TASSA Localized Events Protocol

The executive committee fully supports the idea of organizing events at various locations throughout the country and abroad. We consider these events in line with the mission of TASSA, and believe that a carefully planned set of such gatherings will further the mission of TASSA. As a scientific and scholarly organization, the executive committee believes the events that carry its name should reflect these qualities and contribute to the body of knowledge on the subject matter.

The executive committee will entertain the requests for meetings and fund the events fully or in part according to the following guidelines. These guidelines will ensure that all such requests will conform to the same standards and will be evaluated fairly.

  1. The executive committee will announce the themes for the year ahead for these meetings. All meetings need to focus on at least one of these themes.
  2. Members who are interested in organizing events will submit their requests for funding by TASSA to their technical group and include their plans and budget. These plans must include the theme around which the event is organized, the target audience, the expected attendance, the speakers and/or panelists, the proposed location, and the associated costs with these plans.
  3. The executive committee expects that the organizers try and finance part of the cost of these events through local means and fundraising to the extent possible.
  4. The technical group will review the requests and make recommendations to the executive committee for approval or rejection, and indicate the reasons behind their recommendations.
  5. The executive committee will review the recommendations of the technical groups and the meeting proposals and will render a decision to fund the event or not. The funding may be in full or in part at the discretion of the executive committee.
  6. The executive committee would like to spread out such meetings to various geographic locations and throughout the year. The timing of the proposal relative to the fiscal year and the budgetary constraints of TASSA are considered in the decision process. The executive committee may ask the organizers to make some alteration in their timing of the meetings.
  7. The decision will be communicated directly to the originators of the proposal. In the case of an affirmative decision, the organizers will be responsible for implementing the proposed plans and request funds as indicated in the plan.
  8. At the conclusion of these events, the executive committee expects to receive the following:
    1. A report of the event, including attendance, the actual costs incurred, the use of funds. If there are any excess funds, they must be returned to the TASSA treasury for other uses.
    2. A position paper that presents the views of the panelists, the discussions that ensue, and additional research if warranted. This should be presented in the language of the session, but preferably in both English and in Turkish for distribution.
    3. Feedback and recommendations for future events.