Statute

Association of International Researchers of Strasbourg – “StrasAIR” 

Chapter I: General terms 

Article 1: Name and seat 

All people who join in the present statutes form an association called “Association of International  Researchers of Strasbourg” or “StrasAIR”, which was formerly called “Association des Etudiants du  Collège Doctoral Européen” or “EDCA”. 

This association is subject to Article 21-79-III of the Local Civil Code which is in force in the  “départements” Haut-Rhin, Bas-Rhin and Moselle, as well the present statutes. 

The seat of the association is fixed at the “Collège Doctoral Européen” which is located 46 Boulevard de la Victoire, 67000 Strasbourg 

The association is registered in the “Registre des associations” at the Strasbourg District Court (Tribunal  d’instance de Strasbourg). 

Article 2: Object and aims 

The association addresses all PhD candidates and researchers interested in an international  environment and aims to: 

  • Support the welcoming and the integration of PhD candidates in Strasbourg by the  means of a dynamic range of social, cultural and sports activities which respond to the  needs of those PhD candidates.
  • Develop a solid scientific network offering scientific meetings, courses, and conferences through doctoral schools (écoles doctorales) and the “collège des écoles doctorales” which respond to the expectations of the PhD candidates. 
  • Preserve the links with the former members of the association.
  • Facilitate the career orientation of the members through workshops, forums, and other meetings with actors from the public and private sector.
  • Actively participate in the life of the University of Strasbourg through the different representative instances.
  • Promote the image of the University of Strasbourg, and its different doctoral programs and research structures.
  • Encourage international exchange on scientific, cultural, and professional subjects, especially in the context of the European Campus.

The association pursues non-religious, non-political, and non-profit aims.

Article 3: Means of action: 

In order to reach these aims the association disposes of the following means of action: 

  • Membership fees. 
  • Work meetings.
  • Organization of conferences.
  • Creation of working teams and workshops.
  • Edition of a networking newsletter for the members, of an editorial, or any other periodical communication document in electronic or paper form.
  • Participation in the cultural life of the city of Strasbourg and its region. – Organization of forums of discussion, cultural and touristic events, sports and recreational activities.
  • Listening time and assistance for the new PhD candidates.
  • Privileged cooperation with the International PhD Program of the University of Strasbourg based on the history of the association.

And all other actions aiming at the pursuit of the objectives of the association.

Article 4: Duration 

The association is constituted for an unlimited duration. 

Article 5: Financial resources 

The resources of the association are constituted by 

  • The annual membership fees.
  • The funding from public and private organisms.
  • The revenues from the events organized by the association.
  • Donations and legacies.
  • The revenues of the goods and values of the association.
  • All the resources that are not prohibited by the law or the regulations in force.

Article 6: Official languages of the association

English is used in the meetings, General Assemblies, and all other official communications with  the members. Communications with the French academic, judicial, and administrative instances  are issued in French. In case of differences between translated documents, the English version  serves as reference. 

The use of other languages is defined case-by-case with regard to the duration and the extent  by the directorate. 

Chapter II : Composition of the association and annual subscription fees

Article 7: Members

Any natural or legal person interested in the object of the association may become a member  provided they meet the criteria of membership defined in the statutes. 

Each member undertakes to respect these statutes, to participate in the annual ordinary  general assembly, and to pay the annual subscription fixed by the board of directorate. 

The association consists of: 

  1. Active Members: 

    Active membership may be granted to:
    • Any person holding a PhD delivered within 5 years at the time of enrollment in the association,
    • Any person regularly enrolled at the University of Strasbourg or its affiliates engaged in studies equal or greater to Bac+5 as defined by the French education system. Active members have the right to vote at General Assemblies. They have the right to run for any of the directorate positions after 30 days of their first membership. In the case of an interruption of membership, the 30-day period is no longer taken into account.
  2. Honorary Members:

    These are the members nominated by a member of StrasAIR and approved by a general assembly for service, participation or moral or material assistance rendered to the association. They do not have deliberative vote, do not pay subscription fees but can participate in all the events of the association and general assemblies. Their status as honorary members may be revoked by the ordinary general assembly. Honorary membership status cannot be combined with active membership status.

Article 8: Subscription Procedure 

The admission of a member is pronounced by the board of directorate within the eight open  days following reception of the request by the general secretary. Any refusal must be justified  according to the internal rules of the association. Exceeding the eight-day deadline, and in the  absence of a directorate response, the candidate for membership is considered a full member  of the association. The board of directorate maintains a list of members. The candidate for  membership may contest the refusal at the General Assembly. 

Article 9: Annual Subscription Fees 

Members pay an annual subscription fee for each academic year (October 1st till September  30th). The amount of the annual contribution and the methods of payment are defined by the board of directorate. The annual subscription fee is defined at minimum by the equivalent of a  gross hourly minimum SMIC and at most by the equivalent of five gross hourly SMICs. SMIC is  the French « Salaire minimum de croissance ». 

The annual fee renewal is due at the beginning of each new academic year (October 1st). It  must be paid at the latest until 31 October of each year (annual deadline). 

Article 10: The suspension of members 

The directorate may decide to suspend a member of the association for the following reasons: 

  • Non-payment of the annual contribution 30 days past the annual deadline.
  • Unsupported absence of two consecutive ordinary general assemblies.
  • Non-respect of the statutes of the association or any serious misconduct as determined by the internal regulations of the association. After the second suspension the  president must convene an extraordinary assembly within a maximum of 60 days to  vote the final exclusion of the member in question. In cases of severe misconduct, the  board can vote to call a general assembly for the purpose of exclusion following the  process defined in the internal rules.  

Suspended members shall be notified of their suspension within eight days of their suspension.  

Suspended members may attend general assemblies under the authorization of the directorate  but do not have voting rights.

Article 11: Loss of membership 

Membership is lost by: 

  • Death. 
  • Resignation sent to the president with two months’ notice. The resigning member may withdraw his resignation at any time until the end of the month following its effective date. Exceeding this period, its reinstatement in the association must be voted by the general assembly.
  • Exclusion pronounced by the extraordinary general assembly in response to suspension(s) due to non-respect of the statutes or serious misconduct as described in article 10. The member concerned shall first be invited to speak orally or in writing before the general assembly. The latter shall vote by secret ballot in the absence of the member concerned and without his participation in the vote. Exclusion is voted by a simple majority of the members present.
  • The non-renewal of the contribution within 90 days of the annual deadline implies the loss of membership.

Article 12: Serious misconduct and good faith 

Any action which gravely harms the interests of the association is considered a serious  misconduct and may lead to the suspension of the member according to articles 10 and 11 of  the statutes. 

Each member of the directorate and the association is bound to exercise its functions in good  faith and in the interest of the association. 

Chapter III: The General Assembly 

Article 13: Composition of the general assembly 

The general assembly is composed of all the members of the association. All members of the  association can participate. Only active members not suspended and up to date of their  subscription have voting rights at a general assembly. The president or the person exercising his  / her function may invite external persons to attend the general assemblies without having the  right of deliberative vote. 

Article 14: Powers of the General Assembly 

Within the limits of the powers conferred on them by the Local Civil Code and by the present  statutes, the decisions made during a general assembly apply to all members, including the  ones that are absent. 

The general assembly is the highest body of the association and regulates all disputes between  members and members towards the board of directorate. 

The general assembly examines reports on the management of the directorate and in particular  on the moral and financial situation of the association. 

The general assembly decides on the modification of the statutes of the association and its  dissolution. 

The general assembly may revoke at any time one or more members of the board. 

After deliberating and deciding on the various reports, the general assembly approves the  financial statements for the financial year closed and votes on the budget for the following  financial year, and deliberates on all the other items on the agenda. 

Article 15: Voting conditions at a general assembly  

In order for a general assembly to be able to deliberate, the presence of at least 50% of the  members having voting rights is required. Persons who have appointed an active member to  vote in their place are considered present and are not registered as absent. Each active  member present at the assembly may represent only one absent member. Resolutions are  passed by a simple majority.

If the general assembly does not include 50% of the members, it may deliberate and  communicate its decisions to absent members. They have 30 days to express their opposition  to the decisions taken to the directorate. If the majority of the absent members contest the  decisions taken by the general assembly, the directorate exceptionally convenes a second  ordinary general assembly called “exceptional general assembly” in the following month to  reconsider all the decisions. This general assembly deliberates regardless of the number of  members present. 

All meetings and decisions of the General Assemblies shall be held in Strasbourg.

Article 16: The ordinary general assembly  

The General Assembly shall meet in ordinary session once per calendar year at the latest during  the month of November upon convocation by the president or his substitute with 15 days’  notice. In case of absence of notice by the board of directorate, the general assembly meets in  regular session the evening of the last Thursday of the month of November and is presided in  this case by the most senior member present. The latter shall appoint from among the  members present a secretary of the session. Seniority is calculated based on the number of  years spent in the association, not including interruptions and periods of suspension. 

The agenda consists of the following items : 

  • Validation of the budget for the past year; 
  • Validation of the annual reports of the outgoing directorate;
  • Exclusion of a member;
  • Appointment of honorary members;
  • Modification of the statutes of the association according to the procedure described below;
  • Disputes between members or candidates for membership in the board of directorate, in this case, the session is chaired by the oldest member outside the members of the board;
  • The election of a new board of directorate in the event of the end of the mandate in accordance with the provisions of article 27 of the present statutes.

If the president of the association considers that the interest of the association requires the addition of points to the agenda, he/she must mention these in the letter of convocation of the  general assembly. 

Article 17: The Extraordinary General Assembly  

The general assembly can be convened at any time to decide on specific issues defined in the  letter of convocation. The opening of an extraordinary session can be ordered by the president,  40% of the members of directorate, or 33% of the members of the association having a  deliberative vote. The convocation including the agenda, date, and location must be sent to all  members 15 days before the session. The absence of members shall not be justified and shall  not affect their status. 

Chapter IV: Administration of the association 

Article 18: The directorate of the association 

The association is managed by minimum five-member directorate, which must consist of at  least a president, a vice-president, a treasurer, and a general secretary. These positions can not  be accumulated or combined. The directorate also includes the heads of the committees. All  members of the directorate are elected by the general assembly and have a deliberative voice  in its decisions.  

The directorate can nominate an assistant/deputy general secretary and/or an assistant/deputy  treasurer. 

The creation of other positions by the directorate is possible. These members attend  directorate meetings but do not have a deliberative vote. New positions must depend  hierarchically on one of the directorate members. 

Every meeting and every decision of the directorate are done in Strasbourg. 

Article 19: Election of the Directorate of the association  

The Directorate members are elected for the duration of a calendar year during the general  assembly. The president must be voted directly by the members of the association.  

All members enrolled in the association for more than 30 days have the right to run for any of  the directorate positions.  

The committee candidates must have an empty criminal record and not have been suspended  by the directorate during the last twelve months before the elections. 

Candidacies are open between the 60th and the 10th day included before the elections. They  have to be addressed to the general secretary. Candidate withdrawal is possible until the 7th  day before the elections. The list of the candidates must be transmitted to the members seven  days before the elections. The vote has to be taken by secret ballot. Every member votes for  the candidates he/she wants to be in the directorate. 

The elections are not subjected to the condition of regularity of the general assemblies, even if  the results appear in the session record. All the candidates must approve the vote results. The  outgoing president, or his representative, and the general secretary, sign the elections report.  

The elected directorate members meet together in a closed session in order to assign the  positions. The session is presided over by the oldest member. The youngest member takes the  role of secretary for the session. For each position, the candidates indicate their interest. All the  board members vote on the position assignments by a show of hands. 

Article 20: vacancy of the posts of the directorate 

In case of a position vacancy, the president nominates as a priority a replacement among the  board members, unless an impediment concerning the nature of the position should arise; in  this case, the board nominates a substitute among the association members. The substitute  benefits from the same rights and is subjected to the same obligations of the replaced board  member, until the completion of his/her mandate. 

In case of vacancy of three or more board positions, the president convenes an extraordinary  general assembly within 60 days in order to hold partial elections. 

Article 21: The Directorate’s Power 

The directorate defines the general policy of the association. This policy may be revoked at any  time by the general assembly. 

To ensure the proper functioning of the association, the directorate can create as many  positions as necessary. Any person appointed to a position is administratively attached to the  directorate and renders his/her accounts exclusively to it. Persons appointed by the directorate do not have the right to vote in its meetings. 

The directorate has the power to suspend a member according to the cases mentioned in article 10 of the present statutes and following the procedure defined in the internal rules of  the association. 

The directorate is responsible for running the affairs of the association, drawing up the budget,  organizing events (cultural, sports, associative, and other). It decides on any act, contract, market, investments, purchases, sales, or requests for subsidies necessary for the functioning of  the association. 

The directorate supervises the negotiations initiated by the president with other associations or  private and public organizations; it can revoke them if it deems them contrary to the interest of  the association. In such a case, the president may ask the general assembly to set the decision  aside. 

The directorate may decide that other persons participate in its meetings to give advice. 

The directorate validates the record of secretary of the general assembly and ensures that all  changes to be entered in the register of associations are made within three months.  

The directorate submits amendments to the statutes to the general assembly. 

The directorate may be revoked by the general assembly for non-compliance with the statutes  or any other serious reason related to the moral and financial management of the association.  

Article 22: President’s Power 

The president represents the association (legally, judicially, extra judicially) in civil life. He/She,  alone, represents and speaks in the name of the association. He/She negotiates and signs, after  having consulted the members of the association’s directorate, conventions, cooperation and  negotiations with other associations or organisms. He/She supervises how the affairs of the  association are being run and he/she makes sure the decisions of the board are being  respected. 

The president has a veto that he/she can use during meetings if he/she thinks decisions are  going against the common interests stated by the association. That veto can be broken by the  general assembly.  

The president can invite people to attend the meetings of the board of directorate; they have a  consulting role and not a deliberative vote. 

The president is the only person who convenes the meetings of the board of directorate and  the general assemblies and define their agenda. 

When he/she thinks it is necessary, the president can delegate to other members his/her  functions of representation. 

Article 23: Vice-President’s Power 

The vice president replaces the president only when the president appointed him/her, within  the limits of the president’s mandate. 

The board can elect several vice presidents, with a precise order of precedence. In that case,  only the first vice president shall respect the rule that prevents multiple office-holdings (article  16).  

The office of president shall be deemed to be vacant and, as such, the vice-president shall  exercise the power of the president if: 

  • The president is asked to resign by the other members of the board unanimously – The president does not ask the board to attend a meeting for six months; in that case  the vice president exercise the president’s powers until the very end of the president’s  mandate. He/She nominates another eligible member of the board to be the first vice president. 

Article 24: Power of the General Secretary 

The general secretary is in charge of association’s correspondence. He/She is in charge of  writing the minutes for both the general assembly and the boards’ meetings; and ensuring they  are counter signed by the president of the association. He/She is in charge of registering  board’s deliberations with the District Court and communicating any legal changes of the  directorate or the statutes. He/She ensures all records are accessible to the association  members and calls the quorum during the general assembly. 

Article 25: Power of the Treasurer 

The treasurer ensures the financial accounts are kept in order and regularly updated. He/she  reports association’s financial activities at every meeting of the general assembly. The treasurer signs the checks and all the contracts including financial terms after the approval of the  directorate. 

Aricle 26: Power of the committee heads 

The committee heads are responsible for the organization of committee work and for  communicating with the directorate to coordinate association activities.  

Article 27: Elaboration of Internal rules 

The board shall establish Internal rules which defines the way of execution of the statutes as  well as the internal and practical organization of the association. 

Article 28: Meeting of the Directorate 

The directorate meets for ordinary session once a trimester and/or each time the president  convenes for such meeting. The president sets the agenda for the ordinary session and  communicates it to all directorate members at least one week before the sessions occurs. 

All decisions must be made by an absolute majority of the members of directorate. 

The president may name the vice president as delegate who will be in charge of convening  these meetings and defining the agenda for them. Only the vice president may be named  delegate on these occasions. 

The board of directorate may dismiss one of its members of following absence from 3  consecutive meetings or continuous neglect of his/her duties following the process described in  the internal rules. His office shall be considered vacant, and the president shall replace him in  accordance with the provisions of Article 18 of the Statutes. 

Article 29: Remuneration and reimbursements  

The members of the board cannot receive remuneration for the functions they assume. The  expenses incurred in carrying out their mandate shall be reimbursed on the basis of the supporting documents.

Article 30: End of the mandate of the directorate 

The mandate of the directorate ends: 

  • On the first anniversary of its election. 
  • After the resignation of its president.
  • After a letter of withdrawal of confidence drawn up by at least 50% of the members having voting rights.

In all cases, the outgoing directorate continues to exercise its power within the strict limits of  the directorate of current affairs without the possibility of signing any contract whatsoever until  the election of a new directorate. 

Chapter V: Modification of the statutes and Dissolution of the association

Article 31: Amendments to the statutes 

The amendment of the statutes must be decided by the ordinary or extraordinary general  assembly by a majority of 67% of the members present. 

The deliberations can only concern the adoption or the rejection of the proposals of  modifications decided by the board and mentioned on the agenda. 

Amendments shall be debated, signed by the president and the general secretary of the  meeting, and sent to the Strasbourg District Court within 90 days. 

Article 32: Dissolution of the association  

The dissolution of the association must be decided by the ordinary or extraordinary general  assembly by a majority of 67% of the members present.  

The board is responsible for the liquidation of the assets of the association or, as the case may  be, the general assembly appoints several members or non-members who will be responsible  for the liquidation of assets. 

The remaining net assets will be allocated to a similar purpose association or a public interest  organization chosen by the general assembly. 

Chapter VI: Adoption of the actual statutes  

Article 33: Adoption of the actual statutes 

The present statutes have been adopted by the general assembly held in Strasbourg. 

Strasbourg, 28 November, 2017 

Stefanos GAKIS
President

Emily GREEN
Secretary General