payment of annual dues according to the terms defined in the Rules of Procedure
e) On decision by the Assembly of Delegates, voted by a majority of attending members, motivated by a breach of the by-laws or of ethical rules or professional rules. Motives for the decision must be clearly stated in the minutes of the session.
FINANCES
Article 6
Finances of the Society include:
a) annual dues
b) any grants from States, Departments, Districts
c) any donations by foundations, member societies and other authorized sources
d) any profits form publications
e) half of any profits realized by a congress of the Society, the other half being retained by the organizing society
f) any other source authorized by laws and rules.
STRUCTURE
Article 7
The International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods is directed by an Assembly of Delegates and an Executive Board.
7.1 The Assembly of Delegates is composed of all delegates of member societies and of the delegate of the group of individual members. Delegates serve as a liaison between their organization and the Society. Their activities should, to the best of their ability, represent the wishes and opinions of the organization that they represent. The Assembly of Delegates meets at the time of the Congress. It is presided over by the President of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods who is assisted by the Executive Board.
The Assembly of Delegates has all the powers of decision to ensure the rightful functioning of the Society, and more particularly:
- elects the Executive Board
- debates on the orientations of the Society
- approves the management of the Executive Board
- fixes the amount of the annual dues
All decisions, with the exception of the Elections to the Executive Board, are made by a show of hands or by a secret ballot on request of the President or an official Delegate. Elections are conducted with a secret ballot.
Only Delegates (or their designated Alternate) and the President have voting rights. In case of a tie vote, the President has the deciding vote. Vote by proxy is not admitted.
7.2 The Executive Board is composed of nine voting members plus several ex-officio non-voting advisors. The nine voting members consist of five officers, the President, the Past President, two Vice-Presidents, and the Executive Secretary, plus four Members-at-large. The ex-officio members are the Treasurer, the Curator and Associate Curator of the Rorschach Archives and Museum, the Editor of RORSCHACHIANA, the Editor of the BULLETIN, the President of the Organizing Committee of the preceding International Congress, the President/Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the next Congress, and the Director of Hans Huber Verlag.
7.3 The Executive Board is in charge of the functioning of the Society according to the decisions and directions of the Assembly of Delegates, and of the management of finances. More particularly,
- The Executive Board develops and modifies the Rules of Procedure in accordance with the expressed intentions of the Assembly of Delegates.
- The Executive Board chooses the site of the next Congress and designates the society, association or group that will be in charge of its organization.
- The President calls the Assemblies of Delegates and the meetings of the Executive Board, and presides at them. The President represents the Society in all acts of civil life and is invested with all powers to that effect.
- The first Vice-President substitutes for the President in all functions if the latter is unable to do so.
- The Past President ensures the continuity of Executive Board deliberations and actions.
- The Secretary is in charge of all correspondence, log-books and archives. The Secretary drafts the minutes of the deliberations.
- The Treasurer is in charge of the account books of the Society, makes all payments directed by the Executive Board, and receives all payments. The Treasurer keeps in due order the books of the Society and reports on them to the Assembly of Delegates, which rules on the Treasurer's management.
- The Curator is in charge of the Rorschach Archives and Museum. The Curator is assisted by the Associate Curator.
- The President of the Organizing Committee of the Preceding Congress serves as an advisor for the preparation of the next Congress.
- The President/Chair of the Organizing Committee of the next Congress reports on the progress of preparations for the Congress.
- In case of a vacancy on the Board, the President designates a replacement until the next election.
The Executive Board meets at least once every year on the President's notice or at the request of one-third of its members. Decisions are made by the majority of attending members. In case of tie vote, the President has a deciding vote.
ELIGIBILITY
Article 8
Eligibility requirements for election to the Executive Board are:
8.1 For Officers of the Executive Board:
a) Has achieved the doctoral degree or be approved for qualifications by the eligibility committee which consists of the President and at least one other officer of the Board.
b) Has been a member of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods for at least five years or has served as a Delegate to the Assembly of Delegates.
c) Has demonstrated significant contributions in Rorschach and/or Projective Methods
d) Persons completing two consecutive terms as President, Vice President, or Secretary are not eligible to be candidates for that same position for three years.
8.2 For Members-at-Large of the Executive Board:
a) Is a member of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods
b) Has demonstrated significant contributions in Rorschach and/or Projective Methods
c) Persons completing two consecutive terms as Member-at-Large are not eligible to be candidates for that position again for at least three years.
MODE OF ELECTION
Article 9
The procedures of election are:
9.1 Delegates:
A member society or federation will have one delegate and one alternate if the number of its members is less than 100, two delegates and two alternates if the number of its members is 100-199, and three delegates and three alternates if the number of its members is 200 or more.
Each member society or federation elects, according to its own rules, one to three delegates and one to three alternates, according to the size of its membership.
The names of the Delegates and Alternates must be known to the Executive Board before the meeting of the Assembly of Delegates.
Each Delegate has a single vote. The Alternate replaces the Delegate who is not able to attend the Assembly. The Alternate votes in place of the absent Delegate.
The group of individual members elects one Delegate and one Alternate. The elected Delegate must organize the vote among individual members to elect the Delegate for the next term.
9.2 President and Members of the Executive Board:
The President and the members of the Executive Board, with the exception of ex-officio members who are appointed by the Executive Board, are elected for a term of three years or until the next Congress, renewable, by the Assembly of Delegates, according to the Rules of Procedure.
The elected officers of the Executive Board should belong to different organizations and be from different countries.
The four Members-at-Large should belong to different organizations and be from different countries.
The new Executive Board and the new Delegates begin their term at the end of the Congress.
DUES
Article 10
Dues of the member societies and federations are calculated according to a sliding scale based on the number of the members in the society or federation, and are fixed by the Assembly of Delegates. The Scale appears in the Rules of Procedure. Dues for individual members are fixed by the Assembly of Delegates.
PUBLICATIONS
Article 11
It is the task of the Executive Board to decide on the orientation of the Journal RORSCHACHIANA and the BULLETIN of the Society, and make necessary decisions for their publication. To that purpose, Editors are appointed for each publication by the Executive Board for a three year term, which is renewable. The Editor responsible for RORSCHACHIANA will establish the content of issues, negotiate contracts with the publisher, and establish costs. He or she must submit each projected issue for the approval of the Executive Board.
Each member society, including those in federations, that has paid its dues is sent as many copies of Rorschachiana and the Bulletin as there are declared members in the society. Each individual member who has paid dues receives one copy of each.
CONGRESS
Article 12
The Congress of the International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods is held every three years in a different country. The period of the Congress may be changed by decision of the Assembly of Delegates on proposal of the Executive Board.
The organization of the Congress is entrusted to a member society by the Executive Board. The International Society of the Rorschach and Projective Methods advances moneys necessary to launch the Congress and assists the organizing society as much as possible.
After the Congress, the organizing society reimburses any moneys advanced by the International Society for the initial expenses. Profits from the Congress, if any, are divided, half for the organizing society and half for the International Society.
DISSOLUTION
Article 13
Dissolution of the Society can only be decided by an Extraordinary meeting of the Assembly of Delegates, called by the President. The Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates must be composed of more than half of its members. If the quorum is not reached, a second Assembly will be called on the same day and has the right to make decisions, regardless of the number of attending Delegates.
Decisions of the Extraordinary Assembly of Delegates are made by the vote of a majority plus one of those voting, provided that at least two-thirds of those eligible to vote actually cast their vote.
In case of dissolution, pronounced by the Assembly, the latter decides on the destiny of the financial balance and of the archives.
MODIFICATION OF THE BY-LAWS
Article 14
Modification of the by-laws may be proposed either by the Executive Board or by at least two thirds of the Delegates. The proposition must be sent by the Secretary to all the Delegates at least four months before the date of the Assembly of Delegates, which has the sole power to adopt the modifications by the vote of a majority plus one of those voting, provided that at least two-thirds of those eligible to vote actually cast their vote. The new version of the by-laws becomes valid at the moment of its approval.
By-laws adopted on July 22, 1990 in Paris+ amended on July 18, 1993 in Lisbon; amended on July 7, 1996 in Boston; amended by mail ballot March, 1998; amended by mail ballot April, 2001; amended on September 9, 2002 in Rome.
