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Constitution and By-Laws of the Ohio Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German(amended April 23, 2021; 3/27/2007; March 30, 2012; April 17, 2015; 1997)I. NameThe name of the chapter shall be the Ohio Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. II. PurposeThe purpose of the chapter conforms to that of the national organization. It proposes to promote and improve the study of and the teaching of German in the area covered by this chapter, and to encourage a spirit of cooperation and fellowship among its members. III. MembershipA. Any teacher of German or anyone interested in the teaching of German may join the chapter and the national association upon payment of the annual dues as specified by the by-laws of the national association. No one can be a member of the chapter alone. All chapter members belong first to the national association. Membership will be retained by the continued payment of the annual dues.B. The annual dues include subscription to the official publications of the national association. Only members in good standing may exercise the privileges of membership.C. Membership is on a calendar year basis; beginning with the date you become a member. Graduate and undergraduate students who are certified by the chairperson of their department may become student members upon payment of the annual dues for student membership.D. A teacher who at the time of retirement has been a member of AATG for at least fifteen years may elect emeritus membership. The dues for this type of membership are defined in the by-laws of the national organization.E. Honorary membership in the AATG may be granted only in accordance with the stipulations in the national constitution. IV. Officers, Nominating Committee and ElectionsA. The officers of the chapter shall be a President, a First Vice President/Secretary, a Second Vice President/Membership Chair, a Treasurer, a Testing Chair, a Website Manager and a Listserv Moderator. At no time shall the President and Vice Presidents all be either college teachers or primary/secondary school teachers.B. All presidential track officers shall be elected initially for a term of two years, then advance to the next highest position every two years. All other officers have 5-year renewable appointments until the officer requests a change or until the chapter appoints another person to the position. No officer shall hold more than one position at a time.The incoming President begins the term at the beginning of the fall conference. The term of office for all other elected officers when the official results are announced.C. The nominating committee shall be constituted in accordance with the appropriate section(s) of Robert’s Rules of Order. This committee asks for suggestions for nominations from the membership and shall present at least two candidates, when possible, for all offices. There shall be a write-in blank on the ballot. A change of officers from one election to the next is desirable.D. The slate shall be made known to all chapter members at least one week prior to time of election. Election shall be made by secret ballot, either by paper ballot or by electronic means, but not by both for a single election. If using paper ballots at a regular meeting, paid chapter members present at the meeting shall be eligible to vote. Nominations may be made from the floor. If electronic means are used, all paid chapter members shall be eligible to vote. The officers will determine deadlines for nominations and electronic voting, with the results confirmed no later than one day before the fall or spring business meeting.E. All officers must be members of the national AATG organization. Any member who is not a paid member of the national AATG organization as of December 31 of each year shall be considered to have resigned his/her office. It shall be the responsibility of the President and the Vice Presidents, with the assistance of the Treasurer and Listserv Moderator, to confirm in writing the membership status of all chapter officers and to notify the remaining chapter officers of any resignation through non-payment. No chapter officer shall preside at any meeting at which he or she is not a current paid member of the national AATG organization.F. In the event an office becomes vacant, the successor to that office shall assume the new office and shall serve for the remainder of the former officer’s term. The new officer shall then serve his/her own entire term so that the normal rotation of officers shall continue.G. Any officer may be removed either with or without cause by vote of a majority of the members of the Board & such officer’s successor shall be elected at any regular meeting of the Board or any special meeting called for such purpose. V. AdministrationA. The administration of the chapter shall be in the hands of the chapter officers as provided for in Section IV. In addition, the Immediate Past President of the chapter may be an ex-officio member, without vote, of the chapter officers for one year following his/her retirement from office.VI. MeetingsA. The chapter shall meet at least two times a year. The time and place of the meetings shall be determined by the President after due consultation with the chapter officers. A majority of the officers need to be present at these meetings. They, along with the members present at any chapter meeting shall constitute a quorum for the meeting. The chapter officers shall meet in conjunction with the regular, annual meetings of the chapter. A special meeting may be requested by the President or any three officers. Special meetings shall be held in a centralized location for those attending for official business to be conducted, and with sufficient notice so the membership or officers are able to attend. VII. Changes in the ConstitutionA. The constitution of the chapter may be amended by a two-thirds vote of members present at any regular meeting. Such amendments may be proposed by the chapter officers or by written notice to the chapter officers by at least four members of the chapter not later than two weeks in advance of the meeting at which action is to be taken. The proposed amendment or amendments shall be distributed to the membership at least one week prior to the time of final action. VIII. By-LawsA. By-Laws may be adopted or changed at any meeting of the chapter by majority of the members present, provided that written notice of the proposed changes is sent to all the members at least thirty days prior to such meeting.B. By-Laws1. DuesAnnual Dues shall be determined by the national association. The chapter may raise additional dues for activities sponsored and supported by the chapter. These may not amount to more than 25% of the national dues. For the levying of such additional dues the consent of two-thirds of the members attending the fall meeting is required.2. Annual Programa. The President and all officers shall be responsible for the annual program and shall arrange for the program announcement to reach the Listserv Moderator and Webpage Manager in sufficient time to permit circulation to chapter members.b. The agenda of the business meeting shall be distributed to membership at least one week before the meeting and shall include the following items:Approval of MinutesPresident’s ReportSpecial OrdersTreasurer’s ReportCommittee ReportsNew BusinessAdjournment 3. Minutes of Previous MeetingsIt shall be the policy of the chapter to have the annual Treasurer’s report and approved minutes of all meetings available to the membership on the chapter website. These items will be added as soon as possible following the meeting. 4. Newsletter/AustauschTo facilitate communication and the exchange of ideas, and generally to promote the teaching of German in Ohio, the chapter officers may, at its discretion, arrange for the publication of an official chapter newsletter. The chapter officers shall appoint an editor to publish a newsletter. The newsletter shall be available via the chapter website and the listserv. 5. Duties of Chapter Officers a. The responsibilities of the President include: i. Planning for chapter meetings and establishing an agenda in consultation with the other chapter officers, including submitting a request for a session at the spring OFLA or CSCTFL Conference when it is held in Ohio, or in another venue.ii. Conducting all chapter and chapter officers meetings.iii. Submitting all required information to the national AATG office in a timely fashion such that the Ohio Chapter remains in compliance with the AATG National Constitution and By-Laws.iv. Submitting announcements and correspondence to the newsletter editor in a timely fashion. Consulting with the other chapter officers on the expenditure of chapter funds when the amount of the expenditure exceeds $100 other than for the annual meetings.vi. Together with the Vice Presidents, Treasurer and Listserv Moderator, confirming in writing the membership status of all chapter officers and notifying the remaining chapter officers of any resignation through non-payment. b. The responsibilities of the First Vice President/Secretary include: i. Representing the President to conduct all meetings and official business in the absence of the President.ii. Assisting the President as requested in the operation of the chapter.iii. Keeping an accurate record of the chapter and chapter officer meetings.iv. Forwarding approved minutes to the Website Manager for posting on the chapter website.v. Preparing articles for the newsletter, Austausch.vi. Together with the President, Second Vice President, Treasurer and Listserv Moderator, confirming in writing the membership status of all chapter officers and notifying the remaining chapter officers of any resignation through non-payment. c. The responsibilities of the Second Vice President/Membership Chair include: i. Representing the President to conduct all meetings and official business in the absence of the President and First Vice-President.ii. Assisting the President as requested in the operation of the chapter.iii. Keeping an accurate record of the chapter and chapter officer meetings in the absence of the First Vice President.iv. Serving as Membership Chair, inviting German instructors to join/rejoin.v. Together with the President, First Vice President, Treasurer and Listserv Moderator, confirming in writing the membership status of all chapter officers and notifying the remaining chapter officers of any resignation through non-payment. d. The duties of the Treasurer include i. Keeping an accurate record of the chapter’s finances, including submitting all financial reports as required by the national association and the IRS.ii. Payment of expenses authorized by the chapter officers and the deposit of funds received from the national association or from chapter events.iii. Advising the chapter officers as to the chapter’s financial situation.iv. Collecting and retaining receipts for approved expenses.v. Preparing a report for each of the chapter meetings.vi. Verifying annually that all chapter officers are current AATG members by December 15.vii. Together with the President, Vice Presidents, and Listserv Moderator, confirming in writing the membership status of all chapter officers and notifying the remaining chapter officers of any resignation through non-payment. e. The duties of the Testing Chair include: i. Enlisting a yearly committee of at least three (3) teachers who do not administer the test.ii. Relaying information about the application process to teachers.iii. Working with the committee during the awards process, conducting phone interviews with candidates qualified for travel awards, purchasing and distributing awards. f. The duties of the Website Manager include: i. Maintaining, editing and updating the official chapter website regularly.ii. Ensuring that the chapter website remains in compliance with all policies established by the national AATG office.iii. Soliciting postings for the website from officers and members on a regular basis.iv. Reporting to the chapter President at least annually on the status of the website and any issues or concerns. g. The duties of the Listserv Moderator include: i. Maintaining and updating the chapter’s listserv.ii. Sending out membership renewal notices.iii. Posting job openings, conference and professional improvement opportunities.iv. Relaying chapter information and other German-related information to the membership.v. Functioning as a resource person for the membership.vi. Verifying annually that all chapter officers are current AATG members by December 15, and communicating that information to the President, Vice Presidents and Treasurer. 6. Dissolution of the ChapterThe chapter may be dissolved only:a. At a special meeting called for that purpose,b. through a vote by a majority of the remaining members of the chapter, orc. through clear evidence that the chapter no longer is active.d. Unless otherwise noted in this document, decisions taken by the chapter membership and officers shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.e. No member of the chapter shall be entitled to any distribution or diversion of its remaining property or proceeds. The balance of the money, other property or assets received by the chapter from any source shall be distributed for exempt purposes to qualifying charitable beneficiaries, preferably the national organization, the American Association of Teachers of German, which is registered as a 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. PoliciesI. ReimbursementA. The chapter President shall be reimbursed for the ACTFL registration fee in order to attend the annual chapter presidents’ meeting at the annual AATG meeting. This fee will not be reimbursed if the President obtains funding from another source. No other conference fees shall be reimbursed.B. The chapter President shall be reimbursed for his/her hotel expenses for the Ohio AATG Fall Conference.C. Speakers at the Fall Conference shall be reimbursed hotel, as well as out-of-state travel expenses at a mutually agreed upon amount.D. The registration fee for the Fall Conference may be waived for first-time members at the discretion of the chapter officers.
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