CONSTITUTION OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE MIDDLE WEST AND SOUTH

Article I. Name and Purpose.

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, Inc. (hereinafter, CAMWS or the Association). Its territory shall be defined as the geographical area embracing its constituent states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming) and provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan).

Section 2. The purposes of the Association shall be to advance classical scholarship and teaching, to foster appreciation of the classical world, and to promote the common interests of its members through meetings, publications, and other appropriate activities.

Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

No part of the net earnings of the organization shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the purpose clause hereof. No substantial part of the activities of the organization shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the organization shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this document, the organization shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (a) by an organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or (b) by an organization, contributions to which are deductible under section 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.

Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

Section 3. The Southern Section of CAMWS elects its own officers, and schedules and holds its own meetings.

Article II. Officers.

Section 1. The elected officers of the Association shall be a President; a President-Elect; a Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages. The office of the Secretary-Treasurer shall be executive in character. In case of a vacancy in the office of President or if the President is unable to act, the President-Elect shall succeed to that office. If the vacancy occurs before October 1, a new President-Elect shall be elected by the Executive Committee; if it occurs after October 1, the President-Elect shall serve his/her regular term in addition to the remainder of the preceding term.

Section 2. The President and the President-Elect shall serve for a term of one year and shall not be eligible to succeed themselves immediately. The President-Elect shall be elected at the Annual Business Meeting and shall automatically become the President for the following year. The Secretary-Treasurer, the Editor of The Classical Journal, and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages shall be recommended by the Executive Committee, each for a term normally of five years and renewable only once, subject to election by the membership at the next Annual Business Meeting.

Section 3. The appointed officers of the Association shall be the regional and state/provincial Vice-Presidents. Each shall serve a term of three years, which may be renewed. The President shall appoint the Vice-Presidents in consultation with the Chair of the Committee for the Promotion of Latin.

Section 4. The duties of the officers of the Association shall be those which normally devolve upon such officials, except as provided in this instrument. Further definition of these duties shall be within the powers of the Executive Committee.

Section 5. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President; the President-Elect; the immediate Past President; the Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages; the Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter; the Chairs of the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Finance Committee, and the Membership Committee; and three elected Members-at-Large, who shall serve for renewable terms of three years each, one term expiring each year. The Executive Committee shall meet in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Association, except as provided under Article V.2. Election of Members-at-Large shall take place at the Annual Business Meeting.

Amended to:

Article II. Section 5. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President; the President-Elect; the immediate Past President; the Secretary-Treasurer; the Editor of The Classical Journal; the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages; the Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter; the Chairs of the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin and Greek, the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the Finance Committee, and the Strategic Planning Committee; and three elected Members-at-Large, who shall serve for renewable terms of three years each, one term expiring each year.  (approved at the 116th Annual meeting, Virtual, May 30, 2020).

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall have the power to fill vacancies occurring among the officers or within its own membership between Annual Business Meetings. All such appointments shall be deemed interim in character, the appointee to serve only until the time of the next Annual Business Meeting, but persons so appointed to any office shall be eligible to succeed themselves directly by election at the next Annual Business Meeting. A President-Elect so designated by interim action of the Executive Committee shall not succeed automatically the next year to the office of President, but his or her name shall automatically be placed in nomination for election to that office at the next Annual Business Meeting.

Section 7. All terms of office shall begin on July 1 following the Annual Business Meeting, to coincide with the start of the Association’s fiscal year.

Article III. Committees.

Section 1. The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Development Committee, the Finance Committee, the Membership Committee, the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin, the Resolutions Committee, and the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships.

Amended to:

Article III. Section 1. The standing committees of the Association include the Executive Committee, the Finance Committee, the History Committee, the Merit Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Program Committee, the Committee for the Promotion of Latin and Greek, the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the Resolutions Committee, the Steering Committee on Awards and Scholarships, and the Strategic Planning Committee. (Approved at the 116th Annual Meeting, Virtual, May 30, 2020.)

Section 2. New standing committees may be created by the Executive Committee, subject to approval by the vote of the membership at the next Annual Meeting.

Section 3. The Executive Committee may create ad hoc committees at its discretion.

Section 4. It is the duty of the President to appoint the Chair and the other members of each standing committee. The usual term of service is three years, which may be renewed.

Section 5. Each of the standing committees shall report its activities annually at the meeting of the Executive Committee held prior to the Annual Business Meeting of the Association.

Article IV. Membership.

Section 1. Any person who wishes to join the Association may become a member on payment of the annual dues for the current fiscal year. Residence in CAMWS territory is not a requirement for membership.

Section 2. The Membership Committee shall propose membership categories and annual membership fees to be approved at the Annual Business Meeting. Membership shall normally include a subscription to The Classical Journal.

Article V. Meetings.

Section 1. There shall normally be a regular Annual Meeting, including the Annual Business Meeting, at such time and place as the Association shall have determined at a previous Annual Business Meeting.

Section 2. If, however, under exceptional circumstances, the Executive Committee concludes that conditions are such as to render the holding of the Annual Meeting impracticable, the Executive Committee shall have the power to cancel the Meeting, and itself to transact all business that would come before the Annual Business Meeting except the adoption of amendments to this Constitution and the election of new officers. In such a case, the annual election shall be conducted by a mail ballot.

Article VI. Program.

The program to be presented at the Annual Meeting shall be arranged by the President. All presenters must be members of the Association in good standing.

Article VII. Publications.

Section 1. The regular publications of the Association are The Classical Journal and Teaching Classical Languages.

Section 2. The Editor of The Classical Journal and the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee. The members of the Board of Editors for each publication shall be named by its Editor, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

Section 3. When a vacancy for the Editor of The Classical Journal or the Editor of Teaching Classical Languages occurs, the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall establish a search committee which shall announce the availability of the position, receive nominations and applications, and conduct interviews with the finalists for the position. The search committee shall present its report and recommendations to the President and the Executive Committee.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall set rates for subscriptions to The Classical Journal for subscribers who are not members of the Association and may provide for reciprocal subscription agreements with other classical associations.

Section 5. The Editor of the CAMWS Newsletter shall be appointed for a term of three years, renewable, and subject to annual review by the Executive Committee.

Section 6. The Executive Committee shall provide oversight for all CAMWS publications and approve all contractual agreements pertaining to them.

Article VIII. Amendment.

This Constitution may be revised or amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any Annual Business Meeting, provided that the text of all revisions or amendments is distributed to the membership at least thirty days before the time of the meeting.