Submitted: April,
1973
Revised: April,
1992
Ratitied: October, 1992
Throughout the following document the use of the
masculine implies inclusion of the feminine.
PREAMBLE. With the firm conviction that it is in
the best interest of American youth and of the American people to maintain
close ties with the various peoples of the French-speaking world, to learn
their language, to become familiar with their history, their culture, their
social and economic structures or institutions, the teachers of French of the
State of Virginia wish to organize themselves into a union with membership
extended to all those engaged or interested in the teaching of the French
language or to those who, in one capacity or another, are professionally
involved in the propagation of the literary or cultural expressions and
manifestations of any French—speaking nation.
The purpose and function of this organization shall be
to undertake any action either at the level of the State, in concert with the
national association, at the level of the nation, or to formulate any policy
which will tend to facilitate the academic or cultural mission of its members
and render their pursuits more fruitful.
With the above objectives in mind, the members of the
association have adopted the following constitution.
ARTICLE I. Name of the Association -- Geographic
Delineation
Section 1. The name of the organization shall be the
Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French, hereinafter
referred to as the Chapter.
Section 2. The organization named in Section 1 shall
extend to the entire State of Virginia except the Northern area.
Section 3. The name of the Chapter shall never be the
object of an amendment unless, by majority vote of its members, the geographic
delineation specified in Section 2 above shall be redefined and geographically
reapportioned.
ARTICLE II. Rights of Membership -- Membership Fees
Section 1. All members of the Chapter are encouraged to
be members in good standing of the national association.
Section 2. Membership in the Chapter shall be divided
into four categories: a) active membership; b) life membership; C) emeritus membership; d)
student membership.
Section 3. Active membership: any person engaged in the
teaching of the French language or professionally involved in the teaching of
the literature of the culture of a French-speaking nation may become an active
member of this chapter.
Section 4. Life membership: life membership may be
conferred upon any qualified person submitting to the Treasurer of the Chapter
a sum equivalent to twenty times the annual fee for membership in the Chapter,
provided the person is also a life member of the national association.
Section 5. Emeritus membership: emeritus
membership may be conferred upon any member who: a) has received emeritus
status by the national association; b) is over 55 years old; c) has retired
from active teaching; d) has been a member of the AATF for at least ten
consecutive years; e) is a member in good standing of the Chapter when
applying. Emeritus members pay one-half of the regular membership fee,
are considered full—fledged embers of the AATF Chapter and enjoy all the
benefits of regular membership.
Section 6. Student membership: student membership shall
be granted if one: a) is enrolled in courses leading to a degree; b) is
carrying less than a full-time load; c) carries a title lower than
“instructor.” Student members pay half the annual dues for a regular member and
are considered full-fledged members of the Chapter.
Section 7. Each member in good standing has the right to
vote at meetings of the Chapter and to participate in the program on an equal
basis with other members.
Section 8. Chapter membership fees may be assessed from
time to time by majority vote of the members attending an annual meeting of the
Chapter.
Section 9. Provided that membership in the national
organization is maintained, emeritus and student members shall be exempt
from the payment of Chapter fees.
ARTICLE III. The Executive Board -- Eligibility
Section 1. The Chapter shall be administered by an
Executive
Board composed of the President, the Vice-President, the
Secretary, the Treasurer, the Editor of Les Nouvelles
(the
Chapter’s newsletter), the Director of the French
Contest, and an
Executive Council of four members representing the
membership at
large.
Section 2. The President, the Vice—President and the
four regional representatives shall be elected for a term of 4
years, which terms may be renewable.
Section 3. The
Secretary Treasurer, the Director of the French contest and the Editor of’ Les
Nouvelles shall be selected by the President for a term of five years, each
renewable at his discretion.
Section 4. Any active, emeritus or life member of
the Chapter, provided he is in good standing with the Chapter and with the
national association, shall be eligible for office as President,
Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer.
Section 5. Eligibility for office on the Executive Board
shall be according to the stipulations of Article III, Section 4.
Section 6. Nomination: for the purpose of nomination,
the President shall appoint three members of the Executive Board who shall
select from its members the chairman of the nominating committee.
Section 7. Election: the slate of candidates for office
on the Executive Board shall be presented and voted upon at the annual meeting
of the Chapter.
Section 8. Any member of the Chapter may nominate
another candidate from the floor and such name shall be added to the slate,
provided one of the following conditions is met: a) that the candidate
nominated from the floor be present at the meeting; b) that the member placing
a name in nomination present to the officer presiding at the annual meeting a
letter of acceptance signed by the candidate whose name is being placed in
nomination.
ARTICLE IV. Duties
of the Executive Board
Section 1. The President: he shall preside at all
meetings of the Chapter. He shall appoint the Nominating committee, the
Chairman for the AATF National French Contest, members of all special
committees, and the delegates to the national convention of the AATF. The
President shall receive and process applications for AATF Summer Scholarship,
rank them, and send them to the Regional Representative. The President may
convoke or poll the Executive Board as needed. It is the duty of the President
to see that the other officers of the Chapter carry out their duties in a
timely fashion, and in the case of resignation or failure of an officer or
Executive Board member to perform his functions, the President of the Chapter
shall appoint a replacement to fill out the term of office in question.
Together with the other members of the Executive board, the President shall
assist the Vice—President in planning the program of the annual meeting of the
Chapter.
Section 2. The Vice-President: he shall act as an
advisor to the President. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President to plan
the programs for the annual meeting of the Chapter. In the absence of the
President, the Vice—President shall preside at the meetings of the Chapter.
With the consent of the Executive Board, the Vice-President shall assume the
duties and functions of the President if the latter is unable or unwilling to
perform his duties.
Section 3. The Secretary-Treasurer: he shall keep the
minutes of all meetings of the chapter and send an account to the Editor of Les
Nouvelles to be published in the next issue. He shall maintain liaison with
National Headquarters and regional representatives by reporting the results of
chapter elections. As the Treasurer, he shall have charge of all payments and
records. He shall assume supervision of the National French Contest account.
Each year he shall present annual reports on the finances of the Chapter and
the National French Contest to be published in Les Nouvelles. He shall
also report yearly interest to National Headquarters. He shall process
memberships and submit membership reports to the National Headquarters, to the
Executive Board, and to the members at the annual meeting. He shall recruit new
members when possible and encourage former members to renew membership. The
treasurer shall handle Chapter mailings to local members.
Section 4. The Executive Board shall determine the general
policy of the Chapter and decide upon all matters not within the purview of
this Constitution. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Board to
establish ways of implementing the aims and means of developing the welfare of
the Chapter. In instances when a special meeting of the Chapter is not deemed
feasible or
necessary, the President may call a meeting of the
Executive Board to deal with pressing matters affecting the Chapter.
Section 5. Editor of Les Nouvelles: he, under the
supervision of the President, shall ensure the publication of Les Nouvelles,
and determine, in consultation with the Board, the number of yearly issues and
the list of recipients. The Editor shall serve on the Executive Board. The
newsletter shall contain the program for the annual meeting and other items
deemed of interest to the membership.
Section 6. The Director of the National French Contest:
he shall be responsible for all aspects of the development, publicity, and
administration of the annual association contest, in conformity with policies
and practices as established by the National Contest Director. He shall report
annually on the results of the contest and present a financial statement to the
Board.
ARTICLE V. Meeting of the Chapter
Section 1. The Chapter shall have at least one annual
meeting and shall be held at the same time and at the same place as that of the
other chapters of the AAT’s.
Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the
President at the request of the Executive Board or at the request of the
members at large previously submitted to the Executive Board for action.
ARTICLE VI. Finances and Compensation
Section 1. The Editor of Les Nouvelles and the
Director of the
French Contest may receive compensation by action of the
Executive Board and the agreement of the membership.
Section 2. The President shall serve as co—signer with
the Treasurer on any bank accounts maintained by the Virginia Chapter of AATF
and the Treasurer shall serve as co-signer for the accounts maintained by the
Director of the French contest.
Section 3. Investment of available current funds in the
checking account may be made by the Treasurer.
Section 4. That an honoraria of $400. be allocated to
the speaker at the annual meeting of the association.
Section 5. That the chapter shall reimburse the cost of
the prizes to the Virginia winners of the French contest.
ARTICLE VII. Amendments
Section 1. The present constitution may be amended at
any annual meeting, provided that copies of such amendments are distributed to
members before the Chapter’s meeting.
Section 2. A proposed amendment shall pass if it
receives an affirmative vote from two—thirds of the members present at the
meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. Ratification
Section 1. The present Constitution shall become
effective upon ratification by two-thirds of the members present at the annual
meeting.
Section 2. Ratification of this Constitution implies
acceptance and recognition that all articles of the Constitution of the
national association shall apply to the Chapter.
ARTICLE IX. Dissolution
Section 1. The Chapter may be dissolved by a two-thirds
majority of all members present at an annual meeting or at a special meeting
called by the President when no annual meeting has been scheduled within a
period of six months.
Section 2. If the President takes no action to call a
regular meeting, any member of the Chapter, with written notification to all
other members, may call a special meeting to consider a motion for dissolution.
Section 3. In the event that the Chapter is dissolved,
all assets held by the Treasurer of the Chapter shall be transferred to the
national treasury of the AATF and shall be subject to the regulations of the
national association which may then be in force.