Region, Section & Caucus Resources

In 2007, ISA began production of the Handbook for the ISA Region, Section and Caucus Leadership. We continue to gather information that would be helpful to the Region, Section and Caucus Leaders in planning their activities and integrating it into our leadership resources web pages. This includes assembling a calendar of critical dates for planning activities of the individual Region and Section meetings as well as activities related to the ISA Annual Convention.

Region, Section and Caucus leaders may also be interested in:

In addition, we highlight a few areas that have been of concern to Region, Section and Caucus Leaders historically, particularly related to contracts and financial matters. We welcome your suggestions for information that you would like to see in future editions of this handbook. Please see Leadership Communications & Headquarters Support for contact information if you would like to share your suggestions.

The responsibilities of Region and Section Leaders fall into 6 main categories:

General ISA Obligations

The primary responsibility of a Region President or a Section/Caucus Chair is to see that the Region or Section is active in the achievement of its objectives and to see that the governance processes are carried forward in accordance with the Region Bylaws or Section Charter.

The Region President or Section/Caucus Chair participates in the following:

  • Participate in the ISA Governing Council meeting at the ISA Annual Convention
  • Attend the Region or Section meetings scheduled to take place at the Annual Convention (attendance by the President/Chair and all of the officers is requested)
  • Attend any called meeting of Region or Section Leaders
  • Notify ISA Headquarters of any changes to the leadership, Bylaws, or Charter of the Region/Section within thirty days after the change occurs
  • Prepare an Annual Report to the ISA Governing Council regarding the membership, finances, awards, and activities of the Region, Section or Caucus to be delivered to ISA Headquarters on or before January 15th each year
  • Provide Region, Section or Caucus contributions for the Governing Council Meeting Agenda to ISA Headquarters on or before January 15th each year
  • Conduct Meetings in accordance with the Region Bylaws or Section/Caucus Charter
  • Notify ISA Headquarters regarding details and participation of the Annual Region or Section Conference, including deadline dates for calls for papers, dates and locations
  • Maintain records of Region/Section/Caucus Meetings and Minute.
  • Region/Section Leaders may find the Region/Section/Caucus Checklist & Timeline to be of assistance in coordinating many of the tasks above

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Individual Charter and Bylaw Requirements

Several Regions, Sections and Caucuses maintain their charters on their own individual websites (which can be found at Regions and Sections). ISA HQ maintains PDF copies of individual section charters and caucus charters. According to Article IV(2) of the ISA Constitution, "All component units must have written by-laws filed with the Executive Office within two years of the establishment of the component unit. These by-laws must provide for democratic election of officers and must prohibit the same person from serving in an office for more than five consecutive years." Many sections have also placed archived Word versions of Section Charters with ISA HQ and are obtainable from Andrea Gerlak, Director of Academic Development, upon request.

Elections

Regions, Sections and Caucuses have established a set of Bylaws that mandate the election terms and procedures for the Region's, Section’s and Caucus's Officers. It is recommended that Region Presidents and Section/Caucus Chairs and Officers serve two-year terms so as to provide for continuity of leadership and institutional memory.

Section Re-Chartering

Historically, every five years a Section of ISA would be re-chartered by the Governing Council at that year's Annual ISA meeting. At the 2011 ISA Convention, the Governing Council approved a change to the ISA Constitution to eliminate section re-chartering. The recommendations were overwhelmingly approved by the ISA membership in Spring 2011, and are represented in ISA's Constitution. According to Article IV(4): Any region that falls below two hundred fifty members, any section that falls below one hundred members, and any caucus that falls below fifty members will be subject to review by the Executive Committee. In addition, any petition to the Executive Director by at least ten members of a component unit alleging impropriety in governance will trigger a review by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will report to the Governing Council, which will decide whether or not to re-charter the section, region, or caucus.

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Finances

It is the responsibility of the Region, Section and Caucus Leaders to coordinate with ISA HQ to manage their account balance and oversee the expenditure of accounts. This includes the disposition of any grants or contracts received by the Region, Section and Caucus and any anticipation of the account being overdrawn.

Legal Standing

Regions, Sections and Caucuses are not separate legal entities and have no financial or legal autonomy as such. Regions, Sections and Caucuses do not have their own bank accounts but instead their finances are conducted through ISA HQ. Further, they have no authority to sign contracts. All contracts must be signed and cleared through ISA Headquarters.

Funds Disbursement

Requests for checks on behalf of the Region, Section and Caucus and questions regarding the account balance should be submitted to Dana Larsen, Director of Administration, isa@email.arizona.edu. Please anticipate one week’s time for check requests to be processed and mailed from ISA headquarters. All disbursement of funds is based on receipts for expenditures. (Please note: ISA does not pay honoraria.)

ISA HQ Coordination

Each Region, Section and Caucus shall maintain an account at ISA Headquarters and shall receive quarterly statements detailing its activity. Financial Statements can be requested from Lyn Brabant, ISA Office Manager, embrabant@isanet.org. Any questions about financial matters for Regions or Sections should be directed to Dana Larsen, Director of Administration, isa@isanet.org.

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Annual Convention Commitments

Regions, Sections and Caucuses are integral elements of ISA and have significant roles at the Annual ISA Convention. These include non-panel events and section panel allocations. For details regarding these Convention Commitments, see Annual Convention Tools.

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Individual Sponsored Awards

In addition to the awards created by the Governing Council and awarded from ISA general funds every year, many Regions, Sections and Caucuses maintain awards from their own funds. While some choose to integrate these into their Annual ISA Convention activities, others reserve them for Individual and Co-Sponsored Conferences or other outside activities. For details regarding awards, contact Angelica Robison, ISA's Awards Coordinator, arobison@isanet.org. Region/Section/Caucus leaders may also find helpful information regarding Individual Sponsored Awards at Region, Section and Caucus Archive and Region/Section/Caucus Awards.

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Individual and Co-Sponsored Conferences

In addition to the Annual ISA Convention, all regions and some sections choose to put on smaller conferences for their members. These conferences are intended to provide a forum for the exchange of scholarship within the Region/Section, as well as the dissemination of ideas and the optimization of graduate student involvement. For details regarding Individual and Co-Sponsored Conferences, see Region/Section/Caucus Conference Tools.

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