Constitution of the Southern Forensics Championship Tournament

Article I – Name

The name of this tournament shall be the Southern Forensics Championship Tournament, abbreviated SFCT.

Article II – Purpose

It shall be the purpose of the SFCT to stimulate interest in and promote the progress of forensics in the region in the hopes of furthering competitive, educational, and social experiences that reflect forensics as a laboratory for the development of communicative, advocacy, and leadership skills.

Article III – Organization

Section 1 – Membership

The SFCT shall be open to all interested individuals and institutions. Specific memberships shall be full and associate.

Section 1A – Full Membership

Full membership shall be open to all forensics programs and their staff at Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi institutions of higher learning. Full members and their professional staff may hold SFCT offices and retain voting rights (one vote per school). Unless otherwise provided, references to “states” in this Constitution shall refer only to Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Section 1B – Associate Membership

Associate membership shall be open to all forensics programs and their professional staff, and/or individuals with an interest in forensic activities. Neither residency in a “full membership” state nor affiliation is a requirement. Associate members do not retain voting rights except as provided in Section 2A.

Section 2 – Officers

The officers of the association shall include a Governing Board, a Tournament Director, and a Student Board. For purposes of “terms of office,” one year shall consist of the time from the conclusion of the annual SFCT tournament to the conclusion of the following annual SFCT tournament.

Section 2A – Governing Board

The Governing Board will function as the legislative body of the SFCT, deliberating over policies, rules and procedures which affect the tournament. Each state, by majority vote of current “full member” programs within that state, shall elect two Governing Board members to serve a two-year term of office. Terms of office shall be staggered such that each state elects one Board member each year. Additionally, the Associate Membership shall elect two members to serve as “at large” members of the Governing Board. (Voting for “at large” members shall be similar to voting for the other Governing Board members except that Associate Members shall operate as a single “state” for purposes of voting and representation.) Furthermore, the host school of the forthcoming SFCT Tournament shall have a representative to the Governing Board from the conclusion of the SFCT immediately preceding the tournament that will be hosted at their institution through the conclusion of the SFCT held at their institution. Vacancies of seats on the Governing Board will be filled by special election of current “full member” programs from the state represented by the vacant position.

Section 2B – Tournament Director

The Tournament Director shall be an executive-type position elected by a majority vote of the full membership. The Tournament Director shall serve a three-year term of office. If a Tournament Director resigns or is otherwise unable to complete a three-year term of office, the Governing Board shall appoint an interim Tournament Director, who shall serve until the next SFCT, at which point a new Tournament Director will be elected by the full membership.

The Tournament Director’s duties shall be as follows:

1. The Tournament Director shall ensure that the SFCT is scheduled and sanctioned with appropriate regional and national organizations.

2. The Tournament Director shall be responsible for distributing invitations to the annual tournament.

3. The Tournament Director shall be responsible for the preparation of the tournament schematics, tabulation, and other materials necessary for tournament operation.

4. The Tournament Director shall resolve disputes that arise during the SFCT. The Tournament Director may delegate this authority to one or more members of the Governing Board when necessary to avoid a conflict of interest.

Section 2C – Student Board

The Student Board shall be non-voting members of the Governing Board. Each state, by majority vote of the “full member” programs in that state, shall elect a student to serve a one-year term of office.

The Student Board’s duties shall be as follows:

1. The Student Board shall run the student meeting(s) at the SFCT.

2. The Student Board shall be responsible for operating a service project at the SFCT and facilitating the selection of the SFCT Coach of the Year.

3. The Student Board shall perform tasks as assigned by the Governing Board.

Section 3 – Elections/Voting

All elections for the SFCT officers shall take place at the annual SFCT Championship Tournament. Nominations shall be accepted and solicited up to and during the tournament. Only one vote per member school is considered in SFCT voting. Proxy votes must be written and signed by the voter, signed by the proxy, and explanatory of the voting directive given to the proxy.

Section 4- Regular Meetings

The SFCT shall hold at least one regular meeting each year at the annual championship tournament. Other meetings may be called by the Governing Board as issues warrant. General membership meetings must be announced to all SFCT members no less than 30 days prior to the meeting date. A quorum will be the majority of those members in good standing attending an officially announced meeting.

Article IV – Amendments

This constitution can be amended upon a two-thirds majority of full members at a regular SFCT meeting. Amendments must be made available to the membership no less than 30 days prior to the meeting at which the proposal is considered.