Constitution and Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this Association shall be MidAmerica Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, hereinafter known as MIDTESOL.

ARTICLE II: PURPOSES

1. MIDTESOL is a not-for-profit organization whose purposes are:

a. To promote the professional development of ESOL educators;

b. To strengthen at all levels instruction and research in ESOL;

c. To collect and disseminate useful information about the teaching of ESOL and about new developments in the field;

d. To establish international contacts through affiliation with TESOL;

e. To provide opportunities for sharing of information, group study, and discussion of problems confronting ESOL educators.

f. To cooperate in appropriate ways with groups having similar concerns.

2. MIDTESOL is organized exclusively for educational purposes, including the making of distributions to an organization that qualifies as exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law).

3. MIDTESOL, as an organization, shall not participate in, or intervene in, including the publishing or distributing of statements, any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office, and no substantial part of the activities of MIDTESOL shall be for lobbying, carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation.

4. Notwithstanding any other provision of these articles, the Association shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on by an organization exempt from Federal income tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue law).

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Individual voting membership in MIDTESOL shall be open to any person who at any educational level teaches English to speakers of other languages or to any person preparing for such teaching or is otherwise interested in the field of ESOL.

ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS

1. MIDTESOL shall hold its Annual Business Meeting for the general membership at such time and place as the Executive Board shall determine, usually in conjunction with the annual conference in the fall. Additional meetings of the general membership may be called by the Executive Board, as needed.
2. The Executive Board shall confer a minimum of four times during the year at such times and places as the Board shall determine. Executive Board meetings shall be open to the general membership.
3. The Executive Board shall plan and conduct an annual conference, usually in the fall, for the general membership and all interested persons. Additional conferences, workshops, and related events may be authorized and sponsored by the Executive Board in each of the two states annually.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS  

1. The Officers of MIDTESOL shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past President.
2. The Officers shall be elected and perform the duties as prescribed in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE BOARD

1. The Executive Board of MIDTESOL shall consist of the following voting members who shall be permitted to cast votes by electronic mail: the Officers, two Members at Large, Newsletter Editor(s), Publisher's Liaison, Historian, and Chairs of all Standing Committees.
2. The Executive Board members shall be elected or appointed and serve terms of office as prescribed in the Bylaws.
3. The Executive Board shall implement policy, conduct business, and perform duties for MIDTESOL as set forth in the MIDTESOL Constitution and Bylaws and as may be determined by the general membership.
4. All Executive Board members shall be members of TESOL.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

1. The Standing Committees of MIDTESOL shall be: Awards Committee, Conference Committee having co-chairs, Membership Committee, Nominating Committee, Rules and Resolutions Committee, and Sociopolitical Concerns and Professional Standards Committee.
2. The Executive Board shall appoint ad hoc committees, as needed.  
3. All Committees shall be appointed or elected and shall perform the duties as prescribed in the Bylaws. Committee membership shall reflect, to the degree possible, the geographic diversity and various professional interests/levels of MIDTESOL.

ARTICLE VIII: EARNINGS

1. All monies of MIDTESOL shall only be disbursed in the support of the purposes of this organization and shall not be disbursed to any member of the organization for his or her own private gain, except that the Association shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth in Article II hereof.
2. Monies may be disbursed only with the approval of the Executive Board and/or by a majority vote of the members at a business meeting or in a mail ballot.

  ARTICLE IX: DISSOLUTION

1. Upon dissolution of MIDTESOL, the Executive Board shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of all of the liabilities of the Association, dispose of all of the assets of the Association exclusively for the purposes of the Association in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable or educational purposes as shall at the time qualify as an exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3).
2. All finances or properties of MIDTESOL will become sole properties of the TESOL organization or another nonprofit organization of like interests.

ARTICLE X: STANDARD AUTHORITY

The rules in the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern MIDTESOL in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the MIDTESOL Constitution and Bylaws.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

This Constitution shall be amended as follows:

1. Amendments may be proposed by: (a) a majority vote of the Executive Board, or (b) a petition signed by any ten (10) members of MIDTESOL.
2. Any proposed amendment shall be distributed to all MIDTESOL members at least 30 days prior to the vote on the amendment.
3. A proposed amendment, to become effective, must be ratified by at least a two-thirds vote of the MIDTESOL members who vote at a MIDTESOL business meeting or in a mail ballot.

Added to the WWW on 04/21/2006