THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF AATSEEL OF U. S., INC. ALSO KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SLAVIC AND EAST EUROPEAN LANGUAGES, INC.

(Note 1: AATSEEL was incorporated in the State of New York as a not-for-profit corporation on
March 31, 1948.)

(Note 2: As amended and adopted at the Business Meeting of AATSEEL, December 29, 1989,
December 29, 1992, December 29, 1998, and December 29, 2007.)

CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I. NAME AND PURPOSE

1. Name. The name of this organization shall be AATSEEL of U. S., Inc., also known as the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages, Inc.

2. Purpose. The purpose of the Association shall be to promote study, teaching, and research in the Slavic and East European languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures on all educational levels.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP

1. Membership. Membership in the Association shall be open to persons interested in the promotion of study, teaching, and research in the Slavic and East European languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures on all educational levels. This includes teachers, researchers, students, and persons engaged in non-academic pursuits.

2. Membership privileges. The following privileges are restricted to members in good standing: voting and holding office in the Association or its local chapters; submitting written work to be considered for publication in the Slavic and East European Journal; submitting to the Program Committee papers for oral presentation at meetings of the Association; eligibility to receive awards conferred by AATSEEL. All members shall receive the regular publications of the Association.

ARTICLE III. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES
1. Officers.

A. The elected Officers of the Association shall be a President, President Elect, Past President, and six Vice Presidents. One of the Vice Presidents shall be a pre-college teacher and one of them shall be a college-level junior faculty member. The President Elect shall serve for a term of two years; the Vice Presidents shall serve for terms of three years, staggered so that two Vice Presidents shall be elected each year. After serving a two-year term, the President Elect shall become the President for a term of two years. The outgoing President shall then become Past President for a term of two years.

B. The appointed Officers of the Association shall be a Secretary- Treasurer, who shall also be known as the Executive Director, and who shall serve a three-year term (renewable); a Conference Manager (when separate from the Executive Director), who shall serve a three year term (renewable); the Editor of the Slavic and East European Journal, who shall serve a five-year term (renewable); the Editor of the AATSEEL Newsletter, who shall serve a five-year term (renewable); the Chair of the Publications Committee, who shall serve a three-year term (renewable); the Chair of the Program Committee, who shall serve a three-year term (renewable); and the Chair of the Finance Committee, who shall serve a one-year term (renewable). All these appointments shall be made by action of the Executive Council.

C. The terms of office of the Executive Director and Conference Manager, no matter in which year appointed, shall begin on the July 1 following their appointment, and shall expire on the June 30 of the third year following their appointment. For all other Officers elected or appointed prior to 2007, the terms of office shall begin on the January 1 following their election or appointment, and shall expire on the December 31 of the second (President Elect), third (Vice Presidents, Committee Chairs) or fifth (Editors) year, respectively, following the commencement of their terms. For all other Officers elected or appointed in 2007 or 2008, the terms of office shall begin on the January 1 following their election or appointment, and shall expire on the January 9 of the third (President Elect), fourth (Vice Presidents, Committee Chairs) or sixth (Editors) year, respectively, following the commencement of their terms. For all other Officers elected or appointed in 2009 or subsequent years, the terms of office shall begin on the January 10 following their election or appointment, and shall expire on the January 9 of the second (President Elect), third (Vice Presidents, Committee Chairs) or fifth (Editors) year, respectively, following the commencement of their terms. In the event that a new Officer has not been elected or appointed (as provided above) by the expiration of an Officer’s term, the Officer shall continue to serve until such time as his or her successor has been elected or appointed, and qualified.

D. The Executive Council may appoint a temporary replacement to fill a vacancy in any of these offices occurring at any time. The appointment shall be effective immediately upon appointment, and the replacement shall serve for the unexpired portion of the original term.

2. Executive Council.

A. The Executive Council shall consist of the Officers enumerated in Section I. The President shall be Chair of the Executive Council. The President may invite individuals to meetings of the Executive Council as appropriate.

B. The Executive Council shall administer the affairs of the Association. The Council shall meet at least annually, and the President shall insure that minutes of all meetings are taken, circulated, approved, archived, and made available to the general membership of the Association. The Executive Council shall report to the members annually at the Annual Members’ Meeting concerning its activities, actions and decisions during the preceding year since the last Annual Members’ Meeting. The activities, actions and decisions of the Executive Council shall be subject to review, ratification, modification or rescission by the members of the Association present at the Annual Members’ Meeting.

3. Nomination and Election of Officers.

A. Nominations and elections shall be conducted by the Nominations, Elections and Awards Committee, which shall consist of the immediate Past President and the two outgoing Vice Presidents. This committee shall nominate two persons for each vacant position. Each year, the Committee shall nominate candidates for two Vice Presidential positions. In alternate years, the Committee shall also nominate candidates for the position of President Elect. The Committee shall strive to insure that the various subject fields and the geographic diversity of the membership of the Association are represented fairly in the nominations.

B. A ballot to elect Officers from the slate of nominees shall be submitted to the members not less than six months in advance of the annual meeting. The ballot shall allow for additional nominations. The Nominations, Elections and Awards Committee shall oversee the tallying of ballots.

4. Other Committees. The Executive Council shall have authority to establish other standing or ad hoc committees as needed. Except as provided elsewhere, standing committee Chairs shall normally be appointed from among the members of the Executive Council by the Executive Council for a three-year term. Ad hoc committee chairs shall be appointed by the President from among the members of the Executive Council or from the membership at large.

ARTICLE IV. FISCAL POLICY.

1. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year shall begin on July 1st. A budget for the coming year shall be approved each year by the Executive Council. The Executive Director shall have authority to meet all reasonable expenditures approved in the budget. Expenses above those in the annual budget must be authorized by the President and approved by the Executive Council.

2. Annual Financial Report. By the time of the Executive Council’s annual meeting, the Executive Director shall provide the Council with a report of the Association’s funds for the previously concluded fiscal year. The Executive Director shall also present a report of the Association’s funds for the previously concluded fiscal year at the Annual Members’ Meeting. A full review by an independent accounting professional shall be completed every three years or upon the conclusion of a term of the Executive Director or upon the conclusion of the service of an Executive Director.

ARTICLE V. ANNUAL MEETING.

1. The Association shall meet annually at a time and place chosen by the Executive Council.

2. The Association shall hold an Annual Conference, which shall be the Annual Meeting of the Association. The Annual Members’ Meeting shall be held during the Annual Meeting of the Association. The Annual Members’ Meeting shall also be the Annual Business Meeting of the Association.

3. A quorum for conducting business or voting at any business or members’ meeting of the Association shall be not less than the members entitled to cast one hundred votes or one-tenth of the total number of votes entitled to be cast, whichever is lesser.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENTS AND ENABLING CLAUSE.

1. Any three members of the Executive Council or any ten members of the Association may propose an amendment to the Constitution. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Executive Council, which shall either place the amendment on the agenda for the next Annual Members’ Meeting, or arrange for a special vote before the next Annual Members’ Meeting, as the Executive Council may deem appropriate. A three-quarters majority of votes cast shall be required to approve the amendment, with the proviso that the total number of ballots returned in a special vote must equal at least the number required for a quorum at the Association’s Annual Members’ Meeting.

2. Enabling Clause. This Constitution shall be effective immediately after approval by a two-thirds majority of those voting upon it during the Annual Members’ Meeting, or immediately after approval by a two-thirds majority of those voting upon it during a special vote, with the proviso that the total number of ballots returned in a special vote must equal at least the number required for a quorum at the Association’s Annual Members’ Meeting.

BY-LAWS

1. Membership. Members shall pay dues for the calendar year, determined by the Executive Council. The Executive Council may create differing categories of membership with the same or different dues assessments. The benefits of membership shall include an individual subscription to the Slavic and East European Journal and AATSEEL Newsletter.

2. Chapters. Local chapters of AATSEEL may be established. The charter of a chapter shall be issued by the Executive Director and countersigned by the President upon petition by a group of seven or more members of the national Association, and after approval of the petition by the Executive Council. Local chapters may assess local dues for chapter expenses.

3. Resignation, Suspension, Reinstatement.

A. If a member resigns or is suspended, the dues already paid for that calendar year shall be forfeited.

B. Any member who fails to pay the assessed dues or other indebtedness to the Association within two and a half months may be suspended by the Executive Director and shall cease to be a member in good standing.

C. The charter of a chapter shall automatically be revoked if the chapter fails to remain active, that is, if it fails to hold at least one meeting a year and forward minutes of such meeting or meetings to the Executive Director and to the Editor of the Association’s Newsletter by December 1 of that year.

D. A chapter may be reinstated by the method in By-Law 2.

4. Committees.

A. The President, with the approval of the Executive Council, may establish such Committees as necessary for the conduct of the Association’s affairs. Such committees may be either standing or ad hoc committees.

B. The Executive Council appoints the chairs of standing committees. The President appoints the chairs of ad hoc committees. Members of all committees are appointed by the Chairs of the respective committees.

C. When any committee member is appointed, the Chair of the committee shall inform the member in writing of the purpose and function of the committee, its term of operation, and its membership.

D. Each committee may adopt such rules as are necessary for the orderly conduct of its affairs.

E. Records: It shall be the responsibility of the Chair of each committee to insure that complete and accurate minutes of each committee meeting are kept, sent within two months to members of the committee, and approved at the next meeting of the committee. The Chair shall also be responsible for storing one copy of the minutes and insuring that another copy is sent to the Executive Director to be archived with the records of the Association. Each committee Chair shall submit a report to the Executive Council at least once a year before its annual meeting. Each committee Chair shall submit important committee information to the Newsletter editor for possible publication.

F. The Standing Committees shall include the following:

(i) Program Committee. The Program Committee shall have responsibility for the scholarly content of the Association’s Annual Meeting and for recommending to the Executive Council general policies on the form of the Meeting. The Executive Council shall appoint a Program Committee Chair for a three-year term. The Chair need not be appointed from among the existing members of the Executive Council. The Executive Director and the Conference Manager shall be members ex officiis of the Program Committee without vote.

(ii) Finance Committee. The Finance Committee shall oversee the preparation of a budget for each coming year and offer advice and assistance to the Executive Director on all fiscal matters. It shall also investigate and advocate, where appropriate, the solicitation of financial support from organizations and individuals. The Executive Council shall appoint a Finance Committee Chair for a three-year term. The Executive Director and Conference Manager shall be members ex officiis of the Finance Committee without vote.

(iii) Publications Committee. The Publications Committee shall have general oversight of all Association publications and shall recommend general publication policies to the Executive Council, as well as make periodic publication recognition awards. The Executive Council shall appoint a Publications Committee Chair for a three-year term.

(iv) Nominations, Elections and Awards Committee. The Nominations, Elections and Awards Committee shall, with appropriate input from the membership of the Association, nominate candidates for elective office and, with the cooperation of the Executive Director, shall manage the elections. This committee shall also solicit from the membership nominations for and determine the recipients of the annual awards other than the publication awards. The Past President shall chair this committee, and the two outgoing Vice Presidents shall complete its membership.

(v) Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall consist of the President, the Past President, the President Elect and the Executive Director. The Steering Committee shall take such administrative action between Executive Council meetings as may be necessary for the functioning of the organization. All of its actions shall be subject to review, ratification, modification or rescission by the Executive Council at the next regular meeting of that body.

5. Delegates and Representatives. Delegates or representatives to professional organizations shall be appointed, as the need arises, by the President with the approval of the Executive Council. The term of service for any delegate will be set by the Executive Council and reviewed each year at its annual meeting.

6. Replacement of Officers Who Resign. In cases where an Officer resigns or is not able to serve after having been elected, the Executive Council shall name a replacement to fill the unexpired portion of the term.

7. Duties of Officers.

A. The Executive Director shall keep the records of the Association, manage the collection of membership dues, and send notices of meetings. The Executive Director shall also be the Secretary-Treasurer. The Executive Director shall keep an account of the Association’s funds and render a yearly report during the Annual Members’ Meeting. Acting under the supervision of the Finance Committee, the Executive Director shall provide the Executive Council with a budget for the coming year at its annual meeting. The Executive Director shall pay all necessary expenses, within the guidelines of the budget approved for that year. The Executive Director shall be responsible for making financial arrangements with regard to publishing the Journal of the Association and any other publications approved by the membership. In addition, the Executive Director shall perform such other duties as directed by the Executive Council.

B. The Conference Manager shall be responsible for organizing and managing the Annual Conference of the Association, in consultation with the President, the Executive Director and the Program Committee Chair. The Conference Manager shall be empowered to negotiate with conference hotels in the location and for the time determined by the Executive Council. The Conference Manager shall also be empowered to negotiate with providers of audio-visual services and such other services as may be required for the appropriate and successful conduct of the Annual Conference, to recruit exhibitors, and to engage in such other activities as may be necessary for the planning and conduct of the Annual Conference. The Conference Manager shall be responsible for staffing the conference registration desk. In addition, the Conference Manager shall perform such other duties as directed by the Executive Council.

C. The Editor of the Slavic and East European Journal shall edit the journal of the Association and appoint the members of the Journal’s staff. Members of the Board of the Slavic and East European Journal shall be proposed by the Editor and approved by the Executive Council, and must be members in good standing of the Association.

D. The Chair of the Program Committee shall have responsibility for the program of the Annual Meeting. All participants in the Annual Meeting, with the exception of those who are not in the field of Slavic and East European languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures, must be current members of AATSEEL. Requests for exemption from the membership requirement must be submitted to the Chair of the Program Committee with the original abstract or panel proposal. All panelists, however, are required to register for the Annual Meeting. The Program Committee shall have the right to grant exceptions to this policy.

8. Members’ Meeting Agenda. The Executive Council shall prepare the agenda for the Annual Members’ Meeting of the Association and shall insure that it is posted on the Association website at least one month in advance of the Annual Meeting and printed in the Program Book. The agenda for the Annual Members’ Meeting shall include a Report of the Executive Council in which the President shall report to the assembled membership on the activities, actions and decisions of the Executive Council during the preceding year since the last Annual Members’ Meeting. Any member of the Association may propose matters to be included in the agenda to the Executive Council. Matters which have not been put on the agenda by the Executive Council may be brought up at the Annual Members’ Meeting under New Business. Such matters may be discussed but will not be eligible for a vote, except as follows: a vote may be taken on whether to add the matter to the agenda for the next Annual Members’ Meeting. If approved by a simple majority of members present, the matter shall be put on the agenda for the next Annual Members’ Meeting.

9. Parliamentary Procedure. The Executive Council shall appoint a Parliamentarian for a term of three years (renewable) to rule on questions of procedure. The latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the authority in any question of parliamentary procedure at any meeting.

10. Resolutions. The assent of two-thirds of the members of the Association present and voting at a members’ meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of a resolution. Such resolutions must be on the agenda for the meeting and cannot be proposed from the floor.

11. Publication of the Constitution and By-Laws. A copy of the current Constitution and By-Laws, bearing the date ratified, shall be printed annually in the Slavic and East European Journal.

12. Affiliated Organizations. The Executive Council shall set policies and make specific decisions about permitting various organizations to affiliate with the Association. Affiliation may carry certain privileges related to Annual Meetings. General policies related to affiliated organizations shall be published in the Slavic and East European Journal, together with the Constitution and By-Laws, at least every five years or when a change is made to the text thereof, whichever occurs first.

13. Quorum. A quorum (as defined in Article V, Section 3 of the Constitution) of members in good standing is required to take a vote of the membership, whether at a meeting or by special ballot.

14. Amendments. Any three members of the Executive Council or any ten members of the Association may propose an amendment to the By-Laws. A proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Executive Council, which shall either place the amendment on the agenda for the next Annual Members’ Meeting, or arrange for a special vote before the next Annual Members’ Meeting, as the Executive Council may deem appropriate. A three-quarters majority of votes cast shall be required to approve the amendment, with the proviso that the total number of ballots returned in a special vote must equal at least the number required for a quorum at the Association’s Annual Members’ Meeting.

15. Enabling Clause. These By-Laws shall be effective immediately after approval by a two-thirds majority of those voting upon them during the Annual Members’ Meeting, or immediately after approval by a two-thirds majority of those voting upon them during a special vote, with the proviso that the total number of ballots returned in a special vote must equal at least the number required for a quorum at the Association’s Annual Members’ Meeting.