OSTCA Constitution

CONSTITUTION

OKLAHOMA SPEECH THEATRE COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION

Article I – Name
The name of the Association shall be the Oklahoma Speech Theatre Communication Association.

Article II – Purposes
Section 1 – The purposes of the organization shall be: to provide the organizational structure to meet the varying needs of various constituencies of the Association; to make the Oklahoma speech, theatre, and communication programs a vital education force; to integrate the efforts, interests, and abilities of teachers, school administrators, and professionals in applied communication toward the betterment of speech, theatre and communication education programs; and to act as a clearinghouse for state, regional, and national speech, theatre, and communication education programs.

Section 2 – The purpose of this organization shall be exclusively educational within the intention of section 501 C3 of the United States Internal Revenue Code operating as a non-profit-making organization under the laws of the state of Oklahoma.

Section 3 – To meet these purposes, OSTCA is structured in divisions of communication, forensics, and theatre:
    A.     Each division shall be generally governed by its own operating procedures.
    B.     The Executive Council of OSTCA shall have authority to adjust divisional procedures,
            which are inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the OSTCA.

Article III – Membership
Section 1 – Membership shall be open to anyone, and shall be as specified in the By-Laws.

Article IV – Officers
Section 1 – All officers shall be elected for one year, except as noted in

Section 2. Terms of office shall
                 commence immediately after the adjournment of the annual business meeting.

Section 2 – The elected officers of the organization shall be:
    A.     Elected by total membership:
            1.      President
            2.      First Vice President (to serve for one year and then succeed to the
                    office of President)
            3.      Second Vice President (to serve one year and become First Vice President)
                    To be rotated by Division.
            4.      Executive Secretary – Treasurer - a three-year term
            5.      Executive secretary – Treasurer Elect (when appropriated – to serve one year and then
                     succeed to the office of Executive Secretary for three years.
    B.     Elected by each division:
            1.      Chairperson
            2.      Other officers as needed

Section 3 – The Appointed Officers:
     A.     The elected officers may fill the following position themselves or appoint other members to
            fill them:
            1.      Historian (Indefinite term)
            2.      Web Master (Three-year term)
            3.      Recording Secretary (One-year term)
            4.      Director of Public Relations (One-year term)
            5.      Parliamentarian (Indefinite term)
            6.      NCA/CSCA Representative's) (Three-year terms)
            7.      SWTA Representative(s) (Three-year term)
            8.      Representative to Oklahoma Alliance for Arts Education (One-year Term)

Article V – The Executive Council
Section 1 – The membership of the Executive Council shall be composed of the elected and appointed officers and the two most recent past presidents who are currently active members and shall serve without pay.

Section 2 – Duties of the Executive Council shall be set forth in the By-Laws.

Section 3 – Each member of the Council shall have one vote in the deliberations of the Council.

Article VI – Divisional Organization
Section 1 – The Association shall be divided into three Divisions:
            A.     Communication
            B.     Forensics
            C.     Theatre

Section 2 – A person affiliated with the educational profession shall automatically become a member of his/her appropriate Division. Members whose professional responsibility or interests overlap may choose their Division affiliation. Members not affiliated with the educational profession shall be free to choose a Division.

Section 3 – A Divisional organization may plan special meetings, workshops, and conferences throughout the year, to be scheduled at a time and place to be determined by the officers of the Division. Meetings planned at the same time and place as Association meetings must be planned in cooperation with the Executive Council.

Section 4 –   The division Chairperson shall be selected by the members of his/her Division.

Section 5 –   Each Division may adopt its own constitution and by-laws in harmony with the OSTCA Constitution.

Article VII- Publications
Section 1-    The OSTCA shall have one website and one newsletter
            A.     The www.ostca.org website
            B.     The OSTCA newsletter

Section 2- Publication shall be as set forth in the By-Laws

Article VIII- Committees

Section 1-    The Association shall have two standing committees:
            A.     A Nominating Committee
            B.     An Awards Committee

Section 2- Other committees may be created by the Executive Council as needed.

Article IX- Amendments

Section 1-   Amendments may be initiated by
            A.   The Executive Council
            B.   Upon petition signed by ten members of the Executive council, which shall
                  submit such amendments to the membership for a vote.

Section 2- A two-thirds approval by those voting is required for adoption.

Section 3- An amendment shall be submitted to a vote of a duly called Association
                meeting, or by a mail ballot. If voting is by a mail ballot, only those ballots
                received within 21 days of mailing shall be counted. The vote of any
                proposed amendment shall be published in the OSTCA Newsletter.

Section 4- An amendment shall take effect immediately upon adoption.

Adopted, 1983
Amended, 1987
Amended, 1991
Amended, 2002