ABOUT RPRN

RPRN convenorship – Terms of reference

• The role of the RPRN convenorship is not so much to lead as to coordinate the activities and facilitate the growth of the network for our members and based on their needs and wishes.
  The convenorship’s responsibilities include:
  oversight of all activities to ensure their coordination and delivery (although these can be led by members)
• active listening and conversation with members as to the current and future trajectory
• strategic direction of the network:
  • Keeping track of relevant developments in academia, politics and policy and ensuring the network is well placed to both influence and respond to these
    o Engaging in broader strategic thinking about the relationship between academia and reactionary politics
  • Ensuring the network is a welcoming and supportive place for junior colleagues
• ensuring our web presence is sustained (through an up-to-date website in particular as well as social media activity)
• monitoring of membership applications (applications require the support of a majority of convenors)

A term is for a two-year period from January (one year for the interim convenorship set up in 2026). The convenorship will be reviewed at the end of the second year. If a convenor steps down, a consensus co-option will be agreed by the convenorship until the end of the term if the number of convenors fall below 6. New convenors will have to be approved by the membership.

Decision-making process

The convenorship will adopt the following procedure:

To ensure democratic deliberation, whenever conflict of opinions arise, decisions will be reached by a vote. For usual matters involving the day-to-day activities of the network, simple majorities will suffice. For matters involving a substantial change to the terms of reference of the board of convenors a qualified majority will be required.

Decisions cannot be reached when fewer than 6 convenors are present at the meeting