Bylaws

BYLAWS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this Association shall be the North Carolina Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, which is a nonprofit, educational organization whose members are devoted to promotion, study and teaching of the Spanish and Portuguese languages and Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian cultures. The Chapter is also known as AATSP-NC.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

The purposes of the Association shall be:

  1. To promote and increase the study of Spanish and Portuguese in the state of North Carolina.
  1. To promote friendship, professional growth, and the exchange of ideas among teachers of Spanish and Portuguese at all levels of instruction.
  1. To cooperate with other organizations to improve the teaching of Spanish and Portuguese in North Carolina.

ARTICLE III. GOVERNANCE

Section 1. The business of the AATSP-NC Chapter shall be conducted, supervised, and overseen by a governing body called the Executive Council. The Executive Council will be comprised of the following positions:

  1. President
  1. President Elect
  1. Past President
  1. Secretary
  1. Treasurer
  1. NSE Coordinator
  1. Communications Coordinator
  1. Webmaster
  • Section 2. The Executive Council members shall serve for a period of two consecutive years only (three years for Webmaster) and/or until the election/appointment of their successors.

    • Retiring elected officers cannot be nominated for another elected office for a periodof four years following the completion of their term. The exceptions to this rule are the NSE Coordinator and Treasurer, who may serve consecutive terms. In addition, the four year rule can be waived at the discretion of the Executive Council for the position of President Elect only.

    In order to provide continuity of leadership and smooth transitions between officers, the office of president will be a three-step process: Year One: President Elect; Year Three: President; Year Five: Past President. This provides time for incoming presidents to learn the job, become familiar with chapter procedures and programs, and plan for the actual year of presidency.

    Section 3. Whenever there is an anticipated vacancy in any office, such vacancy shall be announced on the chapter website, by email, and/or at the next regular meeting of the chapter. Nominations will be accepted through the chapter website only for a period of 30 days. This vacancy will be filled by an election held at the regular meeting following the announcement. At the close of the nomination period, names of nominees will be available to the entire membership.

    Regular elections should be held each fall so that officers and Executive Council members can take office on January 1 of the following year.

    Preferred schedule for elections:

    • By September 30: Call for nominations for offices
    • By October 30: Elections completed

    In the event of an unexpected vacancy, the Executive Council shall appoint an interim officer to serve until the next regular election.

    The results of the election will be posted on the chapter website, and the names of the new officers will be reported to the AATSP National Office by December 1 of the year in which the election is held. New officer terms begin January 1.

    ARTICLE IV. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

    Section 1. This Executive Council shall have charge of all business of the chapter that may arise between regular meetings of the chapter. They shall present their report at the regular meetings. They shall approve the budget submitted by the Treasurer. They shall provide for a time, place, and program for each meeting.

    The Executive Council should meet as often as necessary, including at least one meeting before each regular meeting of the chapter. Face-to-face and virtual meetings will be held.

    Section 2. The President shall be the chief executive officer of the chapter and shall preside at all meetings of the chapter as well as supervise the affairs of the chapter in conjunction with the Executive Council.

    The President will be responsible for the coordination and submission of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina (FLANC) Conference proposals. The board will vote on the submissions and select four proposals for presentation.

    The President shall coordinate the planning of the Spring Conference, including the location, keynote speaker, workshops, and presentations.

    Section 3. The President Elect shall exercise the duties of the President in the absence of that officer.

    The President Elect is responsible for coordinating the Chapter Poster Contest and for submitting the winning poster to the national contest.

    The President Elect will work with the outgoing President during the initial planning stages of the upcoming spring conference.

    The President Elect shall serve as President after serving one term in this office.

    Section 4. The Secretary shall take minutes at all meetings, prepare the minutes for approval by the Executive Council as well as archive the approved minutes on the chapter website. This individual will also send notices to the members of the forthcoming meetings.

    Section 5. The Treasurer shall keep a database of the members of the chapter and a detailed account of all monies received and disbursed. This account shall be presented to the members of the chapter at each regular meeting.

    The treasurer shall be responsible for accepting all Spring Conference fees and depositing them within thirty calendar days of receipt.

    Section 6. The Chapter NSE Coordinator shall create and maintain accountability of all related activities pertaining to the administration of the National Spanish Exam.

    Section 7. The Communications Coordinator shall take charge of publicity for the chapter. This individual will also maintain and update the membership listserv and create and distribute the chapter newsletter at least once per calendar year.

    The Executive Council should support the Communications Coordinator’s work by providing special software for the layout and design of the newsletter and/or training in the use of the software.

    Section 8. The Webmaster will be responsible for approving, maintaining, and updating the content for the AATSP-NC official webpage and other social media sites affiliated with the chapter (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). The term of service for this position is three years. In the event that there are no nominees the Executive Council may appoint a Webmaster.

    Section 9. The Past President shall organize the Teacher of the Year Award, accepting nominees, and arranging for a vote. The Past President shall also serve as an adviser to the Executive Council on administrative matters. In the absence of the President and the President Elect, the Past President shall preside at the meeting.

    ARTICLE V. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES

    Section 1. Any person interested in Spanish and/or Portuguese language or cultural study who would like to become a member of the North Carolina Chapter of The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese may do so by paying annual dues to the national association.

    Section 2. Honorary membership may be granted to no more than two persons per year who have made notable contribution to Spanish or Portuguese language instruction in the state of North Carolina.

    An Honorary Membership Committee consisting of the President and two members elected by the membership shall be established at the same session that the general elections are held.

    This committee shall determine by unanimous vote what candidates, if any, are to be presented to the membership for election as honorary members. Election shall be by a majority vote of membership present. There will be an Honorary Membership Committee every election.

    ARTICLE VI. BUSINESS MEETINGS

    An annual business meeting and other meetings or conferences of the Association shall be held at times and places chosen by the Executive Council.

    ARTICLE VII. AMENDMENTS

    Amendments to the Bylaws may be approved at either of the two annual meetings of the chapter by a two-thirds majority of the members present and in good standing. Any member in good standing may submit an amendment to the Bylaws. Such proposals may be submitted in writing to the President. Amendments shall first be approved by a majority of the Executive Council. The proposed amendment or amendments, thus approved, shall be published on the website of the North Carolina Chapter of the AATSP at least one week before the chapter meeting during which voting will take place. Before a vote is taken, chapter members may submit comments electronically directly to the President, or they may make comments during the discussion to take place at the chapter meeting.

    ARTICLE VIII: DISSOLUTION OF THE AATSP-NC CHAPTER

    In the event of dissolution of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, the residual assets of the Association will be turned over to the National Office of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

    Last revised 12/8/15