Constitution of the AATF

1230 FRENCH REVIEW 85.6 ASSOCIATION NEWS CONSTITUTION OF THE AATF (as amended to July 2011) I. Name The name of the society shall be THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF FRENCH. The Association is incorporated under the laws of the state of New York as of date February 25, 1936. II. Aim The aim of the Association shall be to represent the French language in North America and to encourage the dissemination, both in the schools and in the general public, of knowledge concerning all aspects of the culture and civilization of France and the Frenchspeaking world. The Association shall by all means at its disposal support projects destined to advance the French language and literature. It encourages reciprocal communication between all levels of the teaching of French in North America. It shall publish the French Review, which shall reflect the interests of all members of the Association. III. Membership: Chapters Membership in the Association is open to all persons sharing the aims set forth in Article II (above). The annual membership fee shall be established in the By-Laws. Members are customarily organized into chapters made up of at least fifteen members. IV. Officers: Executive Council The officers of the Association shall be: the President, three Vice-Presidents, and the Immediate Past President or President-Elect (when in office). The foregoing officers, the Executive Director, the Regional Representatives, the Editor and Managing Editor of the French Review, the Director of the National French Contest, and the Editor of the National Bulletin, each selected for a term of three years, shall constitute the Executive Council. The Immediate Past-President shall serve on the Executive Council one year following his or her term as President and shall be succeeded by the President-Elect one year prior to his or her assumption of that office. V. Endowment Fund Provision shall be made for an endowment fund to receive gifts and legacies to the Association. The Executive Council may transfer available current funds to this fund at its discretion. VI. Affiliations By vote of the Executive Council the Association may join in the work of other educational bodies of wider scope by means of official delegates by the Executive Council for the necessary term, or appointed by the President. VII. Annual Meeting An annual meeting shall be called by the President. Voting power shall be lodged in an Assembly of Delegates, composed of chapter representatives equivalent to the current voting strength of the chapters. VIII. Amendments The Constitution may be amended as follows: Amendments may be offered by any valid chapter or by a member of the Executive Council; on a majority vote of the Executive Council, the amendments must be printed in the French Review, not later than the issue preceding the annual meeting; they may be adopted by the Assembly of Delegates by a twothirds vote of the delegates present or represented. Proposed amendments as printed in the French Review may not be amended from the floor. IX. Dissolution The Association may be dissolved only at an Annual meeting of the Delegates, the purpose of which shall have been published in the French Review, and in a manner prescribed by the laws of the State of New York, by a vote of three-fourths of the delegates, present and voting. Subject to compliance with the applicable provisions of such laws, upon any such dissolution of the Association, all its property remaining after satisfaction of its obligations shall be incorporated in the Endowment Fund of the Association which shall be administered by the then Trustees of the Endowment Fund for the specific purposes last approved by the Executive Council until such time as the Trustees shall unanimously deem it advisable to alter the methods of serving the best interests of the teachers of French. The Trustees shall retain the power to invest and to reinvest these funds. They shall have the power to replace any member who dies, resigns, or becomes unable to serve. BY-LAWS 1. Membership 1. Active Membership (a) A member in good standing of the AATF must pay annual national dues, with the right to vote for national officers as provided in these By-Laws. In addition...