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BY-LAWS OF THE THEATRE HISTORY FOCUS GROUP
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the
group shall be Theatre History Program, a
program of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE).
ARTICLE 2
AIMS
The Aims of the Theatre History Program are:
a) To promote the teaching and study of theatre history within
university and college theatre departments;
b) To provide opportunities for its members to communicate the results
of their research to one another and the larger theatre community;
c) To promote interconnections with other areas of theatre study.
ARTICLE 3
MEMBERSHIP
Membership is open to all members of ATHE who are interested
in the study and teaching of theatre history.
ARTICLE 4
VOTING
Any member is eligible to vote upon matters brought before
the membership. In case of a tie, the Chair may cast the deciding vote.
ARTICLE 5
GOVERNING BODY
SECTION5.1 EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE.
The Focus Group shall be
directed by an Executive Committee consisting of a Chair (who also acts
as a conference planner), Vice-Chair, Secretary, Focus Group
Representative, Focus Group Representative-Elect, Treasurer, and a
Graduate Student Representative, all of whom are elected for one-year
terms (except the Forum Representative who serves a two-year term) at
the annual business meeting. In addition, the immediate Past-Chair will
serve on the Executive Committee ex-officio. A
majority vote of the Executive Committee is required to approve the
program budget.
SECTION 5.2 ELIGIBILITY.
All members are eligible for
election except the immediate Past-Chair. The Immediate Past
Chair may serve on any committees, but may not be elected to another
position in the Focus Group.
SECTION 5.3 CHAIR.
The Chair will conduct the program's
annual business meetings, serve as the ATHE conference planner, attend
all conference programming meetings held during the ATHE annual
conference, and mentor the Vice-Chair in conference programming. The
term of office shall be two years.
SECTION 5.4 VICE-CHAIR.
The Vice-Chair will conduct
meetings
in the absence of the Chair, attend all conference programming meetings
held during the annual ATHE conference, assist the Chair in conference
planning activities, and administer adjudicated panels. The Vice-Chair
is Chair-Elect. The term of office shall be two years.
SECTION 5.5 SECRETARY.
The Secretary will take minutes
at the
annual business meeting, publish and distribute the focus group
newsletter, contribute and/or edit articles to the ATHE Newsletter,
maintain an updated mailing list of the membership, correspond with
newly-designated members, and be responsible for recording attendance
at Theatre History panels at the ATHE annual conference. The term
of the office shall be one year.
SECTION 5.6 FOCUS GROUP REPRESENTATIVE
The Focus Group Representative will represent the Focus Group in all
meetings with the Governing Council, attend Focus Group Representatives
meetings, serve on one of the standing committees of ATHE, report all
Focus Group business to the Chair, maintain the by-laws of ATHE, and
issue an annual report of Focus group business to the membership at the
annual meeting. The term of office shall be two years.
SECTION 5.7 FOCUS GROUP REPRESENTATIVE-ELECT
The Focus Group Representative Elect will be elected at
the beginning of the second year of office of the Focus Group
Representative. The Focus Group Representative Elect will attend
meetings in the absence of the Focus Group Representative and support
the work of the Focus Group Representative in year round concerns of
the Theatre History Focus Group. At conclusion of this
year, the focus Group Representative-Elect will succeed the Focus Group
Representative and serve a two year term of office.
SECTION 5.8 VACANCIES.
In the event of a vacancy in the Executive Committee
other than the Chair or the Focus Group Representative, the Chair will
appoint a qualified individual to serve in that position until an
election can be held. If the vacancy occurs in the Focus
Group Representative position and there is a Focus Group
Representative-Elect in place, that person will succeed immediately to
Focus Group Representative; in the event there is no Focus Group
Representative-Elect, the Chair will appoint a Focus Group
Representative until elections can be held. If the Chair position
becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair will succeed immediately to the Chair,
and an election will be held at the next business meeting to fulfill
the unexpired term of the Vice-Chair.
SECTION 5.9 COMMITTEES.
SECTION 5.9.1 NOMINATING COMMITTEE. The
Nominating
Committee
will consist of three individuals elected by the membership at the
annual meeting. In the case of a vacancy, the Chair may appoint a
replacement for the remainder of the term. The members of the
Nominating Committee may not nominate themselves.
SECTION 5.9.2 OTHER COMMITTEES. Other
committees may be
established by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 6
ELECTIONS
Elections will be held at the annual business meeting.
A
majority of the votes cast is required for election. New officers will
assume duties immediately following the meeting at which the elections
are held. The
Nominating Committee will submit a list of candidates which includes at
least two candidates for each position. Nominations will also be
accepted from the floor.
ARTICLE 7
ANNUAL MEETINGS
At least one business meeting of the Theatre History
Program
will be held annually in conjunction with the annual meeting of ATHE.
The Executive Committee will meet at least once during the ATHE annual
conference.
ARTICLE 8
PROCEDURES
Meetings of the Theatre History Program will be
conducted
according to the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order. The members
of the program present and voting at the annual business meeting will
constitute a quorum, and a majority of those present will be required
for the passage of any
measure presented at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE 9
AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS
Amendments to the By-Laws may be initiated either by
the
Executive Committee or by membership. By-Laws may be amended by a
two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at the annual
business meeting.
Amended August 1992,
Theatre History Business Meeting
Atlanta, GA
Amended August 1994,
Theatre History Business Meeting
Chicago, IL
Amended August 1995,
Theatre History Business Meeting
San Francisco, CA
Amended August 2004,
Theatre History Business Meeting
Toronto, ON
updated March 27,
2008 agb
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