BISA WORKING GROUPS DRAFT CODE OF PRACTICE

BISA Working Groups (WGs) are fundamental to the work of the Association. They provide a significant way for colleagues with special interests to meet, exchange ideas and build professional networks through organising seminars, workshops, conferences and so on. Postgraduate students are also afforded opportunities to present their work and become more integrated into scholarly communities through other forms of participation and leadership. Working Groups also assist BISA in meeting its “public benefit” mission, as a charitable trust, by making connections with non-scholarly groups, whether they be non-governmental organisations or policy-makers.

This Code of Practice aims to provide some minimal conditions for governing the behaviour of Working Groups. BISA endeavours to fund and sustain those Working Groups which are active and which fulfil the functions outlined above. If Groups are inactive or fail to meet the objectives intended for them, BISA will review their status and may, ultimately, de-recognise them.

CODE OF PRACTICE

1. Working Groups to have a named Convenor or Convenors whose current contact details and affiliations are provided to the BISA administrator (bisa (at) aber.ac.uk)
2. WG Convenor/s to register their database of information on members with HMG via http://www.ico.gov.uk/  (currently, registration costs £30).
3. WGs to submit a brief Annual Report of activities (up to 250 words), including a summary of their finances (the latter only required if the WG received funding from BISA that year); (to be sent to bisa (at) aber.ac.uk; deadline 1 December of each year)
4. Should an Annual Report not be forthcoming for two years in succession, BISA reserves the right to review the status of the relevant WG and, ultimately, reserves the right to de-recognise the WG as a BISA-recognised WG
5. WGs to encourage and ensure appropriate opportunities for postgraduate students’ involvement in their events and organisation
6. WGs to publicise the work of BISA and to encourage participants in their events to join BISA
7. WGs to publicise the BISA annual conference and to encourage participation and organise and contribute panels and round tables, as appropriate, at the BISA annual conference
8. WGs to encourage, as appropriate and relevant, scholars’ engagement with non-scholarly communities