CONSTITUTION OF THE ACADEMIC & FORENSICS SOCIETY OF MONMOUTH COLLEGE 

 ARTICLE I.  NAME

 Section 1. The name of the organization shall be The Academic & Forensics Society of Monmouth College. Alternatively it may be known simply as Scotspeak!. It shall be hereafter referred to in this document as The Society.

ARTICLE II . PURPOSE

Section 1..The Society shall participate in intercollegiate speech and debate competitions. Additionally, it will sponsor chapters and participate in the following activities: Model UN, Mock Trial, Model Illinois Government and Academic Quiz Bowl. The Society shall engage in several public debates during the year for the Monmouth College community to introduce other students to public forum debate and enhance students’ awareness of current events and issues of national, regional and local importance.  It shall also take a role in enhancing the liberal arts atmosphere of the college through social activities of a scholarly nature.

ARTICLE III. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Section 1. Any Monmouth College student is eligible to be a member of The Society. Members shall be allowed to participate in all sponsored activities of The Society, vote in elections and seek elective office.   

Section 2. The Society shall not levy any membership dues.  Fees that individual members are responsible for will vary depending on the specific activity.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTIONS & MEETING PROCEDURE

Section 1. The Society shall be a student-run organization, led by the elected representatives of the membership. Each office shall be elected annually, unless a vacancy exists prior.  All members are eligible to seek office and vote for any position. Candidates may seek more than one office, but no member may hold more than one elected or appointed position at any one time.

Section 2. The Executive Board consists of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, as well as the directors of each component group.  Each shall have one vote and will make decisions regarding affairs such as travel, finances and other sensitive information regarding society operations.  The Student Advisor and Advisor are members of the Executive Board in the capacity of advisors, they have no voting power.

Section 3.  All meeting procedures, including a member appointed parliamentarian shall be indicated in the Society Guide.

Section 4.  All actions by any member of the Executive Board on behalf of the society or one of its component groups must be approved by the Executive Board

ARTICLE V. OFFICERS & Advisors

Section 1. President

The President is the chief manager of society operations. The President shall chair all general society meetings in an orderly fashion, having an agenda printed and provided to members’ prior when possible. The President is responsible for overseeing that the duties of the other officers are accomplished in a timely and adequate manner, contacting members to schedule meetings and effectively manage society affairs as necessary and ensure at all times the preservation of the society.  The President will be an official representative of the society when communicating with student organization on campus.

Section 2. Treasurer

 The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of the society’s finances. During monthly business meetings, the Treasurer shall present an account of the team’s financial status. The Treasurer will handle individual team member reimbursement. All spending and budgetary decisions by the Treasurer must be made in conjunction with the rest of the Executive Board.

Section 3. Secretary

The Secretary shall record the minutes of all general society and executive board meetings of The Society. The minutes shall then be typed and disseminated to all members prior to the next meeting, after which they shall be accepted upon a majority vote of those present. If the Secretary is not present, s(he) or the President shall appoint a designee to fulfill those duties. 

Section 4. Parliamentarian

The parliamentarian shall monitor meetings, intervene when violations of parliamentary procedure have occurred and other duties as required. The Parliamentarian shall be charged with understanding Roberts’ Rules of Order and having a copy at every meeting.  The society shall operate under a modified form of Roberts’ Rules of Order.

Section 5. Student Advisor

The Student Advisor will be responsible for conducting tournament scheduling, including but not limited to, registering the team at competition and coordinating travel and hotel arrangements. The Student Advisor will be an official representative of the society when communicating with the College and external organizations.

Section 6. Advisor

The advisor shall be a faculty member who serves in the capacity of coach and mentor to society members. S(he) shall participate in practice sessions as desired and provide a training curriculum through advanced workshop or special sessions as needed (and time provides for). S(he) shall be a member of the Executive Board. 

Section 7. Impeachment

If at any time, any of the officers in the society do not fulfill their roles as designated in this document, or participate in conduct that brings discredit to the college and/or the society, they are subject to impeachment. Impeachment will require a vote of at least three-fourths of the membership. Any member may move for impeachment, granted it is submitted at least one week prior to the meeting in which the vote takes place. In the case of an impeachment, a special election will be held for the open position as soon as possible.

Section 8.  In the event an office has been vacated by the previous officer, that position shall be temporarily appointed by the Executive Board until a full society meeting can be called.  The membership assembled will then elect an officer to finish out the term.

ARTICLE VI. TRAVEL

Section 1. All members in good standing are eligible to travel. A member in good standing is defined in Section 2 and 3 of this Article.

Section 2. A society member that has missed two all society meetings without the prior notification of the President, Student Advisor, or Faculty Advisor (provided one of them is present at those meetings themselves) is not eligible to participate in one tournament, to be determined by the Executive Board on a case-by-case basis.  If sanctioned, the member will be reinstated to full travel eligibility at the conclusion of that tournament.

Section 3. A team member that does not attend a required event (as designated prior by the program director) shall be given the lowest priority for all future travel considerations during that semester of that school year.

Section 4. All efforts should be made to allow all team members who are eligible to travel and participate in tournaments as desired. In the event that there are funding constraints related to travel, all final decisions will be made by the Executive Board. 

Section 5. Team money is not to be used for personal items such as the purchase of cigarettes, toiletries, alcohol, etc. Team money is for hotel room expenses, transportation (if not provided by the college), tournament registration and materials needed for competition.

Section 6. If a member signs up to compete in a particular tournament and decides for any reason not to travel to that tournament after the registration date has passed, that member is liable for the drop or nuisance fee assessed by the tournament host.  The Executive Board can make exceptions to this rule by unanimous consent.  

Section 7.  Society members will not engage in any activities that violate the Monmouth College Charter, local, state or federal law, the College Judicial Code and the Constitution or by-laws of the Student Senate.

ARTICLE VII. FINANCES

Section 1. Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of the society shall be from July 1^st through June 30^th of the following year.

Section 2. Finances: All payments and movement of monies from one place to another on behalf of the Society, or a component group must be approved by a majority of the Executive Board at an Executive Board Meeting.

ARTICLE VIII. AMENDMENTS

Section 1. This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the members present at the meeting where the amendment is proposed, provided notice of the proposed amendment is presented a week prior to the said meeting.

Section 2.  The Society Guide shall be subject to amendment at any regular or special meeting of the Society or its Executive Board, provided such amendment has been submitted in writing to the Executive Board at least one, (1), month prior to the first meeting. The amendment must be voted on at two consecutive meetings and pass by a two-thirds vote of all active members present at the soonest all society meeting or Executive Board Meeting, whichever occurs first.

ARTICLE IX. THE SOCIETY GUIDE

Section 1. All regulations not outlined in this constitution may be outlined in The Society Guide which will be printed and distributed amongst the members of the Society at the beginning of each year, after consultation of the Executive Board. Additions or deletions shall be at the discretion of the Executive Board in consultation with the General Assembly.

The Society Guide

OF SCOTSPEAK! - THE ACADEMIC & FORENSICS SOCIETY

MONMOUTH COLLEGE

2003 EDITION

THE SOCIETY GUIDE BY-LAWS

Article I. Purpose

Section 1. – The Society Guide shall serve as the official by-laws of The Society. All rules not outlined in the Constitution, shall be listed in this Guide.

Article II.

Meeting Procedures

Section 1. - Meetings of the Society may be called by any member of the Executive Board, given at least one week notice prior to the date of the meeting.

Section 2a. – Meetings shall be chaired by the President, unless otherwise delegated by him/her prior to the meeting. In the President’s absence, the Student Advisor shall chair meetings.

Section 2b. – The Chair shall open discussion based on a printed agenda. In conjunction with the parliamentarian, the Chair shall ensure that all members of the society or Executive Board are heard, and recognize any and all motions.  A meeting can only be closed by a motion for adjournment.

Section 3. – The chair of the meeting shall have a printed agenda for the meeting prior to the meeting date.