TJCL Constitution/By-Laws :: Tennessee Junior Classical League

TJCL Constitution/By-laws
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The Constitution of the Tennessee Federation of the National Junior Classical League

Revised April 2005

Section 1 - The Executive Board shall consist of the State Chairs, the Academic Contest Chair, the three Area Sponsors, and the elected student officers. They shall act as agents through which the business of the TJCL can be transacted between conventions. The State Chairs shall serve as the chairpersons of this Board.

Section 2 - The State Chairs shall be elected by the local sponsors of the TJCL. They may be reappointed by the same process.

Section 3 -The Academic Chair shall be appointed annually by the State Chairs.

Section 4 - The three Area Sponsors shall be appointed by the State Chairs. There shall be one Sponsor from each of the grand divisions of the state. The term of office for each of the Area Sponsors shall be three years. An Area Sponsor may be reappointed.

Section 5 - The elected student officers of this organization shall be a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, and Parliamentarian.

Section 6 - The appointed student officers of this organization shall be a Historian, a Technological Coordinator, and an Editor of The Tennessee Torch.

Section 7 - Candidates for President, Second Vice-President, and Parliamentarian must have attended at least one TJCL and one NJCL convention to be eligible to run for office.

Section 8 - The term of office for each student officer shall be from the time of his or her election or appointment at an annual state convention until a successor is chosen at the next year's state convention. An officer may not succeed himself in the same office to which he or she was elected. A President may be from the same chapter as the President whom he / she succeeds.

Section 9 - Vacancies: Should the office of President become vacant, the First Vice-President shall assume the office, and a new First Vice-President shall be appointed by the Executive Board. Should a mid-term vacancy occur among the other elected officers, the Executive Board shall name a replacement to fill the remainder of the term.

Section 10 - Upon election to an office in the National Junior Classical League, an officer of the TJCL must resign his or her position in the TJCL.

Article IV: Elections and Voting

Section 1 - Nominations Committee: Candidates for office shall be nominated by a committee that shall consist of one member from each chapter attending the annual state convention. The TJCL Parliamentarian shall preside over the meeting of this committee, the purpose of which is to select two candidates for each office to be filled. The Nominations Committee shall meet prior to the general elections. A candidate shall be nominated only by the delegate from his or her chapter and only with the written approval of his or her sponsor. No chapter may nominate more than two candidates.

Section 2 - State of Emergency: If any office to be filled has fewer than two nominated candidates, the Parliamentarian shall declare a state of emergency, under which certain clauses in Article III, Section 7 and Article IV, Section 1 shall become void. These clauses are: 1) "An officer may not succeed himself in the same office to which he or she was elected"; 2) "A President may not be from the same chapter as the President whom he or she succeeds"; 3) "A candidate shall be nominated only by the delegate from his or her chapter"; 4) "No chapter may nominate more than two candidates".

Section 3 - Qualifications: A candidate may qualify only if his or her chapter is in good standing, he or she has paid his or her dues, and his or her sponsor approves the nomination. An officer must be enrolled in a Latin or classical humanities course for at least half of the term of his or her office, or he or she must have completed all Latin and classical humanities courses available at his or her school. The President, Torch Editor, and Historian are required to attend the national convention immediately following their election, and all other officers are strongly urged to attend. Any person running for the office of President must have attended at least one previous state convention. Persons who would graduate from school during their term shall be ineligible to run.

Section 4 - Voting: Voting shall be by secret ballot. In general voting, each chapter present that is in good standing shall be allowed to cast two votes, provided that a delegate from that chapter was present at the Nominations Committee meeting; if not, then that chapter shall be allowed to cast only one vote. The majority rule shall apply. In the event of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

Section 5 - Quorum: TJCL voting shall be conducted by the quorum rule. A quorum shall consist of at least one-half of the chapters in good standing that have registered for and are present at the convention. If a quorum does not exist, then the Parliamentarian, with the guidance of the State Chairs, shall determine the voting procedures.

Section 6 - Proxies: If a chapter that is registered at the convention is unable to be present during voting, it may deposit a sealed proxy vote with the Parliamentarian.

Section 7 - Campaigning: No candidate shall enlist the assistance of a current TJCL Executive Board member for the purposes of promoting his or her campaign. No TJCL Executive Board member may promote a candidate for election.

Article V: Impeachment

Article VI: Amendments

Article VII: By-Laws

By-Laws

I. Dues

II. Conventions

III. The State Chairs

Qualifications
1. A State Chair must meet at least one of the following requirements:
  1. Must currently be a secondary school teacher;
  2. Must have taught on the secondary level for at least two years;
  3. Must have been a member of JCL and SCL.
2. A State Chair must be a member of the American Classical League.
3. The term of office will be three years, after which he or she may be re-elected.
4. During the term of office, the State Chair(s) or their designee must attend the NJCL Convention
Duties
1. To administer the business of the TJCL;
2. To send out membership letters and applications to all prospective chapters in the fall;
3. To determine financial matters;
4. To assign duties to all state officers and work with them throughout the year;
5. To appoint the state Historian from applications for the office that are received on or before the date of the state convention;
6. To appoint the editor of The Tennessee Torch
7. To work with the editor on the first printing of the Torch in November;
8. To assist in the second printing of the Torch in February and the third printing in May;
9. To appoint a Publicity Chair with whom he or she will set guidelines;
10. To select three Area Sponsors and determine their duties of office;
11. To be responsible for the following mailings:
  1. In September, information and applications for membership;
  2. In November, materials for all TJCL chapters;
  3. Convention registration materials;
  4. Convention information and last-minute details; convention results;
12. To be in charge of the annual state convention;
13. To organize and preside over (with the President) the fall planning session, which will be attended by the Executive Board, and at which time the following shall be determined:
  1. the site of the annual state convention;
  2. the date of the annual state convention;
  3. convention dues;
  4. convention schedule;
  5. convention rules and regulations for various contests;
14. To order all materials needed for the convention (trophies, answer sheets, etc.);
15. To send out and receive registration forms;
16. To oversee the selection of judges and proctors for all events;
17. To organize the contests with the people in charge;
18. To work with the Academic Contest Chair on obtaining and printing the tests;
19. To perform the following duties at the convention:
  1. Being in charge of registration;
  2. Introduction and welcome at the first general assembly;
  3. Overseeing the convention
  4. Setting up penalties for any infractions;
20. To make arrangements for the state delegation attending the national convention;
21. To help select a committee for the selection of all certamen teams to represent TJCL at the national convention;
22. To be compensated for the following:
  1. postage, supplies, and phone calls for TJCL;
  2. expenses to and from all meetings regarding TJCL at which he or she shall represent TJCL (unless the school at which he or she teachers pays for them);
  3. membership in organizations pertaining to JCL (unless paid for by his or her school).

IV. The Academic Contest Chair

V. The Area Sponsors

There will be three Area Sponsors: one from East Tennessee, one from Middle Tennessee, and one from West Tennessee;
Each sponsor will serve three years and may be reappointed;
Sponsors must attend the fall planning session for the coming year;
Each sponsor should send in information from his or specific area to the Torch and the State Chairs;
One sponsor shall be in charge of the registration and organization of the Olympika events at the convention;
One sponsor shall be in charge of receiving the material and appointing judges for the essay and poetry contests at the convention;
The sponsor in charge of the essay and poetry contests shall also be in charge of all creative and graphic arts at the convention including the following:
1. art registration;
2. the judging of projects;
3. security for projects;
4. listing winners for all categories;
5. appointment of a person to receive skit material;
One sponsor shall be in charge of obtaining certamen questions, and organizing the certamen competition and judging for all certamen rounds;
A sponsor shall be compensated for the following:
1. postage and supplies in connection with the convention;
2. telephone calls pertaining to the business of the TJCL;
3. mileage to and from the fall planning session;
4. room and board for one night while attending the fall planning session;
The three Area sponsors shall determine the recipient of the TJCL scholorship for the national convention.
Area Sponsors will serve as mentors to state officers elected from his/her region. As a mentor, the Area Sponsor will keep in contact with said student officer monthly, assist him/her in the fulfillment of the duties of his/her elected office, approve officer expenses before submitting them to the State Chair(s) for reimbursement, and any other assistance needed by the student for the successful completion of his/her term.

VI. The Publicity Chair

VII. The Officers

President
1. To attend the national convention immediately following his or her election and to preside over all delegation meetings;
2. To respond to all NJCL correspondence;
3. To set up the fall planning session;
4. To contact all officers several times during the year;
5. To be responsible for the program cover for the state convention;
6. To preside over a general assembly at the state convention on Friday and the first session of the general assembly on Saturday;
7. To see that al other officers are performing their duties;
8. To be responsible for the JCL office at the state convention;
9. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
10. To collect community service reports from participating TJCL chapters
11. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
First Vice-President
1. To be in charge of membership as follows:
  1. To contact former chapters which are not current members;
  2. To contact schools who have never joined TJCL;
  3. To provide results of his or her membership drive;
2. To preside over the final session of the general assembly of the state convention;
3. To perform any duties in the absence of the President;
4. To assume the office of the President in the event of death, illness, or inability to serve;
5. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
6. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Second Vice-President
1. To attend the national convention immediately following his or her election and serve as the Spirit Leader for the Tennessee delegation;
2. To oversee the Spirit Contest at the state convention;
3. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
4. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Secretary
1. To take minutes of NJCL delegation meetings and send a copy to each Board member;
2. To take minutes of the fall planning session and send a copy to each Board member;
3. To take minutes of the general assemblies at the state convention and send a copy to all Board members plus the new TJCL President and Secretary;
4. To take minutes of the Nominations Committee meeting at the state convention;
5. To keep an active file to be added to previous files and to give all files to the new Secretary;
6. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
7. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Parliamentarian
1. To maintain orderly conduct at all meetings and sessions according to Robert's Rules of Order;
2. To send out to all chapters two weeks prior to the convention any proposed amendments to the Constitution;
3. To receive nominations for each office by the deadline indicated and then to notify each candidate of his or her status;
4. To submit a list of candidates to the State Chairs no later than two weeks prior to the convention;
5. To preside over the Nominations Committee meeting;
6. To preside over the elections and balloting at the final session of the general assembly;
7. To prepare an official ballot for the election;
8. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office;
9. To previde a revised and dated copy of the TJCL Constitution incorporating all changes approved at the state convention.
10. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Historian
1. To attend the national convention immediately following his or her election;
2. To acquire material for the scrapbook from as many chapters as possible during the year;
3. To submit an outline and theme of the scrapbook to the President and State Chairs prior to the state convention;
4. To report on the scrapbook at the state convention;
5. To acquire a picture of each chapter attending the state convention;
6. To be responsible for entering the scrapbook into competition at the national convention and to give the State Chairs receipts for expenses to be reimbursed;
7. To give the scrapbook to the State Chairs afte the national convention for storage;
8. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
9. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Torch Editor
1. To attend the national convention immediately following his or her election and take pictures for the Torch and for the scrapbook;
2. To write a letter to all chapters in the fall indicating Torch deadlines and regulations for articles;
3. To keep a file of all material sent to the editor and material used for each Torch;
4. To keep a file of purchases and expenses for the Torch and for pictures;
5. To be responsible for compiling and proofreading each issue of the Torch, which is published three times during the year, in November, February, and May;
6. To be responsible for getting all material to the printer by the designated time;
7. To be responsible for assembling the issues of the Torch and mailing them to each chapter;
8. To take pictures at the fall planning session and at the state convention for the Torch and for the scrapbook;
9. To submit a report at the state convention that includes the number of mailed issues of each Torch and the cost of printing and mailing each issue;
10. To submit three copies of each issue to the national convention Publications contest by the deadline indicated;
11. To hand over all files and pictures, extra issues of the Torch, materials, etc., to the State Chair by June 15;
12. To file with the State Chairs a written report summarizing his or her official TJCL activities during his or her term of office.
13. Reimbursement for all TJCL related registration fees, travel expenses, and miscellaneous expenses required in the completion of these duties may be made upon 1) the submission of all receipts acquired and 2) the recognition of the officer's mentor and/or the State Chair(s) that the student has successfully completed all the duties of this office. Reimbursements may be applied for by the officer 1) at the conclusion of the NJCL Convention and 2) after the close of state convention.
Technological Coordinator
1. To collect and manage TJCL audio-visual and electronic data, which includes, but is not limited to:
  1. Keep an updated TJCL Constitution on TJCL website;
  2. Have contact information of Executive Board members available;
  3. Oversee the TJCL online forum;
  4. Update the site with results from the annual TJCL convention;
  5. Post editions of the Tennessee Torch as they are made available;
  6. Work with the 1st Vice President and the State Chair(s) in having required membership documents online