Minutes of the Fourth Conference of the International Society for Gesture Studies (ISGS) held in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany 2010

ISGS General Assembly

European University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder
Wednesday, 28th July, 17.30-19.30h (room: HS8)

MINUTES

1.0 Welcome and opening of General Assembly (Susan Goldin-Meadow)
1.1 Treasurer's report (Fey Parrill)

1.2 Report on retrospective and on-going ISGS activities (2007-2010):

• Outsourcing membership management (Fey Parrill)

Potential Expenditures:
- Outsourcing membership management
- Estimate from management company: 10k per year
- Our annual revenue only 5k at most
- Current board elected not to take this step

• Membership database (Fey Parrill)

- An on-line membership database has been created as well as a paypal system for handling payment of membership dues (both systems are linked).

• On-line voting system (Fey Parrill)

- An on-line voting system has been developed by Ray Amberg (programmer); the voting system is linked with the membership database. The on-line system allows for yes/no, multiple choice and write-in answers.

• Mailing list (Judith Holler)

- Encouragement of members to join the ISGS mailing list as important announcements such as workshops, conferences, job adverts, etc., are circulated via the list.

• Website migration and design (Judith Holler, on behalf of Mandana Seyfeddinipur)

- The website is hosted on a server at UC Riverside. This server will go down and the website has to be migrated. The migration is in preparation and we will use a commercial web-hosting service so that the website will be independent from the PR manager. As soon as the migration is over the website is ready to be handed over to the new PR manager. This should be around September.

• By-laws amendments  + votes (Judith Holler)
• Proposition of three amendments to the by-laws:

1) Article 4 - The goals of the ISGS are as follows:
4.3 to cooperate with national societies

- proposed revision: To cooperate with national and international societies

2) Article 5 - Affiliations:
5.5   The ISGS may decide to be affiliated with other international
associations which support the study of gestures within their
cultural context, especially the International Association for
Semiotic Studies

- proposed revision: The ISGS may decide to be affiliated with other international
associations which support the study of gestures

3) Article 6 - Membership:
6.5  All those individuals and collectives who have paid their dues are considered members of the ISGS. Members who do not pay their dues for more than two consecutive years can lose their membership status, based on a decision by the Executive Board.

- proposed revision: All those individuals and collectives who have paid their dues are considered members of the ISGS. Members are members for the calendar year in which they have paid dues.

All three votes (show of hands) were unanimously accepted.

Other issues regarding wording and content of the by-laws which require further discussion will be passed on to the new Executive Board.

• Volunteering for the society (Gale Stam)

- Those members who volunteered to run for office and to host the next conference were thanked.
- Members were kindly asked to consider hosting ISGS conferences in the future (especially with regard to 2014) to allow the society to stick to its regular meetings and to plan ahead.
1.3 Announcement of vote on ISGS conference proposal (Susan Goldin-Meadow)

• The proposal to hold the ISGS conference in 2012 in Lund, Sweden (to be hosted by Marianne Gullberg) was unanimously accepted with 97 votes in total (82 through on-line votes, 15 by pen & paper at the GA).
• Presentation of conference proposal summary (Marianne Gullberg) + Q & A

2.0 Editors' information about GESTURE (Adam Kendon)

• Thanks to the Editors of Gesture: Cornelia Mueller who is stepping down and to Adam Kendon, who is staying on as editor.
• Welcome of new editors (à Mandana Seyfeddinipur, Lorenza Mondada [in absentia])
• Discussion of proposal to combine ISGS membership and subscription to the journal GESTURE.
• Offer from Benjamins:
• Reduced journal subscription fee of 50 Euros per annum for the hard copy and 40 Euros per annum for the electronic copy if combined with payment of membership dues.
• Offer is conditional on a minimum of 50 full members at all times.
• Discussion points raised by members of the GA and of the board:
• Introduce a two year membership fee/system to keep members
• Consider offering a further reduction in rate for those signing up for two rather than one year.
• Offer a membership fee for students with the option of not subscribing to the journal
• Offer the reduced student rates to individuals from developing countries who would like to become members.
• Drop membership fee further (too expensive in combination with journal, especially if offered as a two year membership only).
• Associate workshops on gesture offered by individuals with the ISGS and ask for a higher fee for non-members to attend those workshops.
• Cornelia Mueller made a motion that the new Executive Board should look into joining the journal to membership of the ISGS.  The motion passed (28 in favor, 12 against, 9 abstenations). Sotaro Kita, the new VP, will begin to investigate the possibility. The board will work out a detailed proposal to be put for vote via the on-line system.
• Adam Kendon emphasised that it is important to bear in mind that GESTURE is not the journal of the society, irrespective of the possible inclusion of the journal subscription in the membership fee.

3.0 ISGS Executive Board membership (Susan Goldin-Meadow)

• Welcome for Juergen Streeck as new past president (in absentia)
• Announcement of voting results on the respective remaining ISGS board positions
• President:                         Susan Goldin-Meadow
• Vice-President:                         Sotaro Kita
• Past President:                         Juergen Streeck
• Secretary General:              Simon Harrison
• Treasurer:                         Spencer Kelly
• PR Manager:                         Anna Kuhlen
• Introduction and welcome of new ISGS board members
• Certificates of appreciation were handed out to ISGS members stepping down (Fey Parrill, Gale Stam, Judith Holler, Lorenza Mondada, Mandana Seyfeddinipur).  The Society greatly appreciates all of the work that they have done on its behalf.