"Creating Effective
Citizens...One Student At A Time."
CONSTITUTION
OF THE
OKLAHOMA COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES
Revised February 4, 2006
ARTICLE
I -Name, Purpose, and Affiliations
Section 1. Name
This
association shall be known as the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies.
Social studies is considered by this Council to include anthropology,
archaeology, civics, economics, geography, government, humanities history, law,
philosophy, psychology, religion, and sociology.
Section 2. Purpose
The
purpose of the Council shall be to improve the teaching of social studies in
Oklahoma and to foster recognition of the social studies as central to education
in a democratic society through developing and maintaining communication with
university departments of education and the foundation disciplines of the social
studies and providing professional meetings.
Section 3. Affiliation
The
Council shall be affiliated with the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).
The Council will provide collaborative framework for the purpose of facilitating
communication and cooperation among social studies organizations.
ARTICLE
II -Membership, Dues, and Meetings
Section 1. Membership
Membership in the Council is open to all persons interested in the teaching and promotion of the social studies.
Section 2. Member Dues
Any
change in the amount of annual dues shall be voted on by the membership.
Section 3. Annual Meeting
The
Council shall conduct an annual meeting for the purpose of conducting business.
The time and place of this meeting shall be determined by the Board. The
president shall call additional Council meetings as needed, and the Council may
cooperate with other professional organizations in sponsoring joint meetings.
ARTICLE
III – Governance
Section 1. Governance
The governance of the Council shall be vested in its membership. Policies and objectives shall be implemented by the Officers, Executive Committee and Board in compliance with the provisions of this Constitution.
Section 2. Executive Committee
The
Executive Committee of the Council is composed of the following Officers: President,
Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and NCSS Delegate .
Section 3. Elections
The
Officers shall take office on January 1 and serve until December 31.
Members of OCSS may run for any office by submitting a filing form to the
NCSS delegate. The Elections
Committee shall disseminate candidate information, seek candidates for open
positions, and conduct elections. Elections
will be conducted by mail or electronic means.
The entire Council membership will be involved in the elections.
The Board is authorized to enact such policies and procedures to
implement voting of the entire Council membership.
Section 4 – Terms of Office
A. President, Secretary and Treasurer will be elected for a two
year term.
B. The Vice-President and the NCSS delegate will be elected for
a one year term.
C.
No member may serve as an officer for more than five consecutive years.
Section 5. Duties of Officers
The
duties of the Officers are as follows:
A.
President
The President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Council, shall be responsible for all agendas at meetings of the Council; shall appoint standing and ad hoc committees and shall be ex officio member of all committees. All vacancies, except for the President, shall be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the Executive Committee. The President shall chair the Legislative Committee.
B.
Vice-President
The
Vice-President shall coordinate the Annual Conference, chair the conference
planning committee, and coordinate the selection of awards.
The Vice-President shall succeed to the presidency to complete an
unexpired term in case of a vacancy.
C.
Secretary
The
Secretary shall keep minutes of all Council, Executive Committee and Board
meetings and all other records of the Council. Minutes will be provided at the
next meeting of the appropriate body. The Secretary shall be the chair of the
communications committee. The
Secretary will be responsible for transferring Council records to the next
elected/appointed Secretary.
D.
Treasurer
Dues shall be paid to the Treasurer of the Council. The Treasurer shall keep all monies of the Council, expend money with the prior approval of the Executive Committee or the membership, have the financial records of the Council audited by an outside agent prior to the annual conference. The Treasurer shall make an annual financial report to the membership and shall make current reports at all meetings of the Board. All checks shall be signed by the Treasurer and/or a member of the Board. The treasurer shall be bonded at the expense of the Council. The treasurer shall maintain a current database of Council members and provide updated rosters as directed by the President. The treasurer will be the chair of the Finance Committee.
E. NCSS Delegate
The
NCSS delegate shall serve as Council representative in the NCSS House of
Delegates. In addition, this person will oversee the parliamentary procedure and
general order of council meetings, as well as chair the elections committee.
F. Qualifications for Office
All
Officers and members of the Board shall be members in good standing of
both OCSS and NCSS.
Section 6. Executive Committee Powers
The Executive Committee shall have the power to conduct all business of
the
Council between meetings of the
Board, including the expenditure of money.
Section 7. Board
Composition
The Board shall consist of the Executive Committee, four Members-at-Large
elected at the annual conference, and all Council members who have attended
three board meetings in a twelve month period. The President may also appoint as
affiliate members of the Board representatives of other professional
organizations with the approval of the Executive Committee. Voting rights on the
Board shall also be exercised by any Council member in good standing at the time
he or she attends his or her third Board meeting within a twelve month period.
A.
Open Meetings
Board
meetings shall be open to any Council member who wishes to attend.
B.
Notice
of Board meetings shall be posted on the Council’s website and advertised in
Council publications.
Quorum/Rules of Order
Fifty percent of elected officers are necessary to constitute a quorum for Board
meetings. Roberts’ Rules of Order
(Revised) will be used for conducting Council meetings.
Section 8. NCSS House of Delegates
The
Council shall be represented in the NCSS House of Delegates by the NCSS
Delegate. When the Council is eligible for additional representatives, the
officers will serve in the following order: President, Vice President, Secretary
and Treasurer. The Secretary and Treasurer shall serve as alternate delegates.
Should additional delegates or alternates be required, the President shall
appoint same from the members of the Board. Any member who receives OCSS funds
to attend a conference shall be expected to report to the Board and the
membership, and give a presentation at the annual conference.
Section 9. Standing Committees
A.
Committees
There shall be five standing committees: Elections, Legislative, Finance,
Communications, and Conference Planning. Each committee shall consist of a
minimum of three members .
B.
Responsibilities of
Committee Chairs
The chairpersons of all Council standing and ad hoc committees shall make
reports at the annual meeting.
ARTICLE
IV – Amendment
This
Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote Notice and copy of the
proposed amendments shall be provided to the membership at least 30 days prior
to the annual conference at which
an open hearing will be conducted. Proposed
amendments to the Constitution may be submitted to the elections committee by
any member. Proposed amendments
will be submitted to the Council membership to be voted upon at the same time
and means as the election of the officers.
Amendments to the Constitution will become effective immediately upon
passage by a 2/3 majority vote of the membership casting ballots.
ARTICLE
V -- Distribution of Funds, Limitations of Activities, and Dissolution
Section 1. Distribution and Limitation of Funds
No part of the net funds of the Council shall inure to the benefit of, or be
distributable to its members,
Officers, or other private persons except that the
Council or the Board shall be
authorized and empowered to make payments and
distributions in the
furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article I of this
Constitution.
Section
2.
Prohibitions for the Use of Funds
No
substantial part of the activities of the Council shall be the carrying on of
propaganda, and the Council shall not participate in or intervene in (including
the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf
of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Constitution, the Council shall not, to any substantial degree, engage in any
activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the purposes of
the Council.
Section 3. Dissolution of Council
Upon the dissolution of the Council, assets shall be distributed for one or more
exempt purposes within
the meaning of section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code, or shall be
distributed to the federal government, or to a State
or local government for a
public purpose.
OCSS By-Laws (revised and approved, August, 2009)
