" Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered. "
-- Aristotle
CONSTITUTION (REVISED FALL 2007)
We, the members of the Arkansas State communication Association, Inc., in order to stimulate and encourage interest in all phases of speech communication in the State of Arkansas and in order to bring about unity of action among all schools in the State, do hereby form and establish the constitution of the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc.
Name and Classification
| Section 1. | The name of this organization shall be the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc. (ASCA). | ||
| Section 2. | Its purpose shall be to establish speech standards and to encourage speech communication education and scholarship on the elementary, secondary, and college and university levels. | ||
| Section 3. | Mission Statement: The Arkansas State communication Association is a community of professionals devoted to the rigorous study and ethical practice of oral communication as an essential discipline, life skill, and art form. Through continuing teacher education, student participation, and scholarly publication, the Association supports the efforts and continued growth of communication teachers, students, and researchers. |
Membership
| Section 1. | Membership in the Association shall be open, upon application, to any teacher of speech or other persons interested in speech, upon payment of the current annual membership dues. | ||
| Section 2. | Any member of the Association who, upon retirement from active teaching, has been a member of the Association for not less than fifteen (15) years, and who submits proper notification to the Executive Secretary, shall be granted the status of honorary membership, with all the privileges of members, without further payment of dues. These memberships shall be indicated by the abbreviation "Ret." entered after the name in all published lists of members. | ||
| Section 3. | Membership in good standing may be maintained by timely payment of the annual dues of the Association, which run from August to August. | ||
| Section 4. | The amount of dues shall be set by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the members of the Association at any regular meeting of the Association. |
Governing Body
| Section 1. | The Executive Council of the Association shall consist of the President, First Vice-President, First Vice-President Elect, Second Vice-President, Executive Secretary, Executive Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Editor of the Journal of Communication Studies, Archivist, Immediate Past President (serves one year as ex-officio member) and newly elected 1st Vice President Elect and 2nd Vice President Elect. | ||
| Section 2. | Only members of the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc. in good standing shall be eligible to serve as officers of the Association. | ||
| Section 3. | The Executive council shall operate the business of the Association in the periods between the annual meetings of the Association. The Executive Council shall direct the policies and administer the affairs of the Association except as otherwise provided in the constitution and By-Laws. | ||
| Section 4. | All officers, including the President, First Vice-President and other incoming officers shall assume office at the conclusion of the final business meeting of the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc. conducted at the annual spring meeting. | ||
| Section 5. | A nominating committee of three members shall be chosen by Association members at the fall meeting of the Association. | ||
| Section 6. | In the event that one of the Standing Officers elected by the membership of ASCA cannot fulfill his/her term, the ASCA Executive Council may appoint an interim replacement to fill that position until the next Association meeting when a new election may be held, or the Council may appoint a permanent replacement for the remaining term of office. | ||
| Section 7. | The President shall be empowered to assume all duties of the Executive Secretary or Executive Treasurer in case of incapacity or death of that officer. |
Duties of Officers
| Section 1. | The President shall: | ||
| (1) | Preside over all meetings of the Association and of the Executive council and cast the deciding vote in case of a tie. | ||
| (2) | Approve all contracts and other official documents of the Association. | ||
| (3) | Call special meetings of the Association or Executive council when necessary, and serve as ex-officio member on all committees. | ||
| (4) | Appoint committees necessary for the support and development of the organization. | ||
| (5) | Represent the Association of the States' Advisory Council of NCA or appoint a member to serve. | ||
| Section 2. | The First Vice-President shall: | ||
| (1) | Preside at any meetings when the President is absent. | ||
| (2) | Be responsible for the program of the fall meeting of the Association. | ||
| (3) | Be responsible for arrangements of the spring meeting of the Association. | ||
| Section 3. | The First Vice-President Elect shall: | ||
| (1) | Succeed to the presidency after serving as both First Vice- President Elect and as First Vice-President. | ||
| (2) | Serve as an ex-officio member and work directly with the Publicity and Promotion committee in disseminating information about the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc. | ||
| (3) | Recruit and retain members and work with teachers who become new members. | ||
| (4) | Assist the First Vice-President with arrangements for the time/place of the fall convention. | ||
| (5) | Organize the reception honoring new members at the fall convention. | ||
| Section 4. | The Second Vice-President shall: | ||
| (1) | Act as liaison for ASCA with the Arkansas Activities Association. | ||
| (2) | Serve a two-year term and be non-successive to the office of First Vice-President and President. | ||
| (3) | Compile a calendar of speech and drama events and activities and distribute to the Arkansas Activities Association by their imposed deadline for such dates and the members through the website and other means in necessary. | ||
| (4) | Report to the NFHS Association about the activities of ASCA in our state. | ||
| (5) | Report at the spring meeting the "State" of the State of ASCA. | ||
| Section 5. | The Executive Secretary shall: | ||
| (1) | Serve a term of three years. The Executive Secretary shall serve no more than two successive terms. | ||
| (2) | Keep a record of the proceedings of the Association as given to him/her by the Recording Secretary. | ||
| (3) | Carry on correspondence as Necessary. | ||
| (4) | Prepare a complete and accurate roster of Association members. | ||
| (5) | Attend all regular and called meetings. | ||
| (6) | Prepare for presentation at the fall business meeting a list of any members who are ineligible to serve on the nominating committee for the current year. | ||
| (7) | Submit a list to the Executive Secretary of the Southern States Communication Association of officers elected and officers currently serving the ASCA. | ||
| Section 6. | The Treasurer shall: | ||
| (1) | Serve a term of three years, no more than two successive terms. | ||
| (2) | Collect all dues, fees, and bills and deposit receipts in an Association bank account to be located in the city where the Treasurer resides. | ||
| (3) | Maintain a financial record for inspection by any member of the Association and present a written financial report at each regular meeting of the Association. | ||
| (4) | Attend all regular and called meetings. | ||
| (5) | Be present at all ASCA events that include Demonstration Day, Student Congress, and Tournament of Champions. | ||
| (6) | Pay all bills authorized by the Executive Council. | ||
| (7) | Sign all contracts for the association after they are authorized by the Executive Council. | ||
| (8) | Present a financial report to an audit committee of the Association who will report to the Association. | ||
| Section 7. | The Journal Editor shall: | ||
| (1) | Select an Editorial Board from among the membership. | ||
| (2) | Request submission of scholarly manuscripts suitable for inclusion in the Journal of Communication Studies. | ||
| (3) | Manage the production and distribution the Journal with the assistance of the Editorial Board. | ||
| (4) | Report to the Executive Council and the membership annually on matters relative to the Journal. | ||
| Section 8. | The Recording Secretary shall: | ||
| (1) | Be in attendance at all meeting of the Executive Council and the members. | ||
| (2) | Keep a record of all proceedings of the association and turn them over to the executive secretary. | ||
| Section 9. | The Archivist shall: | ||
| Keep the archives in order and keep all records of all ASCA business. |
Election of Officers
| Section 1. | Nominations for the election of officers shall be made by a Nominating Committee unles otherwise stated in the Consititution and Bylaws as outlined in the Bylaws, Article II. |
Meetings
| Section 1. | Regular meetings of the Association shall be held: | ||
| (1) | During the fall of each year at a date to be determined by the Executive Council based on recommendations of the First Vice President who is responsible for the fall program. | ||
| (2) | During the spring of each year at a date to be determined by the Executive Council based on recommendations of the First Vice President who is responsible for securing a meeting place for the spring meeting. | ||
| Section 2. | The Executive Council shall meet as specified by the President or at the request of a majority of the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 3. | Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President or at the request of one-third (1/3) of those members in good standing. |
Quorum
| Section 1. | A majority of the membership in attendance at the fall convention or annual tournament shall constitute a quorum. | ||
| Section 2. | Three members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum of the Council. |
Amendments
| Section 1. | Proposed amendments must be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary and to the membership at least 30 days before the next regular meeting of the Association. | ||
| Section 2. | This Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting of the Association by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership present. |
Committee Structure and Duties
| Section 1. | The committee structure of the Arkansas State Communication Association shall consist of a system of permanent standing committees, permanent special committees, and special committees with ad-hoc status, each of which shall function throughout the year to promote the objectives of the Association. | ||
| Section 2. | Each chair and committee shall present a written report to the Association at the annual fall and spring meetings. In addition to business conducted by the committee, the report will also include an itemized budget of the money spent and collected. The President may request reports of progress during the year. | ||
| Section 3. | Individual committee budgets are set by the Executive Council. Amendments to the amount are subject to the approval of the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 4. | When the President takes office in the spring, he/she should be prepared to fill openings on all permanent standing committees and permanent special committees as necessary. In some cases, committee chairs will make recommendations to the President to aid this process. | ||
| Section 5. | Rule changes and other decisions that affect the membership or participants in ASCA events should be completed by committees no later than Fall Convention. Any changes after that must be approved by the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 6. | Permanent Standing Committees | ||
| (1) | In most cases (unless otherwise stated in the by-laws), permanent standing committees will consist of a chair and three members. Members of the committee will rotate each year to the next member position to eventually chair the committee. After a member has chaired the committee, he/she will rotate off the committee. Observer positions can be added to the committee at the discretion of the chair. | ||
| (2) | The following standing committees are permanent standing committees that serve the executive council and the membership: Audit, Scholarship, Ethical Practices, Tournament of Champions, Student Congress, and Demonstration Day. | ||
| (a) | The Audit Committee will consist of a chair and three committee members. This committee will support the Executive Treasurer and report to the executive council information concerning the books of the ASCA Executive Treasurer and his/her practices. | ||
| (b) | The Scholarship Committee will consist of a chair and three committee members. This committee will publicize the existence of the scholarship, coordinate the collection of applications, and choose the scholarship winner(s). | ||
| (c) | The Ethical Practices Committee will consist of a chair and three members. This committee will promote ethical and professional practices within the Association and in all of the activities sponsored by the Association. | ||
| (d) | The Tournament of Champions (TOC). The TOC Committee shall organize and host the annual ASCA Tournament of Champions. This committee shall consist of a chair and three members. The next ranking member of the committee who has served at least two years on the committee will assume the duties of the chair immediately following the Spring TOC. Another member will be added to the committee at the spring meeting with the approval of the President. The duties of the outgoing chair are finished when all pending business (financial or otherwise) has been completed and the TOC report has been delivered at the fall Convention. However, the chair will retain ex-officio status to aid the next TOC director, if needed. The incoming chair's duties for the next TOC begin immediately following the spring TOC. Time and place will be decided by the TOC Committee with Executive Council approval. | ||
| (e) | Student Congress. The Congress Committee shall organize and host the annual Student Congress of Human Relations. This committee shall consist of a chair and three members appointed by the President. The next ranking member who has served at least two years on the committee will assume the duties of the chair immediately following the Student Congress. Another member will be added to the committee at the spring meeting with the approval of the President. The duties of the outgoing chair are finished when all pending business (financial or otherwise) has been completed and the TOC report has been delivered at the spring meeting. However, the chair will retain ex-officio status to aid the next Congress director, if needed. The incoming chair's duties for the next Student Congress begin immediately following Student Congress. Time and place will be decided by the Student Congress Committee with Executive Council approval. | ||
| (f) | Demonstration Day (Demo Day) The Demonstration Day Committee shall organize and host the annual Demonstration Day. This committee shall consist of a chair and three members appointed by the President. The next ranking member who has served at least two years on the committee will assume the duties of the chair immediately following Demonstration Day. Another member will be added to the committee at the spring meeting with the approval of the President. The duties of the outgoing chair are finished when all pending business (financial or otherwise) has been completed and the Demo Day report has been delivered at the spring meeting. However, the chair will retain ex-officio status to aid the next director, if needed. The incoming chair's duties for the next Demo Day begin immediately following Demo. Time and place will be decided by the Demo Day Committee with Executive Council approval. | ||
| Section 7. | Permanent Special Committees | ||
| (1) | Permanent Special Committees operate differently than Permanent Standing Committees but still serve the Executive Council and Membership. | ||
| (2) | Permanent Special Committees are Publicity and Promotion, Professional Standards, Recruitment, Mentoring, ETA Liaiason, Debate Topic Selection, Editorial Board, and Nominating Committee, (which is outlined in Article II of the Bylaws). | ||
| (a) | The Publicity and Promotion Committee shall disseminate information about ASCA and the field of speech and theater. The chairman of the committee shall be appointed by the President for a three-year term. Other members of the committee are appointed by the committee Chairman for a three-year term. First Vice-President Elect shall serve as an ex-officio member. | ||
| (b) | The Professional Standards Committee shall keep the Association informed of the needs of the profession in the area of certification, licensure and academic standards. The chairman of the committee shall be appointed by the president for a three-year term. Other members of the committee are appointed by the President with recommendations from the chair for a three-year term. | ||
| (c) | The Recruitment Committee will disseminate information about ASCA to Speech and Theater teachers of all grades across Arkansas. The purpose of this committee is to gain new members. The chairman of the committee shall be appointed by the President for a three-year term. Other members of the committee are appointed by the committee chairman for a three- year term. Second Vice President will serve as an ex-officio member. | ||
| (d) | The Mentoring Committee will coordinate new member activities such as, but not limited to, the mentee program, workshops at meetings, and resource contacts. The committee will also develop retention plans to keep current members active. The chairman of the committee shall be appointed by the President for a three-year term. Other members of the committee are appointed by the committee chairman for a three-year term. | ||
| (e) | Debate Topic Selection Representative is elected to a three-year term. The nominating committee shall select one nominee as the debate topic selection representative. The representative will attend the National Debate Topic Selection Conference representing ASCA. She/He will report to the Executive Council and the membership about the debate topics to be voted on and will inform the membership of any pertinent information about the topic. | ||
| (f) | ETA Liaison will serve as the Liaison between ETA and ASCA for a term of three years. This member will be appointed by the President. | ||
| (g) | Editorial Board will be appointed by theJournal Editor. | ||
| (h) | The Nominating Committee structure and duties are outlined in the Bylaws, Article II, Election of Officers and Appointed Positions. | ||
| Section 8. | Other special committees known as "Ad-hoc" will be appointed by the president to serve executive council and the membership but have limited duties and limited amount of time to complete those duties and will be considered finished at the completion of those duties. |
Election of Officersand Appointed Positions
President, First Vice President, Second Vice President
Speech Teacher of the Year,
Administrator of the Year
Executive Secretary, Executive Treasurer, Journal Editor
Archivist, and Recording Secretary
| Section 1. | The Nominating Committee is a Permanent Special Committee. Nominations for the election of officers shall be made by a Nominating Committee with three members chosen in the following manner: without nominations from the floor, tellers appointed by the President shall distribute blank ballots on which each voter shall recommend three members of the Association who are eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee. All members of the Association are eligible to serve on the Nominating Committee except officers of the Association and those persons who have served on the Nominating Committee the preceding two years. No ballot containing more or fewer than three names shall be counted. The three members receiving the largest number of votes shall be declared elected. The member with the most votes will chair the committee. While the names of more than one person from the same school may be placed on any one ballot, only one person from a school may serve on this committee. Should two people from the same school win election, the member with the higher number of votes will serve. The Nominating Committee shall be elected at the first business meeting of the fall convention and shall be published in the official publication of the Association. | ||
| Section 2. | The Nominating Committee shall select two nominees for First Vice-President Elect yearly. The Nominating Committee shall select two nominees for Second Vice-President every two years to be voted on every two years in the even years. Additionally, the Nominating committee shall elect one nominee as the Debate Topic Selection representative every three years. | ||
| Section 3. | The Nominating Committee shall check with all possible nominees to make each aware of the major responsibilities of the office for which he/she is being nominated and to determine that the nominee will accept and assume the responsibility, if elected. | ||
| Section 4. | At least 30 days before the annual fall convention, the Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall supply a list of at least two nominees for each office to be filled that year and vital statements about each to all members of the Association in good standing at the time. A deadline for the return of the marked ballots will be indicated on each ballot sent out and ballots must be received before the deadline to be counted. | ||
| Section 5. | The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for organizing members' nominations of candidates for ASCA's "Speech Teachers of the Year" and for selecting the winners from the candidate field. Nominating Committee members may nominate candidates in the process. Nominating Committee members will accept nominations after the spring meeting for High School and/or College Teacher of the Year. When the apparent need arises, with the aid of the Executive Council and the membership, the Nominating Committee will select to honor an individual or organization outside of ASCA who (1) has exhibited and encouraged support for Speech and Theater education and (2) understands the strength of and supports the activities sponsored by ASCA. | ||
| Section 6. | The Executive Secretary and the Executive Treasurer shall be selected every three years by a committee appointed by the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 7. | The Editor of the AssociationJournal shall be selected every three years by a committee appointed by the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 8. | The recording Secretary shall be selected every three years by a committee appointed by the Executive Council. | ||
| Section 9. | The Archivist shall be appointed by the Executive Council. |
Publication
| The official publication of the Arkansas State Communication Association, Inc. shall be The Journal of Communication Studies. |
Participation in Contests, Congress, and Tournament
| ASCA requires high school membership in the Arkansas Activities Association as a prerequisite to participation in any ASCA sponsored activity. |
Rules of Order
| Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall be used as the parliamentary authority where it is not superseded by the constitution and by-laws of this Association. |
Amendment of By-laws
| Section 1. | Proposed amendments to the By-laws must be submitted in writing to the Executive Secretary at least 30 days before the next regular meeting of the Association for distribution to the membership. | ||
| Section 2. | These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Association by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership present. |
