Policies of the International Network on Feminist Approaches to Bioethics (FAB)

Revised 01/2010

Table of Contents

I. Administrative Structure of FAB
II. Roles and Duties of the Co-Coordinators
III. Roles and Duties of the Advisory Board Members
IV. Roles and Duties of the Treasurer
V. Roles and Duties of Membership Secretary
VI. Roles and Duties of the Listserv Manager
VII. Roles and Duties of the Website Facilitator
VIII. Roles and Duties of the Archivist
IX. Roles and Duties of Liaison to the IAB
X. Roles and Duties of the Country Representative Coordinator
XI. Roles and Duties of the Country Representatives
XII. Roles and Duties of the Grants Coordinator
XIII. FAB Grants Committee
    A. Application Procedure for Travel and Registration Grants
    B. Rationale and Criteria for FAB Travel and Registration Grants
XIV. Roles and Duties of IJFAB Editor
XV. Roles and Duties of IJFAB Editorial Board
XVI. Nominating Committee
    A. Preparation of Ballot for Election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members
    B. Procedures for Ratification of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members
XVII. Biennial FAB International Conference Program Committee

I. Administrative Structure of FAB

FAB is committed to a nonhierarchical, non-elitist administrative structure. It is guided by two Co-Coordinators who are assisted by an Advisory Board that includes appointed ex-officio members and elected members. The appointed ex-officio members include the Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Listserv Manager, Website Facilitator, Archivist, Liaison with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB), Country Representatives Coordinator, Grants Coordinator, and IJFAB Editor (i.e., Editor of the FAB journal: the International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics). In addition, no fewer than six and no more than nine other elected members constitute the Advisory Board.

Appointed ex-officio members serve two-year terms, renewable at the discretion of the Co-Coordinators. Elected members serve two-year terms renewable once. Exception: IJFAB Editor, who serves five-year terms, renewable.

II. Roles and Duties of the Co-Coordinators

The Co-Coordinators are elected or re-elected by FAB members every two years (see XVI B. Procedures for ratification of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members). Results of the ratification process are announced at the biennial FAB General Meeting and the Co-Coordinators take office at the end of the biennial FAB General Meeting.

The Co-Coordinators perform the following duties:

  • Chair the FAB Advisory Board which, at a minimum, is responsible for approving the IJFAB Editor as nominated by the selection Committee, approving travel and registration grants recommended by the Grants Committee, and approving the final FAB International Conference program as prepared by the FAB International Conference Program Committee.
  • Facilitate the work of FAB, and ensure that communication networks are maintained.
  • Work with IJFAB Editor and Indiana University Press (IUP) to ensure the success of the FAB journal. This work includes:
    • Serving ex officio on the IJFAB Editorial Board
    • Reviewing the Memorandum of Agreement between FAB and IUP, at times specified in the Agreement
    • Periodically reviewing the subscription and membership fees, with changes to these fees as needed
  • Revise old policies and develop new ones as needed, with input from FAB Advisory Board members.
  • Appoint members for the Grants Committee
  • Appoint members for the Nominating Committee.
  • On advice from the Nominating Committee, appoint the following ex-officio Advisory Board members for two-year renewable terms:
    • Treasurer
    • Membership Secretary
    • Listserv Manager
    • Website Facilitator
    • Archivist
    • Liaison with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB)
    • Country Representatives Coordinator
    • Grants Coordinator
  • Appoint the immediately past FAB Co-Coordinator(s) ex-officio Advisory Board members for one two-year non-renewable term.
  • When the position of IJFAB editor opens up, create and chair a committee of at least five FAB members that will solicit applications for this position and, with the approval of the Advisory Board, choose and appoint the IJFAB Editor. Also negotiate with the Journal’s new institutional home for the provision of editorial office space, equipment, and support staff. Appoint IJFAB Editor ex-officio Advisory Board member.
  • On advice from the Advisory Board, appoint the IJFAB Editorial Board.

    • III. Roles and Duties of the Advisory Board Members

    The Advisory Board includes nine to eleven appointed ex-officio members and six to nine elected members.

    The appointed ex-officio Advisory Board members are the Treasurer, Membership Secretary, Listserv Manager, Website Facilitator, Archivist, Liaison with the International Association of Bioethics (IAB), Country Representatives Coordinator, Grants Coordinator, IJFAB Editor, and immediate past FAB Co-Coordinators. Their duties are outlined below.

    The elected Advisory Board members are elected or re-elected by FAB members every two years. (See XVI B. Procedures for ratification of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members). Results of ratification process are announced at the biennial FAB General Meeting and the elected Advisory Board members take office at the end of the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    The elected Advisory Board members perform the following duties:

    IV. Roles and Duties of the Treasurer

    The Treasurer is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Treasurer performs the following duties:

    V. Roles and Duties of Membership Secretary

    The Membership Secretary is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-coordinators every two years.

    The Membership Secretary performs the following duties:

  • Builds and maintains the FAB membership by
    • working with FAB country representatives;
    • publicizing FAB at various bioethics conferences and other appropriate venues;
    • organizing bi-annual membership drives; and
    • managing sponsored memberships.
  • Maintains correspondence with current and prospective FAB members using a designated FAB e-mail address to:
    • respond to inquiries;
    • welcome new members, and welcome back members renewing after an absence; and
    • tell prospective members how to join FAB
  • Provides the Country Representatives Coordinator with a current list of members ordered by country along with their contact information for the Coordinator to distribute to Country Representatives.
  • Provides the Chair of the Nominating Committee with a current list of members' email addresses and the postal addresses for members who have not provided an email address.
  • Liaises with the Treasurer and IUP to ensure that yearly subscriptions/ memberships are being maintained.
  • Receives from IUP, and distributes to Advisory Board members, total membership numbers and a breakdown of those numbers on a quarterly basis.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • VI. Roles and Duties of the Listserv Manager

    The Listserv Manager is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Listserv Manager performs the following duties:

  • Provides an institutional base for the Listserv.
  • Monitors the Listserv by reading each message sent to it and editing it if necessary. Observes an informal policy of not posting commercial messages, petitions to be signed and forwarded, or alerts about e-mail viruses on the Listserv, as they may be spurious or out-of-date.
  • Maintains the Listserv subscriber list, adding or removing subscribers as requested and updating addresses.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • VII. Roles and Duties of the Website Facilitator

    The Website Facilitator is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Website Facilitator performs the following duties:

  • Designs the Website and periodically updates its contents.
  • Posts important standing information regarding FAB, such as its current policies, officers, and representatives.
  • Invites FAB members to submit materials (e.g., course syllabi and unpublished essays) with the understanding that not all submitted materials will be posted and that those that are posted will be periodically rotated.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • VIII. Roles and Duties of the Archivist

    The Archivist is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Archivist performs the following duties:

  • Promotes the Archive to FAB members and solicits contributions annually on the Listserv.
  • Notifies senders if documents they send are duplicates or do not have enduring historical value. These documents are either returned to sender or discarded depending on sender's preference and cost.
  • Updates Finding Aids of the Archive biannually and upon request (“finding aids” is a technical term that describes an archival collection).
  • Requests funds from FAB Treasury if cost of maintaining the Archive exceeds institutional resources.
  • Considers options for electronic storage, indexing and retrieval of the materials in the FAB archive with a view to making the bulk of the FAB archive electronically accessible and appropriately confidential.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    •  

    The Archive will contain: annual lists of Advisory Board members, and Country Representatives; bank and other financial statements; bibliographies (periodically compiled, listing work of all FAB members); grant proposals, award letters, and related documentation; history of FAB; keynote addresses from FAB conferences; membership lists; memoranda from Advisory Board members about FAB business; minutes of meetings; newsletters, anthologies, and other publications of FAB; policies and revisions; programs from FAB conferences; programs from FAB sessions at non-FAB conferences; reports (annual, committee, etc); sample election ballots; sample membership forms; summary of election results; speeches of Advisory Board members; tax returns; tax-exemption documents.

    Duplicate documents are kept in the Archive only if they contain important marginalia.

    The Archive does not include: electronic records, Listserv archives, Website archives, or scholarly work by FAB members (other than those listed in the Archive's contents above).

    FAB Archive Access Strategy:

    IX. Roles and Duties of Liaison to the IAB

    The Liaison to the IAB is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Liaison to the IAB performs the following duties:

  • Communicates information about FAB to the IAB President, and the biennial IAB International Conference Program Chair, as necessary.
  • Informs the FAB membership about IAB programs and policies of interest to FAB.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • X. Roles and Duties of the Country Representative Coordinator

    The Country Representative Coordinator is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Country Representative Coordinator performs the following duties:

  • After the biennial FAB International Conference, issues a call for nominations for Country Representatives on the Listserv. In the event that there are more than two nominees from a country, appoints the Country Representative in consultation with the Co-Coordinators, taking into account past service and FAB membership. As needed (e.g. in the event of resignation by a Country Representative, or participation by a country not previously represented) appoints new Country Representatives.
  • Presents the list of country representatives to the FAB Advisory Board by the month of May, after the biennial FAB International Conference.
  • Organizes a meeting and/or panel of Country Representatives at the biennial FAB International Conference.
  • Attends the biennial FAB General Meeting taking care to introduce any Country Representatives present.
  • Provides Country Representatives with a list of FAB members in their country together with contact details for those members (as provided by Membership Secretary).
  • Provides the Website Facilitator with full contact information for Country Representatives and periodically ensures that the list on the FAB website is accurate and up-to-date.
  • Keeps Country Representatives informed of important developments in FAB activities.
  • Receives project descriptions and funding requests from Country Representatives and presents the requests to the Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board for funding approval.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • XI. Roles and Duties of the Country Representatives

    The Country Representatives are appointed by the Country Representative Coordinator for two-year renewable terms. Country Representatives must 1) be members of FAB; 2) have easy access to e-mail and some ability to read and write English; and 3) be willing to fulfill the duties of a Country Representative actively.

    Active Country Representatives who wish to continue in service are encouraged to re-nominate themselves to the Country Representatives Coordinator. No more than two Country Representatives (and ideally only one) are appointed per country. If two or more people wish to be Country Representatives for any given country, then the Country Representative Coordinator will act as a liaison to identify one country representative who will have primary responsibility as the Country Representative.

    The Country Representatives perform the following duties:

  • Recruit new FAB members. 
  • Supply feminists who are interested in bioethics with information on how to join FAB.
  • Serve as contacts and coordinators for their FAB-related country activities. 
  • Announce FAB-related forthcoming events, projects, and local developments using such means as the Listserv and the Web site.
  • Set up an appropriate communication system for FAB members in their country and encourage these members to participate in FAB conferences and FAB-related activities in their country and elsewhere.
  • Liaise with local bioethics and healthcare organizations in their country and arrange for FAB presentations, panels, or speakers at their conferences when it is both desirable and possible to do so.
  • Respond promptly to messages and queries from the Coordinator of Country Representatives, the Co-coordinators, or the Advisory Board.
  • Assist the Country Representatives Coordinator with problems that may arise in connection with the collection and/or disbursement of FAB monies in their respective country.

    •  

    Support for Country Representatives:

  • Country Representative Coordinator provides the Country Representatives with information on how to join FAB and with a current list of members in their country at the beginning of each year.
  • The Co-coordinators and the Country Representative Coordinator keep Country Representatives informed of important developments in FAB.
  • For international conferences, Country Representatives have priority in the allocation of travel and registration grant money, both directly from FAB and from any outside funding source.  Country Representatives are not required to present a paper in order to get travel funding, although they are encouraged to do so.
  • Country Representatives' recommendations about travel and registration grants for FAB members in their country have high priority.
  • Country Representatives may receive financial assistance for FAB-related work within their country. If a representative has a specific project she can carry out with a small monetary grant, a description of her project should be sent to the Country Representative Coordinator, who will present it to the Advisory Board and Co-coordinators for approval.

    •  

    Removal of Representatives:

  • If a Country Representative has not engaged in any recognizable FAB-related activity and does not respond to messages from the Country Representative Coordinator, the Co-coordinators, or the Advisory Board, then she will not be re-nominated at the end of her two-year term.

    • XII. Roles and Duties of the Grants Coordinator

    The Grants Coordinator is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every two years.

    The Grants Coordinator performs the following duties:

    XIII. FAB Grants Committee

    The Co-Coordinators appoint a three-to-five member Grants Committee which is chaired by the Grants Coordinator. The Treasurer is an ex-officio member of the Committee.

    The Grants Committee performs the following duties:

  • Announce available travel and registration grants on the Listserv and in appropriate publications in order to give FAB members ample time to prepare a grant proposal for the Grants Committee. The deadline for grant proposals for the biennial FAB International Conference should be announced on the Listserv a year in advance.
  • Eighteen months before the biennial FAB International Conference, assist the Country Representatives in identifying funding sources to which FAB members might apply for travel to the Conference. The lead time will give potential funding agencies the opportunity to include funding for FAB participants in their annual budgets.
  • Consider all eligible applications for travel and registration grants and rank them according to the Rationale and Criteria for Grants listed below.

    • A. Application Procedure for Travel and Registration Grants

    To be eligible for a travel or registration grant, applicants must have been members of FAB for at least one year at the time of application and must be presenting a paper at the conference they hope to attend. To apply for a grant, FAB members must submit the following to the Grants Coordinator:

  • Full name and full contact information, including any relevant institutional or organizational affiliation.
  • The name, location and dates for the FAB or FAB-related conference that the applicant wishes to attend.
  • A copy of the abstract accepted for presentation.
  • A brief statement of need.

    •  

    All applicants for travel or registration grants must adhere to the announced deadline for applications, which is ordinarily set as May 1 of each year except for grants to attend the biennial FAB International Conference, which is ordinarily set at March 1 of even-numbered years.

    B. Rationale and Criteria for FAB Travel and Registration Grants

    FAB has limited funds to provide travel grants to help FAB members participate in FAB or FAB-related conferences. FAB also tries to assist members in developing countries to secure funding from other sources.

    Applicants for FAB travel and registration grants must be FAB members for at least one year. Ordinarily, individual grants do not exceed $1000. Depending on the availability of funds, exceptions to the $1000 limit are considered, but honored only when all other alternatives have been explored and exhausted. Preference is given to support participation in the biennial FAB International Conference.

    When prioritizing grant awards, more funds are awarded to fewer people where it might make the difference for those awarded to attend the biennial FAB International Conference. Awarding grants to members from developing countries has priority; Member scholars-in-need from developed countries are not to be excluded, but are a lower priority for grant awards.

    Ordinarily an individual FAB member will only be eligible for a maximum of $1000 in FAB travel grants within any two-year period. In ranking applications, the Grants Committee will also take into account previous FAB-related grants awarded to the applicant and give some preference to applicants who have not been funded by FAB previously.

    The Grants Committee considers all eligible applications and ranks them based on the following considerations:

  • Whether the applicant’s paper will diversify and/or enrich feminist approaches to bioethics.
  • The applicant’s history of continuing service to FAB or active participation in FAB activities (e.g., being a Country Representative or Advisory Board member).
  • The applicant’s access to alternate funding.
  • The centrality of the conference to FAB’s mission.

    • XIV. Roles and Duties of IJFAB Editor

    The IJFAB Editor is an appointed ex-officio Advisory Board member who is appointed or re-appointed by the Co-Coordinators every five years.

    The IJFAB Editor performs the following duties:

  • With assistance from the Editorial Board, provides the intellectual content, direction, and editing of the Journal.
  • Manages all editorial-related activities (including copyediting, proofreading, and, if applicable, permission expenses).
  • Determines and maintains a schedule for the editing, copyediting, and proofreading of Journal issues that guarantees the timely publication and accuracy of each issue.
  • Obtains written permission on IUP’s “Consent to Publish” form to publish and license subsidiary rights from each author.
  • Provides final, copyedited manuscripts to IUP in clean, double-spaced form, accompanied by edited disks ready for composition, including all artwork in camera-ready form as well as any necessary permissions for artwork.
  • Funds all editorial-related activities (including copyediting, proofreading, and, if applicable, permission expenses).
  • By way of her institution, guarantees that this institution will provide adequate release time for her as the Editor, as well as adequate funding for editorial office space, equipment, and staff.
  • Submits an annual report to the Co-Coordinators. Submits a biennial report to the membership at the biennial FAB General Meeting.

    • XV. Roles and Duties of IJFAB Editorial Board

    On advice from the Advisory Board, and especially the IJFAB Editor, the Co-Coordinators appoint the IJFAB Editorial Board. Editorial Board members are typically appointed for a three year term. The Co-Coordinators serve ex officio on the Editorial Board.

    The Editorial Board performs the following duties:

  • Guarantees that the scholarly articles published in the Journal are refereed, original, and previously unpublished.
  • Guarantees that the editorial office will obtain written permission on the Press’s “Consent to Publish” form to publish and license subsidiary rights from each author.
  • Reviews or refers for review papers submitted to IJFAB (each member does this for up to six papers per year).
  • Works with the Editor to develop thematic issues and to identify guest editors for those issues.
  • Assists the Editorial Office in building and sustaining a database of reviewers in the various areas of feminist scholarship in bioethics.
  • Consults with the Editor on issues related to the mission and delivery of the IJFAB.
  • Appoints a Book Review Editor who will serve ex officio on the Editorial Board and be responsible for that section of the journal. The Book Review Editor will identify books for review, solicit reviewers, and oversee the preparation of reviews for publication.
  • Aims to meet at least every two years in conjunction with the biennial FAB International Conference. Other meetings may be scheduled in the interim. Editorial Board members are expected to seek financial support for travel to these meetings from their home institutions; however, the Editorial Office will also make efforts to raise funds to help pay travel expense for Editorial Board members who have no other source of funding.

    • XVI. Nominating Committee

    The Nominating Committee is a three person committee, one of whom serves as Chair. Members of the Nominating Committee are appointed by the Co-Coordinators from nominations and self-nominations received after an appeal on the Listserv. Members of the Nominating Committee must have belonged to FAB for at least one year. Diversity and international representation are sought, but Nominating Committee members must have easy and frequent access to e-mail.

    The Nominating Committee’s mandate is two-fold:

  • to manage the biennial electoral process for the two Co-Coordinators and the six to nine elected Advisory Board members; and
  • to assist the Co-Coordinators with the appointment of FAB ex-officio Advisory Board members.

    • A. Preparation of Ballot for Election of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members

    The Chair of the Nominating Committee makes an appeal for nominations via the Listserv. Nominations are sought for new or continuing Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members to serve a two-year term, renewable once. Nominees for Co-Coordinator must have belonged to FAB for at least two years and have demonstrated their active involvement in FAB. Nominees for Advisory Board membership must have belonged to FAB for at least one year. Diversity and international representation are sought, but Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board members must have easy and frequent access to e-mail.

    Each nomination must be submitted by a nominator and must include:

  • the name and email contact of the person who is nominated and the position for which s/he is nominated;
  • the name and email contact of the nominator and the seconder;
  • a statement confirming that the nominee is willing to serve and a brief (75 words or less) biographical sketch, including degrees, field of work, positions held, and activities relevant to FAB's mission.

    • B. Procedures for Ratification of Co-Coordinators and Advisory Board Members

    The Nominating Committee prepares a slate of nominees approximately three months prior to the biennial FAB International Conference. The slate of nominees is announced to the membership on the Listserv and on the Website. The Chair of the Nominating Committee then sends the slate of nominees along with a ratification ballot to FAB members by email or post (the Membership Secretary is responsible for providing the Chair of the Nominating Committee with a current list of members' email addresses and the postal addresses for members who have not provided an email address).

    Ratification ballots are to be returned to the Chair of the Nominating Committee by a given deadline (approximately one month before the biennial FAB International Conference). To avoid competition as well as welcome and encourage volunteers, our “elections” take the form of ratifications. This procedure is intended to preserve historical memory and provide continuity.

    After the deadline for returning ballots has passed, the Chair of the Nominating Committee counts the ballots and communicates the results to the nominees. The election results are announced at the biennial FAB International Conference, on the FAB Listserv and on the FAB Website.

    XVII. Biennial FAB International Conference Program Committee

    Elected members of the Advisory Board make up the biennial FAB International Conference Program Committee and select a Chair from among their number. If none of them reside in the country where the Conference is to be held, then they should try to add to the committee a FAB member who is from that country. The final program should be approved by the Co-Coordinators and the Advisory Board.

    The Program Committee performs the following duties:

  • Coordinates on-site arrangements with relevant persons.
  • Works with the IAB whenever it is feasible and desirable to do so.
  • Invites keynote or plenary speakers.
  • Issues a call for paper abstracts (papers are not required prior to the Conference).
  • Determines which paper abstracts are of sufficient quality to merit a place on the program, the ethos of which is maximum inclusiveness.
  • In a timely manner, sends out acceptance or rejection notices to those who have submitted a paper abstract. In addition, send out detailed instructions for actual presentation of the papers
  • Prepares a final program, participant list, and packet of abstracts for inclusion in the biennial FAB International Conference registration materials.
  • Contacts the Listserv Manager and Website Facilitator to publicize the final program.
  • Reports on biennial FAB International Conference proceedings in appropriate forums such as IJFAB.

    •  

    Adopted: August 2006
    Revised: August 2008 (CM)
    Revised: January 2010 (CE; integrated motions carried from 2008 and 2010 FAB business meetings)
    Next revision: FAB Business Meeting 2012