By-Laws of the Carson McCullers Society (Draft)
 I. NAME
This organization shall be called the Carson McCullers Society,
hereinafter referred to as the "Society."
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the Carson McCullers Society is to promote interest in the
works and life of Carson McCullers through discussion, conferences, scholarly publications
and special projects.
III. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
Persons who are committed to supporting the purposes of the Carson McCullers Society
may become and remain members by applying and paying annual dues as set by the Society or
its Executive Committee. A membership year begins September 1 of each year and ends August
31 of the following year. Timely payment of annual dues entitles a member to particiate in
all activities of the Society and to receive the newsletter. Active members are those
whose dues are current. Charter membership is open until the end of the 1998 annual
meeting.
IV. OFFICERS
The officers of the Carson McCullers Society shall be a president; vice-president
(president-elect); corresponding secretary, treasurer, a recording secretary, a
historian-parliamentarian, and an editor of the newsletter. The immediate past president
shall be ex-officio member of the Executive Committee during the next year. The officers
of the Society, all of whose dues must remain current, shall serve for two years,
beginning July 1 and ending June 30 of the second year.
V. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS OF OFFICERS Officers of the Society
shall be elected at the end of the two-year terms by a two-thirds vote of active members
of the organization. The Nominating Committee shall present the slate of officers to the
Society at the American Literature Association (ALA) Conference.
VI. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS The President shall preside at all
meetings of the McCullers Society, the Executive Committee meetings, and the Advisory
Board. Additionally, the President shall appoint such standing committees as the by-laws
indicate, along with special committees as needed.
The Vice President shall assist the President, perform all of the duties
of the President in the absence of the latter, and provide leadership for coordinating
sessions for the McCullers Society at the ALA Conference. The Vice President, designated
President-Elect, shall become president of the Society the day after the President's term
ends.
The Corresponding Secretary shall handle and maintain correspondence for
the organization, including notificaiton of meetings and renewals of membership.
The Treasurer shall have custody of all funds of the Society, pay all
bills properly incurred by the Society and keep accurate records thereof; present annual
financial reports to the Executive Committee and to the body at annual business meetings
of the Society; and keep an accurate record of all memberships.
The Recording Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Society and the
Executive Committee and prepare minutes for appropriate and timely distribution. The
Recording Secretary shall chair the Membership Committee and keep an accurate record of
all memberships.
The Historian-Parliamentarian shall preserve the archives of the Society,
keep a running historical record, as assisted by official minutes, and comment on matters
of parliamentary order.
The Editor of the Newsletter shall chair a Newsletter Committee apointed
by the President. The Newsletter Committee shall be responsible for obtaining and editing
news items of interest to the society and for publishing them in the newsletter of the
Society. The newsletter shall be available for distribution during the annual meeting at
the ALA Conference. When a journal is established, the editor shall select an editorial
board approved by the Executive Committee and shall serve as its chairperson.
VII. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The Executive Committee shall be chaired by
the President. It shall be composed of the following officers: the vice-president, the
immediate past president (ex-officio), the corresponding secretary, the treasurer, the
recording secretary, the historian-parliamentarian, and the editor of the newsletter.
The Executive Committee shall normally meet once a year, but may be
convened by the President at other times in case of an emergency facing the organization.
All Executive Committee members shall receive notice of the annual meeting at least two
weeks prior to the meeting.
The Executive Committee is responsible for the operation of the Society.
It shall raise funds, basically by means of dues, for the support of the Society and shall
aprove all plans, programs, and projects of the organization. It is responsible for the
policies and practices of the Society.
VIII. ADVISORY BOARD The Society shall have an Advisory Board
selected by the President and approved by the Executive Committee. The Advisory Board
shall be apprised of plans of the organization and shall be consulted about them. Members
of the Advisory Board shall serve three year terms, staggered to assure continuity.
IX. MEETINGS The Society shall hold its annual meetings at the ALA
Conference. The Executive Committee and the Program Committee shall be responsible for the
agenda of the annual meeting. Parliamentary procedures shall be governed by Robert's Rules
of Order, Revised.
X. STANDING COMMITTEES There shall be standing committees of three to
five active members. The standing committees shall be as follows: Program, Membership,
Nominations, Publicity and Public Relations, Research, and Awards. The President shall be
an ex-officio member of all standing committees and shall receive notices of the meetings.
The Program Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President. The Program
Committee shall plan and coordinate the sessions for the annual meeting and the program
for the annual conference of the Society.
The Membership Committee shall be chaired by the Recording Secretary. The
Membership Committee shall be responsible for recruiting and maintaining members of the
Society.
The Nominations Committee shall prepare a slate of officers to be voted on
at the appropriate annual meetings and shall conduct the elections.
The Publicity and Public Relations Committee shall be resonsible for all
publicity authorized by the President and/or the Executive Committee. It shall be
responsible for public relations affairs of the organization, as guided by the President
and/or the Executive Committee.
The Research Committee shall compile and make available at the annual
meeting a bibliography of all current scholarship on and activities concerning Carson
McCullers.
The Awards Committee shall make recommendations for citations both for
outstanding scholarly work published on Carson McCullers and for activities in support of
the goals of the Society.
XI. AMENDMENTS Drafts of proposed amendments to the by-laws shall be
submitted on or before March 31 to the Corresponding Secretary for review by the Executive
Committee. They shall be presented for action at the next annual meeting. A two-thirds
vote shall indicate the acceptance or rejection of proposed amendments.
XII. DISSOLUTION This organization may be dissolved by two-thirds
vote of the membership or by two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee.
The bylaws of the society will be formally adopted at the 1998 ALA
conference. Please e-mail suggested revisions to jmayo@jscc.edu |