CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIETY FOR EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH STUDIES
I. NAMEThe name of this society shall be the SOCIETY FOR EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRENCH STUDIES. II. PURPOSE
A. The purpose of this society is to encourage and advance studies and research in eighteenth-century culture in France and all francophone countries. B. The society carries out its stated aim by promoting an exchange of information and ideas among members of the various disciplines engaged in eighteenth-century studies through interdisciplinary meetings and by any other means it may deem appropriate. C. The official languages of the society will be English and French. III. MEMBERSHIP A. Membership shall be open to any person interested in the purpose of the society. Voting members shall be those who have paid current dues to the executive secretary of the society. B. All members who have paid annual dues for the calendar year at least thirty days before the annual meeting shall have full voting rights. Members present at the business meeting may extend voting rights to those who pay dues after the deadline but before the business meeting. IV. AFFILIATION The society shall maintain affiliation with the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies on such terms as both determine to be mutually acceptable. V. ORGANIZATION A. Officers. The society shall have a President, a Vice-President, and an Executive Secretary, no more than two of whom may be from the same discipline. B. Executive Board. The governing body of the society shall be the Executive Board, consisting of the officers of the society, the two immediate past presidents, and the program chair or co-chairs (ex-officio) for the annual meeting. Elected members may succeed themselves for one additional term. Care shall be exercised in the nomination of officers and members of the Executive Board to maintain a balance among the various disciplines, institutions, and regions. The Executive Board shall determine the policies of the society, direct the Executive Secretary to receive and disburse the monies of the society in a way consistent with its purpose. The policies and actions of the Executive Board shall be subject to the direction and approval of the members of the society, and a full report of its activities during the year shall be submitted to the society at its annual meeting. C. Tenure. All officers shall hold office for one year, except the Executive Secretary, who shall serve a three-year term. D. Elections. Elections shall be conducted at the annual meeting and shall be by a majority vote of the members in good standing. Nominations shall be made at the annual meetings by a Committee on Nominations appointed by the Executive Board, or by any member in good standing who is present at the annual meeting. If for any reason an office or a member of the Executive Board should fall vacant before the scheduled election to that position, the remaining members of the Executive Board shall appoint a member of the society to fill the office until the next meeting. E. Committees and Appointed Officers. The Executive Board may, at its discretion and for such terms of office as it may decide, appoint standing committees, ad hoc committees, and additional officers. Members of such committees and holders of such appointive offices may be invited to take part in the deliberations of the Executive Board in their own right. The Executive Board shall clearly define the duties of all such standing committees, ad hoc committees, and additional officers, and shall inform the members of the society of their actions through appropriate means. VI. MEETINGS A. Meetings of the Society. There shall be an annual meeting of the society, to be held normally at the place and time to coincide with the meeting of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies. Other meetings of the society may be arranged at the discretion of the Executive Board, but no business affecting the whole membership shall be transacted at such meetings unless four weeks' notice has been given to all members of the society. B. Meetings of the Executive Board. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held at the call of the President, or in his or her absence, the Vice-President. A quorum of the Executive Board shall be four members. In intervals between meetings of the Executive Board, routine and urgent business of the society may be handled by the President and Executive Secretary subject to later approval by the Executive Board. VII. DUES The society shall collect annual dues for membership for a calendar or academic year, the amount of the dues to be determined at each annual meeting. Notices of dues will be mailed by the Executive Secretary at an appropriate time each year. VIII. AMENDMENTS AND DISSOLUTION Motions to adopt a new constitution of the society, or to amend the existing constitution, or to dissolve the society shall be made in writing over the signature of at least ten (10) members of the society in good standing and shall be transmitted to the Executive Board, which shall submit them to the membership of the society for balloting at the next annual meeting. Motions to adopt by-laws shall follow the same procedure, except that only five (5) signatures will be required. Adoption of any of the above motions shall require a two-thirds majority by members voting and in good standing. In the case of dissolution of the society, any assets remaining after the obligations of the society have been paid shall be distributed to such not-for-profit tax-exempt organizations, under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code as it may then be amended, operated for scholarly or educational or charitable purposes as the then existing officers and the Executive Board voting as a single body shall select. If no organization shall be so selected, such assets shall be distributed for general charitable purposes and shall not be used for the benefit of, or distributed to, the members of the society.
Return to SECFS Home Page Last Updated: Monday, March 31, 1997