November 17, 1989
Amended, April 4, 1992
Amended March 22, 2003

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. This organization shall be known as the Three Rivers TESOL Association, an affiliate of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Section 2. The purposes of this organization shall be:

A. To stimulate the professional development of the teachers of ESOL within the area served by the Association: central and western Pennsylvania and West Virginia

B. To encourage and improve the teaching of ESOL within this area;

C. To establish national contacts through affiliation with TESOL;

D. To provide opportunities for group study and discussion of problems which confront with ESL teachers of this area.

Section 3. This association is organized exclusively for educational purposes, including the making of distributions to an organization that qualifies as exempt under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Anyone who is interested in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages is eligible for membership.

Section 2. There shall be the following classes of memberships: Individual Members, Student Members, and Life Members.

A. Individual Members shall have all the privileges of membership.

B. Student Members shall have all the privileges of membership and shall pay reduced dues. Student Memberships shall be granted to persons who are at least in half-time study.

C. Life Members shall have all the privileges of membership. Life membership may be conferred by a majority vote of the Executive Board upon those members of the Association whom it wishes to recognize for their distinguished services.

Article III. Officers

Section 1. The officers of this organization shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Newsletter Editor. The Office of President shall be filled by the preceding Vice-President. The other officers shall be elected by the membership.

Section 2. The President shall preside at all meetings, appoint such committees as the Executive Board authorizes, and assume general responsibility for conducting the business of the Association. The President shall be principally responsible for making all arrangements in connection with the programs to be held by the Association and shall serve as a liaison officer to keep the Association and TESOL mutually informed.

Section 3. The Vice-President shall preside in the absence of the President and generally assist the President in the execution of business, especially program arrangements.

Section 4. The Secretary shall notify the membership of all meetings. S/he shall record and distribute to the Executive Board the minutes of all Executive Board meetings and maintain the Association’s files and records. The Secretary shall maintain and distribute an accurate, current, membership list. The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining mailing lists and for reproduction, distribution, and mailing of announcements, newsletters, etc. to the membership.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the organization, including collection of annual membership dues, payment of all bills, and preparation of financial reports.

Section 6. The Newsletter Editor shall be responsible for production of the newsletter, including appointment of assistant editors, gathering contributions, typing, layout, etc.

Section 7. The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining the Association's website in consultation with the other members of the Executive Board. The Webmaster holds a two-year term.

Section 8. The Executive Board, consisting of the elected officers, shall direct the work of the Association.

Section 9. All the Officers of the Executive Board shall be members of TESOL (TESOL Bylaw XII, Section A, Paragraph 2) and the Association.

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1. Meetings of the Association shall be held at such times and at such places as the Executive Board shall decide. Those members in good standing present at a meeting shall constitute a quorum for voting purposes.

Section 2. There shall be one Annual Meeting and at least one additional Executive Board Meeting each calendar year. Special meetings of the general membership may be called by the Executive Board. A quorum for business matters shall be the same as that sued to elect officers (Article V, Section 2).

Section 3. An annual business meeting shall be held during the spring each year.

Article V. Elections

Section 1. The election of officers shall be by closed ballot of members in good standing during the Annual Meeting. In all cases, the election results shall be final prior to the conclusion of the Annual Meeting. Proxy and Mail-In votes will be accepted.

Section 2. A quorum shall consist of all members in good standing who are present at the Annual Meeting along with any Proxy and Main-In votes. A majority vote shall decide all elected officers.

Section 3. The term office of the President shall be one year. The term of office of the Vice President shall be one year, after which s/he succeeds to the Presidency and serves in that position for one year. The Secretary and Treasurer shall each be elected for two-year staggered terms. The new officers shall begin their terms at the close of the Annual Meeting. The term of office of the Newsletter Editor shall be two years.

Section 4. The Vice President shall prepare a list of possible nominees for the election meeting. Other nominations will be accepted at the meeting.

Section 5. When there are two nominees for each position, election of officers shall be determined by a majority of the votes returned. In case of three or more candidates for an office, a plurality of the votes is sufficient for election.

Section 6. A vacancy in any office, except that of President, shall be filled by an appointment by the President. The Vice-President shall succeed to the Presidency except when s/he has been appointed to the Vice-Presidency. In that case, the President shall be elected by the membership.

Article VI. Earnings

Section 1. All earnings shall be used solely to achieve the purposes of the Association.

Section 2. No part of the net earning of this Association shall be used for the personal benefit of its members or other private persons.

Section 3. Monies may be disbursed only with the approval of the Executive Board and/or the majority of members in good standing at a business meeting.

Article VII. Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution, all finances of properties of this organization will become sole properties of TESOL or non-profit organizations with like interests.

Article VIII. Amendments

Section 1. Proposed amendments to this Constitution must first be approved by a majority of members of the Executive Board and submitted to the President in a petition signed by at least 8 members in good standing. Any such proposed amendment shall be distributed to all the members at least 30 days before the amendment is voted on. To become effective the proposed amendment must be ratified by at least two-thirds of the members in good standing present at a meeting of the Association or by a majority of those members in good standing who respond to poll by mail.

BYLAWS

1. Membership and Dues

Section 1. The membership year shall be from July 1 to June 30.
Section 2. The annual dues shall be specified by the Executive Board.

2. Standard Authority

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order. Revised. shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

3. Amendments

Amendments to the Bylaws may be made by a two-thirds vote at any regular meeting, provided that notice has been given that notice has been given at a previous meeting or by mail at least 30 days before the amendments are voted upon.

Last modified: April 24, 2004