THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ILLINOIS INTERCOLLEGIATE FORENSIC ASSOCIATION
Last Revision: March 2015
ARTICLE I - THE ORGANIZATION
SECTION 1: This organization shall be known as the Illinois Intercollegiate Forensic Association. For brevity, it shall within this document be referred to by its initials - IIFA.
SECTION 2: The membership of IIFA shall be open to all accredited two-year and four-year institutions of higher learning within the state of Illinois who are in good standing with the association. To maintain membership in good standing, dues of $25.00 must be paid annually.
ARTICLE II - ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSE
SECTION 1: The purpose of IIFA shall be to encourage and promote forensic education and forensic competition at all levels throughout the state of Illinois.
SECTION 2: The purpose of IIFA shall be to yearly execute the state's intercollegiate forensic tournament.
SECTION 3: The purpose of IIFA shall be to select the state's representatives to the Interstate Oratorical Contest at its yearly tournament through the competitive format, and it shall also provide some financial support for its chosen representatives.
ARTICLE III - THE GOVERNING BOARD
SECTION 1: The governing board of IIFA shall consist of six representatives. Three shall be from two-year institutions and three shall be from four-year institutions. No school shall have more than one representative on the board at any given time.
SECTION 2: Each representative shall be elected for a six-year term, with one representative elected each year. It is the intent of the organization that elections should rotate between members from 2-year institutions and members from 4-year institutions in subsequent years. Elections shall be held at the annual tournament and business meeting, with terms beginning on July 1.
SECTION 3: If a representative cannot serve his/her full term due to resignation or other circumstances, including, but not limited to, a job change that moves the individual to an institution of a different type (2-year to 4-year or 4-year to 2-year institution) the membership shall elect a replacement to serve out the remainder of that member’s term at the next meeting of the organization. If the out-going member is an officer, a separate election will be held to determine who will serve out the remainder of that term. If the election occurs at the annual organizational developmental conference and business meeting, the new representative and/or officer will begin serving his/her term immediately. If the election occurs at the annual tournament and business meeting, the new representative and/or officer will begin serving his/her term on July 1.
SECTION 4: From among this board, an Executive Director and a Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected by the general membership to serve a two-year term.
SECTION 5: These offices shall be rotated between two-year and four-year member institutions. Within one term, the Executive Director and Secretary-Treasurer cannot come from the same type member institution. Neither the Executive Director nor the Secretary-Treasurer can be elected from the same type member institution for consecutive terms.
ARTICLE IV - THE DUTIES OF THE GOVERNING BOARD AND ITS OFFICERS
SECTION 1: The duties of the IIFA board shall be to organize and execute the IIFA tournament. This board will be empowered to evaluate and adjudicate both technical and ethical problems arising during the tournament’s execution. This board shall insure that all member institutions are treated equitably.
SECTION 2: The duties of the Executive Director shall be to preside at all IIFA meetings and conduct the general business of the organization. The Executive Director will serve as Tournament Director and make the necessary assignments of tournament duties to the rest of the board.
SECTION 3: The duties of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be to take minutes at all the IIFA general meetings and all the IIFA board meetings, keep files of all the organizational business, handle all the organizational non-tournament correspondence, send an announcement of the annual tournament to the proper AFA official, collect all membership dues, and handle all the necessary financial business of the organization. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing and distributing all minutes and a financial report prior to the general business meeting of the organization.
SECTION 4: As Tournament Director, the Executive Director is responsible for the execution and distribution of the tournament invitation which shall be mailed to all member institutions no later than one month prior to the IIFA tournament.
SECTION 5: It shall be the duty of the board to audit the accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer at each board meeting.
SECTION 6: Board members who are temporarily unable to serve due to either, health or granted leave from his/her member institution shall be replaced on a temporary basis as needed by the remaining IIFA Board Members.
ARTICLE V - ANNUAL TOURNAMENT AND BUSINESS MEETINGS
SECTION 1: The annual tournament and business meeting of the association shall be held the first weekend in March unless changed by the Executive Director with the approval of the governing board.
SECTION 2: The host institution for the next tournament will be determined at this time. Hosting the tournament shall be alternated between two-year and four-year member institutions.
SECTION 3: Each member institution in attendance must have a representative at the annual business meeting. A quorum shall be considered a simple majority of those in attendance at the business meeting.
SECTION 4: Each member institution shall be accorded only one vote in conducting the business of the organization.
SECTION 5: The annual organizational developmental conference and business meeting shall be held prior to the first weekend in September unless changed by the Executive Director with the approval of the governing board.
ARTICLE VI - FINANCE
SECTION 1: Each member institution shall be required to pay an annual membership fee of $25.00, payable at either the fall Developmental Conference or at the IIFA Tournament. Member institutions failing to pay annual dues can be dropped from the association and prohibited from competing in the IIFA Tournament upon a majority vote from the governing board.
SECTION 2: The normal expenses of the organization shall be: the cost of IIFA tournament execution, the cost of organizational membership in the Interstate Oratorical Association, the cost of support for organizational representative to the Interstate Oratorical contest, and general organizational operating costs.
ARTICLE VII - RULES OF IIFA TOURNAMENT COMPETITION
SECTION 1: Competitors must be undergraduate students at member institutions who have met the necessary requirements for competition as imposed by the member institution and the appropriate governing national forensic organization.
SECTION 2: No competitor may compete in more than four IIFA tournaments.
SECTION 3: The events for competition shall include: ADS/STE, COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS/RHETORICAL CRITICISM, DRAMATIC INTERPRETATION, DUO INTERPRETATION, EXTEMPORANEOUS, IMPROMPTU, INFORMATIVE, ORAL INTERPRETATION, ORATORY, PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE, POETRY, PROSE, AND READER'S/INTERPRETER'S THEATRE. Events may be added, deleted, and/or altered by board vote with the advice and consent of the general membership.
SECTION 4: The specific rules for IIFA Tournament events will be outlined in the tournament invitation and will not deviate from AFA, NFA, and/or Phi Rho Pi standards without specific board approval with the advice and consent of the general membership.
SECTION 5: The number of competitors or teams allowed to compete in each event in the IIFA Tournament from each member institution shall be set by a vote of the entire membership.
SECTION 6: The number of rounds of competition for the IIFA Tournament shall be set by a vote of the entire membership.
SECTION 7: Elimination rounds of the IIFA Tournament shall be executed in a two tiered system. The Open Division elimination rounds will include the appropriate number of top competitors (based on the best preliminary round results) regardless of two-year or four-year affiliation. The Two-year Division elimination rounds will include the appropriate number of top competitors from two-year institutions not included in an Open Division elimination round which awards sweepstakes points.
SECTION 8: Awards will be presented to all competitors who compete in elimination rounds.
SECTION 9: Sweepstakes awards shall be presented in a two tiered system. Five sweepstakes awards shall be presented in the Open Division with all member institutions being eligible based on the total number of accumulated sweepstakes points from Open Division elimination round competition. Five sweepstakes awards shall be presented in the Two-year Division with only members from two-year institutions being eligible based upon the accumulation of sweepstakes points accumulated in all elimination round competition.
SECTION 10: The value of sweepstakes points in each division shall be determined by the governing board along with any necessary tie breaking procedures.
SECTION 11: The presentation of awards not specifically identified in this document shall be determined by a vote of the governing board.
SECTION 12: Judges for the IIFA Tournament must have earned a bachelor’s degree or be approved by the governing board. Requests for exceptions to this rule will be adjudicated by the IIFA Board using the following criteria:
1. Requests for exemptions should be made sparingly rather than broadly. No DOF or DOIE should submit a request for an exemption unless they are personally satisfied that the individual being submitted meets a high bar of expertise and objectivity. The submission of a name indicates that the petitioning school has carefully vetted the ability and likelihood of this individual to provide excellent service as a critic/teacher to the students of Illinois.
2. Requests for exemptions should be submitted by the program's DOF or DOIE (as appropriate).
3. Requests for exemptions should include the following information: (a) the individual's name, (b) information specifying the individual's degree status - what degrees if any are held, how close to completing a BA or BS the person is, the individual's plans or lack thereof to complete their BA/BS, (c) an indication of the most recent year in which the individual took courses actively seeking a BA/BS (is the individual currently an active undergraduate, or did they withdraw from school one or more years ago?), (d) an indication of the number of academic years in which the person has actively served as a forensics coach and/or judge to date (including the current year), (e) an indication of approximately how many tournaments the person has judged at each of these years, (f) an indication of the extent to which the individual has judged BOTH 2-year and 4-year competitors, (g) an indication of any "conflicts" which exist (school affiliation, particularly close personal relationships, etc.) which limit the individual from judging any particular Illinois schools at IIFA.
4. Final determination of whether or not to grant an exemption will lie with the IIFA Board, with a 2/3 majority vote required to approve the granting of an exemption.
5. The IIFA Board will take into consideration the information specified in "4" above, and is empowered to seek additional information as needed. While "4" above lists crucial information, the Board is empowered to take any and all available information into account when making a decision.
Each member institution is required to supply an adequate number of judges or appropriate monetary compensation as determined by the governing board.
No one may judge at an IIFA tournament if he or she has competed in the competition year which began the preceding September. In addition, no one may compete at any IIFA tournament after having judged at an IIFA tournament.
SECTION 13: Competition fees for the IIFA Tournament shall be determined by the governing board with the advice and consent of the general membership.
SECTION 14: The responsibility for hiring judges for the IIFA tournament shall rest with the host institution's director and the governing board. Fees paid hired judges shall be determined by the governing board.
SECTION 15: Standard tabulation procedures shall be employed unless otherwise determined by the governing board.
ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENT
SECTION 1: This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the delegates present at either the fall Developmental Conference or the Annual Organizational meeting.