TALE

Tohoku Association
of Language Educators

A version of the constitution is also available in Microsoft Word format

The Constitution of the Tohoku Association of Language Educators

I. Name:
The name of the organization shall be the Tohoku Association of Language Educators, Tohoku Gogaku Kyoiku Gakkai in Japanese, hereinafter referred to as TALE.

II. Purpose:
TALE is a not-for-profit cooperative organization whose purpose is to promote more effective language teaching and learning. The organization shall hold meetings and carry on other activities to further this goal.

III. Membership:
Voting membership shall be open to those interested in language teaching and learning.

IV. Annual Meeting:
TALE shall hold an annual meeting during December of each year. Those members present at the Annual Meeting shall constitute a quorum.

V. Officers and Elections:

1. The officers of TALE shall be unpaid volunteers and consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, the Program Chair, the Membership Chair, the Public Relations Chair, and such Members-at-Large as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.

2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers and the past President.

3. The officers shall be elected yearly at the Annual Meeting and the term of office shall run from January 1st to December 31st.

4. The duties of an office may be shared by more than one member, and a single member may hold more than one office.

5. Officers may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of the remainder of the Executive Committee or by a petition signed by two-thirds of the members in good standing. A special election shall be held at the next regular meeting to elect a replacement.

6. Additional Members-at-Large may be elected by unanimous vote of those present at an Executive Committee meeting.

VI. Amendments:
Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by at least five members of the Executive Committee or submitted in a petition to the President. Such petition must be signed by at least ten percent of the members in good standing. Any proposed amendment shall be distributed to the members before the Annual Meeting. To become effective, the proposed amendments must be approved by two-thirds of the members voting at the Annual Meeting.

Bylaws of the Constitution of Tohoku Association of Language Educators

I. Membership and dues:

1. Privileges: Members in good standing will receive all notifications of the organization and have access to its publications.

2. The one year term of membership begins on the day that the application is accepted.

3. Dues: The annual dues will be set by the Executive Committee.

II. Duties of the Officers:

1. President: The President shall have overall responsibility for coordinating the activities of the Executive Committee and for directing and publicizing the affairs of the organization. The President shall preside at all Executive Committee meetings and the Annual Meeting. The President, with the approval of the majority of the Executive Committee, shall have the power to appoint standing committees and their heads.

2. Vice-President: The Vice-President shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President and share the duties and responsibilities of the Presidency. In the absence of both the President and the Vice-President, another member of the Executive Committee, previously appointed by the President or elected by majority vote of the members present, shall chair the meeting.

3. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep all financial records, collect and disburse all funds of the organization, and present an account of the financial status of the organization at the Annual Meeting.

4. Program Chair: The Program Chair shall, with the approval of the Executive Committee, be responsible for planning and running presentations and workshops.

5. Membership Chair: The Membership Chair shall be responsible for keeping membership information.

6. Public Relations Chair: The Public Relations Chair shall be responsible for coordinating publicity, especially meeting notices.

7. Members-at-Large: The Members-at-Large shall perform such duties as assigned by the President or the Executive Committee.

8. At Executive Committee meetings, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the Officers.

a. If a single person occupies more than one office, that person is only included once in quorums and meeting attendance. Only one of the offices is included in the total number of officers. Thus, if one person holds two positions and there are no Members-at-Large, the total number of officers would be six for all counting purposes and four officers would represent a quorum.

b. If two or more members share the duties of an office, such members shall all have votes at Executive Committee meetings and be counted toward a quorum, but the total number of officers shall be increased correspondingly.

III. Nominations and Elections:

1. Any member in good standing may be nominated for office and, with two seconds, stand for election.

2. Nominations and voting shall take place at the Annual Meeting. A member who is not present may designate in writing another member to place their votes for them. Both members will be considered to be present and the votes counted separately.

3. The nominee for each office who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected.

4. Any member in good standing may call for a secret ballot, election by acclimation, or election of the slate as a whole.

5. Two members elected by majority vote of those present shall be responsible for counting the votes and certifying the winner.

IV. Executive Committee Meetings

1. A Quorum will consist of one more than halt of the Executive Committee members.

2. Any member in good standing may attend Executive Committee meetings and have voice.

3. An Executive Committee meeting may be call by the President, Vice-President, or any other two officers.

V. Affiliates:
The organization may establish relations with other organizations and conduct joint activities if these meet the purposes of TALE.

VI. Language:
The primary language of the organization shall be English. However, Japanese or other languages can be used for official purposes at the discretion of those involved.

VII. Amendments:
Amendments to these Bylaws may be proposed in the same manner as amendments to the Constitution. To become effective, the proposed amendments must be approved by a majority of the members voting at the Annual Meeting. Alternatively, proposals to amend these Bylaws may be introduced in an Executive Committee meeting and become effective by a four-fifths vote of the total number of the TALE members present.

VIII. Parliamentary Authority:
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the organization in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution, these Bylaws, and any special rules of order the organization may adopt.

Ratified October 22, 2000

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