ARTICLE I. PURPOSE
The purpose of these By-Laws is to establish a governing structure for the Society for Medieval Languages and Linguistics (Henceforth "the Society").
ARTICLE II. YEAR
The working year of the Society, for all purposes, shall be June 1 to May 31.
ARTICLE III. GOVERNING STRUCTURE
The operation of the Society shall be directed by its Officers in accordance with the provisions of these By-Laws.
ARTICLE IV. HEADQUARTERS
The Headquarters of the Society are at Western Michigan University, and its offices are within the College of Arts and Sciences of that University.
ARTICLE V. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Society shall be the President, Vice President, and Secretary. Officers shall be pre-elected by simple majority of the membership of the Society in attendance at the Business Meeting during the annual conference at Kalamazoo, in the year before the years of office, shall hold the office for three years and shall not be immediately reelectable.
ARTICLE VI. QUORUM
The Quoram for a business meeting shall be twelve. ARTICLE VII. ADVISORY BOARDS / SUBCOMMITTEES
Officers may, at their discretion, appoint such Advisory Boards and Subcommittees as they may, from time to time, deem to be of assistance to the Society. All Advisory Boards and Subcommittees shall be chaired by an Officer. No Advisory Board or Subcommittee (except the conference Subcommittee) shall continue in existence for more than one (1) year without formal renewal by the membership.
ARTICLE VIII. MINUTES, REPORTS, AND AGENDA
The Minutes of all meetings or the membership shall be recorded by the Secretary in the Minute Book of the Society, and shall be submitted for confirmation to the next formal meeting of the membership, and shall be published during the year following the meeting recorded on the Web Site of the Society.
Matters for inclusion on the Agenda of a meeting must be received by the Secretary of the Society not less than a week before the date of the meeting. The Secretary of the Association may accept matters for late inclusion on the Agenda at the discretion of the President or, in his absence, by his designated deputy.
ARTICLE IX. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
An Annual General Meeting of the Association shall be held in conjunction with the annual Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo, of which notice shall be given to all members.
The Annual General Meeting shall receive the Reports of the President, Vice President, and Secretary, together with such other reports and business as the Officers may decide, and shall elect officers as necessary and appropriate.
. The business of the Annual General Meeting shall be determined by the Officers save that items submitted to the Secretary of the Society not less than a calendar week before the date of the Annual General Meeting and endorsed by not less than twelve members of the Society shall be included
. ARTICLE X. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
A Special General Meeting of the Association may be called, at not less than four calendar week's notice to all members, by the decision of the Officers or at the request of twenty-four members of the Society made in writing to the Secretary of the Society, and specifying the precise nature of the business to be discussed.
ARTICLE XI. ELECTIONS
The election of Directors, when applicable, shall be by simple majority of the members present at the Annual General Meetings. Proxy or written votes shall not be entertained. In the event of a tied vote the President, or his deputy pro-tem, may exercise a casting vote. Full notices of all candidates for election shall be presented to all members of the Society by the Secretary. All candidates for election shall signify in writing to the Secretary of the Association of their willingness to stand. Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot in accordance with procedures established by the membership.
ARTICLE XII. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL
An Officer who fails to attend, without substantial cause, two consecutive meetings of the shall be deemed to have resigned his/her Office. An Officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority of the full membership.
ARTICLE XIII. INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP
Membership of the Society is open to any person of whatever race, color, gender, or religion who shares an interest in medieval languages and linguistics.
ARTICLE XIV. VOTING RIGHTS
All individual members have equal voting rights, which may not be exercised in absentia.
ARTICLE XV. DUTIES
The duties and responsibilities of the Officers of the Society are set out in the attached Schedules, which may be amended by the membership at its discretion.
ARTICLE XVI. ACTIVITIES
The activities of the Association shall be all or any of those concerned with academic study, discussion and development both internationally and nationally as decided and interpreted by the membership, and as indicated in the Schedule attached to these By-Laws.
ARTICLE XVII. AMENDMENTS
These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority of the entitled members of the Society voting in person at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.
ARTICLE XVIII. RATIFICATION
These By-Laws take immediate effect when formally ratified by the Charter Membership of the Society
. May 5, 2000.
Schedule A: Duties
President
The President shall chair all meetings of the Society and shall preside at other Colloquia, Conferences, Workshops, Lectures, unless this responsibility is delegated, during his period of office (which shall commence with his election and induction at the end of the appropriate Annual Conference). The President shall represent the Society before other bodies, and major speakers at the Society's conferences and activities shall be invited by him/her, in his/her name or on his/her behalf. The President shall present a Report to the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
Secretary
The Secretary shall maintain the records and minutes of the Association in all its activities and constituent committees, and ensure that they are produced for discussion and approval at the appropriate committees and meetings
. The Secretary shall